Need female tips on wanting to gain weight the right way.
HerNameIs_Lovee
Posts: 28 Member
I've been on and off of this, and I am really trying to stick to it. I lost 20lbs in the last six months, and now I am trying to bulk without gaining too much fat. I think it would be a lot easier if I had some friends to help encourage and that could help encourage me. Is there anyone else out there trying to gain weight in the right places; even though I know you can't spot gain... Does anyone know any good tips to share and trade to help each other?
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Replies
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Me. I run a lot and I'm small. 106. Looking to gain 10lbs. I'm at 2,400 calories to help put the weight on. I eat healthy and love running. How about u?0
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I'm currently at 110 and want to get back to 130 but I want it to be mainly muscle. Without being too much lol. Running is the only thing I really hate doing. When I was younger I ran track and that was only because I was good at it lol. I'm trying to find a new cardio I enjoy. I like Zumba though lol. In addition to that, I'm trying to eat better also. I'm also trying to do 2,200 calories. I might change it to 2,400. I just put in my goals and that's what they came up with.0
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If you want to gain muscle, you're not going to do it through running, cardio, or Zumba. You'll need to add a good strength training program to your workout regimen. New rules of lifting for women or Strong Curves are two that i see suggested often (obviously I have no personal experience with either).
But even more importantly you'll need to ensure your diet is on point. If you know what your maintenance calories are, aim for an average daily goal of about 250 calories over that. Get adequate protein and fat, and fill the rest of your calories out with carbs.
No one...especially a woman ( not an insult, just a nod to basic human physiology) is going to put on 20 lbs of pure muscle. So I would get that idea right out of your head.0 -
juggernaut1974 wrote: »If you want to gain muscle, you're not going to do it through running, cardio, or Zumba. You'll need to add a good strength training program to your workout regimen. New rules of lifting for women or Strong Curves are two that i see suggested often (obviously I have no personal experience with either).
But even more importantly you'll need to ensure your diet is on point. If you know what your maintenance calories are, aim for an average daily goal of about 250 calories over that. Get adequate protein and fat, and fill the rest of your calories out with carbs.
No one...especially a woman ( not an insult, just a nod to basic human physiology) is going to put on 20 lbs of pure muscle. So I would get that idea right out of your head.
Pretty solid advice right there.0 -
juggernaut1974 wrote: »If you want to gain muscle, you're not going to do it through running, cardio, or Zumba. You'll need to add a good strength training program to your workout regimen. New rules of lifting for women or Strong Curves are two that i see suggested often (obviously I have no personal experience with either).
But even more importantly you'll need to ensure your diet is on point. If you know what your maintenance calories are, aim for an average daily goal of about 250 calories over that. Get adequate protein and fat, and fill the rest of your calories out with carbs.
No one...especially a woman ( not an insult, just a nod to basic human physiology) is going to put on 20 lbs of pure muscle. So I would get that idea right out of your head.
Thanks a lot for that advice. I was just responding to her love for running and saying I hate it lol but I know that cardio normally cuts me up faster and tones me. I'm currently in the bulking and strength part of my goals but not quite sure where to start. I've been changing my diet now, but I'm trying to meet a medium where I can gain weight without getting too much bad fat..0 -
HerNameIs_Lovee wrote: »juggernaut1974 wrote: »If you want to gain muscle, you're not going to do it through running, cardio, or Zumba. You'll need to add a good strength training program to your workout regimen. New rules of lifting for women or Strong Curves are two that i see suggested often (obviously I have no personal experience with either).
But even more importantly you'll need to ensure your diet is on point. If you know what your maintenance calories are, aim for an average daily goal of about 250 calories over that. Get adequate protein and fat, and fill the rest of your calories out with carbs.
No one...especially a woman ( not an insult, just a nod to basic human physiology) is going to put on 20 lbs of pure muscle. So I would get that idea right out of your head.
