Lost the weight, Want the muscle!!

True_Blue

I’m hitting a bit of a wall with my training and would again love to get some advice of you wonderful people.

When I started my goal was to drop weight and get in shape, well I’ve done that now (lost over 3 stone).

Now I want to put on a little muscle and tone up more.
Below is a typical weeks workouts for me, and my diet for the week.
My weights are loosely based on the strong lifts program. I rotate between ‘workout A’ and ‘workout B’ every week.

Anyway, the problem is I’m not gaining any size and I can’t push the weight up at all. Now I’m not a totally newbie, I know this has something to do with the amount of food I’m eating and the cardio training I’m doing.

I never get sore from lifting, I KNOW I can lift much more weight, but I get tired lifting what I currently lifting.

I’m also started to get tired a lot more, I couldn’t even manage a proper weights work out today. (Found it hard to bench 40kgs)

What are the best suggestions you guys would have to solve this?
Do I really need to start eating more?
Will a protein drink sort this out?
Do I need to cut the amount of cardio I’m doing?

I really want to put a bit of muscle on, but I really don’t want to go back to having a belly, I sweated blood and tears to get rid of it in the first place.

I guess I might have a mental block about eating more and doing less cardio.
If I do have to eat more, what would you guys suggest and what times, like how would you fit it into my current diet?

Your advice will be greatly appreciated.

I’m around 75kgs now and about 5’8/9

Once again thanks for the continuing advice

Monday

7am

5k run on treadmill (takes about 23 minutes)
Rowing machine for 2000 meters (takes about 8/9 minutes)
Cross trainer for 10 minutes.
Reverse crunches 3x30

8:30am
Bowl of porridge
2 ryvita crackers
Natural yogurt

11:00am
Handful of cashew nuts
Green tea
Apple

12:30pm

Squat 3x10 50-70kgs
Bench press 3x10 45-50kgs
Inverted rows 3x10

2:00pm
One half of brown bread sandwich with tomato relish, turkey, plan chicken, peppers, onions, lettuce.
Banana
Oxtail soup (knorr cup of soups)


4:00/4:30pm
Second half of brown bread sandwich.
Mandarin orange

7:30/8:00pm
Fillet of chicken (boiled)
peppers, red onions and lettuce.
Oxtail soup (knorr cup of soups)

Tuesday

12:30pm

5k run on treadmill (takes about 23 minutes)
Rowing machine for 2000 meters (takes about 8/9 minutes)
Cross trainer for 10 minutes.
Reverse crunches 3x30


Wednesday

7am

5k run on treadmill (takes about 23 minutes)
Rowing machine for 2000 meters (takes about 8/9 minutes)
Cross trainer for 10 minutes.
Reverse crunches 3x30

12:30pm

Squat 3x10 50-70kgs
Deadlift 3x10 60-80kgs
Overhead press 3x10 30-35kgs


Thursday

12:30pm

5k run on treadmill (takes about 23 minutes)
Rowing machine for 2000 meters (takes about 8/9 minutes)
Cross trainer for 10 minutes.
Reverse crunches 3x30

Friday

7am

5k run on treadmill (takes about 23 minutes)
Rowing machine for 2000 meters (takes about 8/9 minutes)
Cross trainer for 10 minutes.
Reverse crunches 3x30

12:30pm

Squat 3x10 50-70kgs
Bench press 3x10 45-50kgs
Inverted rows 3x10

Sonderval

Awww gawd!

MY EYES!

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dioltas

True_Blue wrote: »

I never get sore from lifting, I KNOW I can lift much more weight, but I get tired lifting what I currently lifting.

You're supposed to get tired. Are you finishing your sets? Imo you should aim to just about finish your last set or fail on the last few reps of your last set. How else are you supposed to progress? I'd advise dropping down your reps to 6 - 8 per set and lifting heavier, but that's just my opinion. If I'm finishing all my sets for a few sessions I up the weight.

Yes, you will have to start to eat more but this does not necessarily mean putting on a load of fat. If you eat right you can maximise muscle gains while minimising fat gain. Read the stickies and work out your daily calorie needs, add about 500 to this I'd say.

Protein is needed for your body to build muscle so just make sure you are getting enough. I hear 1 gram per pound of bodyweight is plenty.

The cardio will probably hold you back alright, but if you enjoy it I wouldn't give it up, maybe just eat a bit more to compensate. I do very little cardio, something I'm trying to change at the mo

r3nu4l

Definitely seems like you are not eating enough to me.

Try to get protein into every meal! On some days, have scrambled eggs for breakfast, if you are having porridge, add a handful of walnuts.

Get protein into your snacks too. I take it you don't like fish? I dont' see any tuna or sardines in there Add tuna to some dinners, make up a tomato based sauce using chopped tomatoes, blended onions, mixed herbs and crushed pepper, that'll help mask the taste of the fish

Others will come by with more and probably better advice than me but that's an idea what I think is needed here.

Brian?

Fair play to you for losing 3 stone. If you want to add muscle you need to eat more and lift more. It might also help if you cut down on the cardio.

You're currently doing 5 days of cardio and 3 days of weights, is that right?

Try giving this a go instead, its basically a 3 day split based on the big 3 lifts:

Monday: Squat+leg+abs. Squats,Lunges, leg press, planks, stiff leg deadlifts etc.

Tues: HIIT Cardio

Weds: Bench+shoulders. Benchpress, Incline bench, military press, shoulder press, tricep work etc.

Thurs: HIIT Cardio.

Friday: Deadlift+back. Deadlift, Rows, Lat Pullldowns/Pullups, bicep curls etc.

Saturday: Light Cardio.

The weight program can be filled in using this: http://www.exrx.net/Workouts/Workout3PPL.html

True_Blue

Thanks for the replies guy, some good advice there.
I don't want to pack on massive muscle, just enough for a decent chest and arms. When I lost all that weight, alot of it was muscle as well as fat.

I want to try keep my lifting to the core stuff like dead lifting, benching, pressing and squatting.

I'm still a bit confused about how much extra I should be eating.
I know guys here talk about calories per day X this and minus that, honestly, all that goes over my head. :mad:

aye

you could work out what you need here

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/issa64.htm

to build muscle you need protein in each meal.
adding around 300 to 500 cals per day is recommended for ppl wanting to bulk up.

300 cals is about a chicken salad sambo, give or take.