I am a 15-year-old trying to gain 20-30 pounds before next football season, what would you recommend I do?

Question

Height-5'11" Weight-175 lbs. Target Weight-195-205 lbs.
Duration-March-August

I want to get my forty down to a 5.0 it was currently at a 5.6

i work out 3-4 times a week for about an hour

i am a linebacker/d-lineman most likely playing varsity next year as a sophomore at a 3-A high school

Squat-255 Bench-185

Answer 1

protein diet and work out. dont take protein and lay around and eat alot though. you dont want to be a fat ***. working out alot is important. and who knows you're young you will probably grow quite a bit by football season anyways.

Answer 2

"Sanjin" hit it right on dude...
Eat plenty - but watch what you eat - and LIVE in the weight room... HARD! Always increase your weight by at least 5lbs, but NEVER go too heavy, that you can't perform the exercise to STRICT form! In the weight room, little buddy, it's all about form, discipline, consistency and SAFETY! Remember, if you get injured (and even semi-professionals like me still get injured in there), you can't work out - meaning NO gains...
So, my suggestion to you would be, find someone to help you FIRST (showing you how to lift weights PROPERLY), then worry about adding more weight to your lifts.
And don't EVER be embarrassed that you're not lifting as much as the other guys - we all had to start somewhere! LOL
So stick with the lighter weights FIRST, until you absolutely know what you're doing in there, and you can use proper form, THEN start implementing the heavier weights...

Also, just like most everyone in here has told you, stay away from all that soda and junk food (INCLUDING those so called "energy" drinks!). Because you're only 15, you don't want anything to inhibit your growth - muscles, bones, organs... Because all that stuff is garbage and poison to our bodies - especially bodies that are still growing... like yours!
Believe me pal, at 5'11" and 175, you're DEFINITLEY gonna grow some more - and you're already a monster for your age kiddo!
So don't worry, just take it easy, you have all spring and all summer to get a little bigger...
My sophomore year of high school football, I wasn't nearly your size! LOL
If I knew your position, I could have given you a few tips on some training. I was a linebacker, so I put a little more emphasis on squatting, and agility/plyometric training (at it's infancy for high school athletes when my coach had me doing that 12-15 years ago! LOL).
Quick note before I bore ya to death... If you're a defensive guy, SPEED, SPEED and MORE SPEED!!! And throw in some agility for good measure... LOL
D-line, LB's, DB's... it's all about how QUICK you can get there!

Anyway my young friend, best of luck to you this coming fall season. The weight room is gonna be your best friend - it's also gonna help you from injury during the season (during the season though, DO NOT hit the weights too hard. That can get you a quick ticket into the trainers room and rehab... Stick to a maintenance program instead...).
And HIT THE BOOKS just as hard!!!

Train hard... Play HARDER!!!

Answer 3

ok well here is what i wouldn't do, dont take any supplements or any of that crap, its not only healthy but its dangerous too if you dont know how to do it. what i did is just eat a balanced diet of protein food along with some fatties once in a while, chicken beef and fish are all excellent. stay off soda and fast food as much as you can and weight lift with cardio, if you have a hill use it and run up and down the hill, dont use weights while running they will mess up your form and hurt your time. concentrate on sprints and getting of the line as fast as possible that is where it counts on your 40. when lifting, make sure you have a good spotter and do 5-10 pounds over what you usually do and increase every time you lift, make sure you rotate your muscle group workout (ex:dont do arms 2 days in a row), when working out do more weight but less reps it will help you build mass and with mass comes weight. and above all other things rest if you dont have enough rest this is useless. carefull sometimes you will get a lot more beneficial results without gaining all that weight, so good luck and kick ***

its not the size of a dog in a fight, but its the size of the fight in the dog

Answer 4

Lift reverse pyramids. ie. for bench press 185 10 reps, 195 8 reps, 205 6 reps. if you complete that. Start 10 lbs heavier. Also take an extra day of rest in between. You want the extra time for you muscles to heal, thats where the size comes from overworking muscles does'nt help them grow. Add some extra protein to your diet, Don't forfeit your carbs you will need them for your cardio. Your and athlete not a body builder. For your speed try some plyometric training. Start by standing on the weight bench, jump to the ground and immediately jump as high as you can. Good Luck