Thanks a lot for that advice. I was just responding to her love for running and saying I hate it lol but I know that cardio normally cuts me up faster and tones me. I'm currently in the bulking and strength part of my goals but not quite sure where to start. I've been changing my diet now, but I'm trying to meet a medium where I can gain weight without getting too much bad fat..
Are you lifting? What is your programming like?
You need to be lifting and eating.0 -
I've been just lifting heavy on my lower body with low reps and sets, and lifting light on my upper body with more reps and sets. But I'm stuck at the eating part...what should I eat?0
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And I'm trying to find a good program, I think I'll check out the ones mentioned above. Just so I can have some type of structure or guide on what I'm doing when working out lol0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »HerNameIs_Lovee wrote: »juggernaut1974 wrote: »If you want to gain muscle, you're not going to do it through running, cardio, or Zumba. You'll need to add a good strength training program to your workout regimen. New rules of lifting for women or Strong Curves are two that i see suggested often (obviously I have no personal experience with either).
But even more importantly you'll need to ensure your diet is on point. If you know what your maintenance calories are, aim for an average daily goal of about 250 calories over that. Get adequate protein and fat, and fill the rest of your calories out with carbs.
No one...especially a woman ( not an insult, just a nod to basic human physiology) is going to put on 20 lbs of pure muscle. So I would get that idea right out of your head.
Thanks a lot for that advice. I was just responding to her love for running and saying I hate it lol but I know that cardio normally cuts me up faster and tones me. I'm currently in the bulking and strength part of my goals but not quite sure where to start. I've been changing my diet now, but I'm trying to meet a medium where I can gain weight without getting too much bad fat..
Are you lifting? What is your programming like?
You need to be lifting and eating.
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HerNameIs_Lovee wrote: »I've been just lifting heavy on my lower body with low reps and sets, and lifting light on my upper body with more reps and sets. But I'm stuck at the eating part...what should I eat?
I would strongly suggest doing an established program for best and most efficient results....
You have two threads on this going now...you need to eat more calories...the "what" isn't as important as you need to eat more calories...eating more calories will put on weight...eat the same stuff you're eating now...just more of it...eat in a calorie surplus.0 -
Stickies are here if you haven't seen them yet:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10226536/bulking-for-beginners/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10049766/bulking-a-complete-guide-for-beginners/p1
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Stickies are here if you haven't seen them yet:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10226536/bulking-for-beginners/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10049766/bulking-a-complete-guide-for-beginners/p1
Thanks!!0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »HerNameIs_Lovee wrote: »I've been just lifting heavy on my lower body with low reps and sets, and lifting light on my upper body with more reps and sets. But I'm stuck at the eating part...what should I eat?
I would strongly suggest doing an established program for best and most efficient results....
You have two threads on this going now...you need to eat more calories...the "what" isn't as important as you need to eat more calories...eating more calories will put on weight...eat the same stuff you're eating now...just more of it...eat in a calorie surplus.
Yea I was thinking there might be different kinds of how to'S and what not to do and then I made one about food in general because that's the thing; I almost never eat. So I don't really know what I should or even ideas of things to eat. I'm always so busy I just eat junk when I get a break and I'm trying to do better at that now.0 -
i love me pecan halves for those busy days. i also keep nutrament on hand for the days where i dont get close to goals and i know a scoop of ice cream wont make it0
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HerNameIs_Lovee wrote: »juggernaut1974 wrote: »If you want to gain muscle, you're not going to do it through running, cardio, or Zumba. You'll need to add a good strength training program to your workout regimen. New rules of lifting for women or Strong Curves are two that i see suggested often (obviously I have no personal experience with either).
But even more importantly you'll need to ensure your diet is on point. If you know what your maintenance calories are, aim for an average daily goal of about 250 calories over that. Get adequate protein and fat, and fill the rest of your calories out with carbs.
No one...especially a woman ( not an insult, just a nod to basic human physiology) is going to put on 20 lbs of pure muscle. So I would get that idea right out of your head.
