# Working out and building strenght in a natural way



## Origins (Apr 19, 2009)

Hello guys,
I´d like to get some weight and build more muscles because I´m really too fine in my opinion (145 pounds for 6,14 feet), due to my ectomorph body type. I have already good muscles but not really any flesh under to look like a healthy young guy.
I was wondering if any of you have been working out, using only natural products (by that I mean "not taking any powder of any kind") and reasonable amount of exercise (my point is not to look like John Petrucci nowadays ).
I´m really searching for an effective training while staying healthy.
Thanks for your help!


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## MFB (Apr 19, 2009)

This is from another forum I go to but its essentially what you're looking for (getting fit without supplements) 

So You Want To Look Better Naked -- 2019 Edition - Saving Progress

To sum it up :

Eat 4 (minimum) - 6 (desired) small/medium meals a day
Design a work out routine that works for you
Plan one "Cheat meal day" a week

There's a bunch of other stuff but its in that link. I did that same thing for like 3 and a half weeks and I'm not only stronger but I'm back into L versus XL shirts


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## Origins (Apr 19, 2009)

MFB said:


> This is from another forum I go to but its essentially what you're looking for (getting fit without supplements)
> 
> So You Want To Look Better Naked -- 2019 Edition - Saving Progress
> 
> ...



Thanks for the link! 
What do you mean by "cheat meal day" ?


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## Breakdown (Apr 19, 2009)

Origins said:


> Thanks for the link!
> What do you mean by "cheat meal day" ?


it means you eat healthy for 6/7 days then say on saturday you eat some chips or other junk food of your choice but not in excess (althought 3/4, 4/5 or 5/6 of your meals still have to be completely healthy)
at least thats what I think it means


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## budda (Apr 19, 2009)

I don't take anything, I just hit the gym and do my best to eat healthy.

I've lost over 60lbs in 12 months, 40 of those lbs give or take since september to now.

Are you saying you're looking to bulk up? There's nothing wrong with taking whey powder to get some extra protein to build up your muslces . The first place I'd start is what you're eating.


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## MFB (Apr 20, 2009)

Origins said:


> Thanks for the link!
> What do you mean by "cheat meal day" ?



Its literally like it sounds. You can have one kind of 'get out of nutrition free' meal. I usually use mine on Saturdays after work when I'm tired (7am - 4pm after working the day before from 4-10:30pm) so I hit up BK or something but still get some protein from chicken ("best" would be grilled chicken sandwich without mayo) but still get taste and what have you


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## Origins (Apr 20, 2009)

MFB said:


> Its literally like it sounds. You can have one kind of 'get out of nutrition free' meal. I usually use mine on Saturdays after work when I'm tired (7am - 4pm after working the day before from 4-10:30pm) so I hit up BK or something but still get some protein from chicken ("best" would be grilled chicken sandwich without mayo) but still get taste and what have you



Ok!
Otherwise, what food do you usually buy?
&#180;cause the info on the website you gave me are quite incomplete about what is "allowed" and what is not.
So far I bought celery, tuna, musly, chicken without skin, broccoli, eggs, peas, full rice, white bread, bananas and milk


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## Anton (Apr 21, 2009)

Well If you dont want to take any supplements.
Than you'll have to eat a lot!!

If you want I can build you a training program and a nutrition program. just post you stats and how many times you can train weekly(in a gym ofcourse) and what's your favorite foods.

I'm 6'1 and when i started training 3 years ago I was 60kgs(which is like 130 pounds) now I'm 210 pounds and almot in the same BF.


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## Uber Mega (Apr 21, 2009)

Is there a reason you don't want to take powder supplements? Whey and carb boosts are invaluable if you're planning on getting serious with weight and muscle gain, they're healthy too.


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## Origins (Apr 21, 2009)

Anton said:


> Well If you dont want to take any supplements.
> Than you'll have to eat a lot!!
> 
> If you want I can build you a training program and a nutrition program. just post you stats and how many times you can train weekly(in a gym ofcourse) and what's your favorite foods.
> ...



