New to gaining muscle - I want your advice and (success) stories!

Hornsby

@diverroboz nobody puts on 6% body fat in 3 weeks...

Springfield1970

Hornsby wrote: »

@diverroboz nobody puts on 6% body fat in 3 weeks...

That's nearly what I did while visiting family over Christmas in California this year.
It was mostly free tortilla chips in Mexican restaurants.

Though the mathematician in me wants to work it out.
Say I weigh 130lb. That's 7.8 (lb) x 3500 excess calories=27300 calories divided by 21 days=1300 excess calories a day.

I think I was doing that! A couple of alcoholic/sugary drinks, a muffin, a brownie, loads of Mexican food, chips and no exercise. I'd only need to eat 3000 a day in total to gain that much fat.

In reality I put on 5lb over the year, with the last 3 being on holiday.

diverroboz

Hornsby wrote: »

@diverroboz nobody puts on 6% body fat in 3 weeks...

I am 95kg and 3kg gained in 3 weeks is not quite 3%...!
I guess some of that was muscle, is that what you were implying?? If so thanks!!

worldlymaret

Thanks for keeping this thread going guys.. Glad to see a lady joined us @Springfield1970

And good to hear about your positive experiences with "the results" of gaining guys!! I'm only about two weeks into my journey... I ate a lot over the last week, and did gain 300 grams (just over 1/2 lbs), I want to do it slow but steady so am trying to pace myself and not just stuffing my face with anything. Adjusting the Strong Curves programme to be able to do it from home. I'll be honest, I only did three weight work outs last week, because I was hurting so much. Is that because I'm not strong yet, should I go down on weights, or keep at it and instead just "redo" a week?? What do you guys think?
I'm not complaining, Lifting any kind of weights three times a week is so much more than I ever did before!

RebeccaNaegle

psulemon wrote: »

worldlymaret wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm a slim 29yo woman (ectomorph) and I've recently started to work out (light weights at home) and changed my diet to aid in gaining muscle.

My maintenance Kcal were around 1500 which I’ve now bumped up to 1700 (macros being 50% carb, 25% fat and 25% protein).
I’m doing dumbbell workouts at home with light weights, the max being 5 kilos per dumbbell for biceps. I want to do those twice a week. Besides that I go wakeboarding at least once a week (this will go up in the summer) and for regular lunch walks (30 minutes, but not every day).

I’m not looking for a rapid “gain” – I don’t have a weight in mind, but I want my body to grow stronger and toned in a relaxed, sustainable way - clean gaining all the way. Does the above description sound like it’s the right thing? Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks, Mo

Wow, that is one low maintenance. Have you used a food scale and tracked your calories for an extended period to come up with that or is that an estimate? I only ask because i have only seen that low of a number with those with hypothyroidism.

Second, ectomorphs are not a thing. Somatotypes are a myth.

Third, you will probably need more weight than what you are using. You essentially want to achieve muscular hypertrophy to help grow muscle. And to maximize that, you should follow a structured program that is focused on compound lifts.

Four, in order to gain weight, you want to be in a consistent surplus. Essentially, it's fueling the muscle to grow. But you also need to realize, that you will also gain fat. This is why you cut after a bulk. Now the more lean (lower body fat) you are, the more willing your body will be to gain muscle as opposed to fat. So going into a bulk with the expectation that you will gain fat is important. Women can typically gain about 1/4 lb of muscle a week, so essentially, for every 1lb of weight you gain, 25% will be muscle, the rest will be fat. This is dependent on leanness, training history, genetics, etc.... the amount of fat you gained is not dependent on the specific foods you eat.

Fifth, while there is nothing wrong with the list above, its fairly unnecessary. You don't need to add any of those component. Unsaturated fats (nuts, oils, seeds) are beneficial to heart health and have been linked to lowering cholesterol and they are high in calories, which can make it easier in a bulk. But ultimately, protein and carbs tend to be the better macros to have during a bulk. Carbs help stimulate growth and protein is the building block.

If you need help on choosing a program, http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

If you struggle with calories: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10326769/are-you-a-hard-gainer-please-read/p1

GREAT advice here. ^^^ everything is on point! However, I eat around 1500 Cal for maintenance too, so that's not too low in my opinion.

xmichaelyx

Good advice here. I'll add: I assume that you're doing dumbbell curls. This is not a great exercise for getting in shape or putting on muscle. You want to find compound exercises, that is, exercises that work several muscle groups at once (preferably large muscle groups, which the biceps are not).

There are all sorts of great body-weight exercises you can do to help with this if you don't have the equipment. YouTube will be your friend here. Otherwise, a lifting program is a great way to go. Lots of women seem to like New Rules of Lifting for Women, but any of the 5x5 programs would work as well.

worldlymaret

Phew @RebeccaParmenter - I'm not alone! Currently going on a 1700 cal/day (although I've been over most of last week) for about a month at @psulemon 's suggestion - see what that will do for weight gain!

@xmichaelyx I'm currently following the Strong Curves programme (mentioned here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1) and adapting some of the exercises so that I can do them at home. I feel like they are a good starting point coming from nothing! They seem to target several muscle groups per work out, but are mainly focused on the glute-areas, so I am looking to add exercises (with time) to also work my arms/back some more!

psuLemon

worldlymaret wrote: »

Phew @RebeccaParmenter - I'm not alone! Currently going on a 1700 cal/day (although I've been over most of last week) for about a month at @psulemon 's suggestion - see what that will do for weight gain!

@xmichaelyx I'm currently following the Strong Curves programme (mentioned here: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1) and adapting some of the exercises so that I can do them at home. I feel like they are a good starting point coming from nothing! They seem to target several muscle groups per work out, but are mainly focused on the glute-areas, so I am looking to add exercises (with time) to also work my arms/back some more!

Upper body starts to get brought in a lot more after the first month.

zieglerj100

I highly suggest reading these:

http://www.acaloriecounter.com/diet/
http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/the-ultimate-weight-training-workout-routine/
http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/how-much-muscle-can-you-gain/
http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/bulk-and-cut/
http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/ectomorph-hardgainer/

diverroboz

I only did three weight work outs last week, because I was hurting so much. Is that because I'm not strong yet, should I go down on weights, or keep at it and instead just "redo" a week?? What do you guys think?

Sore muscles happen a day or more AFTER TRAINING, they are known technically as DOMS Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, unsurprisingly!
It feels stuff and sensitive, painful at the smallest pressure. Yep, it always happens when new to weightlifting, or after a layoff from that particular bodypart. You can train thru it, just warm up first and go easy! It will pass in a few days or so... rarely it is longer than 4 days of very painful muscles.
Redo? Sure, after 20 years of training I redo workouts every week... never stop learning to lift better!! That is what is great about it!!