Weight Gain Routine

[Rmiller]

Hi all,

I'm currently VERY underweight (70 lbs & 5'6). I've started lifting weights. Does anyone have any suggestions about a possible exercise routine that would help me gain back needed muscule? (note: I need to increase my body fat as well since its way too low).

ALL HELP appreciated,

Lisa

[rawfigure]

a couple questions then I am sure we can give you some help..

do you have any injuries ? do you have any medical restrictions ?
what us your current routine ?
and how long have you been lifting? do you do any cardio ?

Being under weight I am sure you will want to take it slow and be careful in the weight training to prevent injury.

[Rmiller]

Hi Rawfigure

To answer your questions:

1) no injuries and no medical restrictions

2) Currently on a 3 day rotation: legs/shoulders, chest/back, triceps/biceps; I try to do 1 or two ab exercises each day too. I'm lifting so that I fatigue between 8 to 12 reps. I do 3 sets of each exercise resting inbetween each set.

3) I've been lifting since Jan but am not seeming to be getting anywhere. I was doing more cardio before - 20 min on stationary bike on the interval option - my legs burn when I'm done. However, I recently decreased this to 10 min since I'm worried that this is what is continuing to cause my weight loss (not gain).

All suggestions greatly appreciated

[Qman]

Hi RawFigure,

i am a personal trainer who has just begun my raw journey a few weeks ago. i've spoken with several raw food athletes which was why i decided to give this Way of Life a go. i truly feel that one can gain muscle on the Raw Food diet. here's the thing....you MUST get the calories into you. frequent meals thru out the day. nut milks....heavy sweet fruits....smoothies....big salads....etc. for the weights....short and infrequent workouts are best. heavy weight(well heavy for you that is) if you can do more than 10 reps with the weight, it's to light. you want to fail around 6-8 reps. only do two sets. a warm-up set then the real set. pick one basic exercise per muscle group. no shaping exercises needed. i know you may have questions(that is IF this sounds cool to you) feel free to ask away. if not...now worries, i just wanted to perhaps help.

[Qman]

so sorry the last post was directed to RAWMILLER ; )

[rawfigure]

I second Q man..yes you can gain muscle on a raw diet.

rawmiller if you are 70 (is that right ?) and are you 5' 6 (not a typo ?) at 5 ' 6" you need muscle and bodyfat. I am your height and my lowest weight in college was 101 and I was a stick, my arms were painfully thin !!!

If I got the height and weight right you do need to be careful of your bones. At that bodyweight and height you are at risk for bone loss, have you had a bone density test ?

So at 70 you have lots of room for growth !

Eat more small meals and add some calorie dense foods, slowwly add food though !

Keep at the current schedule

keep cardio to warm up and cool down only, like 10 min each..and some days 12-15 min. but nix the longer cardio sessions until you gain some weight !

[newly_raw]

hey whats goin on Qman...everythin you talking about sounds very interesting...im a basketball player and love doing and hearing anything when it comes to enhancing ones health...I been looking for someone who can help me and learn from...love to learn and looking for good sources to learn from...

[tglasco4]

I like the suggestion of Qman. I just want to add one thing.....in order to grow muscle you should also seek to progressively increase the amount of weight you use. The muscle will grow in response to increasing resistance. Do it carefully to avoid injury, but do it. Other than that, Qman is right on......Carry on

Peace.

Todd

[Beanie]

Um, 70 lbs? Are you sure that is right? I mean I weigh 70 lbs right now unfortunately at 5'1", and for me, that is a dangerous weight according to my Dr. I know of no other adult that weighs that little in the real world. Do you have an eating disorder? Are you eating enough? I mean, unless you don't have money for food, are purposefully restricting your food intake, or have a medical issue, I think just increasing your calorie level you should put on weight. Eat whatever you like especially heavy foods. I'm not so sure weight lifting is really healthy for you at that weight until you start gaining. You could hurt yourself!! You are probably very frail. Right now if I lose any more weight, I know its a matter of time before I hurt my back. And I'm very small boned and much shorter than you are!!

