Gaining vs Exercise
CoachReddy
Posts: 3,949 Member
Aight so this is my new favorite section of these forums, as I'm 5'7 and probably just shy of 130 right now. I've been trying to build muscle for the last year+, but have been off the wagon for a while. That said, when I was really going hard, I put on about 8 pounds in 6 months, which was great, but my question is, with someone like me whose metabolism burns so hot, doesn't working out 5 or 6 times a week slow me down in terms of muscle growth? I like doing that much exercise, but I already have to eat about 3000 just for maintenance, and when I work out hard I have to go up to 4000 a day some times, and it's just insane. Haha
Is this a "suck it up and eat that much food" kind of thing, or should I scale back on workouts to like... 3 times a week and just do resistance/core work as opposed to any cardio?
Is this a "suck it up and eat that much food" kind of thing, or should I scale back on workouts to like... 3 times a week and just do resistance/core work as opposed to any cardio?
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Replies
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If you get to a point that you're having difficulties or significant discomfort due to the amount of food you have to eat then it makes sense to reduce activity to help remedy that.
The alternative would be to choose more calorie dense foods if the issue is food volume.
How much cardio are you doing?0 -
If you get to a point that you're having difficulties or significant discomfort due to the amount of food you have to eat then it makes sense to reduce activity to help remedy that.
The alternative would be to choose more calorie dense foods if the issue is food volume.
How much cardio are you doing?
typically one heavier cardio day, and if I do a second it's usually a bit lighter, but yeah I hear ya on food density, but when you're aiming for 4000 cal you just pretty much have to be eating all the time. lol0 -
If you get to a point that you're having difficulties or significant discomfort due to the amount of food you have to eat then it makes sense to reduce activity to help remedy that.
The alternative would be to choose more calorie dense foods if the issue is food volume.
How much cardio are you doing?
typically one heavier cardio day, and if I do a second it's usually a bit lighter, but yeah I hear ya on food density, but when you're aiming for 4000 cal you just pretty much have to be eating all the time. lol
Ultimately you're going to have to balance out:
1) Your love for cardio.
2) Your discomfort with the amount of calories you need to eat.
3) Your stance on high calorie food choices, and I say this because if you're not opposed to pop tarts (as an example) they can really provide relief to people who can't stomach the food volume they need to bulk and this is especially true if you're one who only eats whole foods.
And you will need to balance those variables to end in a caloric surplus.
If it were me, I'd dump the heavy cardio day (or significantly reduce it) and consider a 4 day training split.0 -
I would dump the cardio completely.
If you're worried about cardiovascular fitness, do some barbell complexes after your lifting a few times per week. They can be completed pretty quickly, and they don't really burn that many cals.0 -
If you get to a point that you're having difficulties or significant discomfort due to the amount of food you have to eat then it makes sense to reduce activity to help remedy that.
The alternative would be to choose more calorie dense foods if the issue is food volume.
How much cardio are you doing?
typically one heavier cardio day, and if I do a second it's usually a bit lighter, but yeah I hear ya on food density, but when you're aiming for 4000 cal you just pretty much have to be eating all the time. lol
Ultimately you're going to have to balance out:
1) Your love for cardio.
2) Your discomfort with the amount of calories you need to eat.
3) Your stance on high calorie food choices, and I say this because if you're not opposed to pop tarts (as an example) they can really provide relief to people who can't stomach the food volume they need to bulk and this is especially true if you're one who only eats whole foods.
And you will need to balance those variables to end in a caloric surplus.
If it were me, I'd dump the heavy cardio day (or significantly reduce it) and consider a 4 day training split.
Fortunately I don't actually have much of a love for cardio, so that works out.
As for 2 and 3, you're right in that I need to figure out what's important to me - balancing ease and convenience with nutrition and caloric intake. Obviously you know where I stand in terms of nutrition, and I'm not going to ever go the magerum route of 50% of my calories coming from ice cream and pop tarts, but that said there's clearly a place for incredibly calorically dense foods as long as the rest of my diet is nutritionally dense. It's all a balancing act.
But appreciate the input man.
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If you get to a point that you're having difficulties or significant discomfort due to the amount of food you have to eat then it makes sense to reduce activity to help remedy that.
The alternative would be to choose more calorie dense foods if the issue is food volume.
How much cardio are you doing?
typically one heavier cardio day, and if I do a second it's usually a bit lighter, but yeah I hear ya on food density, but when you're aiming for 4000 cal you just pretty much have to be eating all the time. lol
Ultimately you're going to have to balance out:
1) Your love for cardio.
2) Your discomfort with the amount of calories you need to eat.
3) Your stance on high calorie food choices, and I say this because if you're not opposed to pop tarts (as an example) they can really provide relief to people who can't stomach the food volume they need to bulk and this is especially true if you're one who only eats whole foods.
And you will need to balance those variables to end in a caloric surplus.
If it were me, I'd dump the heavy cardio day (or significantly reduce it) and consider a 4 day training split.
Fortunately I don't actually have much of a love for cardio, so that works out.
