Nutrition for an ectomorph training to be a sprinter

Question
Hi Phil,

I would first like to thank you for volunteering your time to helping out clueless people like me. Anyways, let me tell you my story. I'm a 17 year old male, 5"8', 135lbs. Estimated about 14% body fat and I'm an ectomorph. I lose weight extremely easily and quickly, just last week I lost 3 pounds due to catching a cold. And I'm finding it quite hard to build muscle or gain mass, I was wondering if you have any pointers for both nutrition and training.

Currently, I train three times a week (or I try to anyways), no cardio, only weight training. My training includes:
- Squats
- Hang-cleans
- Bench press
- Pull ups
- Tricep extensions
- Bicep curls
- Arnold Press (dumbbells)
- Ab Crunches (with dumbbells, I hug the dumbbells while crunching)

One problem I have with the crunches is that I am only training my upper abs, is there anything I can do which I can add weight to (instead of using body weight) to train my lower abs?

I am hoping to train for sprinting, specifically the 200m.

I was wondering if you have any nutritional and training advice that you can give me to reach my goal? (I also come from a Chinese family background, so rice is on the menu every day)

Thank you so much.
Ivan

Answer
Ivan

Number one you have to eat buddy you need food no mate how much you train it is IMPOSSIBLE to gain unles you eat in excess white rice is great its quickly digested just be sure to add other dense calories with it and eat when ever you are not full.

You need to eat when ever you are not full. Not when you are hungry. Hunger for someone like you means you waited to long. Load up on good dense food. lots of good fats, coconut oil or milk, butter, cream, olive oil, nuts, avocado etc. then easily digested foods like white breads, cereal, white rice. Milk, and other good proteins, fattier meats like red meat pork, salmon. other simple carbs and junk fod eat UP

If you want an easy place to start then buy a jar of natural peanut butter and on TOP of what you eat now add a 1/2 a jar a day and a couple glasses of whole milk. that will be a good 1200+ calories. Try that for a month and see where you are.

You as well as everyone should base your training on heavy resistance training, heavy of course being a relative term to the individual. Based in BIG compound moves with free weights not machines in order to build muscle and burn some body fat. You ned to be very brief and intense with trainign sessions n o more then 45 minutes get in hit it hard and get out and rewst and recover. Growth, strength, progres happen out of the gym in recovery not in it.

Base your training on squats, Deadlift, bench press, over head press, chins and rows, and power cleans these are the moves that use the most muscle at once. Train like an athlete, seek performance not pain. Pain is not an indicator of a good workout, progress it Pain happens it should not be a goal. Its better to make progres and have NO pain.  Aim not to go to failure. failure happens dont seek it. Aim to kick the weights butt not them kicking yours, Aim to make progress make something that was hard easy. Start slow even deep body weight squats and work up. Learn proper form.

I would do one press, one pull and one leg move a day really giving the moves the attention they deserve. Start with 2-3 days a week and then add on a session or two of cardio. Base your training on the resistance activity and DO a few big exercises to completion then 1 ton of small ones half witted.

For more info you should join our free discussion forum, you will get lots of great advice and discussion there www.teamstaley.com start a training log. We can help with training, diet and then give advice on supplementation. We have another young high level sprinter from Ireland on the site as well by the name of Alan

Phil
www.staleytraining.com

Follow my Blog
http://phil-stevens.blogspot.com/

Follow me on facebook
http://www.facebook.com/Phil.T.Stevens?ref=profile

1. Prev:diet/nutrition questions
2. Next:Diet program