Strength training (without gaining weight)

What would you suggest when it comes to gaining strength, but putting on as little muscle as possible. Ive heard less weight, more reps, is a better option than a lot of weight. Ive personally been thinking plyometrics might be a good choice. But I figured it's best to get as many different opinions on the subject as possible. A few things I'm looking for specifically..

What is a good workout routine that will help build strength, while remaining as close to my current weight as possible?

What is the best diet for someone looking to build strength without the extra mass? (How many calories, carbs, proteins, ect.. and whats the best foods to get these from?)

Any other habits that are important that I should know. Be it sleep patterns, certain things to avoid, times of day to workout.. All that jazz. Anything that could help me become the strongest P4P at my current weight. I should also mention im a n00b at strength training so any info is beneficial.

plyometrics doesn't mean anything but jumping training which would definitely get your blood flowing and make your quads burn. you look like your an ectomorph in that picture. I'd think your probably gonna have a hard time gaining weight unless you eat a whole lot of food. I am an ectomorph also but always wanted to gain weight and always eventually ended up sickening myself thereby losing my appetite and losing the mostly belly weight i'd put on by gorging myself on unhealthy foods. cutting down on your body fat percentage would be the way to be your strongest pound for pound. they say the descension of your rep should be twice as long as the exertion to gain strength. in other words if you were bench pressing you would slowly lower the bar to your chest and quickly push it off. 8 to 12 reps is the common strength gaining recommendation. 3 to 5 sets is the basic program. I like to work it till it burns and i get near failure which usually means i have to go with lighter weights where i can get in like 20 reps. weight training is all good and it'll make you stronger but if you want to get fit i'll tell you something similar like i heard a guy say in the gym once that made alotta sense. "If you ain't sweating you ain't really doing shit". its hard to do it all in a day so you might want to break it up into groups different ways. for instance: pairing pulling movements with pushing movements i.e. squats with hamstring curls, or do upper body one day and lower body another, theres a million different kinds of programs and a thousand gurus, but at the end of the day you have to decide. as far as the calories and your workout routine you can always keep a log. i don't but i've tried before. keeping a log book with you at the gym and writing down exactly how many you did and what your eating and tracking down exactly how many calories you eat would definitely be a motivating factor as you try to reproduce your former record in the gym and calorie counting at first with no controls will give you an idea of where your typical intake levels are at now before you start modifying them. I personally try to eat a plant based diet because thats what i think people were naturally supposed to eat and that its healthy, though its hard for me to feel satiated and hard to get thru and hour and a half at the gym without wanting to leave early just to go get some more food in myself. alot of people are into the paleo thing, some are doing the atkins diet, some intermittently fast, some swear by a mediterranean diet, others believe in that food pyramid. best things i can recommend to you that I'm pretty sure I won't get harangued for is to stay away from alcohol and smoking and get a good amount of sleep. also research how your bodys muscles connect and work and how to avoid things like shoulder impingements, knee shearing, hernias and hemorrhoids. take everything you hear with a grain of salt. I'd go with p90x or insanity maybe. i tried p90x back in the day and used to try to do a different one everyday. my ass was kick by the third day and i quit. right now i just jog once or twice a day to get my lungs working to clean out phlegm mostly because i'm trying to keep them cleaned out to try to combat my asthma. I do upper body one day then rest a day then do lower body another day then rest a day.

You have 2 guys in our gym, Mike and James, who can build you the exact program you're looking for.

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Originally Posted by Brandon Mccaghren

You have 2 guys in our gym, Mike and James, who can build you the exact program you're looking for.

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Very awesome.

genetics play a big part.

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Originally Posted by einstein

genetics play a big part.

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Genetics these nuts...

I can put you on my diet and exercise program, it consists of biscuits and gravy, potted meat on white bread, and a big glass of buttermilk three times a day, then you just watch a bunch of skinamax on your dvr. You'll be amazed at the results.

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Originally Posted by Chris "Beowulf" Burchell

I can put you on my diet and exercise program, it consists of biscuits and gravy, potted meat on white bread, and a big glass of buttermilk three times a day, then you just watch a bunch of skinamax on your dvr. You'll be amazed at the results.

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Can I be on your diet too Chris? That sounds rad as fuck.

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Originally Posted by Chris "Beowulf" Burchell

I can put you on my diet and exercise program, it consists of biscuits and gravy, potted meat on white bread, and a big glass of buttermilk three times a day, then you just watch a bunch of skinamax on your dvr. You'll be amazed at the results.

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TTT for the science behind this.