Muscles Feel "Soft"....?

[Insidious1]

Hey everyone....

I have been doin the low carb, high protein thing.... Eating 6-7 times a day... but smaller meals...Went from 176-178 to 160-162 in about 2 months....

My body tends to be a little sensitive to carbs... so i keep them though anyways.

I work out 5 days a week.... take my supps... all is well! I am VERY dedicated...

THing is.... I have dieted down to get my abs popping out pretty good. I would like to bulk back up to 180 or so... (then more.....) BUT want to keep my abs.

I know... people are going to criticize me.... and tell me "go read go read"... i literally read about bodybuilding... diet.. nutritions for hours and hours. I have a pretty decent understanding of nutrition, dieting, etc etc etc...

I DON"T know how to put on lbs of LEAN muscle YET keep my abs! The "simple" idea is to eat more calories than i burn.... (about 200-400 more....)

I don't really "count" my caloric intake... as it is sorta hard. I DO eat about 6 or 7 times a day... to keep my metabolism high. I try to get about 40 grams of protein per meal....

BUT.... i am trying to keep the carbs low too! I wasn't doing breads.. and i would eat complex carbs in the morning and simple carbs post workout... (insulin spike...).

I KNOW how important carbs are.. and i KNOW i WON"T get bulked up if i don't start consuming more...

I started eating more carbs.... i try to cycle the carb intake to under 100 on nonworkout days... and about 130 to 150 grams per day on WORKOUT days.... (especially chest/back/legs days.... as they tend to be more exhausting...)

Thing is... i feel like my muscles are getting "mushy".... I have been cycling my carb intake for about a week.... I look ok.,.. and my abs are still there..

I just don't feel "Solid". Is that my diet causing that? Or possibly my supplements or water intake?

Sometimes i drink well over 250 ounces of water a day....

I am also on BSN's NOExplode.... Animal Pack Multi Vitamin... Low carb protein shakes... and TwinLab's Amino Fuel Liquid...

As mentioned earlier... i try to eat more.. smaller meals a day..

I KNOW i need to up the calories.. but HOW do i do that WITHOUT going too high in carbs/fat and losing my abs?!

For example.. my canned tuna is low sodium.. and has about 175 Cals... 38 grams protein..... No carbs.. 2.5 grams fat. I add 1 tbs mayo... that adds 90 cals and 10 grams fat...

Grand total: 265 Cals... 12.5 grams fat... and 38 grams protein.

I'll NEVER get "bulked" eating just that 6 times a day! LOL

Of course.. in morning i have oatmeal and protein shake... and sometimes a "PowerButter" and Jelly sandwich....

But would the increase in carbs be the reason for the "softer" muscles...?

 

[Insidious1]

Come on people... 8 views... and no posts..

I could really use some advice.... :sad:

 

[bbgolfer]

Could be low glycogen stores due to the low carb?

 

[Insidious1]

Hmm....

Possible...

There is a personal trainer i used to train with. He is pretty "old school". He was Mr. Norway at one time... and he ALWAYS use to say "carbs make you soft".

LOL.. So as soon as i started "upping" my carb intake.. and even THOUGHT my muscles felt a little "softer" than usual... i was like "AHA! Maybe the guy was right!" LOL

So you think it might be TOO FEW carbs? Not the increase in carbs that i've done for the past week?

 

[MentalTwitch]

Maybe carbs do make you soft. I live on them, not greatly defined but i am solid. Arms, back, traps, legs, calves(or lack there of) I just am not Ab gifted though. Always had a stomach, never had solid looking. Outlined but not riped. I;m sure if i tried to cut hard enough i will. Really worried about gaining mass though.

 

[Insidious1]

HMMM...

So question is... To Carb or Not To Carb... Tis the question...

LOL

 

[MentalTwitch]

HMMM...

So question is... To Carb or Not To Carb... Tis the question...

LOL

Carb up, deal with losing your abs for a bit. Go high 5 days low 2 in a row.

 

[smiththrs03]

my muscles were soft till I took BAM

 

[JZ7757]

This isnt affecting your lifts/strength or anyhting right? Its a mere cosmetic/personal issue?

That case, time for some zol....

 

[ItsHectic]

I dont think theres any specific thing you can do, you just need all the help you can get.
Try more supps. CLA, fish oil, ALA. Some natural AIs, GSE, ZMA, maybe formastane. Also I would suggest trying fasted BCAA loaded cardio in the morning then eat above your calorie intake, I would say to get all your extra calories from protein but then youd just be peeling nitro. I think doing the fasted BCAA loaded cardio every morning will give you the leg room to increase carbs throughout the day and have a surplus of calories(even more than what you would to make up for what you burned during cardio) for good growth. It might work it might not.

 

[Insidious1]

Yea..

Started to cycle my carbs... On my heavy days (chest,back,legs...) i dose about 150 grams of carbs.. on "off" days... i don't go over 80-100 grams.

I feel that it is making my mucles a little more solid AND my strength is up too. I am worried about losing my abs.. but i am gonna keep with this and IF i REALLY notice the decrease in abs.. i will lower the carbs...


ALSO.. any ideas of taking Bulk BCAA's? Or should i stick with "ICE"?


Right now i am taking:
Animal Stack Multi
NO-Xplode (pre workout)
"Mass Recovery" drink (post workout)
"Liquid Amino" By TwinLabs... (not sure when to take it... Just once a day when i can get it in..)

I am about to get a bottle of USPLabs "PowerFULL"...... and 3-AD whenever it finally ships... I WANT to supplement MORE BCAA's but am not sure as to how much or when or what brand....?

I could REALLY use some tips! Thanks everyone!!!