muscle ??

454Baba454
454Baba454 Posts: 8 Member
edited November 15 in Fitness and Exercise
hiya

Probably sound a bit stupid but could some one please clarify this for me

so I started my Journey on 5th January at 116 lbs and 20% BF
and now i am 106 lbs and 15% BF

My legs are a lot more toned and noticeable
but my arms and core are starting to show definition but its no where near as noticeable

Is that down to my Exercise which is mostly high intensity cardio for about 40 mins a day (Insanity)

I want to start strength training and to shorten my cardio as i want to gain muscle mass but unfortunately I only have kettle bells and the heaviest is 8kg.I was thinking about getting a weight bar which is 15kg will that be okay for my core,arms,shoulders and bum and actually start to show results or do i need something heavier.

will i need to raise my calories to 1600 instead of 1200 to help gain muscle mass.I have done a search and most places say have 2000

my height and measurements are

5'2
30-23-31








Replies

  • _madshope
    _madshope Posts: 7 Member
    Its definitely very important that you raise your calorie intake from 1200. Especially if you are wanting to add muscle mass. When gaining muscle, you must eat a surplus of about 500-1000 calories more than your TDEE. [total daily energy expenditure] which you can calculate by finding your BMR [basal metabolic rate] which is what your body burns just be breathing and doing all its essential things, + then by your body weight, age, + activity level. (There are plenty of great websites you can calculate that at) Food is fuel, and you must give your muscles the energy they need in order to grow.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    How did you calculate that you are 15% BF?
  • 454Baba454
    454Baba454 Posts: 8 Member
    Asher_Ethan wrote: »
    How did you calculate that you are 15% BF?
    I don't no how correct it is as it's very hard to actually get the correct amount as you tend to sometimes be off 3 % but
    body calipers and scales both say I'm around the 15% mark
    I don't no if it is correct but compared to January when I was suppose ably around 20% I do look a lot leaner

    But it's just a rough estimate really :smile:
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    scales are calipers are not 100% accurate. the only way to get an accurate bf % is to get a dexa scan,hydrostatic weighing,theres another method I cant think of but, yeah those are the only ones that are the most accurate.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    454Baba454 wrote: »
    Asher_Ethan wrote: »
    How did you calculate that you are 15% BF?
    I don't no how correct it is as it's very hard to actually get the correct amount as you tend to sometimes be off 3 % but
    body calipers and scales both say I'm around the 15% mark
    I don't no if it is correct but compared to January when I was suppose ably around 20% I do look a lot leaner

    But it's just a rough estimate really :smile:

    If you were 15% bodyfat you would be fairly toned all around. Those scales are not great so I would avoid them. Body Calipers can be good but the user must be pretty good and experienced at it. It sounds like you're on the right track by getting off the 1200 calorie plan; I don't know why that sounds so appealing to most women in the first place. You'll probably feel better too. Good luck!
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