Eating for muscle

mirgss

So, I have decided I want to start building some muscle. I'm a cardio girl at heart, and I've been lifting, but now I want to go heavier (6-8 reps instead of o10-12). I know I need to eat more....but how MUCH more? Is there any kind of guideline? I still have quite a bit of fat that I want to lose, but I figure by strength training hardcore I will gain muscle which will help me burn fat...right?

But I don't want to eat too many calories. And I know that it should be the right kind of calories. So on days I lift, lots of protein and stuff, right? But what about non-lifting days? What about rest days?

Any advice?

slay0r

bump!

Sidesteal

So, I have decided I want to start building some muscle. I'm a cardio girl at heart, and I've been lifting, but now I want to go heavier (6-8 reps instead of o10-12). I know I need to eat more....but how MUCH more? Is there any kind of guideline? I still have quite a bit of fat that I want to lose, but I figure by strength training hardcore I will gain muscle which will help me burn fat...right?

But I don't want to eat too many calories. And I know that it should be the right kind of calories. So on days I lift, lots of protein and stuff, right? But what about non-lifting days? What about rest days?

Any advice?

First of all, the metabolic effects of additional lean mass aren't nearly as high as people seem to think they are. This isn't to say that building muscle is bad, it's obviously great and it will make you look much better, but the additional calorie expenditure from adding lean mass isn't all that big when you consider that you'll probably add a few lbs of lean mass and not 50lbs of it.

As far as increasing your intake, it depends on your goals. Generally speaking, the larger your deficit is, the less likely you are to build lean mass. You MIGHT still gain SOME lean mass in a deficit but this isn't typical and you shouldn't plan on it. If you're new to lifting or obese then you'd stand a reasonable chance of doing this, but it sounds like you're already relatively "in shape" based on what you're saying.

As far as lift days vs rest days, I would leave this to personal preference. It is perfectly viable to use a steady intake on lift days vs rest day and if you prefer you can also eat more on training days and less on rest days.

Lastly, as far as "good calories" and "bad calories" I would urge you to not label things as good and bad when it comes to food choices. You should set up a diet with calorie and macro targets and you should choose foods you enjoy eating to hit those targets. You ideally should choose mostly nutrient dense and whole foods in order to do this but if you're capable of also incorporating some foods that you consider treats then go for it. In the context of a well balanced diet with macro/micro sufficiency and assuming you don't binge, it's not going to hurt your progress to add in treats here and there and with common sense.

Finally, here is some good reading to get you started in finding a reasonable starting point for intake values. This is a lot of information but it's quite good. Feel free to PM me after you've gone through this and I'll assist in adjusting the numbers if you choose to go this route.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

Apazman

First of all, the metabolic effects of additional lean mass aren't nearly as high as people seem to think they are. This isn't to say that building muscle is bad, it's obviously great and it will make you look much better, but the additional calorie expenditure from adding lean mass isn't all that big when you consider that you'll probably add a few lbs of lean mass and not 50lbs of it.

As far as increasing your intake, it depends on your goals. Generally speaking, the larger your deficit is, the less likely you are to build lean mass. You MIGHT still gain SOME lean mass in a deficit but this isn't typical and you shouldn't plan on it. If you're new to lifting or obese then you'd stand a reasonable chance of doing this, but it sounds like you're already relatively "in shape" based on what you're saying.

As far as lift days vs rest days, I would leave this to personal preference. It is perfectly viable to use a steady intake on lift days vs rest day and if you prefer you can also eat more on training days and less on rest days.

Lastly, as far as "good calories" and "bad calories" I would urge you to not label things as good and bad when it comes to food choices. You should set up a diet with calorie and macro targets and you should choose foods you enjoy eating to hit those targets. You ideally should choose mostly nutrient dense and whole foods in order to do this but if you're capable of also incorporating some foods that you consider treats then go for it. In the context of a well balanced diet with macro/micro sufficiency and assuming you don't binge, it's not going to hurt your progress to add in treats here and there and with common sense.

Finally, here is some good reading to get you started in finding a reasonable starting point for intake values. This is a lot of information but it's quite good. Feel free to PM me after you've gone through this and I'll assist in adjusting the numbers if you choose to go this route.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=121703981

Here is some information for you to get you started on composing a

A++++ ummm .. sure one more + . This is explained very well, Thanks SIdesteal

annabellj

def bump my friends great advice!

mirgss

Thanks, I will take a look.

I've been operating at a deficit (about 300 cals/day) and exercising and haven't seen much change. So I'm trying the other route (bulking up) instead I'm still planning to do cardio but I want to focus more on lifting.

Anyway thanks, and you can probably expect a PM from me at some point I am relatively "in shape" - I can run 4.6 miles - but HIIT and lifting is still hard for me.