Sick of being skinny, I want to be a bodybuilder

Give it a go. I ran a mid-2:30s marathon at 154 lbs and am now 165lbs at less body fat from lifting 4 times a week and still running twice(very easy though). Feels great.

That's a good point. Over cardio burns a ton of muscle and makes it difficult to gettripped up (not talking about 135 ripped). Lift hard, do moderate cardio, get rest, eat six small meals a day (lots of protein). It's mostly diet and lifting. Btw, crossfit guy is probably a hipster as well so double whammy. Crossfit attracts that crowd. Shout out to runners and bodybuilders. Non of this gimmicky xfit stuff.

A 5'9" 200 lb lean build is probably too much for most girls. There are girls that like that, but your build will automatically screen out a lot of girls that think you are too scary.

Shoot for 165-180 lbs at 10-12% bf and wear clothes that fit properly and you will get looks. That's not too beefy nor too skinny. Athletic and muscular. Regardless of a girl's preference, I don't think anybody would turn down that type of body.

Athletic...I agree. Right now I am 200, which is pretty big. I diet down to 185 for the summer and get pretty shredded. The big look is out now for sure. Ultimately I will stay around 185 year round. I am new to the board and not a meathead, just trying to shed some light on what it takes to be lean and big. Shout out to all the runners! Also finished 2nd to Kevin Sullivan in OFSAAA cross country a looooong time ago so love following the current track scene.

If you're 5'9" then I wouldn't get above 160. Any bigger and people will think you have a napolean complex.

Also skinny and muscular are not mutually exclusive terms.

At 30 years old you are well past your prime testosterone and thus prime muscle building age. My guess is that you will put on 15-20 pounds in a year if you are lucky then not much more after that. At 115 lbs you are obviously genetically geared to not put on weight.

My suggestion if you want to gain mass: stop running, eat 3-4000 calories a day. Lift 4 days a week using an upper/lower split. Choose mostly basic barbell movements. Use 5 sets of 5...first two sets warmup then the last three sets are your work sets. If you get 5 reps on all three work sets then increase weight next workout.

Example:

Monday

Flat bench 5x5

Barbell row 5x5

Overhead press 5x5

Pullups 5x5

Curls 4x10

Triceps 4x10

Tuesday

Squat 5x5

Leg Curl 5x5

DB Lunge 4x10

RDL 4x10

Calves 4x10

Thursday

Incline Bench 5x5

Seated Row 5x5

Dips 5x5

Lat pulldown 5x5

Curls 4x10

Triceps 4x10

Friday

Deadlift 5x5

Hack Press 5x5

Glute Ham Raise 4x10

Leg Press 4x10

Calves 4x10

Glute Ham Raise 4x10

Eat and grow! Lots of eggs, milk, chicken, lean beef, oats, rice, potatoes, fruits, veggies. Eat a lot of good food.

I was never small as a runner. I was always more muscular than my compatriots even though I did not lift. I stopped most of my running and started lifting at 30. Went from 140 to 170 in a year with similar body fat at 5"6'. Now I focus on maintaining weight while increading strength.

Alan

Alan

Alan, agreed. Just keep in mind though that you will want to change this up in terms of reps. A pyramid is always good. Week 1 and 2 5 reps, week 3 and 4 6-8 reps and so on until you're at 12 reps, then work back down and increase weight. A balance of strength and volume training is key. Don't worry too much about the calories, if you're natural it will add fat. I would start with about 2500 calories and adjust as needed. Don't want to become a perma bulker. Try to stay lean. Peace

I don't think its a great idea changing reps so much. You could stay in the 4-6 rep range for a very long time as long as you are PROGRESSING. Switch to a higher (or even lower rep range) if you feel "stuck".

Want "unaided" lifting? Look at the 50s and 60s. Look at Ahnulds very early stuff when he was a powerlifter. Anything since then is lifting while juiced. What you'll see is total body or upper/lower routines and a majority of 5 rep sets. Start there. Then you can go 180 degrees and go with some Vince Gironda insanity. ..but that requires an ego check. Doing Vince's 8x8 routine with that limited rest is an ego killer. At some point you still gotta activate those high growth fibers and go heavy.

