I'm 17 and skinny with little muscle on me but have been lifting for two years at least what is wrong with me?

Question

i used to work out every day but then i heard of overtraining so then i did upper body one day and lower body the next with no rest days. Recently i did upper body one day lower body the next then a day off then back to uppuer body and so on and still no results. Now i started a new routine yesterday where i do upper body(chest, shoulders, biceps) then rest day then i do lower body, back and triceps(triceps,back,legs) then a day off. So now its workout-dayoff-workout(different body parts)-day off- then continue cycle again. That means im working out four days a week now, only two days of the same body parts a week, this is because i'm trying to see if my problem is overtraining and now i want to see if i gain more muscle with more rest. Sorry for all the writing but i really do care about this. Also i am around 5'10"-5'11" and only weigh 122lbs.(as of yesterday. Any suggestions? Or should i keep this new routine going? Thanks

Answer 1

K. I'll suggest a routine and diet.
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1st 8 weeks:

Every 5 days (Monday, Saturday, Thursday[in the morning], Tuesday, Sunday, Friday, Wednesday[in the morning], Monday, Saturday, Thursday, Tuesday):

Leg and Back muscle groups:

3x5 squats
1x5 leg ext
3x5 deads
1x5 leg curl
2x5 bent rows
1x5 shrugs
4x5 calf raises
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Every 4 days(Wednesday, Sunday, Thursday[n the afternoon], Monday, Friday, Tuesday, Saturday, Wednesday[in the afternoon], Sunday, Thursday, Monday, Friday, Tuesday):

Chest, Arms, Shoulders muscle groups:

2x5 Flat Bench
2x5 Incline Bench
2x5 tri ext
2x5 seated military press
3x5 bi curl
4x5 sit-ups/crunches

Rest: about 1.5-3 minutes. Don't go to complete failure, but make sure the intensity is high and the last set is a tough one.
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Next 8 weeks

Full Body Workout: Monday, Wednesday, Friday

1x10 Flat Bench
2x10 Incline Bench
3x10 Squats
3x10 Deadlifts
2x10 Bent Rows
2x10 Shoulder Press
2x10 Tri-ext
2x10 Bi Cur
2x10 Calf Raises
2x10 Sit Ups/Crunches

Rest about 1-2 minutes. Don't go all out like the previous 8 weeks. Keep it a medium-high intensity. For example, if you can do 13 reps on the last set, i would stop @ 10.

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I can't help you after that; you could start back with the first routine, and then do the second routine again, or do something else.
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Diet:

7AM: 1/2 cup oatmeal, 2 glasses milk, 2 eggs

10 AM: 1 Whole Wheat Bread Canned Chicken Sandwich, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 fruit and veggie serving.

12:30 PM: 1 cup whole wheat pasta, 6-10oz chicken breast
veggie serving.

2PM: Canned Chicken (30g protein)

3:30PM: 1 Potato, 2 glass milk

5:30PM: 1 Whole wheat bread (natrual) peanut butter sandwich, 4-6oz chicken breast

7:30PM: 1/2 cup wheat pasta, 1 canned chicken(30g protein)

8PM: 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 veggie serving

Just stick your pre and post workout meals in there whenever you workout. Its a good idea to time it so that you have a good carb and protein meal 2-3 hours before, and then right after your workout have 25g protein(whey) and 50g dextrose(i just use a gatorade or powerade mix.

I guestimated thats something like 22-2400cals....jeez...its seems like a lot more tho. Kinda went blank on food options too...lol...but try this out. I promise, once you get in a good diet, you will see amazing gains. If it's about 22-2400cals, try it out. If you start gaining a pound or 2 a week, keep it. if you don't up the cals, if you gain too much, lower it. Over time you'll need to up the cals, too.
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I know....seems like a strange routine huh. I've noticed great gains on a routine and diet program thats basically like this. (Gone up 80lbs on squat and 35lbs on bench since the beginning of the year. been lifting for 1.5 years) Hope i didn't forget anything. If you're wondering why theres so many rest days, i got it from this guy. http://www.drsquat.com/articles/trainingsplit.html
try something new, don't be afraid.

If you've got any questions...email me.

Some cool sites

www.bodybuilding.com
www.bodybuilding.com/forum
www.t-nation.com
www.drsquat.com

Answer 2

There are two things you can do with muscle workouts.

1. Tone muscle
2. Build muscle mass

Seems like the workouts you do are toning your muscles. This happens when you do a lot of repetitions, but do not lift much weight. If you want to get bigger muscles, then you have to lift more weight, but do less repetitions. You should also at the same time have a high protein diet. So try some protein shakes and lift heavier weights and I bet you'll start seeing a difference in 3-4 weeks. Good luck.

Answer 3

Some young people have high metabolism and do not gain weight, no matter what they do. I had the same problem you describe. In high school, as a senior, I was 5'11" and weighed 138 pounds. I took weight training in phys ed in college. I spent three years in the Army, doing all of the workouts required. Forty-five years after graduating from high school, I weigh about 35 pounds more. The good thing is I never had to go on a diet or cut back on eating.

Answer 4

your routine seems to be fine. Do you take any weight gainers or creatine? If not Muscle Juice by Ultimate Nutrition is a good product to pack on weight for muscle gain. It has 71 grams of protein per drink plus 194 grams of carbohydrates. total calories mixed with 2% milk equals 1300 calories. Take drink 30-45 minutes before workout and 1 hour after work out. You also take it on non training days aswell. This Muscle Juice will help you gain size and stack it with creatine and you will see results. I use to wiegh 120 lbs. I am now pushing 160lbs and I know I will meet my target of 180-190lbs using this product. Hope this helps and good luck

Answer 5

First off there is nothing wrong with you. You have a certain body type, and alot of teean age boys have the same problem. You may not be eating enough lean protiens, and burning to many calories. Working out is great but you need to keep your body well fueled. Try a protien powder, and make milk shakes, and add that to your lunchs, and dinners. This will give you the protien you need to build muscle. I would contact a gym, and talk to a trainer. They can give you advice and some products to try.

Answer 6

Try changing your diet..... if your not building muscles, it could be because you aren't eating the right kinds of food. You may have a very fast metablolism, and the foods that you are eating are getting used up too fast. You could actually be loosing muscle if your metabolism is overly active. It will cause your body to start using muscle as food. So I would seriously check with a Dr. or nutritionist and see what they have to say

Answer 7

You need to increase your calorie intake so you can build off something. Increase your protein and vegetables and throw some almonds or other type of nuts in there. Lay off the junk and fast food.

Also, your cardio can be eating up your results. I suggest maybe keeping to straight weight lifting for two months and see if you get better results. If you need to do cardio, do wind sprints. Nothing that lasts longer than 20mins.

Answer 8

Lift heavy- do pushups with a backpack full of weights and do pullups. Eat at least 35 grams of lean protein 4-5 times per day.

Answer 9

You might look to your diet to explain why you're not gaining muscle. You need plenty of protien in your diet for muscle building. Too, make sure you have some carbohydrate before working out. When you don't have enough carbs the body utilizes muscle tissue for the energy it needs, especially for demanding workouts.

Answer 10

May want to consider a change in your diet. Lots of protein, fruits and vegetables. I would definitely stay away from fast food and sugars. Calorie intake should be relatively high with consistent workouts, too.