salutations to all! I'm less lost and still confused.

[breakwheel]

Hey Everyone.

I'm not sure how any of this stuff works but after all my internet hours of research I find I really like you people and was hoping I could join the club.

About a month ago I made a decision to stop accepting what I was given and decided to work for what I want. I feel I am a good, fit individual. I am young, live an active lifestyle, and try to eat right and all the good stuff. I can run miles and miles on trails or on the field, but when it comes to strength I can probably be out lifted by the majority of freshman down at the local high school.

I want to be strong. I want some muscle. I want to be able to win a freaking arm wrestling competition against someone one day. I am a bartender (which does not help me be healthy much), and whenever there is a altercation (not uncommon) I run and grab a bouncer because the average individual can pick me up and throw me across a room. I have accepted this for too long, and now I am over it.

Step one, admit the problem. Step two, find the solution. Hours of internet research has shown me strength training seems to be the way to go. Next problem, I have no freaking clue what I am doing. I got the rebel strength guide last week so I think I at least have a good starting point, but believe me when I say I really don't know what I am doing. I started the Body Weight Brigade from the book, today was day 1. My thoughts, "man I really have no idea what I am doing."

My biggest problem in the past has always been that I go to work out a couple times and then decide I'm under qualified to be trying to work my muscles and so I quit and go back to running. I can run all I want I just get smaller, so then I stop working out all together. I need help people. But this seems like the place to ask questions, get motivated, and keep trying until I stop failing. So here I am, and I hope that I am ambitious enough to stay around.

[Michael Ramm]

Welcome to the Rebellion! There are plenty of folks around here to help you! I was lost like you last week. Just take your time and answer plenty of questions. We are all here to help you attain your goals!

Michael

[Hiraedd]

Hey breakwheel! Nice to meet you I'm sure most of us can relate to that stop/start/stop thing: I did it for years with my weight. For me it took a determined, rational decision to confront and deal with it. For some people they just had to fall in love with it. I'm not sure what it will take for you, but I look forward to being around to watch it happen. See you around the forums!

[CyningaDena]

Welcome to the boards! Glad to have you here. There's tons of good information here already, and lots of helpful people who can give you more if you ask. Most of them are going to ask what you're eating, no matter what your question is. Just so you're prepared.

My biggest problem in the past has always been that I go to work out a couple times and then decide I'm under qualified to be trying to work my muscles and so I quit and go back to running.

Ohh man, I hear you on that one. But I've heard really good things from people who've done the Body Weight guide, so I'm betting by the time you finish with that you'll be hulking out new muscles and tons of new confidence.

I can run all I want I just get smaller, so then I stop working out all together.

Yeah, running does that. It totally doesn't mean you're doing something wrong; it's just that if you're running a lot every week, it's going to put some serious brakes on any mass gains you're trying to achieve. You might want to experiment a bit with cutting back on the running, especially if you're also doing strength training. Your body will need tons of recovery just from that! Also...whatcha eating? Make sure you're eating more calories than you're burning -- you'd be surprised how much you need to eat to pack on more muscle! It's like you're just a vacuum with nipples. (Um...totally not work-safe. Soz.)

I'm looking forward to seeing you in the Rangers guild as you knock out your goals!

[breakwheel]

Thanks so much for the advice. I started a food log last week and I am definitely not eating enough, but I'm going to try and start raising my intake. I mostly eat chicken and veggies for dinner, eggs and veggies for breakfast, and lunch is usually light with some turkey and more fruits and veggies. And I eat almonds all the time throughout the day. I've been a big snacker more than I eat meals mostly, grubbing on whatever I want through the day. My plan is to try and start eating a lot more meat (I had previous cut most of it out of my diet). Although I'm not sure how much meat I would have to eat so alternatives would be good to have to.

[CyningaDena]

I'm sure there are other folks here who can give you a lot more specific advice geared for your particular goals and body, but I usually shoot for 60% of my calories to come from carbs (mostly complex carbs that don't rush immediately to sugar), 20% from protein, and 20% from fat. Those aren't laws, and there's always variation from day to day, but those are sort of my guiding landmarks. It looks like you're already eating good lean meats throughout the day. Have you kept a food journal before to see how your daily intake breaks down into carbs/protein/fats? It might be counterproductive in the long run to just say "moar meats!" but still not get enough carbs or healthy fats.

Your snacking habits will actually help you a lot, especially if you're a big guy and already active, because you'll need to eat in excess of what your current calorie expenditures are. As long as you're planning them out to be healthy and support your diet goals, they're a huge help in reaching your calorie intake. Some people here do different versions of "intermittent fasting" where they'll only eat during one 8-hour window each day or something, and it boggles my mind. I'm generally shooting for 3000 calories, and there's just no way I could cram that much food down my gullet in eight hours.

[Gainsdalf the Whey]

If you're looking to gain muscle, the rule you'll see a lot is 1g per pound of lean body weight per day. I am 260 with about 28% bodyfat as a guestimate, that would put me at 260 lb*(1-.28)=187.2 lb of lean bodyweight, so I'd aim for 187 grams of protein a day at a minimum.