Weight Gain Tips
(From Site Visitors)

I was never really skinny, I was always just average or something about there. I was about 170 at 5'11" when I started 2 months ago. I am now 183 lbs. but even more impressive is that my body fat has gone down from 16% to 13.5% which means my gains are all muscle. People are starting to notice, expecially people i haven't seen in a while.

I had started weight lifting programs several times but always gave up because I never saw any improvements. Looking back, I now know that the reason I wasn't seeing results was because I wasn't eating right and because I was probably training too much. The funny thing is that I spend much less time lifting now and my results are incredible. I truly wish this site had been here about 5 years ago and pounded some sense into my head.

Tips

My routine is really basic. I do a full body routine MWF, doing 2 sets of 6-8 reps of each of the following exercises, modified from one of the sample routines.

Squats
straight leg deadlifts
calf raises
Bench press
bench dips
military press
bicep curls
pull-ups
crunches (with added weight)

That usually takes me just a little bit over an hour to do. Pretty soon I plan to switch to a split routine but I will continue this way as long as I see results. The only supplements i use are whey protein and creatine. I make sure I get at least one gram of protein for every pound every day and I make sure I eat at least 3,300 calories a day. That's it.

My tips for others are to read this site. This site is about getting good results for the average guy. As an average guy you need to have a good diet, you need to train right and you need to rest. Trying to do those routines in the magazines won't work and taking a million supplements won't work. I've been there and done that. if there is one thing I would say you should pay special attention to it is the dieting. Doing the workouts was never hard for me but keeping to the diet was. I started out trying to eat 3000 calories a day and at first I had trouble getting there. But I stayed at it and it got easier. Once you start eating more, you start getting hungry more. Don't give up too quick.

Ed. Notes: Actually, this site was here 5 years ago, just a little smaller. Great points from Michael and yet another example of taking a solid, educated approach and getting rewarded with awesome results. I look through my email and can never figure out why so many want to reinvent the wheel? They want to make it so much more difficult than it need be. The basics are where the results are as Michael demonstrates. And, yes, the dieting is the hard part (but without it, you'll get nothing).

When I was a freshman in high school, I was 5'2 and weighed 100 pounds even.  I worked out a lot but didn't eat that much or took any protein.  Now I am a 5'8 senior who weighs 160lbs.  Since my senior year started I ate 5 meals a day, packed with protein, and took muscle milk with amino acid pills.  Im getting stronger because I work out a lot.  The key is to eat a lot, even whn you can't eat anymore, force yourself.  Also, the little side snacks help also.  This information is to help gain weight and build muscle, not to loose fat or weight.

Tips

Eat a lot; work out everyday (different muscles such as arms one day, torso the next day); be confident; compete for something (football, a girl, or personal references); don't let anybody tell you that you cannot accomplish something   and remember, it takes time,  Rome wasn't built in a day...

Ed. Notes: Good Stuff. Eating is the key. If you don't believe that, note that virtually all of these submissions praise its power. I don't think you want to train every day - you are better off with just 3-4 intense workouts a week and focusing on resting the body the other 3-4 days. But take Cody's advice, ALWAYS be eating...

5 months ago I was 143 pounds and 5 fott 11 inches tall.  That was my highest weight ever and I had got there by training dumbly for a couple of months.  I gained a total of 2 pounds in those two months.  I was thinking that it would take me another 3 years to get to my goal weight of 180 lbs.  Once i found this site, I changed everything.  I changed the way I worked out and mostly changed the way I ate.  I am now at 173 pounds and it is all muscle (the gains). I'm not at my goal but know I'll get there and beyond in the next month or two.  Thanks a lot for making this site.  It really helped.

