Legs and biceps
- Thread starter anewz2001
- Start date
What does your diet and routine look like?
my diet
My diet is very basic ...
morning breakfast usually consists of cereals
lunch is either taco bell or soup and a chicken sandwitch from panera bread
arund 4 i usually have a small meal like say noodles or nuts etc
arund 6 i have a glass of milk (usually flavored ...can't have plain milk) and some fruits
workout from 8 to 9
dinner is bread and vegetables
the problem with me is that I started working out 1.5 years ago when I was like real skinny ... so I had whey protein shake and stuffed myself with food all the time and ofcourse I did exercise .... as a result ... I did gain weight ... put on muscle mass and started looking and feeling better... the muscle i put on majorly was on chest and some biceps but I also developed a tummy ...
I have ignored my legs and thighs ... but no more ... also i want to gain more muscle on my biceps and get a flat stomach which I so want .... have been working very hard at it by readin stuff on the net ... but i need someone to guide me .... pls advice
My diet is very basic ...
morning breakfast usually consists of cereals
lunch is either taco bell or soup and a chicken sandwitch from panera bread
arund 4 i usually have a small meal like say noodles or nuts etc
arund 6 i have a glass of milk (usually flavored ...can't have plain milk) and some fruits
workout from 8 to 9
dinner is bread and vegetables
the problem with me is that I started working out 1.5 years ago when I was like real skinny ... so I had whey protein shake and stuffed myself with food all the time and ofcourse I did exercise .... as a result ... I did gain weight ... put on muscle mass and started looking and feeling better... the muscle i put on majorly was on chest and some biceps but I also developed a tummy ...
I have ignored my legs and thighs ... but no more ... also i want to gain more muscle on my biceps and get a flat stomach which I so want .... have been working very hard at it by readin stuff on the net ... but i need someone to guide me .... pls advice
Well, I'm not sure if you are familiar with cutting and bulking cycles but here it basically how it works. You stuff yourself with healthy foods and lots of protein... 500 calories above your daily maintenance level, when you want to gain muscle. That is called bulking. Doing that will give you the bigger muscles you want in your legs and in your biceps, as well as the rest of your body.
Then there is cutting where you eat 500 calories LESS than your daily maintenance level, but still make sure you are getting plenty of protein. Combined with working out you would be able to maintain your current muscle, and trim the excess fat off of your body.
You need to decide which you want to do first. If you want to get significantly bigger biceps then you would need to be bulking, eating 5-6 meals a day to reach 500 calories over your daily maintenance level... Taco Bell doesn't count as healthy by the way, you would probably want to ditch the fast food. However, bulking will add some fat since you are eating a lot, but at the same time you will gain a lot of muscle.
Many people choose to bulk during the winter when they will always have clothes on, so that nobody else sees the excess fat if that's what you are worried about. And then you would cut before summer came around so you would have gotten the muscle, and maintained it while you lost the fat. Basically, it comes down to this. Do you want to continue putting on muscle, along with fat for a couple more months? Or do you want to maintain your current muscle and cut away the tummy first?
You can attempt to do both at the same time but as someone else posted earlier... bulking for two months and cutting for two months will produce the same results as someone else trying to do both at the same time for more than twice as long. And if you decide to cut, don't be discouraged by lack of gains in the weight room, just watch your tummy fade away
.
Either way you will need to add more protein to your diet... try to get around 1g of protein per pound of body weight even when you are trying to lose fat.
Then there is cutting where you eat 500 calories LESS than your daily maintenance level, but still make sure you are getting plenty of protein. Combined with working out you would be able to maintain your current muscle, and trim the excess fat off of your body.
You need to decide which you want to do first. If you want to get significantly bigger biceps then you would need to be bulking, eating 5-6 meals a day to reach 500 calories over your daily maintenance level... Taco Bell doesn't count as healthy by the way, you would probably want to ditch the fast food. However, bulking will add some fat since you are eating a lot, but at the same time you will gain a lot of muscle.
Many people choose to bulk during the winter when they will always have clothes on, so that nobody else sees the excess fat if that's what you are worried about. And then you would cut before summer came around so you would have gotten the muscle, and maintained it while you lost the fat. Basically, it comes down to this. Do you want to continue putting on muscle, along with fat for a couple more months? Or do you want to maintain your current muscle and cut away the tummy first?
You can attempt to do both at the same time but as someone else posted earlier... bulking for two months and cutting for two months will produce the same results as someone else trying to do both at the same time for more than twice as long. And if you decide to cut, don't be discouraged by lack of gains in the weight room, just watch your tummy fade away
.Either way you will need to add more protein to your diet... try to get around 1g of protein per pound of body weight even when you are trying to lose fat.