Then I'd do what Rock says and dump it. Maybe swap in 1 pop tart. Just one. Then you can come back and make a post that says
"Ok guys I'm sorry. I FINALLY see why you all talk about Pop Tarts, these things are amazing"
:bigsmile: :bigsmile:0 -
If you get to a point that you're having difficulties or significant discomfort due to the amount of food you have to eat then it makes sense to reduce activity to help remedy that.
The alternative would be to choose more calorie dense foods if the issue is food volume.
How much cardio are you doing?
typically one heavier cardio day, and if I do a second it's usually a bit lighter, but yeah I hear ya on food density, but when you're aiming for 4000 cal you just pretty much have to be eating all the time. lol
Ultimately you're going to have to balance out:
1) Your love for cardio.
2) Your discomfort with the amount of calories you need to eat.
3) Your stance on high calorie food choices, and I say this because if you're not opposed to pop tarts (as an example) they can really provide relief to people who can't stomach the food volume they need to bulk and this is especially true if you're one who only eats whole foods.
And you will need to balance those variables to end in a caloric surplus.
If it were me, I'd dump the heavy cardio day (or significantly reduce it) and consider a 4 day training split.
Fortunately I don't actually have much of a love for cardio, so that works out.
Then I'd do what Rock says and dump it. Maybe swap in 1 pop tart. Just one. Then you can come back and make a post that says
"Ok guys I'm sorry. I FINALLY see why you all talk about Pop Tarts, these things are amazing"
:bigsmile: :bigsmile:
Poptarts suck. I'd rather accept that Reddy is correct before saying "these things are amazing"0 -
If you get to a point that you're having difficulties or significant discomfort due to the amount of food you have to eat then it makes sense to reduce activity to help remedy that.
The alternative would be to choose more calorie dense foods if the issue is food volume.
How much cardio are you doing?
typically one heavier cardio day, and if I do a second it's usually a bit lighter, but yeah I hear ya on food density, but when you're aiming for 4000 cal you just pretty much have to be eating all the time. lol
Ultimately you're going to have to balance out:
1) Your love for cardio.
2) Your discomfort with the amount of calories you need to eat.
3) Your stance on high calorie food choices, and I say this because if you're not opposed to pop tarts (as an example) they can really provide relief to people who can't stomach the food volume they need to bulk and this is especially true if you're one who only eats whole foods.
And you will need to balance those variables to end in a caloric surplus.
If it were me, I'd dump the heavy cardio day (or significantly reduce it) and consider a 4 day training split.
Fortunately I don't actually have much of a love for cardio, so that works out.
Then I'd do what Rock says and dump it. Maybe swap in 1 pop tart. Just one. Then you can come back and make a post that says
"Ok guys I'm sorry. I FINALLY see why you all talk about Pop Tarts, these things are amazing"
:bigsmile: :bigsmile:
hahaha i've had plenty of pop tarts, and I'd agree with taunto that while they're tasty, they hardly qualify as "amazing"
however, ben+jerry's and the ****in' home made cookies I can get at the local bodega? dude. DUDE.
And one pop tart is only 200 cal, I'ma need way more than one.0 -
This thread is blowing my mind0
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If you get to a point that you're having difficulties or significant discomfort due to the amount of food you have to eat then it makes sense to reduce activity to help remedy that.
The alternative would be to choose more calorie dense foods if the issue is food volume.
How much cardio are you doing?
typically one heavier cardio day, and if I do a second it's usually a bit lighter, but yeah I hear ya on food density, but when you're aiming for 4000 cal you just pretty much have to be eating all the time. lol
Ultimately you're going to have to balance out:
1) Your love for cardio.
2) Your discomfort with the amount of calories you need to eat.
3) Your stance on high calorie food choices, and I say this because if you're not opposed to pop tarts (as an example) they can really provide relief to people who can't stomach the food volume they need to bulk and this is especially true if you're one who only eats whole foods.
And you will need to balance those variables to end in a caloric surplus.
If it were me, I'd dump the heavy cardio day (or significantly reduce it) and consider a 4 day training split.
Fortunately I don't actually have much of a love for cardio, so that works out.
Then I'd do what Rock says and dump it. Maybe swap in 1 pop tart. Just one. Then you can come back and make a post that says
"Ok guys I'm sorry. I FINALLY see why you all talk about Pop Tarts, these things are amazing"
:bigsmile: :bigsmile:
hahaha i've had plenty of pop tarts, and I'd agree with taunto that while they're tasty, they hardly qualify as "amazing"
however, ben+jerry's and the ****in' home made cookies I can get at the local bodega? dude. DUDE.
And one pop tart is only 200 cal, I'ma need way more than one.
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drink whole milk instead of some water...peanut butter, ice cream...
but seriously, some of the "crap" food makes GREAT food to add in addition to foods you're used to eating because they won't cause as much intestinal distress due to lack of bulk.
4000 "clean" calories is just miserable.
one of my favorite quotes pertaining to bulking:eating clean" is not a useful concept. Big Macs are0 -
hahaha i've had plenty of pop tarts, and I'd agree with taunto that since they taste like cardboard, they hardly qualify as "amazing"
however, ben+jerry's and the ****in' home made cookies I can get at the local bodega? dude. DUDE.
