I'm in need for a low-budget exercise routine to build up some muscle. As it stands I have trouble gaining weight (though I do put on sometimes) - Currently I weight 10.5 stone (67KG) and stand at about 187cm tall. That's pretty skinny, and I guess I have small bones too which doesn't help my overall lanky appearance. I need the cheapest options only please...
My current routine includes walking about five to six times per week for 30 minutes, that's on top of any other normal activities during the day. I also work out about 4-5 times per week, but I'm trying to do it everyday. I do a small workout consisting of stretching, warmup exercises, box-pressups (I can't do a full pressup...help!), wall-presses (learning towards the wall like a standing pressup), standard tricep dips using a bench and occaisonally I do squats, front-lunges and supported dorsal-raises. I usually spend about 30-40 minutes in this routine, counting to 50 repetitions for each exercise before moving onto the next. I find the greatest strain on my arms most of the time, so sometimes have to pause for a second.
I have noticed some improvements in my arm muscles, but ... It's the chest and stomach I'm really bothered about. My chest is really boney and you can visibily see the bone outlines. My stomach is relatively flat, but it's soft and flabby and hangs down a few CM when doing the pressups. This tells me it's totally unfit.
What can I do to improve my situation? I have considered joining the gym and going once per week, but I'm trying to save money for travelling at the moment. I've also heard swimming can be good.. ? But I haven't done that for years.
My diet is pretty full and I'm eating lots each day, with average sized meals and lots of snacking. Any dieting tips or things to avoid doing that can help my weight gain?
Hi there, i am no expert but in my opinion if your particuarly skinny you need to eat more. Get more calories but through good quality food not food high in fat. Make sure your diet has a good amount of protein and concentrate on routines with weights. You can get a good set of weights fairly cheap. Try 30 mins of weights using all muscle groups 3 times a week. Use a weight heavy enough so that you can only do 8 to 12 reps. and do 3 sets of each excersise. If you dont see results straight away dont worry. weigh yourself once a month rather than every week. Try eat more than you do now but try to stick to healthy food and get some good quality protein such as skimmed milk,yoghurt,egg whites,low fat cheese,nuts,fish and lean meats every day. You can even buy protein supplements to snack on. Let me know how your doing. Good luck.
Your BMI 19.5 which is in the "normal" range (18.5-24.5 is normal). You are at the low end and I know that guys can be self conscious about being skinny. I think the best thing for you would be a healthy diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and low fat dairy products. Also, fiber and adequate hydration are important. You may also want to consider taking a vitamin supplement or adding a protein shake like SlimFast each day in addition to your regular meals. Also, I did want to mention that walking several miles per day is actually a good way to burn fat, which in turn will make you need even more calories. Lifting weights and doing pull-ups and pushups are the cheapest options I can think of to increase upper body strength and muscle mass. Good luck!
I can't do pushups though, I can't really do one! My arms can't seem to support me. I can do box-press ups though. What kind of exercise should I aiming for so I can do regular pressups? I also wanted to do crunches, but - I dislike anything which if done wrong, can damage the neck.
Btw I do have a healthy diet, some fruits or vegetable every day, usually some meat, some unhealthy snacks but also plenty of healthy food. Someone once told me that if you drink fruit juices (I only drink natural ones) directly after eating, it can hamper weight gain. Is this true ?
push ups and squats along with a high protein diet would probably be your best bet for gaining weight on a budget. not doing push ups because you're not able to isn't a really good excuse. do whatever amount you can however you can, even if that means using your knees instead of your feet. if you dont have weights then just do standing squats until your legs are tired. those two exercises will work your larger muscle groups and help you bulk up faster that anything. Good Luck!
I am by no means an expert but I noticed that you walk a few times a week to exercise. I would suggest another type of cardio, definitely swimming, because when you walk your blood pressure and pulse are fairly low which means you're working your body in a way that induces weight loss. Where as, if you do exercises that cause your heart rate to rise even higher, you're giving yourself a cardio workout. I don't know if I explained this very well but if you look at an exercise machine, low heart rate equates to "weight loss" and high heart rate equals "cardio workout".
I think swimming would be a really great way to get a cardio workout and build muscle at the same time. Also, eat/drink as much protein as possible (egg whites, protein shakes, etc).
So how many pushups should I be looking to do each day (amount and/or minutes)? I usually like to mixup my dailly exercise a bit. Also I'm trying to work on my abdominal muscles, but I don't want to do crunches - Will tricep dip bench presses or dorsal raises (similar to pushups) help? Also exactly how useful is doing that breathing exercise which involves holding the stomach tight for a few seconds?
Swimming... I want to do it, I used to enjoy it.. But I feel a bit embarrassed by my skinny (particulary chest) appearance.
Take muscle gainer if you want to gain some wieght. Its like 39 bucks at gnc for 6lbs....which is roughly a months dose. Add that to your work out cycle and it will help.
If you want to get the most out of cardio work outs then it's best to mix things up. Jogging will give you pretty much the same results as walking. Your best bet is sprinting and running up and down hills.
Every the morning I do one set until fatigued (until i cant lift myself up anymore). Every other evening I do 3 sets until fatigued as part of my every other day work out routine. (which isn't all that impressive but it's better than nothing :P)
I have considered joining the gym and going once per week, but I'm trying to save money for travelling at the moment. I've also heard swimming can be good.. ? But I haven't done that for years.
My arms can't seem to support me. I can do box-press ups though. What kind of exercise should I aiming for so I can do regular pressups? I also wanted to do crunches, but - I dislike anything which if done wrong, can damage the neck.