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so in other words, you eat relatively little protein every day. my wife eats more protein than you, and that's just by lunch time.
eat more protein. eggs/egg whites at breakfast, and oatmeal instead of cold cereal.
more meat - lean steak (any 'round' steak or flank steak is good), chicken breast, canned tuna (white albacore isn't as fishy or gross as chunk light tuna), salmon, fish in general
make absolutely certain your post workout meal comes within 30 mins of working out, and that it is fast digesting protein (like whey) and has simple carbs (potatoes, white rice, or buy some dextrose). and ideally 60 mins after that meal, you should eat another whole food meal...like cottage cheese, and some veggies.
protein at every single meal, 20g minimum per feeding.
as for your training, you're probably training your biceps too much. every back exercise requires you to use the biceps. so if you do, say, 8 total sets for your upper back (pullups, barbell/cable rows), you should do maybe 4 sets, at the very most, for biceps. biceps are small, the back is huge. makes little sense to train the tiny muscles with a lot more volume than the huge group.
eat more protein. eggs/egg whites at breakfast, and oatmeal instead of cold cereal.
more meat - lean steak (any 'round' steak or flank steak is good), chicken breast, canned tuna (white albacore isn't as fishy or gross as chunk light tuna), salmon, fish in general
make absolutely certain your post workout meal comes within 30 mins of working out, and that it is fast digesting protein (like whey) and has simple carbs (potatoes, white rice, or buy some dextrose). and ideally 60 mins after that meal, you should eat another whole food meal...like cottage cheese, and some veggies.
protein at every single meal, 20g minimum per feeding.
as for your training, you're probably training your biceps too much. every back exercise requires you to use the biceps. so if you do, say, 8 total sets for your upper back (pullups, barbell/cable rows), you should do maybe 4 sets, at the very most, for biceps. biceps are small, the back is huge. makes little sense to train the tiny muscles with a lot more volume than the huge group.
thanks for the advice on diet ... I shall follow that and make sure I have enough of protein ... my bicep exercise is as follows:
3 sets of preacher, 3 sets of 21's and 3 sets of concentration curls ... pls advice if this is adquate/correct
Besides, I want more bulk on the lower body... pls advice
3 sets of preacher, 3 sets of 21's and 3 sets of concentration curls ... pls advice if this is adquate/correct
Besides, I want more bulk on the lower body... pls advice
I dont know what the rest of your routine looks like, but you shouldnt be putting that much work into your biceps. how often do you work your biceps?
scott/preacher curls have been workin for me. I started them a few weeks ago...they have grown a bit, and have been sore the day after the workout...and my arms never get sore (devil grin)
Compound exercises (exercises that involve more than one joint movement...they usually work at least two or more muscles) will develop not only your biceps nicely, but your upper body as a whole. Developed triceps are the key to bigger arms, so keep that in mind. They are actually the largest muscle mass which form the upper arms.
So exercises like pull-ups, bent-over barbell rows, and seated cable rows will help develop your back and biceps...while bench presses and dips will help build a big and strong chest and triceps. You can do a billion curls a day, and your biceps will never get any larger.
All in all, compound exercises that are done once or twice a week will help you build mass and strength.
So exercises like pull-ups, bent-over barbell rows, and seated cable rows will help develop your back and biceps...while bench presses and dips will help build a big and strong chest and triceps. You can do a billion curls a day, and your biceps will never get any larger.
All in all, compound exercises that are done once or twice a week will help you build mass and strength.
Down the road, in a gym far away
a young man was heard to say,
"No matter what I do, my legs wont grow!"
He tried leg extensions, leg curls, leg presses too.
Trying to cheat, these sissy workouts he would do!
From the corner of the gym where the big guys train,
through a cloud of chalk and the midst of pain,
where the big iron rides high, and threaten lives,
where the noise is made with big forty-fives,
a dep voice bellowed as he wrapped his knees,
a very big man with legs like trees,
laughing as he snatched another plate from the stack,
chalked his hands and monstrous back,
said "Boy! Stop lying, and don't say you've forgotten,
trouble with you is you ain't been squattin'!"
a young man was heard to say,
"No matter what I do, my legs wont grow!"
He tried leg extensions, leg curls, leg presses too.
Trying to cheat, these sissy workouts he would do!
From the corner of the gym where the big guys train,
through a cloud of chalk and the midst of pain,
where the big iron rides high, and threaten lives,
where the noise is made with big forty-fives,
a dep voice bellowed as he wrapped his knees,
a very big man with legs like trees,
laughing as he snatched another plate from the stack,
chalked his hands and monstrous back,
said "Boy! Stop lying, and don't say you've forgotten,
trouble with you is you ain't been squattin'!"
Sticky that! haha