GAINING weight and maintaining endurance

[PTownTheProphet]

Hey guys. I’ve hunted all my life and my endurance/cardio is 100% my strong suit. The problem is, I am extremely thin. I’m 5’11 and weigh 135 on a good day. I’m young, so I may naturally fill out as I get older but I’m looking for someone who knows exactly what to do in order to build mass and strength but not lose my endurance in the process.

I know it comes down to ensuring I’m not in a caloric deficit and lifting weights or doing some strength training, but I’d like to talk to someone who knows their stuff and can actually build me some sort of plan.

TIA!


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[Braaap]

You should be able to add some weight without losing your endurance. Even if you gained 20 pounds you would be pretty thin. I would suggest tracking your macros with the Carbon diet coach. The app will give you suggested macros after you answer a bunch of questions, and then you weigh in every week and it adjusts if needed. You’re probably eating a lot less than you think. You will need to eat a good amount of protein but likely really increase your carb intake. Protein is very satiating so it can be difficult to eat a surplus while eating high protein. You will burn through carbs quickly and be ready to eat again sooner.

My other suggestion is to look into the vertical diet by Stan Efferding. Its an easy way to eat in a surplus I’ve found.

 

[Gseith]

I’m 5’11” and weighed 140 pounds 1.5 years ago . Now I’m 163 and I’ve been steady for 6 months. I’m not really trying to gain more weight, so I’m just trying to maintain. I feel great and stronger.
I added lots of powder protein and some powder carbs in the beginning, now it’s just creatine daily. I work out 4-5 days a week which includes cardio.
All my workouts I have some cardio mixed in to get my heart rate up. My endurance hasn’t changed.

 

[UncleBone]

Eat a pint of haggen daaz every night before bed. And just eat a ton of food in general. I was at 145 at 6'1 for years, started pounding food including a pint a night of IC, and got up 240. There was also a TON of beer involved in that. I got back down to 160-170 and feel very comfortable with that weight.

 

[PTownTheProphet]

Eat a pint of haggen daaz every night before bed. And just eat a ton of food in general. I was at 145 at 6'1 for years, started pounding food including a pint a night of IC, and got up 240. There was also a TON of beer involved in that. I got back down to 160-170 and feel very comfortable with that weight.

Haha love it. Ill have the wife snag a big tub


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[UncleBone]

Haha love it. Ill have the wife snag a big tub


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I suggest haggen daaz for sure. Most Ice cream has terrible ingredients in it these days with guar gum, carageenan, locust bean gum etc to thicken it. HD is still juat cream, sugar, and whatever fixins you like with it.

 

[PTownTheProphet]

I suggest haggen daaz for sure. Most Ice cream has terrible ingredients in it these days with guar gum, carageenan, locust bean gum etc to thicken it. HD is still juat cream, sugar, and whatever fixins you like with it.

Good call. Thank you!


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[atmat]

As others have said, you need to eat more and incorporate some resistance training.

It is near impossible to gain weight without compromising endurance to at least some degree (there’s a reason distance runners have thin physiques).

It’s tough to ramp up protein without getting full, so powders may help with that. Fats and carbs are easy enough to add to diets.

Please do not jump into a high sugar, high saturated fat diet just to put on weight.

 

[Marbles]

Super sets of calisthenics, or free weights. Some of it may just come with age.

Honest advice, ignore the scale and train for what you want to be capable of.

I was 145 pounds when I enlisted, could not break 160 for anything. I was pretty fit, eating 5-8000 calories a day, running, swimming, and going to the gym.

3 weeks at a specific school, lots and lots of running, swimming, and calisthenics along with some light weights, and I hit 180 and was asked if I was using steroids (I was not, some of it was probably just timing at 19). The hilarious thing is that a family friend, an older lady who would feed me on the weekends, though I looked too thin (in all fairness my face was lean, I was probably under 4% body fat). I would eat everything I could at chow, then an entire box of little Debbie's every night before bed.

Then the training intensity kicked up and I started losing weight. The next time I broke 180 was because I was getting fat.

 

[PTownTheProphet]

Thanks for all the thoughts and suggestions guys I appreciate it


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[Josh Gray]

If you can tolerate dairy, drink half to full gallon of milk per day with what you typically eat. Get on a strength program like starting strength, 3x5 reps and add 5# on squats every time you get in the gym and take long rests. Getting all out stronger will put muscle on your frame. Also if you’re super lean you’re gonna need to put on some fat if you want muscle. I’d recommend strength training 3x a week with 3 easy cardio sessions to maintain some endurance. Once you get close to an acceptable body weight/strength level drop down to 2 strength sessions per week and 4 days of endurance.

 

[MountainBoat]

There is a lot of great advice in here. I want to second what atmat said- don’t resort to dirty bulking unless you really need to put on weight fast. With that said, don’t be afraid to eat a lot. Eating enough calories could be your biggest challenge. Sticking to a diet high in fiber and whole, unprocessed foods is a safe and healthy rule of thumb. Smoothies with whey protein (vegan proteins are easier on the GI tract although more expensive) allow you to consume more calories than you would otherwise be able to. I have added around 20-25 lbs of muscle over the last 8 years. I feel very capable on strenuous hunts and seem to recover faster. Everyone seems to have a sweet spot for balancing cardio and strength and I think you’ll benefit greatly from finding yours.

