Well T-men, I need your help to get the ball rolling on my training. The first thing I should mention, is that I am 14 years old. I dont want to take many supplements, just food, but am looking to lose bodyfat% and gain muscle mass. My goal is to gain about 10lbs. lean body mass, while droping fat and getting CUT! I know theres a lot on this site that can help, but most is geared for older guys. I wanted to know if anyone had an idea of a good training program to help me attain my goal. How many grams of protein should I eat a day? How many meals? What should they consist of? I want to shed some fat, should I incorporate running, or swimming for this? Wieght training regimen? Any help would greatly appreciated…Thanks for helping me turn from a T-boy to a T-man…Thanks in advance guys.
how much do you weigh? what do you do now? search for the get big diet … and then ill help ya from there
Go to the search engine on the t-mag site and type in “Dawg School” You will find a series of articles geared towards beginners that should get you going on the right path.
To gain ten pounds of muscle mass and get cut at 14 years old…
Lift weights 3-4 times a week…NOT TOO HEAVY!!! You aren’t finished growing yet so don’t lift very heavy weight.
Personally, I don’t go for the supplements either. I use only protein powder.
Here is a strength training workout from a one of the guys on this post. I added the running/jogging part in.
3 day split+ MON-bench, dips, shoulder press WED-squats, stiff leg, calves FRI-chin ups, rows, curls
Run/Jog-Tues, Sat, Sun
If you have anymore questions let me know (I wasn’t very detailed because I don’t know how much or how long you’ve been training).
sorry about that, i weigh about 100 pounds and i 've been lifting weights for about a month nowwith on and off sessions and started to run for 20 minutes a day. thanks for the advice
100 lbs.? EAT!!! STOP RUNNING SO MUCH. I’ve gone from 105 lbs. to 130 lbs. in about a year. I’m about 5’7" or 5’8". You may consider the weight gain shakes. I have the hardest time gaining weight…start eating big now, dude. You don’t want to be 130 lbs. when you’re 24 years old. People call me some really annoying nicknames: Chief, Big Guy
Personally, I don’t think I look that little, but people tell me I need to eat more. I eat to the point that I’m sick and still don’t gain…maybe I waited too long.
But anyway…back to you (sorry)…EAT ALOT and stop or at least limit the cardio…
Did I help?
Jay, i’ve been told to eat alot as well by a couple of older friends of mine who work out. The thing is my mind is telling to me i need to lose fat and get real cut, to do that i swim, run and just do what a 14 likes to do and lift weights. Right now this is what im basically following i eat 6 meals a day high protein, low carb, abs in morning evining and weights at night. you told me that i should run every day that im not lifting weights, so i’ll follow thatas well as your different weight excersizes. thanks for all the advice so far, your heping me alot
Here are some suggestions for you.
- Do not go to failure (yet)
- If you aren’t gaining weight then it’s because of your eating not because of your training.
- Only train when you feel fresh
- Don’t neglect bodyparts (running does not substitute leg work so Squat!)
- Concentrate on good form instead of lifting more weight. Dont use a weight to where you must struggle to keep good form
- Eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound BW you have.
- Just because you are a teenager does not mean you can eat anything you want to. Get all of your calories from lots of healthy foods if you want the greatest success.
- Drink a gallon of water a day.
- Eat 7 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day
Slick…Listen up! I’m sure everyone that writes to you here on the forum is going to tell you that you need to eat a lot…Thy’re right. Diet, for someone like you is probably the most important thing in gaining mass and losing fat. The healthier food you eat, and also the larger amounts of it you eat, are whats going to cause you to gain muscle and shred your fat. You should definitly keep the running/swimming/cardio to a real minimum, because that can cause you to look like a buffed jogger, and hinder you in gaining weight. You can pick up the running a little later in the future, but for now, eat right (THATS THE KEY) and lift weights. Also, like others have said, do not lift heavy, as you are still a growing guy. I’m sure your priority now is to lose some fat and bodyfat%, but that will come by having the proper diet, and lifting consistently. It sounds like you doing a good amount of AB excersizes and thats good, keep it up, but do not focus your training on running. A little bit of cardio (running/swimming) will help you lose fat, but at your age, its definitly not critical, your body will naturaly do it. Your metabolism is close to its genetic peak at this age, so take advantage of it…To end by summarizing: 1) Eat a high protein diet, about 175-200 grams a day (you can use protein shakes or Meal replacements) 2)lift 3-4 times a week 3)Do at max 2-3 15 minute cardio sessions a week 4)Drink a lot of milk, egg whites, eat lean steak and chicken…Do this for a month then throw in some a creatine and you should start to see some good results. Good Luck on your T-quest Slick.
