(Part 2) Top products from r/gainit

Hey man, many of us have felt the way you did. Wearing layers in summer, avoiding people... all of it. You're not alone. We can help.

These things will make you feel better by improving your appetite, mood, and energy:

• Get more sleep. Stop using screens after 9pm, they disrupt your sleep patterns.
  
  
• Quit smoking. Apparently this book is extremely effective. Check out /r/stopsmoking/ for more help.
  
  
• Drink water. This one's easy. Buy a 32 oz Nalgene, fill it up in the morning, keep it at your desk, and sip from it all day until it's finished. Additionally, drink water with all of your meals. I didn't realize I was dehydrated until I started doing this.
  
  These things will make you bigger:
  
  
• Eat more food. Easier said than done, right? So let's start with one small step.
  
  
• Drink a homemade shake every night before bed. Here is my recipe:
  
  >2 cups whole milk
  
  >1 scoop whey protein
  
  >2/3 cup oat flour
  
  >3 tbsp natural creamy peanut butter
  
  >5 ice cubes
  
  Blend until smooth and drink. It tastes decent--better than mass gainer, I'd wager--but feel free to add fruit or whatever you like. This is 1000 calories. That's probably too much for you to start with, so cut it in half. If the milk doesn't sit well with you, switch to Protein Nutmilk. This stuff is awesome. It has almost as many calories as dairy, but with much less sugar and 10g of protein.
  
  An extra 500 calories a day will cause weight gain, and because you're consuming it before bed, you're not affecting the rest of your meals.
  
  Start with that, do it consistently for a month, and then review. Did you gain weight? Great, keep it up. No? Come back and we'll re-evaluate.
  
  You will want to start lifting soon, but let's get these things on track first.

Get a beginner book on weight training/bodybuilding. Many will throw out the classics (Starting Strength, Muscle Logic, etc).

But those reads only focus on the training side of the equation which is ultimately less than half the story for a great body. I highly recommend the book that got me out of my years of fuckarounditis:

Bigger, Leaner, Stronger by Mike Matthews

It's a point A-Z guide providing you each nut and bolt to achieving an exquisite physique.

Covers all ends of diet, even includes a great cookbook for both bulking and cutting cycles, walks you through progressive overload, how to properly track it, lays out a much more comprehensive routine than your standard 5x5, illustrates the proper forms for all of the compound lifts, weeds through all of the BS of the supplement industry and how they take advantage of beginners like yourself (highlights what's worth taking and discusses the other popular garbage out there)

It's an all-in-one guide and has become a bestseller in the crowded fitness genre for good reason.

I can't say much, but to add into what Wiles said, I quit smoking in February after 10 years of smoking. First off, I gained probably about 10 pounds right off the bat, not really eating extra or anything. For the first few months I went to the gym as I normally did (once or twice a week, usually doing cardio), but eventually I decided to get serious, probably around July I would say.

Once I started, I consciously made an effort to eat a shitload and I went to the gym every day during my lunch break and had lunch at my desk. I gained to 170 pretty easily with a conscious level of work. I plateaued a little bit, so I upped the calorie intake significantly (I average about 3500 or so now) and am slowly making gains through the 170s, but it's taking longer than I thought (I'm not doing GOMAD or anything, just eating a shitload).

Anyway, 8 months smokefree and I drink water by the gallon and I've never felt better in my life. I am almost never tired anymore and the only caffeine I have is a small cup of coffee at the beginning of the day, and that's more out of habit than it is because I'm tired. If you are looking to quit, try Allen Carr's Easy Way to Quit Smoking.

TL/DR: Quit smoking, drink water, eat more, you'll feel fucking great.

Sounds to me like you're having some mild symptoms and blowing it out of proportion in your head. The mind can screw with you in weird ways. I think you should get some digestive enzymes and try taking one before every meal, it really helps break down the food and help your body process it better. I get these because I've always had issues eating large meals as well. It may be that you have some mild food allergies, but that can't stop you from eating, your body needs those nutrients! Maybe you could also try cutting out certain things to see if it helps, wheat, sugar, etc. Good luck!

