I, too, am an Ecto, Jay, so I know what you're talking about. It's stupid. Ever since I've known I haven't been able to gain weight, which was particularly irritating while in college (for obvious reasons, meaning "female attention"). While my workout routine produced increased strength and a tighter build, the visual gains simply weren't there. Over the last several years I've been getting more into the supplements, though always have been hesitant in trying those giant weight gain powders. Right now I'm on EAS Precision Protein (which is awesome and I just ran out and can't find anymore) and EAS phosphagen with some glutamine on the way.

Right now I'm 25, 5'11, 172lbs. I guess I'm just wondering Jay, Rex what your opinions are on for gains? I also eat consistently large, healthy portions (haven't had fast food or pop in three years). I've been thinking about increasing my protein intake (right now I'm about 3 scoops a day). It's just really frustrating me lately.

Oh, for what it's worth, I'm pretty sure Ronnie was constructed in the same lab as Yao Ming.

If you're looking to gain muscle weight/size, you have to eat for it.

You can eat 4-5 times per day, and never gain anything. Diet is roughly 70% of standard bodybuilding, and good form in exercise is 20%. Its not until you get into building for HUGE gains and powerlifting that weight takes more precedence.

Keep a clean diet, and pile on the protein- The recommended dose of protein is 1-1.5g per lb of bodyweight, but I know hard gainers who are around 2g/lb, and it tends to work for them.

Its important to remember that protein shakes should not be your primary source of protein- Its called a SUPPLEMENT for a reason.

Make meat the protein staple of your diet, but make sure its good meat- Xtra Lean Beef, Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts, turkey, etc. I also eat a decent amount of Elk- it tastes like a spicy steak, and is low in fat as well. For alternatives like Elk, try Buffalo or Ostrich, but mind your supplier, as quality can be an issue.

Supplement that with skim milk, fruit juices, and water, and add in generous portions of 100% whole wheat bread, and a TON of fruits and veggies, especially the veggies- they contain vitamins and minerals, and I've noticed that I feel much better when they're a staple of my diet.

And Egg-whites: I make a mean 5-cake stack of scratch-built Multi-grain pancakes that runs about 40g of protein per meal, simply because I add a full carton of egg-whites to it, instead of the normal 1/4 dose.

Oh, and, if you're able- add peanuts or another fatty nut to your diet. They contain poly un-saturated fats, which are known as "good fats" and help promote healthy living and growth.

As for supplements, I'm a minimalist:

- Whey Protein Isolate
- Creatine
- Vitamin Pak

I use MVP labs stuff myself- Its a tad more expensive, but their Chocolate ProWhey is easily the best tasting stuff on the market- that, and it mixes with a spoon. I normally take it twice a day, but the high cost of it is leading me to consider taking MuscleMilk Vanilla (Xsyience (spl?) makes it)as a pre-workout protein drink. It tastes like shit, unless you mix it with milk , and the two sort of blend together.

I also use MVP's next level Creatine, which is a high-quality German variety with one of the higher absorbtion rates on the market.

Lastly, I take Universal's Animal Pak multivitamin. It smells bad, and there's like 12 pills to take in each pak, but it boosts your energy, and floods your body with vitamins, minerals and nutrients for your workout.

Be warned though- It will likely turn your urine a bright, bright yellow- and I do mean BRIGHT, almost to a light green- which tends to freak people out a bit.

The important thing to remember is that everyone's different. Most people respond the same way to basic things, but you are your own unique entity, which means what worked for me and/or T-Rex won't necessarily work for you. Experiment with your diet and supplements, and figure out what works best for you.

A good independant supplement store will hook you up with a few samples of things you want to try (so long as you don't take advantage) before you buy, since there's no sense in spending $100 + on supplements you'll hate- A smaller or newer store will try not to rip you off- They might get paid now, but they'll lose you as a customer, and word of mouth in the small-market supplement industry is everything.

Beware of larger stores and chains, though- they've nothing to lose if a customer is unhappy, and will gladly take your cash for something that's a gamble for you.

BTW: A quick update; I'm just finishing week 5, if memory serves, and have begun to lean out again. I've taken up new forms of cardio to overcome the boredom associated with the stationary bike, and I taught myself jumprope two weeks ago (No, I'd never done it before- I was too busy playing hockey as a youth to do jumprope), and will be re-adding laps in the pool to my regime.

The jumprope is the strange one, because I can't use the treadmill for long periods of time because I get shapr pain in my lower legs ("shunts", I believe is the term) but they can take 30 minutes of high-intensity jumprope- go figure.

