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MHussey
MHussey g Matt Hussey
5 Post(s)
5 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: April 4, 2018
Posted

Hey everyone. I'm new to the MS community and I'm very excited to begin interacting with everyone.

 

So some basic info about me before I start asking questions.

I am 22, 5' 5.5", 179lbs (right now).

My diet is not great, but it's still a work in progress. Im living with my fiancee, which makes my diet slightly harder to maintain control of. Mostly because if I'm cooking, it's for 2 not just myself. Other than that, the only other info that I feel is relevant right now is that I have very limited space in our apartment to work out in. And I do not have access to very much equipment. Most of my excersies or routines will be focused on at home, with body weight only. I do have a set of 20lb dumbbells right now. I am planning on getting a medicine ball perhaps. And a bench, in order to do some more excersies easier.

Any suggestions up to this point would be awesome. Now, I will try to lay out what my goal(s) is or are.

So, this is where I am a little unsure, about what I should be doing... Ideally, I would love to just pick one thing and focus on it to get better. But I don't think I have enough information or knowledge to do that yet.

My main goal, is to build muscle, both mass and aesthetically. Build the muscle up and carve it out or shape it to look better than flab. I have a bit of a round belly that I want to be at least flat. Otherwise, I would like my second goal to be weight loss, or maybe more specifically just fat loss. As I know losing weight just to build muscle would basically cancel each other out and I'd stay the same weight.

Up until I found this app or this site I have just been using my dumbbells for curls mostly. I started using a protein powder after my workouts, and at first I saw some gain. I feel that if I stayed on a normal schedule and kept continually repeating what I was doing, I would get somewhere. But that's why I'm here. I need more help.

My simplest question is where should I start? What sort of routine would be the best fit for me?

Right now I am working out after work, before I go to bed. Protein shake after I workout with weight. I have 3 days of workouts with weights. With cardio days in between. And Saturday as a rest day. This is my first week, starting Sunday (April 8).  So Sunday, Tues and Thurs is weights. Mon, wed and Fri is cardio.

Hopefully I gave you guys enough info to start helping me out. If you need more I'll fill you in.

Thanks!

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: MHussey

Hey everyone. I'm new to the MS community and I'm very excited to begin interacting with everyone.

 

So some basic info about me before I start asking questions.

I am 22, 5' 5.5", 179lbs (right now).

My diet is not great, but it's still a work in progress. Im living with my fiancee, which makes my diet slightly harder to maintain control of. Mostly because if I'm cooking, it's for 2 not just myself. Other than that, the only other info that I feel is relevant right now is that I have very limited space in our apartment to work out in. And I do not have access to very much equipment. Most of my excersies or routines will be focused on at home, with body weight only. I do have a set of 20lb dumbbells right now. I am planning on getting a medicine ball perhaps. And a bench, in order to do some more excersies easier.

Any suggestions up to this point would be awesome. Now, I will try to lay out what my goal(s) is or are.

So, this is where I am a little unsure, about what I should be doing... Ideally, I would love to just pick one thing and focus on it to get better. But I don't think I have enough information or knowledge to do that yet.

My main goal, is to build muscle, both mass and aesthetically. Build the muscle up and carve it out or shape it to look better than flab. I have a bit of a round belly that I want to be at least flat. Otherwise, I would like my second goal to be weight loss, or maybe more specifically just fat loss. As I know losing weight just to build muscle would basically cancel each other out and I'd stay the same weight.

Up until I found this app or this site I have just been using my dumbbells for curls mostly. I started using a protein powder after my workouts, and at first I saw some gain. I feel that if I stayed on a normal schedule and kept continually repeating what I was doing, I would get somewhere. But that's why I'm here. I need more help.

My simplest question is where should I start? What sort of routine would be the best fit for me?

Right now I am working out after work, before I go to bed. Protein shake after I workout with weight. I have 3 days of workouts with weights. With cardio days in between. And Saturday as a rest day. This is my first week, starting Sunday (April 8).  So Sunday, Tues and Thurs is weights. Mon, wed and Fri is cardio.