Problem is that I cannot go to the gym, ´cause there is not such thing in here 
But I know I can do exercises without to need any equipment.



Uber Mega said:


> Is there a reason you don't want to take powder supplements? Whey and carb boosts are invaluable if you're planning on getting serious with weight and muscle gain, they're healthy too.



I don´t want to take such things because it´s just not natural.
I want only to eat the kind of food that I eat usually, only to change my eating schedules and the composition of my meal.


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## Labrie (Apr 21, 2009)

What do you mean by natural? There's nothing unnatural about whey protein other than the fact you don't see it growing on tree's. Unless you're completely natural yourself and go out and kill an animal every time you want to eat, I don't see why you'd be against them. Remember that protein supplements aren't the same as steroids and other "unnatural" things that pro bodybuilders would use.

Not to sound like a hater but I don't see you making any significant gains without a proper gym and without proper nutrition. I've been in the same boat as you before so I speak from experience. You need to be eating thousands of calories and taking in at least 100 grams of protein per day as well as getting all your other normal requirements. Ideally for muscle gains I'd say eat 1-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. Have fun affording that with regular groceries.

The other big factor is you have to be mentally prepared to do it. It'll take awhile before you start to notice any significant gains but as soon as you stop you'll lose it twice as fast as you gained it. I found it to be a constant uphill battle. I was going to the gym five days a week, eating an average of 3000 calories a day and massive amounts of protein. It took me roughly 2 years or so of off and on training to gain 25lbs of muscle.

I guess everything depends on what type of gains you're looking to make and I could be making it seem a lot harder than it will be for you. Jason or B Lopez might be able to offer some good advice to you. Again I am only letting you know my experience. Good luck, you're going to need it!


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## Origins (Apr 21, 2009)

Labrie said:


> What do you mean by natural? There's nothing unnatural about whey protein other than the fact you don't see it growing on tree's. Unless you're completely natural yourself and go out and kill an animal every time you want to eat, I don't see why you'd be against them. Remember that protein supplements aren't the same as steroids and other "unnatural" things that pro bodybuilders would use.
> 
> Not to sound like a hater but I don't see you making any significant gains without a proper gym and without proper nutrition. I've been in the same boat as you before so I speak from experience. You need to be eating thousands of calories and taking in at least 100 grams of protein per day as well as getting all your other normal requirements. Ideally for muscle gains I'd say eat 1-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day. Have fun affording that with regular groceries.
> 
> ...



Thank you for the advice!
Well, my goal is to get from 147 to about 165 pounds.
I don´t plan to get too much muscles and weight, because I know that then I will have to keep eating and doing sport in the same way in order to not loose it. Anyway like I said before, my goal is more to get flesh under my muscles than muscle itself.
I´m not really convinced by those protein supplements 
For now I´m trying a new eating schedule, meaning eating 4 to 5 times a day, trying to get the right amount of calories and proteins.


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## MFB (Apr 21, 2009)

Best foods to eat :

Skinless chicken
Lean meats
Veggies
Fruits
Rice(s) - make sure they're whole grain
Bread (not loads, maybe like once a day)

You said you have no gym right? A friend of mine is using this and said its working pretty well, try it out :

The No-Gym No-Excuses Workout - Page 1 - MSN Health & Fitness - Men's Fitness


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## Origins (Apr 21, 2009)

MFB said:


> Best foods to eat :
> 
> Skinless chicken
> Lean meats
> ...



Thanks again for everything!
It&#180;s my second day with 5 meals and daily exercises, and my body handles it pretty good I think 
I thought I was going to start to hate food


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## Anton (Apr 21, 2009)

Dude you live in Finland, you want to tell me there is not gyms in you area?! that sounds kinda weird, Magnus ver Magnusson came from finland and he defiantly worked out in a gym  .

Anyway if there is really now gyms in your area i can build you a program that you wouldn't need to go to a gym...but the results obviously wont be the same.


