[StNerevar]

Hey guys, I'm 5'11'' and only weigh 150lbs. I've been getting tired of my thin body style and am trying to fill out into my body a little more. I'd like to gain some pounds of muscle so I fit into my body better. Just tired of the small thin little guy thing. I've bought some protein shakes and am up to 120g of protein per day. I'm working out about 4 days a week right now. What else can I do to help me gain some weight in muscle? Any recommendations?

[Eileen G]

If the 120g of protein a day is all you eat eating, then you need more. The only way to get muscle is to eat more calories than your body normally needs, while lifting heavy weights.

Most bodybuilders would start at 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight, so you should be looking at 150g of protein a day, plus plenty of healthy fats, and a reasonable amount of complex carbs like brown rice and sweet potato. Whey is good, but make sure you are getting enough real food too.

In the gym, lift heavy. Pick the weight that will just about let you finish eight reps of a particular exercise. If you can do ten, you need to increase the weight. Start with three sets of eight reps and go from there.

Concentrate on lifts like squats, deadlifts, bench press, pull-ups, dips, lunges, bent over rows, stiffleg deadlifts, pullovers. At this stage, don't worry about biceps curls or isolation moves. You need to hammer the big muscle groups.