coppermoose33 said:Good day. I am looking for some insight regarding muscle development and body composition.
I am 15 years old and have been training kickboxing for about a year and a half.
Since starting, my physical appearance has improved significantly, but I have hit a plateau in one specific area.
Specifically, my legs remain quite thin and spindly—I am referring primarily to my calves, though my quads have grown considerably.
To put it bluntly, my upper body looks massive compared to my legs; if you saw the two halves separately, you wouldn't believe they belonged to the same person.
I am roughly 5'7" and weigh 121 lbs; perhaps my weight is the issue.
I am wondering if there are any specific exercises for calf development?
Furthermore, is there an effective way to gain weight quickly? I considered taking creatine to put on mass, but I read that minors shouldn't use it. Can creatine cause excessive fat gain? I really need to pack on about 10 to 20 pounds.
If anyone has experience with this, please provide some guidance on any of these points.
Thanks in advance!
Keep in mind you're only 15 and still developing. There is a good chance you'll start filling out once you move past puberty. I have an 18-year-old brother who was always skinny, then in just a couple of years, he shot up like crazy. He’s 6'3" now and nearly 200 lbs.😁😁
Regarding creatine, it draws water into the muscles, which makes them look larger and heavier. If you take it constantly and then suddenly stop, most of that effect vanishes. That is why cycling it is usually recommended to sustain the results. However, for creatine to actually be effective, you need to have some baseline muscle mass first. You should Google meal plans for bulking and try to put something together for yourself.
steelskipper74 said:I have another silly question, haha. How do they actually make all those different whey flavors? Does anyone know what kind of additives they use to make it taste like cookies, vanilla, coconut, or mint? It seems like there are endless varieties.. 🤷
😕
It’s the same process for the various pudding flavors, ice creams, and different types of creams...
Steven Lopez35 said:What kind of whey are you drinking that tastes that awful? If you’re mixing it with the right amount of water, I’ve honestly never had one that wasn't at least drinkable, let alone terrible. :S
That is exactly my point... I've tried various brands and different flavors, and they were all perfectly fine.😁
A 30g serving (one shake) is about 128 calories... packed with protein... and frankly, that protein content is the whole reason anyone bothers drinking it in the first place.😉
jadeowl said:I have one question... I just can't stomach whey mixed with water; it constantly makes me nauseous. Would it be okay to mix it with milk instead? Maybe something like skim milk or a 1% version so it isn't too heavy? 😁 I know everyone insists on using water for faster absorption, but my body simply won't tolerate it. 🙂
Stick to water after your workout! How can you not enjoy it? Just throw in some dextrose if you need more. Personally, I love whey. 😍
slydriver52 said:🤦 I'm sorry, but you neglected to mention which sport this sixteen-year-old kid actually plays.
Well, he clearly isn't into ballet... 😉 whatever sport he's playing, at 5'11" and 143 lbs, he's struggling. His coach already told him the truth: he needs to put on some serious mass.
slydriver52 said:Fine, let’s look at it this way. Why are you assuming nutrition is such a critical factor if he’s just a beginner? Do you even know what sport he plays or what his specific objectives are? Do you honestly believe everyone walking into a gym for the first time is primarily focused on aesthetics? You haven't mentioned his age, his body type, or any of those variables. Genetics play a significant role here. By the time kids reach 14 or 15, they are already specializing in specific sports, meaning their training is tailored toward a particular discipline. You mention some nonsense about creatine, yet you link diet strictly to physique by claiming "one must first maximize results through proper nutrition... and only when diet alone stops working should one seek outside assistance." Nutrition always works. Without fuel, there are no results. My view is that a person eats every day, and simply increasing caloric intake is often enough to ensure steady progress. When discussing athletes, the variable is the training, not necessarily the diet. If the goal is purely aesthetic, then yes, nutrition matters, but that is a separate conversation entirely—especially since designing a meal plan for someone who uses the gym merely as a supplement to a combat sport is quite complex. As I stated previously, genetics are a major factor. Before you start handing out advice, perhaps try reading an actual textbook or applying some legitimate training methodologies to yourselves. Then you might actually learn something.
