Calling ripped males/body builders

super_monty

I need a bit of help I need to add men with muscles!!!!

I have lost 31lb doing lots and lots of cardio.

I have been doing strength training for a while now, I have become more toned but my muscle mass is just not increasing. I have little upper body strength.

I think the cardio is eating all the calories and protein up.

I would like to add a few people so I can view their diaries and compare diet and exercise.

I normally
burn 1200 to 1400 calories a day at the gym 4 to 5 times a week in a 2.5 to 3 hour session
approx 2 hours cardio
approx 40 mins strength
eat 1650 but go over at weekends

also thinking about buying a protein shakes.

I have just increased my cal intake, I am easing off the gym for a little for about 3 weeks (just going for 3x a week 2h sessions)while the kids are of school but will be coming back with a vengeance.

My Goals
I want to see if I can get a 6 pack even at my age.
I want to bulk up a bit and increase me upper body strength
increase the size of the muscles in my arms, they look skinny as my legs are quite muscular (I am opposite of chicken legs!)
I want to lose another 7-14 lb in fat but increase my weight or keep it about the same with muscle.


Any help would be great?
Cheers

gendril

Hi Mate

Perhaps what you should do is reverse your cardio / strength ratio so strength training takes up the bulk of your time.
Dont worry about loosing weight as the muscles you get the more cal will your body need to keep your body running and remember that if you start strength training hard you will not loose weight at the same rate as before as muscles weigh a lot more than fat. Its what i have experienced anyway.

But if you want to gain muscles try to do all exercises in 3 set of 6 reps if you want to bulk up fast. I do 3 sets of 10 reps as i am not aiming to get huge just strong.

I would also suggest you talk to the people at your local gym that do weight training for advice on how to do the exercises the right way or at least observe how its done.

For food its critical that you get much more protein as that is the main building blocks for your muscles and remember that for building muscles your body needs more energy that normal. Its why you see body-builders actually build up their fat stores while they train so they can build up faster. Up to a competition they off cause go on a strict diet to remove the fat.

I myself have ensured that my diet consists of mostly vegetables and lean meats (chicken, turkey, etc) and other lean high protein products so i personally keeps loosing weight while being able to properly train my muscles.

I went from being able to lift 12kg hand-weights to lifting 24 kg hand-weights in little over a year while only making it to the gym 2 - 3 times a week. I can now see a significant change to my arms and upper body even though that i don't aim to bulk up a huge amount.

So if you train as often and as intense as yo say i would say you could achieve what i have in a lot less time if you made a few changes to your routine.

Hope that helps a little.

DPernet

If you are in a calorie deficit then it's unlikely you'll increase your muscle mass. If you're obese or just starting lifting then it's possible to add some muscle. Otherwise it's nearly impossible. All you can really do is prevent the muscle lost by as much as possible. Strength will increase and as the fat disappears, you will look more toned.

Once you hit your goal weight then have a look at bulk/cut cycles. Probably the best way to get where you want to be

super_monty

Hi Mate

Perhaps what you should do is reverse your cardio / strength ratio so strength training takes up the bulk of your time.
Dont worry about loosing weight as the muscles you get the more cal will your body need to keep your body running and remember that if you start strength training hard you will not loose weight at the same rate as before as muscles weigh a lot more than fat. Its what i have experienced anyway.

But if you want to gain muscles try to do all exercises in 3 set of 6 reps if you want to bulk up fast. I do 3 sets of 10 reps as i am not aiming to get huge just strong.

I would also suggest you talk to the people at your local gym that do weight training for advice on how to do the exercises the right way or at least observe how its done.

For food its critical that you get much more protein as that is the main building blocks for your muscles and remember that for building muscles your body needs more energy that normal. Its why you see body-builders actually build up their fat stores while they train so they can build up faster. Up to a competition they off cause go on a strict diet to remove the fat.

I myself have ensured that my diet consists of mostly vegetables and lean meats (chicken, turkey, etc) and other lean high protein products so i personally keeps loosing weight while being able to properly train my muscles.

