Advice on bulking up but keeping fat off

fret_wimp2

Ive been going to the gym for about 2 years, but only got a good routine going in the last 8 or so months.

In this time I have lost most of my excess weight, and am now down to about 14.5%body fat. looking to get down to about 10% body fat so as to lend a bit more definition to my abs.

Problem now is im quite small and so next step is to try to bulk up( in muscle, not fat). Not looking to be a CK model or anything, just a small bit of definition and bulk would be nice.

For the last 8 months my routine was 30 mins of cardio on the treadmill/cross trainer, 15 or so mins of arms, shoulders and chest exercises, 15 mins of abs and core building. This has gotten me moderately well defined ( have good ab's but still need to lose a few pounds of fat to show abs off properly).

I also want to now bulk up a bit,without giving up my cardio in case i put weight back on. So my question is:

Should I:

1. keep dividing my gym session into 50/50 cardio weights
2. Do one session cardio, one session weights and muscle building.
3. remove cardio completely for a few months, as cardio can burn off muscle, which is hard enough to build up?

Also, i dont have a huge apetite, so getting enough decent protein into me is difficult, so would whey protein be worth taking while trying to bulk up a bit.

brutusthebarber

Post up your current diet..

Just doing arms/shoulders/chest is not a routine. You need to be squatting/deadlifting/pressing/pulluping/rowing.. etc

If you want to bulk up then do all the above and up your food intake by loads!!

Tbh even doing the above exercises without upping the food intake you'll notice differences.

Buy Starting Strength, the book, its deadly.

Also you seem to want to do a number of things at the same time. Bulk up but not put on weight.. lose fat at the same time. If you try all these at once you'll do them all badly. What weight are you now??

mindaugelis

The Truth About Bulking my favorite

Apip99

OP, I was in the same boat as you. I had put on 9 pounds from the beginning of Jan to March after joining a gym for the first time. Then after seeing the results, at the beging of this month I started my quest to bulk up.

Eat every thing. As one of the boards members said "EAT like your expecting a famine" (Thanks Token) And drink milk as if every drop counts. I'm up to around 3500 calories a day. I never knew what a calorie was before, but now I know what to look out for.

I just started StrongLifts 5×5 Beginner Strength Training Program last night. Holy crap, free weights are a completely different kettle of fish! http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/ Its going to be hard going, but looking forward to the results.

There is also the Gallon of milk a day, but that would be too much form me. I drink about 3 liters as day at the moment and also started with weight gain shake, which is amazing after work out. Feeds the body very quickly.
http://stronglifts.com/gomad-milk-squats-gallon-gain-weight/

Again, I'm no expert and just in the early stages myself. But putting on weight as muscle is easily accomplished as long as you give it some thought and dedication. I never thought I would be anything more than a skinny arse, judging by my dad and brother who are all in the skinny camp. I thought I was destined to be skinny!

Good Luck,

Apip

curadh

Read that thing the truth about bulking haha now ive lost all motivation thanks mindaugelis. OP I bulked aswell there for a while and lost all shape. Then I cardio'd and cut down what I was eating for 2 weeks and got the shape back, and thought I was doing pretty good , but its clear to me now what happened, I was just a bit fatter which made me look bigger but once i lost the fat was left with a more defined but smaller body, the thing about it is for skinny guys it keeps your body fed so it can build muscle whereas before you wouldnt be eating as much and not making much progress. Ive decided now the thing to do is choose a bodyweight you can get to in 6 months or so, say 2-3 kg's above what u are now, then eat the required amount of calories for that weight day in day out, then using the theory a certain bodyweight uses a certain amount of calories per day, once you reach that, you cant get fatter, and as long as you're pumpin iron you cant lose the muscle, just get more defined eating the same amount.
Note this is a novices opinion - would like to hear from others on it.

fret_wimp2

Thanks for all the replies. To provide some required information:

Current Weight: dont weigh myself often but im defo between 8 3/4 and 9 stone.

My Diet:
Varies depending on if i go to the gym that day or not.

Days with no gym:

Breakfast: Bowl of fruit with natural yogurt.
Lunch: Whatever meat the canteen has, potatoes(mash),a roast potato and salad.

Dinner: Generally beef or chicken stirfry/curry. All homemade so i know pretty much whats in them. rice to bulk it up a bit.

Snacks throughout the day:
Between lunch(12:30) and dinner(7pm ish) il have either a bananna or a 97cal bar of dairymilk if im feeling naughty. I will have 2-3 coffee/tea throughout the day also and lots of water.

Day when i attend the gym
If im at the gym the only thing i change is il have 3 scrambelled/poached eggs on wholegrain bread after they gym for breakfast, and il drink over a leitre of milk(skim) throughout the day.


What are my goals
initially to get down to about 10% body fat so as to show some definition, and then to build up a bit. im not unrealistic. i can only dedicate so much time to the gym, but currently i feel im not making the most of this, be this with my routine or diet.

Routine:
Treadmill: 6k ish in around 30 mins.
Bench Press: machine does not have weight measurements on it, but i set it to 6 and do 3 reps, first of 12-14, second of 8-10 and third is whatever is left in me, usually 8-10 more.
Lifts: where i lift myself using only my arms ( done on same machine as used for chin ups) - 3 x 20
Chin Ups: - 3 x 15

Abs
I have 5-6 different types which i alternate, picking 2-3 each session. not sure what some are called so give a brief desc at the very end:
situp crunches - 3x20
seated knee tucks - 3 x 20
vertical leg lifts - 3 x 20
std situp on ball 3 x 20
alternating situp crunches - 3 x 20

legs:
lunges with bar: 3 x 15
single leg squats: 3 x 15

This routine takes between 60-80 mins on any given morning. I usually visit the gym 2-4 times a week, aiming for 4 and usually ending up going about 3 times.