Here is some scattered advice I would add:

Slowly ramp up both your food intake and lifting. It will take time to grow your appetite. With lifting, you will want to start with higher repetitions and slowly increase the weight while simultaneously decreases the number of reps. This is called “progressive overload” and you will find it explained better on YouTube.

Do a warm up, but start your exercise session with a compound lift- squats one day, deadlifts another, and bench press on another. These exercises will build strength more than anything else, with lots of carryover to core strength and hiking. They also boost muscle building hormones in your blood, which circulate for about 48 hours after lifting. Coincidentally, it takes about 48 hours for a muscle group to recover. If you can lift a muscle group every 2-3 days, you will capitalize on these effects.

I would recommend setting goals in 3-month blocks throughout the year. This keeps things fresh and can be tailored to your lifestyle. For example, I’m trying to build strength and muscle right now. Lots of food. My exercise involves lots of lifting with less cardio. Come late winter, I will transition back up to high rep lifting and incorporate more cardio. I will lose the fat that I put on and retain muscle. Then in the spring, I will transition into cardio (with minimal lifting to maintain muscle mass). My goal is to be in my best cardiovascular shape for hunting by late summer, at which point I mostly do cardio with some minimal lifting (squats and deadlifts).

Lastly, don’t forgo cardio altogether. Try to get at least 30 minutes per day of zone 2 intensity (The internet will also explain this better). This is good for your heart health and longevity.

Hope this helps, it’s great that you are taking your fitness to the next level.

 

[magnum]

The following perspective is offered from one skinny guy to another. NOT from a position of knowledge regarding nutrition.
I’ve been in your shoes. At age 23 when I could finally afford to prioritize food and gaining mass I was successful in increasing my body weight from 155 to 190. I stayed lean, cut, and maintained my endurance.

Workouts
I worked out 4-5 days per week. Workouts begin with 10 minutes (I aim to burn a minimum of 100 calories) on a bike with the resistance adjusted to keep my heart rate around 135. The remaining one hour of the workout is comprised of resistance training. A combination of Olympic lifts and muscle group specific lifts.

Diet
Like mentioned in previous posts, the key to gaining mass was diet. At the time of my mass gain, this is an example of my daily intake:

• Breakfast: 3 fried eggs on 1 slice of toast, 1 slice of cheese, and around 4 slices of deli ham.
• Lunch: Chicken breast, cottage cheese
• 1.5 hours before workout: shake (1 scoop chocolate optimum nutrition gold standard pro gainer, two spoons peanut butter, milk, two spoons plain Greek yogurt, and a few mixed berries)
• Immediately following workout: shake (1 scoop chocolate optimum nutrition gold standard 100% whey protein + milk in a blender bottle)
• Dinner: Chicken breast, rice, cottage cheese

I aimed to make protein the focus of every meal. Lots of chicken, wild game, and burger. If I needed to snack, I always made protein the focus of the snack. Ham, nuts, cheese, etc. Often times it was all I could do to finish my dinner. I was full to the gills.

On days where I didn’t workout, my intake would be exactly the same except for the post workout shake. I only had post workout shakes immediately following workouts.

Above all else, if this is something you want to do, you need to make it a priority in your life. You need to sacrifice time watching TV, wrenching on your hot rod, grabbing drinks with friends, or whatever other hobbies might occupy your time. You will be in the gym and preparing wholesome meals instead. Results will only be earned with commitment, diligence, and discipline.

Good luck on your fitness journey.

 

[madgrad02]

I've got 20-30 lbs you could take from me

 

[bluesulphur]

If you can tolerate dairy, drink half to full gallon of milk per day with what you typically eat. Get on a strength program like starting strength, 3x5 reps and add 5# on squats every time you get in the gym and take long rests. Getting all out stronger will put muscle on your frame. Also if you’re super lean you’re gonna need to put on some fat if you want muscle. I’d recommend strength training 3x a week with 3 easy cardio sessions to maintain some endurance. Once you get close to an acceptable body weight/strength level drop down to 2 strength sessions per week and 4 days of endurance.

Rippetoe is the way!

 

[BRTreedogs]

@V2Pnutrition

 

[V2Pnutrition]

@V2Pnutrition

Appreciate the tag, @BRTreedogs .

I’ve been following the thread and debating on whether to chime in. There’s already a ton of tips here, but OP seems to understand the gist of what everyone is saying: don’t be in a deficit and lift some weights. Sounds like what he was looking for was someone to talk to. My guess would be he’s tried all of the above and not gotten quite where he wanted and wanted a little more help. I’d be glad to help in that regard if that’s true @PTownTheProphet .

 

[PTownTheProphet]

Appreciate the tag, @BRTreedogs .

I’ve been following the thread and debating on whether to chime in. There’s already a ton of tips here, but OP seems to understand the gist of what everyone is saying: don’t be in a deficit and lift some weights. Sounds like what he was looking for was someone to talk to. My guess would be he’s tried all of the above and not gotten quite where he wanted and wanted a little more help. I’d be glad to help in that regard if that’s true @PTownTheProphet .

You already are! Haha. Talk to you Tuesday!


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[PTownTheProphet]

You guys are all killing it, appreciate all the detailed responses. A couple people recommended [mention]V2Pnutrition [/mention] and I’ve gotten in touch with him and gotten setup!


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[V2Pnutrition]

You already are! Haha. Talk to you Tuesday!


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Ahhh, this is making much more sense now! Thanks to the folks here who made the recommendation. Much appreciated!