Want to build muscle and eat healthy

thecube4444

Guess thats alot to ask in the topic. I am a 51 yr old male. I have lost 30 lbs. by diet with minimal exercise. i have never been extremely overweight. I have been athletic my whole life. i just wanted to get from 281lbs to 255lbs. and I did it by eating proper portions, lower carbs, more proteins and alot of veggies and salad.

Now I would like to build up my arms, legs, chest, etc. I'm not exactly sure how to do it the right way.I have tried weight lifting from time to time, but never really saw any results.

What exercises are best for building muscle on a 51 yr old body?

How should I eat? more carbs? Weigh protein? i have no idea. i also need help with how not to be too sore the next day as I do have to go to work in the morning.

I should include that I have a BMI of almost 30!!! So how do i build up, lose fat mass and eat right???


Can anyone provide an example, a web site, a guide or a book? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Steve

Awkward30

Hello! So, in general, eating in a calorie surplus (opposite of losing weight) is required to gain muscle. However, since you haven't done weight training before, you should be able to gain muscle in a modest calorie deficit, so losing fat at the same time. The only books I have experience with are the new rules of lifting series, which I liked for learning basics of lifting, even though I didn't really follow the plan. As far as food goes, you will probably hear a few different recommendations. For me, the most reasonable guideline is 1 gram of protein per pound of lean body weight. So, for example, I could weigh 150 lbs with a body fat percentage of 25, which would mean my lean body mass is 0.75*150= 122.5 (I don't know if those numbers are right I attempted mental math... Which I'm not very good at). So I should have that many grams of protein per day.

neesie0358

bump

aippolito1

To build muscle: any kind of resistance activity - pilates uses resistance bands that work great, dumbbells for strength training work great... bodyweight exercises, i.e.: squats, lunges, sit ups, plank pose exercises, etc.

To eat right, eat lean proteins (and by lean, I just mean low in fat, so just check nutrition labels): fish, chicken, turkey, beans (kidney, garbanzo/chickpeas, black beans, black eye peas)

Healthy fats: nuts & seeds (sunflower, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashews, peanuts), avocado, olive oil, eggs

Whole grains: whole wheat, corn tortillas, rye bread, whole oat oatmeal (look for 100% on labels or steel cut when it comes to oatmeal), quinoa (it's like rice), brown rice - you can also do things that say multigrain, but look and make sure they don't add sugar and other bad things (look for low sodium).

Veggies: anything green is great, but try to eat a variety of colors to get a variety of nutrients. Best ones I can think of that have GREAT benefits are spinach, broccoli, kale, asparagus, sweet potatoes, squash, mushrooms

Fruits: same here, try to eat a variety, but the ones that have a lot of benefits (really any fruit): bananas, apples, any kind of berry is high in antioxidants, tomatoes


I think that's pretty much it ... use herbs & seasonings (that are no or low sodium) to add flavor. I love cooking with garlic, it goes with pretty much everything!!

Jameslemond

To build muscle: any kind of resistance activity - pilates uses resistance bands that work great, dumbbells for strength training work great... bodyweight exercises, i.e.: squats, lunges, sit ups, plank pose exercises, etc.

To eat right, eat lean proteins (and by lean, I just mean low in fat, so just check nutrition labels): fish, chicken, turkey, beans (kidney, garbanzo/chickpeas, black beans, black eye peas)

Healthy fats: nuts & seeds (sunflower, almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashews, peanuts), avocado, olive oil, eggs

Whole grains: whole wheat, corn tortillas, rye bread, whole oat oatmeal (look for 100% on labels or steel cut when it comes to oatmeal), quinoa (it's like rice), brown rice - you can also do things that say multigrain, but look and make sure they don't add sugar and other bad things (look for low sodium).

Veggies: anything green is great, but try to eat a variety of colors to get a variety of nutrients. Best ones I can think of that have GREAT benefits are spinach, broccoli, kale, asparagus, sweet potatoes, squash, mushrooms

Fruits: same here, try to eat a variety, but the ones that have a lot of benefits (really any fruit): bananas, apples, any kind of berry is high in antioxidants, tomatoes


I think that's pretty much it ... use herbs & seasonings (that are no or low sodium) to add flavor. I love cooking with garlic, it goes with pretty much everything!!

you summed this up pretty well!! :-)

I eat healthy and exceeed my protein limits daily and have no trouble building muscle. in fact i dont lift with super heavy weights so i keep my muscle gain to a minimum. i do lower weight higher reps and more sets and this seems to work for me. if your going to a gym, start with the circuit trainer sets, (the machines) use these for a few weeks and see how you feel. if you want to focus more on a cetain body part per day just do more excersizes that day.
take a look at my food diary, its open to the public if you want examples of things to eat.

hope this helps!!!