Help with building muscle please

In order to really build muscle, you are going to need to eat above your maintenence calories. Your body can really only be in one of two modes, weight gain or weight loss, and you can't build muscle during weight loss.

I agree that 300g of protein is way excessive. 1 pound per pound of body weight is a good target. Also, doing sets of less reps but higher weight will help will muscle gain.

Hi! I've yet to even do a real intro post but I am also ultimately focused on building muscle. When I have been on top of things in the past, the fitness writer Krista Scott-Dixon has been a real inspiration. She's revamped her website from when I was a gymrat back in the mid-90s. You might want to check it out: http://www.stumptuous.com/

2g of protein per pound of bodyweight its the way to build muscle 1g its crap

you won't bulk up with 10 lb weights. Women don't produce the level of testosterone and other growth hormones that are required to "bulk up" without doing some SERIOUS failure training (I.E. extremely heavy weight with small amounts of reps, to the point where you can't lift another repetition).

They're right, you can't grow new muscle without being above your maintenance calories. You can make your existing muscles more efficient, but that's it. And they're also right, 300 grams of protein isn't going to help you grow any extra muscles. Once your body uses all the protein it needs to repair and grow muscle, all the extra is used in a similar way to other energy sources (I.E. carbs), and I'm pretty sure you don't need 300 grams considering, I, who DOES do failure training twice a week and AM above maintenance, don't eat 300 grams of protein. You need anywhere from 1.5 grams per KG of body weight to about 1 gram per pound (maximum). Some bodybuilders do more, but they are doing this for a specific reason, and they are doing far more advanced things than 99.5% of the rest of us.

So feel free to eat at or slightly above maintenance calories if you want to put on muscle mass, I would also recommend looking into heavier weights with less reps for putting on weight (even if you don't want to "bulk" up), it takes a long time for women to get bulky, and that's if they are REALLY pushing things to the extreme. Most will just become stronger and have more "cut" muscles.

Yes, Kilograms! lol NOT POUNDS!

I build muscle quickly , even at 90-115g per day. I do NOT stick to 8lb weights tho, that's for sure! Everyone is different, it is really amazing.

2g of protein per pound of bodyweight its the way to build muscle 1g its crap

I rest my case.

this.... upon further review, looks snarky and bad. I apologize for that. All I meant was, in terms of one point of view (that of a person prone to body building and muscle size) the tendency is towards higher protein levels. But In general, it's not required for most of us, even those of us who want to build muscle. Unless you are shooting for a specific, "bulking" for very large muscle size, there's no need to go so high with protein intake.

A good workout program for women building lean muscle is Chalene Extreme or P90X. They both have proven to add more muscle on women commited to following their plan. I lift 10-15lbs on the workouts, and I'm adding muscle but not bulk. Good luck.

In order to really build muscle, you are going to need to eat above your maintenence calories. Your body can really only be in one of two modes, weight gain or weight loss, and you can't build muscle during weight loss.

I agree that 300g of protein is way excessive. 1 pound per pound of body weight is a good target. Also, doing sets of less reps but higher weight will help will muscle gain.

It's has been proven over and over that you can build muscle while dropping fat and losing weight. 1gr per pound of body weight is still overkill. Muscle is mostly water!

this has never been proven to my knowledge. Please post your research if you have found this to be true.

In order to really build muscle, you are going to need to eat above your maintenence calories. Your body can really only be in one of two modes, weight gain or weight loss, and you can't build muscle during weight loss.

I agree that 300g of protein is way excessive. 1 pound per pound of body weight is a good target. Also, doing sets of less reps but higher weight will help will muscle gain.

It's has been proven over and over that you can build muscle while dropping fat and losing weight. 1gr per pound of body weight is still overkill. Muscle is mostly water!

this has never been proven to my knowledge. Please post your research if you have found this to be true.

You kidding, right. For gods sake google it. I've done it myself time and time again along with thousands of Beachbody participants, thousands of Bowflex participants, thousands of Nautilus participants, thousands of body builders, and on and on and on and on.

Funny how at a 700 calorie per day deficit I dropped 17 pounds and added 6.7 pounds of muscle in 8 weeks!

http://drdarden.com/
http://drdarden.com/readTopic.do?id=415445

What is this? This isn't research, this is a bunch of guys claiming something on a website. This is no proof, nor is it research. Look, you can drop body fat while keeping existing muscle, but you can't be in a caloric deficit and build muscle mass. You can activate existing muscle that has been dormant, and there's quite a bit of it in most people, which adds weight because active muscle requires more glycogen stores, which is based in water solution, which means weight gain without fat gain, but that's not muscle.

Look, I've done the research, I know the facts on this. The body in general can live in only two states, catabolic and anabolic. There's no third, catabolic + anabolic state that would need to exist in order to allow significant muscle mass increases. When a person is in a catabolic state, the body inhibits hormone production of the human growth related hormones (I.E. Testosterone, Growth Hormone, and Insulin-like growth factors), these are the hormones that trigger muscle mass increase. Yes, the body will repair the microtears in muscle even in a catabolic state, but above and beyond that, the body doesn't do any muscle building.

What (I suspect) the men on that site experienced is a slightly catabolic state where high intensity workouts created an environment where fat burning is prolific, and muscles were activated wholesale. Which can account for not only looking bigger and more "ripped", but dropping fat and making gains in strength. This does NOT mean that anyone gained any muscle mass (fyi, water is included in LM). And yes, for a muscle to go from every day use, to 100% efficiency (or close to 100%) where the body will stimulate actual muscle growth can be between 6 and 12 weeks, so 8 weeks is perfectly normal.

There's a great book published by the foremost authority on strength training (National Strength and Conditioning Association) called simply "Strength Training" It's a wonderful book, and relatively easy for most people to grasp, with a light section at the beginning on muscle function, muscle metabolism, and human anatomy with regards to the skeletal-muscular system. I recommend anyone who is wondering read this book, it's a must read for those who wish to know more about strength and resistance training.

get into the gym... you need to lift weights jullian micheals dvds wont help you with muscle building.... and you dont need to consume more than 150grams of protein per day to gain muscle

I will gladly take any advice to help build muscle. I'm not looking to be a body builder but want to look and feel stronger.

Her last line says it all, she isnt looking to break world records on lifts, she wants to feel strong. I am guessing most women would love to have a toned arm/leg etc with definition. 300 grams of protein is crazy! I wonder how much of a 30 gram protein shake is actually utilized by the body and how much is flushed down the toilet.
Find a weighlifting program that you enjoy. If you enjoy doing it then you'll keep doing it. Measure your armslegs etc and take photos before you start, kinda your own personal transformation contest. As you lift weights you'll get stronger, your diet will help show definition, your strength will in turn provide the firmness your looking for. Just put in the work and have fun doing it. Protein is vital to helping develop muscle but its a pain in the *kitten* to do all those shakes month after month, but at least with this site you know how much you've consumed.

get into the gym... you need to lift weights jullian micheals dvds wont help you with muscle building.... and you dont need to consume more than 150grams of protein per day to gain muscle

Thank you! And you ARE infact living proof of this I have read your story! :-D Weights baby! And in my case... gaining muscle has helped me burn fat... Some areas are not getting too much smaller but man they are leaner and strong! :-D