I think id have a big problem eating everything. I lost a lot of excess weight by watching what i eat and eliminating a lot of food i didnt need. its now something i do without noticing and i just dont let myself eat too much. i eat plenty, enough to be healthy, but no more.


Let me know if this is enough information for you to go on and help me out further. thanks all.

Exercise desc:
Squats with bar - holding a 10 kg bar in between two hands lunge forward while lifting the bar from th: waist to just under chin height.

single leg squats: balancing on one leg, come down as low as possible and lift yourself again on that leg.

alternating situp crunches. hands behind head, lying on back, do a situp and bring your right knee up to meed your left elbow, and vice versa.

vertical leg lifts: lying on your back, arms flat on the floor lift your legs straight up, lifting yourself from just above your pelvis, then bring them down horizontal without letting them hit the floor.

billyhead

What height are you 9 stone is quite light

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies. To provide some required information:

Current Weight: dont weigh myself often but im defo between 8 3/4 and 9 stone.

My Diet:
Varies depending on if i go to the gym that day or not.

Days with no gym:

Breakfast: Bowl of fruit with natural yogurt.
Lunch: Whatever meat the canteen has, potatoes(mash),a roast potato and salad.

Dinner: Generally beef or chicken stirfry/curry. All homemade so i know pretty much whats in them. rice to bulk it up a bit.

Snacks throughout the day:
Between lunch(12:30) and dinner(7pm ish) il have either a bananna or a 97cal bar of dairymilk if im feeling naughty. I will have 2-3 coffee/tea throughout the day also and lots of water.

Day when i attend the gym
If im at the gym the only thing i change is il have 3 scrambelled/poached eggs on wholegrain bread after they gym for breakfast, and il drink over a leitre of milk(skim) throughout the day.


What are my goals
initially to get down to about 10% body fat so as to show some definition, and then to build up a bit. im not unrealistic. i can only dedicate so much time to the gym, but currently i feel im not making the most of this, be this with my routine or diet.

Routine:
Treadmill: 6k ish in around 30 mins.
Bench Press: machine does not have weight measurements on it, but i set it to 6 and do 3 reps, first of 12-14, second of 8-10 and third is whatever is left in me, usually 8-10 more.
Lifts: where i lift myself using only my arms ( done on same machine as used for chin ups) - 3 x 20
Chin Ups: - 3 x 15

Abs
I have 5-6 different types which i alternate, picking 2-3 each session. not sure what some are called so give a brief desc at the very end:
situp crunches - 3x20
seated knee tucks - 3 x 20
vertical leg lifts - 3 x 20
std situp on ball 3 x 20
alternating situp crunches - 3 x 20

legs:
lunges with bar: 3 x 15
single leg squats: 3 x 15

This routine takes between 60-80 mins on any given morning. I usually visit the gym 2-4 times a week, aiming for 4 and usually ending up going about 3 times.

I think id have a big problem eating everything. I lost a lot of excess weight by watching what i eat and eliminating a lot of food i didnt need. its now something i do without noticing and i just dont let myself eat too much. i eat plenty, enough to be healthy, but no more.


Let me know if this is enough information for you to go on and help me out further. thanks all.

Exercise desc:
Squats with bar - holding a 10 kg bar in between two hands lunge forward while lifting the bar from th: waist to just under chin height.

single leg squats: balancing on one leg, come down as low as possible and lift yourself again on that leg.

alternating situp crunches. hands behind head, lying on back, do a situp and bring your right knee up to meed your left elbow, and vice versa.

vertical leg lifts: lying on your back, arms flat on the floor lift your legs straight up, lifting yourself from just above your pelvis, then bring them down horizontal without letting them hit the floor.

fret_wimp2

im quite short, again, i dont have exact measurments but i think around 5 foot 6ish. Il find one of those machines in a pharmacy and get accurate measurements later on.

for my height im not excessively light.

brutusthebarber

Few questions..

Do you eat nothing before the gym??
And jumping jesus 9 stone!! Height?

What is your goal for now? it seems to me to be to lose fat. Although I'm questioning this when you weigh 9 stone. I'd eat something before hitting the gym. The post gym meal looks good, you should try drink a pint of milk with that.

Gym:
Personally I think your wasting 30 mins of each gym session running on that treadmill. You'd be better served going out for a run. Seriously.

Does your gym have a squat rack. Start squatting/deadlifting/bench pressing using a barbell. Apip99 recommended StrongLifts. Again I'd go with Starting Strength.

Food: There's always room for improvement in peoples diets. Your breakfast on non-gym days can get better. Like a fruit bowl to me is a snack, not an actual breakfast. If you have trouble eating large amounts of food throw some oats/yoghurt/fruit/milk into a blender and drink that.

There are other posters here that can advise and expand on the diet a lot better than I have.

The main point is to not over-complicate things. If you want to lose some fat/weight (again seriously 9 stone) then go out for a jog. Start slow and build it up. Treadmills are, in my mind, the biggest waste of time ever.

If you want to start getting stronger and bigger then look into Starting Stregth and start using a barbell. Get someone to take you through each lift correctly.

Good luck with it.

EDIT: Just seen your height, 9 stone is still IMO light for someone 5'6.

DARCHA22

mindaugelis wrote: »

The Truth About Bulking my favorite

good article!