Need to gain weight (muscle) after losing 60 lbs. NEED YOUR SUGGESTIONS

[koxal]

Hi All,

I am 6'1 tall and weight 160 LBS.

I am working out 4-5 times a week. Only weight lifting right now. No cardio at all.

I need to gain some weight. But my problem is a little different here.
I was 220lbs about a year ago and lost almost 60 lbs over the time.
As you can see, gaining weight is not an issue for me at all

But I want to gain quality weight. by saying that, i want to gain muscle.

last 2-3 weeks, i changed my diet and i am having around 2700 calories a day.
Although i gained 2-3 lbs during that time, i just noticed that my body fat increased from %12.5 to %14.0.

by other words, instead of muscle, i put on body fat.

i work with a personal trainer twice a month. i believe my exercices are good enough for me to gain muscle.

I eat quality food, nothing fried or junk food etc. i also take protein shakes every day. (38 gr a day)

So what i am doing wrong here??? What i need to do to gain that muscle?

I need your suggestions and want to hear your experiences in this matter..

Thanks

[Juicehead]

You need more protein dude!!!

most important thing you could do:

Eat 1.00-1.25 grams protein per lb of lean body mass.

Do some research on calorie macros

Fat vs. Carbs vs. Protein

unless you are eating perfectly clean, you will gain a bit of fat when trying to gain muscle. Just start cutting again when you are done building.

[koxal]

Originally Posted by Juicehead

You need more protein dude!!!

most important thing you could do:

Eat 1.00-1.25 grams protein per lb of lean body mass.

i actually do. Besides the protein shake, I eat grilled fish - steak - chicken plus also other protein rich foods.

by doing that i put on %1.5 body fat and i started to get worried..

[Kylekuu]

what type of exercising you doing?

what type of muscles do you want? by this i mean do you want to work on explosive power, strength, or do you want the looks of muscles? explosive = plyometrics/power lifts, strength/looks of muscles requires lots of reps with a decent weight - so you can increase the fibers in your muscles so you look like you got muscles

talk to your trainer about what you want and he should offer a new strategy - especially since it sounds like your prior workouts was to shed weight, it's totally different workouts.

plus with your diet, lots of people jump straight to "i should intake x calories a day" that shit is wrong dude - if you don't even work enough to burn that amount of calories a day you'l put on weight, you need to have a diet that works along side with your workout - which means it'll change constantly with your workout.

shit gets really complicated so read up on complex and simple carbs, plus protein synthesis and the differences between each type of protein - good nutritution does more than workouts. (i.e. mixing protein shakes with different types of proteins[digestion rates] so your body is constantly engaging in protein synthesis. no complex carbs before bed, simple ones are fine such as fruits etc.)

final note, shit gets expensive.

[koxal]

Originally Posted by Kylekuu

what type of exercising you doing?

what type of muscles do you want? by this i mean do you want to work on explosive power, strength, or do you want the looks of muscles? explosive = plyometrics/power lifts, strength/looks of muscles requires lots of reps with a decent weight - so you can increase the fibers in your muscles so you look like you got muscles

talk to your trainer about what you want and he should offer a new strategy - especially since it sounds like your prior workouts was to shed weight, it's totally different workouts.

plus with your diet, lots of people jump straight to "i should intake x calories a day" that shit is wrong dude - if you don't even work enough to burn that amount of calories a day you'l put on weight, you need to have a diet that works along side with your workout - which means it'll change constantly with your workout.

shit gets really complicated so read up on complex and simple carbs, plus protein synthesis and the differences between each type of protein - good nutritution does more than workouts. (i.e. mixing protein shakes with different types of proteins[digestion rates] so your body is constantly engaging in protein synthesis. no complex carbs before bed, simple ones are fine such as fruits etc.)

final note, shit gets expensive.

My current workout is changed from the previous one since my goal is also changed from losing weight to building muscles. Right now, just like you said, i do more reps with decent weights plus i try to lift heavier in order to get the strenght.

my goal is to have a good looking body. by other words i just want the look of muscles. nothing aggresive.

i guess my only problem is my diet at this point...

i am searching a lot but things are getting more and more complicated as i read more.

[Juicehead]

aside from books, start lurking on bodybuilding.com, just stay out of the "misc" section as it will consume you,

[TK-421]

Diet, diet, diet.

Also, doing HIIT right after your workout has been shown to actually boost test levels and therefore help you pack on muscle. I noticed results when I started doing it.

[KGB7]

Originally Posted by koxal

i actually do. Besides the protein shake, I eat grilled fish - steak - chicken plus also other protein rich foods.

by doing that i put on %1.5 body fat and i started to get worried..

