need advice from work-out veterens!

[hoping]

hey guys:

 

well here's the deal....if u trace my posts, u would know that i went through a breakup, dealt with some very rude people after getting back together, namely her VERY unprofessional and crossing-the-line manager paul who reads my post (whatsup paul)...and now im here...

 

anyways...basically i started working out again when the girl broke up with me.... which was the beginning of march....i'm just under 5'11 in height, and i weighed around 180....

 

keep in mind that i never intended to "lose weight" cuz i'm extremely comfortable with whatever i am, but i wanted to be healthy again...either way, now im here standing at just under 140 pounds....

 

i've been at 140 now for about 3 months now.... i try to work out everyday (balanced weight train and cardio, boxing every other day) and i eat not extremely healthy but selective....

 

now...how the hell do i get bigger?? im currently (estimating) at about 11% body fat percentage.... i don't really want that number to increase cuz its a b*tch getting it back down.... and i lift almost as much as a guy who weighs 170 pounds with 11% body fat...

 

how should i go about this? should i overfeed? (over calories each day) or should i just keep at what im doing (work out, moderate calories each day, sometimes below daily need sometimes over), and just be patient?

[Luck of the Irish]

You want to increase your caloric intake a LOT. You also want to start taking protein supplements, or eating your daily recommended protein from meat, tuna, etc. I recommend supplements. They are easier, cheaper, and more effective. Shakes are probably the best way to go. If you want to try something like creatine, or muscle milk, you can. They are not harmful to your body. I didn't have much result from creatine though. If you want to get buff DON'T lift for endurance. You want heavy weight and low reps. Work out one muscle group each day and do cardio on your off days. Your body fat is going to increase atleast a little. But so will your muscle mass. If you want a sample workout, let me know!

[Anthony M]

Read this,

 

link removed

 

I followed this program and gained 24 pounds in less than 9 weeks. You have to follow it exactly as it says or your results will not be significant.

[Cardinal]

Realistically, I think if you aim to build about 1/2 a lb of muscle a week that is a good goal for a natural trainer. 10-15 lbs lean mass per year would be considered great progress. Increase calories slowly and don't go more than 500 calories per day over your maintenance intake. That would have you gaining about a lb a week or so until your metabolism adjusts.

 

If you want it to be lean the obviously easy answer is to use partitioning drugs (legal or illegal steroids) combined with much higher calories but they come with significant risk.

 

Otherwise you will likely see one of two things. Either you gain painstakingly slowly and do get a fair amount of muscle compared to fat, or gain at a faster pace and accept fat gain. Bulk up to maybe 15% bodyfat then cut down to your 11-12%. Repeat until you get to your genetic limit. That is likely the best approach and very effective for many people.