Let’s try practicing some reading comprehension. The kid is 16 years old, 180cm, and weighs 65kg. His coach told him he needs to put on weight. Given those stats, do you really think he needs "definition"? Come on... Training for definition versus mass is remarkably similar; the difference lies in the diet. 😉 And based on what I have personally tested and achieved, I am more than satisfied with my own results. 😉
slydriver52 said:Diet isn't the primary driver for physical conditioning when we're talking about creatine; it’s the training itself that matters most. It seems many people here don't have the slightest clue what creatine actually does. I agree that you don't need to supplement with it right out of the gate. You should only consider it once your workouts become more intense—more serious—and specifically targeted toward a certain goal or result. Creatine just makes hitting those benchmarks easier. The maximum dose should be 6g daily. There is no need for loading phases. This is especially true for soccer players or other athletes where explosive power, acceleration, and agility are critical.
I know exactly what creatine is for... but I maintain that, at the start, nutrition is the most vital factor. Of course, training is a given, whether you're using creatine or not. 😁
Steven Lopez35 said:That's exactly why I told the guy—if he actually has the budget... 🙂
Furthermore, this talk about creatine is simply inaccurate.
The reality is... you first need to maximize your results through a disciplined diet... and only once that diet reaches its limit should you consider outside supplementation. 😉 That is how you achieve optimal progress. 😉
Mark Mendoza7 said:hey
So, I started hitting the gym two weeks ago. I'm going four times a week for an hour or ninety minutes, and on the other three days, I cycle for two to three hours. I'm planning to start taking protein, but I don't understand what people mean when they say to take it with glucose (I'm a novice here, so I have no idea what that is). Is that also something you get at a fitness shop, and how do you take it?
Someone on this forum probably explained it already, but there are 180 pages here. I don't have the time to read through all of that.
Look at this... this user's handle (it went from "Götterdämmerung" to "Göttspöđä") has changed quite significantly... the two have almost nothing in common now (which is a clear violation of the rules), yet my own request to change my number... from 21 to 23... was rejected. The reasoning provided was that I should just wait a year and ask for 24... honestly, give me a break... 🙄
I don't see any reason to go out and buy a fresh set of inks, especially since my original ones were working just fine... As for the procedure itself, I followed it to the letter, except for one thing: the printer simply refuses to respond to the button I'm supposed to press to initiate the movement. 🙂
Look, I find this whole situation rather strange... because when you first power on the printer, the cartridge moves through its cycle—it completes one full rotation and returns to its starting position. However, the moment I attempt to swap out a color, it simply refuses to move at all.
I actually attempted to intercept the mechanism halfway through its movement to install the ink, but now the printer won't even recognize the cartridges I've put in.🤦
I just finished setting up a printer that’s been sitting idle for quite some time... and now, whenever I try to swap out the ink, I get hit with http://tinypic.com/r/2en92dk/5. Any advice on how to handle this? 🙂🙂
Emily Martinez12 said:So, how did the nose recovery actually turn out? 😁 Did you undergo any major changes regarding the aesthetic side of things? I mean, was it obvious from the outside that bone was growing back crookedly or...? To put it simply, did you have any "drastic" modifications done to the nose?
I have a small, cute little nose😍—at least, that’s what everyone tells me😁 when it comes to the aesthetics... It wasn't very noticeable, mostly because I didn't pay much attention to it. Honestly, it looked slightly better on Instagram than it did in person.😁
Emily Martinez12 said:Did you pay out of pocket for a private surgeon, or was this covered by your insurance? And was the procedure purely cosmetic, or was there a functional necessity behind it?
It was through my insurance... My doctor recommended it because my bone structure had shifted slightly out of alignment, and even a minor cold would trigger debilitating sinus pain. I decided it was worth doing.
Ethan James47 said:Hi! I was wondering if anyone here has seen Dr. Đanić in St. Louis regarding rhinoplasty? Does he even perform that kind of surgery? I'd love to hear about anyone's experiences. Thanks.
I actually saw Dr. Miličić... I believe his first name is Damir. He works at the hospital. To be honest, when I first laid eyes on him, I was a bit intimidated because he’s such a tall, imposing, and striking man 😁 but he turned out to be quite a sweetheart 😲 🤣 truly a gentle soul 😁
Last week, I had to get some stitches in my finger after a rather nasty cut. 😢 It wasn't particularly painful until today, though. I’ve been heading in every couple of days to have the dressing changed, but today there is this bizarre sensation in my finger—almost like a million ants are crawling under the skin. It feels tight, and there is a slight numbness. 😢 I am unsure if this is standard procedure, a sign of healing, or something else entirely. When I saw the doctor yesterday for my bandage change, he mentioned that it was healing well, but I didn't experience this sensation then. Now, I am at a loss. I have never had stitches before (:frown:) and I have no idea how these types of wounds are supposed to "behave."