Am I gaining weight correctly?

ssa5522 · 09-20-2008, 08:35 PM

Hi everyone. Just one question. I just started working out a lot one month ago. My purpose is muscle mass gaining. For that I read thousands of articles on protein intake, calorie intake, carbs, reps, sets, body parts, etc. So I pretty much know how to do it. The thing is I've been gaining about one pound each week. Is this enough? Or is it too little or too much?
I'm not supposed to do cardio and I do bikram yoga (it burns about 800-900 calories for and hour and a half session), so this is the reason I have to eat about 1000 calories more each day I practice yoga. So I've been gaining weight even by doing this yoga practices so I guess that is a good sign, and my muscles feel a lot bigger, but I wanted to ask if a pound a week is ok. Next week Im gonna go get my body fat percentage measured... I'll be keeping track... I hope what I've gained is more muscle than fat.

Pegasus · 09-20-2008, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssa5522

Hi everyone. Just one question. I just started working out a lot one month ago. My purpose is muscle mass gaining. For that I read thousands of articles on protein intake, calorie intake, carbs, reps, sets, body parts, etc. So I pretty much know how to do it. The thing is I've been gaining about one pound each week. Is this enough? Or is it too little or too much?
I'm not supposed to do cardio and I do bikram yoga (it burns about 800-900 calories for and hour and a half session), so this is the reason I have to eat about 1000 calories more each day I practice yoga. So I've been gaining weight even by doing this yoga practices so I guess that is a good sign, and my muscles feel a lot bigger, but I wanted to ask if a pound a week is ok. Next week Im gonna go get my body fat percentage measured... I'll be keeping track... I hope what I've gained is more muscle than fat.

A pound a week is good if it is fairly lean. If your strength is going up this is a good sign. Of course bodyfat % tests are not accurate and some are not consistent. Caliper tests are cheap and can be consistent if the same person is doing them. So ignore the number; take note of the change.
So if it changes from 10% to15% or from 15% to20% the important thing is that it is going up, as from experience you could get two tests done by different qualifed people on the same day and get very different results.
If the result is little change in fat % and you are happy keep doing what works. How long it will keep working is another question. At that point people will tell you to eat more which may or may not work. If it does not work, they will tell you it is your fault for not eating enough. This of course can become very annoying and fustrating very quickly. Of course most people turn to drugs within a year or two as a result;if they arn't on them from the start. I hope you will be a rebel like me and avoid drugs, weight can be a long road for some.
Good luck

Pegasus · 09-21-2008, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deej

i had type out about 45mins worth of material that WOULD have helped you but betterman logged me out when i submitted it and it's gone... ALL of it.. i can't be bothered typing it all again. It was a gem. If i do it again it will be shithouse!

All i can suggest is look at this page Body Type Information - Ectomorph, Mesomorph, Endomorph
determine what body type you are (probably a combination of 2 or all) and do routines along these lines: (this is all i can be bothered typing now)

Ectomorph: Weight to Cardio routine 2:1 , 60-70% MAX Weight in routines with HIGH reps (10-"as many as you can" reps) - Ecto's are endurance, long distance athletes comprised of slow twitch fibres and is harder to gain muscle mass. Little chance to look like the Governator but you could end up looking like Brad Pitt in Fight Club.

Mesomorph: Weight to Cardio Routine 3:1 , 100% MAX Weight with low reps (1-4reps) - Meso's are powerful and explosive athletes, sprinters and wrestlers (not WWE! they're homo!). Meso's have fast twitch fibres, aren't suited to high rep workouts and will gain the most mass fast! Meso's WILL look like the governator.

Endomorph: Weight to Cardio Routine 1:1 , 0-100% MAX weight with ANY reps - Endo's are the fatty-boombahs (i'm sorry if i offend anybody but i'm still pissed off!) and will never look like Arnie or Brad, at best they'll look like... i'm not sure, nobody comes to mind. Endo's won't look huge like Meso's or defined like Ecto's.

Don't do the same excersise for at least 3 days eg: Do bicep curls on monday, Pull ups on wednesday, bicep curls again on friday. Like PE work the muscles differently, regularly for the most gains. This is what i do, 20 months ago i was 60.2kg (132.44lb) today i'm sitting comfortably on 86.9 (191.18lb). I'm combo Ecto-Meso (predominantly Ecto).

Get a tan, tans add the impression of definition, definition makes you look big.

i'm so pissed off, i'll CTRL-C this to make sure i don't lose it again or i'll burn this fucking house down!

Now I know you are well intentioned.
You do realise how old this stuff is don't you. I didn't agree with it anway the first time I heard it so many years ago. The ecto etc thing is ok then some body builder got hold of it.
Get a tan my god.
Please tell me your weight gain was not drug assisted as 60lb over previous best weight would normaly have to be in the time period.
D I worry about you.

