How fast should I be gaining muscle

[jenjen1018]

I want to gain muscle. I know that I am, but I just want to make sure I am gaining as quickly as I naturally can so I'm not wasting time. My main concern is the squishy fatty area around the center of my belly button. I cannit stand the way it feels and I just want it gone! Sometimes i feel im getting close but then it comes back.
im 5ft2, 100 lbs.
My weight has been between 98 and 102 the last year and belly is still soft i the center! im getting so frustrated!

I eat 2000-2400 calories throughout the week.A couple out of week days i eat 1750 cals.

I do weights 3 times a week for 30-45 minutes.running after weights 12-15 minutes plus an extra 20 minutes of intervals once week. i also try to keep my heartrate up during weight sessions so i can get my endorphins going,

monday legs,abs
3-4 sets 8-12 reps squats s ith machine,at about 110 pounds as of now
3-4 lunges same reps and sets
''''leg extension
leg press maybe
abductor,adductor
leg curl
calf raises
crunch machine
leg raisex

tues or wed
chest.,triceps,shoulders
benchpress
flyes
incline
military press
lateral raises
front or rear raises.

thurs or fri back
pullups
pulldowns
upright rows
back extension
dealifts sometimes
tues or thurs,and sat and sunday rest.

i also breastfeed my two year old at naptime and a few times night.
i eat 45-50c35p/17-20f


ill post my diet if necessary.
should the scale be going up each week? if so then i have to stay around 2300-2500 everyday. ive tried it before but i get very gassy and the flab gets worse.
thank you everyone for your help. i dont want to waste precios time!

[freebirdmac]

If you want to gain muscle you need to seriously decrease the cardio. Your cal level is needed for all of that cardio but it doesn't leave much for muscle building. Plus, the activity itself can be catabolic. I also think you need to increase your weight lifting efforts.

If you focus on weightlifting you may expect to see 0.5 pound of dry muscle gains a month. With the accompanying increased blood flow, the scale may see a 1 pound gain per month. But this is highly variable and doesn't speak to size gains as size doesn't necessarily belie strength.

[jenjen1018]

If you want to gain muscle you need to seriously decrease the cardio. Your cal level is needed for all of that cardio but it doesn't leave much for muscle building. Plus, the activity itself can be catabolic. I also think you need to increase your weight lifting efforts.

If you focus on weightlifting you may expect to see 0.5 pound of dry muscle gains a month. With the accompanying increased blood flow, the scale may see a 1 pound gain per month. But this is highly variable and doesn't speak to size gains as size doesn't necessarily belie strength.

Thanks so much! How much cardio should I take away? How much lifting should I add?

[freebirdmac]

You know, I totally misread your cardio schedule. It's actually not bad at all. Your weightlifting sessions could be upped though. Each of your sessions should be close to an hour making sure you really hit each muscle once a week.

Breastfeeding is probably what's really chewing through your cals. Do you know how much protein you're getting?

[jenjen1018]

You know, I totally misread your cardio schedule. It's actually not bad at all. Your weightlifting sessions could be upped though. Each of your sessions should be close to an hour making sure you really hit each muscle once a week.

Breastfeeding is probably what's really chewing through your cals. Do you know how much protein you're getting?

between 140 and 190 grams

[freebirdmac]

Then all I can suggest it eating 100-200 cals more and hitting the iron even harder

[jenjen1018]

thank you. i will try that.

[kimm4]

It takes years to build quality muscle...I'm thinking if you seriously bust your a$$ maybe about 5 lbs...could be a little more...but it's not an easy task for women...not from what I've seen through the years anyways...

Increase your weight training to at least 45 min to 60 min...and hit those weights hard...I'm talking give it everything you've got!!

Also what you eat makes a huge difference are you getting the right amounts of protein, carbs and healthy fats?

[jenjen1018]

thanks. i will try to increase weight training time. should i add more sets than im doing. can i do 3 sets of eat exercise then repeat the circuit or is this too much?
i thinj im getting the right carbs,protein and fat. its about 40-50 c/35-40p/15-20fat

[JVo]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm starting to think that if you really want to see muscle gains (especially fast ones), you have to be willing to really increase the calories (and gain fat). I can bust my ass in the gym eating at maintenance and maybe make tiny gains. As soon as I increase my calories substantially, I see a lot bigger gains.

Of course, you do have to lose that fat at some point...and I guess when you do, you're at risk of losing some of that muscle. But it seems like all the pros (who want to gain muscle fast), put on a lot of weight which includes fat...and then cut later.

To the OP, it seemed like your main concern was the fat on the belly, no? Do you think it's too much belly fat or too little muscle that's the problem? Obviously, your weight is on the low side. Your stats are sort of like mine - 5'2 and I was about 100 lbs before I started bulking. And I too, despite having a pretty low weight, still have belly fat that I'm obsessed with getting rid of. I know that my low weight is partly due to having small bones...maybe you're the same? When I was at 100 lbs, I still wanted to lose that belly fat, and yet 100 lbs was technically in the "underweight BMI" category...which left me confused as to what to do next....whether to focus on gaining muscle or losing fat. Part of me thinks that this BMI minimum is really a rough estimate as to what's healthy or unhealthy...that can't really apply across the board to everyone....that, for instance, doesn't apply to someone with small bones. And then part of me thinks, well maybe I should just gain more muscle so that I can eventually have the low body fat that I want AND be over 100 lbs. Anyway, sorry to talk so much about me....but your problem seemed a lot like mine.

