Needing some guidance for muscle building
Ok I'm struggling in the muscle building department. I know I need to eat extra protein and calories but I dont know exactly how much. My NUT says I should be eating 1800 calories a day. I know I need more then that for muscle building. Any suggestions. Also could someone give me some pointers for my weight lifting routine?
Chest, triceps and forearms (monday and thursday) Butterfly machine- 90lbs Bench Press dumbbells- 60lbs Triceps pull down (Rope)– 50lbs Tricep pull down (Triangle)- 60lbs Triceps kickbacks – 25lbs Forearm twist - 10lbs
Forearm curl -15lbs
Forearm hammer - 15lbs Hammer Press Incline- 70lbs Chest Press- 75lbs Tricep extensions overhead- 30lbs Leg Press 150lbs Leg extensions 130lbs Calf raises 255lbs Back, biceps and shoulders (tuesday and friday) Lat pull down - 60lbs Seated Row - 70lbs Bent Over Dumbbell Row- 30lbs Dumbbell Curl- 25llbs Preacher Curl-(inside)- 50lbs Preacher Curl-(outside)- 50lbs Dumbbell Military shoulder press- 50lbs Shoulder shrugs 60lbs Shoulder fly- 30lbs Arnold Press- 50lbs Leg curls 90lbs Hamstring curls 80lbs Inside outside thigh 100lbs
Chest, triceps and forearms (monday and thursday) Butterfly machine- 90lbs Bench Press dumbbells- 60lbs Triceps pull down (Rope)– 50lbs Tricep pull down (Triangle)- 60lbs Triceps kickbacks – 25lbs Forearm twist - 10lbs
Forearm curl -15lbs
Forearm hammer - 15lbs Hammer Press Incline- 70lbs Chest Press- 75lbs Tricep extensions overhead- 30lbs Leg Press 150lbs Leg extensions 130lbs Calf raises 255lbs Back, biceps and shoulders (tuesday and friday) Lat pull down - 60lbs Seated Row - 70lbs Bent Over Dumbbell Row- 30lbs Dumbbell Curl- 25llbs Preacher Curl-(inside)- 50lbs Preacher Curl-(outside)- 50lbs Dumbbell Military shoulder press- 50lbs Shoulder shrugs 60lbs Shoulder fly- 30lbs Arnold Press- 50lbs Leg curls 90lbs Hamstring curls 80lbs Inside outside thigh 100lbs
I'm AWAKE and I'm ALIVE!
Building muscle is tough to do. I have been able to gain 15 pounds of muscle over the last few months but it has taken a lot of work. It will be almost impossible if you are a calorie defecit. I don't count calories only protein. I get a minimum of 250g a day and TRY to get in 350. I use a lot of shakes to get there because I don't want to add the volume of food it would take incase of an injury. My opinion is it would be a lot easier to quit drinking the shakes when they are not needed than to quit eating as much food.
I try to stay under 100 carbs a day as well but sometimes I have to increase it when I get run down.
I hit each body part twice a week. An example of my routine is
Monday/Thursday - chest/tri's/abs 90 minute session
Tuesday/Friday - shoulders/back 90 minute session
Wednesday/Saturday - legs 45 minute session
Usually my first 3 days will be as heavy as possible(5-8 rep sets) and the 2nd 3 days will be higher rep sets(12-15).
I also try to run 3-4 miles 3 or 4 days a week to make sure none of the weight I add is fat. I don't want to go down that road again.
I try to stay under 100 carbs a day as well but sometimes I have to increase it when I get run down.
I hit each body part twice a week. An example of my routine is
Monday/Thursday - chest/tri's/abs 90 minute session
Tuesday/Friday - shoulders/back 90 minute session
Wednesday/Saturday - legs 45 minute session
Usually my first 3 days will be as heavy as possible(5-8 rep sets) and the 2nd 3 days will be higher rep sets(12-15).
I also try to run 3-4 miles 3 or 4 days a week to make sure none of the weight I add is fat. I don't want to go down that road again.
No longer about weight , it's all about living.
Nate,
When building muscle, your bod needs carbs as much as protein... 100G of carbs is NOT enough if you are looking to add mass... A typical Bod Builder will eat 40% protein, 40% carb, and 20% fats... if you ate 200G of Protein you should have AT LEAST that many carbs...But 200G of protein at 40% of your intake is in line with 5000 Calories a day, not 1800... This may be why it has been difficult for you to bulk. Just my .02 cents.
