How to bulk up?

[BoyBlue_1985]

Cheers SWP



Need some help regarding weight lifting. I am 5 foot 7 and about 10 weeks ago I was only 8 stone... I decided I wanted to gain weight and last time I checked I was nearly 9 stone 5. I have brought myself a bench press and some dumbbells to do some weight lifting at home. Also got some Whey protein powder. Just a few quick questions if anybody can help, Should I drink the shakes before or after my work out? Do I have a light snack before working out and a big meal once I have finished?

I am only lifting around 35/40kg on the bench and around 10/15 on my dumbbells but will gradually buy more weights once I can lift them :-) Should I be lifting much more?


Diet wasn't great before I started this

Morning
Bowl of cereal and a protein shake
yogurt on my break at 10.30

Lunch
Pasta dish with chicken and maybe some crisps

Tea time
I have been eating mainly steak and chips at the moment
Protein shake before work out

Before bed
I would normally have some strawberries and cream

I try to eat fruit in the day maybe an orange or banana. I can't stand eating eggs or tuna and I no they are really good for bulking up. Also on days I train I will mainly have porridge in the morning

Am I eating right to bulk up? I have tried egg and fish but I just can’t stomach them

Any advice??

Thanks

First of all I would say you need to look at your diet rather than worrying about what your lifting.

Ditch the cereal at breakfast to start with as it will be full of sugar and will set your sugar cravings off for the day. Ditch the pasta for your dinner as its a starchy carb and is pretty much has no goodness in it what so ever. Steak is fine but instead of chips try and go for sweet potato (can get these from any supermarket) or steamed/roasted vedge.

The more vedge you can get in the better. Vedge is the best carb you can eat and will help you to grow. Also try things like spinach and kale (form of cabbage).

Just to give you a few ideas i tend to have eggs most breakfasts as its arguably the best multi vitamin you can have. I make egg pancakes for breakfast which is basically 3 eggs mixed with 2 handfuls of oats and a bit of cocoa powder mix it all up throw it in a pan and have it with banana or any fruit. It's full of protein and protein is the ideal way to start the day. For lunch id go for some kind of chicken salad (prepare your own chicken its a lot cheaper) and just buy spinach/beetroot/cucumber/onions etc from supermarket.

As for lifting don't worry about the weight that will just come with progression. Consistency is the key, and plenty of hard work.

Apologies if this is long winded but if someone asks for help in this area i always like to give the best advice i can. My brother is a personal trainer and a qualified nutritionist. If you are on twitter you can follow him @livealeanlife. He gives great advise. Good luck mate. CTID.

That is basically my diet but I have leaned out far too much and needed to add more carbs

 

[sergiokun]

Cheers Chris that's very helpful I will follow your brother on twitter. I just can't seem to stomach eggs but I might give it ago again tomorrow morning. I will try changing my lunch to chicken salad and ditch the pasta. Just want to bulk up well eating healthy really

Try omelettes mate,add peppers,mushrooms,onions and chillies/spices etc.

Same with fish,try different types,they are very different in taste,texture and smell.

A tuna or swordfish fillet is very different to stuff you'll find in a tin as is a piece of salmon.

This is true. A lot of people think eating eggs means straight up boiled eggs. Or eating tuna has to be straight out of a tin. Add spices and it makes it a totally different ball game.

Fresh fish tastes totally different to tinned fish.

No worries for the advise mate.

Cheers guys appreciate the help

I will start off tomorrow with my egg pancake and a protein shake and try a chicken salad for lunch. I will take your advice and try some other fish but not sure how well it will go down :-)

 

[Dirty Harry]

FI, protein bars and shakes give me really bad stomach pain - is this normal, will I 'get used to them' after a while?

I'm not keen on bars full stop,they tend to be packed with binding agents,sweetners and/or sugars - all stuff that will mess with your digestion.

As for powders,usually depends on the brand/quality and how often you are using them.

As ever,when possible,eat unprocessed 'real' food.

For your information mate, in case you ever do consider them, know the owner personally and seriously, 10 times better than anything out there <a class="postlink" href="http://highland-nutrition.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://highland-nutrition.com/</a>

 

[Unknown_Genius]

Just eat lots of pies, marra.

 

[Fat Chance]

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2388444/How-drugs-pumped-supermarket-chickens-pose-terrifying-threat-health.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ealth.html</a>

 

[FantasyIreland]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2388444/How-drugs-pumped-supermarket-chickens-pose-terrifying-threat-health.html

I've no idea why you have posted that.

 

[worsleyweb]

Fuck me ivejust see a photo of myself - bulk up I look like big daddy on steroids.

 

[Salford_Blue]

Good article here from Muscle and Fitness.
Gives you a summary of how many grams of Protein, Fats (good), Carbs, Calories you need according to your bodyweight to help you achieve your goals.

Click here

 

[garymj]

Good article here from Muscle and Fitness.
Gives you a summary of how many grams of Protein, Fats (good), Carbs, Calories you need according to your bodyweight to help you achieve your goals.

Click here

Well spotted mate, not hard is it?

 

[Salford_Blue]

Good article here from Muscle and Fitness.
Gives you a summary of how many grams of Protein, Fats (good), Carbs, Calories you need according to your bodyweight to help you achieve your goals.

Click here

Well spotted mate, not hard is it?

Must admit it has taken me a while to get into a different mindset.
For 25 years, I played regular footie and marathon running so was only interested in staying slim and fit to make me faster, etc, so I always remained around the 10 stone mark. I never looked at the nutrition side, as everything I ate was simply burned off anyway.

Now as I move past 40, I have to flip my training and diet on its head by only training 3-4 times a week with the emphasis being on rest. And the diet must include fats and carbs, which previously were a "no no", solely because of my ignorance to weight training.

However, after speaking to a good friend who is of a similar age and a dedicated bodybuilder, he gave me the exact same advice as in the article.

Success won't come overnight and all I have is a bench a dumbbells, which I use in the dining room at home. But I can get just as good a workout using these and get the same results, as long as my diet also compliments the training program.