In need of some serious help

[Flaco]

I have been bulking up or at least trying to in the past 5 months which is how long I have been working out. I started at 135 and am currently weighing 161. I have been real skinny all my life and have never gained so much weight so quickly.Your probably thinking those are good gains but the truth is I have put on a lot of fat as well as alot of muscle.Is there anything I can do to control this from getting anymore worse than it already is...My stats are 19 5"8 161lb.Someone pleaese help this jelly belly!!!:

[askingforit]

How much cardio do you do?

[Flaco]

I dont do any kind of cardio....Do you think thats the problem.I thought that cardio wasnt necessary in trying to bulk up..Correct me if im wrong

[llbeastcd]

Originally posted by Flaco
I dont do any kind of cardio....Do you think thats the problem.I thought that cardio wasnt necessary in trying to bulk up..Correct me if im wrong

Usually the case if you are naturally lean and trying to bulk. How many calories are you eating and what do your macro grams look like?

Also, before and/or after pics would help us to evaluate.

[Scorpion]

You're hispanic right bro? Watch the arroz con habichuelas negras! Seriously do some cardio - you live in Miami for Christ's sake - go to the beach and jog while staring at all the beautiful mami's down there!

Read up on the forums here for diet and workout advice. But basically watch your carb and fat intake. If you're happy with all the weight you gained now - you can cut it up and be ready for the summer.

[Billy Boy]

Do some cardio even if it is just for general fitness

[Flaco]

Scorpion I am hispanic and I am an addict of rice and beans.I will start including cardio in my routine but exactly how much should I do.I dont wanna burn to many calories.
Diesel I hardly if ever eat fast food or sweets.I consume a lot of yogurt,rice and meat.And weight gainer.
llbeast I dont exactly know what you mean by macrograms but I started eating around 2700 cal. per day and recently increased it to 3500 cal......I heard hydroxycut is alright when your bulking...

[llbeastcd]

Originally posted by Flaco
llbeast I dont exactly know what you mean by macrograms but I started eating around 2700 cal. per day and recently increased it to 3500 cal......I heard hydroxycut is alright when your bulking...

Sorry bout that. Macronutrient grams are your grams of carbs, fats, and proteins per day.

[Flaco]

Protein is around 200 grams per day.Carbs are around 400 grams per day.Those dam shakes have a lot of carbs.I dont know how many grams of fat per day.To be honest I dont even keep track.How many grams of fat do you think is appropiate.Keep in mind im 5"8 161lb and am bulking.

[llbeastcd]

My god, Flaco... is that you in the avatar? This scares the hell out of me...LOL.

I would say under 100 grams of fat per day... depends on how your body reacts. Protein and carb grams look good. Some will say to increase protein here by as much as 150 grams... but I'm not an advocate of HUGE amounts of protein. Again, depends on how your body reacts to it.

Finally... I track EVERYTHING. This hit or miss, trial and error, whatever you want to call it, training and nutrition gives you no baseline to make changes. If you are taking the time and discipline to train hard, take it a step further and be vigilant in the kitchen as well.

[beenie]

Your problem is that you are taking in a lot of carbs and not burning them off. Running is a great way to get cut up. 30 minutes a day will probably work well for you.

[Tobey]

Flaco,
True you can do both. Make good quality gains an stay lean at the same time. It just takes a little more work, that's all. Up your cardio as you will really ned somthing to burn off the excess calories that you are taking in to bulk.
Tobey

[jammergsxr]

If your working out at a gym with cardio equip.just add 15 min. of tread mill on upperbody days start slow around 3.0 to 3.5 rate and do 30 min. on lower body.ill start at 3.0 speed rate and increase every 5min.......and yes it does suck!But this is usually a good way to talk to the hotties trying to stay firm!!!

[beenie]

Jammergsxr>

This is not intended as a flame beut, I am not sure that what you are telling this guy to do, is really going to get him the results he is looking for. 3.5 mph, as you suggest for thirty minutes is the same as a slow walk. He will burn about 100 calories doing that. That is equivelent to about one third of a powerbar.

I would suggest running as fast as you can to maintain 30 minutes, or 75% of your target heart rate. At 3.5 mph his heart rate wont increase much, but at 9 mph, he'll burn 600 calories in the 30 minutes. I think that would be more likely to get the results he's looking for. Most people cannot start out at 9 mph and have to gradually increase it as they get stronger, so maybe for him its 6.5 mph or 7. But the point should be to elevate one's heart rate, and 3.5 mph will not do it. Sure, I suppose its better than nothing, but i think its far from optimal.

[Pete235]

I'm gonna have to throw my hat in the ring and say, IMO, somewhere in the middle is optimal. Beenie you're right about walking at 3.0-3.5mph...might as well be taking a casual stroll. But in my experience (I did this exact routine last year) running at 7.0-9.0 for 30 minutes will not only burn fat...but muscle as well...belive me! It is widely known that running is catabolic so if your goal is to lose fat and maintain muscle, I would recommend the treadmill with an incline. Try powerwalking 4-5.5mph at an incline of 4-8 degrees (varies depending on your condition). Trust me, that will get your heart rate up there.

[beenie]

That works for me in terms of being a huge imporvement over what was suggested before. The incline is great, if its working for you, and I think you can trade off one for the other, i.e., speed versus incline, whichever you like more.

That being said, if you really want to do this the RIGHT way, you need to calculate your target heart rate. There is a formula for it and they probavbly can help you determine it at your gym if you don't already know it. Then, at whatever speed you need to go to maintain 65-75% you go. It will minimize muscle loss. I think there is practically no muscle loss at 65%. The speed will vary with the individual according to thier general conditioning. The speed (and incline) at which you go is also likely to change as you get stronger. Many of the machines now have heart rate monitors so you can figure out the right speed to achieve the correct heart rate. If it doesn't you can buy a heart rate monitor for arouind $50 if you are a savvy shopper.

I happen to be a pretty strong runner, so for me 9 mph is not a big deal. I am also aware that my cardio streangth is several standard deviations above the mean. Pete235, is essentailly right for most people, particularly those who haven't done much cardio before. My point is that if you really want to do it right, there is a way to make the determination and you can have reasonable intense cardio sessions, while still building muscle.

[jammergsxr]

I wasnt clear (sorry)I start at 3.5 wich is a brisk walk,gets the blood moving,then I increase .5 every 5min.So I end around 6.5 to 7 depending how i feel.This does burn fat at least for me it does.I dont go by calories burned because #1 those machines lie!And calories being burned isnt the same as burning fat.But you guys missed the point about being closer to the hotties?whats up with that?

[PaPaPumP]

Originally posted by jammergsxr
But you guys missed the point about being closer to the hotties?whats up with that?

You're tellin me. Yesterday I was doing cardio next to the HOTTTTTTTTTTEST freakin babe, I shoulda hollared at her, but i just got done with legs, i was exhausted. . .hypoglycemic, naucious....that woulda been pretty


"hey baby. . . do you wanna go out sometime?" Ooopps.... It's alright, I'll see her again, she'd in there quite often.