Muscle-building diet & training?

hai_immissemma

I'm a 16 year old girl, 5'2, 112 lbs. I want to gain muscle to look fit, strong and toned, but I don't want to be extremely buff. I also want my body fat percentage to decrease (I'm not sure what % it is currently). Ergo I want muscle but I don't want it to be covered by fat. If I eat 1800-2000 calories per day, do 10-30 minutes of cardio 5 days per week, and do 3 days of strength training each in different muscle groups, will I achieve my goal?

BeautyFromPain

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liftingbro

I'm a 16 year old girl, 5'2, 112 lbs. I want to gain muscle to look fit, strong and toned, but I don't want to be extremely buff. I also want my body fat percentage to decrease (I'm not sure what % it is currently). Ergo I want muscle but I don't want it to be covered by fat. If I eat 1800-2000 calories per day, do 10-30 minutes of cardio 5 days per week, and do 3 days of strength training each in different muscle groups, will I achieve my goal?

1800-2000 might be high for someone your size but there's nothing wrong with trying it and seeing what sort of results you get. If you are losing weight, stick with it, if not lower the intake a little.

It's sometimes hard to tell what intake should be for a teen with growth and all of that. So, maybe start at 2000 and see what happens.

fit4everyoung

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victoriastiles

I would suggest on the days you do strength, drink a protein shake after. This will help to heal muscles and rebuild, thus giving you more definition. You won't bulk up.

46and2

Don't be afraid about training heavy. You would have to do years of serious bodybuilding in order to get "buff". I agree with mcrow24, might be a bit heavy on the calories for someone your size but try it and see how your body reacts. You can always adjust.

Larius

The rule of thumb is 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight.

themommie

I'm a 16 year old girl, 5'2, 112 lbs. I want to gain muscle to look fit, strong and toned, but I don't want to be extremely buff. I also want my body fat percentage to decrease (I'm not sure what % it is currently). Ergo I want muscle but I don't want it to be covered by fat. If I eat 1800-2000 calories per day, do 10-30 minutes of cardio 5 days per week, and do 3 days of strength training each in different muscle groups, will I achieve my goal?

1800-2000 might be high for someone your size but there's nothing wrong with trying it and seeing what sort of results you get. If you are losing weight, stick with it, if not lower the intake a little.

It's sometimes hard to tell what intake should be for a teen with growth and all of that. So, maybe start at 2000 and see what happens.

great advice start out with this and if you start gaining decrease the calories if you start losing increase the cals. but try to include alot of protein in your diet especially after your workouts

liftingbro

The rule of thumb is 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight.

More recent research would say 0.5g-0.75g is more than enough.

pander101

I would go by what MFP tells you for calories, sort as a guideline. I'm 5'7" and eat about 1400-1600 calories a day with working out 6 times a week for about 30-60 minutes a work out and 3 of those days are focused only on lifting. But I agree with what people have been saying. 1800-2000 seems like a bit much for someone you're size. I would go with what MFP tells you and eat back your exercise calories and more if you are hungry. But there's no harm in experimenting with calories.

And also, you don't need to worry about looking "buff", it takes intense training and a long time of hard work for what you are imagining probably. So with that out of your head you should be fine

Loko_Ino

If you want to get toned, I would stick around the 1400-1600 cals ranges. I am 263 and eat 2500 cals...so that can be a little gauge for you.
Also, as stated by others, keep your protein high, the 1g per bodyweight is not a hard fast rule but try to take in somewhere close to that in protein a day. Some folks dont believe in macros but I still use them. I do do 40% protein, 25%carbs, 35% fat (being good fat, like nuts, avocado and such) Your strength days should be like a 3 day rotation with cardio as a warm up and cardio on your off days. As warm up do like 20 mins...on cardio days do like 1 hour. for your 4 day rotation try a back/bi, chest/tri, legs/shoulders type rotation. Give yourself one day as rest from everything. And dont go more than 6 weeks straight without taking a few days off to recoup.

hai_immissemma

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I tried to eat 1800 calories today, but couldn't do it without stuffing myself. I'll probably bump down to around 1500.
I forgot to mention that the nutrition ratios bodybuilding.com recommended to me are 180 g protein, 180 g carbs, and 40 g fat. My intake today was 129 g protein, 203 g carbs, and 52 g fat, so obviously it's hard to make my intake of protein and carbs equal. I'll definitely be buying whey protein shake powder to help this.
Thanks for all the answers. I had a feeling that quantity of calories would be a bit high.