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Hi Everyone, I've decided to join this side since I've decided to start working out so I can:

1. Stop being considered underweight.(I want to weight 180 of mostly muscle mass a goal which might change when I approach my current goal.
I'm 6'2" and only weight 135

2. Get compliments other than "You're so skinny <3"(Is it consider a compliment if you don't like it?)

3. Be in enough shape so I can join a gym, and not be concerned over my safety(Northeastern PA has too many homophobes for my liking[Not the manliest pea on the pot]).

Anyhow, I currently don't really have access to a gym and I would appreciate any tips, guides, do's, dont's, and words of encouragement :].

I was thin too.
get a chin up bar and do push ups everyday!! Also dips on the back of a chair.
Eat a good diet. As you age your metabolism will slow. Don't forget to alwats do cardio for your heart. You tube and google exercises at home. Steal wrokout tips from things like P90X and Insanity.
mike

Welcome to RJ!

In your situation, the challenge will be to gain weight proportionally without developing a bulging midsection. There are two elements to making the muscle gains that you are trying to achieve: nutrition and exercise.

As Mmm pointed out, you don't need a gym. Pushups, pullups, situps, jogging, and stretching will accomplish most of your immediate goals. You can try to get more variety by using ideas from the workouts on this site or try bodybuilding.com.

Nutrition is where I think you will be challenged. You need to eat enough calories and get enough protein to facilitate muscle growth. The rule of thumb is 1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight. Trying to accomplish this through foods is hard. So, you may need to look at protein supplements to help.

Luckily, this site has a lot of guys who are highly experienced with weight gain and loss. So, search around in the forums a bit, and you will get lots of perspective.

MikemikeMike saidI was thin too.
get a chin up bar and do push ups everyday!! Also dips on the back of a chair.
Eat a good diet. As you age your metabolism will slow. Don't forget to alwats do cardio for your heart. You tube and google exercises at home. Steal wrokout tips from things like P90X and Insanity.
mike

+This

You can also develop muscle without lifting weights - some good gear is available which uses elasticated or rubber bands - which are perfect for someone new to adding muscle.

For someone who is slim, there are a number of ways you can go about it, but regular, resistance (weight or band) exercise and good nutrition will likely be the key to any body transformation.

Start slowly, avoid injury and have a good time while you're doing it - you'll be surprised how fast you will see positive results.

40 lbs dumbbell set + add weight if desired { Or buy something cheap from craigslist }

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B000VCDXNS/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new

Iron Gym pull up bar

http://www.amazon.com/Iron-Total-Upper-Body-Workout/dp/B001ND04U4/ref=sr_1_3?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1342281129&sr=1-3&keywords=pull+up+bar

That should keep you plenty busy for a while and no need for a gym, especially since you're a "beginner".

When I started out at 150 lbs I was afraid to go to a commercial gym too. I thought I had to be "in shape" to go to the gym. You just need to learn to go and not care. There are people with all different goals doing their own things. A lot of guys are actually nice and will give you a rip or two if you need it.

Just put some headphones in, go in and do your thing.

I've been 144lbs for 6'3, I hear your pain ;-)

OP, we have the same height you have the same weight I had when I started working out.

Why are you afraid of the gym? No one there will pay attention to you.

The only word of caution I would give you is to have infinite patience. For someone of your weight and stature, don't be surprised if you need 8 years to build a physique that for a mesomorph guy would only take 2 years.

WritingErick saidHi Everyone, I've decided to join this side since I've decided to start working out so I can:

1. Stop being considered underweight.(I want to weight 180 of mostly muscle mass a goal which might change when I approach my current goal.
I'm 6'2" and only weight 135

2. Get compliments other than "You're so skinny <3"(Is it consider a compliment if you don't like it?)

3. Be in enough shape so I can join a gym, and not be concerned over my safety(Northeastern PA has too many homophobes for my liking[Not the manliest pea on the pot]).

Anyhow, I currently don't really have access to a gym and I would appreciate any tips, guides, do's, dont's, and words of encouragement :].

