Workout questions

[collegeguy_24]

I have recently been thinking about getting in shape. I am a super skinny man, 6ft 4 in tall, and I have about a 32 or smaller waist, pretty skinny.

 

I recently read about Benedict Cumberbatch saying he worked out for 2 hours a day, and ate 4,000 calories a day, mostly chicken, potatoes and broccoli.

 

I was wondering, is it possible to do that, to bulk up quickly? and even how would I do that? and is it advisable?

 

I am underweight, so I really need to gain some, but I prefer muscles as opposed to fat. So any thoughts and advice on that are welcome.

 

Another concern is my girlfriend. She is rather large, especially around the stomach, and legs area. She really wants to lose weight, and we have talked about buying an elliptical and some small weights for her. Would that be enough for her to lose weight?

 

Any advice for her on how to lose weight? and what kind of diet plan would she need?

 

Neither of us likes going to gyms, where we live everyone who goes are all very judgemental and demeaning if you're not already in shape, we prefer to workout in the home.

[tman666]

I have recently been thinking about getting in shape. I am a super skinny man, 6ft 4 in tall, and I have about a 32 or smaller waist, pretty skinny.

 

I recently read about Benedict Cumberbatch saying he worked out for 2 hours a day, and ate 4,000 calories a day, mostly chicken, potatoes and broccoli.

 

I was wondering, is it possible to do that, to bulk up quickly? and even how would I do that? and is it advisable?

 

I am underweight, so I really need to gain some, but I prefer muscles as opposed to fat. So any thoughts and advice on that are welcome.

 

Another concern is my girlfriend. She is rather large, especially around the stomach, and legs area. She really wants to lose weight, and we have talked about buying an elliptical and some small weights for her. Would that be enough for her to lose weight?

 

Any advice for her on how to lose weight? and what kind of diet plan would she need?

 

Neither of us likes going to gyms, where we live everyone who goes are all very judgemental and demeaning if you're not already in shape, we prefer to workout in the home.

 

Don't buy an elliptical machine. Small barbie weights aren't going to do much either. Total wastes of money.

 

If you want to work out at home and not in a gym, I would recommend investing in one of those in the door-frame pull up bars, which aren't very expensive.

 

Other than that, your best bet for home-workouts is going to come from bodyweight exercises such as lunges, squats, jumps, ab work, push ups, pull ups, etc.

 

As far as diet goes, yes, you probably do need to eat a lot more than you do. Chicken, potatoes, and broccoli sounds great, but it could get a little boring too (if that's all you ever ate).

 

Ultimately, if you really want to see big changes, access to a well equipped gym (pull up bars, bench presses, squat rack, leg press, a wide array of dumbbells, hopefully some cable stacks, dip station, etc.) where you can perform a wide variety of heavy presses, rows, deadlifts, squats, dips, etc. is likely necessary. That's not to say that these can't be done at home, but most people don't have the space or the money to invest in the equipment needed to perform these movements effectively and safely.

 

As far as your girl seeing results, my advice is the same: bodyweight movements.

 

You guys might consider buying or borrowing a copy of P90x. You can probably find a used copy on Craigslist for not a whole lot. It's not going to get you real big or real strong (again, you basically need a gym set up for that), but if you do the program with intensity and alter your diets according to your goals (you need to eat more, she probably needs to eat differently-not less, necessarily, but probably more protein, more fat, less carbs), it would be an alright place to start for at-home workout direction.

[collegeguy_24]

My GF, who is with me, wants me to add some medical history about us to see if that changes anything.

 

I have fragile x syndrome, and a small hole in my heart. I also have a super fast metabolism, which makes it harder for me to gain weight.

 

My GF, has polycystic ovary syndrome, which makes it harder to lose weight. She is taking two medications that is supposed to help treat it.

 

 

So, overall, its recommended that we join a gym? We do have self image issues, but we are willing to try and get over it.

 

THe reason for the self image issue for my GF, besides her weight, is her hair. She has trichotillomania, which is obsessive compulsive disorder characterized by pulling out hair in times on stress and being obsessed with pulling it out. So in other words, her hair does not look normal, so she feels insecure around people. So because of this disorder, she has to plan ahead for when she washes it and showers, because its a multi hour process.

