Help me with my diet / exercises.

Hey everyone, thank you for checking out my thread. All feedback I receive will be greatly appreciated! I would love any advice on what exercises I should do, what I should eat, and how to plan my day. On that note, I'll tell you the basics about my body, my daily activities, and my goals.

A little bit about me:

I am 15 years old, and about 5'11".
I weigh approximately 150 / 155 lbs.
I'm lean but decently muscular (I'm not bragging by any means, I'm certainly not muscular enough)
I started Varsity football this year got engulfed by the emotions of the Friday night lights.
I also take boxing.

My goals:

Come next August I would like to weigh 185+ lbs.
I would like to run a 4.7- 40 yard dash. (Currently a 4.9)
I would like to be able to rep 185 lbs benching for over 10 reps.

My exercise schedule:

Mondays - 2:25-3:30. I run at my high school. Two quick laps around the track. Then I do stairs (one foot each stair, two feet each stair, hop up one stair, jump up three stairs at a time, and sideways) After stairs I go onto the football field and do the following: 20 ten yard sprints, 15 fifteen yard sprints, and 10 twenty yard sprints. With my left over time I hit the rope ladder to work on my agility. 4:00-5:30. I lift weights at the gym (heavy weight 1-7 reps per lift)

Tuesdays - 5:30-6:30. Boxing class. Great cardio and upper body workout.

Wednesdays - 12:25-1:30. Same running routine. 2:00-3:30 I lift weights at the gym (light weight 13-20 reps per lift)

Thursdays - 5:30-6:30. Boxing class.

Fridays - 2:25-3:30. Same running routine. 4:00-5:30. I lift weights at the gym (medium day 8-12 reps per lift)

Dietary Habits:

Everyday:

6:40 AM - Fruit smoothie with a 24g scoop of protein. I'll also eat a bowl of cereal or a bagel with peanut butter.

8:30 - 9:00 AM - 30g protein bar.

10:30 - 11:00 AM - School lunch. Usually a salad wrap of some sort.

I'll drink about 51oz's of water during the school day.

Dinner - Whenever it may be. Always pretty healthy.

After lifting:

30g protein bar.
Two 24g scoops of whey protein mixed with water.

Before boxing:

30g protein bar.
One 24g protein shake.



Thank you for taking the time to read my thread. I'm open to any advice you give me and I'm going to follow most of it. Help me reach my goals!

 

To me everything sounds pretty good as far as cardio goes. I would like to know what lifts you do and such. That is one of the more important things. What lifts you do, how often, number of reps for each different lift. The way you lift will effect how much muscle you build, where you build it, and it will also help you get faster.

I lifted four 5 years and gained about 5-7 pounds of muscles every year while keeping my speed. I ran a 4.9 40. I started at 180lbs and 5'10'' and my max was 210lbs. I was a lineman though, but was as fast as many receivers on my team. I assume you are a receiver or DB?

Edit: I wasn't as hardcore into the diet like you with the protein either so I think you will gain muscle faster than I did.

 

Keep at what you're doing now. Don't think I can keep up determination like that, good luck with it all !

 

To gain 30 lbs in less than a year, you MUST bulk up (essentially get a little chubby but strong) and then burn off the excess fat to reveal the lean muscle.

You should be eating 5-6 meals a day and probably start with a 3,000 calorie diet, then bump it up every 2-3 weeks by 300 calories. This should last you around 16-20 weeks and by that time you should be pretty strong but, as I said, not particularly lean. You should take 1 month off any type of running simply to bulk up, then for the next 4 months sprint 2-3 times a week, 1 minute hard, 1 minute walk, and do this 5-10 times.5 months later, you're going to keep on lifting and doing your normal workouts but you're going to be sprinting 5-7 times a week to cut the fat.

If you really want to bulk up, you have to use creatine (purple k). You also have to eat much, much more. And you must take supplements, Opti-Men is great. When I say 5-6 meals, I mean a great breakfast (eggs, bagel, fruit (low glycemic), green tea), a snack (protein bar/shake), massive lunch (carbs, protein, unsaturated fats), post workout meal (protein + carbs, can be a bar/shake), and a huge dinner to end the day. Chicken is the way to go! Eat red meat 2-3 times a week.