Thats normal with what you are eating. But you need to spend more time at the gym. Push weight like donkey 3 times a week for 2 hours. Then swim or run other days of the week for an hour.

[koxal]

Originally Posted by KGB7

Thats normal with what you are eating. But you need to spend more time at the gym. Push weight like donkey 3 times a week for 2 hours. Then swim or run other days of the week for an hour.

i already do heavy lifting for 1.5 hours, 4 times a week.

if i run or do some cardio, then i will start loosing weight...

[koxal]

Originally Posted by TK-421

Diet, diet, diet.

Also, doing HIIT right after your workout has been shown to actually boost test levels and therefore help you pack on muscle. I noticed results when I started doing it.

that's how i lost weight buddy exept for lifting a little lighter at that time.

now i am trying to gain muscle weight..

[Nautik]

Sounds like you have kind of a thin frame if you are 6'1 and 160. A lean 220 for you will be very hard to achieve and maintain. That is pretty massive on a thin frame.

If you want to get there though some of the things that will help you are:

• more time in the gym
• start taking supplements, pre-workout (get more reps) and post work-out (recover faster)
• a very strict diet with a huge amount of protein eating 6 times day (your body can only absorb so much protein in a given amount of time)
• make sure you eat protein within 30-60 minutes of your workout
• sleep at least 8 hours a night
• stop eating 3 hours before bed (messes up your insulin levels which screws up fat burning and muscle building for several hours of your sleep cycle)
• drink lots of water
• cut the sugar

I think you should try getting to maybe a lean 190-200 first and see how you like it. When you aren't carrying around much body fat you will be surprised how big you actually are.

I've also seen people go another route where they dont care about the added fat. If a lean 220 was your goal they will balloon up to like 240-250 and then cut until they are back to 220. The theory is they can achieve a lean 220 faster that way. Although that cut is the hard part! haha I have a few buddies who got to 240 and then didn't make the cut because they couldn't handle dieting when they have that much muscle starving for food.

[Quick6EF]

Originally Posted by koxal

Hi All,

I am 6'1 tall and weight 160 LBS.

I am working out 4-5 times a week. Only weight lifting right now. No cardio at all.

I need to gain some weight. But my problem is a little different here.
I was 220lbs about a year ago and lost almost 60 lbs over the time.
As you can see, gaining weight is not an issue for me at all

But I want to gain quality weight. by saying that, i want to gain muscle.

last 2-3 weeks, i changed my diet and i am having around 2700 calories a day.
Although i gained 2-3 lbs during that time, i just noticed that my body fat increased from %12.5 to %14.0.

by other words, instead of muscle, i put on body fat.

i work with a personal trainer twice a month. i believe my exercices are good enough for me to gain muscle.

I eat quality food, nothing fried or junk food etc. i also take protein shakes every day. (38 gr a day)

So what i am doing wrong here??? What i need to do to gain that muscle?

I need your suggestions and want to hear your experiences in this matter..

Thanks

This is very easy to fix, your calories are too high for what you want to accomplish; a slow bulk or "clean" bulk (minimizing fat gain).

Do you know what your maintenance is?


Once you find that out, add 250 calories on top of that. Don't forget to compensate for any cardio you incorporate into your workout.

FWIW I burn 2200 cals a day sedentary. I clean bulk on 2600. I gain .5lbs a week consistently.

[just4kickz]

lol. 6'1 160.... you are a tall skinny man.

[just4kickz]

what exercises are you doing? are you pushing yourself or are you doing what's comfortable?

[gun6slinger9]

You're gonna gain some body fat once you start bulking. Less reps more weight to build bigger muscles and eat lots of protein before and after your workout. Easier to bulk up then slim down as opposed to bulk while keeping your body fat% stable.

[Vanity]

I can chime in on this as I've been seeing good muscle building lately.

You workout 3-4 times a week, switching between muscle groups. For me, I dedicate each workout day to 2 different muscle groups. Ex. Monday: Chest/Triceps, Wed: Biceps/Shoulders, Fri: Legs/Back. I work in forearms every now and then on one of the 3 days, just feels like whichever one Im not as tired in.

The key here is: Patience. When I started working out in the beginning of my workouts I was doing my whole body at the gym, 3 times a week. If we were talking about my chest here, I'd be working out on it three times a week!

At the beginning it got strong really quickly (about the first month or so), but then I noticed I plateau'd. I wasn't going higher in my weights, I wasn't seeing anymore muscle definition being added. I didn't notice this till about my third month, being stuck at 50's =__=.

Later I'd learn that I had to give my muscle groups one week of rest . As my weights got heavier and heavier I'd strain my muscles more. What I didn't realize was that I needed more time for them to repair. I started doing them once a week, and holy hot damn every week I feel the extra power and I see the definition coming out faster! Much faster!