JonPop · 09-21-2008, 04:28 PM

Everytime I look at baybabes avatar, I get a glandular fever. *chuckle*

ssa5522 · 09-21-2008, 07:31 PM

Well thank you all for your advice. I hope I haven't gotten glandular fever either. Just last weekend I started getting a cold and then my glands around my throat started to swell and I got a fever. I hope its just a normal cold.
Anyway, I really don't know which body type I am. When I was a kid I was an ecto. Then I overate for most of my primary school time and became an endo, then I started exercising and gained muscle, I think right know Im a combo of endo and meso. But not ecto at all, many of my friends are.
I have a natural tan so that is something else not to worry about. It is not so dark but its a fairly darker skin than what white people have. I will NEVER become a drug user, NEVER. Of course unless you count supplementing, which I do, as using drugs, I've never used and never will use steroids. I take amino acids and protein powder and bars.

adz88 · 09-22-2008, 01:26 AM

I've read in general that if you wanna lose fat while bulking you have 2100 cal's and if you wanna put on weight you have 2500(not taking into account minus or adding calories due to work or cardin)

Pegasus · 09-22-2008, 06:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssa5522

Well thank you all for your advice. I hope I haven't gotten glandular fever either. Just last weekend I started getting a cold and then my glands around my throat started to swell and I got a fever. I hope its just a normal cold.
Anyway, I really don't know which body type I am. When I was a kid I was an ecto. Then I overate for most of my primary school time and became an endo, then I started exercising and gained muscle, I think right know Im a combo of endo and meso. But not ecto at all, many of my friends are.
I have a natural tan so that is something else not to worry about. It is not so dark but its a fairly darker skin than what white people have. I will NEVER become a drug user, NEVER. Of course unless you count supplementing, which I do, as using drugs, I've never used and never will use steroids. I take amino acids and protein powder and bars.

Being from Mexio I thought you might have a natural tan, in any case your question was about weight gain.
I am glad you will not use drugs I was starting to think I was the only one.
The major problem natural trainers have, is they get unrealistic expections from watching the drug users around them grow quick and easy(relativitly).
A lot of these people claim to be clean of course.
From previous best weight, anything over 10kg(22lb) lean weight gain in the first year is very rare and of course less after that.
Strength gain is likewise slower, I have seen people gain 20% in strength in a 6 week cycle of roids, your gains will be quick at the start, but do not expect to keep up after that.

lifted · 09-22-2008, 07:03 AM

Your gaining that is good if that is what you want to do.

ssa5522 · 09-22-2008, 09:45 PM

Well thanks for your advice. My diet has been consisting on 50%carbs, 40%protein and 10% fat. I do take a protein bar before each weight lifting session, it also has carbs. What I eat after training is what I'm having difficulties with. I eat lots and lots of protein and carbs, so as to make good use of the so called "oportunity window" in which your cells are more propense to intake the protein with the help of carbs and their insulin-releasing effects. One meal right after the workout, one meal half hour after the first meal, a third meal about an hour after the second meal and a fourth meal about an hour and a half after the third. This is heavy but I believe its working!!! Cheers to all!!!
Say no to roids!! haha

ssa5522 · 09-23-2008, 05:01 PM

LOL deej. Well, I used to poo about once every two days, now I poo about three or four times a day... Don't want to sound disgusting but it feels great! With exercise and yoga I've managed to accelerate my metabolism!
(Funny how a thread about eating turned into a pooing thread!=)

Spartan101 · 11-02-2008, 08:36 PM

A pound a week is fine but make sure your routine is good. Are you doing any resistance training?

If your routine doesn't involve squatting, bench pressing, deadlifting, shoulder press, rows or chinups (or some variation) than it isn't worth doing. If you don't do any resistance training and get weight chances are you won't come close to your potential muscle gain.

Pegasus · 11-03-2008, 06:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spartan101

A pound a week is fine but make sure your routine is good. Are you doing any resistance training?

If your routine doesn't involve squatting, bench pressing, deadlifting, shoulder press, rows or chinups (or some variation) than it isn't worth doing. If you don't do any resistance training and get weight chances are you won't come close to your potential muscle gain.

I presume, reps, sets and body parts refers to weights. Geting into specifics
re weights is another issue. Have you read personal trainer here to help thread?

Pegasus · 11-03-2008, 06:20 AM

P.S.
He ssa what was the result re total weight gain, lean mass gain,strength gain and bodyfat gain?

ssa5522 · 11-04-2008, 02:32 AM

Pegasus, Id have to go to the doc and check cause I lost the last results. Im gonna go again during this month and then Ill tell you. Im starting to feel fat, but just this weekend I felt a HUGE difference in biceps size. I had already felt a change in legs and chest mostly, but nothing in arms, now Im starting to grow fast! I think it might hafve to do with eating more. In fact, it doesn't really matter if you pack some fat does it? Isn't that the way body builders gain muscle? They first "bulk up" and then cut down?

