terizius Member

I was under 140 and a "hardgainer" for all of my adult life until I decided to do a bulk last year. I made it up to 147. I'm now bulking again, and am currently at 157. As it turns out.. I'm not a hard-gainer.. I just didn't eat enough to gain. Without any underlying conditions, which hopefully the doctor will rule out…

^^Agreed. Whats your lifting background? That will help better nail down a time-frame. Keep in mind, in order to gain in the arms, you should also expect to gain everywhere else. So, you will be doing a bulk. Are you at a point where you are comfortable upping your calorie intake to gain muscle (and fat) all around?

^^ it probably has a lot to do with the kind of sleeve. I have a very thin one that I got from the ortho years ago. That one doesn't do anything physically or mentally.

May not be a bad idea to talk to the doc, but I have a sneaky suspicion they will just tell me to stop lifting. That's what the hand doc said about nagging wrist problem I've had for years..

All good things.. Thank you. Anyone else?

Thanks all for the suggestions. @lulu - Currently, I'm only doing back squats with some accessory isolation exercises. However, my routine changes today and I'll be incorporating front squats starting this week.

1. 4-5 2. Deadlifts

Awesome. Can see improvements in shoulders and arms. Good stuff.

1 Month Review: Here's a breakdown of my results in the first month of my lift, with a pic to show where I'm currently at. Body Measurements: Weight: 147.4 -> 157.4 = +10lbs Body Fat: 10.5 -> 11.2 = +0.7% Shoulders: 43 -> 44.75 = +1.75" Chest: 38.25 -> 39.25 = +1" Hips: 36.75 -> 37.1 = +0.35" Waist: 32.5 -> 33 = 0.5"…

Week 4 Update: I worked out in the 3-5 rep range this week. I really like the lower reps/higher weights but it is important to remember good form. Calories continued to increase, but so did my weight and body fat - both expected but its increasing too fast! Need to back off some and pay more attention to my macros going…

@Dope, thanks for the great article. Unfortunately, I'm pretty much exactly the type of person that should get a professional opinion before doing squats.. "I would be very careful to squat with people who have: meniscus pathology, PCL pathology, hip impingement pathology (labral tear or bone spur), chondromalacia…

Since you already said in your first post that you want to gain weight, I wouldn't worry about the scale going up. Your challenge is making as much of that weight gain as possible muscle instead of fat. Here is a link to a MFP thread about women that have lifted, gained muscle (and sometimes weight) and has a ton of pics…

^^ That one sounds interesting. I will check it out.

IIFYM, huh?

I'd say you are the point where you could do either. If lifts are stalling, I would do a short bulk to kick things into gear again, then resume my cut.

They are both lifting programs. Here's the link to stronglifts: http://stronglifts.com/ New Rules is a book, I'm not sure if the program is listed anywhere outside of the book, but here's the website: http://www.thenewrulesoflifting.com/nrol-for-women Strong Curves is another one I've heard a number of the women talk…

Maybe slightly more fat gain in the beginning? No, I wouldn't worry about it. I started my bulk just over 3 weeks ago, went from baseline of 2190 calories to 2910 the following week. I'm up to about 3110 now as my stomach has expanded some and my appetite has increased. Go for it!

When I'm removing the last 45 on a side, I pick up the bar with one hand and then slide the plate to the end with my hand in the middle of the plate (the hole that the bar goes through), wrapped around the bar. When I try to slide the plate off from the edge, I usually end up tilting it, making it bind on the bar. By…

Also, I have a gym membership, and I like the variety of equipment, the sauna and the pool (not to mention the childcare). But even still, I may invest in a home set up including a power rack, bench, dumbbells up to 100lbs and barbell with 400lbs. I would be a very happy guy with that setup. Something to consider.

Generally, more experienced lifters will do split routines - working only one or two body parts a day. I've tried quite a few and created some of my own, but one of my go to favorites is the one I'm doing now - Shortcut to Size. You can find it here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/shortcut-to-size.html Its a 4 day split.…

If you can and are willing to continue working with this trainer, ask him to give you an equipment tour, showing you how to use everything that is there. I still don't understand why gyms/trainers don't take that first step in educating their patrons on the equipment and free weights.

I agree with the above posters. Toning up today has a different meaning than toning up 20 years ago. Then, people just wanted to be slim. Now, slim girls want to be fit. I would perform a cardio warmup, then start lifting. When I am helping someone new, I usually start them on a full-body circuit for about 3 weeks, usually…

Its not quite as simple as eating less calories. When someone does cardio or strength training, the body burns calories. However, with cardio, the body tends to shed both fat and muscle mass. With strength training, it tends to keep the muscle, and burns mostly fat. So, while the weight will decrease quicker with cardio,…

Is 6-8 weeks of maintenance going to help you reach your goals? Sometimes we just need a break from all the tracking, but maintenance when you haven't hit your goals yet isn't going to help you get there. As to bulking or cutting, I'd say its personal preference. Your body fat % allows you to go either way. Have you hit a…

^^ agree ^^ 30lbs is a lot of weight to gain for a female of your height.

Keep us posted on the bulk. I for one like to see the results and the efforts taken to get there. I believe that accurate records keeping is invaluable to knowing what exactly is going on with your body.

As you say, you gain fat around your midsection - not uncommon. So, as you gain weight, you'll want to gain muscle rather than fat (more specifically, you'll need to lift so that you gain muscle in addition to fat). Then, you can "cut" in order to lose the extra fat while retaining the muscle. This bulk/cut cycle will help…

It sounds like you have some difficult, conflicting goals atm. In order to maintain your strength, you need to continue to make good use of the strength you've gained. So, 5x5 would be great at that. If you do it at a slight calorie deficit, you will be able to maintain most or all of your muscle while shedding fat.…

I've really like the app Jefit. It has programs and routines (lifting focuses, not cardio). You can choose one of their programs, or from the hundreds that have been uploaded by users. Or, you can build your own (like I do). It allows you to track your lifts, reps, sets, etc. Keeps track of the weights you did last time…

Ideally, you'll get some food in you first. Personally, I can't workout on a full stomach, but I at least have a granola bar or a banana before hitting the gym.