What type of workout/diet would be the best to gain upper body strength and muscle mass?
I┬┤m an 18 year old boy, I weigh 63 kg and I┬┤m 1,86 cm tall; and therefore i have a BMI of about 17. This is too low and I don┬┤t believe its healthy. So I┬┤ve been trying to gain mass through hyper-caloric diets, but it looks like my metabolic rate is too high. So the last option I┬┤ve thought of is gaining that weight through muscle, but I have no idea on the most efficient way to do it in terms of workout and diet. I┬┤ll gladly appreciate any help 😀
I don’t give advise on what to eat. But I do advise clients looking to gaining muscle mass to make sure they eat a good protein source asap after lifting. There is a lot of evidence that eating more than 30 minutes after lifting cuts down on the amount of added muscle. The longer the gap between, the less mass added. And after an hour and 30 minutes, you get almost nothing. Also, not resting/recovering from each work out is a waste of time as well. You need to get your protein after working out and not lift with those muscles again until they have recovered. For you at 18 years old, a day off in between should be good. But don’t lift if the muscles are still sore. And you don’t want to be very sore the next day or two. Being too sore has shown that scar tissue can get mixed in with the muscle. And scar tissue (basically just fibrous connective tissue) not only is useless, but can lead to serious injury down the road. And lastly, your ability to put on muscle is determined by your genetics as much as your workouts. Be realistic in your goals and body image views. Work hard, work smart, and be happy.
I highly recommend you find a good personal trainer.
Hello Carlos Noriega Polo,
It is good to hear from you and that you care about your health.
BMI is not the best measurement; it is only a number of reference for comparison.
You are still growing; so, please do not think that your metabolism is too high. We are all different, right? The best way to go about reaching your goal is to speak with your doctor, a registered dietitian and a youth athletic trainer. Gaining more muscle will rev up your metabolism and I do not know what hyper-caloric foods you are eating.
Follow a balanced healthy diet, balanced healthy exercise program, get the proper amount of quality sleep, and please, realize that you are still in the growing stages.
If you try to think back or watch others grow, you should notice that we grow up, then out, up, out, back and forth like that until we are adult…could be up to 25 years old.
Enjoy every moment.
Take care,
Natalie aka NAPS 2 B Fit.
Hi Carlos,
since you have been unsuccessfully trying to gain weight through a high calorie diet, it may be warranted to have this checked out by a physician (unless you were also hyper-active to account for the failure to gain weight). While Harris is correct in saying that young men often have a high metabolism, there are conditions that elevate it to an unhealthy degree, and I would get this checked.
Karin Singleton
www.meltnc.com
Hi Carlos,
When it comes to gaining weight (especially lean mass) there is no difference between upper and/or lower body approach. At your age having high metabolism is not unusual. Since I know nothing else about you, the best advice I can give you is to seek the assistance of a trainer or a coach. I’m not sure in which country you are at, but visiting a local gym might be the best way to go about it and seek the guidance of a mentor or a professional trainer. Same goes with diet.