wiigelec Member

personally i like the patina of a well worn iron plate

I do sets of ten with the empty bar until I feel good about things, typically two to three sets, then start ramping up to target weight using prescribed rep scheme.

How did you determine how much weight to put on the bar? How often did you fail reps?

What did your prior squat and deadlift programming that led to injury look like?

I would look to get about three times that much, spread out over 3-4 servings per day, say around 150g total at 35g or so per serving. Optimum Nutrition is a good brand available at amazon and gnc with several flavor options.

If you are not gaining weight over time then by definition you are not in a caloric surplus. Need more calories…

Not necessary to go to a gym. Dumbbells, kettlebells, bands and bodyweight can all be done at home, and build confidence to go to gym later if desired.

Start resistance training: barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell, machines, bands, bodyweight, whatever is most easily accessible for you. Find a program you like and will stick to for a while. Once you get that habit established you can start to hone in on optimizing for goal oriented results.

Can you elaborate on this? Perhaps describe some of the things you have tried to gain weight…

I quit taking creatine because after a few years of use it started messing with my tummy, and I didn’t perceive enough benefit to justify the discomfort. ETA - Oop missed the female thing sorry, even though it probably doesn’t matter. I would at least try it no harm in that.

3x5 doesn’t really tell much. What exercises? What intensity? Twice a week is going to be difficult to achieve your goal. Thrice full body squat press pull at appropriate volume intensity and exercise selection may work better…

assuming your posts here accurately reflect your training, you’re not training with nearly enough frequency to see any appreciable results. https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/the-beginner-prescription/ or maybe crossfit

You may find some useful information in the book Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle by Tom Venuto.

Glass of milk with each meal, if tolerable. Some people can’t drink milk without tummy trouble.

For most body composition goals, I would say a proper training program is more important than calorie levels, although both are integral. If you are looking to increase lean mass (bulk), excess calories without proper training can lead to an excessive increase in fat mass. If you are looking to reduce fat mass (cut),…

Was drinking milk “cheating” when you were a baby?

Basing one’s expectations off another’s progress can also be a path to disappointment, as each of us respond differently to training and dietary stimuli, and have different genetic frameworks including max muscle size, muscle insertion points, joint segment lengths, etc.

If you want to avoid frustration and burnout I would suggest scaling your expectations to years rather than months.

My suggestion would be to focus on the journey and not the destination. Work on developing healthy habits and discipline in eating and training. With those in place the results will work themselves out. If you consider how long it took for you to get where you didn’t want to be, it will likely take a similar amount of time…

Welcome to paralysis by analysis.

If you want to gain muscle you need to have a suitable training program. While random youtube videos may work for a spell they’re likely not going to give you the long term results you’re looking for. So what’s a good program for long term success? Good question...

If you’re looking for more long-term biofeedback check this out: https://medium.com/@altini_marco/the-ultimate-guide-to-heart-rate-variability-hrv-part-1-70a0a392fff4

guess that means macro distributions aren’t really that important in the grand scheme of things

If you’re still making progress I wouldn’t see any reason to change things. Also, frequency isn’t the only variable to be manipulated. There are also exercise selection, volume, and intensity. As for three vs. four days, I would say what fits your schedule better: less frequent longer session, or more frequent shorter…

I've been super skinny all my life (6'1" 135# after college), so it's a mental thing for me. I'm already feeling really thin, but the lower body fat has seemed to help my performance a bit in hockey and jiu jitsu, and is most likely better overall health wise. At 180 I will probably be around 17-18% and at this point I…

10 weeks and very pleased with results so far, though I'm definitely getting burned out with the process. I've got four pounds till I reach my hard floor of 180 to start moving towards a surplus. Not sure yet if I'm going to press on here or go to maintenance for a few weeks and decide from there. Start date: 2/21/2021…

The body requires a stressor to disrupt homeostasis and signal it to build muscle. Generally it would be extremely unlikely to build muscle without stressing the body.

I too enjoy that strategy!

I get those every once in a while and also find them difficult to deal with. Strong work staying the path!

Start training five years ago! Seriously though it’s never too late to start. Don’t stress too much about a program right now. If doing the machine circuit at Planet Fitness (or heck even Crossfit) three times a week is what keeps you coming back, then by all means do that.