I've gained 14lbs in 21 days.

[Eurodriver]

I was always skinny and it was hard to put weight on.

Eats lots and lots of protien and good fats. Don't eat a bunch of junk carbs(sugar) and eat plenty of veggies.

Continue to do the big lifts like you are.

With the exception of milk, that's right on target. Last night I almost threw up eating a half of bag of broccoli and 1.2 lbs of chicken breast.

My diet isn't really all that bad, but I just can't eat enough to gain weight. This is where the milk comes in.

[T2C]

A concern with rapid weight gain is that your bone development is keeping up with the weight gain.

[WillBrink]

Let me begin this by saying I am trying to gain weight.

My concern is that I may be putting on weight a little too fast.

I'm tall and thin and I've been this way for a long time. With the exception of some hardcore lifting in Iraq (which, in hindsight most of it was useless) and tons of protein shakes I've never been over 190lbs.

Today I hit 197. Three weeks ago I began my workout/diet at 183lbs. Last Friday I weighed 192lbs. Five pounds in 7 days. Am I gaining weight too quickly? I haven't noticed a serious fat gain but I have noticed some which is entirely understandable.

I've eaten an average of 4500 calories a day - 2400 of which comes from a gallon of whole milk.

Should I slow down? Will the law of diminishing returns eventually stabilize my weight gain? At the rate I'm going I will weigh 250lbs by Christmas. I know that's not going to be all solid, shredded muscle.

As far as workout plans, I am doing the Stronglift 5x5. The program is out there if you want to google it but it basically centers on 6 major exercises all using heavy barbell weights. No tricep extensions, leg extensions, etc. Its all big compound exercises. 3 days a week which mixes up Squats (Every day), bench, overhead press, rows, deadlift, etc. I'm happy with this plan and it's great to see the gains I'm making however I cannot master proper form on barbell rows at all.

As I said I'm really tall so standing bent over without curving my back and picking up the bar off the floor is extremely difficult. I know a lot of it has to do with my lack of flexibility. But I just don't see myself ever being able to stand, bend over, and do barbell rows. It's a loonnggg way down, especially when I'm not even using 45lb plates yet.

To summarize -

I know fat gain is expected with working out and building muscle. But how do I avoid getting ridiculously pudgy while still bulking up? Am I on that path now?

You can't gain that as LBM in 7 days, so it's likely glycogen, some fat, some muscle. Using actual calipers to test body fat, is the most objective way to know, along with the mirror, how your clothes fit, performance in the gym, and actual weight last.

Do barbell rows have to be done off the floor? Is there an easier way to bend over and get it done, especially for taller guys?

Where to take the barbell from to do your rows is irrelevant. Take the loaded bar from what ever height is comfortable for you.

[Hmac]

Should I slow down? Will the law of diminishing returns eventually stabilize my weight gain? At the rate I'm going I will weigh 250lbs by Christmas. I know that's not going to be all solid, shredded muscle.

I don't understand what you're doing, but it appears to be bad, whatever your plan is. What you're gaining in that short a time frame has little to do with muscle.

I'm not sure what your reason for being so hot on gaining weight is, but the only way you're going to do it and remain healthy is by adding muscle. That means you'll have to match your calorie/protein intake to your calories expended on weight training.

I'd recommend doing this smarter. Get your lean body mass calculated and see where you are for fat %. Then work with someone to develop a weight training routine and a diet to match.

[ptmccain]

Let me begin this by saying I am trying to gain weight.

You lost me there, bro.

[Eurodriver]

Its pretty simple.

I really don't care if i get fat. I'm so tall and thin that I could easily gain another 25lbs, maybe 50, and look normal.

When I cut out the milk from my diet I'll just shrink back to being lean and skinny again anyway.

Went grocery shopping today.

The last time I tried to gain weight I went from 173 to 192~ and it took me 4 months. After I quit hitting up the gym and taking protein shakes I went right back to 173. 173 is pretty thin for someone who could blend in among NBA players.

Let's skip the milk for a second and just talk calories. 4500 can't be very much for an active person that is my height and age. (I'm young, too)

[brickboy240]

If you do those rows while standing, you can work your stabilizer muscles at the same time.

I do rows with 35lb kettlebells.

