weight gain weight lifting

now that i'm allowed to exercise, i'm wonder what was the best plan for you guys who do weight lifting??

something that would help me continue gaining without being........ "flabby"?
i would like to know stuff like how many times per week, intensity, time, time between rests, sets, weight of those weights, you know, the usual :)

can i have a copy of any successful plans?

P.S.: if i continue gaining without exercise, would my current state of fitness decrease (b/c no exercise+ excess fat gain) or increase (possible mussle growth without exercise? (reparing?)) ........ would i become firm or flabby? (i'm flabby now :( )

Mmm this is something I've been thinking about too - I want to gain weight but develop some muscle as well as body fat. I think my BMI might be a bit low ATM to start developing muscle - you have to have fat first, right? But I do want to start doing some sort of strength training, but I don't know where to begin.. might ask for an appointment with a sports therapist or something for Christmas... (pshh, yeah right, I'll ask for clothes or something. I always was the 'laziest anorexic' - actual quote from a nurse at my EDU)

There's a great book out that you both could benefit from. It's called "The New Rules of Lifting for Women". They have a regular New Rules of Lifting for men too (I've read both). The one for women has several workouts that focus on building muscle and strength. It does explain, though, that you won't end up like a bulky bodybuilder since it's pretty much impossible for the normal women to do. It also explains diet and the importance of a high protein diet for muscle growth. The diet info is biased towards weight loss/maintenance, but you could just increase the calories to continue your weight gain plan.

haha, i didnt know it was impossible to develop muscles when your bmi's too low.

anyways, a question about fat too... my hairs still comming out. id ont get why i have to eat more specificly fat to help it..... doesnt regular CALORIES turn into FAT once stored?

It is still possible to build muscle with a low bmi, and you don't need fat to build muscle. The idea that fat turns into muscle is wrong. Think about those body builders with 3-5 % body fat, they build a lot of muscle. The mechanisms that promote muscle growth and fat storage are completely different.

Fat storage happens when there is a calorie surplus and the muscles don't need to be repaired. For example, if you are eating a lot of extra calories (even if they're from protein sources) and you aren't exerting your muscles then the extra calories will be stored as fat. If you do exert your muscles, then some of the protein you eat will go to repairing the muscles. There is an upper limit, however, you can't gain only muscle. Some of those extra protein calories (that aren't used) could go into fat storage if you have a calorie surplus or they will get burned off if you don't.

As for your hair loss, there are many factors. Malnutrition (not just a lack of fat) could lead to it. Remember, hair is composed of protein, you you need protein to keep making it. On the other hand, you also need fat and cholesterol to build your steroid hormones. Estrogen is one of these. Hormone imbalance is known to cause hair loss. Another thing to remember is that it is normal for us to shed some hair. We are constantly re-growing our hair and shedding it. You will know if it is a problem when you are shedding it and it is not growing back as thick as it used to be. If you notice bald or balding spots, then it is a problem.

The thing about not growing muscle at too low a bmi isn't so much about needing fat for muscle.  It's more because your body will FIRST use it's resources to restore basic organs, health, and function.  Furthermore, when it has been starved or lost too much weight, it is "scared" of starvation and until it has reached a healthy state and steady intake, it is too "scared" to spare any calories on muscle.  I wrote a bit more detail on this in the "muscle memory" thread.

Strength training exercises would be best, and try to limit cardio and endurance exercises to a minimum. Theres quite a few strength exercises and workouts on this site in the "Exercise" tab, so definetly check those out. But basically, it's slightly heavier weights but much smaller amount of reps and sets and longer rests. Like maybe 3 sets of 5 reps, with 1 or 2 minute rest between sets, that way you don't burn as much calories but still get a workout and help spark some muscle growth. Also only workout 3 times a week, with at least 1 day of rest in between. Like you workout on Monday, Weds, Fri and then take the weekend off and repeat on the next Monday. I also suggest trying to keep the length of your workout to 40-60mins in length. Again, this is to help retain as much calories as possible but still get a good workout. And as with any underweight people who also exercise while recovering, don't forget to keep up with your diet plans and you'll probabyl even find you can eat more because of the exercising. Good luck! :)