I am a 5’3” 28 M weighing in at just under 7 stones/98pounds). How do I bulk up? Goal is approx: 100 pounds

P

peter_p

New member
So yeah. I went to the doctors recently. They said that I (28 M | ~ 5’3” | England) am slightly underweight for my age at 7 stones / 98 pounds (just under 7 stones actually) but said that he can see I have always been this sort of weight and that isn’t really too concerning.

However, I kinda want to bulk up. Just for myself really. Would be nice if I could get to 100 pounds. I haven’t really felt proud of myself (like ever) and have always put myself down. I’ve never put myself forward or believed in myself. Constantly unhappy with life myself. I am looking to change that.

BUT I really don’t know what to do in a gym. The last time I was in a gym, I was ~14/15 y/o. I have no idea what machine or equipment does what. I’d probably break myself lol. I think I am only comfortable in using the running machine. I can do approx. 30 push up/ press ups and like 5/10 sit ups.

I would love to ask my family but they’re gonna say I need to eat more meat and fish and have more milk. I don’t really want to do that.

I have no clue where / how to start / what to do. Literally zero idea.

What should my diet consist of? Are there shakes I should have during the workout? Or should I only have them after the workout? What sort of exercises should I do? How long should my reps be? Wait, what is a rep?

Fortunately, my nearest easyGym is about 20mins walk away so I can do a warm up by walking to the gym. I can sign up and pay on a month to month basis but can’t afford a personal trainer. So I thought I would ask you guys.

Thank you so much for all your invaluable advice. Thank you.

EDIT: typo fixes.
 
@peter_p If you're wanting to "bulk up" that just means adding weight... So eating more calories. More calories in than calories out and you gain weight.

So start by counting your calories for a bit, get an idea of how much you're currently eating, then add a few hundred calories a day (200 is a good start) and see how much you gain.

Now, that'll gain you weight... But if you're wanting to gain MUSCLE, and not just weight, then just get yourself on a beginners weight lifting course.

If your goal is adding muscle, look into hypertrophy training instead of strength training. You'll still build strength, but you'll put on a lot more size vs just strengthening what you have.

Don't waste your time with body weight stuff, it'll take you a LOT more effort to actually build size on something like that vs just hitting the gym a few days a week. (Body weight is much better for just building general strength and losing weight)

easiest way to build muscle starting out is compound movements, and hitting full body a couple days a week. Don't go overboard trying to do crazy splits or anything, you don't need them and they'll just burn you out.

Anyway, eat some more calories a day and lift stuff. You'll grow.
 
@dawn16 I have never really been good at counting calories. I just eat whatever my mom makes and snack on junk food.

Do you have somewhere than can help me with exercises in a jargon free ELI5 document? Thank you.
 
@dawn16 Body weight stuff is great for beginners. Pull ups chin ups and dips alone can build a fantastic upper body. Need some squats and deadlifts to get the wheels though.
 
@peter_p I would recommend checking out /r/bodyweightfitness and their recommended routine. It's something you can probably start now and gain some coordination and a bit of strength. From there you can keep progressing- body weight exercises / calisthenics can help you get strong and gain some mass.

You could also explore finding a trainer either at that gym or elsewhere. Someone who can guide you along the way as you learn how to work out. I'd recommend doing this if you go the gym route because it will help you learn proper form and not injure yourself.

For gaining weight, if you start hypertrophying you'll likely have an increased appetite. If you want to bulk up, try eating more calorie dense foods like nuts and seeds, peanut butter works well. You can also pack more calories into smoothies. I recommend checking out Simnett Nutrition on youtube for smoothie/food ideas and also calisthenics inspiration as well.
 
@newtofaithjennifer Thank you. Can I xPost or do I have to type it over again on the sub?

I’ll try to google some gym buddies just so I have someone who isn’t necessarily my trainer but can help guide me along the way.
 
@peter_p The best advice I can give is it (1) google a standard muscle building program, Of which there are so many. There's the Reddit popular Stronglift 5x5, which is cool because it's very simple but easy to ramp up, but there's a ton of different programs online (Google 3 day body building workout beginner). And (2) eat a lot! When i was in a similar position a few years ago i started calorie tracking and eating every couple hours. You'll gain weight fast if you never leave yourself hungry. Protein shakes after a workout help but don't get too hung up on it. I like them at the gym while i workout because it helps if I'm a little hungry going into it.
 
@ragequitcaleb I have google and discovered that

StrongsLifts 5x5 consists of five exercises: squat, bench press, deadlift, barbell row, and overhead press.
Click to expand...

I’m going to have to YouTube these exercises; I don’t on now what they are. What would you suggest I eat on a vegan/veggie diet?

Thank you.
 
@peter_p Those are the basics of barbell movements. You'll have fun if you try them!

Eat lots of grains, beans, and nuts. If you are worried about meals, what you can do (I do it often) is eat as you normally do but add lots of snacks. Those snacks are PB&J sandwiches, big handfuls of nuts, protein bars, etc. Sometimes if I'm in a pinch I'll literally spoon peanut butter into my mouth, maybe with some chocolate chips. But eat these snacks between all meals, maybe even before bed. That will add to your calorie count significantly.

Basically, never be hungry and you'll start to gain weight.
 
@peter_p I think a good first step would be to start tracking your calories and eating at a caloric surplus. You can use a calculator like this to determine how many calories you should be eating. In terms of macros, I would aim for 1.3 -1.8 g protein per kg bodyweight (so around 60-80g protein), and not worry about the carbs/fats. As for workouts, the wiki over at r/Fitness has a list of recommended routines that you can find here.
 
@peter_p Cronometer and MyFitnessPal are two popular options for counting calories. They are both pretty easy to use, you just search for your food item and then select the amount that you ate, and it calculates everything for you. For pre-portioned packaged foods it is very easy to track the calories, and for other things you can either estimate your serving size or actually measure your food with a scale to be most accurate.
 
@peter_p You say you want to bulk up and classify that as gaining 2 pounds. Plus some of your replies to people. If you’re serious I’d give my two cents.
 
@thepapist That was just an initial amount. I am not planning on stopping after reaching 100pounds.

I am truly sorry some of my replies makes you think I am trolling. I’m gonna hit the gym regardless.
 
@peter_p Well I think you should focus your diet on whole and real foods. From what you said it looks like you mostly eat vegan junk food. You’re better off just consuming animals products at that point. Just because it’s vegan doesn’t make the junk food healthy.

As for the gym choose a basic beginner program that focuses on compound lifts. Slowly load then and start with light weight. You’re setting the foundation in the first few weeks so if you start too heavy and have bad form it will lead to numerous problems down the road.
 
@thepapist Thank you. I’m gonna start purchasing some snack bars to consume between meals so I’m never hungry and hopefully that will lead to weight gain (as someone else in this thread suggested.

I have been looking into compound lifts and have come across this article that seems to be quite noob friendly. I am hoping to perhaps get a local gym buddy too who is able to help. Thanks again.
 
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