Advice for the look I want...

Avalonis
Avalonis Posts: 1,540 Member
edited October 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, let me start things out here with a few facts:
I am Very, VERY motivated and driven. So that's not a problem. Also, I was considerably fatter 6 months ago... so I am just getting used to my "in shape" look and body.

Secondly - I will be running hell dash Oct 1st in a speedo and cowboy hat... so I want to look good.

Here is my dilemma - I am not gaining muscle. I know it's because I am not eating enough, but I am terrified to eat the 3500 Calories I would need to eat to build muscle and fill out, because I don't want to gain fat at the same time. I am eating about 2500 calories now, and I burn about 3400 calories total/day (I have a BodyMedia FIT, so I know my true burn)

So should I stick out what I am doing, maintain what I have/maybe cut a little more fat then after Hell Run experiment, or should I say F___ it, and start eating the 3500+ calories a day I need to bulk muscle?

I know I want to bulk, I'm just worried I'll fatten up while I do it....

Replies

  • Rae6503
    Rae6503 Posts: 6,294 Member
    I prefer cut men over bulky men, but that's just me.

    ETA: especially in a speedo.
  • southtowngirl
    southtowngirl Posts: 72 Member
    Secondly - I will be running hell dash Oct 1st in a speedo and cowboy hat... so I want to look good.

    Looking good in a speedo and cowboy hat is not possible. Sorry. :frown:
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    Maybe add more lean proteins and get half way there to 3000 and see what happens? If you start going the wrong direction you'll know pretty quickly and can return to where you are now.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    Secondly - I will be running hell dash Oct 1st in a speedo and cowboy hat... so I want to look good.

    Looking good in a speedo and cowboy hat is not possible. Sorry. :frown:

    This is obviously a woman who has never seen a male pin up magazine . . . :love:
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member

    Here is my dilemma - I am not gaining muscle. I know it's because I am not eating enough,

    you have answered your question... try building up slowly but eating an extra 200 cals per week so it doesnt seem so daunting.
  • mamax5
    mamax5 Posts: 414 Member
    I really think you should be eating th 3500....think about it....your burning 3400 a day, your not feeding your muscles! You should be eating a ton of protein may be drinking protein powders as well. My old trainer would eat some kind of meat mixed in his cotage cheese walking around the gym when he was checking up on people. He ate quite a bit and he looked amazing...not too bulky and really cut! He also used a protein powder and I think all he did was lift weights.....but he didn't understand a women's body and hormones and all that crap. So I thoght he was on crack with the strict boring diet he put me on, but I won't go into that. What he said and reccomended works wonders for men!
  • poesch77
    poesch77 Posts: 1,005 Member
    I have always liked a little meat on my men.....that being said eat some more, boy!
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    Secondly - I will be running hell dash Oct 1st in a speedo and cowboy hat... so I want to look good.

    Looking good in a speedo and cowboy hat is not possible. Sorry. :frown:

    I disagree...have you SEEN this guys pics?
    DAYUM!:devil:

    On a serious note:
    When building muscle you need to go through a series of bulking and cutting phases. The bulking you will put on muscle AND a little fat, the cutting you will lose fat AND a little muscle. It's a necessary cycle. If you want to look smokin' hot for your run, continue eating at a deficit until then, THEN increase your calories, Bulk for a few months while eating at or slightly above maintenance, a ton of protein, and lifting heavy, through non-bathing-suit season, then start cutting again at the end of winter so you'll be back at ideal weight and show off those new muscles by summer.
  • persian_star
    persian_star Posts: 197 Member
    Maybe add more lean proteins and get half way there to 3000 and see what happens? If you start going the wrong direction you'll know pretty quickly and can return to where you are now.

    Totally agree with this :smile: Maybe try a protein shake made with low fat milk, they often have other vitamins in them too and are designed to help those trying to bulk up a bit?
  • mamax5
    mamax5 Posts: 414 Member
    Secondly - I will be running hell dash Oct 1st in a speedo and cowboy hat... so I want to look good.

    Looking good in a speedo and cowboy hat is not possible. Sorry. :frown:

    I disagree...have you SEEN this guys pics?
    DAYUM!:devil:


    OK, dude, you look awesome....few more defined muscles on you and you will look amazing in a speedo......I don't say that to many guys lol.......eat them calories, boy!
  • NewVonnie
    NewVonnie Posts: 683 Member
    I'm gonna give you my standard answer to things I know nothing about..Go ask Taso..LOL..he knows stuff :wink:
  • maria1113
    maria1113 Posts: 508 Member
    Secondly - I will be running hell dash Oct 1st in a speedo and cowboy hat... so I want to look good.

