some background: i am 21, 6'7" and 195 pounds. i am not fat but certainly am not muscular either. i don't have a lot of background with weight training and am trying to gain a net of 15 pounds by the end of the year. i started on the eternal beginner plan and just started FL1.
my question: how should i be adjusting my diet for FL-1 if my overall goal is not to lose fat? will i still see substantial muscular gain if i keep my calorie intake high while doing high rep/lowish weight exercises, or should i just put that off for a month and work on losing fat this month?
Personally, I'm not doing the Fat Loss programs. Mostly because I'm not fat. Any fat I do have will be destroyed quickly when I work out regularly or in hockey. Unless you're a guy that has to work out to keep thin I really don't see the need in doing the Fat Loss programs.
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some background: i am 21, 6'7" and 195 pounds. i am not fat but certainly am not muscular either. i don't have a lot of background with weight training and am trying to gain a net of 15 pounds by the end of the year. i started on the eternal beginner plan and just started FL1.
my question: how should i be adjusting my diet for FL-1 if my overall goal is not to lose fat? will i still see substantial muscular gain if i keep my calorie intake high while doing high rep/lowish weight exercises, or should i just put that off for a month and work on losing fat this month?
You're caloric intake is the biggest single factor determining whether or not you'll lose fat, not the set/rep scheme of the workout you're doing. If your goal is to gain weight, be sure you're eating more calories than you're burning. Don't get hung up on the name of the program.
Since you're new to lifting, FLI is a good choice of a program to follow after Break-in. Your body is going through nuerological and physical changes while adapting to lifting weights, so starting with a high rep and low weight protocol is wise. Do FL I and maybe even FL II, then do the hypertrophy programs. And keep eating!!
You're caloric intake is the biggest single factor determining whether or not you'll lose fat, not the set/rep scheme of the workout you're doing. If your goal is to gain weight, be sure you're eating more calories than you're burning. Don't get hung up on the name of the program.
Since you're new to lifting, FLI is a good choice of a program to follow after Break-in. Your body is going through nuerological and physical changes while adapting to lifting weights, so starting with a high rep and low weight protocol is wise. Do FL I and maybe even FL II, then do the hypertrophy programs. And keep eating!!
I am in a similar situation as the OP. I am half-way through Break-In now and trying to decide what program to jump into next. I have very little fat on me (although some loose skin), and my main goal at the moment is to add muscle, with the hopes that the little fat that I have will get burned off as muscle is added.
I had been thinking about starting up Hypertrophy I, but saw some similar advice in another thread about beginners moving straight into Fat Loss I, which serves as a nice extension to the Break-In program.
Does anyone disagree with this advice?
I realize that eating in excess is important for gaining muscle, but wouldn't there be some benefit in lifting heavier (with less reps), as opposed to lighter (with more reps) for gaining mass? Or is it simply that as a beginner, newbie gains will produce results regardless of the program, so its best to ease the body into a routine that is similar to the Break-In?
Just wondering what everyone else has done, and your thoughts. Thanks!
I'm in my last week of FL1, also on the eternal beginner program, and I can say, with reasonable certainty, that you will see gains from the FL1 workouts. I'm 32, 6'3", about 200 lbs. I'm not fat, but I've got a little more of a gut than I would like. I did some fairly serious lifting for a while back in college (I was 160 lbs when I started back then), but haven't lifted consistently for more than a few months at a time since then. I'll start up in the winter, and then when the weather warms up and I'm spending more time outside (playing golf, mowing the lawn, etc.) I start slacking. So I fit the eternal beginner model perfectly. My weight has been pretty steady since I started the NROL workouts. I haven't made any substantial dietary changes, except to add a protein shake every day, but I think of this as a recovery tool more than an actual dietary change. I have made some visible muscular gains since starting the workouts, particularly in areas where I needed it the most: shoulders, back and lower body. (My wife has noticed, too. ) Nothing dramatic, but enough to keep up the motivation. I've been pretty conservative about the weights I've tried to lift (I'd rather undershoot what I can do than overshoot and injure something), and the decreasing reps in the FL programs have helped me gradually ramp up the amount of weight I'm comfortable trying to lift. As an extension to the break in workouts, I think the FL workouts are very effective in preparing, physically and mentally, to handle the heavier weights in the hypertrophy programs. (I'll try to report back on this later.)
I would do the Fat Loss programs. These guys are right, the actual fat loss mainly stems from the diet. I am about to do the last workout for FL2 tomorrow and I will start HP1 next week. I have seen some gains on my upper body, but my lower body looks drastically different. All the squats, deadlifts, bulgarian split squats, lunges, etc. really beat the hell outta your legs. My quadriceps are developing very nicely, and I can see the 4 separate muscles now instead of just one big thigh haha. Seriously though, I would do the fat loss programs
I realize that eating in excess is important for gaining muscle, but wouldn't there be some benefit in lifting heavier (with less reps), as opposed to lighter (with more reps) for gaining mass?
Yes
Quote:
Originally Posted by JaredOnly
Or is it simply that as a beginner, newbie gains will produce results regardless of the program, so its best to ease the body into a routine that is similar to the Break-In?
As long as you eat in a caloric surplus...you will put on muscle with the fat loss programs. I suggest starting with about 500 calories over maintenance. See how that treats you during FLI and then decide to increase/lower/maintain the caloric intake for FLII...i.e. too much fat gain, lower surplus...not enough muscle gain...increase surplus.
on FL1, but want to build muscle
) Nothing dramatic, but enough to keep up the motivation. I've been pretty conservative about the weights I've tried to lift (I'd rather undershoot what I can do than overshoot and injure something), and the decreasing reps in the FL programs have helped me gradually ramp up the amount of weight I'm comfortable trying to lift. As an extension to the break in workouts, I think the FL workouts are very effective in preparing, physically and mentally, to handle the heavier weights in the hypertrophy programs. (I'll try to report back on this later.)
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