Answer 5

1. Buy more weight. Find somewhere you can work out. 2. You need to gain good weight not fat weight. 3. Work out twice a day 4 time a week. that's 8 in all. 4. Get some great protein shakes to maximize your workout. . I gained over 15 pounds of muscle weight every year in HS.

Answer 6

ok.
gaining (muscular) weight is harder the younger you are. Being fifteen and trying to gain 30 pounds is basically adding fifteen percent of your body weight, which is tough to do in one off season. If you are serious about being a competitive athlete, augment whatever weight training exercise with a good plyometrics and agility program so that while you gain weight, you dont lose your athleticism. Your lower body is where you have the most potential for growth, so concentrate on upping your max to at least twice your body weightt. Make sure to stay CONSISTENT on your program. Keep increasing your weights and the strength gains will follow. Find a good program to follow and stay up on it. The rest is up to you. And please dont use creatine or other supplements. Proteins and amino acids work wonders.

Answer 7

Protein helps generate muscle tissue, while lifting builds muscle tone and bulk. When it comes to consuming protein think of foods like:

Eggs
Lean meat, fish, poultry
Peanut Butter
Nuts and Seeds
Whole grain breads and pastas
Cheese
Yogurt
Milk
Beans, Tofu, Lentils, and other Legumes

Use natural ways to get your protein, because obviously what supplement you might buy today may not be allowed by your high school athletic association. It's also much healthier to go with natural protein instead of synthetic because of the health risks that could develop later on. Most protein supplements haven't been out long enough for people to know what their effects from them may be.

When it comes to lifting athletes often faulter when they stick with the same program and don't increase their reps/weight. When you feel it's becoming too easy for you, you need to increase your weight. If not your body will adapt to the current weight. This is an example of a summer program at a NAIA College (similiar to Division III school, in the NAIA because of the school size): http://www.culver.edu/athletics/football/summer.asp

Just remember that because you're 15 years old you want to be very careful with the weight that you lift. You don't want to go overboard because lifting too much weight before the age of 17 can cause the growth plates (physis) in your bones to harden prematurely....in that case potentially stunting your growth. 1/3 of growth plate injuries occur to high school athletes, so just be aware of what you're doing. You still have time to grow and you'll bulk as you grow so don't push it too early.

Answer 8

Be careful with power lifting. At age 15 your bones are still developing. Eat things like potatoes, cornbread, beans, lots of protein...eggs and meats are your best bet. Do a lot of physical labor during the summer, weight training is great but good physical labor is good, too. I was 120 lbs when I was your age and I had to gain to make the team (I was too thin at 6' height) I did these simple things and gained 25 lbs by the first practice.

Answer 9

LEGS. Focus your lifting on your legs, that is where you will gain the most mass the quickest, and if your going to play lineman that is where you will need it. Eat large amounts of whey proteins and whole grain carbs. Make sure you eat something like a protein shake or bar within 1 hour of your workout. Also do chest exercises, those are the two that will help your position and weight the most. You need to increase your 40 so work on your agility. Most schools use Plyometrics for this and it is very effective. Just google it and you will get tons of workout plans.

Answer 10

I don't play football...but I pitch in baseball. I have been trying to gain weight over the past year and have been pretty successful. I don't know what your workout regimen is...so that is a factor. I work out 3-4 times per week and eat around 4,000 calories a day. Basically eat whenever you have time or think about it.

Answer 11

This may sound stupid, but Jack in the Box!! Worked for me. I ate Jack at least 4 nights a week(after dinner) and gained 25 pounds. Just don't stop working out or it's going to be the wrong kind of weight you want.