Good workout today. 8) 32:30 length, pushed myself relatively hard, and my shins didn't prohibit me working out further, 'though they did hurt. (seem OK, now, s'long as I don't start using them, again xD)
Oh, and I took one of those "after" pictures, again, to log my progress, and I have to say, even with less-than-flattering lighting and angles, I can certainly see the gains and body-fat loss since I got back into fitness again! Hell of a difference. I haven't weighed myself in about 3 or so days, and I'm absolutely dying to do it, but I'm told that I shouldn't. -_-
Quote:
Originally Posted by Randle McMurphy
I want to start making some muscle gains with weight training, don't seem to be getting too far though, my macros are about right for putting on muscle. I would like some better kit to work out with so I can really target specific areas I would like to improve, but can't really afford it. I still find the prospect of going to a gym far too scary. so i'm relying on the chance that local people are giving away unused exercise equipment through a scheme called freecycle. so far, not having much luck there.
i've sorted out the diet side of things and am on track with fat loss since going keto. just need it all to work together so that I can make the transformations I want. perhaps I just need to be more patient.
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Hi there, Randle.
If you want to gain muscle growth (size) then you need to push yourself with higher weights. As a general rule: higher weight and less reps = focus on muscle growth. Lower weight and higher reps = focus on muscle definition. 'though I'm not sure "definition" is an accurate word here, but perhaps "shape", or "tone" of it-- generally speaking, if you want definition, you lose body-fat, but from what I've learned, it's not just about that--there seems to be a whole art to actually sculpting muscles, which goes way beyond my knowledge.
So, in a nut-shell, if you want muscle gains, you wanna be lifting heavy things.
Obviously that's within reason--don't go too far over as you will only increase chances of injury which can do permanent damage or temporarily stop you being able to workout that area.
Make sure you're getting enough protein, avoid too much sodium, be sure to get adequate fiber, drink plenty, and, if your weight is pretty damn solid (not overweight--essentially referring to body-fat) you should apparently be on a slight surplus with regards to calories. Personally, I would recommend avoiding simple carbs, too high a fat content, sodium, and saturated fats. Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are good, saturated is very bad. Saturated is typically found in sugary food like sweets, and you'll also find it in meat like bacon. You
can get away with eating bits and pieces here and there ('though I absolutely avoid bacon, just personally) but do keep it managed; you don't wanna hide your work by putting on body-fat like I did.
You're looking for something like 7-10 reps per set with your chosen weight; this number seems to vary, but 10 seems like the most common one. The reason is that you want to be constantly challenging and breaking down your muscles in order to truly rebuild them back up. In a nut-shell: you need to
force them to grow, rather than letting them off easy. Note: size doesn't always equal strength. There's a couple of ways you can do this, as far as I know: you can follow my step-mother's method and aim for definition and growth by including low reps and high reps (weights adjusted respectively) in the same workout session,
or, you can do what I've learned other body-builders do, is to first work on building that muscle and
then work on sculpting it (if that even floats your boat) which I guess is what I'm doing, 'though I sometimes use low weight because I enjoy how it feels.
Be sure you do eat enough, as your body will cannibalize your muscles otherwise, and lastly, be sure not to
overwork the muscles (over-train) because, as I understand it, it reduces growth substantially; I can actually attest to this, because I recently gunned at it for ages, really working out a lot, every day for a bit, and wasn't getting the gains I felt I should, so I switched things up, working out every other day (the idea perplexed me before, because I was/am so obsessed) and now I'm seeing pretty decent results.
Times like this I'm so glad I've spent years obsessing, researching, and learning off my step-mother and her brother. xD
Best of luck, Randle. I'm with you on this one. Hope we can achieve our goals. 8)
PS
I'm not enormous, nor am I a professional--this is knowledge I've gained from research, people who know well, and my own experience.
PPS
I've never gone to the gym; you don't "need" it at all, though if you're
really into it and want to get huge, it's probably worth considering it at a later date. I'm kinda looking to get pretty big, but I doubt I'll need the gym for a long time yet, as I have plenty of equipment here at home. (exercise bike, pull-up bar, dumbbells, barbells, plates, push-up bars, the floor, and there really are so many exercises you can do without machines)