Tips

Don't listen to everyone.  Even if they hay have they look you want, they may have gotten there just by their genetics.  The two months I started and gained only 2 pounds, I was listening to this guy I knew who had a pretty muscular look.  I now think he got most of that naturally and not because of his workouts.  He told me to buy a bunch of supplements and i did.  Things like NO2 and ZMA and several others.  I spent $276 my first time at the supplement store.  For that i got pretty much nothing.  Now I just buy whey powder and creatine.  As i have learned more, I now do almost the exact opposite of what he told me to do.   If I see him now working out, he tells me that what i am doing is wrong.  I ignore him now because pretty soon i will be bigger then him

For me, I guess I was doing all the wrong things.  I was doing a lot of isolated exercises which i now know to do mostly compounds.  I was also working out 5 times a week and now i only work out 3 times. I also make sure I get plenty of sleep. My tips are to pay attention to those things just like it says here many places.  Also, eating.  It was when i started eating really good and resting that I started seeing results.  Make sure you get at least a gram of protein for every pound you weight.  Eat only good foods and stay away from fast food.  If I think I'm starting to slow down with results i just make it a point to eat more.  It works.

Ed. Notes: Good story regarding the "friend" with the muscular look. It is pretty typical that someone looks to those that have what they want for advice on getting it also. A good strategy most of the time, but in bodybuilding it can sometimes be disastrous. Some guys get the muscular look by virtue of their genetics and in spite of a bad approach to training. They mean no harm, but they can inadvertently guide a true hardgainer to exactly what Jeremy reports.

Good stuff also on the inability of the mega-dollar supplement purchases to do the work for you. Supplements are always a minor part of results. The big part is taking an intelligent approach to your training and dieting. When you start doing that as Jeremy did, that's when you start getting big results.

I started lifting weights in college after my track career running the 800 meters came to an end.  I lifted the usual machine exercises and bicep curls and gained a little weight at that time. 

Since then I have learned that squats are the best weight gain inducer.  Squats work your large muscles so you can actually gain weight each year (I love getting older, I feel like a tree, each year I gain a layer of mass).  You need to go all the way down when you squat (to a catcher position).   The best exercise for upper body is a deadlift with straight-legs and a shrug at the top. 

I have experimented with heavy weights but they require too many days off to recover and you end up looking fattish instead of muscular.  Use a weight that you can do with perfect form for at least 10 reps.  With light weights you can workout more often and actually get in BETTER shape, which should be at least the secondary goal.

I am blessed with both a slow metabolism and a large appetite so putting on weight has never been hard.  If I had a fast ectomorph style metabolism, I would add a little alcohol to try to slow it down.  Eat a peanut butter sandwich before bed and drink a lot of milk.  Eat fruit or veg with each meal.  Get a lot of sleep.  Deep squats and deadlifts will stimulate weight gain.

Remember that carrying your body weight is important in power as well.  You should do sprints, jump rope or play hoops to keep your body strong at carrying itself--which is different than pushing up external weight.  The most power that I've had is actually when  I havent been lifting weights at all, have been really active in sports and have had a good heavy body weight.

Tips

1-Get a bar for your home so you can work out often.  I use weights to loosen up my body before sports.  You can pick out your own music at home too!

2-Squats and deadlifts.  Why is it that the 2 best exercises are the most rarely seen being done by others at the gym? GO ALL THE WAY DOWN TO ACTIVATE HIPS AND BUTT!!

3-Keep your body weight strength up by being explosive as you get bigger.  I jump rope explosively with all my workouts with sets of about 30 revolutions.  Do sprints once a week, play 1 game of hoops, etc.

4-Don't do heavy weights--they are too hard on the body and require too much rest.  The result is an unathletic looking physique.

5-Keep moving during the workout-not moping or shuffling around but being explosive and focused.

6-Keep the workout short.  I have been getting great results by working out with weights for about 15-20 minutes a day lately, including warmup sets.  If you keep moving to the next exercise, that's a long time.  I used to run a 5k in that period of time so it's longer than you think.  I think 1 hour is way too long for an intense workout-that can't be a very EXPLOSIVE workout-it's not possible for anybody. When I run out of explosiveness, my workout is over.  I don't go until failure very often, it's not necessary.

7-switch the exercises each day.

8-Be explosive going up with the weights and slow on the way down.

9-eat cheese, drink whole milk, eat the egg yolks instead of throwing them in the garbage.  Drink a beer.

10-be patient-it takes time to add legitimate muscle (10-15 pounds a year).  Make the juicers ashamed by showing them a real muscle and knowing that you are a healthy person not a water-retentive druggie.  Have fun!!!

