Need help with building some muscle, too much conflicting info out there!

C

Chivas69

0
Hi, I'm looking to build up some muscle and strength and am a bit unsure what to do!
I am currently 37 years old and fairly active. I am a painter and decorator so my upper body gets used quite a lot which is where some problems arise as my arms and shoulders are always tired!
I've always been fairly skinny but have seemed to build up my top half a bit just from my job (I think from rollering ceilings)

Weight - 160 lbs
Waist - 34" (this seems to be the only place I have any fat, must be the beer)
Chest - 38"
Biceps - 13"

Now I'm not bothered about being massive like Arnie but I would like to tone up and build some muscle. I have recently shreded two inches off my waist by eating less bad things like chocolate and cake and running/bike for over 30 minutes each time! I also try and do a weight routine twice a week!

There is still some fat to be got rid of around my waist but this is where I get confused as everything I read says I need to be eating a lot more to gain the muscle but I'm scared of putting the fat back on my waist!

I can easilly eat things like tuna, chicken, prawns etc and I find it no problem to drink 5 raw eggs and milk! I have been eating about 1900 callories a day to lose the stomach fat but now I want to build up some abs etc so do I need to start eating more? Will this put the fat back on my waist? Should I be eating protein bars and drinking protein shakes? What else could I be doing? I'm a little confused so ANY advice you give will me great
Cheers
 
You do need to eat more to gain much noticeable muscle mass. Unfortunately, when you consume a calorie excess, it's almost inevitable that some of it will be stored as fat. The trick is to figure out a bodyfat range you're willing to accept, and work within it. Say your range is 8% bodyfat through to 16% bodyfat. 8% is what you work on getting down to when it comes time to show off your body; 16% is the upper limit of what you allow yourself to get up to while bulking and building muscle.

Now, if you train appropriately, eat the right foods (plenty of protein, doesn't need to come from shakes/bars/etc though they're a useful tool in the shed), and have a sensible calorie surplus (enough to gain about 0.5-1lb/week), then the fat shouldn't stack on too rapidly while you gain muscular weight, but again it's the next best thing to inevitable that you will gain some fat with your muscle mass. Accept it, work to make the best of the weight gained, and then work to maintain muscle mass whilst getting rid of the extra accumulated fat.
 
What time of day do you workout? For instance, if you workout in early am, some quick carbs is all you'll need for that. I'm a big believer in carbs, about 50% of your food. I'm also not a big proponent of tons of protein. Like OP said, you don't need shakes. You'll be and stay leanest with real food. You can always make a shake out of real food: oats, avocado or flax seeds, FF milk, banana. Put in blender and you have a pwo shake. Your body will tell you when more food is needed. Obviously if you work out hard (to gain muscle) you will naturally be hungrier. Let your "gut" (no pun intended) be your guide. It's very possible to gain muscle w/out getting fat. You will gain a tiny bit but you'll also lose a little muscle w/fat loss too. It's just the way it is. Don't worry about it. Get your calories in check, eat clean foods, lift heavy and BE PATIENT when it comes to abs. Don't forget, you have to work abs just like anything else. You need to do crunches or whatever you do for abs with weight. Your abs s/be a little sore just like anywhere else. You will not POP if you don't use progressive weight. You need to lift heavy and then stop short of an Arnie look, if that's what you want. I'm also a big believer in high reps, low weight. Not a very manly way to go. Guys think heavy is the only way. It's NOT. You'll get ripped and shredded doing low weights, high reps, TO FAILURE EVERY SET. --Hope this helps. Good luck.
 
RaycaII said:
What time of day do you workout? For instance, if you workout in early am, some quick carbs is all you'll need for that. I'm a big believer in carbs, about 50% of your food. I'm also not a big proponent of tons of protein. Like OP said, you don't need shakes. You'll be and stay leanest with real food. You can always make a shake out of real food: oats, avocado or flax seeds, FF milk, banana. Put in blender and you have a pwo shake. Your body will tell you when more food is needed. Obviously if you work out hard (to gain muscle) you will naturally be hungrier. Let your "gut" (no pun intended) be your guide. It's very possible to gain muscle w/out getting fat. You will gain a tiny bit but you'll also lose a little muscle w/fat loss too. It's just the way it is. Don't worry about it. Get your calories in check, eat clean foods, lift heavy and BE PATIENT when it comes to abs. Don't forget, you have to work abs just like anything else. You need to do crunches or whatever you do for abs with weight. Your abs s/be a little sore just like anywhere else. You will not POP if you don't use progressive weight. You need to lift heavy and then stop short of an Arnie look, if that's what you want. I'm also a big believer in high reps, low weight. Not a very manly way to go. Guys think heavy is the only way. It's NOT. You'll get ripped and shredded doing low weights, high reps, TO FAILURE EVERY SET. --Hope this helps. Good luck.
Click to expand...

