starting training!any advice for hard gainer please?

[tommy_w]

Hi, as im not quite sure what i need to type into the search function i wonder if you guys could help me please -

basically i do a physical job and i put on absolutley no weight however much i eat, im 6ft and weigh 67 kg. Im far too skinny for my frame which really gets me down.

I trained for about a year previously taking protien shakes and training 3 times a week, with very little gains in shape and still did not put on even half a kg!! I also ended up with a lot of lower back pain constantly, this resulted in me giving up.
My back is now much better and i want to start again but do it properly with some advice from people in the know here, please can you help me to decide -
1) what supplements should i take?
2) how can i stop putting so much strain on my lower back and what preventions other than a belt can i use?where did i go wrong last time?
3) advice on training programmes for my type of body?

If you could help me or point me in the right direction as to what to search for or what websites to use i would be really grateful.
Thanks guys,

Tom

[No_Logic]

Basically in order to gain size, you just have to eat, eat, and eat, even when you dont feel hungry or feel like you should. Eat 5 meals a day and eat clean foods, avoiding the junkfoods and whatnot. I wonder how physical your job really is....if you are constantly burning calories all day long, then you just have to eat that much more to make up for it and it is probably a reason why you cant gain weight. If you dont have a caloric surplus, you will never gain much size at all if any, so keep eating and eating. Maybe start having more peanut butter sandwiches (natty peanut butter) on whole wheat bread, thats what I did...I threw 1 of those in a day on top of my 4 meals I usualy ate and I started to gain a bit finally. The fats in natty peanut butter are good as they take longer to digest and are high in calories. You also get your carbs from the bread and the protein from the PB. Try throwing 1 or 2 of those into your diet on top of eating a bunch and see how it goes. Whey is good, but your protein you should try to get from food, but a little help doesnt hurt....just dont rely on it and think you will get big because of it...it doesnt work like that.
Supplements won't help you much either besides a multivitamin and your whey protein....its all I take and in combination with a clean diet above my maintenance level, I am seeing gains. I'm not too fond of supps, save your money for buying food.
For your back, my thought is improper form or too much weight or a weak core. Get your form down to the tee before you increase in weight and always check yourself. Deadlifts are the #1 exercise I see most people get hurt on the most so form is key and watch it on those.
For a program, try Max OT. Just google it...it is a basic routine for the person new to lifting, but it does produce great results. A lot of your success will come from the kitchen though in what you eat.....there is tons of info here in the diet section that you will find helpful. For the first week or two do low weights in mostly all exercises and concentrate on form and do a lot of reps to get your body adjusted to the movement. Gradually week by week you can increase the weight and do less reps until you are in the rep range you want to start off at. Let Max OT take it from there, and just eat like crazy, and with each bite you go over that full feeling where you dont want to eat anymore, tell yourself its for that new inch you want to put on your arm, chest, etc. Eat for a purpose from here on out and keep that active mindset Good luck

[Swimmerman]

Yup, I'm a hardgainer, and the main thing I was missing was eating. I had to start eating around 4,000 calories a day before I started seeing any progress. Now I see about a 2 pound gain per week.

[jproudj]

Have you seen anybody about your back? It's not usual for beginners to get back pains unless they're trying 500lb deadlifts straight off.

Also the phrase 'hardgainer' isn't very helpful. Hardgainer could also mean 'low bodyfat' ie. a good thing. Everybody finds it hard to gain in some respects, and everybody needs different routines and diets to gain lean weight. But you need to sort out your back first, never work out with an unknown back problem, particularly as a beginner.

[tommy_w]

thanks for the info so far guys, very useful, keep it coming!

No i havent seen anyone about my back as the pain has gone now, i found my self straining my back on every exercise i did i think, problem is if i go lighter on my weights i dont get the smae burn from it, and heavier makes my back ache, i cant seem to win!

[BigMikeD]

[/quote]always check yourself. Deadlifts are the #1 exercise I see most people get hurt on the most so form is key and watch it on those.
[/quote]

ugh... aint this the truth

[POWERJIM]

The best advice i can give you is Dont rely on supplements for anything more than something to waste your money on, plus take your time gaining muscle as real muscle mass takes years to accomplish, fat just hangs around and is pretty damn useless so eat clean and stay patient.