Muscle Gain Struggle
jfaifer
Posts: 9 Member
Little bit of background:
About 2 years ago I was 250 mostly fat and little muscle. I went pretty hardcore when dieting and I lost up to 80 pounds, including some muscle and lots of fat, my lowest weight was about 175.
Right now I am about 195-200 (6 feet tall) and my goal is to put on muscle and lost that fat/spare tire action. I don't care what the number on the scale says as long as I look decent. I've looked up all kinds of stuff on how many calories I should be eating to gain weight, and it says around 2800-3000; but when I eat this much I gain a lot of fat, and if I cut it back the weights I'm pushing aren't going higher.
This is the plan I'm on right now
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/4-day-power-muscle-burn-workout-split.html
Here are some pics I took this morning
Please help!
About 2 years ago I was 250 mostly fat and little muscle. I went pretty hardcore when dieting and I lost up to 80 pounds, including some muscle and lots of fat, my lowest weight was about 175.
Right now I am about 195-200 (6 feet tall) and my goal is to put on muscle and lost that fat/spare tire action. I don't care what the number on the scale says as long as I look decent. I've looked up all kinds of stuff on how many calories I should be eating to gain weight, and it says around 2800-3000; but when I eat this much I gain a lot of fat, and if I cut it back the weights I'm pushing aren't going higher.
This is the plan I'm on right now
http://www.muscleandstrength.com/workouts/4-day-power-muscle-burn-workout-split.html
Here are some pics I took this morning
Please help!
0
Replies
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I would not recommend bulking. Either eat at maintenance or a slight deficit.
As for programming... what are your numbers like on the big lifts? You'll more than likely benefit more from a novice routine with lower total volume (especially if you choose deficit).0 -
Bulking is not appropriate for you. Like LolBroScience said, eat at maintenance or a slight deficit.
That plan you picked out is inappropriate for your experience. You should look into New Rules of Lifting or Stronglifts.0 -
Seconded. And seconded again.
I wouldn't go on a bulk. I'd get some kind of idea on your body composition is and bring your BF down. If you don't care about what the scale says then focusing on what your body composition will help get where you want to be.0 -
LolBroScience wrote: »I would not recommend bulking. Either eat at maintenance or a slight deficit.
As for programming... what are your numbers like on the big lifts? You'll more than likely benefit more from a novice routine with lower total volume (especially if you choose deficit).
Bench press I'm doing about 175 5x5. Squats, 185 5x5 (assisted)
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nakedraygun wrote: »Seconded. And seconded again.
I wouldn't go on a bulk. I'd get some kind of idea on your body composition is and bring your BF down. If you don't care about what the scale says then focusing on what your body composition will help get where you want to be.
What do you mean by body composition?
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LolBroScience wrote: »I would not recommend bulking. Either eat at maintenance or a slight deficit.
As for programming... what are your numbers like on the big lifts? You'll more than likely benefit more from a novice routine with lower total volume (especially if you choose deficit).Bulking is not appropriate for you. Like LolBroScience said, eat at maintenance or a slight deficit.
That plan you picked out is inappropriate for your experience. You should look into New Rules of Lifting or Stronglifts.nakedraygun wrote: »Seconded. And seconded again.
I wouldn't go on a bulk. I'd get some kind of idea on your body composition is and bring your BF down. If you don't care about what the scale says then focusing on what your body composition will help get where you want to be.
cosigning all three…
you need to keep cutting OP ….0 -
nakedraygun wrote: »Seconded. And seconded again.
I wouldn't go on a bulk. I'd get some kind of idea on your body composition is and bring your BF down. If you don't care about what the scale says then focusing on what your body composition will help get where you want to be.
What do you mean by body composition?
he means try to get an accurate measure of your body fat%….
based on your pictures I am guessing your are high 20's maybe 30%..
Ideally, you want to get down to 15% range before bulking.
However, you can start heavy lifting now, and mix in some cardio on off days to increase burns...0 -
Gotchya, so I've basically been hurting myself more than helping?
Should I do strong lifts like a 5x5 program? I've seen some where all you do is bench squat and deadlift.0 -
Gotchya, so I've basically been hurting myself more than helping?
Should I do strong lifts like a 5x5 program? I've seen some where all you do is bench squat and deadlift.
have you been bulking already? If yes, then I would not say you "hurt" yourself but you probably put on more fat than muscle as you started at a higher body fat%.
Yes, strong lifts, starting strength, all pro beginner routine, something like that….0 -
Thanks. Yeah I was doing this split in the spring and made good gains. But a month n a half I lost my gym access.
Should I keep my carbs low and my fats n protein high?0 -
http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ --- as a baseline...
Adequate protein, adequate fat, and the rest of cals into carbs or fat based on preference. I wouldn't necessarily go "low carb" though, there is no need.... It's just going to make increasing performance more difficult.0 -
Also agree with above. You don't need to bulk. Recomp is what you should look at.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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How long have you actually been lifting for and what routine(s) were you doing (other than the one you linked)? Do you have access to a gym now?
Also, I agree with the others advising not to bulk at the moment.0 -
Maintenance calorie level, 1g protein per pound of bodyweight (as close as you can get at least) and the 5x5 workout should get you started. And I wouldn't say ' you only do bench squat and deadlift'. try the exact workout for a few months, I bet it changes your opinion0
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I also agree with the others on here. Stick to a deficit until you get your bodyfat down and pick a beginner program to work on your strength gains. Bulking with too high a bodyfat to start with is definitely not ideal and will ony cause additional fat gains. Once you reach around 15% then start back on PMB and gradually increase the cals again. I'm currently on 50C/25P/25F and it's working ok for a cut. No need to cut carbs too low, they will help to fuel those lifts so keep them in for sure. And check out this link regarding the basics for weight loss that a friend of mine shared on another post. Keeping it simple and being consistent is key so stick at it. Good luck! http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10196532/a-guide-to-avoid-the-woo-woo-in-mfp-land/p20
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Just to echo others, keep cutting, keep protein high.
Get on any recognised beginners routine (Starting Strength, Stronglifts, All Pro's, etc) and just ride it as long as you can while trying to drop bf.
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Chest workouts man. They are like confidence boosters for me and keeps my shirts feeling nice0
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How long have you actually been lifting for and what routine(s) were you doing (other than the one you linked)? Do you have access to a gym now?
Also, I agree with the others advising not to bulk at the moment.
Been working out a few years now, was doing the old chest tri day back bi then legs. I saw progress with the program that i posted, but I may switch to the stronglift workout program
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@jfaifer Hey what's going on! I looked at the workout you are following..... In my opinion, you are not ready for that kind of workout routine. It has a great Periodization set up (strength, size, endurance) although in your position I would focus on maintaining the muscle you currently have while focusing on strength gains in the 4-6 rep range. While also dialing in your nutrition to strip away the body fat.
I attached an article below that could offer some more insight!
Let me know what you think and if that helps any!
http://gtmfitness.com/how-to-effectively-and-healthily-lose-weight-part-1/0 -
Many of the posters here have great advice.
I'll echo the sentiment again of sticking close to maintenance and using any beginner program, such as stronglifts, starting strength, all pro, etc. You've gotten some great advice here, so keep it up and you'll get there.
Work on increasing your lift numbers with progressive overload and the rest will fall in line if you measure your food accurately.0 -
Thanks everyone for the help. I've decided to go with the All Pro workout routine while eating at a deficit. It is a simple program and I like the volume it offers. Plus the workouts don't take very long.
Thanks all!0
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