I’ve been weight lifting consistently for a couple years now. Prior to that i was an elite level cyclist which has quite a different approach towards training, eating, and body mass. Back then i was thrilled when i was peaking during race season and my arms, neck, and torso withered away.
I’ve gained a serious amount of weight back within the first year. At 6ft i went from 167-168lbs to 180lbs without any noticeable fat gains. But i’ve sort of been stuck around 180 since then.
I’ve always been lean but i’d like to get more size, am i really going to have to get a little more round to put on muscle? I’ve read article after article about this but i’d like some advice from people who have actually done this.
3 things you can do to push past the mark:
-
Diet. Most likely this. You either need to eat more or need to adjust your macros or a combination of both. Adjust your diet, keep it consistent for 2 weeks and adjust again as necessary.
-
Recovery: You may not be recovering well from your workouts. Workouts may either need to be restructured (to much volume, always going to failure, etc) or go over your life and see if maybe you are just over stressed in general or need more sleep/down time.
-
Workout isn’t sufficient: You may not be lifting enough volume, not doing the correct rep/set schemes, form may not be good enough to focus on the muscles, etc.
Hard to give you exact advice when the informatiton provided is lacking.
You may get a little round. Depends on how quickly you want to gain size and muscle. Track your calories closely if you don’t want to get pudgy.
One of my best friends was the Texas state amateur 2007 marathon series cycling champ. The amount of food he put down was insane, and he was barely 180 stretched over 6’3". His breakfasts alone had to be over 1,500 cals. I’d be willing to bet that a lot of your weight gain is just from cutting back on the bike. Mind posting your routine and a typical days food intake?
[quote]Andyjb123 wrote:
I’ve gained a serious amount of weight back within the first year. At 6ft i went from 167-168lbs to 180lbs without any noticeable fat gains.[/quote]
I definitely wouldn’t call 12 pounds in 12 months “a serious amount of weight” for someone your size.
What, exactly, did you eat yesterday?
Yes, you’ll most likely have to gain some bodyfat as you gain weight and being overly cautious about fat gain (at your current size) will slow down progress… but… the good news it that at your height and weight, presuming you’re pretty lean already, you’ve got a lot of wiggle room in terms of what you’ll gain before actually looking anywhere near pudgy.
Yes, your abs might get blurrier than they are today, but it’s not like you’re going to get a muffin top and moobs overnight, or at all. Lift hard and smart, eat plenty and smart, and you’re pretty much guaranteed to build more muscle than fat.
[quote]ZJStrope wrote:
- Recovery: You may not be recovering well from your workouts. Workouts may either need to be restructured (to much volume, always going to failure, etc) or go over your life and see if maybe you are just over stressed in general or need more sleep/down time.
[/quote]
^I just want to echo this point. Everyone else has made really good points, and no, you don’t have to get fat to pack on muscle. Of course, you can’t always solve weight (muscle) gain dilemmas just by throwing more food at the problem. I will admit that more often than not, people who complain about not being able to put on weight are undereating, BUT, a closer look at the details and variables involved here is a good idea before you start pouring olive oil on your pizza.
S
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
[quote]ZJStrope wrote:
- Recovery: You may not be recovering well from your workouts. Workouts may either need to be restructured (to much volume, always going to failure, etc) or go over your life and see if maybe you are just over stressed in general or need more sleep/down time.
[/quote]
^I just want to echo this point. Everyone else has made really good points, and no, you don’t have to get fat to pack on muscle. Of course, you can’t always solve weight (muscle) gain dilemmas just by throwing more food at the problem. I will admit that more often than not, people who complain about not being able to put on weight are undereating, BUT, a closer look at the details and variables involved here is a good idea before you start pouring olive oil on your pizza.
S[/quote]
I’d like to add that due to the OP’s cycling background he can probably handle an obscene amount of volume. My buddy (he’s more like my brother) that I referenced earlier got a job on an offshore rig with a weightroom and was doing nightly 2+ hour marathon sessions and came back 3 months later looking like a different person. I know an ex-triathlete and soccer player who can handle similar volume blowouts. Not sure what it is, but the heavy endurance sports and events seem to make one impervious to soreness.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
BUT, a closer look at the details and variables involved here is a good idea before you start pouring olive oil on your pizza.
S[/quote]
Hardgainer newb needs dieting advice… hmmmmm… let the games begin.
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
[quote]ZJStrope wrote:
- Recovery: You may not be recovering well from your workouts. Workouts may either need to be restructured (to much volume, always going to failure, etc) or go over your life and see if maybe you are just over stressed in general or need more sleep/down time.
[/quote]
^I just want to echo this point. Everyone else has made really good points, and no, you don’t have to get fat to pack on muscle. Of course, you can’t always solve weight (muscle) gain dilemmas just by throwing more food at the problem. I will admit that more often than not, people who complain about not being able to put on weight are undereating, BUT, a closer look at the details and variables involved here is a good idea before you start pouring olive oil on your pizza.
S[/quote]
Agreed. I was pretty worn out at one point for a while, and tried eating more thinking it would help me put on weight, and it did, but it started to be all fat. I finally realized what it feels like to just be worn out, took some time off and made sure I got more sleep for a week. All of a sudden, the extra food stopped going to fat and I started putting good weight on again.
I think this type of issue is why it’s so important to have a coach or an outside party help you independently figure out an approach to these issues.