Trying to gain muscle

Owensgte · February 2016

Hey guys im tryin to gain muscle im currantly 30years old 6.1tall and weight 187.6lbs iv been eating 3100 cal aday and weight training for 2weeks but nothings changed my weights exactly the same any ideas please cheer

883xlsportster · February 2016

Try bumping your calories up. For a weight @ 187 looks like you may only be getting enough calories to maintain current weight?
There is a sticky at the top of forum too. May want to read that.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10226536/bulking-for-beginners

Owensgte · February 2016

Ok so what should i try bumping them up to thanks for reply mate

883xlsportster · February 2016

Owensgte wrote: »

Ok so what should i try bumping them up to thanks for reply mate

If you go to the goal tab here on MFP and plug in your details that should spit out some data you can start with. After you set goals and get a calorie number you can tweak it from there. I'm not really in a position beyond that for advice. Thats what I'm doing and it's working for me. Keep in mind it's a slow process for gaining. Being consistent in your lifting and keeping track of you calories will help a lot I think. I'm sure others with more experience will post too.

Owensgte · February 2016

883xlsportster wrote: »

Owensgte wrote: »

Ok so what should i try bumping them up to thanks for reply mate

If you go to the goal tab here on MFP and plug in your details that should spit out some data you can start with. After you set goals and get a calorie number you can tweak it from there. I'm not really in a position beyond that for advice. Thats what I'm doing and it's working for me. Keep in mind it's a slow process for gaining. Being consistent in your lifting and keeping track of you calories will help a lot I think. I'm sure others with more experience will post too.

Thank you mate cheers for your help so on MFP what should i change my goal weight to do you think

MKEgal · February 2016

2 weeks?
Patience, grasshopper.

Putting on muscle happens even more slowly than losing fat.
(Unless you're using illegal drugs, in which case you're an idiot.)

Eat slightly more (maybe 2-300) calories than you need to maintain your current healthy weight,
and make your diet fairly high on protein (see healthy ranges below).
Then repeatedly lift heavy things & put them down.

This calculator will tell you not only your BMI, but how many servings of various foods to eat to
maintain any weight. If you enter your healthy goal weight, this will help you plan your food intake.
https://www.bcm.edu/cnrc-apps/healthyeatingcalculator/eatingCal.html

Here's a table from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which explains the healthy ranges for macronutrients:
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/1/1/T1.expansion.html

carbs, 45 - 65% of calories (4 cal per gram)
fat, 20 - 35% of calories (9 cal per gram)
protein, 10 - 35% of calories (4 cal per gram)

And here's a calculator which will estimate your body fat percentage.
http://www.webcalcsolutions.com/fitness-calculators/body-fat-navy.asp
Notice under where it says "body fat category" there's a line of symbols... Click on the down arrow
and it will show you the levels. As long as you're in a healthy range, carry on.

HeidiMightyRawr · February 2016

I'd say bump them up another 200 and go from there. I'm on 2800 and only gaining slowly yet am smaller/lighter than you with no doubt less muscle. On your calories I'd gain but when adjusted for +30lbs and 5" in height I probably wouldn't. Unfortunately (or fortunately whichever way you look at it) the heavier you get, the more you need to maintain it.

Everyone has different caloric requirements, and assuming you're tracking accurately it doesn't have to be much more complex than just adding more to your diet. If you struggle with more food volume, look for more calorie dense foods and making some replacements where you can that way.

883xlsportster · February 2016

Owensgte wrote: »

883xlsportster wrote: »

Owensgte wrote: »

Ok so what should i try bumping them up to thanks for reply mate

If you go to the goal tab here on MFP and plug in your details that should spit out some data you can start with. After you set goals and get a calorie number you can tweak it from there. I'm not really in a position beyond that for advice. Thats what I'm doing and it's working for me. Keep in mind it's a slow process for gaining. Being consistent in your lifting and keeping track of you calories will help a lot I think. I'm sure others with more experience will post too.

Thank you mate cheers for your help so on MFP what should i change my goal weight to do you think

Thats what I did. Don't shoot for the stars as you can bump it up once you hit the goal. Try for 5 pound gain first. Again..just my opinion ;-) I guessing your somewhat lean at this point?

eeejer · February 2016

you are going to need to be patient, and make sure the routine you are following for lifting is appropriate. Muscle gain is very slow. Worth it though

Owensgte · February 2016

MKEgal wrote: »

2 weeks?
Patience, grasshopper.

Putting on muscle happens even more slowly than losing fat.
(Unless you're using illegal drugs, in which case you're an idiot.)