Your body won't be able to tell if you're getting calories from solid foods or liquid. It will use the macros the same.
Just like most of Rich's fans can't tell what is muscle and what is synthol on him.
But seriously, there are far better YouTubers to follow over Rich.

Shakes are great. Convenient and very easy to make. Mine is simple.

• 2.5 cups of whole milk
  
  
• 1 cup of 1-minute oats
  
  
• 1 scoop of whey protein
  
  
• Peanut butter if you really feel you need more calories
  
  Blend
  
  

Thanks for the reply! I'm currently drinking a whey protein based shake. Adding some flax seed oil, peanut butter and chia seeds for extra calories. I did some research and found that that brand had the most protein. But the one you recommended also looks pretty good because it's geared towards weight gain - also pretty cheap. Would I be losing anything if I made the switch?

Try craigslist, you can sometimes find cheap power racks on there. You don't need anything fancy, something like this would work, but keep in mind it doesn't have safety bars. You may need to upgrade to something like this later on, because it's easier to bail on a squat with the safety bars. You don't need a spotter if you practice safely failing a rep with an empty/lightly loaded bar.

I got one, and it makes it so much easier to get the correct amounts of things. I got a scale to weigh myself and a scale to weigh my food from Amazon. I always weigh my pasta and shake ingredients (unless I can easily measure by volume). So for example, it's super easy to say, okay I need 500 calories from my pasta. Pasta is 100 calories per ounce, so I just measure 5 ounces instead of guessing.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001KXZ808/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001N07KUE/ref=oh_details_o09_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

What would you recommend I start with? Start off this?
In supplements, what would help me best?

Pick up some Fat Gripz and slap them on an easy bar and do heavy reverse curls super set with forward forearm curls. You wont be able to turn the dial on a lock after a session with these. I promise.

You can try out these. Just Incorporate them into your regular lifting routine and they'll boost your grip strength pretty fast, or you can do forearm isolation work. There are a lot of grip strength articles on bodybuilding.com

NOW Isolate. It's not too expensive if you get the 5-lb tub, but you may want to get the smaller tub just to try it out. The macros are pretty good too: 110 calories for 25g protein with minimal ingredients.

http://www.amazon.com/Foods-Whey-Protein-Isolate-Pounds/dp/B0013OWAB4

A food scale. You can get the #1 best seller on Amazon for under $16. You need an easy, quick way to keep accurate track of what's going in your body, whether it's considered budget food or not.
Link: http://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Digital-Multifunction-Kitchen-Elegant/dp/B004164SRA/ref=sr_1_1?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1420578541&sr=1-1&keywords=food+scale

Get a weight set off craigslist. I got an entire set for $90 and it included 2 sets of 45s, 35s, 25s, 10s, and four sets of 5lb plates.

Buy this off amazon

Buy an adjustable bench that goes 0, 45 and 90 degrees off craigslist for $30-50.

And then buy a barbell, don't get a cheap one. Shell out at least like a $100 on a good quality 7ft barbell with a 2 inch diameter.

I would also recommend getting rubber mats to put on the floor, under the squat rack. I use the ones used in kitchens, the rubber mats with holes in them.

I wouldn't buy from GNC. You can find much better deals online and Amazon offers free 3-5 day shipping on most orders. 12-Pounds for less than $50.

Actually this one is truly delicious https://www.amazon.com/BSN-SYNTHA-6-Protein-Micellar-Isolate/dp/B002DYJ1C4/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1523060882&sr=8-1&keywords=syntha+isolate+vanilla

This chit is dope. It could liquify stone and really easy to clean.

If you have any money or room for one, for $20 this blender is pretty good:

https://www.amazon.com/Oster-BLSTPB-WBL-250-Watt-Blender-Travel/dp/B004P2OLB8

I have some lactose-intolerant friends that are completely fine with whey protein isolate. As long as he makes sure it's isolate, it should be fine - I use this brand.