I used to be an E-Wimp. I am now 15 and since I have become a T-Man I’m adding an inch to my arms for every year I get older. Use Massive Eating. It’s not as much fun as the other diets, but my gains were awesome. Do the bulking first, then take 35% off your totals. Do not consider drugs. I gained 30 pounds in 3 months from Massive Eating. Since you want pure mass, I recommend a very small number of movements; medium stance squats, deadlifts, bent rows, medium grip bench, chins, clean and jerk, jackknife pushup, BNP, external rotator work. Learn how to do these movements properly. Some will say your triceps will be neglected so add dips, biceps neglected so add curls, but stick to my movements for now. The jacknife pushups will drive up your poundages in everything else. Do not add any extra work to this, no running, swimming, crunches, basketball, nothing. Do not go over 12 sets, external rotator work does not count. Do jacknife pushups at the begging of your leg workout. Work 4X weekly. An examply workout would be 2X8 jacknife pushups, 5X5 squats, 5X5 DLs. I’ll get you a plan for cutting also. For your Massive Eating I recommend you get your totals and add 500 or 750 calories. Get NO calories from junk food. Do not eat more than 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. Power foods are salmon, red meat, eggs, green leafy veggies, tomatoes, red and sweet potatoes, fruit, NO bread, oatmeal, milk and milk products (get plenty of yogurt). Use these meals correctly w/ Massive Eating, there are exceptions, such as red meat, which is a very high insulin food, so study the II and GI. Any questions? Holla and I’ll be glad to help. Many articles can point you in the right direction.
I found a really good article for beginners (beginners as in beginning strength training, not beginning bodybuilding) on another website.
If you want me to post the work out for you I will. It’s all about building core strength before building mass. If I understand it right, muscle mass and muscle strength are different somehow. I haven’t found any info on how or why…
From your posts I don't think you want to be huge, right? Just strong and healthy? If so I would keep coming to this website. The people in this forum seem to give away great advice on a daily basis. They keep it real. Just follow the other two guys' advice and from what you were saying, you're doing everything right. Just remember, you may not get to be huge but you will get stronger, faster, meaner...uh...not meaner...just better all around.
Disclaimer: JAY isn't an expert, just a skinny dude trying to get stronger, faster, and more healthy so he doesn't have to spend the last 15 years of his life in a nursing home.
hey T-guys, thanks for all the help, with all of your advice i created a plan that i want you to look over and give any suggestions that you might have on it…thanks…i have calculated all of the number of grams of protein i’ll be gettin
and the time i’ll be eatin them.
diet morning-3 eggs in 1 cup of milk with oatmeal Midmorning-yogurt with a serving of fruit possibly with a peanutbutter and jelly sandwhich Lunch-chicken breast or sub with a serving of fruit and 1 cup milk Midafternoon-tuna with yogurt and a serving of fruit Dinner- could be anything but its healthy for sure(moms choice) Afterdinner-serving of yogurt and fruit
Question: when should i be working out in my diet? how many reps should i do for each excersize? When do i use creatin? Thanks for any response.