Pegasus · 11-04-2008, 06:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssa5522

Pegasus, Id have to go to the doc and check cause I lost the last results. Im gonna go again during this month and then Ill tell you. Im starting to feel fat, but just this weekend I felt a HUGE difference in biceps size. I had already felt a change in legs and chest mostly, but nothing in arms, now Im starting to grow fast! I think it might hafve to do with eating more. In fact, it doesn't really matter if you pack some fat does it? Isn't that the way body builders gain muscle? They first "bulk up" and then cut down?

I urge caution, there are lots of fat 3rd rate gym junkies, not wanting to lose their "size". You must eat enough to max muscle gain, this might require some fat gain. However this should be a fairly small amount and not an excuse to be a pig ; as it sometimes is. The evidence is you must eat enough to support muscle gain, excess amounts of food will go to fat.
What happens when you want to cut all the fat off? You end up back where you started -if you are lucky. I am very surprised you do not remember the results. If you are gain several times more muscle than fat, you are on a winner, eg 8 lb muscle to 2 lb fat. However if it is 8 lb fat to 2lb muscle you might look bigger in a shirt and be a little stronger but you are on a downward path unless you want to be a sumo. Note in both cases you gained 10 lb. Remember some methods of checking fat are not worth a damn anyway and you should not expect pinpoint accuracy from any of them. Use as a guide only to correct food intake.
Good luck Peg

ssa5522 · 11-19-2008, 02:40 AM

Hey peg... well lets see. I just went through all my stuff to find my last body analysis. There are different analysis. This is what it says... my stats (October 26, 2008):

(in kilograms)

Body composition analysis

Total body water: 39.2 liters ( supposedly there is water inside the muscle cells and some outside, so part of this water is muscle mass, see squeletal muscle mass below, this really got me confused)
Protein: 10.6 kg
Minerals: 3.65 kg
Body fat mass: 12.2 kg

- Fat free mass (lean body mass): 53.5 kg
- Total weight: 65.7 kg

Muscle-fat analysis:

Body weight: 65.7 kg
Squeletal muscle mass: 30 kg
Body fat mass: 12.2 kg

Obesity diagnosis:

Body mass index (kg/m2) 23.0
Body fat percentage: 18.6 (This is what is worrying me, this was a month ago and I´m fatter, stronger though)
Hip-waist relation: 0.85

So I guess I am pretty high on fat percentage, although I think it is possible to cut down the 25 lbs of fat and still maintain a pretty high level of muscle don’t you think? I mean that is what bodybuilders do right? And I’ve been working out pretty hard, and growing a lot lately. Im gonna go have myself checked again on January. (Im really gonna put the effort for Christmas time, cause I like to eat a lot around that date, lol) What do you suggest? I’ve also reduced so much my fat intake cause I realized how much fat I was gaining. Oh and by the way, I got these results from really serious nutrition specialist, she really adviced me to cut down the fat intake which I really didn’t do so I kind of regret it but that is why I’m asking for your opinion before I continue, do you still think I have a chance if I correct my eating habits by now?

Pegasus · 11-19-2008, 05:40 AM

This doesn't look too bad. The hip-waist ratio is good. How much you change from one test to another is more instructive.
If you have gained muscle and strength that is good. You seem to now want to clean up your diet and make the gains lean; great idea. If you are gaining significant fat, I suggest you change your diet, until the fat gain is a small % of total gains. You must choose a point, at which to stop gaining weight and work at geting lean. You seem to have decided to leave it till January at least. Well ok, you are only in the high 60 something kg I assume? However if you leave it too much longer you run the risk of the fat being hard to shift. If you run a modified bulk cycle till January(as you have planed),then have a period where your body can harden up< you can run another bulk cycle later next year. I advise against a "cuting" phase as such, due to your low bodyweight. a slow fat loss phase will allow you to maintain or even slightly increase muscle.
I take it you are no longer doing endurance sport?
Be carefull when you think to do like bodybuilders, as you are drug free their experience must be viewed with caution.

ssa5522 · 11-21-2008, 09:48 PM

Hey there, thanks for the reply. Well I did stop endurance sport, my knees were injured so Im kind of recovering. So yeah I think you are right when you advice against a "cutting" phase, but if not, then how can I do that slow fat loss phase? By cutting my calories intake by just a little and keep lifting?