When building muscle, your bod needs carbs as much as protein... 100G of carbs is NOT enough if you are looking to add mass... A typical Bod Builder will eat 40% protein, 40% carb, and 20% fats... if you ate 200G of Protein you should have AT LEAST that many carbs...But 200G of protein at 40% of your intake is in line with 5000 Calories a day, not 1800... This may be why it has been difficult for you to bulk. Just my .02 cents.
Your Friend In Health & Sport,
Dan Benintendi - OH Support Group Leader
www.trimywill.com
www.swimfromobesity.com
www.trimywill.blogspot.com
Support Group: www.obesityhelp.com/group/Post_Op_PRs/
Dan Benintendi - OH Support Group Leader
www.trimywill.com
www.swimfromobesity.com
www.trimywill.blogspot.com
Support Group: www.obesityhelp.com/group/Post_Op_PRs/
40/40/20 is around where I'd like to hit these days give or take... just glancing at my plate, on a recent rest day I hit close to that ratio, I had 134g of protein, 155 Carbs with a total intake of around 1584 calories (which is a 500+ deficit for the day). By they way, if you're trying to hit that ratio
Course I also do a lot of nuts, like almonds and cashews, and that can throw it out of whack because of the fat, but for endurance types, those can be good fats :)
Nate, the way you work out, my only thought of why you struggle is maybe you actually need to pull back a bit and rest more. Sometimes too much can actually hinder growth since the growth is actually from the repair process during rest, and overwork can hinder that process.
By the way.. when trying to hit 40/40/20, Chili is one of the most perfect foods :)
Course I also do a lot of nuts, like almonds and cashews, and that can throw it out of whack because of the fat, but for endurance types, those can be good fats :)
Nate, the way you work out, my only thought of why you struggle is maybe you actually need to pull back a bit and rest more. Sometimes too much can actually hinder growth since the growth is actually from the repair process during rest, and overwork can hinder that process.
By the way.. when trying to hit 40/40/20, Chili is one of the most perfect foods :)
Your both probably right , it's just been a fear thing. Can't stand the thought of going back where I was. Still a little too afraid of food. My strength and endurance are through the roof , I just strugle to add the mass. I should probably switch to a powder with complex carbs.
No longer about weight , it's all about living.
I don't know if you can handle it, but I get a lot of good carbs from plain greek yogurt with a whole grain cereal from food for life http://www.foodforlife.com/ Real clean carbs. Kind of an acquired taste as its pretty plain compared to the processed crap we get used to, but I hear you on the fear thing with food. As athletes (yes I am calling you and me athletes) I think we gotta get over the"carbs are the devil" mentality to take the next step :)
Nate I am so with you on the fear thing. I also have such a hard time keeping track of all these numbers but I desperately want to build muscle and muscle weight.
I eat 5oz of greek yogurt with 3oz of Kashi cereal daily. I just make it tolerable by adding Splenda to it. It's actually quiet tasty that way.
I eat 5oz of greek yogurt with 3oz of Kashi cereal daily. I just make it tolerable by adding Splenda to it. It's actually quiet tasty that way.
I'm AWAKE and I'm ALIVE!
Do you use My Plate? Its pretty good for keeping track.
For protein I use NitroPeak, GNC Wheybolic Extreme 60, and I just started using Muscletech Nitrotech. When I'm lifting heavy I also do a Casein shake at night to top it off before bed - I don't know if it really helps recovery, but its like a treat for me.
The regular winner of a lot of our local races here is also a friend of mine, and he swears by recoverite from Hammer nutrition, after long runs as well as workouts. Its a high carb kind of recovery drink. I am going to play with that soon.
Dan also threw me a hint to experiment with some of these nitric oxide accelerators pre workout.. I'll let you know how it works out when I start lifting again later this week :)
http://www.fitfaq.com/nitric-oxide-overview.html
For protein I use NitroPeak, GNC Wheybolic Extreme 60, and I just started using Muscletech Nitrotech. When I'm lifting heavy I also do a Casein shake at night to top it off before bed - I don't know if it really helps recovery, but its like a treat for me.
The regular winner of a lot of our local races here is also a friend of mine, and he swears by recoverite from Hammer nutrition, after long runs as well as workouts. Its a high carb kind of recovery drink. I am going to play with that soon.
Dan also threw me a hint to experiment with some of these nitric oxide accelerators pre workout.. I'll let you know how it works out when I start lifting again later this week :)
http://www.fitfaq.com/nitric-oxide-overview.html