Thanks a lot for that advice. I was just responding to her love for running and saying I hate it lol but I know that cardio normally cuts me up faster and tones me. I'm currently in the bulking and strength part of my goals but not quite sure where to start. I've been changing my diet now, but I'm trying to meet a medium where I can gain weight without getting too much bad fat..
Cardio is fine for a cut, but when bulking, it just makes more calories you have to eat.
Find a progressive lifting program and follow it. Do both upper and lower body. Starting strength is a good one if you're new. I just switched to 5/3/1 (Jim Wendler) and I really enjoy it; it's focus is on increasing strength, and can be done in a bulk or cut (I'm currently cutting).
The difference really is calories. Like someone else said, figure out your maintenance calories then aim to eat about 250 more than that. IIRC, you want at least .6-.8 g protein per pound LBM in a bulk (more in a cut). You also need enough fat (don't remember those numbers), and then you can fill the rest out with whatever you like.
You may want to just bulk for about 6 months (gaining about 10 pounds or so), then cut again (calorie deficit) to reduce some of the fat the inevitably comes with a bulk before going back into another bulk cycle.0 -
juggernaut1974 wrote: »If you want to gain muscle, you're not going to do it through running, cardio, or Zumba. You'll need to add a good strength training program to your workout regimen. New rules of lifting for women or Strong Curves are two that i see suggested often (obviously I have no personal experience with either).
But even more importantly you'll need to ensure your diet is on point. If you know what your maintenance calories are, aim for an average daily goal of about 250 calories over that. Get adequate protein and fat, and fill the rest of your calories out with carbs.
No one...especially a woman ( not an insult, just a nod to basic human physiology) is going to put on 20 lbs of pure muscle. So I would get that idea right out of your head.
cosign
and read the "most helpful posts" at the top of the forum0 -
HerNameIs_Lovee wrote: »juggernaut1974 wrote: »If you want to gain muscle, you're not going to do it through running, cardio, or Zumba. You'll need to add a good strength training program to your workout regimen. New rules of lifting for women or Strong Curves are two that i see suggested often (obviously I have no personal experience with either).
But even more importantly you'll need to ensure your diet is on point. If you know what your maintenance calories are, aim for an average daily goal of about 250 calories over that. Get adequate protein and fat, and fill the rest of your calories out with carbs.
No one...especially a woman ( not an insult, just a nod to basic human physiology) is going to put on 20 lbs of pure muscle. So I would get that idea right out of your head.
Thanks a lot for that advice. I was just responding to her love for running and saying I hate it lol but I know that cardio normally cuts me up faster and tones me. I'm currently in the bulking and strength part of my goals but not quite sure where to start. I've been changing my diet now, but I'm trying to meet a medium where I can gain weight without getting too much bad fat..
Cardio is fine for a cut, but when bulking, it just makes more calories you have to eat.
Find a progressive lifting program and follow it. Do both upper and lower body. Starting strength is a good one if you're new. I just switched to 5/3/1 (Jim Wendler) and I really enjoy it; it's focus is on increasing strength, and can be done in a bulk or cut (I'm currently cutting).
The difference really is calories. Like someone else said, figure out your maintenance calories then aim to eat about 250 more than that. IIRC, you want at least .6-.8 g protein per pound LBM in a bulk (more in a cut). You also need enough fat (don't remember those numbers), and then you can fill the rest out with whatever you like.
You may want to just bulk for about 6 months (gaining about 10 pounds or so), then cut again (calorie deficit) to reduce some of the fat the inevitably comes with a bulk before going back into another bulk cycle.
Where can I find a good workout program? Is there a good app to follow and I feel like this sounds really dumb but what exactly is LBM?0 -
HerNameIs_Lovee wrote: »HerNameIs_Lovee wrote: »juggernaut1974 wrote: »If you want to gain muscle, you're not going to do it through running, cardio, or Zumba. You'll need to add a good strength training program to your workout regimen. New rules of lifting for women or Strong Curves are two that i see suggested often (obviously I have no personal experience with either).