Ed. Notes: I'm not in agreement with Henry's alcohol advice (not a good idea) or his anti heavy weights stance (I'd rarely work with weights you can lift for more than 12 reps if mass gain is your goal), but he's dead-on on the power of squats and deadlifts.

im 17. from 2003-2004 i weighed roughly about 110lbs (pathetic i know!) but today i weigh 175lbs. and how? by opening my mouth a bit more. i realised after eating nothing but junk for years that this is only putting crap into my organs and found out i had a fast metabolism. after taking advice from a bodynuilder i know, i decided to eat 7-8 meals a day (combined with the odd shake here or there) and to include more fibre and carbs in my diet. the fibre helps digest the nutrients needed and carbs to put on the pounds. basically, i put on a bit of fat but combined with my weight regime i also had a good 30lbs of muscle.

Tips

high calorie, high carb and high protein meals obviously put on the pounds, but make sure they're spread out evenly, because its no good eating 2 or 3 big meals as the nutrients will be used up too quickly.

fibre is essential in a diet as it eases digest transit, thus allowing you to eat more regularly without that bloated feeling and keeps the organs cleaner.

don't confuse high calorie foods with fatty foods!!! although burgers and pizzas are high in calories, they rack up too many saturates and you'll soon find fat in places you don't want to (not to mention health risks in the long run).

do assign yourself a day off now and then (twice a month or so) this will stop the process seeming like a chore as this can prevent motivation.

eating carbs before you go to bed is a good way of gaining weight effectively, however, make sure you do combine the weight gaining process (especially the use of carbs and calories) with an excersize program otherwise you'll soon find you're getting fat, making evrything alot more complicated.

Ed. Notes: Good stuff from Elliot - Learn to open up your mouth a bit more and good gains can come your way as well.

I 'lifted weights' for a few years as a teenager, but I didn't follow an intelligent program. I basically did shoulder, chest, and arm movements two or three times a week (and ignored the rest of my body). Although I did gain some strength and muscle mass over the years, by the time I entered college I quit working out after having become frustrated with slow results. I realize now that I was overtraining the muscles I was working out and foolishly ignoring more than half of my body.

I began a new program a little over three months ago. Before starting, I did some reading and developed a program based on a few important principles: 1) I only train muscle groups once a week. 2) I eat six meals a day with 20-40 grams of complete proteins at each meal. 3) I work the whole body (currently in a 3-day split). 4) I avoid sugar and saturated fats. 5) I do intense, low-volume sets (1-3) of heavy reps (6-10). My gains have been really encouraging and satisfying, especially compared to my previous training experience. I have increased the weights I work out with by 60-70% in less than three months, and I have gained a good 20 pounds of muscle.

Tips

1) Eat low-fat cottage cheese before bed. Cottage cheese is mostly casein, a slowly absorbed protein, and it is naturally high in glutamine, so it helps postpone muscle catabolism.

2) Drink liquid nutrients first thing in the morning. You want to get your body out of a catabolic state as soon you wake up. Whey protein and fruit juices are easy to digested and rapidly absorbed, and fructose causes an insulin spike to get nutrients to the muscles fast. This will also help stimulate hunger for a more substantial breakfast a little later.

3) Drink skim milk with major meals. One cup of skim milk with breakfast, lunch, and dinner adds about 24 grams protein, 36 grams carbohydrates, 903 milligrams calcium, and 258 calories to your daily intake.

4) Prefer food protein over whey. Whey protein is best used when your body needs amino acids quickly, like in the morning and after a workout. But food protein (meat, dairy, and eggs) is digested and released more slowly, providing your muscles with a steady source of amino acids over a longer period of time.

5) Find the right number of sets. By tracking your progress, you can find the best number of sets for each muscle group and maximize gains. You will always have to monitor your progress and change your routine as your body adapts, but you can always maximize gains by tracking your progress and seeing what works best.

6) Learn to love leg day. Don't ignore legs and don't do machine exercises. Serious leg gains come from three simple movements: squats, deadlifts, and calf-raises. Do them once a week and you will see results over your whole body.

7) Try macronutrient rotations. Try to eat a consistent amount of protein throughout the day. Try to limit fats and simple carbohydrates to the morning and early afternoon. Eat complex carbohydrates with dinner, and mostly protein before bed. If you are gaining too much fat or have fat you want to loose, try rotating your carbohydrate consumption through the week: some days with high carbs followed by some days with low carbs.

