Stuck in my head

Movemoreguy22 wrote: »

Hi guys.. 5ft 6 150ibs male 20% body fat (apprently) bmi is 24.1

I've watched so much YouTube its messed with my head, dont know which way to turn

Do I need to lose bodyfat? do I not?
I got quite a small frame so I have small calves and small wrists

I train alot in calisthenics aswell as I work in manual labour so I do lift concrete etc etc..

I train 3 times a week full body, takes around 40mins and then I do lift some weights like isolation stuff for arms.

Don't see anything really changing in myself.

I was eating 6/7 times a day, gone to 3 meals. Used to spend so much time in the kitchen driving me insane..

What are you hoping to change? You have 2 options, basically.... add to the muscle you have (ie get bigger) or show more muscle definition, getting a more "ripped" look... which involves decreasing body fat (ie getting smaller overall, but more visible muscles).

Movemoreguy22 wrote: »

The body image expectations for men these days is stupid. My boyfriend is 5'5. Granted, I'm only 5', so he's bigger than me. But they sell you this idea that you're supposed to be 6 foot plus and jacked, I get it. At 20% body fat, if you're wanting to feel bigger, you could focus on adding muscle for the next few months, hit the weights. Lift heavy. Calisthenics really won't do much muscle wise. Then, after a few months, keep lifting, but cut calories a bit (maybe 250 fewer calories a day) until you see the muscle definition you want.

Like sollyn said, you need to decide what you want to focus on. It sounds like you're starting from a good position, not too far from whichever goal you describe. Do you want to add a few pounds of muscle? Do you want to recomp, i.e. keep around your current weight, lose a bit of fat, gain a bit of muscle? Or do you want to lose a few pounds?

Whichever you decide will impact your calorie surplus or deficit, and to a lesser extent your choice of workout.

Reading between the lines, it sounds like you want to gain a few pounds of muscle without adding more fat. Does that sound right? In that case, a small calorie surplus to gain weight, just 200 per day should be plenty for you. Maybe 10% more than you're currently getting. Aim for about 140g protein daily. Hit the weights hard, I mean close to failure, progressive overload, focus on compounds before isolation, track your progress and seek to increase reps then weight, 12-15 working sets per group weekly. I would suggest extra focus on shoulder width, so do lateral raises or shoulder press every 2-3 days, while chest, back and legs you might just do twice weekly.

Also, you can't compare yourself to others, especially on YT. You don't know what they're taking now, or were taking before, they probably have better genetics, they may be putting in more effort than you're describing, they may be filming while pumped and with good lighting, etc.

I'm no expert on calisthenics. I assume it will help build muscle.. up to a point. To progress beyond that point, you'll need free weights and machine.

e.g. case in point, you already train a lot that way, and you want to be bigger. That's going to require progressive overload plus fuel.