Do them at a brick pace and with a very short rest between sets and they WILL make you sweat! LOL

-brickboy240

[Hmac]

Its pretty simple.

I really don't care if i get fat. I'm so tall and thin that I could easily gain another 25lbs, maybe 50, and look normal.

When I cut out the milk from my diet I'll just shrink back to being lean and skinny again anyway.

Went grocery shopping today.

The last time I tried to gain weight I went from 173 to 192~ and it took me 4 months. After I quit hitting up the gym and taking protein shakes I went right back to 173. 173 is pretty thin for someone who could blend in among NBA players.

Let's skip the milk for a second and just talk calories. 4500 can't be very much for an active person that is my height and age. (I'm young, too)

So your goal is to just look normal, without regard for your health?

Have you consulted anyone? Your doctor? A nutritionist? A weight trainer? Your body has chosen a weight for you, based on genetics and environment. It will continue to work hard to defend that set-point unless you can change the set point. You aren't going to do that by just slamming down junk food and other unhealthy foods like milk. That will be long term unsuccessful, as you've already seen, and you risk your health in the meantime. See a doctor. Look at your lipid panel. Check your thyroid. Make sure you don't have worms. Get some professional advice. What you're doing just makes absolutely no sense.

[WillBrink]

Its pretty simple.

I really don't care if i get fat. I'm so tall and thin that I could easily gain another 25lbs, maybe 50, and look normal.

When I cut out the milk from my diet I'll just shrink back to being lean and skinny again anyway.

Went grocery shopping today.

The last time I tried to gain weight I went from 173 to 192~ and it took me 4 months. After I quit hitting up the gym and taking protein shakes I went right back to 173. 173 is pretty thin for someone who could blend in among NBA players.

Let's skip the milk for a second and just talk calories. 4500 can't be very much for an active person that is my height and age. (I'm young, too)

If you don't care, then I'm unclear what actual question is. I had a friend in college back in the day who was 6'4" and 140 lbs. We wore 3 pairs of sweat pants to hide how thin he was.

Due to his age, height, and weight, he went pretty much on the crash calorie diet of eat everything and anything with 4000-5000 cals or so, focused on heavy lifting using compounds movements (squats, deads, bench, etc, etc) and was 230lbs by graduation, with very little fat added.

At his height, that weight was far from a body building look, but it he looked healthy and filled out and was much happier guy. If that's the general direction you're headed, that's fine but (1) we had zero information back then in terms of reliable science and information on a more intelligent approach (2) I'd recommend tracking essential health indicators (BP, lipids, etc) via a medical professional while focused on gaining weight: people have varied reactions to it. He had no obvious negative changes in basic health indicators. I know because I used his results to write a paper for an A&P class, with access to his lab results, physicals, etc, and only thing that that went up were his lipids, which stayed well within acceptable numbers.

He was a division II ball player for the college, and the added weight (as mostly muscle) only improved his game he said. Obviously, at some point there would be a diminishing return of added weight to impact on performance, going into the negative, but he was far from that at his height.

He had to work hard and be consistent to do it I don't think the kid missed a meal or a workout for 4 years straight while we pals training together.

In my line of work, I have worked with, and or tracked, thousands of kids trying to gain weight, and have as extensive a real world view of that as anyone currently breathing.

Now that he's close to 50, he's pretty much the same weight, but has a bit of a tummy, and can't eat what ever he wants without adding to that tummy. Major health issues to dare joint related, which his orthopedist puts down more to the high impact of years on the court and feels the resistance training was probably more protective than causative, but there's no free lunch on human biology.

Life happens...

[WillBrink]

So your goal is to just look normal, without regard for your health?

Have you consulted anyone? Your doctor? A nutritionist? A weight trainer? Your body has chosen a weight for you, based on genetics and environment. It will continue to work hard to defend that set-point unless you can change the set point. You aren't going to do that by just slamming down junk food and other unhealthy foods like milk. That will be long term unsuccessful, as you've already seen, and you risk your health in the meantime. See a doctor. Look at your lipid panel. Check your thyroid. Make sure you don't have worms. Get some professional advice. What you're doing just makes absolutely no sense.

Doc, do you feel milk is an inherently unhealthy food or more specific to the volumes he's consuming?