- Sat Apr 28, 2012 6:04 pm
#30646
As a female fitness instructor who has overly large triceps and biceps (for a woman) I get a lot of young guys asking me how to put on muscle. They see that I'm able to lift and drag something that weighs 200lbs and are impressed. The fact is, I don't lift weights at the gym because I don't want to look like a bodybuilder--I've got some hormonal issues that cause young men to think I'm lucky and me to think I'm cursed.
I do, however, have some important advice for young men who think they look scrawny and want to do something about it.
1. Be realistic. A lot of male teenagers have growth spurts where they shoot up inches (sometimes 6 inches or more) in a year. Do you have any idea how many calories are required for your body to grow that much? It probably doesn't have a lot left over to make muscle. Most men start to put on muscle in their 20s, not when they are 14 or 16, so don't stress if you don't look like Mr. Universe.
2. If you want muscles, you've got to stop heading to McDonald's for lunch. Just because you can stuff your face with junk all day long and not get fat (for now) doesn't mean you're healthy. Your body needs healthy protein, and a ton of it, to make muscle, and you've got to limit junk, like sugar/salt/refined carbs/unhealthy fat to keep your body from making fat, instead. Ask your mom to make you vegetables, and eat them. Then eat more. Start eating lean red meat, chicken, and fish. Make your lunch instead of hitting the food court (really, no one should ever, ever eat that stuff).
3. Be careful. If you're not eating enough to sustain growing up and out, but you work out like a pro bodybuilder anyway, you might gain muscle but sacrifice height. Do you want to stunt your growth? Probably not. So take it a little easy on the work out side and be content with being more muscular than your peers. Once you reach your adult height and stop growing, up the workouts to put on serious muscle.
Good luck!
I do, however, have some important advice for young men who think they look scrawny and want to do something about it.
1. Be realistic. A lot of male teenagers have growth spurts where they shoot up inches (sometimes 6 inches or more) in a year. Do you have any idea how many calories are required for your body to grow that much? It probably doesn't have a lot left over to make muscle. Most men start to put on muscle in their 20s, not when they are 14 or 16, so don't stress if you don't look like Mr. Universe.
2. If you want muscles, you've got to stop heading to McDonald's for lunch. Just because you can stuff your face with junk all day long and not get fat (for now) doesn't mean you're healthy. Your body needs healthy protein, and a ton of it, to make muscle, and you've got to limit junk, like sugar/salt/refined carbs/unhealthy fat to keep your body from making fat, instead. Ask your mom to make you vegetables, and eat them. Then eat more. Start eating lean red meat, chicken, and fish. Make your lunch instead of hitting the food court (really, no one should ever, ever eat that stuff).
3. Be careful. If you're not eating enough to sustain growing up and out, but you work out like a pro bodybuilder anyway, you might gain muscle but sacrifice height. Do you want to stunt your growth? Probably not. So take it a little easy on the work out side and be content with being more muscular than your peers. Once you reach your adult height and stop growing, up the workouts to put on serious muscle.
Good luck!
