confusion/newbie stuff

nhguy78

I'm not new to weightlifting or cardio but I am so frumpy, I make the town librarian look hot. So, I'm really interested in gaining muscle mass. I have so many questions but they seem so newbie so here goes:

I don't have time for super long full body workouts. I've been doing muscle group per day followed by 15-30 minutes of cardio. Does this matter to muscle building? I keep hearing that I should be doing 3 full body workouts per week.

What does it mean to train hard? Besides getting the workout set up for me by my gym, I've never had a mentor or trainer or anyone to guide me through this stuff. If I feel my form is suffering I usually adjust weight lower so I'm getting the most out of the movement. Is this bad? How heavy should I go just to add weight?

How does one go about eating and increasing calorie intake if barely have time at work. If I'm not doing overtime, I'm away from home 10 hours a day, not including time at the gym. TMI, perhaps...

3laine75

I agree that with limited time a 3x full body workout would be best. SL 5x5 or strong curves or whatever. I know you said you're not a beginner but if you haven't done a programme like that for a while there could be some gains to be had.

Heavy is what's heavy for you (with good form).

itsbasschick

my husband does a full body workout twice a week, and that works very well for him. training hard means intense workouts where you really work to move the weight. heavy for one person is light for another - it's about working the muscles. and good for you on lightening if your form is suffering.

alereck

I work out a total of 2 hours / week and while I wish I could do more it seems to be enough for muscle building. No cardio.

I think you know when you had a good workout. You have to push yourself, not necessarily with higher weights but it has to be challenging. Other than that it's like they say "the only bad workout is the one that didn't get done" (apart from injuring yourself due to bad form)

nhguy78

Thank for the responses. Another thing I've been wondering about: do you eat less on rest days or keep the same level of calories regardless? Do you keep the same protein/fat/carbs every day?

KingRat79

working out three days a week doing a full body workout is usual advisable because as a beginner it takes about two days for your body to recover form a workout. training three days a week optimizes this cycle. if you do a body part split say training one body part a day over 5 days you end up with one body part having recovered but not being trained for an entire week. having a body part split may work but its not optimal.

Forget "training hard" think about "training smart" don't make up your own program get on a well established program. a good program should set out a linear approach to progressive overload. i.e each session you lift slightly more.

as for food why not take food with you, I when I cook my evening meal I Cook enough for two meal and take the left over to work with me the following day. I eat 3000+ calories a day and never have difficulty getting it in and am out of the house for 10-12 hours a day.

nhguy78

Thanks for the response. What I've been doing lately for my workout is tri/back day 1, bi/chest day 2 and legs day 3 ... 15-20 minutes cardio otherwise. I do that twice (a week)

MityMax96

nhguy78 wrote: »

Thanks for the response. What I've been doing lately for my workout is tri/back day 1, bi/chest day 2 and legs day 3 ... 15-20 minutes cardio otherwise. I do that twice (a week)

Without knowing what those workouts look like (reps/sets/weights, etc...)
Sounds decent.....
But are you getting proper nutrition/food??
And is the weight you are doing, stimulating your muscles??
Are you doing compound lifts as part of your program?

nhguy78

A previous response I posted I was asking about calorie intake and eating on rest days, etc.
Your question about stimulating muscles ... that's a question I'm not sure I can answer without sounding like a newbie. LOL
I've not been doing compound lifts.

MityMax96

Then I would build my workouts around compound lifts to start, before moving to accessory/isolation exercises.

PwrLftr82

MityMax96 wrote: »

Then I would build my workouts around compound lifts to start, before moving to accessory/isolation exercises.

This.

Your leg day should start with squat and then accessories; back with deadlifts/pull-ups and then accessories, etc. You're really shortchanging yourself in your workouts if you're not doing these basic moves.

StephTheVeggieKiller

A lot of people think that you do not need cardio. For looking good by building muscle, sure you dont really need it. But keep in mind that if you put on more weight from building muscle, you need to work your heart because thats additional strain. It matters!! You only need 30 minutes/day to take care of your cardiovascular system.

gothchiq

Others are responding about exercise so I'll address your question about looking frumpy. Get a trusted, honest friend to help evaluate your wardrobe, hair style, and makeup. Try getting a makeover at a counter like Bobbi Brown that focuses on a natural polished look. Look through web sites for hair styles that are intended to work with your hair type and face shape; likewise look at sites that offer guidance on how to flatter your body type with clothes, and what colors look good with your skin tone. That is something that can work immediately while you are putting in the time to slowly reshape your body. If you're broke like I am, don't despair. Take what you learn at the expensive makeup counter and buy affordable makeup like NYX to achieve the look. I have found some of the cutest, nicest clothes at thrift shops for like $3 and $5. Look for coupons/discounts for the hair salons, or grand opening specials. You will feel better instantly and that helps your motivation with the workouts and diet.

