Skinny guy looking to build muscle

[Stomalomalus]

Hey all!

 

I'm Tom, the Stomalomalus. And I want to get "beach body ready". What the hell? Why am I here then? Why aren't I doing some stupid ass beach body ready workout?

 

Well, you know why? I don't like them. I don't get it. And you know what I did get: the explanations here. So that's why I'm here.

 

This Thursday I started the body weight workout for the first time. And I bought my first ever protein shake. And it was good. But I feel like it may not be working me hard enough...and that's why I joined the forums.

 

I'd love some advice on what to add to my workout to make it fit me. The only problem: I'm broke as hell right now, and only own 2 6kg kettleballs. No other weights.

 

I'd love some more workout for my abs, I feel like my stomach could do with a lot of work, along with shoulders and chest. The plank is the hardest from the Beginner Body Weight Workout, but I've been doing 30 seconds, not 15. Should I simply move onto the Advanced?

 

And as for weights, should the first thing I buy be a barbell? Or should I get dumbells? I used to have a set back in London, but haven't bought them over (I live in Hungary).

 

Oh, and great to meet you all!

[Defining]

RE: Weights - fill old milk jugs with water, get an old backpack from a charity shop and fill with playground gravel and/or a bag of cheap play sand from a hardware store. You don't have to buy weights. If you want, you could troll for some used resistance bands, but even that's not necessary to start off with.

 

Make sure your form is good on the bodyweight stuff; do it for at least a month, though feel free to repeat the circuit a few times if you want a greater challenge - or you could try doing the movements slower so you have to work harder to stabilise, or faster to create a cardio workout. After the first month, move on the advanced if you're CERTAIN you're not being challenged by the basic routine. You may be surprised at the cumulative effect, and it's important to give your tendons time to catch up with any muscle adaptation.

 

As long as you're under 25%BF or so, aim for 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight; you'll likely end up eating a lot of cottage cheese, chicken breasts, tinned tuna, and ground beef. That's ok, spices and hot sauce go a long way to helping keep things interesting. Eat at least 5 servings of fruit & veg a day (frozen stuff is a g-dsend; green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, and peas FTW - you can just chuck them in the microwave and you're good to go!). If you don't start gaining muscle (keep girth measurements once a week - waist, hips, shoulders, biceps, quads) after the first 6-8 weeks, track your calories and see if you need to bump them up a bit. I like the 'clean bulk' mentality, which is to only eat about a 10% surplus from your TDEE - it's enough to put on muscle but mitigate fat gain.

 

'Beach body' usually means low body fat and some muscle. Personally, I'd probably focus on a 'recomp' rather than any kind of bulk/cut, but hard to know without your initial measurements. Good luck, and welcome to the forum!

[Stomalomalus]

Thanks, Defining.

 

I've got those 6kg kettles, so I use them (don't have milk jugs).

 

I'm a lot under 25%BF, I imagine, though I don't know for sure. I'm 5'8", and weigh around 68kg (about 150 in freedom units).

 

I'm trying to eat well, and am tracking my calories and protein intake. I've eaten around 3000 calories a day, around 150g protein. Plus I eat plenty of fruits and veg normally. I'm a healthy eater, just skinny and never really been into weights, gym work or anything.

 

I used to be a swimmer, plus played underwater hockey. So I kept fit. But with kids it's been hard to find the time for anything.

 

On repeating the circuit, I thought that higher weights lower reps would give better results? I need a new pullup bar, there's one in my garage but it's high up and I don't 100% trust it. Was installed by previous owners, and I see no other possible use for it...

[Defining]

Ay chihuahua, 3,000kcal and you're not gaining?! Crimeney.  OK, for protein you should probably be aiming for 2.7-3.3g/kg then, since you're trying to put on some muscle. At least 50g of fat, and the rest would be carbs carbs carbs. Lucky you. I'm guessing you're probably around 20% BF, but without girth/caliper measurements and/or photos, it's all just estimates. Also, yay for veggies.

 

RE: reps vs weight? There's no hard and fast answer. My favoured progression is to start with a weight you can mange for 5 reps, and then keep pushing it until you can get 10 reps x 3 sets, then bump up the weight to your next 5x5 weight level - this is great because it helps develop the whole spectrum of strength, and it's a very simple and natural progression pattern. It also means you don't have to use heavier weights right away. eg. https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-want-size-build-reps-then-add-weight You could even mix in a 25 reps to failure angle, meaning you HAVE to complete 25 reps, even if the last few sets are just a few reps each. Like I said, I enjoy easy/simple progressive overload.

 

You could also give a KB swing challenge a try - say, 300 swings a day, broken up into a couple sessions. You can swing anything really, cinder blocks, an old backpack, etc. But it's REALLY important that you have good form for this challenge, so you might want to focus on developing a great hip swing movement first. If you're coming to these goals with a good athletic base though, definitely try to bump up the advanced bodyweight routine and see how it feels. As always, don't stress too much and have fun!

[Stomalomalus]

Well, 3k is only since I started! I'll see if I get gains over the next few weeks. I've never weighed 70kg before, I'm at my heaviest ever already. I just saw Steve said you can't really eat too much, only too little

 

I'm nowhere near fit. Nowhere near where I used to be.