jon105
08-04-2011, 10:11 PM
I'm 15 and looking to build muscle (6' 149). I'm going to start lifting soon but would like to get my nutrition in check first. I have alot of healthy foods picked out, some from this site and some from friends advice, and I feel pretty confident with my diet plans. All of this macro/calorie counting stuff seems kind of confusing and I was wondering if someone could just give me a few basic nutrition tips to help out my nutrition?*
oregonchick76
08-05-2011, 05:03 AM
Just basically... To build muscle you need to eat MORE than you burn every day. You're a growing guy, I don't know the exact calorie count for you. You'd need to find the calculator under our nutrition forum to figure that out. But basically you should be gaining about 1lb per week. That will be a combo of both muscle and fat, but if you eat right and lift hard, the ratio will lean towards muscle. You should aim for *roughly* 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight. You should get a good amount of fat and carbs. As you go along, you can read more and learn about the amount of fat and carbs that will work best for you, but in the beginning, adequate calories and protein are #1. No need to have 1/2 a dozen small meals throughout the day, just make sure your total intake for the day is adequate.
What do you have planned for lifting? My favorite is a 3 day full-body, focusing on heavy compound movements. Squats, deadlifts, bench press, overhead press, bent over rows, lat pull downs, chin ups, dips... I don't fancy very much isolation work, but will throw in skull-crushers (for triceps) and some iso-bicep stuff at the end for fun.