 

She also says she wants to lose weight, and for me to gain weight, as quickly as possible. We both work full time, and I go to Graduate school in spare time, so it makes it a little harder.

 

She wants to look hot, and I want to look like normal.

 

She is here, making sure I got all this done properly.

 

 

If this changes advice, or other thoughts, are more then welcome.

[tman666]

I'm not a doctor; just some guy on the internet who knows a little bit about diet and training.

 

Please consult your healthcare professional to check and see what type of exercise is safe/unsafe to do with your conditions. Make sure to check if there are any dieting stipulations as well.

[clia]

Your girlfriend doesn't need to join a gym to lose weight. She should start by cutting back on her calories and exercising more. There are great apps that allow you to keep track of everything you eat -- My Fitness Pal is one. Keeping track of everything you put in your mouth really opens your eyes to how much you are eating and how easy it is to eat a lot of calories.

 

I don't even think you need to buy an elliptical. There are plenty of exercises she can do at home. As tman mentioned, bodyweight exercises are great. Check out the book (and corresponding app) "You Are Your Own Gym" for some great ideas. The nerdfitness web site also has some great bodyweight workouts. There is also tons of stuff on You Tube and other web sites.

 

She can also do cardio at home. If she's not in great shape, she can start out by just walking, and work her way up to running. (The Couch to 5K program is great -- there is an app also.) She can also do DVDs at home. Tman mentioned P90X, which I also recommend. Also from Beachbody I recommend Insanity (once she is in slightly better shape), Turbofire or Turbojam (really fun), or Chalean Extreme (she'll need heavier weights or bands). In addition, Jillian Michaels makes some great circuit DVDs that incorporate cardio and light weights (I like my 5lb dumbells! ) such as 30 Day Shred; Ripped in 30; No More Trouble Zones; and Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism. The Billy Blanks Tae Bo DVDs are also a lot of fun. Or even things like rollerblading, swimming, tennis, bike riding, etc.

 

The most important thing is that she find an exercise she enjoys doing so she will stick with it.

Edited May 30, 2013 by clia

[USMCHokie]

Neither of us likes going to gyms, where we live everyone who goes are all very judgemental and demeaning if you're not already in shape, we prefer to workout in the home.

 

Get over it and go to a gym. I speculate that a good majority of folks who attempt to start a fitness program on their own at home stop doing it within weeks, if not days.

 

And no offense to previous posters, but bodyweight exercises will only get you so far, especially for the thin framed ectomorphs. They will not get you big nor particularly strong. Bottom line, your results probably won't be what you're looking for...

[tman666]

Get over it and go to a gym. I speculate that a good majority of folks who attempt to start a fitness program on their own at home stop doing it within weeks, if not days.

 

And no offense to previous posters, but bodyweight exercises will only get you so far, especially for the thin framed ectomorphs. They will not get you big nor particularly strong. Bottom line, your results probably won't be what you're looking for...

 

Don't you think he'd still probably put on some muscle (being completely untrained) by doing intense bodyweight training provided that he is eating enough? The key is going to be him getting enough calories down his gullet every day to support this.

 

In this case, I would bet he'll have to split his intake up into 5-6 meals a day just to be able to stomach the amount of food he'll need.

 

The reason I recommended bodyweight training in this case is since they seem pretty dead-set on not going to a gym. In the absence of actual gym time, and in the interest of saving money/space, bodyweight exercises, I believe are the next best thing, and certainly a better choice than wasting money on elliptical machines and pink dumbbells.

 

Ideally, combining the desire to get big and strong with the desire to not go to a gym, they would invest in a good home gym set up: a power rack, barbell, probably at least 300 lbs (more can be added later) of plates, a bench, a dip station, a pull up bar, some floor mats (to deadlift from), etc. This is what I would consider to be a "bare bones" set up (permitting safe and heavy squats, bench, deadlift, overhead press, rows, pull ups, and dips) for an adequate home gym.

 

My opinion is that there's no substitute for a good training environment. One can create their own at home, but most people find it easier and much cheaper to find a good gym.

[crederer]

I wouldn't be too quick to say people are judgemental at gyms. The reality is most of the people there are in a similar situation as you. The amount of "fit" people there seem to be in the miniority.

