Where to start?

[PBNF]

e

[161803398874989]

P90X is too much if you just want to gain some muscle. You're better of taking one of the bodyweight workouts described on the blog (Angry Birds, Beginner Bodyweight) and taking it from there.

If you decide to lift wait, go to a gym. Getting all the equipment you need for a home gym is ridiculously expensive.

[js290]

http://www.gymnasticbodies.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9:all-muscle-no-iron&catid=2:articles&Itemid=3

http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PdJFbjWHEU

[m00se]

Getting all the equipment you need for a home gym is ridiculously expensive.

It really isn't. Cheap dumbbell weights cost very little. If it costs me £40/month for a gym membership, that's nearly £500/yr. You can easily get more weights than you'd possibly need for the next year for less than that.

[anxiety]

Your school should have a gym you could use. But if you get a few pieces of equipment you could do a lot of things.

Just eat a lot and lift heavy, that's how I went from being underweight to pretty muscular.

I have a progress thread in the woot room part of the forum, it's under '1 year progress'

However, I got my gains in a gym, which was a lot easier in my opinion.

[161803398874989]

You don't even need a lot of equipment for a "home gym" though, do you? If I just get a set of 2 100lbs adjustable dumbbells ($172), I would be able to do exercises for basically every muscle group that I would be able to at the gym, AND increase the weight whenever I want, right? So what's the difference? I decided to start doing the angry birds workout (and maybe I'll eventually buy that strength/running/fitness guide thing that's sold on here), so I guess that works for now.

I don't know, I figured home gym equipment would include an olympic barbell, plates, squat rack for safety, maybe a bench. That's a lot of money right there.

By all means, if you want to buy two dumbbells and do your exercises with those, you should do it. It's up to you, after all.

[zdub]

I wouldn't stress the diet part of it too much besides eating A LOT. Carbs can still help you get the calorie intake you need to put on some weight. Whole milk and peanut butter have been my personal favorite and most used weight gaining foods.

It doesn't get any simpler than:

Eat A LOT and lift HEAVY doing compound movements.

Follow those two tips and you WILL see weight gain and fitness improvement. That's where I started and it's got me through my first 15 pounds. Weight lifting is ideal, but bodyweight exercises can get you there too. Look at olympic gymnastic competitors who never lift weights.

http://gymnasticbodies.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9:all-muscle-no-iron&catid=2:articles&Itemid=3

Let us know what you decide on!

[ebm1224]

when you say you are a teenager, how old are you? i ask because i've heard in the past that it's not ideal to lift heavy weights before a certain age. and keep in mind you're still growing most likely. i can't tell you how many people i know who were super skinny as teens and then got to their 20s and put on weight simply because of changes in their metabolism. i wouldn't worry too much about putting on weight unless your doctor recommends it. and be careful if you do decide to do a restrictive diet because you want to make sure you're getting all the nutrients that your body needs. the main focus should be developing healthy eating and exercise habits that you can take with you as you get older

[js290]

when you say you are a teenager, how old are you? i ask because i've heard in the past that it's not ideal to lift heavy weights before a certain age.

http://www.drdarden.com/portal_includes/articles/trainingRoutines/StrengthTrainingforKids.html

http://www.strongkidshealthykids.com/

and keep in mind you're still growing most likely.

Bodybuilders can only artificially simulate the hormonal environment of a growing kid.

[Mushroom_Boy]

If you are really in to building a home gym, I highly recommend training with some homemade sandbags (sand is amazingly cheap, especially compared to things like adjustable dumbbells/barbells), and because it has a tendancy to shift around a lot so it really works all of your stabiliser muscles. Also, don't underestimate the value of working your way through bodyweight exercises to advanced versions (for instance, regular pull ups/press ups to one arm pull ups/press ups). Learning some rudimentary gymnastics will probably help a lot as well (work your way through some progressions to an L-Sit, planche or back lever for exampl)e. From what I have heard using gymnastics rings for fairly standard bodyweight exercises is a killer (I've had a go at dips before, and it was brutal!)

[js290]

I haven't eliminated dairy or grain out of what I eat and I don't feel like I have solid proof that I should yet.

http://www.archevore.com/panu-weblog/2009/6/23/the-argument-against-cereal-grains.html

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/125/6/1503.full.pdf

"When subjects consumed the breads baked with sourdough, lactic acid

and Na-propionate, their glucose and insulin responses were reduced

compared with the wholemeal bread alone. The rate of in vitro

amylolysis was reduced only by ingestion of the breads containing

lactic acid... It is concluded that sourdough baking and other

fermentation processes may improve the nutritional features of starch.

The results also demonstrate that certain salts of organic acids may

have metabolic effects."

[ironplasma79]

I have to agree with the folks on here who said that as a teenager you're liable to fill out. As a teen I was a runner and I gained 20lbs from my freshman to sophomore year and then didn't put on a single pound more until college no matter what I ate/did. I have done p90x to 60 days twice (then got bored and moved on), and I will say if you sink the money into the system, the weights (or a few types of bands), and a pull-up bar, and are consistent you will see results. My first time doing it I went from small and medium t-shirts (I've always been skinny) to medium and filling out large t-shirts in the shoulders but not the arms. Personally, as someone who has done a few of the Tony Horton programs. I would recommend trying power 90 (i.e. p90x 1.0) as you can get it on amazon used for $30. Once you can complete that you can decide if p90x is right for you.