Copyright 2006 Marc David
When I was 16, I asked myself this very same question that Ireceived from a frustrated 16 year old. It went something likethis...
"A Little Help Please! I am 16 and I am VERY skinny! I don'thave much fat on me so... you could almost see my bones if I amnot wearing anything baggy. I only weight 105 lbs and I know Iam tooth pick mainly because I don't eat too much." - Frustratedand Skinny
You have NO IDEA of how close that cry for help sounds like me.When I was 16, I took a picture of myself in front of the familyChristmas tree. Somehow I convinced my sister to take thepicture and I flexed with all my might.
For those who are curious to see what I really did look like,the picture is at:
http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com
Scroll down. You'll see it. It's 100% un-edited. I didn't evenremove the glow in the dark plastic eagle necklace I foundsomewhere.
Anyway, your question was the same thing I wondered myself. Iwas 16 and tired of being skinny. I thought I did everything Icould to gain weight but I was wrong. And I'm going to give you7 simple steps you can do today to get on the right track tohealthy weight gain and make that cry for help, a shout for joy!
If I could get into a time machine I would go back and handmyself a small brochure called:
7 Simple Steps To Beginning Bodybuilding
This would be written by me for me. But I'm positive the nextfew steps will apply to you as well and any other 16 year oldsout there who are frustrated but are in a position to waste alot of time if they start down the wrong path.
Please don't be confused... these simple steps are for anybody,no matter what age, male or female, who might be looking tostart off on the right foot and not waste a lot of time.
Okay, so what can you do? Let's go step by step and figure thisout.
Pre-Requisite - Body building isn't just about getting massive.It's not just for men. The word should actually be two words allthe time so there's no confusion. You are building your body.That can mean anything to anybody. So the first step is...
1. Pick A Goal
No matter what, if you don't have a short term and long termgoal in mind, you'll just wander around, like a zombie with yourarms out, going to anything in sight. And 5 years later, you'llwonder what the heck happened!
Having a clear goal is the ONLY way to start. If you want togain, maintain or lose, that is a goal. Know what you wantbefore you start.
You'd be floored to find out just how many people are frustratedwith their results but when asked exactly what they are tryingto do, they have no idea.
2. Figure Out How Many Calories A Day You Need
In your case, you say you are skinny and tooth-pick like. But inthe next sentence you state you know you don't eat.
[Snap Rubber Band On Wrist Here For Behavior Modification]
When I was 16, I didn't eat either, I skipped many meals(especially on weekends) and I tried all kinds of proteinpowders and supplements when I was clearly failing at nutrition.
My mom would cook big meals and I'd barely finish my platebefore running off to do something. All the while wishing I wasbigger and not so skinny.
There's so many simple ways to calculate your calories. Thatshould be your very next step. Once you know what you want todo, you need to know your nutritional intakes in order to obtainthat goal. It's not going to be hard at all but if you don'tknow, you cannot possibly get anywhere.
In other words, if you don't know how many calories a day youneed for a certain goal, then don't expect anything different.
3. Figure Out How Much Protein You Need A Day
It's the building blocks of muscle and it's also the only wayyou are going to build more muscle or keep the muscle youalready have today.
Even for burning fat, it's proven that getting enough proteinwill actually make you leaner.
Again, there's very simple formulas for this that do not requirea degree from MIT to perform. And once you know how much proteinyou need every day, it's really easy in Step 4 to find out ifyou are getting what you need.
These steps will be continued in part 2
About the author:Marc David is giving away free memberships to his Teach MeBodybuilding 'private list'. To get your own subscription, visithttp://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com while chartersubscriptions last.
