WorkOut Regimen and Diet Plan

[iNate]

Does anyone have any advise/experience with taking supplements for Bulking up. I have in the past taken Protein Shakes, Creatine, and Glutamine. It was a while ago and i was never very good with keeping it regular. Working out, i mean, so as a result frequency of the supplements matched. I want to get back into the rhythm of working out and supplements are going to be apart of it. Can anyone offer some suggestions of what kinds worked best for you.

My goal is to gain muscle mass.
i am 6'2 and weigh 160. i would LOVE to gain at least 25-30 lbs of muscle.

 

[mickey]

The Body for Life program, by Bill Phillips is quite good. Within 12 weeks you will have the "after" results you are looking for. It truly is an amazing program and quite easy to follow. I think they carry numerous supplements and diet tips to follow. They have online assistance as well; which may be helpful. Good luck!

 

[handle]

I would not follow the Bill Phillips program unless you have a fortune to spend on his over-priced supplements, that must be taken largely to combat the lack of balanced nutrition in his so-called diet (very meat based). His shakes have some highly undesirable ingredients - be careful with all the strongly marketed and heavily hyped 'programs'.

If you are not in a hurry (and you should not be) and you are able to eat most things, then a lean balanced diet, with some protein isolate before/after workouts, is probably all you need. The type of isolate is your choice, many go for the whey, but you can also get rice protein isolate and others more gentle on the guts. Try them out as flavor is an issue!
If you join a gym and get a trainer they will keep you motivated and watch over your progress. Try to find one that focuses on stretching and warm up routines.
There was a guy on here who did marvelously well as far as pumping up his physique (Bobby I think?) Have a look at his routines, if you dare.

have fun with it.

 

[mickey]

I bought the Body for Life book and followed it, which was quite easy, yet versatile. I did not follow the diet or take any of his products, beyond his advice of eating every few hours. My husband bought the shakes and bars and like them. Many health food stores have protein shakes, etc., that are vegetable based, rice based, you name it; whatever works for you. So much is out there. I found his program easy to do at home with free weights. There are so many programs out there (P90X is another, but that seems to be one that you have to be buff before you begin it; whooped me). Good luck!

 

[mnsun]

iNate, I'm very much in the same boat as you. I think the hardest part is sticking to working out at least 3 times a week and trying to remember to constantly eat throughout the day.

The digestible proteins I've come across are: rice, pea, hemp (hard to find a tasty mixer) and unflavored whey. Perhaps drinking three protein drinks a day, in addition to regular meals, would be the most feasible digestion-wise way to gain weight? Other than that, I boil eggs (6g protein, easily digested) at the beginning of every week and eat a couple throughout the day, every day. Also eating good fats (avocado, e.v. coconut oil, olive oil and nuts...) seems like a good idea.

I recently read a theory that suggested nearly fasting oneself, all day until post workout immediately followed by super high protein/fat meal, stimulates natural human growth hormones and packs on more muscle. I guess some scientists are saying your body makes the most of the protein/fat if you purposely deprive yourself of proteins/fats all day until after workouts. Obviously, this wouldn't be a good thing to do everyday, and most althletes would probably tell you that constantly eating is the first priority; however, this fasting approach, in my opinion, makes some sense for one day out of the workout week.

Another tip, from mercola.com, I might incorporate for the last workout day of my week involves the "How to Perform Super-Slow Weightlifting" section of this link:
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2012/01/06/dr-doug-mcguff-on-exercise.aspx

On the supplement front, I might add taking D-ribose a couple times a day, on workout days. This is SUPPOSED to keep up energy and stamina. Also, digestive enzymes might/might not help for us to assimilate fats/proteins into muscle.

Just before 2012 ticked over I started to break myself into the weight room, but I've managed to injure myself (New Years--nough said--and snowboarding) a couple times to delay my progress by nearly 3 weeks. I'll start again this week...
Hope this helps.

I'd like to hear others' thoughts on weight gaining...

 

[lew-e]

I have been fortunate enough to not worry about bulking up issues too much with the disease. I'm a division 1 shot putter and I weight plenty lol. One good idea is to find snack bars with plenty of protein in them that do not bother your symptoms. Try to eat throughout the day. When I'm not doing too good I still try to eat as much as possible. If I notice that I have not had anything to eat in a while I try to grab something and make myself eat. The weight room is like a heaven for me! Go in there with a plan and stick to it. Try to go at least 3 days a week and every few weeks vary your lifting regimen. Also, try to find someone who can be a sort of 'mentor' for you. Once you start seeing the results, you'll want to go back again and again. It becomes an addiction!
Best of luck, and if you have any questions feel free to send me a message!
Adam