 

So for you, to gain size, you need to eat more protein and lift. Free weights work better than machines. I'd only use machines to supplement certain excercizes. I feel some people are totally wasting their time when they do that 20 minute fitness garbage where they just do one set on each machine or whatever.

[USMCHokie]

Don't you think he'd still probably put on some muscle (being completely untrained) by doing intense bodyweight training provided that he is eating enough? The key is going to be him getting enough calories down his gullet every day to support this.

 

Yes, he'd gain some muscle, but I feel he'd be sorely disappointed, if his goals are what I think they are. It'd be a good way to start building some fitness capacity if he hasn't worked out before, but

 

In this case, I would bet he'll have to split his intake up into 5-6 meals a day just to be able to stomach the amount of food he'll need.

 

Nutrition would probably be the toughest part for him. He's going to have to eat so much more than he's used to...

 

The reason I recommended bodyweight training in this case is since they seem pretty dead-set on not going to a gym. In the absence of actual gym time, and in the interest of saving money/space, bodyweight exercises, I believe are the next best thing, and certainly a better choice than wasting money on elliptical machines and pink dumbbells.

 

I would even suggest the TRX system...

 

Ideally, combining the desire to get big and strong with the desire to not go to a gym, they would invest in a good home gym set up: a power rack, barbell, probably at least 300 lbs (more can be added later) of plates, a bench, a dip station, a pull up bar, some floor mats (to deadlift from), etc. This is what I would consider to be a "bare bones" set up (permitting safe and heavy squats, bench, deadlift, overhead press, rows, pull ups, and dips) for an adequate home gym.

 

My opinion is that there's no substitute for a good training environment. One can create their own at home, but most people find it easier and much cheaper to find a good gym.

 

Yea, and this is the reason why I am so strongly opposed to home gyms...people don't realize just how much stuff you need for a quality setup. And then you miss out on the social atmosphere of the gym.

[chuzzbug]

You should both join a crossfit gym. You'll be told what to do and it will work. It's usually more expensive than a regular gym, but it's worth it.

 

She'll lose weight, you'll gain weight.

 

She'll do this without changing what she eats, because her energy output is now higher.

 

You eat whatever you want, as much of it as you want, except for processed carbs (bread, pasta, chips, etc). No pure sugar (candies, pop). Wait 6 weeks. If you find you put on too much fat, dial the food back.

 

People respond to food input differently. You have to experiment a little bit to learn how your body balances food with muscle/fat ratio.

[collegeguy_24]

Sorry its been so long since I've been on, between work and Grad school I've barely had time for anything.

 

What I really want to achieve is some muscle, I am underweight by at least 30 pounds I believe. I weigh 140 now.

 

I don't want to be super buff, just enough to get me to a healthy weight.

 

I am willing to join a gym, and to eat more. I've been slowly trying to add more protein to my diet and increase how much I can consume. Right now I need to see what the prices are around where I live.

 

If free weights are the way to go, perhaps I can ask there what hey recommend in terms of exercises to get some results.

[Mr Scorpio]

What I really want to achieve is some muscle, I am underweight by at least 30 pounds I believe. I weigh 140 now. I don't want to be super buff, just enough to get me to a healthy weight.

 

According to this you are underweight by forty pounds. That is a lot of muscle for an ectomorph to add to their frame. I assume it is a realistic goal, if you can workout at least four days a week, sleep well, and eat over 3,500 calories everyday for the foreseeable future. And bear in mind that if/when you accomplish this goal, you still need to keep eating 7-8 times per day to maintain that muscle.

 

If free weights are the way to go, perhaps I can ask there what hey recommend in terms of exercises to get some results.

 

Unless you're going to work with a personal trainer, you might want to not worry about free-weights right now. Not because they aren't wonderful, but because if you don't have a base level of fitness, and you decide to start performing those exercises (squat, deadlift, bench, press, row), your body might not like you very much.

 

Sorry its been so long since I've been on, between work and Grad school I've barely had time for anything.

 

I just had this same conversation with the good folks here. And I re-prioritized (and lucked into a free personal trainer) so I've decided to sacrifice financially and temporally for the sake of my goal. We're talking bucket-list level stuff. Are you going to have the $$$ to buy the protein? The time to cook the food? The discipline to eat the same meals over and over? The patience to compromise your workout for friends/family/GF?