To the Teen Ectos: Get Big and Strong, Not Crazy!

[jfla32033]

Ten egg whites, one whole egg, a half cup of oats, some dried cranberries, and some fish oil...a GREAT breakfast for the aspiring bodybuilder who is looking to go through a successful clean bulk, right?

WRONG, if you're applying it to a 14, 15, 16, or even 17 year old ectomorph kid who has been skinny his entire life and now wants to bulk up and put on some real muscle mass.

Too often on this website I discover these ectomorph teens trying to find out how to bulk up and become big and shredded. They enter these forums, the nutrition forum to be exact, read a few posts, and then think that they need to eat a diet similar to a bodybuilder who is posting the details of his "contest-prep diet." The young lad then creates this insane grocery list for Mom and now Mom thinks her son's got an eating disorder...well maybe it's not that dramatic, but you get the idea.

The point being made here is that in order for a young kid to put on some muscle mass, he needs nothing more than a good weight training routine 3-5 days/week incorporating mostly compound lifts with proper form, and plenty of healthy food.

Notice I did not say "clean" food or a "100% clean bulk diet with 8 meals per day."

These kids have great potential to become big and strong, and they can do it in a relatively short time without putting on much bodyfat at all. All they need to do is get the basics about nutrition: eat a big breakfast with complex carbs, fruit, and protein; have some carbs and protein around weight training with a good post workout shake involving some whey and some simple carbs; and for the rest of the time, just know that fruits and veggies are always good...complex is better than simple...poly/monounsaturated is better than trans/saturated...and dairy, meat, and fish offer the best proteins.

At their age and metabolism level, they will force their bodies and muscles to grow on any decently healthy diet with lots of carbs, a good amount of protein, and of course some fats.

My simplified advice for the 14-18 year old ectomorph: Until you gain a significant amount of quality muscle mass by eating decently and lifting hard, these are some things to never think about: cutting phases, carb-cycles, counting calories, nutrient ratios, micronutrients, and focusing on supplements or meal replacements.

Really, the only supplements needed for these kids is food and whey protein powder. Save the creatine for when you are closer to being full grown. Don't mess with nature and listen to your body.

My sample day plan for the teen ecto:

Breakfast--Protein: Meat/fish/dairy, Carbs: Whole Wheat, Whole grains, Fruits & Veggies, Fats: Nuts, eggs, meat.....Egg Sandwich on wheat toast with some turkey sausage and a glass of milk (could be even be chocolate milk) with some fruit on the side or some whole wheat Eggos with Maple Syrup and some eggs on the side.

Snack--Peanut butter and honey sandwich (was my favorite as a kid. Now I like Peanut butter and banana a little more) and some milk (could be chocolate even) or How about some Chef Boyardee Meat Ravioli? Lots of protein and carbs.

Lunch--Protein: Meat/Fish/Dairy, Carbs: Pasta, Potatoes, Whole Wheat, Whole grains, Fruits&Veggies, Fats: Nuts, eggs, meat...Grilled chicken breast on a wheat bun loaded with onions, peppers, lettuce and tomato with some melted swiss cheese, a glass of milk and some fruit

Snack: Bagel and cream cheese/poptarts and some milk, fruit....anything to give you energy.

HERE COMES THE TRAINING- Use a workout split incorporating the following as well as some others: BENCH/INCLINE/DECLINE/MILITARY PRESS/SQUAT/PULL UPS/ROWS/BB CURLS/TRICEP PRESS DOWNS/DEADLIFTS/SHRUGS.

Post Training: Whey protein, all the carbs you can handle in the form of bagels, potatoes, pasta, low fat cereals (Frosted Mini Wheats and Honey Nut Cheerioes are always delicious). Remember you have to eat again in about 1.5-2 hours so don't overdo it or it won't all get put to good use by your muscles.

Post Post Training aka DINNER: Protein, Carbs, and Fats, same as breakfast and lunch....Whatever MOM makes if she's a good cook...and if she's not a good cook, ask her for chicken parm or something- easy: grilled chicken, pasta and sauce.

Before Bed: Maybe another Peanut butter and banana sandwich?

Real Life Story: My little brother was a teen ectomorph. He was skinny our whole childhood and started lifting when he was 16. I made fun of him for lifting and said he should just play sports like I did to keep in shape because it was more fun. Well, low and behold, he got big. Now he's 19 and outweighs me by a good 25 pounds and I'm trying to bulk to catch up to him. The little guy who I used to push around as the big bad older brother could probably whoop me pretty good these days. I haven't seen him in a few months because I live 4 hours away from home, but when I get home the first order of business is to challenge my "little" brother to a wrestling match for old times sake.
His "bulking foods" that helped him put on 30 lbs of muscle and zero bodyfat while playing soccer year-round: Whey, Lots of Fruits, PB & Banana, Spaghettios, Chef Boyardee, Raisin Bran Crunch, Honey Nut Cheerios, Tuna Salad and Tuna Melts with Swiss Cheese, Eggs, Potatoes, Chicken Wings, Steak/Chicken subs from Subway and Quizznos. Sounds like normal food to me...Mostly healthy, but relaxed.

NOTE: These are not meant to be general dietary guidlelines for the average adult looking to live a healthy lifestyle. These are directed toward the skinny teen who has a lot of trouble keeping on weight and really wants to add mass and bulk up.

If you're 24 years old and want to get rid of your beer belly that you earned in college and improve on those twigs that you have for arms, this isn't the diet for you. You need a cleaner diet. Search the forums.