Hey everyone! I'd like to pick the expert brains on the forum, it seems like everyone here is pretty knowledgeable. I'm 26 and on the thin side at 5'9' and currently about 140 lbs. I've always been thin and have had a huge appetite since I can remember, so I'm pretty ectomorphic overall. I was a vegetarian for 5 years and a vegan for 2 (and about 132lbs then), but I've been eating meat for the past year and half and I cook healthily which I think helped get me back up to 140ish. However, despite my smaller size and relatively good eating habits, I feel like I've got a little extra weight that sits right on my hip bones and a small chunky section around my bellybutton. My dad is a lifter and has had the same problems, but his solution was to expand his chest and shoulders to compensate for a softer abdominal. Not my ideal solution!

So here's what I'd like to do. I'd like to put on 10-12 pounds, but at the same time, I'd like to trim my midsection to reveal/build up some abs as well as everything else. I don't want to be huge, just in better proportion. Like Mickey from Snatch, for example. Not vainly cut or huge, but a healthy weight with some clear definition. I think that's not an unreasonable goal, but I could be wrong. So my question is, how do I eat/work out to trim what fat I have AND build muscle? My idea was to do a 20min run before each workout, since I have read that things like sit-ups do nothing for a soft midsections. Then just do heavy weight/low rep sets a couple of times a week. Or is a more cardio focused calisthenic workout for me?

Thanks ahead of time for any insights or advice, I appreciate it!

wow.  you remind me much of myself a while back.  i too used to be vegetarian, and found it hard to gain weight (i'm not saying you can't as a vegetarian)

while i am in NO way an expert, i will still offer you my advice. 

first of all, are your eating habits fairly clean?
What is your alcohol intake like?
what is your training routine like?
how often do you train?

so far, i would say do quite a few exercises to isolate the lower abdominal muscles (leg raises, jack-knives are good for the whole core as well).   Incoorporate some cardio into your routine if you can, but just keep in mind that you will need to eat even more since you're an ecto.

if you could answer the questions i asked it will help everyone further assist you and your predicament

Hey, thanks for the quick reply!

As far as eating habits, I eat a bowl of Cheerios and a Mega XXX shake for breakfast, usually a big salad with either chicken or tuna or a burrito bowl from Chipotle, then a dinner of usually meat stir-fry with rice or pasta and a salad (romaine, tomato, broccoli, avocado, cheese, cucumber). If I don't have time to cook, big turkey sandwich and Baked Lays. Not the greatest, I know, but not too terrible. Probably light on the calories though for sure. Oh, and another shake after working out.

Alchohol...well, that could be an issue. Didn't even consider that a factor. I'm a social drinker on the weekends, I'm in a band, and...we have a bar in the house. So a couple times a week usually. Definitely willing to change that, though. No big deal.

As far as a routine I have been doing 3 days a week for the past couple weeks, but I've been focusing on arms, chest and back each day. I haven't been alternating exercises really, so I think I may be stunting growth there. Mostly incline bench one day, then decline the next, etc. Small modifications but generally the same muscle groups. The more I'm reading the more I'm learning that's not a good thing.

Does that help at all? I'm thinking I need just a basic routine. I saw a few on the forum here, but I wasn't sure which one was right for me. Thanks again for the help!

judging from what you eat, i can tell you that you will find it EXTREMELY difficult to gain weight.  carbs are ecto's friends.   do not be afraid of them.  

cut out the salads for lunch, you need more calories dude.

i know you're worried about a little bit of tummy fat, but my suggestion is that you up your calories, eat 5 or 6 good meals a day.   whole wheat pasta, oatmeal, pb, chicken, tuna, cottage cheese.   start incoorporating these into your diet as much as you can.

my breakfast consists of 1000 calorie shake roughly, 1 cup of low fat yogurt, and 3 eggs (sometimes i swap the eggs out for 2 pieces of whole wheat toast with pb and honey).

you need to eat my friend.  eat like it's YOUR JOB, or you won't gain the weight you want.

as for training, maybe try a full body routine, and try to get some compound lifting in there.  I don't think alcohol has to do with your gut too much.  however.. just bear in mind that guys store fat on the front of their tummy.  girls store it on their butt/thighs.     alcohol turns to sugar, and sugar can be stored as fat by the body. 

i'm not telling you NOT to drink.  just making you aware.  i drink occasionally as well.

my main advice is to focus on your diet, get a good training routine, and gain a good 20 or 30 pounds in the next few months.    then, lower your calories/day and start incoorporating increased amounts of cardio and cut the fat while enjoying the muscle that's underneath.

Thanks, that helps a lot! Looks like a trip to the grocery store is in order. One more thing, is there a routine that you would recommend or one that you started with and found successful? I really appreciate the advice.

Thanks again!

there are tons of full-body routines out there.  and keep in mind that there isn't a "perfect" routine.  i just currently finished my 2nd 6-week cycle of HST (hypertrophy specific training) which consists of primarily compound lifts. 

i have a journal up in the "online training journal" section of this forum if you're interested in what i've been doing.   i have gained about 25 pound in the last 4 or 5 months.  yes i gained some tummy fat, but everything else got bigger too. 

funny, I find meat gave me extra fat too, I prefer vegetarian too, just did a few competitions so I am giong on a vegan cleanse for a few days then cleanse the month based on veg/pesca.
I will prob try not to do the flesh stuff, no cheese but open to it, but find I have to overload on supps in order to get my grams in but also find if too high i carry more bodyfat.
I am going to try my bulk on a lower cal, lower protein for the next 2 mths, and use hypertrophy figures instead of strength and power reps......I get caught up in lifting as heavy as I can and end up getting strong and bulk but  no real lean mass........
i usually don't do cardio most of the year, minimal but I am going to keep up at least 20-30 mins 3 times per week minimum if not a tad more so I stay leaner on this off season.  I want a clearer view of my lean gains, which is harder to view when I get beyond 10lb extra in the off season.

jfizzy


Hey, thanks for the quick reply!

As far as eating habits, I eat a bowl of Cheerios and a Mega XXX shake for breakfast, usually a big salad with either chicken or tuna or a burrito bowl from Chipotle, then a dinner of usually meat stir-fry with rice or pasta and a salad (romaine, tomato, broccoli, avocado, cheese, cucumber). If I don't have time to cook, big turkey sandwich and Baked Lays. Not the greatest, I know, but not too terrible. Probably light on the calories though for sure. Oh, and another shake after working out.

Alchohol...well, that could be an issue. Didn't even consider that a factor. I'm a social drinker on the weekends, I'm in a band, and...we have a bar in the house. So a couple times a week usually. Definitely willing to change that, though. No big deal.

As far as a routine I have been doing 3 days a week for the past couple weeks, but I've been focusing on arms, chest and back each day. I haven't been alternating exercises really, so I think I may be stunting growth there. Mostly incline bench one day, then decline the next, etc. Small modifications but generally the same muscle groups. The more I'm reading the more I'm learning that's not a good thing.

Does that help at all? I'm thinking I need just a basic routine. I saw a few on the forum here, but I wasn't sure which one was right for me. Thanks again for the help!

squat and deadlift, make sure to lift your legs. that should help a lot.

full body routine is a good way to start, look into starting strength by mark rippetoe for good detailed descriptions on form and stuff. helps a lot.