New to lifting, need help adding mass while maintaining weight

truth34

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Hey guys,
I'll be blunt about it, this is my first post and ive come looking for some general advice. Ill start out by letting everyone know i'm 6'2 I was about 255 lbs when i started lifting a month an a half ago, im about 244 now. What I want to do is bulk up. But i dont want to gain any weight right now bc im already a fat bastard.

So the first issue is dietary. I do six meals a day high protein diet and drink protein shakes after workouts. Im not sure if I do a morning shake every day would be a bad idea or not. And im not sure if should eat big to help with muscle growth since i have plenty of fat to burn.

Secondly my training is 5 days a week 1. shoulders 2. arms 3. back 4. legs 5. chest. but i do 3 sets of 8-12 reps and im not seeing the progress i would like ie. my bench press is only 135. Would i better off trying like a 10 8 6 and adding ten pounds each set.

I'm more than happy to provide any info needed so i can get on the right track and im hoping i can take some good lessons to the gym with me.
 

truth34

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an before anyone points it out i mean adding muscle mass while maintaining my weight.
 
Red9

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What are your macros lookin like? Fats, calories, carbs, protein?
Noticed you didn't list any cardio?
What kinds of foods are you eating?
How old are you?

I'll do my best to help ya out if you can answer these. And welcome to AM, you've come to a good place to get some good advice! Hopefully you can start down the road to good results and a healthier body brotha!
 
Bsiggy1

Bsiggy1

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What are your macros lookin like? Fats, calories, carbs, protein?
Noticed you didn't list any cardio?
What kinds of foods are you eating?
How old are you?

I'll do my best to help ya out if you can answer these. And welcome to AM, you've come to a good place to get some good advice! Hopefully you can start down the road to good results and a healthier body brotha!


Same! welcome as well! Eating right and nutrition are a big key to what you want to achieve.
 

truth34

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Sadly calories fats etc I haven't tracked closely. I followed the original advice i got which was to focus on dividing meals into six eliminate soda an etc. all I can really say to that is to give my basic meal plan every day.
5 am. Two scoops whey protein a banana and one cup of oatmeal
8 am. Two eggs or thin whole wheat bagel low fat cream cheese
11 am handful of mixed nuts with a grapefruit
2 pm steak or chicken 8 oz with 2 cups brown rice
5 pm dinner steak or chicken with brown rice and vegetables half plate meat an rice half plate vegetables.
Or gym day c4 pre workout two scoops whey post workout with eggs or steak/ chicken
Cardio hasn't really been a focus but I'm considering an hst routine three days a week with two miles a per gym day after lifting done in walking/running intervals
I also take mega man sport multivitamins and fish oil every morning.
I'm 22 years old
I hope this is helpful. Is my diet getting on the right track? Is the best weight to track it to set a goal an carry a notebook. Do you know any tools to help track the diet? What are your thoughts on hst?
 
abeckham

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Your diet looks like its on the right track. Setting a goal definitely helps. Committing to looking a certain way goes a long way in how your training and diet follow. You said which body parts you train on which days, but what kind of exercises of you do for each?
 

truth34

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Shoulders

Dumbbell press 8-12x5
Front and side raises 8-12x3

Arms

Tricep extensions 8-12x5
Bicep curls 8-12x3
Wrist curls 8-12x5
Cable curls 12-15x3 low weight
Machine dips 8-12x5
Bent tricep extensions cable 12-15x3 low weight

Back

Dead lift 5x5
Bent rows8-12x3
Cable flies 8-12x3
Lat pull down 8-12x5 with drop set
Seated rows 8-12x3

Legs

Full squat 5-8x3
Leg press 8-12x5
Calf raises 8-12x3
Leg extensions n curls 8-12x3

Chest

Bench press8-12x3
Incline 8-12x3
Dumbbell press8-12x3
Flies 8-12x3
 
Bsiggy1

Bsiggy1

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Shoulders

Dumbbell press 8-12x5
Front and side raises 8-12x3

Arms

Tricep extensions 8-12x5
Bicep curls 8-12x3
Wrist curls 8-12x5
Cable curls 12-15x3 low weight
Machine dips 8-12x5
Bent tricep extensions cable 12-15x3 low weight

Back

Dead lift 5x5
Bent rows8-12x3
Cable flies 8-12x3
Lat pull down 8-12x5 with drop set
Seated rows 8-12x3

Legs

Full squat 5-8x3
Leg press 8-12x5
Calf raises 8-12x3
Leg extensions n curls 8-12x3

