New guy here

**rigger** · 01-13-2010, 09:54 PM

Hey everyone! first off, I apologize if this post is all over the place so please bear with me. I'm here because I need some help with trying to get my ass in gear. So here is my situation.... I'm a 22 year old male who just graduated college, 5'6 135lbs, barely ever worked out a day in my life. I am what you would probably call "skinnyfat". I look like a very little guy on the surface, but all the weight I have on me is mostly fat, with very little muscle mass. If you were to look at me, you would say I'm a very skinny fellow, however, I hide my blubberiness pretty well so looks ARE deceiving. My chest/stomach/lovehandles and upper thigh area are where the bulk of my fat lies.

Anyway, I joined a gym and this is my second week. I'm currently lifting weights and alternating between upper and lower body, just focusing on the machines until my body gets used to working out and I build some sort of a foundation for myself. I also do 20-30 minutes of cardio after my workout (usually between 1.5 to 2.5 miles). I lift until muscle fatigue and I have pretty much been sore since day one. I go to the gym 4 days per week and alternate days between upper and lower body. so my week looks like this essentially: day 1, day 2, rest, day 3, day 4, rest, rest.

I've been browsing these forums for months now, and have a pretty firm grasp on how I should be lifting. However, I'm just stuck on whether I should be bulking or cutting. At the moment, I have been eating a lot of protein and cut out junk food. I'll eat scrambled eggs in the morning (3 eggs, with only 1 yolk) and yogurt. Then about an hour or so later, I'll eat a slice of wheat bread with peanut butter and head off to the gym, then when I get home I'll have a protein shake with a banana and peanut butter, and usually make myself a tuna sandwhich, then for dinner I eat whatever is made, which is usually whole wheat pasta or chicken (my mom cooks pretty healthy meals), and then I'll try to have another shake at night. I will also snack on peanuts at night as well. I try to throw in some salad or fruits in the mix as well.

now, like I said, it's my second week and I have been feeling very good and have noticed improvements, I can actually see a bicep moving when I contract my arms. However, I feel like I'm getting fatter, which is discouraging to me. My shirts are getting snug and I feel like my moobs and lovehandles are getting bigger and I attribute that to the protein shakes. I know it's very hard to gain muscle and lose weight, so you need to go through phases. But my goal isn't to bulk up and become huge, I just want to look lean and lose my bodyfat. Essentially, I don't want to look like a fetus anymore. It's annoying when I go to a bar or somewhere and people look at me and ask me if I'm really 22 and not 16. I want to have definition and some muscle mass, but I don't want to look ripped.

Cutting and calorie restriction isn't a tough feat for me, I actually have a harder time trying to make myself eat more than eat less. I just don't know what to do. I want to have muscles that you can see, but I don't want to look like a meathead and i want to get rid of this fat content on my body and firm up.

I know that whatever I am doing at the moment is a movement in the right direction. Lifting and running is better than doing neither. I just need some direction and hopefully you all can help me.

I should probably tell you the supplements I take as well:

In the AM: 2 fishoils and a b-complex.
PM: 2 fish oils, zinc, magnesium.

Also, as far as the protein shakes go should I remove the peanut butter and banana? Two scoops of the powder is 240 calories and 45-50g of protein, which I drink once to twice a day. So I'd say I'm getting atleast 500 calories a day from the shakes.

Thank you so much!!

**200+** · 01-13-2010, 10:06 PM

I'm no expert, but I want to chime in since I remember when I was skin and bones and just started lifting...
I would personally keep it simple for a while. Since you have "no" muscle mass currently as you proclaim, I would focus on bulking only. Eat, eat, and eat (well of course). and focus on your training. be very patient and persistent! it took me a long time to loose my "skinny" persona. Good luck. you will learn a lot here.

**Perdido** · 01-14-2010, 04:31 AM

my .02
Sounds like you need to cut first if your BF% is too high.
Sign up for fitday.com to track Calories & macros.
Bring BF% down to a manageable level - maybe low to mid teen % then bring calories back up to put on muscle.

**rigger** · 01-14-2010, 08:28 AM

Thanks for the replies. Anyone else with some feedback?

**Perdido** · 01-14-2010, 05:20 PM

Here's some reading material for you that should help define your goals: *** READ ME FIRST - Homework #1 for Newbies ***

**Phineas** · 01-16-2010, 01:27 PM

Your bodyfat might not be as high as you think.

