Help gaining some muscle mass!

[DonaldR]

Hi guys,

So i'm starting off at the other end of the spectrum now. I once weighed about 250lbs and over a 10 month period of doing excessive cardio and calorie deficit i have reached about 165lbs now but the issue now is that i'm very skinny (little muscle mass). I'm 6ft 3 so obviously i've went too far with always undereating and doing lots of cardio without even doing weight training to have maintaned some muscle mass (stupid mistake). I'm hoping to gain atleast 1 and 1/2 stone - 2 stone by the end of this year ( i know it won't all but muscle, but i think the extra weight gain will be good for me, ensuring most of it's being muscle) . I'm trying to get atleast around 2400-2600 calories a day with about 130-150g of protein. I have gained 3lbs in the space of a month but this was without weight-training, just trying to get my body used to consuming more calories (i used to be only consuming 1600 a day). I have a fairly active lifestyle, and i'm hoping to going to gym 3-4 days a week and starting a weight lifting program (heavy lifting) mainly focusing on compound lifts and ensuring it's progressive each week (Bodylifts 5x5 i've heard is very good). I think my body fat percentage is roughly 12-13%. Hoping to gain about .25-.5 lbs a week roughly.

The advice i would be looking for is would 2400-2600 a day calories be enough for me to build enough muscle gradually over time ( i don't want to go over excessive, i just want to improve my build/body composition with more lean muscle mass). I know this will take quite some time to do and see some results, would i be able to see some changes within the like first 2 months? I sometimes find it hard to eat this amount of calories because i'm just getting used to it (expanding my stomach as some would say) and ensuring i'm getting a decent amount of protein and carbs etc. macros i try to reach is 45% carbs, 35% protein and 20% fats.

Thanks for the advice in advance.

[PBateman2]

Don't use percentages. Configure maintenance. Read:

https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=173439001

[ErikTheElectric]

Start gradually, and overtime work into a slight surplus.

Also, don't be afraid of fat gain as it's inevitable and will happen.