You should be eating at 50/30/20 (bodybuilding.com), 50% carbs, 30% protein, and 20% fats. Carbs should come from pasta, rice, etc. Protein mainly from chicken and fish. And unsaturated fats (saturated is pretty bad, and avoid trans fat ENTIRELY!!!) from nuts, fish as well, and olive oil. And drink a gallon of water a day.

Think that's all, I'm working towards bulking up as well.

 

I'm a safety. But damn that's pretty impressive. I'm doing full body lifts; chest by bench pressing and machine flies, shoulders with dumbbells or machine, biceps with a curl bar, triceps by push ups a machine or dumbbells, back with lat pull downs and machine, and the basic ab routine. Legs go as following; squats, lunges with a 25 pound bar on my shoulders, leg extensions on a machine, calf raises on a machine, and toe raises for my calfs.

 

Thanks man! I found that after football it's easy to stay in an everyday routine as long as you don't take any time off. If you take time off you'll start to enjoy it and become lazy.

 

Thank you for the advice man, I'll really apply a lot of it. I'm in love with chicken and eat that anywhere from 3-6 nights out of the week. Hopefully I can put on the pounds.

 

Core:
Chest: Bench, Incline Bench
Legs: Squat, Front Squat
Total: Power Clean, Hang Clean

Auxiliary:
Triceps: Tricep Pull Downs, Skull Crunchers, several different dumbbell workouts.
Biceps: Curls, Not too important for football though
Traps: Shrugs with Bar or Dumbbell
Shoulders: Standing Military Press with Bar, Seated Military Press with Dumbbells, Quarter Squat with Military Press, Pull Ups Both Ways
Legs: Lunges, Side Lungs, Hang Clean, Hang Clean into Squat, Semi-stiff Legged Hamstring(Can’t remember exact name), Some Machine like Leg Extensions and Hamstring Curls
Abs: Didn’t work on them much just normal ab workouts.
Calves: Didn’t work that much either but I was a lineman.
Other: Seated Rows, Upright Rows, Lat Pull Downs

We did a work out MWF. We did 2 cores, usually bench and squat one day, incline and power clean, and front squat and hang clean. We also did at least one auxiliary from each muscle area. One thing you need to do is switch things up. Do different types of tricep workouts and hamstring work outs so you keep your body guessing and hit different spots. This is important because if you get into a routine then you will gain muscle much slower than if you keep “shocking” your body with different workouts. We did 3 sets of 10 reps for core lifts and then 2 sets of 10 on auxiliary. We did that for 2 weeks then went to 3 sets of 5 reps each and 2 sets of 10 on auxiliary. Did that for 2 weeks and then 2 weeks of 3 sets of 3 reps and 2 sets of 10 reps on auxiliary lifts. The core lifts got greater in weight for the lower reps. We used the what my coached call the Nebraska chart too wor out with but I can’t find it. It was basically when you do your first set and then go up 5 or 10 pounds and do your next set and up again for your third. It went off of what your max was and it was pretty good at it too. I’ll try to find it.

I can’t think of anymore right now. Let me know which ones you don’t know and I will explain.

Another thing. If you want to get faster, stretch and become flexible and work your hamstrings and quads.

 

Wait, wait, wait.

First off, if you're going to be getting into cutting after bulking, you DO NOT want to do any sort of high intensity training. Once you have bulked up, the best way to cut is to slowly cut down your caloric intake, and do low intensity activities such as walking, or spinning bike very lightly.

The reason you want to do low intensity training is because you breakdown predominantly fat than muscle/glycogen.
The reason is because how fuels are burned in your body.
Glycogen is always the most predominant fuel, coming from carbohydrates, Triglycerides (commonly known as fats), are the secondary fuel, followed by protein.
The reason glycogen is used over fats is because glycogen is easier to breakdown to produce ATP for exercise (the molecule that helps produce energy), because ~~~glycogen has a less complex chemical reaction than fats~~,

which in SUMMARY means:
-Fats need more oxygen to be broken down than glycogen, as your intensity increases, there is an increase in the breakdown of glycogen, and a less reliance on breaking down fats, because if you do high intensity training, you're oxygen carrying blood will be directed MORE to the working muscles, rather used to breaking down fats.
So, low intensity training helps breakdown more fats as more oxygen is readily available to breakdown fats, rather than glycogen/carbohydrates.