I went from being able to lift 12kg hand-weights to lifting 24 kg hand-weights in little over a year while only making it to the gym 2 - 3 times a week. I can now see a significant change to my arms and upper body even though that i don't aim to bulk up a huge amount.

So if you train as often and as intense as yo say i would say you could achieve what i have in a lot less time if you made a few changes to your routine.

Hope that helps a little.

Thanks for the response.

This is great advice.
The guy at the gym has got me on light weight 20 reps x 3 sets, even 30 reps x 3.
I struggle to get through all 3 sets, I swapped to heaver weights 7 x 3 sets for one day I could get through them and I think I could feel it.

The thing is I didn't exercise for 20 years, smoked 20 to 80 cigs a day for 17 years (stopped 5 years ago) and was a heavy drinker.

I might struggle swapping the cardio because I discovered I love running. If I just run for 20mins each day rather that an hour will that work? and i will just do one hour running once a week.

My present work out:
I do rowing 15 mins
recline bike 12
speed walk 10-20
cross trainer 18-20
run 1 hour (3 min walk break at 30mins)

vertical lift (set 1 20 reps, set 2 20 reps, set 3 15 reps) light weight
chess press (set 1 30 reps, set 20 reps, set 3 20 reps) light weight -struggle here
leg press ( 3 x 15 reps) 50lbs
ab crunch (3 x 30 reps) 40lbs
shoulder press (3 x 20 reps) 10lbs I cant get through this one I tire and feel sore.




I h

Capt_Apollo

hey, good luck to you monty. i was in a similar boat, doing lots of lots of cardio, and wanting to start getting bigger.

i recently discovered this website: strstd.com and it has helped give me a work out plan based on my needs and cutting out a lot of the guess work.

Topsking2010

bump

robin52077

The guy at the gym has got me on light weight 20 reps x 3 sets, even 30 reps x 3.
I struggle to get through all 3 sets,

the guy at the gym is an idiot

I swapped to heaver weights 7 x 3 sets for one day I could get through them and I think I could feel it.

there's your answer. Heavy as you can for 5X5. as soon as you can do 5X5 at that weight, add 5 pounds next time.

I might struggle swapping the cardio because I discovered I love running. If I just run for 20mins each day rather that an hour will that work? and i will just do one hour running once a week.

20-30 minutes 3 days a week is fine if you love doing it. Just eat more! a lot more than you have been!

vertical lift (set 1 20 reps, set 2 20 reps, set 3 15 reps) light weight
chess press (set 1 30 reps, set 20 reps, set 3 20 reps) light weight -struggle here
leg press ( 3 x 15 reps) 50lbs
ab crunch (3 x 30 reps) 40lbs
shoulder press (3 x 20 reps) 10lbs I cant get through this one I tire and feel sore.

try the big compound barbell lifts, not machines and crunches...do squats, bench press, deadlift, overhead press, and pendlay rows with the barbell...and throw in pushups, pullups and dips for variety.

it makes me sad that you are doing presses at 10 pounds and getting fatigued. You are wasting your time as that is just working on endurance and not building muscle.
I do 5X5 at 50 pounds of those. and I am a little girl...

HulkDiesel77

Hello there! If you are trying to gain muscle at this point there are a couple things that you can do. Look at your calorie intake......In order to gain muscle you must be eating at least 3000 calories per day if you are burning that much at the gym. 2) Take a look at your workout session..........2 hours of cardio? I bit excessive unless you are training for something......45 min to 1 hours will get you the health benifits that you need and allow more time for strength training.... 3) Take a look at your levels of protien per day........be sure to eat a good deal of protien before your workout and eat something high in carb no later than 1 hour after your workout (the sooner the better....longer than 1 hour you have missed your oppurtunity for the carbs to do their job).............Doing those things alone will help you move in the right direction to building muscle. Oh and one other thing lift heavy or don't bother! I mean you should be finding a weight that you can do 3 sets of about 8.....If you finish the sets and don't fail on the last set you need to go higher in weight! You have to tear those muscles down in order to get them to grow! Hope this helps my friend. Take care!

I need a bit of help I need to add men with muscles!!!!

I have lost 31lb doing lots and lots of cardio.

