Gigantic Newsletter # 5

Hi everybody,

I plan to turn this and the next issue into a 2 part series on body-type training. This month, us ectomorphs will learn how to bulk up. Next month you bigger guys (and gals) will get some tips on shedding a few pounds before beach (pool) weather has passed us by. So while us shrimps are grabbing our dinner plates, heading to the buffet, and piling it high, I have included some information about whey protein incase the endos are not sufficiently bored out of their minds.

-- Endomorphs should skip this section unless they decide to go against their better judgement and read our coveted secrets (shame on you)--

If you are an ectomorph, you know that it is a lifelong struggle to gain weight, especially muscle. Many have trouble even gaining fat. I will give you a diet and exercise plan. I know as a fact that if you follow every letter of this plan, you will see a substantial increase in muscle mass. I really must stress that you have to do everything listed for this to work. These are not some miraculous training tactics, but what I as a skinny guy have found to work for me.

1. Eat lots. This may sound obvious, but many people look to gain weight, but tend to only eat enough to maintain their current size. If you want to get bigger, you will have to accept a few pounds of fat to go along with the increase in muscle. If you truly are having problems putting on weight, it will be easy to lose fat once you have gained it. I will outline exactly what you should eat later.
2. Set an upper and lower limit. When you finally do start to put on weight, find a bodyfat % that is to be your upper limit. You are the person that knows your body best, so set a point where you know that you will safely be able to trim down from. Once you reach that point, cut back, and set a lower limit to attain when you start cutting. If you lose too much weight, some of the muscle that you have worked so hard for will disappear.
3. Drink lots of water. Your muscles are 70% water, so what better way to increase their size than giving them water? I suggest 1 gallon a day for most people. If you are taking creatine, 2 gallons are in order. Most people are saying "WHAT?" A gallon of water is not as bad as it sounds. You don't have to drink it in one sitting. Spread it out throughout the day. Think of it this way. One glass (8 oz) an hour. If you are awake for 16 hours, that is your gallon for the day.
4. Take your vitamins. They are inexpensive, and are important when you lift. Vitamins C and E should do it. Take about 1000mg of vitamin C and 800iu of Vitamin E every day. They help get rid of free radicals, which have been known to cause cancer, and degrade health in general. Don't eat or drink anything with caffeine in it for an hour before and after you take vitamin C, or it will be counteracted.
5. Avoid cardio. How do you expect to gain weight if you burn it all off? During your cutting phase, you may want to incorporate a few 20-minute cardio sessions into your routine each week. 2-3 should be good enough. Do them after your weightlifting, or you will lose valuable energy for strength and muscle size gains.
6. Slow down! Lift in a slow, deliberate manner on every rep. Don't lift like a powerlifter unless you want to be one. Generally, slowing down your cadence will increase the blood flow to your muscles and give you a better pump. It will reduce the likeliness of injury, and improve your form. When you lift explosively, the pressure of the weight is on your joints more than when you use a slow cadence. I would rather have the pressure on my muscles wouldn't you? You can read more about cadence in my article about it in the archive section of my site.
7. Set goals! How are you going to get there if you don't know where you are going? Set a goal that you want to reach one year from now. Call it your midyear's resolution. Now divide by 12 and this is your goal for this month. Divide that by 4 and you have your goal for this week. Let's say you want to gain 20 pounds of muscle by this time next year. That is less than a half pound a week.
8. Get psyched! When it comes time to lift, come prepared. Start your workout knowing exactly what you will do in terms of sets, reps, weight, and the exercises you will do. Stay focused on lifting. Don't get distracted by guys that spend 75% of their time in the gym talking. Be aggressive. Attack the weights. I don't mean scream out on every rep. If you are on the last rep, and are struggling, it doesn't hurt to let out some noise though. Come in to the gym on a mission, leave with nothing left.
9. Whey to go! This is optional. I know many guys who have never even used whey protein and are successful bodybuilders. There are 2 products I do recommend if you can afford them. Whey protein and Creatine. Both are safe and effective. Whey is a good source of protein in your diet and over time can contribute greatly to size. It does not have an immediate affect though. Creatine typically will cause you to gain about 5-10 pounds off the bat, as long as you drink about 2 gallons of water a day. You will also see immediate strength gains. Most noticeably on bench while repping. It won't raise your max that much right away, but by repping with more weight, you will get stronger faster.

Nutrition:

Here are the basics. Use a 50/30/20 carbs/protein/fat diet. It is important to take in lots of carbs in order to put on weight. Try to consume one gram of protein for every pound of bodyweight. Keep fat down, but not too low. A typical day might look like this:

Breakfast- Any combination of the following: Cheerios with 2% milk, toast, orange juice, sausage or bacon, maybe egg whites, waffles, pancakes, oatmeal, bagel

Midmorning snack- Toast, piece of fruit, or vegetable like carrots, protein shake

Lunch- any combination: cold cut sandwich, chicken soup, salad, or chicken

Afternoon snack: peanut butter sandwich, crackers or pretzels

Dinner: Be creative have a good meal- Steak, potatoes, salad, pasta, chicken

Try these for a little boost:

When you mix up your whey shake, add some extra stuff like peanut butter, ice cream, powdered milk in addition to regular milk, egg whites, vanilla or chocolate pudding mix, bananas, strawberries, or any number of other things, as you can see, you can get very creative.

Eat toast at every meal. Try it! Make your normal meal, and have 2 pieces of toast to go with it. It is important to get lots of carbohydrates.

Workout:

Every good mass building routine should include these three exercises:

Deadlift, squat and bench press.

These exercises work the largest muscles in your body, and should be done on a regular basis. Other than those, you are free to add any other exercises you like. I recommend dividing your workout into two sections. You can use the push/pull split or the upper body/lower body split or any other way you like to do it, but don't lift everything on the same day, or you will not get the maximal workout. Work with a slow cadence and spend a couple minutes between sets. This allows you to get recovered before the next set. Do some low to medium rep sets with heavy weight.

---Endos can continue here---

One of my favorite supplements is whey protein. I find at times that I don't eat as much protein as is needed by bodybuilders, so it is necessary to take whey. Not only is it difficult to take in as much protein as is needed through normal eating, but also it would be extremely expensive and unhealthy. Imagine eating all that meat. You would have instant artery blockage. Here's the breakdown on whey protein.

Pros

It is relatively cheap compared to other supplements. Even at GNC, you should be able to get a good 4 lbs. of whey for under $30US.

It is safe. It is protein, so you don't have to worry about heart problems, cancer, liver or kidney problems like many other supplements.

It is helpful. Some supplements yield no results. This is not the case with whey. It will not make you Hercules overnight, but the added protein will contribute greatly to your progress.

Cons:

It is not as beneficial as protein from food. Your body does not as easily use it as protein found in beef, chicken and other sources.

When buying whey, remember to look at the concentration. Many places will try to sell you 80% whey products. The other 20% is just filler. That's fine as long as they only charge 80% of the price. If you get flavored whey, don't pay extra for the flavoring. You can mix the unflavored brands in with other things like ice cream and milk to make a shake and it will taste just fine.