8) Set short-term goals that are realistic and measurable.  If you "just want to get bigger" or "just want to get into shape," you have no real measurable goals, and can't effectively plan a program or track improvements. Make sure you have quantifiable monthly targets, otherwise you will get discouraged and loose momentum. Staying motivated is essential because gains only come with time and dedication.

9) Workout at home. It is often cheaper to buy a bench, power rack, and 600 pounds of weight than to join a gym for a year. When the gym is in your home, you will workout faster, more intensely, more conveniently, and without distractions. You will save time, money, and frustration. Going to a library doesn't make you smarter just because you are surrounded by books that you never read, and going to a gym doesn't make you stronger just because you are surrounded by machines that you never use.

10) Learn proper technique and use the correct weight. Make sure you know how to properly perform each exercise and maintain a full range of motion. Lifting heavy means using enough weight to perform 6-10 reps with proper form, not using poundages so high that must cheat to move the bar. You shouldn't have to rely on momentum in any exercise, and you should always control the weight (unless you are failing on the last rep).

Ed. Notes: 10 great tips from Scott. Perfect example of someone that trained without knowing what he was doing and had little to show for it, then started training with a sound strategy and suddenly found himself getting the big results. Love the library line.

I went from 190lbs to 220lbs in about 3 1/2 months and heres how I did it. In the past i thought it was all about time spent in gym and taking all kinds of supplements. I tried creatine and all kinds of protein products and even went to the gym 5-6 days a week for 2 hour sessions. Doing this gave me extremly poor results and took forever to see any muscle growth. So i took to the internet and did some research and i came up with a very effective system that worked for me. For starters I cut down my workout days from 6 days a week to only 3 days a week (mon: biceps & back, wed: chest & tricepts, and fri: legs & shoulders). I also shorten the duration of workout from 2 hours to only 1 hour. I push for 3 sets of 8 reps minimum and once i can knock out 3 set of 10 i increase the weight and go back to 3 sets of 8 with the heavier weights. (i rest about 1 - 2 minutes in between sets and i do about 3-4 different type of excercise per muscle group)  Also i dropped all the supplements. Only thing i take now is some cheap store brand whey protein powder. I drink 4 servings of it with water as my breakfast and on my workout days i drink 2 more additional servings after my workout. I also went out and got jars of peanut butter, bunch of cans of cheap tuna and a buttload of eggs (i only eat the egg white and no yolk). In between meals and whenever i felt like a snack i ate a big spoon full of peanut butter or a can of tuna. the biggest thing for me that i was doing wrong was overworking my muscles by spending too much time at the gym and not eating enough. I was worried if i ate too much i would gain too much fat rather than muscle so i was too cautious and in many ways fear of getting fat played a big roll. However, i realized that only way to get big is think big. DO NOT FEAR GAINING FAT. I just ate much as possible and frequently as possible. Only things i didnt eat were desserts and sweet stuff. Sure i gained a little bit of fat, but at the same time my muscle gain went off the roof. when i got to the point where i was content with muscle mass, i incorporated cardio to my workout routine burn off the excess fat i gained in the process. I learned that this is how body builders build their body and if you're trying to build muscles without gaining any fat then good luck to you.

Tips

EAT EAT and EAT. Think BIG, big weights and big portions and the number one thing: DO NOT fear gaining fat. Best way to gain muscle is eat like crazy and gain little bit of fat at the same time. You can burn off the excess fat with cardio after you reach your muscle gain goal.