Eat slightly more (maybe 2-300) calories than you need to maintain your current healthy weight,
and make your diet fairly high on protein (see healthy ranges below).
Then repeatedly lift heavy things & put them down.

This calculator will tell you not only your BMI, but how many servings of various foods to eat to
maintain any weight. If you enter your healthy goal weight, this will help you plan your food intake.
https://www.bcm.edu/cnrc-apps/healthyeatingcalculator/eatingCal.html

Here's a table from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, which explains the healthy ranges for macronutrients:
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/1/1/T1.expansion.html

carbs, 45 - 65% of calories (4 cal per gram)
fat, 20 - 35% of calories (9 cal per gram)
protein, 10 - 35% of calories (4 cal per gram)

And here's a calculator which will estimate your body fat percentage.
http://www.webcalcsolutions.com/fitness-calculators/body-fat-navy.asp
Notice under where it says "body fat category" there's a line of symbols... Click on the down arrow
and it will show you the levels. As long as you're in a healthy range, carry on.

Lol thanks mate

Owensgte · February 2016

HeidiMightyRawr wrote: »

I'd say bump them up another 200 and go from there. I'm on 2800 and only gaining slowly yet am smaller/lighter than you with no doubt less muscle. On your calories I'd gain but when adjusted for +30lbs and 5" in height I probably wouldn't. Unfortunately (or fortunately whichever way you look at it) the heavier you get, the more you need to maintain it.

Everyone has different caloric requirements, and assuming you're tracking accurately it doesn't have to be much more complex than just adding more to your diet. If you struggle with more food volume, look for more calorie dense foods and making some replacements where you can that way.

Ok cheers but i genrally thought for a male to maintain weight it was 2500cal i dont have a problem eating that much i could easyly eat 4000cal aday but i think thats abit too much

Owensgte · February 2016

883xlsportster wrote: »

Owensgte wrote: »

883xlsportster wrote: »

Owensgte wrote: »

Ok so what should i try bumping them up to thanks for reply mate

If you go to the goal tab here on MFP and plug in your details that should spit out some data you can start with. After you set goals and get a calorie number you can tweak it from there. I'm not really in a position beyond that for advice. Thats what I'm doing and it's working for me. Keep in mind it's a slow process for gaining. Being consistent in your lifting and keeping track of you calories will help a lot I think. I'm sure others with more experience will post too.

Thank you mate cheers for your help so on MFP what should i change my goal weight to do you think

Thats what I did. Don't shoot for the stars as you can bump it up once you hit the goal. Try for 5 pound gain first. Again..just my opinion ;-) I guessing your somewhat lean at this point?

Cheers i wouldn say lean as such no flab on my arms but abit of a gut lol

juggernaut1974 · February 2016

Yeah slow down dude.

2 weeks in is far too early to be analyzing results and making adjustments.

Give it 6-8 weeks or so before you start assessing things. THEN if results aren't matching expectations, adjust accordingly.

Owensgte · February 2016

juggernaut1974 wrote: »

Yeah slow down dude.

2 weeks in is far too early to be analyzing results and making adjustments.

Give it 6-8 weeks or so before you start assessing things. THEN if results aren't matching expectations, adjust accordingly.

Ok mate cheers but i though id atleast gain a lb or so by now also i check the scales 1ce a week at the mo

Owensgte · February 2016

eeejer wrote: »

you are going to need to be patient, and make sure the routine you are following for lifting is appropriate. Muscle gain is very slow. Worth it though

I started traing witha friend whos been traing for over 2 years now so im just on his routine mate?

eeejer · February 2016

Owensgte wrote: »

eeejer wrote: »

you are going to need to be patient, and make sure the routine you are following for lifting is appropriate. Muscle gain is very slow. Worth it though

I started traing witha friend whos been traing for over 2 years now so im just on his routine mate?

You might want to look at http://rohitnair.net/pp/ - there are proven programs out there, which often better than what you friend tells you.

Owensgte · February 2016

eeejer wrote: »

Owensgte wrote: »

eeejer wrote: »

you are going to need to be patient, and make sure the routine you are following for lifting is appropriate. Muscle gain is very slow. Worth it though

I started traing witha friend whos been traing for over 2 years now so im just on his routine mate?

You might want to look at http://rohitnair.net/pp/ - there are proven programs out there, which often better than what you friend tells you.

Ok cheers il check it out

HeidiMightyRawr · February 2016

Owensgte wrote: »

HeidiMightyRawr wrote: »

I'd say bump them up another 200 and go from there. I'm on 2800 and only gaining slowly yet am smaller/lighter than you with no doubt less muscle. On your calories I'd gain but when adjusted for +30lbs and 5" in height I probably wouldn't. Unfortunately (or fortunately whichever way you look at it) the heavier you get, the more you need to maintain it.