I have been doing strength training for a while now, I have become more toned but my muscle mass is just not increasing. I have little upper body strength.

I think the cardio is eating all the calories and protein up.

I would like to add a few people so I can view their diaries and compare diet and exercise.

I normally
burn 1200 to 1400 calories a day at the gym 4 to 5 times a week in a 2.5 to 3 hour session
approx 2 hours cardio
approx 40 mins strength
eat 1650 but go over at weekends

also thinking about buying a protein shakes.

I have just increased my cal intake, I am easing off the gym for a little for about 3 weeks (just going for 3x a week 2h sessions)while the kids are of school but will be coming back with a vengeance.

My Goals
I want to see if I can get a 6 pack even at my age.
I want to bulk up a bit and increase me upper body strength
increase the size of the muscles in my arms, they look skinny as my legs are quite muscular (I am opposite of chicken legs!)
I want to lose another 7-14 lb in fat but increase my weight or keep it about the same with muscle.


Any help would be great?
Cheers

chrishgt4

You have to do what you love at this thing or you won't stick with it - if you love running you shouldn't give that up. But if you're serious about bulking then the cardio has to practically go out of the window (not entirely but mostly).

The basic rules are:

Lift a weight that you can physically fail at between 8 and 12 reps and do this for 3-4 sets.

Make as much of your exercise compound movements such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, rows, bench press, shoulder press etc. Oh, and chin ups/pullups/wide grip pullups are really good I think.

Eat more calories than you burn, and try to take in between 1 and 1.5 grams of protein for every 1lb of Lean Body Mass you weigh.

As you are first starting out, you will probably find more benefit in working your whole body in each workout, as you progress you may decide to switch up to working specific body areas in each workout.

Regarding the abs - as you are bulking you won't be gaining abs. There's an old saying that abs are made in the kitchen, which basically means that it is less about working them and building them up and mostly about getting under 10% body fat before you really start to see them come through.

Regarding building bigger arms - I would throw in the usual curls routines if you want bigger biceps, but I think you will find that all the other stuff will give you plenty of arm growth. Also note that most of your arm size is in the triceps...

super_monty

The guy at the gym has got me on light weights 20 reps x 3 sets, even 30 reps x 3.
I struggle to get through all 3 sets,

the guy at the gym is an idiot

I swapped to heaver weights 7 x 3 sets for one day I could get through them and I think I could feel it.

there's your answer. Heavy as you can for 5X5. as soon as you can do 5X5 at that weight, add 5 pounds next time.

I might struggle swapping the cardio because I discovered I love running. If I just run for 20mins each day rather that an hour will that work? and i will just do one hour running once a week.

20-30 minutes 3 days a week is fine if you love doing it. Just eat more! a lot more than you have been!

Also can I add you as a friend?

vertical lift (set 1 20 reps, set 2 20 reps, set 3 15 reps) light weight
chess press (set 1 30 reps, set 20 reps, set 3 20 reps) light weight -struggle here
leg press ( 3 x 15 reps) 50lbs
ab crunch (3 x 30 reps) 40lbs
shoulder press (3 x 20 reps) 10lbs I cant get through this one I tire and feel sore.

try the big compound barbell lifts, not machines and crunches...do squats, bench press, deadlift, overhead press, and pendlay rows with the barbell...and throw in pushups, pullups and dips for variety.

it makes me sad that you are doing presses at 10 pounds and getting fatigued. You are wasting your time as that is just working on endurance and not building muscle.
I do 5X5 at 50 pounds of those. and I am a little girl...

Thats it I am swapping the long reps for less and heavier.
I can do much more weight even at 10 or 15 on the shoulder press machine which is the one I struggle with the most.

I can lift another 3rd even double if I do 3 sets of 7 or 10, if that will increase the muscle mass better i will do it.

Should I get a whey protein shake?

robin52077

10 or 15 on the shoulder press machine which is the one I struggle with the most.

bold area should read "overhead press" (with a barbell, not a machine!)... like Captain_Apollo's picture.
THAT is shoulder press, and THAT is HOT!

super_monty

I have read everyone's replies I would like to say a big thanks to everyone got some great advice and am going to put to use.
This is where MFP really comes in handy.

