Weight gain

[Ja Rhule]

So when I used to workout... I was 6’1 220lbs... I stopped working out to lose weight and I dropped to 198lbs and I decide to workout out again... my weight is up to 211lbs.  I want to be tall and skinny but not too much muscle but it seems I can’t.  Im trying to go for quantity instead of weight...  I do curles, bench press and etc with dumbbells 40lbs 40-50 times set of 3.  My goal is 185lbs all muscles but it seems my buddy says “no sir”.  How do I lose weight while gaining muscles?

[cardiackat88.]

Are you working legs? 

Major muscle builders and fat blasters are deadlifts and squats.

This is a very vague tip of the iceberg, but this is where to start.

[Ja Rhule]

6 minutes ago, cardiackat88. said:

Are you working legs? 

Major muscle builders and fat blasters are deadlifts and squats.

This is a very vague tip of the iceberg, but this is where to start.

I run a lot.  I’m trying not to lift heavy weights but instead do more reps to burn more fat.

[cardiackat88.]

8 minutes ago, ARSEN said:

I run a lot.  I’m trying not to lift heavy weights but instead do more reps to burn more fat.

Heavier weights causes more muscle to be activated and more resistance added, leading to more calories burned as reps are added.

It is a common misconception (especially among females) that lifting heavy weights will automatically cause you to "swell". 

You, in particular, have the advantage of height. If lifting heavy weights for getting ripped, swelling like an old-school "strong-man" from a circus will not happen, unless you intentionally overeat to be that way.

[MountaineerChemist10]

I'm not an weightlifting expert (more of a runner TRYING to build muscle & lose love handles), but I do know doing weightlifting exercises that involve major muscle groups such as legs, back & chest will burn the most calories & fat. I also know avoiding sweets, decreasing your carb & sodium consumption, consuming more proteins, greens & drinking nothing but water (no sodas PERIOD) will also help you lose weight. Just have to be consistent.

Hope that helps.

[onmyown]

First thing to do is actually listen to me. Pretty sure we’ve talked about this before and it was like talking to a wall. Or maybe that was MadHatter...

Asking how do you lose weight and gain muscle makes is like asking how can you go swimming but not get wet. Makes no sense. Muscle IS weight and requires calories. 

Now I’ll quickly, without getting completely into it say it is possible to lose fat while growing muscle at the same time but it’s so much work to put in eating and know your body it’s a waste of time. Most people don’t have that kind of time. 

You gain or you lose or you maintain. There is no in between. More reps burn more calories but calories are needed to build muscles. So which are you doing? Building muscles or losing weight? 

You need a regimen and it’s going to be a process. Muscle building requires excess calories. But how much? That’s extremely hard to pinpoint and usually only body builders who have detonated their life to it know the exact number for their specific body, making it possibly for them to build muscle at the same time as losing weight but even then it’s not as effective. It just isn’t. I’ll go over the process im very general terms: 

If you want to gain muscle you need to lower the reps (form your 50) to like 6-15 and up the weight, high intensity,  work out hard as hell and increase calorie intake. If 2000 is to maintain then you should eat 2300-2500 after a solid 60-90 minute weight lifting session. Make sure to eat .5-1g per lb body weight your weight in protein with healthy fats and some good carbs. Look up portions online and remember everyone is different it’ll take a while to tailor it. The best measure? Hormones aka how you FEEL. Don’t add cardio for weight purposes but if you add a little for strengthening lung endurance that’s fine.

Do this for minimum 3-4 months. Some people do it longer. I like 12 months but I know my body and what I’m gaining. Whatever you chose there’s no wrong number. A lot of people bulk all year except summer months.

Now slim down. Trade the weights for cardio. Eat a calorie deficit. You will lose some of the muscle mass and strength you gained, that’s unavoidable, so the most important thing in this phase of deficit is to eat enough protein (same amount .5-1g per pound body weight) that will help you maintain as much muscle as possible. What you eat is much more important in this phase. You need strong discipline and quality foods only. If 2000 calories is your maintain number eat 2100-200 and burn 300-400 doing cardio and light weights putting you at a deficit. Also ok to throw in some light weights with cardio but don’t go hard with weight at all or it will hurt your preserves gains. DO NOT lose more than 2-3 lbs a week or risk eating away at muscle. This will be a process, the same as building.

After the extra body weight will melt slowly off you’ll begin to see your gains and differences. After you’re at your ideal weight it’s up to you what you want to do. Bulk back up for however long to add more muscle on so next time you shed fat you’ll be more defined or decide you’re happy and maintain.

Maintaining is simply eating what you burn. At this point just eat clean and split weights with cardio both with medium intensity. Watch your body and adjust diet accordingly.

