Wanting to gain some how...

[westbeach70]

Hey hey guys.. Hey I feel like an idiot for asking this but being myself, 6 foot 2 weighing 160 pounds, I am looking for some kinda gain in size obviously, and over the next couple months to bulk up as much as I can without looking too extreme..

I have went to GNC, Popeyes, and as well any of the gyms out there and they are all giving me mixed things... Some telling me I should take a WHEY gainer, along with creatine, some telling me I should take this Mega X weigh gainer from GNC, and then at work, the worse of all... ( Walmart ) telling me I should take their Mega Mass 1000 calories 54G of protein per...

But if anyone can please I guess educate and throw their knowledge as per what I should do or take it would be greatfull... Thanks...


Chris
Medicine Hat, Alberta...

[max_boost]

READ and LEARN:

http://stronglifts.com/

Coles version:

EAT. EAT. EAT

Forget about all those supplements. Drink a gallon of milk a day and you are set.

Squat
Deadlift
Bench
Press

[westbeach70]

Easier said then done man... Drinking a gallon of milk a day is just insane.. I am not sure, I'd be upchuckin milk by 2PM... LOL.

[GTS4tw]

What is how?

[KRyn]

Just pick on any weight gainer and eat as much as you can. All gaining weight requires is a surplus of calories. It's really easy.

[max_boost]

Originally posted by westbeach70
Easier said then done man... Drinking a gallon of milk a day is just insane.. I am not sure, I'd be upchuckin milk by 2PM... LOL.

That's just an option. You don't have to do it. Personally I was drinking 2L and I just couldn't take anymore.

To gain weight, just EAT. Calorie surplus here. Don't worry, you'll grow proportionally providing you are doing the major 4 lifts, squat, deads, bench, and press. If you don't lift, you are just going to get fat haha

[westbeach70]

Thanks yeah hopefully I can get this worked out in the next little bit, gonna try this out and read up on this stronglifts website.. Thanks again guys.. Any more input is great..

[Penguin_Racecar]

Originally posted by max_boost


That's just an option. You don't have to do it. Personally I was drinking 2L and I just couldn't take anymore.

To gain weight, just EAT. Calorie surplus here. Don't worry, you'll grow proportionally providing you are doing the major 4 lifts, squat, deads, bench, and press. If you don't lift, you are just going to get fat haha

This.
I see too many people half assing things. Eat 3000+ calories/day and lift hard. Squats, deadlift, bench, overhead press, bent over rows are 5 lifts you need. Focus on doing them properly using freeweights for best results. Start with lighter weights to get your technique down, then worry about adding weight to the bar(s).

[max_boost]

Forget about the gym membership, I don't even know how many gyms have power cages. Buy one and put it in the basement. Place it on top of some horse mats you can get at UFA. Have someone show you how to do the lifts properly.

This is what I have. Retail $2200-$2500 but can probably buy a used one for around $1000 which is what I paid.

http://www.members.shaw.ca/samtang310/Power%20Rack.jpg

I'm 5'5". I went from 140 to 165 in a matter of 3 months but now holding steady at 160. Undecided as what I want to do. Had to buy all new clothes etc. lol

[westbeach70]

Wicked, but as per weight gainers would you peeps reccomend taking them or as per eating every 3 hrs of the day which personally is gonna be super hard with the work schedule I run etc....

[Canmorite]

I bought some of that weight gainer powder formula, worked great. Gained 8 lbs in 4 months. Coulda done more but it's hard to manage that many carbs and insulin. (Diabetic)

[wintonyk]

Eat real food and lots of it. I started my mass gain a few months ago and put have put on close to 15 lbs. No supplements whatsoever. Just lots of whole grains (rice, quinoa, buckwheat, etc.), meat and vegetables. I even have thrown in about 10 vegan meals during the time as well.

That combined with intense strength training will help.

[civic_rida]

Wow Sam 160 holy shit.

[scboss]

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/hardgainer-muscle-building-1-nutrition.htm

read all four pages
i was in the exact same boat as you 163 and 6'3 and now im sitting around 200 and im pretty cut.
Remember you have a lanky body even at 200 im still skinny as hell just strong and more dense. The info on these pages should help you out like it did me. Dont focus on getting big as much as how strong and healthy you are getting and the size will come. Took me over two years just to get to 200!

[dandia89]

Originally posted by max_boost
READ and LEARN:

http://stronglifts.com/

Coles version:

EAT. EAT. EAT

Forget about all those supplements. Drink a gallon of milk a day and you are set.

Squat
Deadlift
Bench
Press
reading some of that site is really inaccurate and i wouldn't take alot of it to heart.

[lint]

Originally posted by dandia89

reading some of that site is really inaccurate and i wouldn't take alot of it to heart.

Really now? Please do tell what is inaccurate.

[dandia89]

http://stronglifts.com/eat-stop-eat-brad-pilon-fasting-review/

[lint]

aside from just posting a link, how about you post up a critique as to why it's inaccurate?

[westbeach70]

Is creatine a bad suppliment?? Or am i pretty much wasting my time... I am looking for results over about a month or so, but getting mixed talks about all of this.. Thanks...

[scboss]

creatine is good but as soon as you stop expect to lose the size you gained.

