Gain Lean Muscle Mass

tshutshien

Hi there. I'm a 19 y/o female. 165cm, 51kg and 21.5% BFP (most recent). I go to the gym every weekend because that's the only time I can go (personal constraints) and join bodypump, occasionally bodycombat. I also do some home exercises like 300cal burn HIIT cardio and some fitness blender workouts like 1000cal burn or bodyweight, kickboxing, mixed strength and cardio exercises mostly ranging from 200-500++ cal burn workout.

I'm trying to build up my muscle mass with minimal fat gains. I've been on this journey for a while now but I actually lost weight 52-51 and have fluctuations of body fat loss and gains. I just gained 1% body fat compared to last week where I was at 19.5.

I've been on calorie deficit for too long I guess? So i increased my calorie intake to 1850 to be in a surplus. I'm cutting it slightly to 1700 this week since my BFP has increased but no muscles gained (1kg muscles lost instead).

What should I do to increase my lean muscle mass?

Any suggestions strength training routines for the gym and home too? I'm someone who needs a plan and confident that it's effective.

Also, is it alright to go over my FAT macros but still under protein and carbs? What can I do from there if that happens?

Take this as an example. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/tshutshien?date=2014-08-30
OR a post from long time ago. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/tshutshien?date=2013-12-12


Thanks!

Please do post a question if you're unclear about anything from my question. Much help needed!

x

TavistockToad

are you using scales to track your muslce and bodyfat? i doubt very much that you've lost 1kg of muscle in a week while eating 1800 cals.

itsbasschick

go higher for protein - if you want to build muscle, you'll need extra. doing high intensity cardio isn't going to build muscle - heavy lifting and eating enough is. cutting cardio or eating more or both will help, eating plenty of protein will help, fueling your workouts with carbs can also be very helpful as it can keep your energy up to the end of the lifting.

jeffpettis

To gain muscle you must be in a caloric surplus, eating plenty of protein, and weight training focusing on progressive resistance. If you want to gain muscle cardio isn't going to do it. There's nothing wrong with doing cardio but don't let it interfere if your goal is gaining muscle.

Also there will be some fat gain along with any muscle gained, not really any way around it unless you are doing a recomp which for most people is way too slow and tedious.

For a female, if you are doing everything perfectly, you can expect around 1/4 to 1/2 a pound of muscle gained a week, but again your diet and training must be spot on. Gaining muscle is a very slow process. Don't be in a hurry.

DjinnMarie

How are you measuring your BFP?

Unknown

This content has been removed.

tshutshien

@TavistockToad @DjinnMarie

I'm using the InBody Machine provided by my local gym which analyses your body. Lean muscle, BFP, BMR, BMI and etc.

something like this one http://www.americanhealthandbeauty.com/articles/2615/inbody-520-body-composition-analyzer-on-the-doctors

DjinnMarie

Those things are not accurate, and more over not consistent.
I suggest getting somebody at the gym to use calipers. They aren't accurate either really, but they do give consistent readings if done correctly, which makes it a great tool for tracking progress. Don't worry about the initial number that it gives you, pay attention to how that number changes over time.

@TavistockToad @DjinnMarie

I'm using the InBody Machine provided by my local gym which analyses your body. Lean muscle, BFP, BMR, BMI and etc.

something like this one http://www.americanhealthandbeauty.com/articles/2615/inbody-520-body-composition-analyzer-on-the-doctors

ninerbuff

Muscle gain requires:

Progressive overload with resistance
Volume training
Calorie Surplus
Patience

A.C.E. Certified Group Fitness and Personal Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition