uglymonkey

This probably sounds like an unbelievably stupid question, but I'd like to know of some good resources to begin to look the way I would like to.

I'm 5'10, 135lbs., the stereotypical ectomorphic body type. I exercise regularly, but mostly just simple things -- chinups, pushups, situps, treadmill, etc. I'm not in bad shape, I'm not overweight, I just don't have the muscle definition that I would like. I like my skinniness, I would just like to have a more defined form.

What would I have to do to achieve this? And if anyone could please point me in the right direction, in the form of advice, books, websites, or anything else, I would be much gratified.

Thanks in advance.

Cowman

At 135, it sounds like you don't have the muscle, not that you're overweight. So, eating a lot and hitting the gym would be the best way for you to go.

go to www.bodybuilding.com
they have a ton of articles
the TEEN section might be very helpful to u as you're an ectomorph

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dman2

http://www.freetrainers.com/
Try this site. You have to sign up, which is easy because it is free. They can give you advice on nutrition,working out,etc... I like the fact that they allow you to input you age/sex/weight/height/# of days you want to work out and they will do the rest.

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Ilow

short answer--eat. eat a lot in a balanced nutrition program, 3,000 calories a day of healthy food should do it. It's actually a crapload of food and you might have to almost force yourself to eat at times to get the amount of nutrition you need, but until you get ahead of what your body is burning, then there is nothing left to build the muscle with. Anyone can eat a lot of unhealthy calories, but the lean meats and low glycemic carbs are what you're after, plus don't forget the oils. as was already mentioned bodybuilding.com does have a lot of good info.

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TheTikiGod

Getting to be where you want to be is something that requires you to do one thing, devote yourself to it. I started as a 250 lb "lil-fat kid" in middle school and now am getting my certification to be a personal trainer through the ISSA for you, the best advice I can give you is to pick up the weights. An excellent book that takes you from beginner to wherever you want to go is Arnold Schwarzeneggers "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" go pick it up at the library it gives you all kinds of suggestions for diet, routines, and how to do each exercise. And for a lil extra support, contatct me I'll try to help if you (or anyone) has any questions.

zenmaster10665

check out johnstonefitness.com....it really helped me lose about 15-20 lbs

great resource for all things fitness, and a good community of peeps.

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Catmandu

I was 6'3" and 185. I couldn't put on muscle so I gave up. Instead of gaining weight, I lost weight and became a faily competent runner and triathlete. I guess what I'm saying is that there are options if you don't have the right body type.

Cowman

Catmandu: That being said, you gave up. Everyone can gain muscle, it can just be A LOT harder for some people then others.

Keep in mind that with the pro body builders (IE ahhnold), they're mostly juiced up on roids and thus can lift a lot more frequently then the regular joe. While they'll spend hours a day lifting, its best for most of us to keep our workouts to under an hour and only be working each muscle once a week.

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MiSo

dont even worry about eating. the weight gain will come naturally. just concentrate on hitting the gym.

only when you get really serious will you have to start looking at how you eat.
but if you just want to tone up... get to the gym.

Cowman

no.

disregard that post pleasssse

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hokiesandwich

Hard work.
Find a sport you like, and supplement it with activities you dislike...for me, that's doing squats, or time runs. Ugh, I suck at running, but I can pack on muscle like it's my JOB.

And take the time to look through a Sports Illustrated, and realize that there are so many world-class atheletes out there who don't have the Adonis body-type, but they're good at what they do.

I recommend that you pick up a book like this:

Frances Sienkiewicz Sizer, Eleanor Noss Whitney
Nutrition - Concepts and Controversies (with CD-ROM, Dietary Reference Intakes Supplement, and InfoTrac)

http://www.wadsworth.com/cgi-wadswor...ssn=0534090524


Above is the book's website.

Once you buy this text, it's a good start for understanding basic nutrition. It does go over the benefits of exercise in a general sense, but is invaluable for the DIET ANALYSIS software.
If you are really serious about nutrition, (as you must be) then you can use the diet analysis software to get HARD DATA on your daily diet, and how it matches with your Recommended Dietary Intakes, the food guide pyramid (which is currently being totally changed by the FDA) and overall calorie needs. If you read the book, you'll learn that you may need more or less (generally more for young, active males) calories than 2,000 per day.

You need a plan, and a methodology, and more than anything, a way to get support. find some friends, find a nutritionist or a personal trainer to meet with every couple of months, to monitor progress. Numbers can be your best friend, in your situation.

Good luck, and stay motivated!

ronan

eat lots of pies.

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