Hello guys. I really need some guidance here from all of you. I'm a very skinny boy aged 20. 174cm tall and 50kg weight. I think I've "minor" (trying to be positive here) pectus excavatum. Will post pics of that later. Anyways, I'm currently very eager to gain weight so I'd look better and have more confidence level.

I found out from the net that the surest way to gain weight is to do the squat and milk program. Yeah, I also do know that in general I'd have to have more meals per day. So now I really need to know the best equipment to do this.

Dumbbells or barbells? From what I've read, they said that you have to increase the weight each set. So my next question is, what is the starting weight to lift for a person like me? And how many kg should I add after the first set? My aim is to reach at least 70 kg.

Last but not least, my left chest seems like a little smaller or in other words, less muscular.

Please give me your views and suggestions to help me achieve my target. Thanks so much in advance.

If u r skinny, wats ur diet like?

5 - 6 meals per day.

Breakfast - 1 to 2 chicken eggs boiled with microwave for 30 secs (no oil used). 4 slides of bread with peanut butter. Milk or horlicks. Sometimes nasi lemak instead of bread.


Lunch - 1 bowl of rice with chicken egg. Vegetables. Banana. Chicken drumsticks. (i just figured out chicken breasts contain more protein, but I don't like that part ) Milk or plain water.

Tea - Scrambled eggs with bread and cheese. Usually 4 slices.
Milk.

Dinner - 1 bowl of rice with chicken egg. Vegetables. Chicken drumsticks or fish or meat (based on availability). Milk or plain water.

Supper - Chicken nuggets with cheese or chilli sauce. Milk or plain water. Sometimes bread with scrambled eggs with cheese and mayonnaise and chilli sauce.

This is my plan and yes, sometimes it doesn't go very well. I mean, sometimes I skipped one of these. Have to be more disciplined.

Lemme help you here. First thing you need to know is.

Eggs do NOT cause high cholesterol. Now I'm just giving u some free advice, I charge my clients, so that's why they get a detailed explanation. You don't

Rule 2: If you want average results, do what the average man does. Eat 1 egg a day. Eat more rice than meat. If you want awesome results, do what the awesome guy does.

Rule 3: You do NOT want to gain weight enough if you believe the things you eat daily, is enough. If you really wanted to gain some solid muscle, you'd change the way you eat. There is NO questions asked on this.

Rule 4: http://www.kued.org/uploads/photos/639-386...digenousWEB.jpg

This guy, didn't know about squats and milk, so it isn't just ONE way to get a good physique.

Okay that's the 4 things U need to know first to clear stuff up.

Now another 4 things to know about eating.

- If you see meat, vegetables, fruits, poultry, seafood, eat it. If you can't afford it, steal it.

- If you've an allergy or dislike that meat, veg, fruit, poultry, seafood, find another meat, veg, fruit, poultry, seafood to eat.

- If your ancestors could eat it during their times, you can eat it. If your ancestors didn't eat it, don't. Did your ancestors have access to "timtams" and "cereal bars"?

- If you're rich enough, get supplements. Vitamins are far more important than a protein shake. Get vitamins.

And then do some squats.

it's pretty awesome how pizzaboy dispenses good advice here, FOC. yet people just refuse to search threads and keep asking the same questions.

oh man, i got the same situation with u... 173cm 48~49kg, with minor pectus excavatum..

spot on! u hav to keep increasing ur weight to beat ur previous records and change ur routine every few weeks to stimulate muscles growth. adding weight after each set sounds like ur talking about pyramids, which is a great way to build muscle. make sure u do them safely and don't overload the weight. one-rep-max calculator (google for more info) should come in handy for this. u can add 2.5-5kg or 5-10lbs every increment, depends on which part of ur body. in fact, do powerlifts like bench, dead and barbell back squats (not dumbbell squats). if ur aim is muscle gain, start with 50% weight of ur 1 rep-max then work all ur way up to heavier until you can't go beyond 8 reps without breaking form. high intensity + low reps workout this is what you should b looking at.

This post has been edited by Berrymore84: Nov 2 2010, 03:42 PM

Squatting with dumbells makes you look like you're taking a crap with your pants on. Do it with a barbell and be a man.

Your diet up there, frankly, is bad. Coming from me is a bit hypocritical, cos I just ate 10 biscuits. BUT, I'm your height and a good 30 kgs heavier than you. Why? Because I ate, ate and ate. I try to at least eat "clean"; no fast food, no oily food etc etc bla bla 5 times a day. Chicken breasts are supposed to be your friends. Drop them drumsticks.

Have you tried squatting with the bar only? Do that first, then, once you're comfortable and able to knock 10 reps with GOOD FORM then slowly add weight. Form over weight is paramount. Don't give a crap about others when you're squatting with 5kgs plates on each side. Safety first. Work your way up, never let ego dictate the number.

Also, a squat is exactly what it is, a squat. Don't do half-assed reps. I've seen skinny buggers load the bar with weight twice their own bodyweight yet they squat 3 inches. And they wonder why their legs aren't growing. Sheesh.