I used to be a long-distance runner and went overboard my last 2 years, losing most of my lean muscles mass (of which I already had little, lol). Even though my body fat was really in the single digits, I appeared a little flabby because I had virtually no lean muscle under the fat and skin. As soon as I started weight lifting I got more solid (and then I started bulking, haha...). My point is, don't be deceived by looks; you can't always go on that.

Honestly, I'd say go on either a light bulk or maintenance while you workout your basic compounds and get a feel for lifting. As a beginner you'll make constant gains in the beginning. This "flab" will probably appear to decrease in the first few months, at which point you can decide to go into a full-blown bulk, or whatever you want.

If it's muscle you seek you need to eat. And, while you may seem flabby, it's not probably not much fat. Just get to it and see how it goes.

**rigger** · 01-16-2010, 01:38 PM

Thank you. I decided to try to bulk up. I know diet is key and I've been doing my best to eat more and load up on protein and carbs. I'm just not a heavy eater. As far as exercise goes, I'm just focusing on the machines now. I alternate days between upper and lower and make sure I hit all muscle groups until fatigued. The free-weight section of the gym still intimidates me, so I want to form a foundation for myself before I head over to that direction of the gym and begin doing weighted squats, deadlifts, benchpress, etc. I'm already starting to see improvements in myself in just two weeks and I just feel great overall.

Also, is it wise to do cardio after lifting? I'd assume HIIT wouldn't be the best idea. What I usually do when I do cardio is walk for two min, jog at 5.5mph for a minute or two, then go up to 6 or 6.5 for a minute, then walk for a minute or two, and rinse and repeat for 20-30min. Should I keep it at a low intensity or continue what I'm doing?

**Curt James** · 01-16-2010, 11:49 PM

No advice other than consistency. I miss too many workouts and know that's not helping.

Other than that, WELCOME!

**littleguy82** · 01-19-2010, 04:03 PM

Rigger, good luck! I'm currently 5'7" 174 with a little water weight around my mid section. I came a long way from 135 pounds up to 185 last winter. It took a long time. I was consistent with my workouts, but not my diet. After I starting getting my diet together everything else started falling into place. I still have problem areas though. I'm a hard gainer on my arms, and shoulders so I mix up my workouts in those areas frequently. I also have a spotter on 3 of my 5 workouts. Again good luck and down those calories!

**BigBackGrips** · 01-19-2010, 05:44 PM

Hey Rigger, Welcome to the Board. I might cut out the late peanuts. Peanuts are a high quality fat but you don't want high calorie foods late. Other than that, you're probably figuring out that your body will resemble the life you live in it. So just keep it active and leanly, cleanly fed. "Protein and colorful vegetables."

I have found the cardio in the morning, before food, is really helpful. But the gentleman is correct that it's all about consistency. And you may find that the more you change, the more you want to change.
www.BigBackGrips.com

**gtbmed** · 01-26-2010, 10:11 AM

Keep things simple. In every workout, push something, pull something, and do something for your legs. That should cover everything you need in regards to training.

Track your intake and do some reading on dieting as it will really help your figure goals.

**rigger** · 01-26-2010, 10:42 AM

thanks, everybody!

**PushAndPull** · 01-26-2010, 10:52 AM

Originally Posted by BigBackGrips

Peanuts are a high quality fat but you don't want high calorie foods late.

Why?

**DaMayor** · 01-26-2010, 04:17 PM

Peanuts are calorically dense, yes. However, if you allow for the calories in your daily total.......there's an argument/discussion around here somewhere concerning eating late...its all about your total intake.

**PushAndPull** · 01-27-2010, 09:27 PM

Originally Posted by DaMayor

Peanuts are calorically dense, yes. However, if you allow for the calories in your daily total.......there's an argument/discussion around here somewhere concerning eating late...its all about your total intake.

I agree with you.
I was just curious to why he thinks eating late is bad.

**jmorrison** · 01-28-2010, 12:55 AM

Rigger, congrats on making the decision to better your body.

The advice given here has been pretty solid, and the only thing I would add is that I wouldn't worry too much about whether to cut or bulk yet. Just continue to eat as you have been, log your calories and train hard, you will see some nice newbie gains and be better able to decide what you want to do in a couple of months.

And when you DO decide whether to bulk or cut, you will have a nice data log to pull from to tailor your calories from there.

Good luck man!

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