Want to bulk but keep a slender physique. Advice please

Rossuk89 said:

Keep carbs high on training days and fat low

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No no no noooooooooo!!

Don't keep fat low, fat should never be kept low. Fat is crucial, especially when building muscle. Avoid it pre and post workout but other than that, do not keep fat low. The only fat that should be kept low are the bad fats (see my sticky thread)

Aim for 0.5-0.8g of fat per pound of bodyweight. I usually try and get 90+g of fat a day minimum, from foods like eggs, fish, olive oil, eggs and almonds.

Agree with Steedie, I'd rather eat fats than carbs.

You don't need to read any books yet.

Read the bodybuilding and diet stickies at the top of the page! (People must be getting bored of me saying that now )

£150 on gym clothes! Are you planning on staring in the mirror all the time? I wasn't aware that gym clothes were any different to normal t-shirts and shorts!

Aye, as above, read the stickes, Gordys Sticky is a good start.

I'm wondering personally whether I should try stronglifts or not, dunno though, don't mind what I'm doing currenty to be honest

Hi guys,

With regards to cardio (I no doubt don't want to be LOOSING weight) but I want to keep my fitness level up and keep my levels of body fat as low as possible.

What would be the recommended amount of cardio (running) per gym session if I'm going 3x a week and Tennis classes once a week?

With regards to the advice above, I'm about to work out a diet that provides me with 3000cals when training and 2500 when not.

You would need to gain muscle and lose a lot of fat too.

It will probably take longer than 2 years mate. But it will be worth it.

You don't need a different diet for training and none training days.

If you're struggling to put weight on I'd limit yourself to only one fairly short bout of steady state cardio, but definitely do short HIIT sprints or rows.

Hi guys,

my protein just arrived.

I was just wondering when it's best to take it (Assuming after a work out) and how much I should be using?

I've got 1kg here and it advises me to use 250ml of water / milk with ONE large scoop of whey. Then it suggests doing it 3 times daily. Wouldn't I be better off just doing all 3 scoops after my workout? I'm guessing that way I'll need to use more milk / water too.

Energy: 118.0Kcal
Energy: 497.0kJ
Protein (dry basis): 24.6g
Protein (as-is): 23.6g
Fat: 2.1g
Carbohydrates: 1.8g
Calcium: 150.0mg
Cholesterol: 0.6mg

I need around 150g a day but am going to be eating quite a lot of chicken breast too.

3 scoops of 24.6 = 73.8g of protein, this would mean I need to consume 76.2g of protein from natural food sources.

Does that sound about normal?

It's the "as is" figure that you want, so 23.6g, not that it makes much difference.

I'd say you also needed more than 150g per day, I'd want closer to 200g.

It's fine to have 3 scoops at once, that's what I normally do post workout.

As for when to take it, it doesn't matter hugely as long as you are getting at least two scoops post workout. For other shakes during the day I'd take them with other food to emulate a normal high protein meal, post work out I'd have them with water and maybe a banana.

Thanks a lot mate, that helps!

With regards to water/milk - what do you prefer to have yours with, what is better and how much would you use for 3 scoops (25g /70cc)

Only use milk if I'm on nightshift/going to bed soon and I'm sorta feeling peckish

150-200ml per scoop and a half ish. So if you have 3 scoops I'd use 250-350ml water.

I'd just experiment with water/milk amounts and see what's best for taste. Although post workout I tend to have 3 scoops in around 500ml of water, it's a case of the more the merrier when it comes to promoting fast gastric emptying.

Can't remember if it's been mentioned, but generally speaking use with water post workout and milk for other times when you don't mind your gastric emptying being slower.

icecold said:

I'd just experiment with water/milk amounts and see what's best for taste. Although post workout I tend to have 3 scoops in around 500ml of water, it's a case of the more the merrier when it comes to promoting fast gastric emptying.

Can't remember if it's been mentioned, but generally speaking use with water post workout and milk for other times when you don't mind your gastric emptying being slower.

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Isn't all this hard work going to be pointless with the amount of sugar I've got in this smooth chocolate shake

Sugar?