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## budda (Apr 21, 2009)

buy egg whites, not eggs. also, buy whole wheat bread/multi-grain, not white bread.

don't eat lots of bread, eat more fruits and veggies, red meat, chicken and fish, whole wheat, exercise - you'll be golden.


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## Jason (Apr 21, 2009)

budda said:


> buy egg whites, not eggs. also, buy whole wheat bread/multi-grain, not white bread.
> 
> don't eat lots of bread, eat more fruits and veggies, red meat, chicken and fish, whole wheat, exercise - you'll be golden.



He is trying too gain nothing wrong with whole eggs 


Also Whey protein is derived from milk. Whey and casein are the proteins found in milk. Creatine is another "powder" it is found in meats just much lower.. etc.. I could go on and on.

There is nothing wrong with basic supps.


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## Jason (Apr 21, 2009)

Origins said:


> Thank you for the advice!
> Well, my goal is to get from 147 to about 165 pounds.
> I don´t plan to get too much muscles and weight, because I know that then I will have to keep eating and doing sport in the same way in order to not loose it. Anyway like I said before, my goal is more to get flesh under my muscles than muscle itself.
> I´m not really convinced by those protein supplements
> For now I´m trying a new eating schedule, meaning eating 4 to 5 times a day, trying to get the right amount of calories and proteins.



What your saying doesnt quite make sense.

How do you plan to go up 20lbs but not gain muscle or weight?


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## Tiger (Apr 21, 2009)

Im not sure he realizes that he wants muscle, cause whatever the 'flesh under muscles' is I'm not sure you can gain.

But to be fair, you dont need a gym to gain muscle. I went from 142 to my current 160 on 90&#37; body weight exercises and cardio. No machines except a pullup bar required. And I didnt start using supps till like 2 months ago.


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## Labrie (Apr 21, 2009)

Tiger said:


> Im not sure he realizes that he wants muscle, cause whatever the 'flesh under muscles' is I'm not sure you can gain.
> 
> But to be fair, you dont need a gym to gain muscle. I went from 142 to my current 160 on 90% body weight exercises and cardio. No machines except a pullup bar required. And I didnt start using supps till like 2 months ago.



True, a gym isn't needed...but look at your daily regime. I can tell just from your SEAL thread that you're much more disciplined with your diet and workout than the average person. Having access to a gym would definitely be in this guys favour imo.


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## Origins (Apr 21, 2009)

Jason said:


> What your saying doesnt quite make sense.
> 
> How do you plan to go up 20lbs but not gain muscle or weight?



I WANT to gain weight
Muscles is not my priority, ´cause I do sport already.


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## Labrie (Apr 22, 2009)

Well what do you want to gain? fat? I'm not sure if you really know what you're getting into.

A large portion of your body mass is made up by muscle and fat (the rest being water and other tissues that you don't really have control over in terms of adding mass). So your options for gaining weight are either eat healthy and work out and gain muscle, or just eat a lot and get fat. Unless you can drink and hold in a massive amount of water, or find a way to make your bones more dense, I don't know of any other way.


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## Origins (Apr 22, 2009)

Labrie said:


> Well what do you want to gain? fat? I'm not sure if you really know what you're getting into.
> 
> A large portion of your body mass is made up by muscle and fat (the rest being water and other tissues that you don't really have control over in terms of adding mass). So your options for gaining weight are either eat healthy and work out and gain muscle, or just eat a lot and get fat. Unless you can drink and hold in a massive amount of water, or find a way to make your bones more dense, I don't know of any other way.



I have tried to gain some weight by just eating a lot, but the problem is that my body doesn´t assimilate what I eat, so it´s just a waste of time.
What I need is an effective way to get some weight. If it means getting it in muscles, then muscles. But contrary to what you might think, my point is not to end up 5 days a week to the gym in order to get bigger muscles and become a bear. I just want to get a bit of weight and stabilize it then. That´s what I´m trying to say.


