I need to GAIN muscle mass.. help

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ashleyacee
ashleyacee Posts: 118
in Fitness and Exercise
I do 30 min of cardio four days a week, combined with an hour of weight/ resistance training. I lift pretty heavy, and I eat over 1300 cals a day. I began at 119 and went to 130 lbs, which I Was happy about. I Am 5'5 . I weighed myself for the first time a in a while today and now i am 116 lbs! This is not what I wanted, nor does that look like a healthy number to me. Any suggestions, should I cut the cardio down to just a 10 minute warm up, and stick with the weights, up the cals? Thanks. PLeeease help

Replies

  • n0ob
    n0ob Posts: 2,390 Member
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    eat more, ditch some cardio if muscle gains are really your goal.
  • FullOfWin
    FullOfWin Posts: 1,414 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/686963-large-collection-of-info-for-beginners
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    Clearly, you aren't eating enough.
  • SergeiKay
    SergeiKay Posts: 90 Member
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    eat more, ditch some cardio if muscle gains are really your goal.

    ^^^ this.
    with cardio, you are using up calories that could've been used to build new muscle tissues. find your TDEE and eat more than that by (usually i see) 250-500 cals with high protein to gain clean weight.
  • HardLocker
    HardLocker Posts: 12 Member
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    OP. you will have to bulk . you muscles need more calories than just 1300.
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    Yeah, 1300 is definitely not enough to support your workouts or your muscle mass.

    You should be eating 1800-2000.
  • amateurdude
    amateurdude Posts: 44 Member
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    You need to be eating at a caloric surpless to build muscle.
  • bcf7683
    bcf7683 Posts: 1,653 Member
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    I've been on the same quest, but I haven't been losing any weight, so that's a plus. I do 10 mins. of HIIT cardio after an hour of lifting everyday.

    I'm working my way up to around 1800-1900 cals/day. I feel like if I just jump that much all at once my head will explode.
  • ezzziii_candoit
    ezzziii_candoit Posts: 27
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    Make sure you're eating foods with high amounts of protein, they'll help you gain muscle and should put your calories up as well! Eggs, meat, etc are really good if you want muscle mass.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
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    I've been on the same quest, but I haven't been losing any weight, so that's a plus. I do 10 mins. of HIIT cardio after an hour of lifting everyday.

    I'm working my way up to around 1800-1900 cals/day. I feel like if I just jump that much all at once my head will explode.


    Don't do HIIT on lifting days. Seriously

    Actually, if you're trying to gain weight, don't do HIIT at all. Stick to light to moderate cardio for about a half hour on your non-lifting days - except for at least one rest day. Just enough to keep your heart healthy and joints/ligaments flexible, but not so much that it'll burn too many extra calories.
  • bostonwolf
    bostonwolf Posts: 3,038 Member
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    i will second what is mentioned above.

    Eat more, a bit less cardio, a bit more lifting and lift heavy. make sure to switch up your routine every six weeks or so to keep your muscles confused.
  • jennjay523
    jennjay523 Posts: 14
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    Read the new rules of lifting for women. You aren't eating enough to build muscle.
  • jesz124
    jesz124 Posts: 1,004 Member
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    I do 30 min of cardio four days a week, combined with an hour of weight/ resistance training. I lift pretty heavy, and I eat over 1300 cals a day. I began at 119 and went to 130 lbs, which I Was happy about. I Am 5'5 . I weighed myself for the first time a in a while today and now i am 116 lbs! This is not what I wanted, nor does that look like a healthy number to me. Any suggestions, should I cut the cardio down to just a 10 minute warm up, and stick with the weights, up the cals? Thanks. PLeeease help

    So how did you go from 119 to 130 when you gained weight the first time? How much were you eating/training then?
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    don't ditch some of the cardio. ditch ALL of the cardio. do one session a week if you have a reason to keep your cardio endurance up but if you aren't training for an event just cut it. Sounds like you're not in danger of eating too much and gaining too much fat.
  • Lady_Bane
    Lady_Bane Posts: 720 Member
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    Cardio eats up what your muscles need to grow.

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