Your weight gain goals are similar to the ones I had when I started lifting during my first year in college. I probably weighed about 180 lbs at this age and was 6'2". Five years later, after I had graduated and started my career, I weighed in at 222 lbs, the most I've ever weighed.

I was (and still am) a hard-gainer with a fast metabolism. So I had to consume enormous amounts of foods and supplements to put on that kind of weight. Clearly, there's no way I could have reached this weight without supplements.

I currently weigh 192 lbs and have no desire to get bigger. Let me explain why and offer you some advice:

If your body is anything like mine, you are going to have to be constantly consuming huge amounts of food and supplements to gain weight. And you are going to have to put in a lot of effort at the gym. Which is all good if you really enjoy working out like that and can put up with the diet/lifestyle. I certainly enjoyed it when I was younger and it was a good outlet to burn off extra steam and energy.

The problem is that as soon as you stop eating and lifting like that, your weight is going to plummet back down to your natural body weight and you won't have anything to show for all the time, effort and money you invested. In my case, even maintaining a 222 lb body was a lot of work.

Ultimately, for me, the routine became too demanding, expensive, and time consuming for results that would simply disappear when the routine couldn't be maintained. I still like working out but prefer running, calisthenics and some weight lifting. I eat clean and healthy and avoid the crazy diets requiring all the creatine and enormous amounts of protein. And the funny thing is I look and feel better right now than I ever did when I was a bloated, pumped-up weight lifter.

I guess what I'm saying is that you should be able to attain your goals, but once you get to that point, you should realize a tremendous amount of effort and calories will still be required for you to maintain that weight. And you may not look as good or feel as healthy as you think. I would personally recommend a more sensible and healthier diet and exercise plan and use the time and money you'll save to go out and have fun. It's very common for exercise fanatics, especially bodybuilers, to become slaves to their "hobby."

 

Consider your ability to not gain weight a blessing.

 

I tried like you. I had the caloric intake shakes and the like for 3 months and didn't gain an ounce. Worked out but the martial arts didn't give me enough strength training to build muscle. I was tipping 5000 calories a day for almost 3 months, not a stinking ounce! I weighed 135lbs at 6'1 until I hit 30 I now weight 155, which is good, the bad thing is I went from 5% body fat to 12% instead of gaining muscle because I haven't been working out. I just got a membership at the local YMCA because at 6'1 155lbs there isn't a reason to have anything but a six pack (short of being sick) and I am the new owner of a five pack. So basically don't get too discouraged if you don't get the weight on, just work out. Some people just can't put it on easily.

 

I'm sure you already know this, but to gain weight, your caloric intake has to be greater than your caloric expenditure. I won't go any further since I'm no nutritional expert, but that's the basic idea.

Try asking your question on this site.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/

 

The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding, by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bill Dobbins. Lots of good info on different routines, diets, etc. that vary with your objective.

 

I am 5'6" and weighed about 140 coming out of high school. 28 inch waist, looked like a bag of bones. Since high school I have worked out regularly, I also work out very hard. Bought a great home gym and hit it and free weights for about an hour nearly every day. All of this has brought me up to a manly man's weight of 155 pounds for about 18 years of working out. I don't do supplements and I eat like a pig.


My point is that if you come from a gene pool of skinny people you might be swimming upstream. If you look at your dad and he is built skinny you might be setting unrealistic goals for yourself. Regardless of how much wieght you put on, I am sure if you will be happy with the results.

Putting on one or two pounds of lean muscle and looking good might be all you need. Chicks dig it when a guy is in good shape, being huge or not being huge has little to do with it for most women. One of the hottest girls I know likes skinny guys, and lots of women prefer swimmers build. The getting huge part usually impresses other guys more than anything else.

 

CoastieTX brings up some excellent points. Just like diets to loose weight, gaining weight /muscle requires diet, excerise and time to maintain your new weight. I won't try to talk you out of trying to gain weight/muscle, I'll assume you understand that it's a time consuming and intense process to do so.

Coming out of highschool, you are a good age to try and add some weight. Suppliments like Creatine have worked very well for many people I know, but I've tried a few brands of creatine over the years and it has never had a possitive effect for me. Hard work and a structured diet have helped me though.

I'll give you an example of a weight gaining phase that I use to help give you an example. I'll do lite cardio during the weight gaining cycle as to not simply burn calories with intense cardio workouts. I'll up my calorie intake dramatically by eating many smaller meals through out the day and a high cal. shake in the morning and evening after lifting. I also focus primarily on the large muscle groups at the gym during this period. Working legs and back hard is a great way to pack on muscle weight. I'll usually keep to high weight low rep sets during this period and opt to work each muscle group twice a week with adequte rest days in between (know and understand your bodies limits for rest and recovery).

Also, it'll take time. Don't be discourged if you don't see gains right away. Just keep working hard (and safely) and track your progress. If you haven't lifted heavy in the past, start slow, keep good form, have a trusted spotter, and don't give up. All those things are key to your goals in the gym.

 

Well, you need to have the "genes" to be successful in this sport. Just ask Guenther Schlierkamp. To start, you need to have "a large-framed, sturdily built German farm woman" as your mom.

Guenther's Childhood.

 

Stay OFF of that elliptical. All your doing is burning calories which you need in order to gain weight.

 

Look into Arnold's Bodybuilding Encycolpideia. Its the only book youll need.