I'm back to one day per bodypart, and am feeling better and better. My lungs have begun to rehab themselves, and my wind is slowly returning.

Pics should be up late next week- living alone makes it diffcult to take pics of yourself, so I have to wait till I see Kathy again- one week- to get them taken.

Rex,

Nope, not forgetting legs. They are always worked in during the week. Legs have always been one of my favorites to do, actually. Being a golfer, I love to load up the bag to the point where it's rediculously heavy and walk 18 holes. Been doing that for years. It's surprising how well that has worked. I'll definately check out the Labrada products, though I have to admit I'm not really familiar with them. Have you ever tried NO-Xplode?

Jay,

Thanks for the advice. I try to make my diet as clean as possible, which helps with a fiance trying to loose weight and is allergic to gluten. I've found a reliable buffalo meat distributor at my local crappy health store, but haven't found elk. From what I understand elk is even higher in protein than buffalo. Unfortunatley I can't find it. I also try to eat a lot of fish, but that really isn't filling at all.

I'd like to try your 5-cake stack. I have a buddy that makes a mean Protmeal (a combination of protein and oatmeal). I haven't gone to that extreme yet, though. But it sounds like diet where I need to concentrate. I'll keep at it and hopefully get some results. I just need to be patient. Thanks.

The [damn good looking] picture of Jay is on it's way. I took 3 of them while in London and Jay will be posting them as soon as possible (as soon as I ask him to do so -soon-).

~Kathy~

A small edit from Jay: They're from week 5, and they should be up sometime today. My problem is that- being a hobbyist photographer- I take photos in RAW format, and my Nikon D50 converts them to this format call NEF (its a NIKON thing), which is a pain in the ass to convert to usable files. The pics are two weeks, old.

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One more update:

After Easter weekend, I'll be switching to a slim-down program. I've hit my weight goal- I'm around 212 right now- and am now going to concentrate on dropping my bodyfat level.

Besides, the weather's finally improving, so I'd be dumb not to strap on the rollerblades and the trail-runners and enjoy the spring

Mine are old- a set of Bauer Pro EX4 Inline Hockey skates from back when roller-hockey caught on huge. There's a place down here called Pete's Sports that deals with a lot of the Ontario Hockey League Junior teams, and for awhile they were heavy into roller hockey. I picked up a set of pro-team returns (excess units from when the pro teams order from manufacturers), and modified them: I run Bauer 72mm Outdoor hockey wheels on ABEC Swiss bearings with Titanium Stage III hop-ups (I believe they're used for racing, but I could be wrong), tied into an Aluminum Hockey chassis.

They're smooth, quiet and quick, and- thanks to a tip about my favorite independant blade shop closing down- I got the whole package for around $60 Cdn, which, at the time, was roughly $30 U.S.

Man, I LOVE going out of business sales.

Quick update:

Moved from normal cardio to swimming laps in a pool, and will hopefully be starting trail running as the weather improves.

However, I re-hurt my back at work, and a week later had a 6lb tub of Feta Cheese (yes, Feta Cheese) fall off of a pallet inside a truck onto my shoulder from a height of roughly 4 feet. Because of this, I've scaled back the intensity of my workouts, and will be avoiding any serious back or shoulder work for the next week or two.

Update- It all piles up.

My slight back injury has just manifested itself into a swollen disc pinching a nerve, which means my Great Canadian Rebuild is officially on pause for the next few weeks.

Woe is me.

Damn, that really puts a damper on things. Right in the middle of the rebuilding! Have you seen anybody (therapist/massuse/etc.)about doing some rehab to get you back in the gym quicker? Hope you feel better

I'm in chiropractic right now, and odds are it'll build into chiro and massage, then chiro, massage and rehab (physiotherapy).

Recovery time is listed at 12 weeks, but I hope to be back swimming (slowly) next week, and in the gym again by late June.

Serious lifting/building is going to be slow in coming, though- Its looking like my summer of six-pack abs will have to wait till next year.

Wow, you really did a number on yourself. I always thought Feta cheese was always the most dangerous form of cheese. Consider yourself lucky to be alive. Hopefully you've got yourself a good doc and massuse. That can make all the difference.

quote:

Originally posted by Kathy & Jay:
Its looking like my summer of six-pack abs will have to wait till next year.

You can't see those suckers?? Guess you need my glasses

~Kathy~

quote:

Originally posted by Kathy & Jay:

quote:

Originally posted by Kathy & Jay:
Its looking like my summer of six-pack abs will have to wait till next year.

You can't see those suckers?? Guess you need my glasses

~Kathy~

Its currently a two-pack- the top two: I was closer to a four-pack before I got hurt, though.