Its really all about your diet vs. your output and learning your body. It took me 3.5 years to get where I want and know how to maintain it. Over that period I think I shed fat 3 times to see what was underneath and the fourth time I was very happy and now I just maintain, which in the end is about the food you eat.

You can always ‘just stay fit’ method which means you eat a little more as you lift weights and go at it day to day rather than a system. You won’t be the best you could be but you’ll be nice and fit and as long as you eat clean and have a good protein intake you’ll look fit and be in good shape but won’t grow muscle much or at all.

 

[onmyown]

Also you really shouldn’t be skipping any muscles especially legs. When you drop fat down to a very low percent to look good, you’ll look goofy as hell if you skip the things you don’t like. Work out legs every time you work out half of the upper body to even it out. By the time you compete a whole body workout (arms, back, chest) you should’ve done legs twice (at least).

Quads, cavs, hamstrings, glutes, forearms triceps, biceps, lower and upper back, all three muscles on shoulders, traps, abs, Chest,  obliques (a must before you lose weight).

To start out stick worth the compounds: legs x2, back, chest. These work all your muscles and are most important. Slowly add in other muscles and weight.

Deadlift, squat, bench press, shoulder press, pull ups, pushups, sit ups

^ most important 6 workouts IMO if you just did these you’d be alright.

[Arroz con Panther]

@onmyown pretty much nailed it, but I'm not that dedicated. I just do variations of PPL and run a mile on the treadmill after every work out. I fricken love leg day because I can lift the most and it boosts my confidence. As for this part of the original post...

"dumbbells 40lbs 40-50 times set of 3"

that don't make sense, man. There's no need to do that many reps with that much weight. When I do chest press using dumbbells, I do 3 sets of 8 with 50 lb dumbbells (I'm not as big as you!). I follow that up with incline press using the same-ish numbers. Just increase the weight to what you desire (probably 70ish+).

[OneBadCat]

Try working out in the mornings while fasted before your first meal. Increase your protein and eat healthier. Skipping rope and running a few times a week will help keep you lean.

[Jangler]

blah blah blah walking 30 minutes a day everyday. 

[motocross_cat]

Get a set of rings and start calestinic routine.  Want to talk about a tough workout...

[Arroz con Panther]

You could always install a stripper pole

[Captroop]

I can tell you what worked for me. It's pretty specific, but I just met my former boss last week for drinks, and he remarked on how ripped I'd gotten since he last saw me. He asked what I was doing because it was working, and I told him this:

 

So, since about April, I've been on Weight Watchers. It was a huge success for me and I dropped over 30 pounds in 3 months. Over the summer, my mom came to visit, and it was the first time she'd seen me since Christmas. Now she hadn't seen me under 200 pounds since high school. And usually I was hovering closer to 215. And then she shows up and all of a sudden I'm 175.

When she saw me she was in shock.  Like genuine, concerned shock to the point that on the second day of the visit she showed up with a bunch of body mass index charts, and some bizarre test that you need to take wrist measurements for that she printed out at her hotel. She was freaking out. And it was really disheartening, because I'd worked so hard to lose the weight.

Anyway, a couple days after she leaves I call her up and ask what was going on with her, and why she reacted so strangely. And she told me, "You just look so frail. I'm concerned you aren't a healthy weight. My god! Your arms and shoulders are so skinny. They used to be so big, and now they just looked bony."

 

Yeah.

Just get a "Do you even lift, bro?" from your mom and see if you don't pack on pounds of muscle after that.

[cardiackat88.]

On 12/11/2019 at 7:29 PM, Captroop said:

I can tell you what worked for me. It's pretty specific, but I just met my former boss last week for drinks, and he remarked on how ripped I'd gotten since he last saw me. He asked what I was doing because it was working, and I told him this:

 

So, since about April, I've been on Weight Watchers. It was a huge success for me and I dropped over 30 pounds in 3 months. Over the summer, my mom came to visit, and it was the first time she'd seen me since Christmas. Now she hadn't seen me under 200 pounds since high school. And usually I was hovering closer to 215. And then she shows up and all of a sudden I'm 175.

When she saw me she was in shock.  Like genuine, concerned shock to the point that on the second day of the visit she showed up with a bunch of body mass index charts, and some bizarre test that you need to take wrist measurements for that she printed out at her hotel. She was freaking out. And it was really disheartening, because I'd worked so hard to lose the weight.

Anyway, a couple days after she leaves I call her up and ask what was going on with her, and why she reacted so strangely. And she told me, "You just look so frail. I'm concerned you aren't a healthy weight. My god! Your arms and shoulders are so skinny. They used to be so big, and now they just looked bony."

 

Yeah.

Just get a "Do you even lift, bro?" from your mom and see if you don't pack on pounds of muscle after that.

Big question is, how tall are you?