Am I working out properly? (advice appreciated)

[ncueter]

Hey there,

Im 21 years old weighing roughly 130 pounds at 5'8. Im currently trying to put on lean muscle mass and not fat in order to raise my weight.

As of right now, I'm using Pure Protein: 100% pure whey powder to help me achieve this. I take one scoop (25g's of protein) a day directly after my work out.

When I work out I usually start with cardio for 2 miles, followed by ab routine, finished by whatever muscle group im targetting that day (aka biceps and chest)

My current meal plan is:

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with ham and a bowl of cereal
Lunch: Protein shake with half a sandwhich
Dinner: Chicken breast slices sandwhich and a bowl of cereal.

As of right now, I'm trying to build more upper body muscle (mostly my arms) without gaining weight in other areas. Unfortunately, I am having problems with this. Since ive started taking the powder, my chiseled abs are starting to slowly fade. Ill admit right now I have self weight insecurity issues and this is starting to be a problem for me. I dont know if there is something I am doing wrong or not.

All advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

P.S: I like to just specify I am trying to gain muscle while still cutting down in the middle. So any links or knowledge would be appreciated.

 

[MuscleMaster]

So your main goal is to add more muscle mass, specifically on your upper body. Sounds like your plan is well designed to achieve that goal.

Let me just give you some extra advice to aid your progress. First focus on training more compound lifts. For upper body you should look into specifically Bench Press (chest), Chin-ups (biceps), Military Press (Shoulders), Dips (tricepts) and Rows (Back). On your workout days do these after your warm up, and hit them Heavy and Hard!

Save the ab work for after, because you'll put on more size from the other lifts anyways.

For your diet. Cut out Cereal, in favor of vegtables/fruit/nuts. I know Cereal is easy, but it's not going to help you achieve your goals.

Finally, Gaining muscle while losing fat is difficult. Focus on one as a Primary goal (according to your stats I would say Gaining Muscle should be your primary goal), and keep the secondary goal in mind. It's not impossible, but just know if you're lifting more weight then you're gaining muscle.

Good luck with the progress, and remember results take time.