Expert: Ryan Hale - 8/17/2009

Question
Hi Ryan, sorry to bother you. I had a question on building muscle. I'm 17 years old. I suffered from anorexia for about a year. I don't know how i became anorexic. I talked to a doctor, and there were several reasons that led up to it, but i couldn't ever figure out the right reason. I've gained weight, so i'm not anorexic anymore. I look healthy now, but i would like to gain muscle. I just started trying to bulk up. I eat all the time now. I eat inbetween meals. I eat meats, vegetables, and whole grain breads. i drink alot of water. I workout 3 times a week doing compound workouts like bench press, squats, deadlifts, powercleans, barbell rows, military press, inlcine bench press. i'll do some isolated exercises as well. could i gain muscle by doing this. I'm scared that i cant ever grow muscle again. i'm scared that i ate away all my muscle when i was anorexic. Is it true that i cant ever grow muscle again? please help me, i really appreciated your help.

Answer
Chris- as someone who has had an eating disorder, you may be starting with a bit of a set-back, but there's no reason you can't build muscle.  Much of muscle building is genetic.  Like many sports, in body building, the difference between Mr. Olympia and competing at all can be genetic.  For the rest of us though, realizing we might have limits is important.  With that said, I believe in people striving to achieve their genetic potential.  

For your training, you might try cutting back on the number of repetitions so you are doing 6-8 heavy reps instead of 8-15.  Work with the amount of weight so that you really can't physically do another rep.  It's called working to failure.  This can be assisted by working with a partner to spot you so that they can help "take the weight away" from you on your last repetition so that you are maxed out on that last one.  Find a qualified trainer at a local gym or coach at your school to help.  It's expensive to hire a trainer so maybe your folks could get you a session or 2 for a birthday or Christmas present if it's something you are really into.

You might also try working each body part separately so that you have a day for back, a day for chest, a day for arms, and a day for legs.  There are all kinds of "splits" you can do: pushing motions one day, pulling motions the next, back/bis chest/tris and legs is a popular split.  Some guys even have a day just for shoulders which works well for some (I'm one of those guys).  That means you are visiting each body part with 4-7 days of rest for the recovery of the muscle to take place.  Working one body part per day with a few days in between is a good way to build muscle.  Also, don't forget the power lifts like dead lifts, squat, and clean/jerk.  Again, if you are unfamiliar with any of these, talk to a trainer or coach.

As for you eating, it sounds like you are doing a good job eating regularly without more than 3-4 hrs in between.  Try to focus on making sure you get a good meal after each workout and that it includes protein (research says around 1.5g / kg of body weight).  Make sure you time your protein intake well so that you have those nutrients when your body needs them for muscle building (within 90 minutes of your workout and about an hour before bedtime).  You also have to get plenty of carbs for energy and enough dietary fat for good metabolism and body function (around 20 g / day).  Don't skip meals!  Also, your body produces the most human growth hormone (naturally) when you are sleeping so you have to get plenty of sleep.  In fact, I was training a guy who just couldn't seem to put on the size he wanted.  We tried everything and couldn't figure out what the problem was.  Finally he admitted he was working a crazy work shift and wasn't sleeping much.  When he was finally able to get proper rest, he finally started seeing the results he was working so hard for.  So, make sure you are sleeping enough at night 7-9hrs, and napping when you can during the day.

Try these hints and talk to a coach at your school or a qualified trainer at a gym for help with technique.  Good luck