StephTheVeggieKiller

Makeup and fashon are important but I bet you a dollar that when you start gaining a bit of muscle, you'll feel 100% less frumpy. Kill it.

gothchiq

.... wait, my advice was directed for females. If you're a guy, ignore me. I can't tell from your post.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

PwrLftr82

MrM27 wrote: »

Stepher1123mfp wrote: »

A lot of people think that you do not need cardio. For looking good by building muscle, sure you dont really need it. But keep in mind that if you put on more weight from building muscle, you need to work your heart because thats additional strain. It matters!! You only need 30 minutes/day to take care of your cardiovascular system.

The impact that heavy lifting has on your cardiovascular system is just a beneficial as running or cardio. No you don't need cardio.

Agreed. Only reason to do cardio on a bulk is to be able to eat more.

MityMax96

I was going to say the same earlier, but decided not to post it, so I didnt' start a food fight.
But I think I get a decent aerobic workout from my lifting sessions....
But I still two days of light cardio on my "rest" days.

Now if I were training for some long distance running or something, then obviously I would stop doing so many weight lifting days and switch to running days.....

But I dont believe cardio is that big a requirement if you are lifting....and your diet is on point with what your goals are.

nhguy78

For the makeup gothchiq ... I thought my username was a giveaway. LOL

pgg001

nhguy78 wrote: »

What does it mean to train hard..... If I feel my form is suffering I usually adjust weight lower so I'm getting the most out of the movement. Is this bad? How heavy should I go just to add weight?

Training "hard" means barely able to complete your reps (almost failure) on each set with good form.

Think of it this way - If you are naturally slim (as I am) your body wants to stay in this slim state. For muscle growth, you are asking your body to do something that is biologically inefficient... Creating more expensive muscle. The only reason your body will do this, is if it thinks that it absolutely HAS to,... to keep you alive.

Going through the motions in the gym isn't going to cut it. You need to be doing your weights heavy enough that your body starts a defensive mechanism (growing) to combat the perceived threat of the weights that you are lifting.

If you are 'comfortable' while working out, your body is 'comfortable' and there is no need for it to respond. You must make thing very 'uncomfortable' for your body.

This all might sound extreme and very daunting. But that is where you need to get to - eventually. As others have pointed out, you can do this by simply making sure that you are lifting more each and every time you go to the gym. That means monitoring everything you lift (weights/reps) and pushing yourself further each time (even if it's just a tiny bit more weight.

Start out by getting people to show you the correct form. But once you have your form sorted, and two weeks of acclimation then you need to be pushing your muscles to failure if you want to see any decent results.

SnuggleSmacks

Try to pick a weight that will allow you to do the number of reps and sets in your program, but those last few reps are hard, and the very last one fails. Failure means you cannot do it with proper form, not that you cannot do it at all. I've seen guys at the gym contort their bodies into some pretzel shapes in order to squeeze out one last rep, and it's obvious they're going to injure theirselves one day. No need to go that far.

More specific advice really depends on things like how many reps and sets your move requires. Basically, if you get to the end of a move and you're still able to do more with perfect form, then the weight is too low. Raise it next time.

nhguy78

I don't think my problem, then, isn't stimulating muscle. I think I need to focus on proper nutrition. I've been afraid of getting fat when eating more.

Along those lines, do you eat less food on rest days or do you keep everything the same?

Also, how long do you keep the bulk phase going?

PwrLftr82

nhguy78 wrote: »

I don't think my problem, then, isn't stimulating muscle. I think I need to focus on proper nutrition. I've been afraid of getting fat when eating more.

Along those lines, do you eat less food on rest days or do you keep everything the same?

Also, how long do you keep the bulk phase going?

I tend to eat a little more on lifting days, specifically starchy carbs. It's not necessary, though, as your body doesn't know if it's 11 pm one day or 1 am the next. Just try to maintain an overall surplus and, if in doubt, and a protein shake with a banana.

The period of time you choose to bulk is up to you. You can pick a time period or a final goal weight. For example, I picked an amount of time last year (20 weeks) and ended up gaining 6 lbs. Learned a lot from that experience and am now aiming for 10-15 lbs in that same time period.

AKDonF

Many people have one of two mentalities about bulking: former fat boy syndrome, or former skinny guy syndrome. FFBs are afraid of getting too fat and FSGs are afraid of getting too skinny and refuse to cut. Don't worry, the fat will come off again after the bulk, so don't minimize gains because of fear. However, do be sane about it and eat at a modest surplus (250-500 calories).

alereck

MrM27 wrote: »

Stepher1123mfp wrote: »

A lot of people think that you do not need cardio. For looking good by building muscle, sure you dont really need it. But keep in mind that if you put on more weight from building muscle, you need to work your heart because thats additional strain. It matters!! You only need 30 minutes/day to take care of your cardiovascular system.

The impact that heavy lifting has on your cardiovascular system is just a beneficial as running or cardio. No you don't need cardio.

This, do supersets or 30 reps of medium weight squats in between sets and we'll see if you don't get your cardiovascular system in good working order.