    Looking good in a speedo and cowboy hat is not possible. Sorry. :frown:

    I hope you're not serious :laugh: :wink:
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
    I know hat you are feeling. Having to increase my food has not been an easy challenge for me, but I know I need it in order to conitnue building muscle mass. The results are speaking for themselves. You can do eeet! :bigsmile:
  • Dtho5159
    Dtho5159 Posts: 1,054 Member
    Secondly - I will be running hell dash Oct 1st in a speedo and cowboy hat... so I want to look good.

    Looking good in a speedo and cowboy hat is not possible. Sorry. :frown:

    Um.. Have you ever seen his pics? He looks yummy :love:
  • MrBrown72
    MrBrown72 Posts: 407 Member
    If you are just starting body building, you can gain muscle while dieting, It's way slower but you can consume a diet conducive to muscular hypertrophy (massive protein for one)and engage in a consistent program of weight training. You won't put on huge amount of muscle while on a diet however if you work hard enough you should be able to put on some definition.

    Now I know there are lots of people who once read an article or comic strip that will now blow up this thread with their displeased thoughts on this. My suggestion is to eat your maintenance calorie allowance, ramp up the protein intake and work out with heavy weights.

    For gaining tips you can check this:
    http://www.mensfitness.com/fitness/strength-training/10-ways-gain-muscle

    And NO ONE looks good in a speedo!

    Now for all the response that will "need" to argue the muscle gain point.
    in the interest of not taking over this thread with another stupid and unwanted argument, let me do it for you:
    Elton John said it was impossible and he's an English knight!
    I read on a site somewhere that they did research I was not involved in but now I'm a professional!
    I saw in three websites and an infomercial that it was impossible!
    Everyone on here says it's impossible!
    Look at my photo! It's not me but it makes me a professional and you can't do it!
    I'm a psychiatrist and therefore a professional concerning all things anatomy!
    I got my personal trainer certificate from a very reputable eleven minute online course so you'd better listen to me!


    Have fun!
  • NotGoddess
    NotGoddess Posts: 1,198 Member
    Get something to monitor your body fat % (scale, calipers, whatever you feel best with). Then as you increase your calories and muscle training you should see your bf go down-adjust if it goes up. Ignore the number on the scale.

    Oh and speedos and a cowboy hat? - tough to pull off, but if you can do it, dang it's a nice look!
  • Avalonis
    Avalonis Posts: 1,540 Member
    Secondly - I will be running hell dash Oct 1st in a speedo and cowboy hat... so I want to look good.

    Looking good in a speedo and cowboy hat is not possible. Sorry. :frown:

    I hope you're not serious :laugh: :wink:
    I am dead serious. I've had body image issues for awhile now, so I am going to do this to finally break those down. This is my personally battle with the mirror and myself I need to do. ;)
  • bry_all01
    bry_all01 Posts: 3,100 Member
    Secondly - I will be running hell dash Oct 1st in a speedo and cowboy hat... so I want to look good.

    Looking good in a speedo and cowboy hat is not possible. Sorry. :frown:

    I hope you're not serious :laugh: :wink:
    I am dead serious. I've had body image issues for awhile now, so I am going to do this to finally break those down. This is my personally battle with the mirror and myself I need to do. ;)


    I personally think it is amazing! I am doing something similar in regards to a personal challenge - see if I can not only push myself to get the body I want, but to also push myself mentally to prepare to get up on stage in a little bitty teeny weeny glittery bikini in November. So, go us!!!
  • maria1113
    maria1113 Posts: 508 Member
    Secondly - I will be running hell dash Oct 1st in a speedo and cowboy hat... so I want to look good.

    Looking good in a speedo and cowboy hat is not possible. Sorry. :frown:

    I hope you're not serious :laugh: :wink:
    I am dead serious. I've had body image issues for awhile now, so I am going to do this to finally break those down. This is my personally battle with the mirror and myself I need to do. ;)
    Oh hun, I know *you* are serious, I was hoping that she wasn't :wink:
    I'm just bit sad that I'll miss the show, haha :laugh:
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    I briefly glanced over your food diary, it looks like you're doing fairly well in terms of eating balanced meals. I would suggest having a protein shake daily, but beyond that it looks like you know what foods you should be eating (even with the occasional Wendy's triple! I miss those SOOOOOO much) and can stick with it so I think you're fine on that end. It really does become a question of how many calories.