[kimm4]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm starting to think that if you really want to see muscle gains (especially fast ones), you have to be willing to really increase the calories (and gain fat). I can bust my ass in the gym eating at maintenance and maybe make tiny gains. As soon as I increase my calories substantially, I see a lot bigger gains.

Of course, you do have to lose that fat at some point...and I guess when you do, you're at risk of losing some of that muscle. But it seems like all the pros (who want to gain muscle fast), put on a lot of weight which includes fat...and then cut later.

To the OP, it seemed like your main concern was the fat on the belly, no? Do you think it's too much belly fat or too little muscle that's the problem? Obviously, your weight is on the low side. Your stats are sort of like mine - 5'2 and I was about 100 lbs before I started bulking. And I too, despite having a pretty low weight, still have belly fat that I'm obsessed with getting rid of. I know that my low weight is partly due to having small bones...maybe you're the same? When I was at 100 lbs, I still wanted to lose that belly fat, and yet 100 lbs was technically in the "underweight BMI" category...which left me confused as to what to do next....whether to focus on gaining muscle or losing fat. Part of me thinks that this BMI minimum is really a rough estimate as to what's healthy or unhealthy...that can't really apply across the board to everyone....that, for instance, doesn't apply to someone with small bones. And then part of me thinks, well maybe I should just gain more muscle so that I can eventually have the low body fat that I want AND be over 100 lbs. Anyway, sorry to talk so much about me....but your problem seemed a lot like mine.

The majority of people that bulk gain more fat than anything else. They only think they're adding more muscle this way, but honestly they're kidding themselves...

If you want to add more muscle go a tad above your maintenance and keep the diet clean...this way you will add some muscle and minimal fat.

[SexyChic]

The majority of people that bulk gain more fat than anything else. They only think they're adding more muscle this way, but honestly they're kidding themselves...

If you want to add more muscle go a tad above your maintenance and keep the diet clean...this way you will add some muscle and minimal fat.

This.

[JVo]

The majority of people that bulk gain more fat than anything else. They only think they're adding more muscle this way, but honestly they're kidding themselves...

If you want to add more muscle go a tad above your maintenance and keep the diet clean...this way you will add some muscle and minimal fat.

Sorry, I should clarify that when I started to see results, I really was only going 200 calories or so above maintenance. (But for me, that was more than I'd been willing to do before.)

[kimm4]

Sorry, I should clarify that when I started to see results, I really was only going 200 calories or so above maintenance. (But for me, that was more than I'd been willing to do before.)

Perfect, that's the right way to do it!! I gotta be honest I think women are more careful when it comes to bulking...guys are not so careful thus the name dirty bulk lol...

[big78]

Ur off to a good start.. u always want to incorporate some weights in there and not concentrate on all cardio. There is this girl at my gym and she spends over an hour on cardio everyday. She never pics up a weight and looks like garbage. The girls at my gym that workout and do some mild cardio after their workout look very nice and toned. U need a little of both to maintain for best results along with great nurtition.

[jenjen1018]

thanks for your input.
our situations do seem similar. I wondered that too about the bmi thing, i also have small bones, i am no sure if im eating above maintenance or not,bur im trying to eat 100-200 over.. my tdee is 1750. so i add 400 to that on w/o days because thats what i burn doing my routine. plus about 200 for breastfeeding my toddler, so about 2350-2550 cal.
but then i gain a little,then lose a little. ah well.

[jenjen1018]

I thought I would post my weight, calories, and macros for the last 2 weeks and see what you think.
week 1:
feb.9: 99.4 lbs 2287 cal, 47c/30p/20f under 50 grams fat,172protein, the rest carbs
feb 10: 2317 44/31/19
feb 11: 2525 - 47/32/19
feb 12:2263 - 47/31/18
feb 13: 2820 - 46/30/19 weight 100.6
feb 14: 2519 - 37/31/27 - valentines cheat meal was calzone! weight 101
feb 15: 1924 - 38/ 35/ 22 - weight 102
i averaged 2400 cals that week , so the next week im trying to average 2100, since i felt my weight shot up kind of fast. Is that a good idea? I guess we will see.

week 2:
feb 16: 101.4 lbs. 2194 46/31/19
feb 17: 1983 39/37/19 100.6 again already
feb 18: 2101 40/36/19
this morning i was 99.6.
My weight is going up and down, and I basicslly trying to find the right amount of calories to gain lean muscle without too much fat. I burn about 1200-1400 calories a week with exercise.
what do you think based on what i posted, should my weekly calorie intake average? Maybe between 2400 and 2100. I seem to be dropping weight this week. So maybe, 2300? Its so hard for me to stay consistent!