Hopefully I gave you guys enough info to start helping me out. If you need more I'll fill you in.

Thanks!

Welcome to the community @MHussey!! I'm just saying.. when you cook.. can't you make it so that it is macro friendly? haha. You can still have delicious meals that fit your macros my man 😁 

 

From what you said about your equipment availability, it sounds like the home program would be your best place to start. All you need for that is dumbbells, and depending on your overall strength, even 20lb dumbbells might be too heavy for entire routines/some exercises. I generall say 5lb or 10lb dumbbells are enough. But because you have the 20s, you can start with them and see how it goes. https://muscularstrength.com/12-Week-Home-Program

 

Diet needs to be on point as well. What you need to probably do first is track a few days of eating to see where you're at. You can also use the calculator on the @mealplan page to get a starting point for some numbers to follow in terms of macros and calories daily based on your goal. Whether you should be aiming for fat loss or muscle gain primarily depends on your overall body fat %.

 

It sounds like you might still be a bit of a newbie to working out? If you are, then unless your body fat % is way above 20%, you probably want to go on into a small surplus to start building muscle while losing fat. The home program will help you with a foundation of muscle until you either get more equipment or join a gym. Do you have an idea of what your body fat % might be? If not, you can post a photo of your physique and we'll guesstimate it for you.

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
MHussey
MHussey g Matt Hussey
5 Post(s)
5 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: April 4, 2018
Posted
I can tell you after searching online and using a bunch of different calculators, my body fat % is around the 25-30 range.
MHussey
MHussey g Matt Hussey
5 Post(s)
5 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: April 4, 2018
Posted
That is just rough though, as I am not sure I am measuring correctly for the calculators I used
MHussey
MHussey g Matt Hussey
5 Post(s)
5 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: April 4, 2018
Posted

Hey Scott, just wanted to give an update. I switched to Platinum! I really like the meal plan section and I'm looking forward to using it.

 

Just have a question, What do you mean by surplus for muscle gain?

Fenistoteles
Fenistoteles g Rafal Laskowski
53 Post(s)
53 Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Gain Muscle Date Joined: May 5, 2017
Posted
Posted By: MHussey

Hey Scott, just wanted to give an update. I switched to Platinum! I really like the meal plan section and I'm looking forward to using it.

 

Just have a question, What do you mean by surplus for muscle gain?

Surplus means additional calories.

Let's say for example your maintenance calories are 2000 (just to keep your body up and running)
And if you do sports or weight training, your calories increase, let's say, to 2400

The surplus for Lean Muscle Gain is 250-500 kcal OVER your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)
So, with the above numbers:

During non-workout days you should eat 2250 - 2500 kcal
During workout days you should eat 2650 - 2900 kcal

You can calculate TDEE in meal plan section!

Fenistoteles

Scott_Herman
Scott_Herman a Scott Herman
7.1K Post(s)
7.1K Post(s) Gender: Male Goal: Bodybuilding Date Joined: August 8, 2008
Posted
Posted By: MHussey

Hey Scott, just wanted to give an update. I switched to Platinum! I really like the meal plan section and I'm looking forward to using it.

 

Just have a question, What do you mean by surplus for muscle gain?

@Fenistoteles is right!

 

@MHussey Awesome that you upgraded man! The @mealplan app is super helpful and now you can start one of the programs too!

 

OK so if you think you are 25-30% bf, then you probably do want to cut first. You'll have an easier time building muscle if you have less body fat, because your testosterone levels tend to be higher.

 

So as has already been explained, a surplus means eating more calories than you are burning daily - that would be how you put on muscle. For you to lose weight, however, you want to be in a deficit - that means eating LESS calories than you burn daily.

 

If you use the calculator on the @mealplan page that will give you an idea of what kind of macros and calories you should aim for depending on your goal. If you need help with the numbers just post them here when you have them 😊 

Need 1 on 1 coaching? Send me a direct message to learn more!
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