    I also looked at your exercise log, I'm not sure what LazyLifting is, but I don't see you tracking the weights you're lifting. I don't log lifting here either, but since I can't see what you do lift I can only make general suggestions. First, this was my bible when I was focused on power lifting: http://stronglifts.com/. There's a lot of really good information there and a lot of really smart folks who know a lot more than I do.

    Whatever you're doing, if you want to build bulk you're going to need to pump iron. It's the fastest way to build muscle mass in my honest opinion. Few reps and heavier weight tends to build bulk (what you want) while more reps and lighter weight causes the leaner look. I think 5 sets of 5 is the perfect amount for both building bulk and increasing functional strength. Whatever regime you choose, make sure you're lifting heavy. You only have a bit over a month so you need to get started quick. Also if your changing your routine any to incorporate more lifting, make sure you give yourself more protein, it's the key to rebuilding the muscles after you break them down in a workout. I also strongly recommend gleutamine and glucosamine to help with soreness. I tried amino acid supplements as well but didn't really notice it helping me much, lots of people swear by them though so you should at least consider it.

    Have you looked into supplements like creatine? I haven't used it in a while, but if I recall correctly a month on the cycle was enough to have the results start showing up.

    Someone suggested splitting the difference and going with 3000 calories a day rather than the full 3500, I think as long as the extra 500 calories are heavy on protein that's a very good plan. I suggest trying that for two weeks and seeing how it effects you, the three weeks after should be enough for you to get back to where you were if it has negative results or either stay at 3k or bump it to 3.5k if the results are positive.

    Good luck!
  • Avalonis
    Avalonis Posts: 1,540 Member
    Ok all, thanks to all of your advice, I had decided to up my calories to 3200/day, protein heavy. I'm also going to eat carbs, but only the healthy kinds. (Complex carbs)

    I'll let you know how it turns out!

    Oh, as far as weights go - I have a very structured 5 day split I am working out with,
    Day1 - Chest/abs,
    Day2 - back
    Day3 - Rest
    Day4 - Shoulders
    Day5 - legs/abs
    Day6 - arms
    Day7 - Rest

    It usually ends up being about an hour of lifting straight for each workout, and I am SORE the next days from it (Except legs... my legs are never sore no matter how hard I work them....)
  • southtowngirl
    southtowngirl Posts: 72 Member
    Secondly - I will be running hell dash Oct 1st in a speedo and cowboy hat... so I want to look good.

    Looking good in a speedo and cowboy hat is not possible. Sorry. :frown:

    I hope you're not serious :laugh: :wink:
    I am dead serious. I've had body image issues for awhile now, so I am going to do this to finally break those down. This is my personally battle with the mirror and myself I need to do. ;)
    Oh hun, I know *you* are serious, I was hoping that she wasn't :wink:
    I'm just bit sad that I'll miss the show, haha :laugh:

    Yep. I'm dead serious too. And yes, I looked at his pics, and yes he's cute, but I stand by my original statement .....
    Looking good in a speedo and cowboy hat is not possible. Sorry. :frown:
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    (Except legs... my legs are never sore no matter how hard I work them....)

    Squat a heavier barbell.
    I did a probably too-heavy weight for 20 reps (on a challenge), and I could barely walk the next day!
    Not recommending going too heavy of course, that was dumb, I just wanted to see if I could do the full widowmaker, and I did, but ouch....
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    Ok all, thanks to all of your advice, I had decided to up my calories to 3200/day, protein heavy. I'm also going to eat carbs, but only the healthy kinds. (Complex carbs)

    I'll let you know how it turns out!

    Oh, as far as weights go - I have a very structured 5 day split I am working out with,
    Day1 - Chest/abs,
    Day2 - back
    Day3 - Rest
    Day4 - Shoulders
    Day5 - legs/abs
    Day6 - arms
    Day7 - Rest

    It usually ends up being about an hour of lifting straight for each workout, and I am SORE the next days from it (Except legs... my legs are never sore no matter how hard I work them....)