But even more importantly you'll need to ensure your diet is on point. If you know what your maintenance calories are, aim for an average daily goal of about 250 calories over that. Get adequate protein and fat, and fill the rest of your calories out with carbs.
No one...especially a woman ( not an insult, just a nod to basic human physiology) is going to put on 20 lbs of pure muscle. So I would get that idea right out of your head.
Thanks a lot for that advice. I was just responding to her love for running and saying I hate it lol but I know that cardio normally cuts me up faster and tones me. I'm currently in the bulking and strength part of my goals but not quite sure where to start. I've been changing my diet now, but I'm trying to meet a medium where I can gain weight without getting too much bad fat..
Cardio is fine for a cut, but when bulking, it just makes more calories you have to eat.
Find a progressive lifting program and follow it. Do both upper and lower body. Starting strength is a good one if you're new. I just switched to 5/3/1 (Jim Wendler) and I really enjoy it; it's focus is on increasing strength, and can be done in a bulk or cut (I'm currently cutting).
The difference really is calories. Like someone else said, figure out your maintenance calories then aim to eat about 250 more than that. IIRC, you want at least .6-.8 g protein per pound LBM in a bulk (more in a cut). You also need enough fat (don't remember those numbers), and then you can fill the rest out with whatever you like.
You may want to just bulk for about 6 months (gaining about 10 pounds or so), then cut again (calorie deficit) to reduce some of the fat the inevitably comes with a bulk before going back into another bulk cycle.
Where can I find a good workout program? Is there a good app to follow and I feel like this sounds really dumb but what exactly is LBM?
As mentioned before, New Rules of Lifting for Women is a good place to start...Strong Curves is another good beginner program but my wife always recommends starting with New Rules because it explains everything...what you should be doing and why and familiarizes you with a lot of the basic movements.
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HerNameIs_Lovee wrote: »juggernaut1974 wrote: »If you want to gain muscle, you're not going to do it through running, cardio, or Zumba. You'll need to add a good strength training program to your workout regimen. New rules of lifting for women or Strong Curves are two that i see suggested often (obviously I have no personal experience with either).
But even more importantly you'll need to ensure your diet is on point. If you know what your maintenance calories are, aim for an average daily goal of about 250 calories over that. Get adequate protein and fat, and fill the rest of your calories out with carbs.
No one...especially a woman ( not an insult, just a nod to basic human physiology) is going to put on 20 lbs of pure muscle. So I would get that idea right out of your head.
Thanks a lot for that advice. I was just responding to her love for running and saying I hate it lol but I know that cardio normally cuts me up faster and tones me. I'm currently in the bulking and strength part of my goals but not quite sure where to start. I've been changing my diet now, but I'm trying to meet a medium where I can gain weight without getting too much bad fat..
Cardio is fine for a cut, but when bulking, it just makes more calories you have to eat.
Find a progressive lifting program and follow it. Do both upper and lower body. Starting strength is a good one if you're new. I just switched to 5/3/1 (Jim Wendler) and I really enjoy it; it's focus is on increasing strength, and can be done in a bulk or cut (I'm currently cutting).
The difference really is calories. Like someone else said, figure out your maintenance calories then aim to eat about 250 more than that. IIRC, you want at least .6-.8 g protein per pound LBM in a bulk (more in a cut). You also need enough fat (don't remember those numbers), and then you can fill the rest out with whatever you like.
You may want to just bulk for about 6 months (gaining about 10 pounds or so), then cut again (calorie deficit) to reduce some of the fat the inevitably comes with a bulk before going back into another bulk cycle.
I also seen that a good way to find my maintenance calorie intake would be to multiply my body weight times 14 and subtract by 17? Have you heard that before?0 -
HerNameIs_Lovee wrote: »HerNameIs_Lovee wrote: »juggernaut1974 wrote: »If you want to gain muscle, you're not going to do it through running, cardio, or Zumba. You'll need to add a good strength training program to your workout regimen. New rules of lifting for women or Strong Curves are two that i see suggested often (obviously I have no personal experience with either).