Don't OVER-Train. You'll rob yourself of the recovery stage for building muscle (like I was doing). Aside from that, take protein shakes before you go to bed that are designed to release protein slowly over night. You build more muscle when you sleep than you do at the gym! Always remember that.

P.S. Don't take creatine you'll miss it when you're off it. Do it all natural.

[E92Snake]

Originally Posted by TK-421

Diet, diet, diet.

Also, doing HIIT right after your workout has been shown to actually boost test levels and therefore help you pack on muscle. I noticed results when I started doing it.

This is interesting... it enough test to really pack on that much more?

I think he's getting calories...but not enough clean cals from his pro/carbs.
@ his height and weight the only thing lacking here is diet, get that in order and you will really see results. Bf will go up if you want rapid results,(as in bulk,then cut bf) but you could slow bulk...never been a fan of it personally though. Get your cal intake up, protein per lbm lb. and train as hard as you can and the rest is sleeping like a bear.

[EngineCo52]

dont eat more then 40g's of protein at a time...your body can only process so much and you will get constipated...make sure you are taking a multi-vitamin everyday, and fish oil pill (helps with digestive track) and a fiber pill....if your joints start to get very sore start taking a glucosomine(spelling) pill works wonders with lubricating joints...

but 2 things that have worked for me is no joke P90X!!! i lost 43lbs on the scale the first time i did it...gained almost 3 inches in my biceps...

when i got back into working out i incorporated p90x and TRX training (suspension training) it will kick your ass but you will def notice the muscle gain...also add some cardio to your routine only if its a mile or 2...this will help keep that unwanted fat off

[punksterz626]

few pointers...

2700 calories a day...ur not gonna be gaining much muscle mass. And if you're working out that much, i assume you're losing some body mass. Eat up if you wanna get yolk.

I say at least 3100 calories. 38gs of proteins is waaaayyy too little. Thats something i take after a workout session. Should take approximately 1-2 grams of protein per lb of weight.

My model has always been 60% diet, 30% weight lifting, 10% supplements.

What you eat reflects how you look. Eat right and eat clean. Supplements should consist of these few essentials: whey protein (pre and post workout), pre workout drinks (i.e NO explode), efa, and most importantly daily vitamins.

One thing i would suggest in working out is dont worry too much on how heavy u can lift, instead, concentrate on proper movement and techniques. Ive seen too many ppl at the gym with aweful techniques. Lastly, working out should be fun, so challenge urself to new ways to conquer the same muscle group. Just dont overdo it.

[Quick6EF]

Originally Posted by punksterz626

few pointers...

2700 calories a day...ur not gonna be gaining much muscle mass. And if you're working out that much, i assume you're losing some body mass. Eat up if you wanna get yolk.

I say at least 3100 calories. 38gs of proteins is waaaayyy too little. Thats something i take after a workout session. Should take approximately 1-2 grams of protein per lb of weight.

My model has always been 60% diet, 30% weight lifting, 10% supplements.

What you eat reflects how you look. Eat right and eat clean. Supplements should consist of these few essentials: whey protein (pre and post workout), pre workout drinks (i.e NO explode), efa, and most importantly daily vitamins.

One thing i would suggest in working out is dont worry too much on how heavy u can lift, instead, concentrate on proper movement and techniques. Ive seen too many ppl at the gym with aweful techniques. Lastly, working out should be fun, so challenge urself to new ways to conquer the same muscle group. Just dont overdo it.

Pretty good advice, minus the bold.

Supplements are created to do exactly that; fill in the voids that we are not getting from whole foods.

Pre-workout supps are purely personal preference and NOT necessary.

[san~man]

Originally Posted by koxal

i already do heavy lifting for 1.5 hours, 4 times a week.

if i run or do some cardio, then i will start loosing weight...

Elaborate

[JerezFox08]

its all about diet, everyone has their own point and everyone has their own method, you just have to find yours because not everyones body reacts the same

for me i workout pretty much 7 days a week but i use a 4 day cycle

i have been hitting the gym for almost 2 years now but i didnt start doing things the right way until about a year ago

so my routine at the gym is like this

Day 1 an hour of Chest then 1 hour of abs and cardio
Day 2 an hour of shoulders then 1 hour of abs and cardio
Day 3 an hour of arms (tricep/biceps) then 1 hour of abs and cardio
Day 4 an hour on back then 1 hour of abs and cardio

you can change it up once in a while too because you dont want your body and muscle to get used to the same routine

always change things, muscle shave memories too, trick your body sometimes.

PS. i know i should be doing legs and stuff too im just lazy, but i will start soon

my weight was like this, before i join the gym i was 205lbs, then i drop down to 185 lbs and now i am back up to 200lbs

hope this helps