Pegasus · 11-21-2008, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssa5522

Hey there, thanks for the reply. Well I did stop endurance sport, my knees were injured so Im kind of recovering. So yeah I think you are right when you advice against a "cutting" phase, but if not, then how can I do that slow fat loss phase? By cutting my calories intake by just a little and keep lifting?

Yes, cut calories until you are no longer gaining weight, continue training, add a little cardio,avoid rapid weight loss. You will have bodyfat test in january; if you weigh say 71kg at say 20%bf and over the next 2 months, come down to 69kg at 17%bf, you will be a little leaner than you were and a fair bit bigger and stronger.

At this point, you can think about where you want to go. If you want to get back into endurance sport, further weight gain is counterproductive. If not, you may wish to do another gain cycle.

Pegasus · 02-19-2009, 03:34 AM

Hey SSa good to see you back.
Dying to know how you went with the weight gain?

ssa5522 · 02-19-2009, 04:42 PM

Horrible!!! hahahaha. I had to start all over again. I did gain muscle but lots and lots of fat!! So right now I'm 100% dedicated to Bikram Yoga and I'm losing weight like crazy while still maintaining some of the gained muscle. I even feel like I'm developing muscles I didn't have idea I had. One of the benefits of yoga! =)
So Im losing fat now, I want to lower it as much as possible. I'm soon going to start with low weights, the thing is I think I tried to start too hard too soon. And spring and summer are coming so maybe I'll wait for autumn to really bulk up again. what do you think?

Pegasus · 02-20-2009, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssa5522

Horrible!!! hahahaha. I had to start all over again. I did gain muscle but lots and lots of fat!! So right now I'm 100% dedicated to Bikram Yoga and I'm losing weight like crazy while still maintaining some of the gained muscle. I even feel like I'm developing muscles I didn't have idea I had. One of the benefits of yoga! =)
So Im losing fat now, I want to lower it as much as possible. I'm soon going to start with low weights, the thing is I think I tried to start too hard too soon. And spring and summer are coming so maybe I'll wait for autumn to really bulk up again. what do you think?

I did warn you of this, if you are training drug free don't look to bodybuilding for ideas. If you gain weight too fast a lot will be fat. A steady gain with a high % of muscle gain is the way to go. Yo yo dieting is not.
I suggest you start the weights and try to hold the muscle while losing fat,at a slow steady rate. This way you can salavage as much as possible from the exerise.

W.M.P. · 02-20-2009, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pegasus

I did warn you of this, if you are training drug free don't look to bodybuilding for ideas. If you gain weight too fast a lot will be fat. A steady gain with a high % of muscle gain is the way to go. Yo yo dieting is not.

I remember back when I worked at GNC, one of my co-workers was in this body-building kick and started taking "advice" from all these body-building mags, such as following their "bulking" diets and stuff.............and BOY did he have a hard time getting rid of the massive gut he grew!

Poor guy was really stubborn with the idea that he could do the same as those IBBF guys but without the juice.

Those guys will eat like pigs, grow a gut, then do a "cutting cycle" and BAM! They go from fat to ripped in no time.

Pegasus · 02-21-2009, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by W.M.P.

I remember back when I worked at GNC, one of my co-workers was in this body-building kick and started taking "advice" from all these body-building mags, such as following their "bulking" diets and stuff.............and BOY did he have a hard time getting rid of the massive gut he grew!

Poor guy was really stubborn with the idea that he could do the same as those IBBF guys but without the juice.

Those guys will eat like pigs, grow a gut, then do a "cutting cycle" and BAM! They go from fat to ripped in no time.

Yes.yes,yes.
Drug use is soooo endemic in bodybuilding, including many who claim to be drug free.
The problem comes up that you can't train, eat etc the same way drug free.
So advice from bodybuilders is often counterproductive.

ssa5522 · 04-16-2009, 07:00 PM

PEGASUS!!!! Hey dude, I haven't been on for a while! I'm sooo happy! I think I had to try all kinds of things to discover which is the right thing to do, well I think I just hit the spot! I found the secret of growing muscle while maintaining a low body fat percentage, and NO it is not steroids hahahaha. In just a month I started gaining, lifting low weight to accostum my body to weight training and in the last week that I rose the weight, WOW I had a muscle explosion! Everything hurts of course but my arms look bigger every day along with my other body parts but arms are more noticable since they've always been soooo small. I'm taking enough rest and have discovered that sleep is important too. I got all the info from an internet site and after I read all of it I realized that advice had already got its way to me THROUGH YOU!! Its just people don't want to listen (including myself) and start off with the wrong foot, eating like crazy and gaining lots of fat! talk to everyone later!! My GF is here.

Pegasus · 04-16-2009, 08:48 PM

Glad to hear you are having a good result Ssa. Look foward to the details.

GF do tell.

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