Everyone has different caloric requirements, and assuming you're tracking accurately it doesn't have to be much more complex than just adding more to your diet. If you struggle with more food volume, look for more calorie dense foods and making some replacements where you can that way.

Ok cheers but i genrally thought for a male to maintain weight it was 2500cal i dont have a problem eating that much i could easyly eat 4000cal aday but i think thats abit too much

That's government guidelines for the average male. Given that most people are pretty sedentary, I wouldn't take much notice. If you're not gaining, you're not eating enough. The average woman is recommended 2000 a day. If I eat that I drop weight, and quickly.

You could give it another few weeks to be sure. As others have said, 2 weeks is very little time to be making a massive judgement on a program. At the same time, if you want to gain, I'd have expected at least some kind of movement towards that in the time, and if the scale hadn't moved at all, I'd be making adjustments.

4000 is probably a bit much yes, especially if you seem to be maintaining on 3100 but a lot of it is trial and error, amounts do vary greatly between different people, even those who have the same stats/exercise routine. However,if you want to keep the majority of the gain muscle and not fat, a slow gain is likely better than a fast one.

Owensgte · February 2016

HeidiMightyRawr wrote: »

Owensgte wrote: »

HeidiMightyRawr wrote: »

I'd say bump them up another 200 and go from there. I'm on 2800 and only gaining slowly yet am smaller/lighter than you with no doubt less muscle. On your calories I'd gain but when adjusted for +30lbs and 5" in height I probably wouldn't. Unfortunately (or fortunately whichever way you look at it) the heavier you get, the more you need to maintain it.

Everyone has different caloric requirements, and assuming you're tracking accurately it doesn't have to be much more complex than just adding more to your diet. If you struggle with more food volume, look for more calorie dense foods and making some replacements where you can that way.

Ok cheers but i genrally thought for a male to maintain weight it was 2500cal i dont have a problem eating that much i could easyly eat 4000cal aday but i think thats abit too much

That's government guidelines for the average male. Given that most people are pretty sedentary, I wouldn't take much notice. If you're not gaining, you're not eating enough. The average woman is recommended 2000 a day. If I eat that I drop weight, and quickly.

You could give it another few weeks to be sure. As others have said, 2 weeks is very little time to be making a massive judgement on a program. At the same time, if you want to gain, I'd have expected at least some kind of movement towards that in the time, and if the scale hadn't moved at all, I'd be making adjustments.

4000 is probably a bit much yes, especially if you seem to be maintaining on 3100 but a lot of it is trial and error, amounts do vary greatly between different people, even those who have the same stats/exercise routine. However,if you want to keep the majority of the gain muscle and not fat, a slow gain is likely better than a fast one.

Ok so shell i go for 3500 cal aday then mate

brianazo · February 2016

If you're working out and not gaining weight, you're not eating enough, period. In two weeks you will not see hypertrophy. Your body is still adjusting to lifting weights, and gaining strength is more neurological than muscular.

Your calorie needs depend on how tall you are and your bodyfat, as well as how much you train. 3100 sounds like a lot, but if you're doing your cardio every day and weight training and not religiously tracking both your exercise and your intake, a 500kcal overeat can turn into a 700kcal undereat very easily. If your TDEE is 2500kcal and you're eating 3100, you should be gaining about a pound a week, and if you're not, recalculate your intake +500kcal and see where that takes you.

I run 13 miles a week, do 3.5 hours of elliptical, and weight train about 10 hours. To gain weight and strength, I need to eat about 3700kcal. I'm 6'4" and 95kg.

Owensgte · February 2016

brianazo wrote: »

If you're working out and not gaining weight, you're not eating enough, period. In two weeks you will not see hypertrophy. Your body is still adjusting to lifting weights, and gaining strength is more neurological than muscular.

Your calorie needs depend on how tall you are and your bodyfat, as well as how much you train. 3100 sounds like a lot, but if you're doing your cardio every day and weight training and not religiously tracking both your exercise and your intake, a 500kcal overeat can turn into a 700kcal undereat very easily. If your TDEE is 2500kcal and you're eating 3100, you should be gaining about a pound a week, and if you're not, recalculate your intake +500kcal and see where that takes you.

I run 13 miles a week, do 3.5 hours of elliptical, and weight train about 10 hours. To gain weight and strength, I need to eat about 3700kcal. I'm 6'4" and 95kg.

Hey mate cheer yea im not doing cardio everyday just 1ce a week also iv jus upped my cal to 3,500 to see what happens hopefully it helps how much cardio would you reckomend cheers

Trying to gain muscle

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