Your meal plans are messed up. I don’t see a low insulin meal all day, this is insulin abuse. Workouts I recommend you periodize, but start with Pavel’s 3-5, there’s a recent thread about it.
what is insulin? im a newbie when it comes to this stuff
Did you read Massive Eating? Insulin is a hormone. It is one of the big 3 hormones for bodybuilding (Growth Hormone - AKA GH, Testosterone, Insulin) and I and experts have found it to be the most important. You will learn about it in physiology (sp?) class. It’s most important function to us is to deliver the protein and micronutrients to the muscle so it can grow. Insulin manipulation is important so we can become more insulin sensitive and have the maximum amount of protein and micronutrients delivered. I have found that Massive Eating is a big breakthrough in diet and it has worked great for me. The original diet did not work very well for me, so I toyed with it until I found the optimal diet for me, which was alternating high insulin and low insulin meals (meals that cause a large or small insulin spike). There are a few copies of a small II (Insulin Index) on the net, but I will not post the URL to the best one because my message might not get posted if I did; just search for it. More me eating no high GI and II foods after 6pm has helped keep off the fat gain. The GI (Glycemic Index) has to do with blood sugar levels and the speed of absorbtion of food, and it should be used in conjunction with the GI, but is not as important. The GI’s most important use is post-workout nutrition, a post workout drink should be very high II and GI, Surge is great for this, but expensive. A correction to your meal plan would be cook your morning oatmeal in water instead of milk; next meal would be yogurt with high II fruit (grapes, cantelope, watermelon, etc) and cottage cheese; lunch would be bodybuilder oatmeal (Strength Training, Bodybuilding & Online Supplement Store - T NATION); next would be salmon and beef with yogurt and high II fruit; supper would be mom’s choice, but low II; next would be bodybuilder oatmeal or a protein/flax drink. Use natural peanut butter for bodybuilder oatmeal, not normal people peanut butter. If you are going to spend money on creatine, use Ribose-C before workout. You could replace a high insulin meal w/ Surge or PW drink after your workout, or you could just add it and move meal times closer together. I have found results are best when the last meal prior to the workout was a low insulin one. Keep in mind my diet is only a suggestion that is similar to one that has worked very well for me, adjust it to fit your needs and eat the correct amounts; keep a food log. For workout I stated a recommendation that has worked well for me in one of my previous posts; it involved 8 movements and some external rotator work. I would use this first, then Pavel’s 3-5, or use 3-5 first then my workout; I think my workout first would be best because that would give you time to come up with a good 3-5 workout. Any questions? Just LMK.
there is one thing that is very important at your age, be careful of any exercise that will compress your spine, I am a huge fan of squats and deads but I don’t think you should be doing them at your age and size, the other important joint you HAVE to be careful with is your shoulders, the rotator cuff is VERY delicate. I think you should not do any exercises that you pull or push behind your neck. Dips are also healthier for your cuff than benches. I know everyone is trying to help you but you may be too young to realy experience the kind of muscle growth that you will in a couple years so don’t get down if progress is slow, just learn your exercises and read as much as possible. good luck
If you want to be all paranoid about messing up your joints, then here’s a sample of movements; jacknife pushups, squat-deads w/ trap bar, handstand pushups, decline pushups, chins, janda situp, and check out the recent functional strength posts (especially functional strength support group), you can really build a great physique from these if you also use negative work.
I have a couple questions.
If I use the Massive Eating Program, do I use it all the time? What is a ‘jacknife pushup’?
And the final question, Patty, how in the he11 do you have enough time to know the Insulin/Glycemic stuff and prepare food for 6 meals a day. You said you are 15? What about the school year: homework, friends, girlfriend…do you understand what I mean? How can you find the time for all that nutrition stuff?
Jacknife pushups is the best ab exercise there is. Strength Training, Bodybuilding & Online Supplement Store - T NATION It really drives up the poundages of legs lifts and increases explosive power. I have time to cook all these meals because it’s summer break, no school, during school I prepare my MRPs before school. I see no reason to go off Massive Eating, nothing works better for gains, and it is successful at getting weight off. Mom won’t let me go keto, and keto would be the only reason I would go off Massive Eating. Sometimes I may not go by the protocol for one meal to be socialable (sp?).
patty he is 14 yrs old! his joints are loose, tendons and ligaments are NOT fully formed, at that age and wt he might not realy be that far into puberty. tell a grade school friend of mine (jimmy, nicknamed “jimmy the greek”) that he should not have worried that much about his joints when he was 13-15 and he’ll show you that he keeps everything on him in his front pockets, 'cause he can’t even reach his back pockets!