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.

 

[Goldfish]

So long as you're concerned with keeping chiselled abs, you can expect to not build any noticeable muscle mass elsewhere. If you want to build muscle mass, you need to be able to accept some fat gains along with it, which you'll deal with once you've gained the muscle mass. You go through phases of building muscle and accepting some fat gains, then working to maintain muscle mass while culling the excess fat.

For your training, abs/core should be the last area trained. In every exercise you do, you use your abs (and quite intensely in some of the big compound lifts). Fatiguing your abs before doing the rest of your resistance training just limits what you can do for the remaining exercises.

On a more personal note, I recommend that you broaden your approach to training -- big arms on stick legs looks silly, and squats + deadlifts build the strongest core muscles around with a matching back and legs -- but your goals are your goals.

 

[adrell]

I agree, it's pretty much impossible to put on any mass without some fat. If you have no fat, your body is burning everything you take in for energy and can't use the protein to rebuild muscle tissue. If you are wanting to put on mass and are weight training, the usual suggestion for protein intake is 1- 1 1/2 grams per pound of body weight per day. I also agree that you should work your entire body. You don't want to get "ill built"View attachment 5473