gaining weight

[Michael]

So i've been aiming to eat about 2,500 calories a day since I posted this (The link posted on page one was useful), and so far... well I don't know because I don't own any scales.

It's certainly making my wallet weigh less anyway, buying all this bloody food!

I'll post back in a couple of weeks. I'll know for sure when the cales hit the 10stone mark, becuase they never have, so i'll aim for that.

[Tzarbo]

It's probably what you don't want to hear as you may have tried it, but you eat more, take some protein drinks, and do some weights. That's how you bulk up.

Do some cardio, but not too much, stick at it, get some accurate scales, etc.

[0iD]

Rest is as important as exercise, give your muscles time to regenerate. I found I could bulk better just working out 3-4 times a week. Plus vary your exercise routine, so your muscles won't get used to a pattern or repettetiveness. Plus for bulking, your anaerobic regime needs to be greater than aerobic (im my experience).

[SiM]

Thanks for the link SiM, might see if I can motivate myself to get on the Stronglifts 5x5 for 3 months, it looks good.

Yeh the Stronglifts 5x5 is a very good routine for beginners (and intermediate) lifters. The general rule of thumb is that it is very effective until you can squat ~1.5x your bodyweight.

I plan to start 5x5 when I get my home gym... at the moment I can only go to the gym on weekends - I work too late

ebook here

[TooNice]

Rest is as important as exercise, give your muscles time to regenerate. I found I could bulk better just working out 3-4 times a week.

It's been a while since I read up, but I seem to remember reading that for very heavy lifting, twice a week is enough. I'll may give that 5x5 a go when I go back to the gym. Though right now, I would like to work on my back and core.

[Rave]

In the sober light of day the 5x5 regime frightens me a bit. Haven't been to my gym for months so I hope they have the right gear.

But then I know from recent experience that even a 3x week pressups and crunches regime puts noticeable muscle on me within a month. I'm lucky gene-wise. I'm pretty sure that I'd be a proper beefcake if I did it properly for three months. But I work a varying pattern of early/late shifts and I'm chronically lazy.