Newbie to weight lifting and need advice and mfp friends who know their stuff

ljones27uk

Hi there,
I joined mfp around 8 months ago and have lost 42lbs, down from 14stone 2 to around 11' 2. (Im 5' 8 and male) Im pretty comfortable with my body fat levels now, I haven't had it measured properly, but I feel pretty happy with it and am now embarking on a mission to build lean muscle.. (think fight club, not conan)
Ive had a personal trainer design a programme for me that involves upper and lower body workouts and understand that diet, once again, is a key part of me hitting my goals.
Ive read a few forums and articles and one thing thats coming across is that Im going to have to up my calories, perhaps 200-300 above my TDEE and if Im going to build muscle accept that Im going to put on bodyfat. Im really keen to keep my body fat low, given Ive worked so hard to lose it all over the past 8 months or so, and Im hoping there is a way round it. If not, is it likely to be noticeable amount of fat gain, or a lb or two that will just be irrelevant given the muscle gain i could expect (assuming I workout properly of course).
Other relevant info.. Im training for a marathon so do a lot of cardio work, and am struggling not to go in my home gym every day. ( I think i might be over working, so need to give myself adequate rest days).
I guess my questions could be summarised as such ;

i) Is it inevitable I will put on body fat if i am building muscle, and if so, how much roughly on average.
ii) Do I absolutely need to eat more calories than I burn? So, If i go on a particularly long run, Im going to have to eat a lot of food..?
iii) Is 2 upper days and 1 or 2 lower body days, with cardio interspersed, with one full rest day a week sensible for a beginner to weight training?
iv) Is there any easy way to measure calorie burn through weight training? I understand HRM are not much use at calculating and am wondering if theres an alternative?
iv) Im keen to become friends with people in similar positions, or are way ahead of me, so that I can see diaries and what workouts/frequency people are doing. Please add me if you dont mind sharing.

Im so pleased I nailed the weight loss part of the jigsaw, but now feel like Im at the start of a whole new journey and know very little about how to ensure I achieve my goals of building muscle but not going back to being fat again. (want to avoid bulk and cut cycles if i can help it)

All advice very welcome and appreciated. - Also any links to good 'newbie' articles on the subject.. I tried looking but couldnt find what I was after.

Thanks all

Luke

AllanMisner

If you’re training for a marathon, I’d advise you to train for a marathon (not look for additional fitness goals to distract you). Your lifting program should be designed to complement your running.

As for eating, every time I’ve trained for a marathon, I gained weight. Predominantly because I had to fuel my training to be effective.

LKArgh

I am no expert, but I think you have conflicting goals: bulking and training for a marathon. Strength training as part of a training program for a long distance runner, awesome. Doing some cardio while trying to bulk, again awesome. But trying to accomplish the two goals at the same time, with equal priority, it does sound a bit weird. Again in my non-expert opinion, from what I have seen with friends who run marathons, cross training when prepare for a marathon focuses on endurance, not bulking. What does your trainer suggest?

Lofteren

You won't build any noticeable amount of muscle mass while training for a marathon. You need to pick building muscle or running a marathon. You cannot serve 2 masters.

ndj1979

if you are training for a marathon then I would suggest delaying your bulk phase until after the marathon …

NickDoesFitness

ndj1979 wrote: »

if you are training for a marathon then I would suggest delaying your bulk phase until after the marathon …

This! Also, for a lean bulk, you might want to look into consuming 500 cals surplus, for steady lean gains. Best of luck

ljones27uk

ahh.. i was worried this was the case. I'm running a fair bit lately (did my first half two weeks ago) and have a 10 mile race next weekend but I have nothing more in my diary until the marathon which isn't until Octoberr. Maybe I could reduce the running, and focus on bulking for the next 3-4 months and then get focused on the marathon training again.
My trainer did suggest it would be tough to focus on both, so I guess Ive got some decisions to make. The running for me was a means to and end ( burn calories and get my bf down), but now Im quite 'into it' and I do want to complete the marathon, just to prove to myself that I can. (I was overweight and unfit for too many years). For me my overall body shape/size is more important in the long term so I guess I'll need to accept slower progress as I ramp up my marathon training. I guess that begs the question of what sort of level of cardio training would still be appropriate for bulking? 2-3 hours of cardio a week sensible?

NickDoesFitness

ljones27uk wrote: »

ahh.. i was worried this was the case. I'm running a fair bit lately (did my first half two weeks ago) and have a 10 mile race next weekend but I have nothing more in my diary until the marathon which isn't until Octoberr. Maybe I could reduce the running, and focus on bulking for the next 3-4 months and then get focused on the marathon training again.
My trainer did suggest it would be tough to focus on both, so I guess Ive got some decisions to make. The running for me was a means to and end ( burn calories and get my bf down), but now Im quite 'into it' and I do want to complete the marathon, just to prove to myself that I can. (I was overweight and unfit for too many years). For me my overall body shape/size is more important in the long term so I guess I'll need to accept slower progress as I ramp up my marathon training. I guess that begs the question of what sort of level of cardio training would still be appropriate for bulking? 2-3 hours of cardio a week sensible?

You can still do the cardio, but at a steadier pace, or if you feel like doing extra cardio, increase your calories to make up for the one's burned to benefit in gains

G8rRay

Depending upon your current fitness for running (it appears that you're well into running fitness) and how your marathon training plan is scheduled, you should only need 16-20 weeks of concentrated (focused), progressive marathon training.

So, counting back from the date of your marathon, it would seem that you do have some time, now, to focus more on your bulking through weight training before jumping into marathon focused training; i.e., a window of opportunity.

sijomial

If you are happy with your body composition and want to build muscle then you must gain weight which means calorie surplus.
Most likely you will gain some fat along with muscle but no-one can predict in what ratio (training, size of surplus, genetics...).

Most people would recommend full body workouts for beginners and not a split routine.

No there isn't any practical way to measure calories burned from weight training, certainly not from using a HRM by the way. Just simply select "strength training" under the MFP CV section of the exercise diary - it will probably give you less of a burn than you expect!

The altenative to bulk/cut cycles is what I do (recomp - slowly changing body composition without changing weight). But if you don't have fat to lose that option isn't available. If you try to recomp from lean to very lean you will probably struggle to progress.

BUT
You have two completely opposite goals in marathon training and muscle/weight gain.
Do you want to make an average job of both or is one your priority?

I cycle and weight train but accept the compromise. I carry more upper body muscle than is optimal for cycling (weight and aerodynamic disadvantage) and my cycling disrupts my strength training - frequently I'm having to avoid leg work as I need to recover from a ride.

You have some choices to make!

4legsRbetterthan2

G8rRay wrote: »

Depending upon your current fitness for running (it appears that you're well into running fitness) and how your marathon training plan is scheduled, you should only need 16-20 weeks of concentrated (focused), progressive marathon training.

but I assume this is your first marathon since you just ran your first half? If you are going into "uncharted territory" it might be worth sceduling conservatively for your marathon training and give yourself extra time if you need it.