Happy squatting, mate.

Wanna see me do magic? I'll increase your bodyweight by a cool 7KG in about a month and a half. No weights. All we need is a playground.

ALL my clients go through the "playground" initiation. This is to teach them how to move again. They're so de-conditioned, you can forget about lifting weights. Just get them to move without pain is a challenge on itself.

---

Added on November 2, 2010, 4:17 pmAnd as for the whole chicken breast and thigh thing, that perked my curiosity....I did a search and found this;

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11190839

There you go! So, what conclusion do U get? Ntg significant right.....Just eat lah. Breast, fat, whatever lah.....if you're skinny, just eat. If you're already fat, watch the carbs. Simple idiot science 101 by Pizzaboy cuz I'm such an idiot, I can't decipher complex things.

This post has been edited by pizzaboy: Nov 2 2010, 04:17 PM

Yeah, ppl who squat with empty has a priority to laugh at the skinny dude who dont squat and do lots of lat pull down

Thanks for your reply. Appreciate it. I decided to gain weight via the method mentioned before coz actually I have been trying to gain weight before but not serious enough back then. So I thought this method might help me since I'm a hard gainer.

Is that pointed at me? Well, I just wanted a personal, custom answer for me. =p


Well at least, we are not alone. How was the shape of you rib cage? I mean, which part of it appear to be abnormal? Mine was curved horizontally inwards right under the chest in between the stomach like where the arrow pointed at. Some people got vertical inward curve in between the left n right chest muscle.

Oh thanks. Barbell, wait, what is the difference between barbells n dumbbells? I thought the function was just to add weight and dumbbells offer higher freedom since it was smaller (but can add weights) and can move independently. This site also said the dumbbells can do what barbells do.. Hmm, confused. Even though the site also mention barbells is 'convenient' when doing dead-lifts n squats, meaning what I will face with dumbbells is just some 'inconvenience' to do the same exercise, no? What did I missed, dear seniors of this sports/hobby?

80kg, wow, salute.. That's my dream weight. What was your weight 5 - 10 years ago?

Playground like the children playground? Manipulate the toys there you mean?

This post has been edited by fifty2seventy: Nov 2 2010, 05:26 PM

Think about it this way.

If you've a car, which has a 600BHP engine, but your clutch is old, would you be able to have peak performance?

If you've a structural issue with your body, shouldn't you fix it first?

That's why for me, all my clients go through a minimum 4 week phase of training with emphasis on structural correction. It can't be stressed enough on the importance of having good structure. That's why they all go to the playground for their "initiation" to good form.

Er, you mean pectus excavatum thing? I don't think it can ever be corrected. Unless you were saying about something else which I don't get.

Never mind......

ur right, dumbbell indeed offers more freedom and convenience but u can't do certain killer exercises without using a barbell because it holds more weight. u shouldn't get confused between a dumbbell squat (isolation) and a back squat (compound) because u can't simply perform a back squat using dumbbells the back squat aka barbell squat seems to be much harder and puts more stress on ur back, quads, hamstrings, gluteals, hip and calf muscles. therefore it's a compound exercise as opposed to dumbbell squat where it works mainly ur quads. u can read my comment regarding how compound exercises promote muscle growth on the thread posted by Ice BabY.

mcbarney666 has got his point there btw.



actually i'm clueless as to why would you choose only the squat exercise to start with, why not try out a full-body workout routine if you wish to get a ripped body? look at this example to catch my drift:

This post has been edited by Berrymore84: Nov 3 2010, 12:12 AM

horizontal, vertical??i don't get it bro...the only thing i know is the sternum goes inwards which causes bones to be sunken. but my case is as severe as cases seen on the internet...

At his weight, he'd need more mass and strength beyond anything. He would benefit from the squats more than any other movements because the squats do teach the fundamentals for everything. If his squats are good, his pulls will be good, his posture will be solid, he'd build enough base and strength than a million crunches ever could He'd be badass. And also, with squats, and only squats, he'd recover fast enough for the next session and continue to make awesome gains for a long period of time. He wouldn't have to waste his energy and recovery for less useful movements at this current point.

http://lifthard.com/?p=87 <-Here I write about pausing in a squat for those who are confident of trying this out.

i see, good explanation and write up you've got there but i'm not sure if he was referring to the squats we're talking about. yeah i have to admit squats are unarguably important to build a strong core than anything else.

It doesn't matter. I doubt anybody would be dumb enough not to notice that after a while, the load provided by a pair of dumbbells would be insufficient for continued gains, both in hypertrophy and strength. And the "issue" on whether to use dumbbells or barbells, isn't even an issue. If someone can constantly progress using a dumbbell, then go ahead. But once the plateau has been hit, you either mess around with T.U.T or platform height, or R.O.M or the most convenient way? Use more weight

Pizzaboy, Can you explain T.U.T for hypertrophy? izzit 40 sec so we have to finish our set within 40 sec?
Thanks.