Return to lifting- comment on pictures

[mocguy3]

I'm trying to get back into the gym seriously again. Currently weighing about 83kg, age 31 years but not sure about body fat. Have been going to the gym but without any real routine over the past year or two because of work. I want to gain mass and look as big as possible and ideally get to 90kg. I used to be significantly underweight (probably around 60kg for 5'11) up until about 3 years ago and I could easily put my hands around my biceps and my thumb and middle finger would touch. Been a struggle to gain weight as I occasionally go back to old ways of not eating. I really don't mind carrying extra body fat as if I try to cut I worry I might take things too far and revert back to how I was.
But just wanted opinions or any suggestions of how to gain more muscle mass- feel my legs are okay but really need to work on my upper body as I prefer to work out my legs

[BS57]

You're not going to gain mass without a surplus of calories. You also need to find, and stick with a beginner program. Go read the stickies in the Nutritional and Workout Programs Boards.

[ironwill2008]

I'm trying to get back into the gym seriously again. Currently weighing about 83kg, age 31 years but not sure about body fat. Have been going to the gym but without any real routine over the past year or two because of work. I want to gain mass and look as big as possible and ideally get to 90kg. I used to be significantly underweight (probably around 60kg for 5'11) up until about 3 years ago and I could easily put my hands around my biceps and my thumb and middle finger would touch. Been a struggle to gain weight as I occasionally go back to old ways of not eating. I really don't mind carrying extra body fat as if I try to cut I worry I might take things too far and revert back to how I was.
But just wanted opinions or any suggestions of how to gain more muscle mass- feel my legs are okay but really need to work on my upper body as I prefer to work out my legs

You'll gain more muscle mass the same way everyone else does---by eating at a moderate calorie surplus and training on a structured program based on mostly compound free-weight exercises.




Here's one such program, highly recommended:

Fierce 5 Novice routine:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=159678631


If you don't know how to perform any of the exercises in this program, look them up here to learn how to do them correctly:
http://exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html






Your concern over losing weight again is understandable; as a 130-pound beginner, I fought the same battle on my way up to 200 lean pounds. You can eliminate your fears by taking active control of all the parameters of your nutrition. You can do that starting here:

This thread will explain all the steps to figure your baseline of required protein, fat, carbs, and calories:
*Figuring Calories and Macros: http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...post1481919401

Get your regular-food nutrition squared-away and your eating on a consistent basis for several months, and then consider addition of possible supplements.




Guessing at portion sizes or relying on food package information will fail you. Buy an inexpensive digital food scale (~$20 at any big-box discount store), weigh your portions, and track them here: http://fitday.com