[Josh Pearson]

Im about 150 pounds on average and im hoping to get to around 165 or 170. I generally eat a bowl of oatmeal with fruit juice and egg whites in the morning, two tuna or pb&J sandwiches for lunch, and a dinner with a lean meat like salmon, a starch like rice or potatoes, and a green like spinach or green beans. Im guessing I need to eat more.

Also, I take Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Protein 6 shakes a day, A one a day multivitamin, and creatine once in the morning and once at night. Im planning on adding glutamine to the mix. I was wondering if this is a good combination of supplements for my goal?

I lift and run 6 days a week. Appreciate any input.

[Dr29]

(1) There are three basic body types. This is a really good article describing them. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jon11.htm

Basically, your most likely an ectomorph. Putting on weight is much more difficult for you due to your genes. If your looking to gain mass and add muscle, I have a couple suggestions that help me gain weight/muscle on a consistent basis.

(a) You don't need to work out 6 times a week. Your only preventing growth. Drop it to 4 workouts a week. I do an hour +15 min every morning of weight training and one hour of Muay Thai kickboxing in the evenings. I do that 4 times a week.

(b) Start eating more. Peanut butter sandwhiches don't help enough. You need to start eating 4 or 5 meals a day and having as much protein (meat) in these meals as possible. Bacon in the morning, some kind of meat for lunch, and dinner should be filled with meat. You need to be consuming more than 4000 calories in a day for your particular body type.

(c) Supplement. Doing protein 6 times a day is great, but your body can only tolerate a set amount of it. Instead of protein, try a weight gainer. These include N Large Squared or Cytosport Cytogainer. Personally, I use cytogainer and take that 3 times a day. It includes 54 g of protein, creatine, glutamine and about 600 calories per serving.

Those are some suggestions to help you out.

[Dr29]

Here's another good article on the various types of weightgainers and what the most popular ones are:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/gainers.htm

This article is really good for describing the three main body types:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mayner3.htm

[Slick_mick]

I'd say dont eat so clean, im not talking burgers and fries all day but a little extra fat in your diet can go a long way in getting your calories up and increasing testosterone production check out bodybuilding.com like dr29 said and while your there check out the nutrition section and mass gain diets to buff up on the subject, good luck.

[Josh Pearson]

thanks guys. a lot of good info.

[JT RIPPER]

definitely add in a mid-high carb gainer powder. try out muscle milk or n-large2 from prolab, both are pretty good tasting and are quality products.

the following should all be part of your diet:
steak, chicken, fish, tuna, turkey, bagels, peanut butter, almonds, honey, ice cream, eggs, milk, pork n beans, lean hamburger

dont be afraid of the occasional pizza, fried chicken or cheeseburger. do NOT go overboard with it. eating clean is great when you're trying to gain but you shouldnt be afraid to have a couple of cheat meals a week. not only does it do good things for your gains but depending on you, can really help you keep your sanity as well.

eat 5-6 (or more) times a day, make sure you're lifting heavy and getting enough rest to actually gain the weight you want. remember that muscle growth takes place during rest and recovery...NOT during your actual workouts. seriously, putting on that much weight really takes a solid game plan. take some time, do some research and one very important thing...KEEP A WORKOUT LOG. this will help you to see what works, see how much you did at your previous workout so you'll know to be able to beat your previous weights/reps. in your journal, also keep a food log. once you've been logging in your workouts and diet for a few weeks, then you will start to see patterns and you'll start to learn how your body reacts to certain things.

at that point, you can start to eliminate your bad habits and really get focused. i know for a fact that i make my best gains when i track all the details of my workouts. for the last 6 weeks, i've always made some kind of improvement at EVERY workout, whether its more weight, more reps or both. there's always some kind of growth. good luck

[Terumo]

Originally Posted by Dr29

This article is really good for describing the three main body types:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/mayner3.htm

No. People cannot be lumped into three body categories. Any basic understanding about the genome implicates the massive diversity that occurs among human physiotypes. Trying to categorize people in this manner (which PTs and other minimally educated professionals have been trying to do for decades) often leads to contraindicated recommendations. Often, physiotype is unclear until adulthood. I am unaware of the OP's age, but many people here are adolescents.

OP: You aren't eating enough! You know that, which is good. I eat almost more for breakfast than you eat in a day. As for Slick_Mick's commment, you aren't eating clean; you are just eating minimally. Fruit juice = pure high GI sugar. You only have one sourceof healthful fat in your diet, and I doubt you are eating salmon every day. You are eating one vegetable per day. You are likely too reliant on protein powder, which is very low calorie. Do I recommend a weight gain powder for you? Absolutely not. You need to introduce more quality food into your diet.

I'm not trying to tear you apart, but rather, I am trying to help you realize something that no one told me when I was starting. That is, a hard training individual who struggles to put on size needs to eat like a rabid animal with a tapeworm. Hit me back with specifics, and I'm be happy to help.

~Terumo

[Terumo]

Originally Posted by JT RIPPER

the following should all be part of your diet:
steak, chicken, fish, tuna, turkey, bagels, peanut butter, almonds, honey, ice cream, eggs, milk, pork n beans, lean hamburger

dont be afraid of the occasional pizza, fried chicken or cheeseburger.

This is what I'm getting at... Bagels? Ice cream? Pork & beans? Pizza? No. This is the stuff that a person should eat that cannot gain weight eating large amounts of the right food. You haven't tried that yet. I find too many people prescribe this KFC diet to anyone that claims they have trouble gaining mass. Re-assess your diet. You need more quality food.

These should be your staples:

Eggs, fat-free cottage cheese, oats, steak, poultry, fish, flax and olive oil, bran, nuts, berries, spinach, broccoli, plain yogurt, casein/whey protein powder, fish oils.

~Terumo

[Madmick]

Originally Posted by Terumo

Trying to categorize people in this manner (which PTs and other minimally educated professionals have been trying to do for decades) often leads to contraindicated recommendations.

Is that a crack at physical therapists? Not that I mind at all. Besides, I figure you're probably referring to one particular area of knowledge, but otherwise, I was just surprised, because they do go through 5 years of schooling (although I've never presumed it was as rigorous as medical school...although that's just a presumption).

[Terumo]

Originally Posted by Madmick

Is that a crack at physical therapists? Not that I mind at all. Besides, I figure you're probably referring to one particular area of knowledge, but otherwise, I was just surprised, because they do go through 5 years of schooling (although I've never presumed it was as rigorous as medical school...although that's just a presumption).

Personal Trainers, my friend. The other PT. Haha.

~Terumo