Ed. Notes: Pay attention to Tyler, if you start fearing fat gain, your program is doomed. Skinny guys often have an irrational fear of fat and it can keep them skinny. Accept a little fat in exchange for a lot of muscle. Eating To Gain Weight: Body Fat Concerns

What originally started as a five month long deployment to Iraq last July has now become what will be a total of fifteen long months in the desert. I decided when we first got here to "get big" in those first "five months." Keep in mind, I am a relatively average guy. I'm 25-years-old, I'm 5 foot 10 inches tall, and until I joined the army back in 2002 I had not played sports since my sophomore year of high school in 1997. Through high school and college I had gone from skinny vegetarian to chubby student. I had never been a really dedicated lifter until my senior year of college at Oregon State in 2004-05. And even then, I didn't have the right mentality or understanding of what was necessary to build strength and size. When we got to Iraq I had just graduated from Ranger school a few months earlier and my body was still pretty decimated from the starvation and constant foot movements. I had weighed 175 going into the school and came out at 150. Going to Iraq I was back to my original weight, but with a lot of extra body fat. As a reference point, my bench one-rep was about 225. Two guys, both seasoned lifters in my platoon, took me under their wing and helped me get past the whole beginner's logic and beat the mentality of overtraining. At first it was a three day on, one day off rotation. Day one: chest/triceps. Day two: back/biceps. Day three: shoulders/legs. Day four was a rest day. Abs and core was worked into each workout and we would do about four exercises per group, 3 sets each of about 10,8,6. This gave me a great base and a lot of strength quickly. Size came, but mostly due to eating HUGE, taking weight gainer protein, and creatine. I took two cycles of Oxodrol 12, one in September and one in November, and made significant gains while on that and protien. When December rolled around we were scheduled to return home as a unit and I went through an intense, four week, cutting phase to lose all the water weight from the creatine and all the extra body fat from eating like an ox. On cutting I found that I lost some mass as well, which means I either did it wrong or I was cutting too hard/fast. When I got home in December my bench one-rep was 315 and I looked bigger, but was certainly not cut-up. When the unit came back here in January I made a new goal to focus more on hypertrophy rather than strength. I wanted to avoid the whole bulking/cutting phases out and attempt to gain mass while maintaining a more defined physique. So far it's been working well. My lifts have gone down in weight, but I have gained size and definition steadily and look much less "bloaty" than back in December. Diet has also played a huge factor. I front load all my protein in the start of the day and taper off until evening, however, I also lift in the morning now. As far as supplements go, I'll only take testosterone enhancers (usually with methyl) once every other month or so and a good, low calorie protein for the time being. Creatine bloats me out too much. Stimulants give me a headache and I come down too fast. And NO is good, but I haven't found that it benefits me enough to spend the money on it. My exercises are the same, except now I am four days on, one day off (which works in Iraq better than in the civilian world since we don't abide by a seven day calendar). Day one I dedicate to chest. Day two I lift arms. Day three I focus on legs. And day four I work back and shoulders (which I normally wouldn't combine, but with available equipment it makes it easier to just do it all in one day). I still do three sets, but of 12,10,8 for hypertrophy. When I simply worked on strength, I found that after a three week break in December (leave) I had already lost a lot of strength when I got back to the gym. I just returned from another three week break in June and found that, since working in the zone of hypertrophy, I didn't lose much of anything. Actually, people still asked me if I lifted over leave since I was still the same size. Currently I am about 195lbs and climbing steadily. I gain about a pound or two every month and it's all dry weight so I feel good about it. I am thinking about tailoring my workout to periodize weekly. One week of hypertrophy, one on strength, hypertrophy, metabolic, hypertrophy, etc. and see how that works. The best part about lifting here is that there's all the time in the world to experiment. Either way, I am happy with the results of hypertrophy lifting. I'm still bigger than many guys who can put up more than me, but next time we're at the beach no ones gonna care which one of us can toss up a billion pounds. It took the longest time to get past wanting to just be the guy who can lift a lot. In trying to
 lift heavy weight I didn't realize that in order to gain body size you have to drop the weight and up the reps a little bit. In doing so, you also maintain a better share of endurance, something a soldier needs to have in order to move a big body carrying a ton of equipment. As winter comes, however, I may shift away from the beach body mentality and go big again. Who knows? New goals are what have kept me motivated to continue.

Tips

My advice. Pick your first goal. Mine was to bench 315. I got there in a few months, but by taking supplements and eating a ton I looked like almost 200 pounds of chewed bubble gum. So pick another goal. I elected to maintain size and eliminate as much body fat as possible for the summer. I'm pretty much there now. Just pick a goal and go until you get there. If there is no end in sight, it causes lethargy, boredom, and lack of motivation. In regards to supplements. I only recommend, for these goals, tesoterone boosters (taken in proper cycles) and low calorie protein.