Gustov said:

Isn't all this hard work going to be pointless with the amount of sugar I've got in this smooth chocolate shake

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Not really. At the stage you're at (and i started at) eating like a horse and lifting weights is all that matters.

Skillmister said:

Not really. At the stage you're at (and i started at) eating like a horse and lifting weights is all that matters.

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Building a lean body demands discipline and dedication. The biggest challenge is to find a balance of consuming the correct amount of calories to support muscle growth, but not over consuming to cause unnecessary fat gain. This difficult balance is also mirrored in your training, which should combine cardiovascular and weight training in order to build muscle and burn fat.

Why has no one suggested cardio :\

I want lean muscle! This is what the my protein site says ^^

Zefan said:

Sugar?

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Tastes very very sweet (smooth chocolate)

Phasing I would follow for someone like you would be: Conditioning 1, Strength, Hypertrophy, Conditioning 2.

This would look something like:

Conditioning 1 : 4 - 6 weeks
Cardio + higher rep weights circuits (2-3 x 15), full body.

Strength : 2 - 5 weeks
5 x 5 - Texas method. 3 days 5x5 + 1 day conditioning 1. I don't like 5 x 5 stronglifts, however the texas is awesome

Hypertrophy : 12 - 24 weeks
3 - 4 x 6 - 12. 3 / 4 day split, + one day conditioning 1.

Conditioning 2 - 6 weeks
One day 5 x 5, 3 - 4 days conditioning 2: Kettlebell complexes, interval / fartlek training.

I then would repeat the strength, hypertrophy, conditioning 2 phases as one cycle lasting . Aiming to beat previous phase performance each cycle by 10 - 30%. This cycle would last 24 - 41 weeks.

Ant

Because building muscle is about eating more than you burn. If you do slightly more than you burn you gain muscle with little to no fat, loads over and you gain muscle and fat. Considering your stats at the moment i doubt you have much fat on you at all so you wont want to be burning any more off really.

@WantoN: That seems far too complicated for someone just starting out. Surely a simple split or stronglifts would be better?

Skill I totally see where you're coming from. It depends if he's willing to do the research.

If we were training together that's the periodised program I'd follow.

Conditioning 1 will : increase capillary density, cardiopulminary output, neurological engagement, connective tissue strength.

Strength will build on this because : increase neuro engagement means ability to lift more weight. Increase capillary function means more atp, oxygen and glycogen delivered fast enough with the rapid fatigue of strength training. And CV will enable better replemenishment of energy lost.

Hypertrophy will build on this by : Making used of increased strength gains to achieve heavier lifts and therefore greater microtrauma. Sustained delivery of atp, glycogen oxygen will be utilised for prolonged time under tension (longer sets) and recovery. It will also allow faster recovery, repear and growth due to efficient macro/micronutrient delivery post workout and greater resistane/clearance to lactic acid.

Conditioning 2 will : Make use of all of the above to achieve much more aggressive training, with heavier weights for longer periods. This will result in much, much greater fat loss and maintenance of mass. and make Strength in the next phase far, far more effective because he'll have all of the benefits of the previous conditioning phase plus a MEGA strong posterior chain.

I know I've rabitted and it's mega long so sorry. OP doesn't need to know this pap, it's just if he follows something along those lines, he'll get better gains much faster. Everyone here who's been training for a while is periodising, they probably just don't know it.

As a side note, I don't condone 5 x 5 for beginners. Their posterior chain, conditioning and lack of connective tissue strength makes it less effective, and more dangerous.

My tuppence, sorry for long thread, it's why i only lurk in SA these days

Ant

Very informative posts there WantoN.

WantoN said:

5 x 5 for beginners. Their posterior chain, conditioning and lack of connective tissue strength makes it less effective, and more dangerous.

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I have to agree with this, especailly when you start pushing the weights higher.

I've taken two weeks off (only planned it to be one week originally) because my body just wasn't enjoying it.

Might try something similar to 'Conditioning 1' next week, no squats though as my knee and leg are still hurting ever so slightly.