---------------------------------------------
Now that's out of the way.

You do NOT HAVE TO TAKE SUPPLEMENTS!!!
Yes, supplements are great, and yes I do take them, but they are 100% fucking not essential, the only supplement I would recommend taking all year round is a whey protein and creatine.

Now, to the part where bast'z describes creatine helps bulk up.
Yes, there is some truth to that, as creatine helps fluid retention, so you will gain water weight when taking creatine. However, there is no special trick where creatine helps absorb the food you eat into weight, creatine does NOT do that and I think that most people get the wrong idea about creatine.

~~~Everyone only knows what creatine does, but they don't know what it does exactly in your body.

ATP (the molecule to produce energy) can be broken down from 3 different energy systems. ATP-PC, Anaerobic glycolysis, and aerobic energy systems.
I won't go into detail about the other energy systems, i'll just stick with the ATP-PC system.

The ATP-PC system is the first energy system called upon for maximal activities. It has the fastest rate of energy production ( breaking down ATP), however the smallest yield/amount. ATP-PC is the MAIN energy system for high intensity efforts ranging from 1-10 seconds, such as 100m sprints, goal keepers, and most importantly what we're talking about, WEIGHT LIFTING.
ATP-PC can deplete in 1-10 seconds, and needs a passive recovery of 2-3 minutes to return to 100% ( that's why they say 2-3 minutes rest).

So, what is the fuel for ATP-PC? it is , low and behold, CREATINE PHOSPHATE.

~~ IN SUMMARY

-Creatine is the FUEL for the ATP-PC system, which will help use the ATP-PC system for longer to help recycle ATP.
-So when you're weightlifting, you are able to use the ATP-PC system rather than the anaerobic glycolysis system which builds up lactic acid/H+ ions.
-Which, inturn, means creatine will help build muscle mass by giving you more energy to use the atp-pc system.


It's a long read but it's a WORTHWHILE read, what I just wrote will give you more knowledge in bodybuilding for your future, and so you don't get knowledge mixed up, I hope this helped and I hope you continue your bodybuilding efforts.

 

Although supplements assist a shitload, I would highly recommend OP to continue taking supplements.

I'd also suggest trying mass gain shakes.

OT: You're doing too much cardio for the weight goal you're trying to achieve.

And how much are you currently lifting (in KG)?

You also should try to be consuming an extra meal or two into your daily intake.

Here's a sample diet taken from 'Zyzz Bible':



Note the amount of calorie intake

For your weight and height, I would also highly suggest drinking a minimum of 2-3 litres of water per day (I'm not sure how many litres 51oz is).

Also I'd assume you'd have days where you have football practice?

What days are those on (assuming you do)?

Here's some information about supplements straight from 'Zyzz Bible':

I hope you take the time to read that piece of beneficial information.

To sum things up:

- Drink plenty of water
- Get plenty of rest
- Eat the right foods (Tuna and chicken is my/mans best friends in this one )
- Try and write up your own diet plan and workout plan.
- Keep a weekly record of your activities and performance. This will give an insight on how well you're doing, how well your current diet plan and workout plan is going, whether they need adjusting, etc.
- Most basic information about these things can definitely be found on the internet, so don't hesitate to use Google if you're seeking extra information.

Good luck.

PS: R.I.P Zyzz.

 

I thought OP was going for gaining weight and muscle for sports and such not bodybuilding.

 

in order to gain that amount of wait in such a short time, you will need to eat around 5 meals a day, good ones too, it takes 3,500 calories to gain 1 lb, count calories daily, if you are trying to bulk up I don't suggest cardio, also only switch your reps up every other week, it's good to confuse the muscle every once and awhile, but not different times in just one week.

 

You're absolutely right on the "no high intensity" part, sorry for mixing that up. Your cutting efforts should not be extremely light, however. Ideally, you should be doing low intensity 7 times a week OR moderate intensity 5 times a week.

