Alin75's advice column

Okay so i'm a 15 year old girl who wants to gain weight or muscle to be exact. I am beyond skinny which everyone says i'm lucky because i have a models body but i have really thin arms and chicken legs so i can't wear dresses or shorts or anything for that matter. i recently joined a gym and i bought this protein shake called amplified wheybolic extreme 60. I would like to know if it works and how long it takes. I haven't started drinking it because i don't wanna get all gross with huge muscles i just want my arms to not be so skinny and to have good enough legs i still wanna keep my body just make it not so skinny. Thanks in advance!!

Hey there.

First off, that protein shake will have no effect without weight training. With weight training it is a great tool :)

Second, dont ever concern yourself in any shape or form about getting "all gross with huge muscles". It takes guys years (even guys on steroids), and it takes women much longer. The female bodybuilders that make women look kind of gross normally have been training like mad for a decade and abused enough illegal substances to kill a horse.

Muscle gain is very, very gradual no matter how intense the training, so dont hold back- you can stop anytime in the process.

Ok so here is the best way to do this. First, for muscle gain, we need anaerobic resistance training. We need to design a program for you that emphasises your legs and arms, but which also hits your other areas. This is important otherwise you might end up with posture problems and/or not looking so good. Also some core work is neccessary to avoid injury.

So how about this. I will design two "days" of training. They will both be full body and they will both emphasise the areas you care about. Then, you just alternate between them at the gym leaving at least one day break between them (e.g. Mon-Wed-Fri).

Day 1:

Barbell squat (quads, etc): 3x10-12
Lying or seated leg curls (hamstrings): 2x10-12
Incline dumbell bench press (pecs/delts): 2x10-12
Seated Cable Rows (Back): 2x10-12
Alternate hammer curl (biceps): 2x10-12
Dumbbell one arm triceps extension: 2x10-12
Hyperextensions (lower back): 2x15-20
Crunches (abs): 2x20-25

Day 2:

Dumbbell lunges (quads): 3x10-12
Romanian deadlift (hamstrings, lower back): 2x10-12
Flat bench press (pecs): 2x10-12
Barbell or DB shoulder press (delts): 2x10-12
Lat cable pulldown (back): 2x10-12
Barbell/ Dumbell curl (biceps): 2x 10-12
Cable tricep extension, any variant (triceps): 2x 10-12
Knee/ hip raise (abs- lower): 2x20-25

You can find all the exercises here (including videos):
http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/

Pay particular attention to your form in things like the squat, lunges, and romanian deadlift. These are great exercises but they need to be done right.

Beyond this, add any sort of cardio that you may want to do. Health wise, every person on earth should do at least 3 light 20 minute cardios per week (biking, jogging, stair machines, etc.).

Use your whey shake directly after training. Ideally it should be mixed with water not milk for fast absorption (though this is not that important).

Remember, muscle gain is like a 3 legged stool: training, eating, rest. Remove one and it all falls apart. So eat well (daily calorie surplus) and get plenty of sleep.

I cant tell you how long it will take unfortunately, but you should start to see results within the first month or two.

Good luck.

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(Rating: 5) Thank you so much!! You helped a LOT!!!!

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