And one pop tart is only 200 cal, I'ma need way more than one.
**** my bad dude. :bigsmile:
EDIT: fixed it for you.0 -
Wow, wish I had your problem lol0
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Yea I was gonna say...Isn't Ben & Jerry's like supposed to be all natural and organic? Pint or two of that a day?0
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I wish i had that metabolism. WHY DO YOU? IS it because geneteic or just because you're very active?0
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I have a buddy that eats EVERYTHING he wants and at one point was spending $60 a month on supplements to just maintain an extra 10 lbs. He has given up on it and although he is very lean he is very buff. Dude does P90X like there is no tomorrow. Some people were meant to be lean and others not so much. I hope you find what works for you and makes you happy!
I have never had this "issue" but I understand putting on the weight can be just as difficult as taking it off. Good luck!
~Glynis0 -
genetic, my mom and grandfather are/were both genetically thin respectively.I wish i had that metabolism. WHY DO YOU? IS it because geneteic or just because you're very active?0 -
I have a buddy that eats EVERYTHING he wants and at one point was spending $60 a month on supplements to just maintain an extra 10 lbs. He has given up on it and although he is very lean he is very buff. Dude does P90X like there is no tomorrow. Some people were meant to be lean and others not so much. I hope you find what works for you and makes you happy!
I have never had this "issue" but I understand putting on the weight can be just as difficult as taking it off. Good luck!
~Glynis
haha sounds like you pretty much just described me. :P
thanks!0 -
I tried a "clean foods" only bulk one time. (FYI I do eating comps from time to time and IF so I eat big meals all the time) I had a salad bowl FULL of rice, potatoes, other veg and chicken. It took me over an hour to eat and felt like *kitten* after.
That was the last time I tried that :laugh:
and yeah, I'd just drop some cardio and eat more ALL NATURAL PEANUT BUTTER :happy:
of your 5-5 sessions per week, how much is RT and how much cardio?0 -
3000 calorie maintenance
45-60 minutes HEAVY lifting = ~200 calories
3000+200+100 (for surplus) =3300. Not 4000
3100 cals on non workout days
3300 cals on workout days.0 -
Okay, 2000 cals used to seem a lot to me, but at the moment I am reaching 3000 on work days easily. A good day for me involves getting a decent amount of 'healthier' food , then eating as much as I want/need of other food. I am starting to like salads, the weather is warming up here, but that means I need some dense food as well. My go toos are chocolate , up and go's (a breakfast drink) sunflower and pumpkin seeds, cheese, dips, etc. A the moment if I wake up hungry, I eat breakfast, but some days I am not. It's amazing how many calories an extra piece of bacon adds to a meals. Also pizza. Seriously I like frozen pizza, and always pick up some when it's on special . Just a ham a cheese, simple high calories. Have a piece of cake . Or a donut. Also for me , I am finding my maintence may be just under 3000 cals. So I eat higher on days I work and tend to eat less on weekends. That seems to take the stress out of trying to eat so much and I am roughly sitting even on the scales. Big thing, is enjoy your food.0
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There may be other areas of your activities that could drop.
Usually the most comfortable way to meet high calorie goals is through carbs.
Whether you can do that whilst still following your beliefs may be difficult but there could be options that fit both.0 -
Ain't gonna lie but in my big bulking days, I found pizza (lots of meat) to be the best option for me. Of course back then, dessicated liver tablets and milk were also our main sources of protein supplementation.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition0 -
So..you're back.....are you ready to listen to these guys this time?0
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Less "working out". More training for hypertrophy.
As for the food, yeah I guess you need to suck it up. Take a couple scoops of protein with every meal if you have to.0 -
Less "working out". More training for hypertrophy.
As for the food, yeah I guess you need to suck it up. Take a couple scoops of protein with every meal if you have to.
A protein shake (or 2) made with full fat coconut milk, almond butter, and banana could probably get you there.0 -
In my experience, they guys struggling to hit their calories are already filling up on protein, and it's become part of the problem.0
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So..you're back.....are you ready to listen to these guys this time?
Really?0 -
In my experience, they guys struggling to hit their calories are already filling up on protein, and it's become part of the problem.
Not me, my protein macro is only about 20% - since it's based off actual grams needed instead of an arbitrary ratio.
I think I'm gonna just do a big shake right when I get up and go from there. Appreciate the feedback and advice.0 -
3000 calorie maintenance
45-60 minutes HEAVY lifting = ~200 calories
3000+200+100 (for surplus) =3300. Not 4000
3100 cals on non workout days
3300 cals on workout days.
Nah, doesn't quite work that way for me. I can do even 3500 consistently (I did for about 6 months) and still only have a 6-8lb increase in that time.
honestly I can't decide for myself whether that's a good amount or not... lol but what I do know is it means that MFP has no clue how calories affect my body, since it usually says I'll gain 2.8 pounds a week eating the way I do.
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