Am I working out properly?

[Ncueter]

Hey there,

Im 21 years old weighing roughly 130 pounds at 5'8. Im currently trying to put on lean muscle mass and not fat in order to raise my weight.

As of right now, I'm using Pure Protein: 100% pure whey powder to help me achieve this. I take one scoop (25g's of protein) a day directly after my work out.

When I work out I usually start with cardio for 2 miles, followed by ab routine, finished by whatever muscle group im targetting that day (aka biceps and chest)

My current meal plan is:

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with ham and a bowl of cereal
Lunch: Protein shake with half a sandwhich
Dinner: Chicken breast slices sandwhich and a bowl of cereal.

As of right now, I'm trying to build more upper body muscle (mostly my arms) without gaining weight in other areas. Unfortunately, I am having problems with this. Since ive started taking the powder, my chiseled abs are starting to slowly fade. Ill admit right now I have self weight insecurity issues and this is starting to be a problem for me. I dont know if there is something I am doing wrong or not.

All advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

EDIT: I like to just specify I am trying to gain muscle while still cutting down in the middle. So any links or knowledge would be appreciated.

[vietbt77]

Clean bulk for about a year or two. Which means you should eat more.

[thespartan23]

no offense but 130lb is very light, although you want to gain mass on ur arms i would advise heavy compounds- chin ups, rows, bench press, dips and also squats and deadlifts- look up leangains on google, martin berkhan is a god!

also do ur main muscle group first, cardio and abs if u want to do them should be done at the end, prioritise ur main muscles first!

diet wise seems ok, keep protein high and calories around maintainance or just above

best of luck bro

[vietbt77]

Also have you tried Starting Strength or other starting programs? If not do so. and do them until gains stop.

[Ncueter]

no offense but 130lb is very light, although you want to gain mass on ur arms i would advise heavy compounds- chin ups, rows, bench press, dips and also squats and deadlifts- look up leangains on google, martin berkhan is a god!

also do ur main muscle group first, cardio and abs if u want to do them should be done at the end, prioritise ur main muscles first!

diet wise seems ok, keep protein high and calories around maintainance or just above

best of luck bro

The reason I lift last is because I ate a protein shake right after working out, and I figured it would be better that way.

[Ncueter]

Also have you tried Starting Strength or other starting programs? If not do so. and do them until gains stop.

I dont know what you mean by starting strength

[vietbt77]

Dat dere top sticky.
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=131379243

[Twistedmetalist]

The reason I lift last is because I ate a protein shake right after working out, and I figured it would be better that way.

Cardio drains you so therefore you may not be able to lift as much as you can because your tired or somewhat drained from the cardio you did.

Look on the stickies the first one should say ***Rippetoe's Starting strength FAQ*** and it should give you an idea about what he's talking about.

Also as for the protein shake i have heared as long as you get your protein in your body within a 24 hour time frame after working out your fine it shouldn't really make much diffrence but that's just what i have heard though.

Don't be afraid to use the search bar it helps me alot when people bring up stuff i'm not really for sure about.

[vietbt77]

Cardio drains you so therefore you may not be able to lift as much as you can because your tired or somewhat drained from the cardio you did.

Look on the stickies the first one should say ***Rippetoe's Starting strength FAQ*** and it should give you an idea about what he's talking about.

Also as for the protein shake i have heared as long as you get your protein in your body within a 24 hour time frame after working out your fine it shouldn't really make much diffrence but that's just what i have heard though.

Don't be afraid to use the search bar it helps me alot when people bring up stuff i'm not really for sure about.

I take my shake right after i workout cause it makes me feel good.

[coltonclarkson]

I prefer to do abs at the end of a workout instead of the start, because I'll use it to stabilize during certain other exercises beforehand

[PumpIron93]

Hey there,

Im 21 years old weighing roughly 130 pounds at 5'8. Im currently trying to put on lean muscle mass and not fat in order to raise my weigh
When I work out I usually start with cardio for 2 miles, followed by ab routine, finished by whatever muscle group im targetting that day (aka biceps and chest)
As of right now, I'm trying to build more upper body muscle (mostly my arms) without gaining weight in other areas. Unfortunately, I am having problems with this. Since ive started taking the powder, my chiseled abs are starting to slowly fade. Ill admit right now I have self weight insecurity issues and this is starting to be a problem for me. I dont know if there is something I am doing wrong or not.

EDIT: I like to just specify I am trying to gain muscle while still cutting down in the middle. So any links or knowledge would be appreciated.

i wouldn't advise spot muscle gain, train your legs. Also do cardio after your workout not before.Try to gain around 2 pounds a month if you want to maintain the abs.Measure your weight every week on the same day. Good Luck!

[ThatMuscleNKid]

Hey bro, yeah you need to eat a lot more food than that.

With your eggs, try drinking them raw instead of scrambling them, you lose a lot of good nutritional values once you cook something.

Ditch the ham, try cold chicken breast pieces instead. Ham is a processed meat and high in salt. You dont want salt. I eat oats for breaky a Banana and 4 raw eggs.

During the day, eat nuts to keep a full feeling. nuts are great, high in protein and good natural fats.

Dont worry about trying to get cut yet man, get a nice bulk going then focus on the cutting.

Anyway good luck bro.

[Ncueter]

i wouldn't advise spot muscle gain, train your legs. Also do cardio after your workout not before.Try to gain around 2 pounds a month if you want to maintain the abs.Measure your weight every week on the same day. Good Luck!

what do you mean by spot muscle gain? and why should i do cardio second? everything i have read says its best to take protein shake after lifting but if i do cardio second, itl be like 45-1 hour until i can take the shake.

EDIT: also, I was considering splitting up working out during the day.Lift in the afternoon and do cardio later at night. Is this a good or bad Idea?