Time for more changes!

chrishgt4

hey, good luck to you monty. i was in a similar boat, doing lots of lots of cardio, and wanting to start getting bigger.

i recently discovered this website: strstd.com and it has helped give me a work out plan based on my needs and cutting out a lot of the guess work.

Man, I just entered my stats on there and felt like killing myself after everything came back barely in the untrained category...then I realised I hadn't changed it to kgs....

Much better now!

gendril

I normally do my sets at max intensity. Meaning that i try to lift as much as i can 10 x 3 times and put on more weight aprox every other week. If you train 5 times a week i am sure you can do go up every week.

I was a some point stuck in what i thought was my max weight until a gym mate told me that i needed to keep putting on weight as the body starts to get into a kinda routine and that makes you believe you cant lift more. As soon as you can take 3 sets of 10 you properly needs to put on more weight.

Ohh btw i do 45 mins of interval straining on a cross-trainer before i do 1,25 hours of strength training about 3 times a week.
Also most of the body-builders in my gym starts or ends with 15 - 45 mins cardio to get more from their workout.

So dont skip your running.

super_monty

Just bought PNI Pure Protein shake anyone else use it?

Determinednoob

My diary is open for what its worth. This may be worth a lot more http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/686963-large-collection-of-info-for-beginners

dr3wman

If your are relativley new to lifting, you can see some great gains in the first year, just gotta eat right. My diary is updated for the most part..although I sometimes just log before dinner then I know what to eat for the rest of the night (so I forget to log dinner). Would love to help!

super_monty

My diary is open for what its worth. This may be worth a lot more http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/686963-large-collection-of-info-for-beginners

What a GREAT thread, I have bookmarked it.

super_monty

If your are relativley new to lifting, you can see some great gains in the first year, just gotta eat right. My diary is updated for the most part..although I sometimes just log before dinner then I know what to eat for the rest of the night (so I forget to log dinner). Would love to help!

Thanks I have sent an add.

Hendrix7

I normally
burn 1200 to 1400 calories a day at the gym 4 to 5 times a week in a 2.5 to 3 hour session
approx 2 hours cardio
approx 40 mins strength
eat 1650 but go over at weekends

Already been pointed out but just far too much cardio and your sessions are far too long.

lift 3 times per week and do cardio on separate days (2 hours is still way more than needed)
work out your maintenance calories and eat 200-300 calories above this daily (unless you are tiny 1650 cals is not going to be anywhere near enough)

stick to the basics

squat
deadlift
row
bench
chin ups
dips

DavPul

Knowing your height and weight would help us know if your calorie intake is sufficient.

Know matter how much you eat, it's going to be extremely difficult to add size and strength if you don't cut the cardio way way back.

taylor5877

I'm eating like 2500-2900 net on a cutting diet. You're welcome to add me.

nickmast78

I would suggest going to bodybuilding.com and finding a good PROVEN strength training routine for beginners and stick with that.

Your goal right now is either going to be putting on muscle mass and increasing in weight

or

maintaining muscle and decreasing body fat

you can't do both!

This is a good program if you so choose. http://growthstimulustraining.com/

dusty8907

Your cardio sessions are actually working against you. If you want strength/mass go on a good strength training routine like starting strength and possibly add a few accessories if you feel the need but if you give it max effort you shouldnt need accessories. Make sure to eat 10-15% over tdee so that you gain some good mass.

super_monty

Knowing your height and weight would help us know if your calorie intake is sufficient.

Know matter how much you eat, it's going to be extremely difficult to add size and strength if you don't cut the cardio way way back.

i am 5 '6" 178lbs

super_monty

Your cardio sessions are actually working against you. If you want strength/mass go on a good strength training routine like starting strength and possibly add a few accessories if you feel the need but if you give it max effort you shouldnt need accessories. Make sure to eat 10-15% over tdee so that you gain some good mass.

Cheers, I need to up my upper body mass a bit, I dont really want to be BIG, I just look the wrong shape for my frame after my weight loss.

I looked into it i defo need to drop the cardio I have been running up to 40k a week.