Rookie trying to gain muscle

jobaby894 · July 2014

okay, I need help if anyone would be so kind. I am trying to gain muscle, my weight is 116 and my calorie intake is 1400 . I am not seeing any results. I work out 3 to 6 days a week from 30 minutes to 70 minutes. What am I doing wrong?

stumblinthrulife · July 2014

First up, you need a calorie surplus to gain muscle, so you probably aren't eating enough.

Next up, you need to be doing resistance training, not just cardio.

How are you working out?

Are you lifting weights?

Are you following a prebuilt program, or winging it? Which program? How many sets/reps?

How long have you been doing it?

jobaby894 · July 2014

I do resistance training. about 3 to 5 days a week. I do hand weights, bowflex , along with cardio ( I had to make myself put this in, I was only doing resistance training) . I have somewhat of a program and some what winging it. I work at a college and the athletic director set me on a small program. I do 30 seconds on 30seconds off of Squats. push-ups, lunges, planks and burpees. I do 4 circuits of these. I started in Jan. when I stopped smoking. Does that help?

AJ_G · July 2014

You should be doing heavy compound lifts, not push ups and burpees. Stick to squats, deadlifts, bench press, pull ups, barbell rows, and overhead press. You should be using a weight that is heavy enough to cause you to fail in the 8-12 rep range. Body weight exercises will not cut it. Also you need to be eating at a caloric surplus as mentioned before, and consuming enough protein (0.82 grams per pound of body weight minimum).

Springfield1970 · July 2014

You need to keep the cardio at a minimum, eat 1700 calories extra a week on top of your tdee (which is definitely much higher than 1400) and get lifting heavy 3 x per week, adequate protein, and lots of rest in between to build the muscle.

Bulking is by far the best thing I ever did for my body. I've been fat phobic all my life. Ended up ironically 30% fat and no shape.

I'm about 18% now. It's like Goldie Hawns butt in Death Becomes Her. I've turned the clock back. That's a nice treat as I'm 43 and shouldn't be looking the way I do!

Give me your height, age weight and I'll help you find your numbers. Or go to Scooby's website. Carefully you don't screw up your numbers with too much cardio, it defeats the object of the bulk. You can do all that stuff afterwards when you cut again.

MagnumBurrito · July 2014

Since you work at a college, I'm guessing you have access to power/squat rack and barbell? If you do, check out Strong Lifts, Ice Cream Fitness, Starting Strength. All good beginner programs.

If you don't have access to a power rack, a good starting progressive BW program is Convict Conditioning.

Find out your TDEE, eat about 300-400 calories above it to bulk. After you've added some weight, eat 300-400 calories below TDEE, while still strength training to cut. No cardio is necessary. If you like it, do it a couple times a week for 15-20 mins. Use cardio a little more while cutting if you have trouble getting those last couple pounds off.

Get 1 gram of protein / lb of lean body weight and 0.4 grams of fat / lb of BW every day. Use the rest for carbs.

jobaby894 · July 2014

AWE!!! Okay, I can do that. I am not taking enough calories or Protein and also not enough weight! PERFECT!!!

jobaby894 · July 2014

I am 42, 5'5 at 116. Thank you so much

jobaby894 · July 2014

I think I do access to it but only for a couple of weeks. The athletes will be back and then it is off limits. I will check out the Convict Conditioning, along with cutting the cardio. Thanks so much

busywaterbending · July 2014

ah girlfriend. you need a serious body building coach, like me, not some opinions on a free website. Opinions are only worth that much.

for women, it takes years of hard work and very specific eating in conjunction with your exercise to gain muscle mass without gaining fat. Don't believe anyone but a CPT with credentials, references and clients before you purchase any program or book. Books are worthless with out a trainer! Programs are worthless with out a customized diet.

AJ_G · July 2014

WOMEN: BMR = [9.99 x weight (kg)] + [6.25 x height (cm)] - [4.92 x age (years)] -161

Your calculated BMR is 1180 calories. This is the number of calories that your body burns on a daily basis for non-movement related functions (organ function, brain function, respiration, etc). Basically it's the number of calories you'd burn every day if you were in a coma. To find your TDEE, you simply need to multiply your BMR (1180) by an activity factor from the list below.

1.2 = Sedentary (Desk job, & Little Formal Exercise)
1.3-1.4 = Lightly Active (Light daily activity & light exercise 1-3 days a week)
1.5-1.6 = Moderately Active (Moderately daily Activity & Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week)
1.7-1.8 = Very Active (Physically demanding lifestyle & Hard exercise 6-7 days a week)
1.9-2.2 = Extremely Active (Athlete in ENDURANCE training or VERY HARD physical job)

In the activity factor description when it refers to exercise, it really means cardio since that's where the calorie burns come from. Once you multiply your BMR by one of the activity factors you will have your TDEE which is the number of calories you would need to eat every day to maintain your weight. In order to bulk, multiply your TDEE by 1.1 to get your calorie intake for a bulk. Also make sure you're eating at least 95g of protein a day, preferably with the majority of it from animal sources (chicken, beef, pork, fish, milk, cheese, etc). Then you should be good to go.

AJ_G · July 2014

You absolutely do not need a body building coach or a nutrition coach. I know a ton of women who have put on muscle with a bulk and lost the fat after with a cut all by themselves. You do not need a dietitian or a customized diet. Set up proper macronutrient, micronutrient, and fiber goals, and eat what you'd like to hit them every day, lift hard and heavy and you will bulk successfully.

jobaby894 · July 2014

thank you so much. This is so helpful.

Hornsby · July 2014

agreed.

jobaby894 · July 2014

I really appreciate the advise but I decided to do this on my own. I do have access to coaches, but thank you so much for the advice.

jobaby894 · July 2014

Thank you for thank you so much. I think I have the numbers. You have no idea how helpful you have been.

