Hi

[kapo]

Hi all

I have recently started the 5X5 program (started week 3 today). My training partner and I had been doing the usual 3x8 machine assisted crap that every beginner apparently has to go through. By luck we stumbled upon some of Rippetoe's writing (starting strength) and that lead me to this place, which seems to follow the same ideas as outlined by Rippetoe.

I am probably not the average participant on the forum - I am pretty old (32). I am average to skinny build. I weigh somewhere between 76 and 78 kg and I am 183 cm tall. I haven't much experience with weight training, but I am in pretty good shape.

I have two questions. Given the 76kg/183cm should I start the "How to Gain Weight for Skinny Guys" - I wouldn't want to get fat, but my goal is to gain 10 kg in muscle so eating more is necessary. Which shouldn't be difficult - Am I the only one who has experienced an explosion in appetite? I am pretty much hungry all the time, since I started the 5X5 program.

Anyway, nice to meet all of you. I look forward to sharing my progress with you and following yours. If anyone has a profile like me (old,average build) and has logged his/her progress I would very much like to know.

Regards
Karsten

[Lex]

Stop calling 32 "old", or I'll beat you with my cane and run you over with my walker. Some of us here are past 50, thank you, and doing just fine. (shakes fist)

If you want to gain, you have to eat. No one ever gained without eating more. If you follow the StrongLifts program and eat sufficient amounts of healthy food, you will gain more muscle than fat. You're hungry because this program speeds up your metabolism--doing seventy-five squats a week alone would do that, not to mention the other exercises in the program! I have just started the "Burn the fat, feed the muscle program", which despite the name, can also be used for gaining weight too. Others here are fans of the anabolic diet. I Googled anabolic diet this morning to learn more about it, and the top entry in Google's list was here at StrongLifts.com. Bottom line is any healthy diet will work as long as you take in all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals that your body requires. I think people get too hung up on finding the "perfect" diet. Humans have evolved over the eons as omnivores, so we can pretty much eat anything and derive nutrition from it. Cut out the factory processed refined "food" garbage and eat lots (both in volume and variety) of meat, vegetables, and fruits and you'll get big and strong.

[leenwebb]

Stop calling 32 "old", or I'll beat you with my cane and run you over with my walker. Some of us here are past 50, thank you, and doing just fine. (shakes fist)

Ha! Where's the part where you tell all those whippersnappers to get off your lawn?

[TakeFive]

I am pretty old (32). ...my goal is to gain 10 kg in muscle so eating more is necessary. Which shouldn't be difficult - Am I the only one who has experienced an explosion in appetite? I am pretty much hungry all the time, since I started the 5X5 program.

Regards
Karsten

32? Why yer just a pup! And what do pups need to grow?

MILK!

Seriously. In Starting strength Rippetoe recommends drinking a gallon of whole milk a day to add weight. It's readily available, relatively cheap (about the cost of 1 cup of Starbucks), and easy to get down.

And being hungry all the time? Yup. Throw away your Tupperware because your problem with leftovers is solved.

Welcome aboard.

[kapo]

OK, let me start by apologising for the age comment. No offence was intended. It is nice to know, that I have time to improve:)

4 litres of milk per day sounds like a lot, but I will give it a try. Do you do any exercise in addition to the 5X5 program, when you drink that much? I suspect that milk in that amount, will make your bodyfat-% go up. Or do you just deal with that later. Right now, my bodyfat-% is somewhere between 13 and 14. I could, probably deal with some additional percent.

Regards
Karsten

[bluestreak]

Welcome to SL. No worries about the age comment - I'm sure no one was taking it seriously

4 litres of milk is a lot but so is a 100 kg squat when you first think about it. Both are completely do-able, if you work at it.

I'm 29 and started working out only this year. To answer your question, eat lots, drink all your milk and just do the 5x5 at the gym. Yes, milk will make your body fat go up but it will go down once you're off it. I personally never had a need do HIIT, cardio, etc.

Check this post for my experience.

I no longer drink 4 litres of milk a day but I regularly consume 1-2 litres of full-fat milk, in addition to lots of other food, and I'm a lower body fat then you! Check out this page in my log for my latest body weight to fat graph.