I do not agree with most of the things you have said.
1. Carbs should make up to 50% of daily intake? What about protein?
2. Not enough protein in that PWO shake you have mentioned. Why not just go home and have a protein-based meal?
3. Don't always go buy what your body is telling you- 'false hunger'.
4. Muscle building requires a surplus in calories hence, you will gain some fat.
5. You can maintain muscle mass by keeping up on your protein intake and lifting heavy. A negative to your so called 50% carb diet.
6. I am guessing by ab work with weight, you mean core work with a weight plate or something similar. This is not required. Prone holds require no external weight.
7. You should always progress. Example: if you jump from 50kg bench to a 100kg bench, you are asking for trouble.
8. "High reps, low weight has its uses, but for a guy looking to build muscle this is the wrong way to go about it." what?!?!?!?!
9. "You need to lift heavy and then stop short of an Arnie look, if that's what you want." What? You are just going against what you say after that.
10. Funny how guys who are shredded/ripped are all lifting heavy and PUSHING themselves to their limits. I don't see them lifting 5kg dumbbells for 30+ reps or until failure.
 
HyungJun said:
I do not agree with most of the things you have said.
1. Carbs should make up to 50% of daily intake? What about protein?
Click to expand...

Recommendations in Canada and the USA call for 45-65% of calories to come from carbs per day, with around 35% protein and fat making up whatever percentage is left. However, many athletes find benefit in lowering their carbs and upping their fat. (Protein is almost always constant, however.)
 
Jrahien said:
Recommendations in Canada and the USA call for 45-65% of calories to come from carbs per day, with around 35% protein and fat making up whatever percentage is left. However, many athletes find benefit in lowering their carbs and upping their fat. (Protein is almost always constant, however.)
Click to expand...

I don't agree with what governments say. What they have to say is a general guideline for the majority of people.
Here in Australia, they looked at someone the government said was the 'normal' weight adult and the picture showed an adult with excess body fat, with about 85%-90% saying the individual was overweight.
 
Well, that's less of a number that's just thrown out by the government and more of one with actual research baking it up. Someone who exercises a moderate amount requires between 5-7 g of carbs per kilogram of their bodyweight per day, so you can see how that can easily add up to those percentages of calories. And with the body being able to store up to 2000 calories as glycogen, that guideline shouldn't be hard to believe.
 
HyungJun said:
I do not agree with most of the things you have said.
1. Carbs should make up to 50% of daily intake? What about protein?
2. Not enough protein in that PWO shake you have mentioned. Why not just go home and have a protein-based meal?
3. Don't always go buy what your body is telling you- 'false hunger'.
4. Muscle building requires a surplus in calories hence, you will gain some fat.
5. You can maintain muscle mass by keeping up on your protein intake and lifting heavy. A negative to your so called 50% carb diet.
6. I am guessing by ab work with weight, you mean core work with a weight plate or something similar. This is not required. Prone holds require no external weight.
7. You should always progress. Example: if you jump from 50kg bench to a 100kg bench, you are asking for trouble.
8. "High reps, low weight has its uses, but for a guy looking to build muscle this is the wrong way to go about it." what?!?!?!?!
9. "You need to lift heavy and then stop short of an Arnie look, if that's what you want." What? You are just going against what you say after that.
10. Funny how guys who are shredded/ripped are all lifting heavy and PUSHING themselves to their limits. I don't see them lifting 5kg dumbbells for 30+ reps or until failure.
Click to expand...


I don't really care WHAT you think about what I said. I built my body on exactly what I described. My photos speak for themselves.
 
HyungJun said:
I do not agree with most of the things you have said.
3. Don't always go buy what your body is telling you- 'false hunger'.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I need to comment on this one as well. By 'false hunger', do you mean emotional eating? If that's the case, then yes, you're right. However, 'eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full' is definitely one of the healthiest ways to go about your diet, as long as you can differentiate emotional from actual hunger, since you're getting the food you need without forcing a specific caloric count on your body.
 
Jrahien said:
Sorry, I need to comment on this one as well. By 'false hunger', do you mean emotional eating? If that's the case, then yes, you're right. However, 'eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full' is definitely one of the healthiest ways to go about your diet, as long as you can differentiate emotional from actual hunger, since you're getting the food you need without forcing a specific caloric count on your body.
Click to expand...

Yes, as in emotional eating. Also, your body can't tell the difference between thirst and hunger. So it is always a good idea to drink a cup of water and wait a couple minutes before you start stuffing your face.

Also with with the carb requirements that the government is telling us to have, it is not how one should go about trying to lose weight. If you work out your body's macronutrients, protein requirement will need to be more and carbs less.
 
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