AliceDark · July 2014

If you haven't looked at this already, this is a good site to help calculate your intake: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Just for reference, I'm 5'4" and started my bulk at 121. Towards the end, I was eating around 2200 calories in order to keep gaining. (I gained about 8 pounds in 5 months). I also wasted 2 months before then not eating enough because I had drastically underestimated what it would take for me to gain.

Springfield1970 · July 2014

Thats so funny you should say that. This whole website is about helping each other through the bull and money wasting rubbish.

I've never had a trainer and have gone from couch potato to potential triathlete competitor for my country. I've gone from 30% body fat and a 35 minute 5k to 15-18% body fat and a 21min 5k. I've no current injuries and do it all on a shoestring! No supplements except omega 3 tabs and a box of glucose. I squat deadlift etc with perfect form using a mirror and youtube. I've had a trainer say that I'm the most natural lifter they've seen, and I should be a PT.

Books:

Matt Fitzgerald- Racing Weight
Joe Friel- triathletes training bible.
Lyle MacDonald UD2
Strong Curves, Body for Life, youtube.
MFP MY PALS, countless fitness experts on this site, giving hour after hour of advice.
No fitness instructor has come close to what you get here.

Ah, girlfriend indeed!

Hornsby · July 2014

Now this girl....I would marry...lol.

Springfield1970 · July 2014

OP i recommend aiming for a half pound gain per week, as you can usually only gain 1/4lb muscle per week approx. You CANNOT AVOID fat gain, but you can minimize it by being very lean to start, and very careful with your numbers.

I advise 1700/7 about 250 calories extra per day.

Cut at 100/200 calories per day. You're slim enough to have the time to sloooow cut.

I loved how I was a the top of my bulk and would have been happy there but needed to cut for the speed.

jobaby894 · July 2014

I think that is what I have been doing is under estimating. Thank you.

jobaby894 · July 2014

I can do that, Thanks Springfield19. I was going to start at 1900 per day but I will take your advise and start with 1700. I will also check out the website previously recommended.

shmerek · July 2014

Lots if great advice in this thread. Also, there are many personal trainers that know jack **** regardless of their certificates.

PippiNe · July 2014

OP, I'm sorry for hijacking your post, but the responses here have answered so many of my questions. I still have a few more though along this same topic:

How do you determine the duration of your bulks and cuts? Should you be at your ideal weight before you start the bulking/cutting process? I am currently 6 lbs heavier than I want to be and have fat in my problem areas that I'd like to get rid of (waist/lower back & thighs). Approximately how much time do you spend lifting or doing cardio per day to achieve a lean looking body?

Thanks in advance for all your insight! And thank you for the BMR and TDEE calculators. After plugging in my numbers, I can see why I'm having a tough time sticking to the calories I have set for myself and find myself binging way too often.

AJ_G · July 2014

Duration of a bulk/cut is up to your discretion. Most people have a weight gain or loss goal in mind before they begin and bulk until they hit that goal, then cut back down to their original weight. A 10 lb gain for a woman is usually a good bulk goal in my opinion and from what I've seen. It's best to be close to your ideal weight before beginning a bulk because just by the nature of the bulk you will be adding more fat to your body along with the muscle gain, so it helps to start the bulk in a lean or near lean state.

As far as lifting or doing cardio, many people advise you don't do much of any cardio while you bulk just because you're trying to put on weight so it can be counter productive. It's totally fine to do some cardio while you bulk, just make sure you eat more to offset the calorie burn from the cardio so you're still in a calorie surplus every day. It's very possible and I've seen many people cut without doing any cardio or doing very little cardio. Cardio isn't necessary for a cut, you just have to be in a caloric deficit and you will lose fat. Basically cardio just means you get to eat more during your cut. In terms of body composition, the slower you gain weight and the slower you lose weight, the better off you will be. As far as lifting, make sure you utilize a lifting program who's main goal is hypertrophy (muscle building). Programs like starting strength and stronglifts, and any 5x5 programs are geared towards strength increases as their primary goal. Now you will gain muscle on strength based programs, but ideally you want to go with a hypertrophy based programs with rep ranges from 8-12 reps to failure. It's best to lift a minimum of 3 days a week and always make sure you're lifting heavy (8-12 reps to failure) for all of your exercises.

Springfield1970 · July 2014

I think you've misunderstood.

You need to ADD 1700 per WEEK to gain half a pound of weight.

That's 250 extra per day on top of your total daily energy expenditure, which hopefully you've worked out from Scooby's website.

Ok, I've put your stats in and put you down for 3-5 hours of moderate exercise (watch you keep this consistent or your calorie needs will change).

It's recommended you eat 1954 per day to maintain. Add 250 and you have 2200.

2200 is your daily bulking calories, but you must be in a good routine to make it work properly. It might be worth trying your 1950 maintaining figure of 1950 and learning the basics of your progressive weights programme (strong curves etc).

You may find you add water, food and glycogen weight when you up your calories, but weigh every day and average out at end of week. Keep records of everything. Weigh your food meticulously.

You'll need to make some mistakes of your own first, but keep reading and learning and KEEP TRACK.

jobaby894 · July 2014

That is what I get for speed reading.

Sorry yes and thank you for clarifying that for me. Question... how long did it take you to cut? I know that people are different but would 5 to 6 days a week be too much? I know I have to give my muscle time to rest.

jobaby894 · July 2014

Please don't apologize, if I can help anyone then by all mean; hijack way!

43mmmgoody21 · July 2014

As long as she is training progressively, bodyweight exercises work just fine

3laine75 · July 2014

You must be a salesman's dream

AJ_G · July 2014

How to you train body weight squats progressively?

Rookie trying to gain muscle

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