Ed. Notes: Great stuff From JR. His advice on picking one goal and going after it should be followed by all - trying to become "superman" all at once doesn't work. I'm not a fan of the testosterone boosters but you do need your protein.

Growing up as a skinny kid, all the way through adolescence, I used to get picked on by others, which took away from my self confidence. By gaining weight (muscles), I felt I would be praised, and not criticized any more. WHen I frist wanted to gain weight, I tried using a weight gainer, but it did no use for me. I then looked over the Internet for weight gain tips and found that everyone was saying to eat, eatm, then eat some more. There are no short cuts to people like me who want to gain weight. The key to gaining weight is to eat.

Tips

All I did to gain weight was increase the amount I ate for every meal. I gained 5 pounds from this, then hit a plateau. I then added a fourth meal, and I gained 4 pounds in the same week. I then gained an additional 8 pounds in 12 weeks. I have now gained 30 pounds in 2 years.

Ed. Notes: Yes, it is as simple as Richard makes it sound.

Last fall, I decided I was tired of being skinny man at 145lbs.  After taking in a vast amount of knowledge primarily at this website, I was able to come up with a 3 day split training program.  I selected the Sample Body Building Routine #6.  In about 4 months, I weighed 180lbs.  I got stronger, but I put on just a little too much body fat.  Why?  Because I failed to heed the advise from JP, track your calories.  Now I track all I eat and my body fat is diminishing and my muscles are getting bigger.  Once you start tracking your protein, carbs, and fat, it's easy and you learn how to eat and what to eat.  I have never weighed this much and my wife is really liking the changes.  Plus, it's motivating her to work on her butt.  :)

I started my body building in a public gym.  I got tired of it so I  found a deal on my local craigslist for a squat rack and a bench press unit.  Having a gym at home is great.  I have a couple pictures of cut guys with sweet peks, abs, and arms.  When I'm in the zone of lifting big weight, I can look at that between sets and yell "YEAH I'M GONNA GET BIG!"  Then I hit the set.  Now that my wife is working on her butt, I have a couple photos of some chicks with nice tight butts.  Things are going great now that I've decided to say goodbye to the lazy skinny man.

Tips

There was a tip on here about a month ago from a guy that did like 20 squats per set, then went on to say how intense you need to be, push yourself to the edge in the mind etc.  I do that.  Especially on those squats.  It is very important to push yourself to the very limit.  You'll read over and over again on this site, especially from Nalewanyj, to train with intensity and to treat every rep as your last one, you can do just one more, do it!
However, make sure you have the proper safetys in place.  I took my bench press to a welding shop in town, and for 20 bucks they welded a couple of small bars for safetys.  This way I bench until I'm about to drop it on my face. :)

Oh and you must track your diet!  Figure out your caloric intake on this site, and track it.  Otherwise you're gonna get fat.  Especially if you chug High Glycemic weight gainers like mass factor too frequently.  Get smart here on this site first.
Another site for some help is http://www.johnseif.com/  He has some sweet looking babes who weight train, and John himself is an experienced bodybuilding competitor with some seriously great tips on nutrition.  He has some great info on fiber especially.  Don't underestimate its importance.

Also, for exercise and muscle knowledge, check out http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

And for all you organic and natural buffs out there, my supplements of choice are Now Foods Whey Protein Strawberry, which seems to be the only whey protein blend out there with the best processes Brink recommends on this site (Cross-Flow Microfiltered etc.) and the product has no artificial sweeteners, no soy, no msg, nothin', and it tastes great.  I get micronized Creatine from Now (be sure to read Dr. Franco-Obregón Creatine articles on this site!), an organic micronized Glutamine from Syntrax, and something called CarboGain from Now  that is pure multodextrine (fast carb - I use only for post-workout mix)  For a great article on carbs check out "Carbohydrates for Endurance" http://www.firstendurance.com/newsletter_carbs.html
Last but not least, do you want big arms? Do you want big shoulders, abs? Do you want to know how to do deadlifts?  Understand Whey Protein?  Glutamine?  Then use this site's search page.  My brain is smart on this stuff because of this fantastic site.  Thanks JP!