[Qman]

i love this Forum!! thanks todd, rawfigure, and newlyraw......you guys are great! todd is right as well...make sure you slowly increase your weight as you go. a good rule of thumb if you can do more than 10 reps, increase the weight. i know there may be alot to process...if any one has any questions feel free to ask away; )

[Rmiller]

Thanks for your suggestions.

I am definitely 100% sure that I weigh at most 70 lbs since that is what my scale and the doctor's scale both say. Plus I look like a walking sceleton.

I am currently eating 2800 cal's/day (I'm a girl for all those who are questioning) but am just barely hanging onto this weight without losing anymore. My body has BIG TIME difficulties digesting food. When I started eating raw a few years ago I just didn't realize that my calorie level had fallen so much because it made me full all the time. As such, my weight plumeted like a rock and I have been struggling since to gain it back.

I realize now that I have to be VERY certain that I eat enough cal's. Since I get full quickly, I've started to put my cal's into fitday to make sure that I eat at least 2800. Over the past month I have been able to increase the cal's slowly from 1500 to 2800 cal's. At least I've stopped losing weight now but gaining is still another issue. I'm going to keep increasing the cal level by 100/week until I start seeing some real weight gain.

Because my digestion is so weak I've taken to eating more frequently in smaller amounts and blending/grinding/processing/juicing most of my food -which seems to help reduce the stomach pain I get from eating.

I'm an active person so it really sucks having to limit my physical activity - I'm 26 years old and I've grown up playing sports and exercising. I'm trying to get more sleep but have difficulty with this as well.

I will increase the weight that I'm lifting so that I fatigue earlier. Do any of you recommend certain exercises to focus on? I personally LOVE doing strength training and welcome as many SPECIFIC recommendations on which/what/how exercises to do.

Thanks again for your help so far,

Lisa :)

[michigan roman]

rmiller , im quoting a dr j. kadans here " ample portions of sesame seeds will increase body weight " . and a way i use sesame seeds for protein and calcium is to grind up 1/3 cup of them til fine , then fill blender half with water and 2 bananas and blend til like a milk shake . when i was younger alot of guys made banana shakes when lifting cuz we thought itd put on weight . and outlooks may have changed today but ive always saw protein and fats as things to put on weight , and with that in mind ide suggest making a granola type food of ground up into bb sized bits , or finer if want cuz would be easier to digest , nuts and seeds like walnuts , almonds , sesame seeds , sunflowerseeds and dried fruits like raisins , pineapple , etc to then eat out of bowl with some fruit like banana , strawberry , whatever you like , thrown in . i know ive seen in past that bananas are one thing sumu wrestlers would use to put on weight . and i read lately that people are using hemp seed for protein source . theres this guy stefan arlin thats a raw body builder , wrote book natures first law . i dont know much about him and have heard mixed opinions but i do know hes into lifting and eating for size . ive seen his web site breifly and know you could find it by browsing his name or book . goodday :)

[michigan roman]

and on lifting i can say that ive seen alot of guys put size / muscle on chest by bench pressing , and on thighs by doing squats , then on shoulders military lifts . goodday :)

[PATH301]

check out this guy's routine and regiment:http://www.charliesgym.info/

[misslinda]

I'm sorry but I don't mean to butt in but this is cocerning me.

Rmiller, how long have you been at this very low weight? Do you know the cause?

I ask b/c and I dont mean this in any rude way shape or form.....

I was at a VERY low weight in the 60 range at one time in my life BUT that was b/c I was anorexic. So, I am envisioning you nearly 4 inches taller than me and weighing about 10 lbs more than my weight back then.......

I don't think weight lifting is a healthy reasoning for you at this time. Considering that you are deficient of some sort, would leave me to believe that your body cannot handle the exertion if it needs to HEAL what is preventing you from gaining weight. Putting weight on doesn't neccessarily solve the issue of what's casuing your condition.

How log have you been raw?

What is your intake?

When did you start notcing these weight issues?

Past medical history?

Do your docs have any idea?

What symptoms do you notice?