All you really need is a bench, dumbbells, and a pull up bar to get in shape if you're that afraid of the gym. You really shouldn't be though. Bachian is right as well. It's probably going to take you at least 3 years to build a physique that you're happy with so you have to be committed.

Eat. Eat. And eat.

Don't feel self conscious about going to the gym. That's why it exists. Everyone at one point starts out skinny (unless you're a fatass baby) so there's no reason why someone would care. As for the homophobia... nobody's there to talk they're there to workout so that shouldn't be an issue. And like everyone else is saying... just eat.

joe122 saidAll you really need is a bench, dumbbells, and a pull up bar to get in shape if you're that afraid of the gym. You really shouldn't be though. Bachian is right as well. It's probably going to take you at least 3 years to build a physique that you're happy with so you have to be committed.

In 3 years, even if he manages to gain 33lbs of lean mass -- which is a great achievement -- he will still be very thin. After 3 years results come slower and he will still be far from his maximum muscular potential, which is somewhere around 210lbs, assuming 8% body fat.

180lbs is still thin for his height. He will leave lanky territory from 200lbs upwards.

OP, the good news is that you're very young and you have hormones in your favor. Hit the gym and eat what you should when you should. In 3 years I'm sure you'll surpass 180lbs if you take advantage of this situation. It took me 4 years, but I was older. You have a lot of time in your hands and a bright future ahead of you.

And by the way... save your current pictures! There will come a day when people will doubt you were once so skinny!

1) Research, Research, and Research. The problem with starting out is generally you don't much and are pron to either injury or just not working out properly so that your body can grow. This includes setting realistic goals, looking at which foods to eat, and which exercises to do.

2) Start with simple stuff at home, push ups, sit ups. Look into P90x its a great way to start out at home especially if you stick with it.

3) Eat, eat, eat and then eat some more. This is generally the 2nd hardest part behind figuring out which exercises to do (at least for me). A lot of the times us skinny guys just don't have the appetite to eat the amount of calories you need to gain weight. You don't need to count calories you just need to eat constantly. 3 well rounded meals every single day with high calorie snacks in between.

4) Never give up. The hardest part when first starting out is not quitting. Its easy to get discouraged especially when you have no idea what you're doing. But you have to push through and never stop, if you do you're not going to grow.

I went from 135 to my current weight of 155 in about a year. Check my progress pic in my profile. Good luck!

Thanks for all the tips, they're deeply appreciated.

Regards to the gym people where I live are known to be close minded, and I'm not worried of going to the gym because I won't "fit" in, or because I'm too skinny. If you want to look, look. It is a free country... Maybe the anxiety is over nothing, I could check out the closest gym and see how it feels. However I don't want to use "I don't want to go to the gym because of blah blah blah" as an excuse to stop me from achieving my fitness goals. Which is what brought me to this site :].

Also is there any particular protein shake that you guys would recommend? I'm not a big eater, and my appetite is laughable at best. I don't eat much, and can spend a whole day with a small meal, and some snacks. This is mostly since I'm only allowed to eat once through out the day at work(9 hour shifts) during my break(20 minutes, and I'm a slow eater) and have adapted to that. I'm allowed to consume liquids throughout the day, might as well drink something that be more helpful than tea/soda/juice.

WritingErick saidAlso is there any particular protein shake that you guys would recommend? I'm not a big eater, and my appetite is laughable at best. I don't eat much, and can spend a whole day with a small meal, and some snacks. This is mostly since I'm only allowed to eat once through out the day at work(9 hour shifts) during my break(20 minutes, and I'm a slow eater) and have adapted to that. I'm allowed to consume liquids throughout the day, might as well drink something that be more helpful than tea/soda/juice.

In such a situation you will have to resort to gainer shakes + fruits for the vitamins and fiber. A gainer shake is basically maltodextrin + low quality whey protein, with the advantage that it doesn't take much hunger to drink it or much time to prepare it. They don't cost much there in US. It will be important that you have the help of a dietitian to help you dose correctly the gainer shakes -- even you can get fat on that.

I say this from the point of view of someone who has your height and started working out with your weight. Gainer shakes are made for true ectomorphs like us.

Workout till you pass out and eat till you puke.

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