But even more importantly you'll need to ensure your diet is on point. If you know what your maintenance calories are, aim for an average daily goal of about 250 calories over that. Get adequate protein and fat, and fill the rest of your calories out with carbs.
No one...especially a woman ( not an insult, just a nod to basic human physiology) is going to put on 20 lbs of pure muscle. So I would get that idea right out of your head.
Thanks a lot for that advice. I was just responding to her love for running and saying I hate it lol but I know that cardio normally cuts me up faster and tones me. I'm currently in the bulking and strength part of my goals but not quite sure where to start. I've been changing my diet now, but I'm trying to meet a medium where I can gain weight without getting too much bad fat..
Cardio is fine for a cut, but when bulking, it just makes more calories you have to eat.
Find a progressive lifting program and follow it. Do both upper and lower body. Starting strength is a good one if you're new. I just switched to 5/3/1 (Jim Wendler) and I really enjoy it; it's focus is on increasing strength, and can be done in a bulk or cut (I'm currently cutting).
The difference really is calories. Like someone else said, figure out your maintenance calories then aim to eat about 250 more than that. IIRC, you want at least .6-.8 g protein per pound LBM in a bulk (more in a cut). You also need enough fat (don't remember those numbers), and then you can fill the rest out with whatever you like.
You may want to just bulk for about 6 months (gaining about 10 pounds or so), then cut again (calorie deficit) to reduce some of the fat the inevitably comes with a bulk before going back into another bulk cycle.
I also seen that a good way to find my maintenance calorie intake would be to multiply my body weight times 14 and subtract by 17? Have you heard that before?
That is a very general formula and isn't a really great estimate. You can get a closer number by googling TDEE calculator. I really like the one in Scooby's workshop. It will take into account more things than just weight, which will give you a better result. Ultimately, though, you have to accurately track and see what your weight is doing. If you are maintaining, you are eating at maintenance calorie intake. If you're losing, then you're at a deficit.
LBM = lean body mass. If you have a good idea of your body fat %, multiply that (as a decimal) by your weight to get lbs of fat. Subtract that from weight to get LBM.0 -
HerNameIs_Lovee wrote: »And I'm trying to find a good program, I think I'll check out the ones mentioned above. Just so I can have some type of structure or guide on what I'm doing when working out lolHerNameIs_Lovee wrote: »And I'm trying to find a good program, I think I'll check out the ones mentioned above. Just so I can have some type of structure or guide on what I'm doing when working out lolHerNameIs_Lovee wrote: »And I'm trying to find a good program, I think I'll check out the ones mentioned above. Just so I can have some type of structure or guide on what I'm doing when working out lol
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If you're a beginner at lifting try using the "bodyspace" app and find a program to follow. It's the easiest thing to do and you won't be as lost. If it's something you like then find a meal plan on bodybuilding.com
I started lifting almost two years ago, and found those two things to help me. I now use both as references because it all comes second nature. I am currently in the process of bulking which has been extremely difficult because I'm breastfeeding and have to eat extra the recommended calories plus some!
Have fun with the workouts. Don't think you need to lift heavy in the beginning. Remember that form is the most important otherwise your goal of gaining will be thrown out the window because of injury.0 -
CaliCeleste wrote: »If you're a beginner at lifting try using the "bodyspace" app and find a program to follow. It's the easiest thing to do and you won't be as lost. If it's something you like then find a meal plan on bodybuilding.com
I started lifting almost two years ago, and found those two things to help me. I now use both as references because it all comes second nature. I am currently in the process of bulking which has been extremely difficult because I'm breastfeeding and have to eat extra the recommended calories plus some!
Have fun with the workouts. Don't think you need to lift heavy in the beginning. Remember that form is the most important otherwise your goal of gaining will be thrown out the window because of injury.
The bolded is a very good point. Even in "heavy lifting" programs, heavy is relative. And correct form is critical!0
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