Chest

Bench press8-12x3
Incline 8-12x3
Dumbbell press8-12x3
Flies 8-12x3

that seems great! for me personally I find I get a great contraction and what Ive noticed best for shoulders is a stand up military press/sit down military press and for chest my favorite which ive noticed help me gain a nice chizzled chest are cable flies and peck deck. Everything else seems great. I've tried many different sets and movements so maybe try some different movements until you find a routine that works for you!
 

truth34

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Arms day feels kinda weak for me though, they burn out and I feel like adding some indirect exercise for them would but I'm not sure wether I should or not
 
abeckham

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Idk what works for you but when I just do arms, I start with bis and then hit tris. Then I finish up with some hammer curls across the body and forearms if I feel I need some extra work.
 
Jiigzz

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Shoulders

Dumbbell press 8-12x5
Front and side raises 8-12x3

Arms

Tricep extensions 8-12x5
Bicep curls 8-12x3
Wrist curls 8-12x5
Cable curls 12-15x3 low weight
Machine dips 8-12x5
Bent tricep extensions cable 12-15x3 low weight

Back

Dead lift 5x5
Bent rows8-12x3
Cable flies 8-12x3
Lat pull down 8-12x5 with drop set
Seated rows 8-12x3

Legs

Full squat 5-8x3
Leg press 8-12x5
Calf raises 8-12x3
Leg extensions n curls 8-12x3

Chest

Bench press8-12x3
Incline 8-12x3
Dumbbell press8-12x3
Flies 8-12x3
I can see quite a few problems in this template. For one, you have no rear delt training at all. Two, you should incorporate standing military press; three, add in some prehab/rehab work on rotator cuffs; four, you want to add arm mass yet you havent got any close-grip bench press, five; why are cable flies in on back day? six, you need more hamstring work i.e. good mornings etc. seven; Ab work should be done. If you hitting every other muscle group then individually then why neglect the core? Legs lack unilateral work (Lunge patterns are important too). There is prob more but thats just what I picked up on.

If you have high BF% then your going to have to accept the fact that you will find it hard to maintain weight as you drop bodyfat. Theres no way (unless perhaps using anabolics) that you can expect to stay ~240lbs when you have high bf%. Its just not realistic. Fat doesnt transfer into muscle just because you lift weights. You will build muscle under the adipose tissue which will only become visible as you shred of bodyfat.

Dont be discouraged by your lifts, especially as you only started lifting VERY recently. And i hate to break it to you but very early progresses in strength are related to better motor neuron firing as opposed to increases in muscle strength. Its just your body adpating to lifting weights.

How much weight ot you expect to be benching after just a month and a half? Be realistic. Hate to be harsh but people underestimate or just lack knowledge on how the body works and how quickly someone should progress. If it ws that easy we'd all be benching 500lbs or more. Progress is slow.

Oh and you need middle trap/rhomboid work (facepulls), trapezius work (shrugs perhaps) and yeah thats all for now
 

truth34

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Thanks for the info. I didn't expect to progress really quickly I'm more disappointed in how much strength I've lost over the years. I didn't expect the slow results bc the last time I started up it took my a few weeks to get going but it was significantly higher than where I currently am. And also ideally I wanna drop to about 225-230 and previously my time in the gym sent me down to about 175 from 235. I guess the issue was primarily in the question. Should I up the calories intake and lift heavy weight low reps. Or maintain a plan similar to what I'm on until I get around my goal weight an then increase my intake. I don't intend to insult anyone by asking questions that seem uneducated and ignorant. There just isn't a lot of articles an information that pertain directly to my situation. Usually it's fat guy wants to get skinny, skinny wants to bulk up, and average wants to tone. I don't wanna lose a lot of size just build a lot of bulk. And from what I've heard it may be detrimental to the cause to lose a lot of weight bc bulking is so difficult and shedding weight for me takes little to know effort. But thanks for the advice it's really appreciated. I could definitely incorporate those in my routines. And I should correct myself bc when I said cable flies I meant reverse cable flies
 
jonesBones40

jonesBones40

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Try to get strong before you get bulky. 5x5 3x3 etc. you'll see better gains that way especially if you're a "fat basterd"
 
Lukef2000

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If your just starting out look into stronglifts 5x5. This focusses on the big compound lifts and these are what you should focus your workouts around in future splits. If I was you I'd cut. Get down to below 15% bf minimum before trying to bulk. A leaner body is a lot more anabolic. Good luck and welcome to AM
 

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