Weight Gain

[Klippy]

Hi all,

I am underweight by like 3 kilograms and I need to gain some healthy weight.
I want to gain mostly muscle, not too much fat and i don't want to gain any weight on my legs, only my upper body which looks very skinny. I know that it is pobably not quite possible to "spot-gain" weight just as it is not possible to "spot-reduce" weight from certain body areas. But I know that I can get a bigger upper body through training, such as weight training and boxing. But I am not sure how heavy the weights I should use should be and how often I should do the weightlifting.

So I am wondering if anyone knows what I could do to build a bigger upper body whilst retain the slimness of my thighs.
I do biking a lot, is this a good idea? I only go up a few hills, it is not extremely intense, but i can bike for about 2 hrs with a 30 minute break in between. I am sometimes worried that biking will make my thighs bigger? Is this true? Because my thighs are still very slim and skinny but compared to my upper body they have more muscle! So do you recommend I start doing upper body exercises too, like tricep dips and pushups??

I read somewhere that you have to eat more (above maintenance) if you want to build muscle and that you should eat protein more, rather than carbohydrate type food, as it builds/ repairs muscle tissue. I am worried however, that if I eat more, my thighs will get fatter!! so should I do cardio such as runnning/ fast walking to prevent this?

PLease help, i want to transform my upper body. I used to have really nice lean muscle mass on my back and arms because I used to play tennis 2-3hrs a day for 5 days a week and because I havent played tennis regularly/competitively in 2 years my muscles have wasted away- particularly on my arms which look like twigs now. BUt my legs still look super slim and still reatined their athleticism.

I want to regain that lean muscle on my arms and shoulders and I need help from someone who has done it/ has a good idea how it should be done!

Please, help. I want to see a change in my upper body in the next 12 weeks!



Yours sincerely,
Klippy

 

[Jaxon]

eat MEAT 10 chars

 

[SystemicAnomaly]

I would say that spot-gains are more feasible that spot-reductions. Take a look at male gymnasts. Many of them have more upper body development that lower body. Also take a look at runners -- sprinters typically have larger leg muscles than marathon runners.

Part of this is how the body is trained. On the other hand, genetics plays a large role in muscle development. The distribution of slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers in your body is going to be a major factor (Type 1, slow-twitch, fibers simply do not bulk up much at all).

 

[chess9]

Are you familiar with numbers?

You know, like age, height, weight, current caloric intake/outtake?

I assume you are like 20 years old, a skinny ectomorph, weighing, say 140 lbs at 5'10"?

First of all, why is gaining muscle mass healthy for you? At a time when calorie restriction is all the rage, why are you trying to look like an Arnie wannabe? Not getting the girls?



But, assuming you want to build some upper body mass, you can do that if you have sufficient testosterone, eat a healthy well-balanced diet of UP TO 3 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight (this is considered the safe limit, but you only need about .80 grams to maintain weight/muscle), and lift. At your age, if you aren't interested in being Federer or Frank Shorter or Lance Armstrong, then cut back on the cardio and focus on heavy lifting with plenty of rest.

www.precisionnutrition.com
www.bodybuilding.com
http://www.weightrainer.net/index.html

EDIT: BTW, no on can tell you you will put on muscle in 12 weeks. NO ONE. NO adverts for this can be believed. You might have to lift for 10 years before you will put on significant upper body mass. You might see results in three weeks, on the other hand. You are like the proverbial snowflake....

Good luck!

-Robert