Gain Mass without Gaining Fat

[roxygirl]

Hi. Im new to this board and have a question that falls between training and diet...hopefully someone can help me out here. I have never wanted to look like a body builder, I just want to be lean and very cut. But I need to loose excess fat around my stomach so I am afraid of eating more, and my legs are very very skinny. Muscular but skinny and genetics has a huge hand there. I can build my arms really easy but not my legs. Any advice on how to keep everything thins and lean but build bigger legs without putting on more flab around the middle?

 

[crazy_enough]

yup, diet is key!! Eat real clean and above your maintenance level if you wish to gain LBM while keeping fat at bay! Focusing on the lagging bodypart without overtraining is also important.

 

[DeadBolt]

yup, diet is key!! Eat real clean and above your maintenance level if you wish to gain LBM while keeping fat at bay! Focusing on the lagging bodypart without overtraining is also important.

Keep sugars and excess animal fat as low as possible. Only proper efa's, carbs, and lean proteins ources.

If you want to build your legs then do so...you need to work them to build em. Post your current workout routine and maybe we can help you figure your problemed areas out.

 

[roxygirl]

so I should eat more? Right now I am at around 1600. 5'10 138lbs. Small boned. Eating above what I need wont make me fatter?

 

[DeadBolt]

so I should eat more? Right now I am at around 1600. 5'10 138lbs. Small boned. Eating above what I need wont make me fatter?

If you eat clean calories and eat just slightly above your workouts will help burn calories. This will bring you to about maint or so and help you build some lbm without putting to much fat on.

 

[roxygirl]

ok, i will have to try it. im scared i wont loose the excess bellie fat though. that is probably just a mental block i have created. i'm willing to try it, i need to get rid of the "skeletor legs" my friends have nicknamed

 

[roxygirl]

If you want to build your legs then do so...you need to work them to build em. Post your current workout routine and maybe we can help you figure your problemed areas out.[/QUOTE]

Right now I am doing cardio for 20-30 mins a day at around 70-80%. I work out one muscle group a day. For legs I try and do 3 different excersises with 12 reps or until i cant lift another lb.
for example (and forgive me I dont know the technical names)
squats against the wall with a ball holding 15 lb dumbells 3x12
machine leg lift for quads @ 130 lbs 3x10
" " " for hams @ 130 lbs 3x10
leg press @ 160 lbs 3x12

 

[DeadBolt]

Right now I am doing cardio for 20-30 mins a day at around 70-80%. I work out one muscle group a day. For legs I try and do 3 different excersises with 12 reps or until i cant lift another lb.
for example (and forgive me I dont know the technical names)
squats against the wall with a ball holding 15 lb dumbells 3x12
machine leg lift for quads @ 130 lbs 3x10
" " " for hams @ 130 lbs 3x10
leg press @ 160 lbs 3x12

It takes time to build em but try and mix it up:
Squats
Leg Press
Lunges
Quad Extentions
DB Squats
Hack Squats
Single Leg Press

Stiff Leg Deadlifts-barbell or dumbell
Lying Leg Curls
Single leg curl

I ussually do like 9 sets for quads and 6-8 for hammies. 12 reps may be a little light...go for some lower reps maybe 6-10 and just work em hard. Lift with puney weights get puney results!

 

[LAM]

If you eat clean calories and eat just slightly above your workouts will help burn calories. This will bring you to about maint or so and help you build some lbm without putting to much fat on.

also with eating clean you want to eat a lot of high fiber carbs. foods like oats, whole grain rices, lentils, beans, etc. high fiber foods like these help to increase insulin sensitivity which means that more nutrients get shuttled into skeletal muscle vs fat cells.

 

[ph8bringer]

make sure you do plenty of nice, wholesome squats.

 

[CowPimp]

Unfortunately, you are most likely going to gain some fat in a caloric excess. That is why you usually have to cycle bulking and cutting.

 

[L Armstrong]

Helpful Advice

Hi There,

It's tough, I have the same problem - I want to bulk up but need to lose fat, However it is difficult to do both!!

Diets - Well we all have different ideas as to what works and what doesn't. The thing is, what works for one, doesn't always work for another.

I used to get so confused - I would ask different people what to do, but i would get conficting answers and i came close to throwing in the towel.

One day, while searching on the internet i came across an ebook that has stopped all of the confusion for me and now i am starting to see results at long last.

It is designed for both the novice and the pro and even includes advice on self-image and goal-setting.

http://hop.clickbank.net/hop.cgi?forlife/burnthefat

Best of Luck

 

[roxygirl]

Thanks for all your help!

 

[Mudge]

Increase calories in small shifts, i.e. 10% and fat gains should be next to none.

 

[Maynard Keenan]

Hi. Im new to this board and have a question that falls between training and diet...hopefully someone can help me out here. I have never wanted to look like a body builder, I just want to be lean and very cut. But I need to loose excess fat around my stomach so I am afraid of eating more, and my legs are very very skinny. Muscular but skinny and genetics has a huge hand there. I can build my arms really easy but not my legs. Any advice on how to keep everything thins and lean but build bigger legs without putting on more flab around the middle?

Work up to sets of 4 reps to failure on squats. Incorporate front squats into your workout too. You go heavy enough on legs for a while they will grow.

 

[roxygirl]

being that im new im gonna ask this question anyway--what is a front squat? how is that different from a normal squat. i have a hard time doing squats period becuase my legs are freaking long and my body is short so the balance is WAY off. i can never seem to get my form right enough for it to work my legs and not just make me fall over.

 

[monkeyd]

ignore that L Armstrong idiot, he's been spamming that all over every forum out there.

Front squats are where you have the bar across the front of your shoulders and you can either place your hands on the bar as if you were about to do a military press, or you can cross them and place them palm down on the opposite side to stabilise the bar.

www.exrx.net should have it if you search for it.
Actually I'll just do it for you:
http://www.exrx.net/WeightExercises/Quadriceps/BBFrontSquat.html

Work out your form with just the bar, and then slowly build the weight starting out light at first. Form is very important so only start upping the weight when you are sure you have it nailed.

 

[roxygirl]

cool! thanks- does this put a lot of strain on your back? i have a bad back and really shouldnt be lifting things up that are heavier than about 50lbs.

 

[monkeyd]

well, start light and go slowly. With the proper form this should help your bad back, with ugly form... well it would make it worse. The same is definitely true of deadlifts - do them right and see if they help your back.