Alan

Forget all the weight stuff...head to the Czech Republic and just climb...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qciTs87SneU

runningart2004 wrote:

At 30 years old you are well past your prime testosterone and thus prime muscle building age.

Alan

This is a big fat baloney sandwich.

Your "prime" testosterone years are during growth spurts, particularly late teens and into early twenties. Once your bones fuse, T levels drop, but muscle mass increases. Because you're not growing anymore, you can do more with less.

There is no reason it must continue to drop past age 30 or even 40. That it does for most men reflects their bad dietary and soft lifestyle habits. If they had need of hormones, they'd still be producing them.

Bernard

Agreed Bernard. I'm 44 and still increasing muscle. Unfortunately I like to partake in the local IPA's so I'm not as lean as if like to be, but I'm gaining muscle mass without working very hard at it. Deadlifts, power cleans, pull-ups, squats, dips, sprints. That's about all I do. No specific rep scheme, I just do what feels right when I walk out to the garage. Crank the music and start lifting heavy sh*t. Don't get all caught up in the details.

Im not looking for a mate, but there is absolutely no doubt that women look at you different when you fill out a shirt. Why wouldn't they, of course they do. Do men look at women with a nice body? Of course they do. But don't go down the bodybuilding road. It's an unnatural look and you'll be shaving your body hair before you know it. Then women will be looking at you because they think you're a douche.

TAA wrote:

If you're 5'9" then I wouldn't get above 160. Any bigger and people will think you have a napolean complex.

lol how small is your ribcage and pelvis, bro? 160 5'9 is not big unless you have the smallest frame imaginable. I'm 5'9 and start all my seasons weighing 162-165, slimming down to low-mid 150's. Have run 420 for the mile and 2:38 for the marathon, and I rep my body weight on bench for 3 sets of 10.

Can you build muscle past 30? 40? Yes. Is it easier to build muscle at age 18? 25? Yes. These are facts. Its much easier to gain muscle and strength at a younger age due to changes in testosterone levels.

And about height and weight....

5'9" 160lb is skinny...5'9" 200lb and 10% is pretty solid. I'm 5'6" 170 and still look thin...well thin for a dwarf ;-)

Alan

Full of crap, if you're 170 and 5 '6' you do not look thin unless you're skinny fat. At 10% bodyfat at that weight you'd be close to competition condition. I am 5"10" 204 and full at 13%. Do you even lift?

Never said I was 10%. Reread my post. I'm probably closer to 12-14% but haven't been calipered in years. Based on looks and perception I would say anywhere from 10-14 %. I got abs and a fair amout of cut in places, so not smoothed out.

10% is a looooong way from competition shape. I did a comp in '09, got down to legit 5% and looked freakishly cut. Working out it looked like fireworks were going off in my shoulders because of the striations.

I think I'm fairly skinny at 170...tho most would say I'm pretty solid. Its all about perception. My waist is roughly what it was as a runner...but my thighs don't fit so I wear a size up from back then.

I workout occasionally. ..

Alan

Which comp? I competed at Muslemania Toronto. Natural at 5%? If so you prob weighed no more then 140.

Which comp? I competed at Muslemania Toronto. Natural at 5%? If so you prob weighed no more then 140.

Alan

What is the best way to add strength and not too much size? Additionally what type of lifting encourages muscle gains?

Heavy weight/low reps 2-4?

Medium weight/medium reps 4-8?

Something else?

And how much rest between sets? Or does it matter which body part you are working on?

Thanks

You were close. 146. I should have taken a diuretic. Missed batamweight by 3 lbs so I competed in the 154 class. Still got 5th out of 10. Smallish arms. Not dark enough. Not wide enough. Looking at photos though I could hang with then from the side (thickness). Kentucky Muscle (an NPC show). Only show I've ever done. Probably won't do another...too much of a mind freak...and I don't want to juice.

I'm 37 now and just like to workout...run, lift, climb ropes, whatever. I'm not the strongest or fastest but still stronger and faster than the vast majority of my fellow soldiers

Alan

Alan