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## Labrie (Apr 22, 2009)

Origins said:


> I have tried to gain some weight by just eating a lot, but the problem is that my body doesn´t assimilate what I eat, so it´s just a waste of time.
> What I need is an effective way to get some weight. If it means getting it in muscles, then muscles. But contrary to what you might think, my point is not to end up 5 days a week to the gym in order to get bigger muscles and become a bear. I just want to get a bit of weight and stabilize it then. That´s what I´m trying to say.



I'm not sure what else to tell you then. I wasn't giving you tips on how to become a bear, I was trying get my point across that gaining weight with your body type is not an easy thing to do. When it comes down to it, gaining weight is simple math. You have to take in more calories then you use and as you add weight, your calorie intake must also increase to keep that weight you've gained. There are healthy and unhealthy ways to do this like I have already explained. Supplements like weight gainers and protein isolates would be very beneficial in achieving your goal but you're against them. This leaves you with the only option of eating, eating and eating some more. You say you tried eating lots before and it didn't work. I'm going to make a guess that you either didn't eat enough or eat right or simply didn't see any gains in a short amount of time so you figured it wasn't worth it.

There is no magic pill, no easy way about it. It takes hard work and determination.


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## Jason (Apr 26, 2009)

Origins said:


> I have tried to gain some weight by just eating a lot, but the problem is that my body doesn´t assimilate what I eat, so it´s just a waste of time.
> What I need is an effective way to get some weight. If it means getting it in muscles, then muscles. But contrary to what you might think, my point is not to end up 5 days a week to the gym in order to get bigger muscles and become a bear. I just want to get a bit of weight and stabilize it then. That´s what I´m trying to say.



You can "fill out" In which you can gain some lean muscle tissue and not be huge. Contrary to what most people think. It is not easy to get huge.

If you are having trouble gaining and need to put on weight. It is a matter of out running your metabolism. ie: calories. Try a dense calorie shake.


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## RationalEntropy (Apr 26, 2009)

You need to check your basal metabolic rate... there are calculators on the internet. I would also concentrate on eating every 2-3 hours, and on what you eat. In order to gain weight (you want to gain muscle instead of fat) you must have a calorie surplus. I eat something like 270 grams of protein, 450 g carbohydrates and 70-80 g fat per day. I also make sure that the sources are healthy. The fats are primarily from walnuts (high omega 3s), and eggs. The carbohydrates are from oats, brown rice, and waxy maize starch (post and during workout). The protein comes from eggs, egg whites, whey, and various animals. I have zero to four cheat meals per week.

IF you are not gaining from eating, then you are not eating enough. Increase your calories by 500 every week until your weight starts increasing. Also, unless you are new to training, genetically gifted, or using vitamin S you shouldn't expect more than 15 lbs of muscle per year (muscle, not total weight increase).

As for training with no gym... get one dumbell and do unilateral work. If you can afford more... get an olympic weight set and do cleans, deadlifts, front squats, floor presses, bent over rows, etc. Compound and complex movements are the big money movements. There is also TESTOSTERONE MUSCLE | Unapologetic Muscle-Building Elitists, there you will find some good routines, nutrition and motivation. And remember... there are limits for training w/o steroids. I've never used them... and I've been training seriously for three years. I am 192 and about 8&#37; bodyfat (I used to be super fat, and now have loose skin to show that). Now I'm trying to build my strength with the westside barbell club template (not for the faint of heart).

Good luck.


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## Origins (Nov 13, 2009)

Okay guys,
So after few months of special diet and exercise, I come with some results.
My goal was to reach 165 lbs.
I got from 145 to 169,5 lbs, with 4 normal meals a day and exercises 2 to 3 times a week. I never thought I would make it, and i did!
The beginning was difficult, because I used to eat when I was hungry,
otherwise my stomac wouldn´t accept any extra food.
For quite a long period, I had to eat as much everyday or I would start to loose some weight again. But then my body started to really assimilate the food, and since few weeks I have to be careful to not eat to much to not get more 
It really feels great to see that I fit in my trousers without a belt. I feel stronger and more comfortable in my body. It´s so great! 
So for any of you who is still skeptical about how to gain weight,
I did, so anyone can!


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## Tiger (Nov 13, 2009)

Good on you, man.


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