Help me, Please!

[IsaiahR]

Hey Guys,

I'm clueless on what I need to be doing to get some results, so I came here hoping for some help!

I'm 14 (15 in almost 2 months) - 6' 1-2" - 135 pounds. I don't know much about Body Building/Exercising terms, but from what I've read - I am a MAJOR Ecto! No matter what I eat, how much activity/exercise I get, I stay the same weight. I can not seem to put any weight on! I am very skinny, and according to the charts out there - Underweight.

Here's my problem: I live in the country, so the closest gym is 20miles away, and since I don't have my license I have no way of getting there. So, all my exercising for the atleast the next year will be from home. So, How can I workout? I really want to get my weight up, I just simply don't know how! Do I do push ups, sit ups, Pull ups, etc? If so, how many? I used to jog about 5miles 4 or 5 times a week, but from what I've read, since I'm an ecto, Doing lots of cardio isn't the best when trying to put on weight - So I've stopped jogging, until I can figure out a somewhat reliable workout plan. I've looked into supplements, such as a starting with a simple Whey Protein - but I'm afraid since I don't have any equipment to do some serious training on, they would just be a waste of money.


Is there any workout I can do from home to gain some muscle mass, or am I screwed?

[lanquid]

Originally Posted by IsaiahR

Hey Guys,

I'm clueless on what I need to be doing to get some results, so I came here hoping for some help!

I'm 14 (15 in almost 2 months) - 6' 1-2" - 135 pounds. I don't know much about Body Building/Exercising terms, but from what I've read - I am a MAJOR Ecto! No matter what I eat, how much activity/exercise I get, I stay the same weight. I can not seem to put any weight on! I am very skinny, and according to the charts out there - Underweight.

Here's my problem: I live in the country, so the closest gym is 20miles away, and since I don't have my license I have no way of getting there. So, all my exercising for the atleast the next year will be from home. So, How can I workout? I really want to get my weight up, I just simply don't know how! Do I do push ups, sit ups, Pull ups, etc? If so, how many? I used to jog about 5miles 4 or 5 times a week, but from what I've read, since I'm an ecto, Doing lots of cardio isn't the best when trying to put on weight - So I've stopped jogging, until I can figure out a somewhat reliable workout plan. I've looked into supplements, such as a starting with a simple Whey Protein - but I'm afraid since I don't have any equipment to do some serious training on, they would just be a waste of money.


Is there any workout I can do from home to gain some muscle mass, or am I screwed?

I believe there is an article in the teenbodybuilding website that is focused entirely on using gallon milk jugs. I'll see if I can find it for you, might be a good way to start.

[echoenyx]

Originally Posted by IsaiahR

Hey Guys,

I'm clueless on what I need to be doing to get some results, so I came here hoping for some help!

I'm 14 (15 in almost 2 months) - 6' 1-2" - 135 pounds. I don't know much about Body Building/Exercising terms, but from what I've read - I am a MAJOR Ecto! No matter what I eat, how much activity/exercise I get, I stay the same weight. I am very skinny, and according to the charts out there - Underweight.

Here's my problem: I live in the country, so the closest gym is 20miles away, and since I don't have my license I have no way of getting there. So, all my exercising for the atleast the next year will be from home. So, How can I workout? I really want to get my weight up, I just simply don't know how! Do I do push ups, sit ups, Pull ups, etc? If so, how many? I used to jog about 5miles 4 or 5 times a week, but from what I've read, since I'm an ecto, Doing lots of cardio isn't the best when trying to put on weight - So I've stopped jogging, until I can figure out a somewhat reliable workout plan. I've looked into supplements, such as a starting with a simple Whey Protein - but I'm afraid since I don't have any equipment to do some serious training on, they would just be a waste of money.


Is there any workout I can do from home to gain some muscle mass, or am I screwed?

Whey is a yes,
even consider getting some creatine mono.

Pull-ups, sit-ups, pushups, squats: aim for 8-12, if that gets too easy, strap some weight on. (get someone to sit on you, lol. fill a backpack with books etc). and eat. Eat eat eat.

Figure out how much cals you need to consume in order to maintain, then eat 500-1000cals plus that amount.

Complex carbs, good fats(cheese, eggs, olive oil, nuts), protein from food sources and whey.

aim for 4-6 meals a day and try to squeeze in a bed-time snack too.

cottage cheese with some pb.
a pb&j sandwhich, tuna, eggs...whatever floats your boat.



No running/cardio, you're an ecto-being skinny is what you do so there is no need of cardio to burn fat.

hope this helps a little.

[tjsage]

the reason your so skinny is because your metabolism is through the roof. You need to eat one meal a day and you will gain. As for a good protien I would recomend Nitrotech Hardcore or Red Bull. also working your legs will help increase mass so you can ride your bike 20 miles to the gym.

[lanquid]

Originally Posted by tjsage

the reason your so skinny is because your metabolism is through the roof. You need to eat one meal a day and you will gain. As for a good protien I would recomend Nitrotech Hardcore or Red Bull. also working your legs will help increase mass so you can ride your bike 20 miles to the gym.

First of all -- what? Eat once a day???

Anyway here's the link to the milk jug workout by Derek Charlebois. He recommends it if you can't get to the gym and don't have any weights at home.

http://www.teenbodybuilding.com/derek22.htm

[IsaiahR]

Lanquid, Thanks! That looks like it will help a lot, at a price that I can afford

Though, I have a question, What does it mean when they say 3 x 12-15 , or X 15?

[IsaiahR]

Echoenyx, Thanks for the advice - I'll definitely try those out! One question, in a proper "Pull Up" Are you wrists facing towards you (inwards), or away from you (Outwards)?

