started heavy lifting

J_ab
J_ab Posts: 5 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So over the past 9 months I lost over 85lbs with a combo of weight lifting, cardio (more cardio), and watching my caloric intake.

I'm at 165lbs now, and want to start lifting heavy (start actually a couple weeks ago) to gain muscle mass. I still count calories.

my BRM is 1800 and my TDEE says its about 2500 calories (700 over my bmr)

For those of you who lift, how do i know if the amount I lift justifies the amount I should eat (2500 kcal).
Im worried i'm not lifting enough to justify eating 2500 calories.

and suggestions or help?

thanks

Replies

  • felonebeats
    felonebeats Posts: 433
    Multiply your bodyweight in pounds by 15 to get a rough estimate of your maintenance calories and eat 500 more if you are looking to get bigger.Keep protein and carbs high
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
    as long as your program is solid you'll do fine... you grow during recovery.. lifting itself is catabolic. dont do something stupid like add a ridiculous amount of training.. if you're going to increase the amount of training, slowly add more work. training too much is counterproductive. if the muscle protein synthesis isn't greater than the catabolism caused by the act of lifting, you'll have a net loss of lean mass. its more likely that such a scenario would result in injury rather than muscle loss because you're doing more than you can recover from.

    you lost 85 pounds... good work... now start your bulk and listen to your body and dont do anything rash. the muscle will build.

    Whats your lifting regimen?
  • J_ab
    J_ab Posts: 5 Member
    I work out about 5-6 times a week for about an hour

    Chest: bench, incline bench, dumbbell on a flat bench, flies

    Shoulders:
    Arms/Tri:
    Legs:
    Back
    Cardio

    I do about 4 workouts per day for 5 days straight, then ill take a rest day.
  • pettychia
    pettychia Posts: 109 Member
    Start with a small increase in your calories and see how it works. If you're not seeing gains fast enough, eat more. Train well but not too much. I lift 3x / week for about an hour at a time. And have just upped my target calories bc I was losing weight, not gaining it. Aiming for 2650 these days. Really.
  • steve0820
    steve0820 Posts: 510 Member
    Use what MFP gives you as a starting point. It will be trial and error at first, not knowing exactly where your ratios should be. When I started my bulk, I had to up my calories 3 times from what MFP gave me, in order to see the scale move. I also noticed my lifts stalling. Once I upped the calls, everything starting going up again.
  • J_ab
    J_ab Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks for the advice all of you!!

    Im very proud of my weight-loss, but now im excited to take it to the next level. its truly an addiction

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