Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with workout and muscle

Bodybuilding photo progress

mpls2 — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 07:42:22 -0800

I'm looking for photo progressions of people putting on significant amounts of muscle--preferably of those who started out skinny. Not just before/after, but maybe one pic per week or whatever. I know I've seen them, but I can't find them now.

Thanks!

How much does my new muscle weigh?

Anonymous — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:28:12 -0800

How much does my new muscle weigh? How much does the muscle I've gained weight?

I've been losing inches, but not very many pounds.

For the past 3-4 months, I've ramped up my exercise. I work with a trainer once a week to lift weights and do compound exercises and primal movement exercises. I work out at the gym on my own once a week. I've been going to a boot camp class once a week, where I'm doing core, strength and cardio and coming home tired. I also do a lot of walking, often while pushing two kids in a stroller (approx 100 lbs of gear and kids). I walk 30-60 minutes most days. A call to a dietitian yesterday confirmed that, for my current activity level, I have a caloric deficit of at least 500 calories and more like 1000, since I'm breastfeeding.

Yet, in all this time, I've only lost 8 pounds. And I've had a hard time going beyond that. I took my measurements about 6 weeks ago and again just this past week. I've lost several inches in my bust, chest, stomach and a bit in my hips. (Most of my weight is around my stomach.)

From reading past questions, I'd estimate that I've been gaining muscle, which is denser than fat. But how much muscle would I have gained? The reason I want to know is that I am unsure as to whether I should tweak my caloric intake. (Note that I'm breastfeeding and don't want supply or nutrient issues.) Many of the credible sites I've read said that people aiming to get fit overestimate muscle gain and use it as an excuse for not working out or cutting calories enough.

So, for someone who was mostly sedentary the past three years, following a car accident and difficult pregnancies, how much muscle could I realistically have gained? 2 lbs? 10 lbs? Any idea?

Thanks!

Do weight training supplements do anything -- good or bad?

liquado — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 12:14:04 -0800

I'm looking to shake up my workouts, shed the excess poundage, and get some more definition -- basically, I'm bored, not making much headway, and would like to get over the hump to better health/muscle shape. Since it's hard to tell the difference between the shills and the real online reviews, advice, etc., I need some Mefite first-hand experience with hydroxycut or similar supplements. YANMD. I am not looking for a magic bullet. However, I've had a few friends who used creatine-type supplements in the past to get big/cut/etc, and while I'm no more vain than the normal person, it would be nice to turn some of my muscle into more defined muscle.

I'm not normally a supplement/pill/insert fad here, but I'm stalled in my workouts, and would love to get a little jump start to reinvigorate my drive to keep it up.

This is also potentially part of a reinvigorated calorie reduction and healthier eating pattern (stupid night-time snacking), so I do have the long view in mind, as well.

FWIW, I'm 34 and in good shape, other than carrying more weight that I should be -- no significant health problems of any kind (knocks wood).

Help me fix my Popeye arms

penciltopper — Sat, 17 May 2008 14:19:39 -0800

Standard adult male body, but I have skinny upper arms. Suggestions for a workout to add some mass, specifically from elbows up? I'm generally OK with my physique as it is - everything's the size and shape it should be for a mid-30's male, if a little soft from a sedentary lifestyle - except for these "Popeye arms" of mine (somehow, my forearms seem bigger than my biceps, etc. - it's like I got the upper arms from someone else's smaller body).

I'm going to start a regular cardio & toning routine to tighten things up and get some more energy, but I'd like to target this area for build-up, without getting too crazy about bodybuilding.

I figure if I could shift the couple extra inches from my waistline to my upper arms, I'd be happy.
How to do?

Help me get buff without going to the gym

teem — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 05:52:40 -0800

I want to get buff. At home. I'm 20, male, and I'd like to build muscle mass (particularly upper body), but I can't afford to go to a gym. I don't mind making a few not-too-big investments to get me started -- dumbbells and the like -- but my income is a little unpredictable and I can't reliably set aside money to pay for regular gym membership. Right now I'm pretty slim, and moderately fit, so it's just about building and maintaining muscle bulk.

Any recommendations of exercises that can be done at home would be very much appreciated. I'm not trying to get huge, I'm just starting from nothing and would like to get... something. If there was one area in particular that I'd like to work on it would be turning my very rectangular torso into more of an upside-down triangle shape (lats? is that about lats?). You can probably tell that I'm a complete newbie, so I can guarantee that no tips would be considered too simplistic for me to take note of. So far all I've got is basic push ups.

Any general muscle-building advice would be great, too. I've heard things ranging from, "exercise moderately every day to maintain results" to, "leave a few days between heavy workouts to allow your muscles to repair bigger than before". What works? What doesn't?

Diet, lifestyle, and any other considerations would also be useful.

Sort of related: I've tried doing sit ups, but even a few make me feel extremely nauseous long before any fatigue or muscle tiredness sets in. Am I doing something wrong?

Building muscle

Blue Buddha — Fri, 24 Jun 2005 10:28:42 -0800

How much should I increase my workout weight when lowering rep ranges? How much should I increase my workout weight when lowering rep ranges?

In this example, I lift 100lbs for 12 reps. If I want to decrease my rep range to 10 reps, how much weight should I add? Going from 10 reps to 8?

I've been adding roughly 20% of the weight, but have also read that to more effectively build muscle, you should multiply weight X reps X sets, and keep increasing that number each workout. All else being equal, adding 20% will keep that number the same when dropping from 12 to 10, and actually lower it if decreasing from 10 to 8 reps.

100 lbs X 12 reps X 3 sets = 3600 total lbs
Add 20%
120 lbs X 10 reps X 3 sets = 3600 total lbs
Add 20%
144 lbs X 8 reps X 3 sets = 3456 total lbs

I guess I could try adding 25% when dropping from 12 to 10, then 30% from 10 to 8, but I fear that may be too much to handle.

I'm banking more on the HST (Hypertrophy Specific Training) method that by increasing weight while dropping rep ranges, the body will grow due to the stress imposed by the additional weight.

So which school of thought do you fall under: increasing overall weight with each workout will lead to muscle growth, or increasing weight and dropping sets to stress the body into growing? Again, all else being equal (routine, consistency of workouts, diet, rest, supplementation, etc.).

Please note that I work out during lunch and may not have much time to increase sets to get the overall weight higher (scenario 1).