[wintonyk]

basically how creatine works

for muscle to do work they require creatine (predominantly found in meat) to bind with phosphorous creating PCr (phospho creatine). The PCr works with ATP to utilize the energy. When working out the amount of PCr can decrease obviously. So by having more in the muscle to start with you can squeeze out the extra rep or two, further increasing the load on muscle.

Creatine is one of the few ergogenic aids that has actually been proven to aid in both mass and strength gains. About halfway down on page two of the attached file you will find some info on creatine.

Yes you will gain about 10 lbs worth of water. Yes it will go away when you stop. Can you see strength gains, absolutely, will they stick, for the most part yes.

In my experience, i gained 10 lbs in about 2 weeks of water weight. Over the next 6 weeks I gained another 4 lbs. Then taking the cycle off, i lost the 10 lbs. So still a net of 4 lbs.


Creatine supplementation does not improve performance in exercise events that rely primarily on the aerobic energy system (i.e. exercise greater than a few minutes in duration and endurance exercise such as distance running, cycling and swimming.)

There appears to be significant individual variability in response to creatine supplementation. Some individuals have greater muscle creatine uptake with supplementation than others. This result may be due to differences in physiology, although differences in dietary intakes of creatine appear to explain some of this variability. Creatine is found and meat and fish and individuals with low intakes such vegetarians have been found to have lower initial muscle creatine levels and experience greater creatine uptake with supplementation.

Creatine loading (~20 g/day for five to seven days) has not been found to impair thermoregulatory responses to exercise in the heat as measured by changes in core and skin temperatures.
American Dietetic Association


.

 Creatine supplementation and exercise performance has been extensively studied, typically with a loading phase of 15-25 g of creatine/day (or 0.3 g/kg body mass/day) for five to seven days followed by a maintenance phase of 2-5 g/day (or 0.03 g/kg/day) for weeks to months. Numerous randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials (and a meta-analysis of 96 studies published up to December 2000 with a total of 1,847 subjects) support that creatine supplementation can increase performance in short-duration (such as 10-30 seconds or less), high intensity or explosive power exercise, especially during repeated bouts, and can increase lean body mass. However, not all research studies on short duration, high intensity exercise have found a benefit of creatine supplementation.

Have the file saved on my computer if anyone wants it. The the summary of evidence for sports nutrition by the ADA, DC and American college of sports medicine

[borN]

Just on a side question, have you experienced any minor/major side effects with the use of creatine?

I've heard mixed stories so far

[V6-BoI]

I've used creatine a few times last year, I personally didn't have any negative side effects.

Someone suggested I should cycle creatine, so I went on it for about 2 months and went off it for about 1 month, then on again for 2, etc. I did notice some strength gains when I went on it. But during the off cycle the weights I was lifting during the on cycle seemed heavier. Took me about a couple weeks to get adjusted to the weights again. And during the next on cycle, it seemed a bit easier to lift a little bit heavier.

[westbeach70]

Wicked info guys.. Thanks! :thumbsup:

[wintonyk]

to my knowledge I know of know side effects. I don't think any research has been done with regards to long term. As V6 mentioned you do 2 months on and 1 month off. The reasoning behind this is to take some of the stress off your kidneys and liver that process the extra nitrogen in the body.

O and preloading the creatine is useless. No use in taking a larger amount for the first week. Yes you will gain weight faster but at the end of 2 months the results will be the same.

[V6-BoI]

So since we are on the topic of creatine, I don't mean to jack this thread but does anyone know if Creatine expires? I still have half a tub that's about half a year old. Does anyone know if it's still safe to use? I don't see an expiry date on the container like the protien tubs do.

[wintonyk]

Can I Still Use Expired Creatine?

I am thinking of starting creatine again. I have not done any cycle of creatine since 1998, but still have the enormous container that I had purchased back then. I was wondering about the expiration on creatine. There is a date on the back of the bottle, stating Oct 00, which was a long time ago, but does creatine expire? Sorry to bother you with such a simple question but no one has been able to give me a straight forward answer.



Creatine Monohydrate is considered a nutritional supplement, and is therefore a chemical which alters over time with exposure to heat, light, etc. I'm not really sure how the "expiration date" is established by manufacturers when it comes to supplements, but there are surely some standards used in order to label their products with a maximum shelf life.

I would think that if you've kept your container of Creatine in a cool, dry, light deprived environment, its bio-activity is likely still viable. I'm going to guess that a big part of establishing shelf life for products is to perhaps take into account a consumer not subjecting the product to optimal storage. Probably somewhere in the middle of the road is where it's likely assumed consumers will take advantage of most advantageous storage conditions.

Then on top of this, just like with drugs and other food items, the FDA probably has a say on the standards, and just as an added measure of safety, a time limit is established so as to avoid any possible toxicity or bacterial contamination.

I'm NOT going to outright tell you to use the container of Creatine, but I will say that if you HAVE kept it in accordance with the cool and dry conditions I've mentioned, then it probably won't kill you to ingest it. I DO say though, "user beware". If you have ANY reservations about it at all, based on appearance, odd smell or any other negative observations, then you'll be better off to just toss it and buy a new container.

But if it still looks and smells like it did when you first purchased it, it's likely it's still viable and will act the same way in the body. Do keep in mind though, no matter how well you store this substance, it WILL over time evolve and degrade which will alter its original integrity and thereby render the substance useless. Keep in mind, one can never be too safe in these matters. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/cyberpump6.htm

Google is a wonderful tool