HappyCarnivore

I bodybuild at an amateur level (competition weight 195 at 5'10" and ~4% bodyfat) and can tell you how to get big, but having muscle doesn't solve anything.

If you're looking to put muscle on just so nobody will pick on you or push you around, then you're looking to the wrong facet of yourself. The only thing that will keep people from pushing you around is a confident and self-determined attitude. If you don't like the way someone is treating you, then just flat out tell them that. Earning respect from people is a much more effective way of elevating your status than simply playing the intimidation card.

Even a smaller guy who has a very self-confident attitude can intimidate me quite a bit. And believe me, I'm a pretty big dude.

I'm not saying to stay away from the gym or building muscle. It's a great way to stay healthy, build self-confidence, and relieve stress. Just check your motivations. If you're doing it for any other reasons than your own personal enjoyment and enrichment, you're not going to stick around long.

Popular methods for a younger lifter would probably extend to using the basic compound motions with heavy weights. The big three are the Squat, the Bench Press, and the Deadlift. Train three days a week with each day having a focus on one of these lifts. Use as much weight as you can while completing 5 sets of 5 reps. Using the 5x5 method is an excellent way of building good strength and size on a young frame. Make sure you research proper form and get some help at the gym when practicing your form so that you can avoid injury. As you continue, involve some more basic movements like the barbell row, the chin-up, the pullover, and the stiff-legged deadlift.

Now you're not going to get any bigger without changing your diet either. Soda pop, candy bars, and lollipops aren't going to get you anywhere. Eat a lot of nutritious food. Eggs, beef, chicken, and tuna are great sources of protein which you should strive to eat at least three times a day (total, not each). With each meal make sure you get a good carbohydrate source as well. I recommend oats (the best), brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole grain breads, and beans. Combining carbs and protein at every meal is essential to growth.

Those are the basics and I could elaborate for pages beyond this. But go forth now and try the gym. It's the greatest place on earth and if you love being there and working hard, then perhaps being a muscle-giant is in your future. But if you're only there to prove a point or to avoid being picked on, then the iron is the slower path to confidence.

Oh, and don't go and train twice a day seven days a week. Train hard for one hour only, 3-5 days a week only, then get home, eat, and rest. You grow when you're resting. Not when you're at the gym.

Best of luck to you.