[A doubtful Brit]

Please can someone give me some pointers.

I have absolutely no idea when it comes to building muscle or toning and am completely new to it all.

I have always been unhappy and insecure with my body and what with my wife just leaving me has put me on an all time low.

I have decided on changing my lifestlye in a big way. First of all, I want to look good and be happy with my own body.

I'm 29 years old and only 9 1/2 stone. Quite skinny but a very big eater, I just don't seem to be able to put on any weight.

What I would like is to put on about another stone in weight and then tone up, defining and putting on a little muscle. I don't want to look like Arnie or enter Mr Universe or anything. I just want to take my top off without thinking I look incredibly puny.

I've been looking at buying a crosstrainer also, would this be any good for what I want to accomplish?

Can anyone tell me what kind of a diet I need to put on some weight or any supplements I should try out. And would a crosstrainer be a good purchase for what I want?

Thank you for any help anyone can give me.

[educatedhorse_2005]

Are there any gnc stores over there.
If there are go to them and talk the diet over with them.
As far as toning your muscles lift weights. Don't get stupid.
Toning is in the reps not the weight. If you can lift 150lbs easy and comfortable. Drop down to 100lbs and rep it 3 sets of 10 then move to 120lbs 3 sets of 10. And so on.

[Proteinboy]

Firstly, you need to know what you are doing before starting to lift weights. I personally have gained s#*t in the 2 years I have been weight lifting because I was undereducated in weight lifting. Here are the 6 tips I can give you:

1. Be diligent
Don't miss work outs, set realistic goals and have a good attitude.

2. Don't OVERTRAIN!!
This was my major downfall. Exercise 3 times a week and only work a single muscle group one time every week. Ex: Monday:Biceps,Triceps,Back
Wed:Legs, calves Fri:Abs. NOTICE there is nothing scheduled for teusday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday!! Take these days off and let your muscles recover and grow. Only work out a MAXIMUM of ONE hour per workout!! After one hour of intense lifting, your blood sugars dip LOW and your body will start releasing cortisol (a catabolic hormone), which eats muscle in a desperate attempt to provide your body with more energy. I suggest workouts to last 30-45 minutes.

3. Eat right
Try to eat 6-8 smaller(or the same sized; whatever makes you happy)meals a day. You need to keep your body well by eating high protein (1-1.75 grams protein/lb of body mass ) and high carbs. Don't leave out the "good" fats(monunsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats).

4. Keep a training log; increase weight each workout
Record how much you lift every workout. You will have to know this so that when you come to lift again, you WILL increase your lifting weight by small incriments. THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. You MUST either increase weight or increase reps so that you can *spark* your muscles into growing. Think about it; if you keep on lifting the same weight, why would you get any stronger? Your body will not see the weight as a threat and therefore will not grow to prepare for the next "attack". On the other hand, if you increase weight or reps, your body will see it as a threat on you ability to perform and will increase strength and muscle.

5. Train with high intensity
Every time you hit the weights, train hard. If you don't put in all of your effort, you will not get good results. This means either increase the weights or do more reps.

6. REST/EAT(ohhhhhhhh yeaaaaa)
This is the best part. You MUST rest AND eat properly in order for your muscles to grow. I DO NOT mean sit down for 30 minutes and eat a 100-calorie pack and then go back to training!! This means to TAKE A DAY OR HOWEVER MANY NEED OFF in between high intensity work outs!! Your muscles need time to recover from the giant overhaul you just gave them. MORE IS NOT BETTER!! I recommend eating a meal with descent protein(about 40 protein is enough) and carbs (80carbs) RIGHT AFTER YOUR WORKOUT. I also recommend whey protein since it is fast-digesting. Please do not be like me and work out 10 times a day... it won't get you anywhere.

Aside from those 6 tips, here are the best biceps exercises
1. Chin ups (also get your back huge)

2. Barbell curls (must do in strict form)

3. Bent over barbell rows(also gets back)

4. Holding the chinup position with eyes at bar-height(just hold this until you cannot any more then go down as slowly as possible.)

Good luck with your new gains.