Ed. Notes: Really great tips throughout. For those of you scared of diet tracking, pay attention to what Chris tells you - it really is easy once you get started.

In a nutshell, here is my story. You could call it a mid-life crisis or you could call it just getting smarter. I will take the later. I will be 52 this December. When I turned 50 it was a wake up call. All the years went by and everything was humming along and one day I looked in the mirror and said $&!$#.. I had to do something about it. That day I went and bought 2 dumb bells. 10lbs each. I worked with those and realized 10 lbs was not going to cut it. I bought a bar 5lb, 10lb, 25lbs, and just kept adding and a weight bench. I bought all the mags I could find and went to work. 2 years ago I weighed 170, 5'8" and looked FAT... I was a FAT-SKINNEY person!Since then I have gained 15 lbs. my waist is 32, I have bulked up my arms and shoulders
 and legs. I do my protein powder 2x a day. & NOS. My blood presser went from 140/90 to 124/78 and am off all BP meds.  yipee!! At first when I saw the weight gain I freaked until I realized it was muscle. I have people telling me I look 38 years old and girls hitting on me that are old enough to be my daughter. I feel better, I also walk or bike everyday on top of my regular workout. My room mate took some pictures of me at the beach the other day and to my surprise I looked good. If I acheved this in less that 2 years what will I acheve in 5 or 10. I now run a home base business and it gives me more time to workout and smell the roses.
Ron  www.vitavoom.net

Tips

All I can say is work hard, eat good, enjoy life, reduce stress even if it means changing jobs. You control your life. You need to take back what is yours.

Ed. Notes: Great Story. The biggest step is to just decide to get it done.

Many achievements in regards to bodybuilding and weight training are seen as reflections in the mirror.  The new you.  The way your old shirts become tight around your biceps, chest and shoulders.  How you unconcsiously walk straighter and with more pride in your appearance.  Taking those factors into account, and realizing that there has been a change in my physique, I would say the greatest success that I have seen heretofore, is my persistance .  Rarely have I ever carried a workout program this far and with this much commitment.  That success is in large part to this site, where your altruistic dispensation of knowledge lends itself to proper bodybuilding techniques and muscle gain.  Combining your site with the steadfast commitment of my friend Aaron L., (who, by the way, is a real success story if you go just by phsysique) who propels me forward in my workouts by the sheer magnitude of his own.

So, in my instance, the greatest success for me, doesn't show up in the mirror, it is in the fact that I still look in the mirror 6 or 7 months after the fact and still like what I see.

Tips

Using a free, altruistic site like this is the greatest tool one can have.  It is a mecca of knowledge that lends itself to greater understanding and desire.  Also, getting your friends involved in your new regiment helps intensely.  It is difficult to eat properly and maintain the workout schedule, but when you have your friends going through the same thing as you, it makes it a lot easier.

Ed. Notes: Having a training partner can be a great asset. And there is definitely a sense of accomplishment to building up your physique as Dan describes - it is a confidence that extends past what you see in the mirror and can have a positive effect on all aspects of life.

I've been skinny my whole life. I started training at 6' 142 lbs. I tried lifting Freshman year of highschool but didn't make any gains after a year.

Tips

Nutrition is the number one factor. I didn't want to believe this at first but I've now accepted it. I ate 4/5 meals: 3000 calories a day for a few months but didn't make significant gains. I wanted to quit but instead I just ate more. I started eating 6 meals a day and got a little bigger. I realized I had an extremely fast metabolism. Instead of whining about I'm just going to overcome it. Now, I eat 7 or 8 meals a day. Sometimes I want to puke. I've even started waking up in the middle of the night to drink my N-large 2 shakes; in order to constantly feed my muscles. I consider myself a professional eater. In 8 months I've gained 23 lbs. But Most of it within the last 2 months (after I started eating). I know I'll gain at least 25 more. I will never give up. You shouldn't either. 

Ed. Notes: "Overcoming" your metabolism is a great tip. You can sit around and whine or you can except the fact that you are simply going to have to work harder to overcome all obstacles.

A Bodybuilding Beginner For 16 Years?
Marc David tells his story, why he failed miserably at first and how he got himself turned around.