Adding lean muscle

KeefF

Hi,
In recent months I've spent a lot of time focussing on trimming down/losing b/fat but I think it's time to try and add some lean weight again. I've recevied a lot of comments about being "too skinny" recently. This is probably fair and bourne out by the stats Age:39/Height 5'11/Weight c.72KG.
I am interested in doing a programme that will help me bulk up and I was thinking about working with a PT for about 3 months but am a little concerned about the cost and whether there would be any real value add. They guy I was thinking about using has very limited hours I could use with work etc. Is it worth the investment - I could probably do with the help re motiviation/form & programming? Or would I be aswell off committing to a simple programme myself?
I have plenty of gym experinece but always doubt myself re form & programming/reps etc. Legs are a particular area of concern for me as they never seem to improve for me + are way too skinny for a man of my age. In terms of strength etc - my Bench 1 RM is c. 80Kg, I can manage about 8 wide grip pull ups/15 dips. I have never going too heavy on squats (fear) but would regularly to 60KG x sets of 10 with decent form.
I know all a bit long winded but some advice would be appreciated.

cabla

First of all fair play for getting lean and trim and deciding to put on a bit of mass. You do seem a bit light alright for your height, no offense.

To be honest I've never used a personal training, but in saying that I kind of have, in friends. They would have been the same level as me but it's great for the confidence, motivation, someone to watch your form and spot you when you think you can bench double your max - but you can't!

Anyway, yes I think for a certain amount of time a PT is good. It gives you the confidence of knowing what you are doing is ok, your form is more or less on par and gives you that motivation as you're paying for it. I'd make sure you get some recommendations. Nothing worse than two things 1) a chubby PT 2) a PT who accepts bad form and doesn't have the ability to explain things step by step.

I've seen too many PTs, who obviously collected enough tockens on a cereal packet for a certificate, teaching and accepting bad form. There's nothing more frustrating. Make sure you get a good PT that is in line with your goals, not theirs and know and have proven how to get there.

Other than that a PT and internet can help with everything else. You gotta eat more as you're no longer trimming, look at your Macros and try hit them, more protein and carbs. Also maybe have a goal of what weight you want to get to. You'll lose some of that weight when you get back to normal eating habits and cardio.

I'm currently 6FT. about 2 weeks ago I started a bulk. I was 79KG I'm not around the 83KG and aiming for 87-90KG. I've been eating like a horse which has increased all my maxes in the gym. I know when I go back to sport I'll trim down and hopefully keep a solid 83-84 kg of muscle... we'll see how that goes.

Anyway best of luck

MightyMandarin

To be honest, I wouldn't get a PT for 3 months; maybe get one for a few sessions or so but even then you don't really need a PT. If you're concerned about form that's a great step because it shows you're serious, and aren't going there to lift for an ego. Are there mirrors in your gym? If so, they're a great help for watching your form especially during back exercises. There's some great YT channels out there if you need to learn the proper form aswell. For stuff like squats, which you can't really judge yourself, just ask some reasonably sized person to have a look. I've done it a few times just to check and people are very happy to help; the last thing people want is for you to injure yourself and put you out of action for a while. Your upper body strength is pretty good already so stick to whatever program/routine you've done for that so far, particularly focusing on getting stronger over time. What I would say about squats is don't be afraid of them, if you don't want to go close to your max. that's fine; many bodybuilders stick to high rep/low weight Squats anyway; just focus on getting progressively stronger either through reps or weight, that's the key to hypertrophy. Just make sure to get a caloric surplus of ~500cals a day, with about 1g protein per lb of body weight and you'll gain size. Focus on about 1lb a week gain for the first 6months or so and then assess how much fat you've gained, have a look at before/after pics, and see where you want to go; as it'll be summer time then, you might want to cut down a bit or you might still feel skinny and want to keep going, that's up to you but for the moment just focus on gaining weight and getting stronger.

Hanley

MightyMandarin wrote: »

To be honest, I wouldn't get a PT for 3 months; maybe get one for a few sessions or so but even then you don't really need a PT. If you're concerned about form that's a great step because it shows you're serious, and aren't going there to lift for an ego. Are there mirrors in your gym? If so, they're a great help for watching your form especially during back exercises. [/youtube]

If the goal is to keep neutral spinal alignment, and the only way to see if you're doing that is by twisting your neck out of neutral posture, that's not really the most helpful thing to do.

There's some great YT channels out there if you need to learn the proper form aswell. For stuff like squats, which you can't really judge yourself, just ask some reasonably sized person to have a look. I've done it a few times just to check and people are very happy to help; the last thing people want is for you to injure yourself and put you out of action for a while. [/youtube]

Be careful wit that one. Just because someone looks like they know what they're talking about doesn't mean they do.

MightyMandarin

Hanley wrote: »

If the goal is to keep neutral spinal alignment, and the only way to see if you're doing that is by twisting your neck out of neutral posture, that's not really the most helpful thing to do.

I see your point, but if your doing bent over rows with just the bar for example, it wouldn't do much harm to your spine to just glace at the mirror, just to check if the back is straight. Obviously it's better to get someone else to look for you, but if you can't ask a stranger to critique and don't want to spend alot of money to pay a PT, it's what I'd do.

Be careful wit that one. Just because someone looks like they know what they're talking about doesn't mean they do.

Yeah I agree with you on that, there are some bad channels on yt, but some are very good. Scooby is a decent one to use, I've found.

Mellor

MightyMandarin wrote: »

I see your point, but if your doing bent over rows with just the bar for example, it wouldn't do much harm to your spine to just glace at the mirror, just to check if the back is straight. Obviously it's better to get someone else to look for you, but if you can't ask a stranger to critique and don't want to spend alot of money to pay a PT, it's what I'd do.

Form breaks down for most people on their work sets. A straight back for a 20kg warm up is no benefit if you are balled up when you stick 60kg on.

Yeah I agree with you on that, there are some bad channels on yt, but some are very good. Scooby is a decent one to use, I've found.

I think he was refering to assuming that a "decent sized" person knows how to assess squat form.

MightyMandarin

Mellor wrote: »

Form breaks down for most people on their work sets. A straight back for a 20kg warm up is no benefit if you are balled up when you stick 60kg on.

Well if you're starting out, you wouldn't go near 60kg for a bent over row; the idea is that you start light and stay there until using proper form becomes a habit and once you feel the weight is too easy, you add on weight slowly. Even though the OP has a decent amount of strength, I'd still stick to doing light weight on exercises for the first few weeks until he's certain he's doing it right.

I think he was refering to assuming that a "decent sized" person knows how to assess squat form.

Well usually that's your best bet when looking for a stranger to critique your form. If a lad has 30" legs, it's likely that he can squat a decent weight and has been doing it long enough to know if his form was bad and it caused him injury. Obviously there could be exceptions to this rule, but if I'm in a situation like this, I'll ask a lad who looks like he lifts and does legs, rather than a lad who doesn't. That's just my 2 cents.

Folders

Ya, dont think now or not overly convinced PT is the way to go, unless you absolutely wanna get big in a very limited space of time. Probs best using your money for something else or go with da flow and ask other people who look like they know what they doing in the gym or something like that.

Hope it goes well

Folders

9de5q7tsr8u2im

Im bloody 58kg for my age and been lifting and eating well for past months and no success at all my collar bone can be seen and my side ribs are highly visible but the best thing is my visible abs..

MartyMcFly84

What do you mean by eating well though?

If your goal is to put on size your main focus should be calorie intake and quantity , not necessarily "lean meats and veg".