    That's a solid split, how many sets/reps do you usually aim for? If it's just an hour of lifting do you do military style where you setup all the weights for the exercises you're going to do and do a cycle of one set of each exercise before resting? You might want to consider adding in more exercises for the next month or so while bulking up, even slight variations on exercises work muscles differently or at a different angle. The problem with that though is that you can't do that kind of routine military style, but it's worth considering.

    Sore is a good thing, make sure you're loading up on protein right after you workout, that's the most crucial time for muscle repair and such.

    Finally if you're legs aren't sore, frankly, you might be lifting too light. Don't go so high it's dangerous, particularly if you don't have a spotter, but squats are the exercise that can kick your butt and leave you sore for days, more so than any other lifting exercise.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    So should I stick out what I am doing, maintain what I have/maybe cut a little more fat then after Hell Run experiment, or should I say F___ it, and start eating the 3500+ calories a day I need to bulk muscle?

    If you rprimary motivation is to look good on the day I think you should coninue to cut and then start worrying about muscular hypertrophy after the Hell Run.

    To look visually bigger than you do know, in real terms, you would need to add say 10lbs of pure muscle at a minimum. If you want to minimise fat gain that means a clean bulk and training routine primarly centred around weights/ resistance. That will take away from the time you can devote to training for the run. Also, you simply do not have enough time to make any significant gains which will translate into looking good on the day. If you had at least 6 months I would say it was doable but even that it a very aggresiive timescale.

    You are better off lowering your BF% even further. I will let you in on a little secret. Low body fat with a reasonable amount of muscle gives the illusion of size when you have your clothes off. People perceive you to be bigger than you actually are given defined musculature. The weird thing is when you have your clothes ON people perceive you to be smaller. It's a trompe l'oeil.

    You could go on a a fairly aggressive cut for say 6 - 8 weeks and look astonishing on the day given your statring position. In Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle, Tom Venuto has a very specific training routines and diet for pre comp preparation which you can look at if you are interested. You could also check out Lyle McDonald's Ultimate Diet 2.0

    Good luck. I think running in a speedo and cowboy hat is a freakin' amazing goal so go smash it.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    Ok all, thanks to all of your advice, I had decided to up my calories to 3200/day, protein heavy. I'm also going to eat carbs, but only the healthy kinds. (Complex carbs)

    I'll let you know how it turns out!

    Oh, as far as weights go - I have a very structured 5 day split I am working out with,
    Day1 - Chest/abs,
    Day2 - back
    Day3 - Rest
    Day4 - Shoulders
    Day5 - legs/abs
    Day6 - arms
    Day7 - Rest

    It usually ends up being about an hour of lifting straight for each workout, and I am SORE the next days from it (Except legs... my legs are never sore no matter how hard I work them....)

    What resource are you using to set your schedule? I've been reading the new rules for lifting for women, and his premis is that women should be lifting like men. That being said, he said that this rotational lifting you're doing isn't necessarily the best way to get the results you want. As a resource I suggest the New Rules of Lifting by Lou Schuler and to look up programs from Alwyn Cosgrove.
  • myofibril
    myofibril Posts: 4,500 Member
    What resource are you using to set your schedule? I've been reading the new rules for lifting for women, and his premis is that women should be lifting like men. That being said, he said that this rotational lifting you're doing isn't necessarily the best way to get the results you want. As a resource I suggest the New Rules of Lifting by Lou Schuler and to look up programs from Alwyn Cosgrove.

    The split's fine if he wants to concentrate on sacroplasmic hypertrophy (physique related / body building goal.) For the myofibrillar hypertrophy (strength with some crossover into physique as a secondary benefit) what you are suggesting is preferable...
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    What resource are you using to set your schedule? I've been reading the new rules for lifting for women, and his premis is that women should be lifting like men. That being said, he said that this rotational lifting you're doing isn't necessarily the best way to get the results you want. As a resource I suggest the New Rules of Lifting by Lou Schuler and to look up programs from Alwyn Cosgrove.

    The split's fine if he wants to concentrate on sacroplasmic hypertrophy (physique related / body building goal.) For the myofibrillar hypertrophy (strength with some crossover into physique as a secondary benefit) what you are suggesting is preferable...

    I'm just going off of the fact that he wants to look good in a speedo while running, not while oiled up and on stage.
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