New to this. Trying to go from 125 to 150 with muscle

25lbs of muscle is likely to take 2-4 years depending on how optimal your training is. Don't kid yourself into thinking you're special and can gain more than the rest of the population, you can't!

xmichaelyx wrote: »

I was 135 pounds at age 27, so good for you for doing this early. Here's my advice:

1. Pick a program and stick to it. Stronglifts is a good and popular one, and isn't going to make you live in the gym. I'm also a fan of adding pull-ups and dips for upper body mass.
2. Eating will be key. The cheapest way you'll be able to do this is to buy in bulk and cook in bulk. A slow cooker will be your best friend. I still make mountains of chili with whole chickens (everything but the bone) and freeze it in individual containers - it's cheap protein. Rice and pasta are also cheap and easy.
3. You don't need supplements (although creatine will help you gain weight). Forget the pre-workout and everything else until you've been working out for a year or three. THAT'S how you learn what works for you.

Good luck!

Everything said here is legit. Get at it, keep at it, be consistent, learn what works for you and what doesn't, reap rewards.

lutkez96 wrote: »

Hello I am 20 years old and am trying to bulk up. I currently weigh 125 pounds and am 5' 11". I would like to see my self around 150 but muscle not fat. Any helpful hints and or tips?

"No fat"

Your body actually needs fat. Olympic athletes have fat. If you managed to have no fat in your body, you would not be able to stand on your feet.

The point is not to have no fat. What you want is no EXCESS fat.

What worked for me, because it is really simple so I can easily stick to it, was to make sure I was getting a gram of protein for every gram of fat I put inside my body at every single meal I had. This allows you to eat to your heart's content and eat pretty much anything you feel like eating, even cake. As long as you consistently apply the 1:1 rule mentioned above, you can eat anything in any amount, no restrictions.

This will only work if you keep your metabolism active, so try to be active before each meal. Doesn't have to be actual work. Simply vacuuming your place or going for a short walk around the block will do just fine. The point is not to burn calories, the point is to keep your metabolism active before each meal. The idea is to help your body absorb the proteins properly so they turn into muscle, which is what you want. If your metabolism is low, you can eat all the protein you want, it will still turn into fat, which is not what you want. High metabolism at the time of meal = proteins ingested turn to muscle; low metabolism at the time of meal = excess calories turn to fat.

Also make sure you have quality proteins. Each meal should have more than one of the many types of protein available. You would not get this from protein products, only from balanced meals.

Using a fitness tracker that alerts you every time you have been inactive helps a lot. I know the Up band does this. I use a FitBit One, which doesn't alert you per se but lets you see your activity level in real time by just pressing a button. If you see your activity level is currently too low, you can instantly find an excuse to move your body. Again, doesn't have to be anything strenuous. A few minutes of yoga during a commercial break is perfectly fine.

Also make sure you have realistic expectations. If bulking up means gaining volume (looking bigger) to you, that's not the same as gaining weight (weighing heavier). The key is to change you body fat ratio. At first, you will tend to weigh more without looking bigger. If this happens, you are on the right track: muscle weighs more per volume than fat. If you change your body fat ratio to get lean, you will have more muscle and thus weigh more without necessarily getting bigger. This exact phenomenon is what makes a lot of people trying to lose weight abandon their workout regimes. Progress should not be measured in inches and pounds. It should be measured in body fat ratio.

Also, keep in mind that gaining weight is more difficult and takes more time than losing weight. Don't be hasty and concentrate on developing good habits rather than on results. If you are patient and allow your body to get slowly used to your new regime, the results will follow.

General advice that applies to every person who wants to be healthy (keep in mind you don't want to ruin your health just to bulk up), no matter if they want to lose or gain pounds, inches or what have you: make sure to vary what you eat (have your cake, but don't have it every day) and make sure your plate is as colourful as can be.

All the best!

Walker_13 wrote: »

"No fat"

Your body actually needs fat. Olympic athletes have fat. If you managed to have no fat in your body, you would not be able to stand on your feet.

The point is not to have no fat. What you want is no EXCESS fat.

What worked for me, because it is really simple so I can easily stick to it, was to make sure I was getting a gram of protein for every gram of fat I put inside my body at every single meal I had. This allows you to eat to your heart's content and eat pretty much anything you feel like eating, even cake. As long as you consistently apply the 1:1 rule mentioned above, you can eat anything in any amount, no restrictions.

This will only work if you keep your metabolism active, so try to be active before each meal. Doesn't have to be actual work. Simply vacuuming your place or going for a short walk around the block will do just fine. The point is not to burn calories, the point is to keep your metabolism active before each meal. The idea is to help your body absorb the proteins properly so they turn into muscle, which is what you want. If your metabolism is low, you can eat all the protein you want, it will still turn into fat, which is not what you want. High metabolism at the time of meal = proteins ingested turn to muscle; low metabolism at the time of meal = excess calories turn to fat.

Also make sure you have quality proteins. Each meal should have more than one of the many types of protein available. You would not get this from protein products, only from balanced meals.

Using a fitness tracker that alerts you every time you have been inactive helps a lot. I know the Up band does this. I use a FitBit One, which doesn't alert you per se but lets you see your activity level in real time by just pressing a button. If you see your activity level is currently too low, you can instantly find an excuse to move your body. Again, doesn't have to be anything strenuous. A few minutes of yoga during a commercial break is perfectly fine.

Also make sure you have realistic expectations. If bulking up means gaining volume (looking bigger) to you, that's not the same as gaining weight (weighing heavier). The key is to change you body fat ratio. At first, you will tend to weigh more without looking bigger. If this happens, you are on the right track: muscle weighs more per volume than fat. If you change your body fat ratio to get lean, you will have more muscle and thus weigh more without necessarily getting bigger. This exact phenomenon is what makes a lot of people trying to lose weight abandon their workout regimes. Progress should not be measured in inches and pounds. It should be measured in body fat ratio.

Also, keep in mind that gaining weight is more difficult and takes more time than losing weight. Don't be hasty and concentrate on developing good habits rather than on results. If you are patient and allow your body to get slowly used to your new regime, the results will follow.

General advice that applies to every person who wants to be healthy (keep in mind you don't want to ruin your health just to bulk up), no matter if they want to lose or gain pounds, inches or what have you: make sure to vary what you eat (have your cake, but don't have it every day) and make sure your plate is as colourful as can be.

All the best!

FYI, your metabolism is always active. It runs every autonomic system within your body and more. It' is all the chemical processes that occur. In fact, roughly 60-80% of your calories burned daily are just from metabolic functions; even more so, your brain uses roughly 600 calories daily.