Oster My Blend

600ml, fairly easy to clean (hard to get rid of the smell, though), and relatively compact compared to conventional blenders.

I just bought one at target but this works to!
Ozeri ZK14-S Pronto Digital Multifunction Kitchen and Food Scale, Elegant Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004164SRA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_zuMwCbAR51V3M

http://www.amazon.com/Ninja-NJ600-Professional-Blender/dp/B003VWXXXK

I've had that for about 2 years now. works like a charm.

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

https://smile.amazon.com/Premium-Gold-Whole-Flaxseed-96-Ounce/dp/B004579W2Q

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^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot

Pick up the book Bigger Leaner Stronger (its like $13 on Amazon ) by Mike Matthews. He’s really into the science of building strength and size. Also checkout his 1 year challenge. It’s a tough workout, but that’s what you want 😉

Don't have it myself but ive heard good things about the ninja

Look online for deals on buying protein powder in bulk. Might find something good.

This isn't what I use but it is 80oz (5lbs) for $38.00.

I bought this scale about a year and a half ago. It seems to be holding up well. It is at least consistent with a bike scale I have.

When it comes to buying a scale, accuracy isn't super important. What is important is that it is consistent. If you weigh yourself on the same scale every time, you have a consistent frame of reference.

Apart from the lack of benefit (as commented below) from eating too much, if you are eating at an surplus the excess protein (that dosen't get used to rebuild muscle) converts into fat.

Source

Power Rack, Bench, Olympic Bar and Plates.

If you do not have the room for a power rack you can start with these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L5QE3L0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

But when you start lifting and squatting heavy you should really make room for the power rack. Sometimes you get stuck at the bottom of a squat and need to bail.

Then add the bench to slide in and out when needed: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002QJZAE4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00

If you squat each workout you really don't have to worry about the leg extensions on the bench, just if you really want the extra work.

I have this blender and have to say it rocks! I never wanted to do shakes because I just had a normal blender here, and they're too annoying to clean. With that thing I just put some soapy water in it right after I'm done and pulse it for a little.

As for cooking, it really isn't hard. Just get your protein in and stick with it. I've been eating 6 eggs scrambled with ham and cheese with 4 pieces of toast everyday for 2 weeks now, and equally large lunches and dinners but I still weigh the same. So just stick with it, and eat a lot of peanut butter.

Buy a foam roller for christmas also if you don't have one already!

Look at getting this one. Does that work? And what length of roller do you suggest?

Here are the links for the products:

floor mats

barbell

255 lb weight set

power cage

clip collars

bench

weight tree

Here ya go !

Now Protein- Flavorless, only a couple ingredients. 100% whey isolate(one of the faster absorbing proteins).

My recommendation

I used to weigh 130lbs at 5'11" and when I decided to gain weight, eating sucked. Consistently hitting my calories was difficult with solid food. I tried Optimum Nutrition's Pro Gainer and it helped a lot. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015R3A1S?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00. I'm now at 180lbs.

Nowadays, I only really use it if I haven't met the day's calories or if I'm hungry before I go to bed. I think using weight gainer at first is not a bad idea at all. Once the kid gets used to the higher calorie intake combined with his lifting, he'll naturally eat more as his appetite will grow. Mine did.

But his unwillingness to focus on his diet is concerning. He needs to understand that to get stronger/bigger he needs to eat more. There's just no way around it. Have you sat down with him and calculated his TDEE? Install the My Fitness Pal app on his phone and have him track his calories. Explain that if he doesn't cover his TDEE, he won't grow. Once he visually sees a numerical goal, maybe he'll be able to push the limits of his appetite. One day at a time.

Buy a container of flax seed.

https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Gold-Whole-Flaxseed-96-Ounce/dp/B004579W2Q

2 tbsp gets you 150 calories and 8g of fiber (the 5g of protein doesn't hurt). I add them to my shake every morning. I usually blend them with some oats before adding the rest of my ingredients. This size container has 97 servings for $16.

NOW foods unflavored whey protein isolate. Found here