The dream of a strong body

[aceBox]

Hiya there,

 

I've been browsing this forum for some time now and am amazed to find so many fellow nerds like me, and, I finally feel ready to tell you about my goals. I wish to gain muscle weight, abs and be strong in general. I also wish to increase my stamina. Right now, I can hardly run for a kilometre at a stretch. As a student, I don't get much time to hit the gym or a good diet (the college provided food is really, REALLY BAD). I have put on belly weight though, to shed which, I've taken to running for the past 4 weeks (daily 1.5 km). What can be a good plan to gain muscle weight without resorting to supplements/protein powder and with my hectic life as an MBA student? Are there challenges for the same?

 

ABOUT ME

• I am 24 and an MBA student in India
• I am an eggetarian
• I like Superheroes, especially DC Comics superheroes (Batman's my favourite!!)
• I am also into Tennis & Star Wars

 

BASIC STATS

• Current weight is 176 lbs.
• BMI is 24.69
• Not much junk food, but not able to have a balanced diet either (more into rice, less into veggies)

 

Thanks in advance. I hope to meet some amazing people here on NF and be much more interactive from now on.

LET IT BEGIN!!

[Holda]

Nice to meet you Acebox!

[Novaurora]

Hi, Welcome!

 

I also struggle with a busy schedule as a school teacher,  The biggest thing about this, is if you really want it, you make time for it.  I get up at 4:50am because the gym fits in my schedule from 6am-7am before school.  It's not my favorite time of the day when that alarm goes off, but I do it because I like the results I see.  

 

I'm not the best to make suggestions about serious muscle gains because while I lift, most of my results are weight loss oriented at the time, but if you wander into any of the warrior threads, I'm sure they can point you in the right direction.

[Deckard Gainz]

On 11/27/2017 at 8:24 AM, aceBox said:

What can be a good plan to gain muscle weight without resorting to supplements/protein powder and with my hectic life as an MBA student? Are there challenges for the same?

 

Greetings aceBox! Challenges are whatever you want them to be, so yes, there's a challenge to meet your goals, and it's the one you create.

 

Here's what you need to do to gain muscle weight: lift enough weights to convince your body that creating new muscle is essential for survival, and then eat enough protein to provide your body fuel to do just that. That's it. If you pursue running (cardio), the main muscle that will grow is your heart. That's good for you of course, but not what most folks are referring to when they refer to muscle weight. If you want to increase muscle size and strength, you should lift weights.

 

There are two very good, highly vetted beginner weight lifting programs out there: Starting Strength and Stronglifts. There are other beginner programs, but these seem to be the most popular, and they are structured in a way that will get even the most inexperienced person lifting heavy weights (and building muscle) in a short period of time. You'll need access to a barbell, and either a power rack or a bench + squat rack. For most folks this means a gym membership, but if you have space and you're willing to invest, there are often cheap used sets around (this may depend on your location).

 

You might not expect it, but the compound lifts from these programs will actually work your abs more than you might expect. However, some folks like to add in extra ab workout stuff too, which is totally fine.

 

Your diet will be important as well, of course. If your primary goal is building muscle, you need to eat protein, plain and simple. If you eat eggs, that's easy: eat a ton of eggs. There are all sorts of great sources of protein, and while of course eating vegetables is good, there are creative ways to build a diet that meets your needs but doesn't force you to eat things you don't like.

 

There are many knowledgeable people on these forums that can help you with whatever you need, so just dive right in and when you have questions, someone can answer them. Good luck!

[aceBox]

28 minutes ago, Deckard Gainz said:

 

Greetings aceBox! Challenges are whatever you want them to be, so yes, there's a challenge to meet your goals, and it's the one you create.

 

Here's what you need to do to gain muscle weight: lift enough weights to convince your body that creating new muscle is essential for survival, and then eat enough protein to provide your body fuel to do just that. That's it. If you pursue running (cardio), the main muscle that will grow is your heart. That's good for you of course, but not what most folks are referring to when they refer to muscle weight. If you want to increase muscle size and strength, you should lift weights.

 

There are two very good, highly vetted beginner weight lifting programs out there: Starting Strength and Stronglifts. There are other beginner programs, but these seem to be the most popular, and they are structured in a way that will get even the most inexperienced person lifting heavy weights (and building muscle) in a short period of time. You'll need access to a barbell, and either a power rack or a bench + squat rack. For most folks this means a gym membership, but if you have space and you're willing to invest, there are often cheap used sets around (this may depend on your location).

 

You might not expect it, but the compound lifts from these programs will actually work your abs more than you might expect. However, some folks like to add in extra ab workout stuff too, which is totally fine.

 

Your diet will be important as well, of course. If your primary goal is building muscle, you need to eat protein, plain and simple. If you eat eggs, that's easy: eat a ton of eggs. There are all sorts of great sources of protein, and while of course eating vegetables is good, there are creative ways to build a diet that meets your needs but doesn't force you to eat things you don't like.

 

There are many knowledgeable people on these forums that can help you with whatever you need, so just dive right in and when you have questions, someone can answer them. Good luck!

Thanks a lot, Deckard!! Yes, I agree weight lifting would be the most important...I'll have to join the gym here for that but that's OK. And yes, eggs for protein!!

[Scaly Freak]

On 11/28/2017 at 2:02 PM, aceBox said:

Thanks a lot, Deckard!! Yes, I agree weight lifting would be the most important...I'll have to join the gym here for that but that's OK. And yes, eggs for protein!!

 

Soy and quinoa also have proteins in them, and of course peanuts, beans and lentils. There are plenty of protein sources available to eggetarians, so as long as you make sure to educate yourself on what they are and learn how to cook them, getting enough proteins shouldn't be a difficult for you.

 

I agree with Deckard that lifting weights is the best way to gain muscle - if the final goal is to be strong, a gym with barbells and dumbbells is definitely the way to go.

 

If that is not an option for you right now, for any reason, you can strength train by lifting your own body's weight in creative ways - pushups and squats for example. There are lots of resources here for that way of training as well, both people and articles to learn from.

 

Welcome to NF!