[echoenyx]

Originally Posted by IsaiahR

Echoenyx, Thanks for the advice - I'll definitely try those out! One question, in a proper "Pull Up" Are you wrists facing towards you (inwards), or away from you (Outwards)?

a pull-up: wrists facing outwards and hands placed shoulder width apart. This targets your lats.
a chin-up: wrists facing inward and hands placed a little less than shoulder width apart. This targets your biceps more than it targets your lats.

[PulgasStrongMan]

Dude ... I do some volunteer work for the local high school helping the water polo team with strenght and core training and they are in the same place you are. Here is the text of that letter I sent home to their parents about diet that could perhaps apply to your circumstance that does not involve buying a lot of expensive supps that you may not be able to afford. It is very basic stuff, but it sounds like that may very well be where you are at - and you are in the same age range as this group of 14-17 year old guys that I am working with:

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" ... I have been volunteering as an assistant to Coach "B" providing core and strength training to the team early Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. As I have been working with them I have passed on some simple tips about diet that I have encountered in my studies as a personal trainer and Coach "B" encouraged me to write something up he could fan out on e-mail so parents could be aware as well.

Water polo is quite a sport and the amount of time spent in practice can place some intense demands on the energy stores of the body. In order for athleticism to be achieved, there has to be some thought about diet. Something I find myself saying frequently to those I interact with about training is ?one has to be as focused in the kitchen as they are in their workouts.? That works in both weight [fat] loss and weight [muscle] gain.

Here are the few of things that I have mentioned to date. They are fairly simple to implement and over the course of a few weeks, could make substantial difference in your son?s athletic performance:

1.) Make sure to have breakfast within 30 minutes of waking each morning. If one does not break-the-fast of the night, the metabolism will not wake up and the body will break down muscle tissue for energy. A caffeinated beverage is no substitute for breakfast. Think whole grains, i.e., oatmeal or a dense, low sugar, cereal.

2.) A big glass of chocolate milk before and after practice. This is a tip I got from collegiate level coaching staff I have taken classes with. Sounds crazy, but chocolate milk has all the right stuff in it and in many cases is better, not to mention cheaper, than dozens of sport drinks out there. It has carbohydrates [simple sugars] to provide energy in practice and the energy that is necessary for muscle repair afterwards. It also contains an ample amount of protein the building material of skeletal muscle. If there is an issue with milk/lactose, an equivalent soy beverage could be substituted.

Have the equivalent of two full lunches during the course of the school day. Athletes should be eating something substantial every three hours at minimum. I suggested to your sons this past week that they pack two lunches to eat over the course of their day to keep their bodies from going into a starvation cycle. The more calories that are available, the less likely the body will be to break down muscle protein for energy and the more likely they will have an increase in endurance, strength and muscle girth.

Cottage cheese at night before bed. Cottage cheese has a protein in it called casein which takes the body a long time to break down. Having this kind of protein in the digestive track prior to sleep will ensure that there is a steady flow of ?building materials? available when most muscle repair happens during deep sleep. Fruit could be added to make it more palatable, if necessary. Regular or flavored yogurt could be substituted if your son can?t handle the thought of cottage cheese."
----------------------

You are on point in regards to avoiding an excessive amount of cardio, but realize your cardio system is muscular too and needs to be worked as well. Think short bursts of intense cardio, i.e. sprints in the pool swimming or along the track running. If you keep the intensity high, but the time brief, over time it can add muscle to your frame. Keep the intense cardio sessions under 20 minutes [which would include the rest periods involved].

There are loads of core and strenght moves you can engage in that involve nothing but body weight. There are dozens of different ways to do a pull up. Something as simple as varying your hand position hits your lats and shoulders differently. If you can set up a way to do dips too, they can really help you develop your chest.

Spend some time on YouTube looking around at exercise routines. There are a lot of really decent trainers that have put their stuff up there and you can skim a lot of ideas for your workouts from there.

One more thing: PLAN ... If that is a four letter word you can grasp, you'll get where you want to be. If you can plan your workouts and plan your diets and keep close tabs on how your body is reacting to what you are doing, you can make adjustments, and begin a journey that may very well result in a transformation.

You do have to engage in some experiments when it comes to workouts and diet. Realize it takes time and you have to be be patient and consistent - relentless even. It can take a couple of weeks for your body to respond to a change you make to your diet. it may take a couple of months before you body begins to take you seriously and add mass in response to your work outs. If you can be disciplined and stick with it and it will happen. Your body will adapt and change. You just have to realize it is not something that is going to happen over night. If you understand that from the get-go and stick to a plan, you'll see change.

Hope that helps Isaiah -
Brian

Originally Posted by IsaiahR

Hey Guys,

I'm clueless on what I need to be doing to get some results, so I came here hoping for some help!

I'm 14 (15 in almost 2 months) - 6' 1-2" - 135 pounds. I don't know much about Body Building/Exercising terms, but from what I've read - I am a MAJOR Ecto! No matter what I eat, how much activity/exercise I get, I stay the same weight. I can not seem to put any weight on! I am very skinny, and according to the charts out there - Underweight.

Here's my problem: I live in the country, so the closest gym is 20miles away, and since I don't have my license I have no way of getting there. So, all my exercising for the atleast the next year will be from home. So, How can I workout? I really want to get my weight up, I just simply don't know how! Do I do push ups, sit ups, Pull ups, etc? If so, how many? I used to jog about 5miles 4 or 5 times a week, but from what I've read, since I'm an ecto, Doing lots of cardio isn't the best when trying to put on weight - So I've stopped jogging, until I can figure out a somewhat reliable workout plan. I've looked into supplements, such as a starting with a simple Whey Protein - but I'm afraid since I don't have any equipment to do some serious training on, they would just be a waste of money.


Is there any workout I can do from home to gain some muscle mass, or am I screwed?