And, yes, I should've elaborated more on the use of supplements and creatine. Creatine is by no means "legal steroids", there are no explosive benefits to using it when you begin, it simply gives you a new wind in the gym which allows you to work harder and, as a result, grow faster. Supplements, as you said, aren't necessary but, in reality, nothing is necessary except for food. The point is that you won't get nearly as much done if you don't take these supplements. If you can afford it, a Muscle Milk after every workout is absolutely worth it. Muscle Milk has whey protein, as well as extra creatine in it, so as a post-workout shake, it gives great results.

 

I could help you out alot I'm currently 19 years 1.78cm high with 98 Kg and 9.5% bf (Bulking atm at 5500 kcal). Just add me on msn.

 

Voltdax, geared?

 

ok, while talking to you about buying your account , ill throw my 2 cents in here... i was a trainer in college before i joined the military so i know somewhat about this stuff...

i see a few changes you could do to your diet/exercise.

1) calories... media these days make low calories a must... (most of america is fat). you simply do not consume enough calories. granted... this doesnt mean go binge and get 40x double cheeseburgers and rip through it in 1 sitting. Spread them out throughout the day.

ideally, you want to eat every 2-4 hrs... but we know that is not possible since people have other things to do... so with school for you, i would aim at 5-6 until summer comes around and then shape that to about 7-8.

your diet looks like a fat prom queen looking to loose weight and gain lean muscle

2) Protein... another media flaw... yes protein is VERY vital for muscle gain... however people think "oh shit 70g of protein in this bar will get me yoked" nope... the human body cannot store protein... depending on the individual and how their body reacts to access protein is they either shit it out, or it gets stored as fat.

you want to ideally eat .75g-1g of protein per pound of bodyweight a day... split these evenly throughout your diet...

depending on how you want to "look" try to aim for 10-25% of your diet from fats... this doesnt mean fries, it means healthy fats: nuts, avocado's etc.

the rest should be carbs.

eat 4-5 cups of vegetables and fruits daily
eat fiber rich whole grains, at least 3oz (dry) daily
choose lean cuts of meat like chicken and fish
limit fried foods
limit packaged snack foods
limit cookies, cakes, and other sweets
limit alcohol

3) your workouts... your schedule says you hit the gym about 2 times a week... this needs to change. you should be there a minimum of 4 times a week! if time is an issue, do supersets.

remember to isolate muscle groups and NOT rework them 3-6 days after as it can take that long for your muscles to recuperate.

this is how i always trained:

monday: chest
tuesday: back
wednesday: legs
thursday: tri's
friday: bi's
sat: off
sun: abs/shoulders

its nice to have a day off in there, and it gives enough time for the muscles to recover... you will see some people do "chest + tri's today"... you could but im not a fan as chest involves the triceps a rediculous amount and if my triceps burn out before my chest, im only cheating myself.

you should maintain your cardio... cardio is spectacular.

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those are the 3 main issues i saw with your plan... now realize this... you will NOT see results right away. you have to play with your meals and see what your body adapts to, and what it reacts to the best. dont worry too much about "wraps and smoothies"... you can eat, just don't overeat the wrong foods.

and now the big question of supplements... ive seen tons and tons of products being tested and used. ive tried a lot myself including NO explode, superpump, musclemilk, creatine etc etc... it's just money down the waste.

the effects these supplements give you (maybe minus musclemilk and other protein blends) are synthetic which your body can adapt to. then you will increase doses, and have withdrawal's when cycling off of them. It's also a huge mental factor... (o shit i forgot to take my NO-explode before my workout... its going to be shitty) so the only product i use now is a 100% whey protein from GNC mixed 50/50 with musclemilk (light) as a meal replacement when im on the go... otherwise i try to get nutrients from food...

as for gaining 30 pounds of pure muscle in a year? that is not a very realistic goal... you hear stories of "shit i put on like 5 lbs of muscle this week"... thats not all muscle.

for less than a year, being 15 (you might have good genes and hit that 30 idk) i would say to look for a gain of 5-10 lbs of PURE muscle... the other weight you gain is prolly from height and maybe some fat.