Are there any workouts that are designed to build muscle and not to help you loose weight?

I have a small frame and my weight is low, but do not suffer from any eating disorders. I've decided that I would like to start to get in shape and start building body muscle but I'm afraid that if I start a workout program I will begin to loose weight, which I can't afford to do. Are there any workouts that are designed to build muscle instead of loosing weight?

Public Comments

  1. most likely u will do both- however since muscle weighs more that fat u could see a difference on the scale the best way to create muscles is by lifting weights and leaving out so much cardio
  2. Anytime you do cardiac/aerobic exercise you are more prone to lose the weight. When you do weight lifting/toning it tends to build muscle and you usually gain some weight. It may take a few weeks for the weight/muscle to build.
  3. losing and gaining size is mainly based on how many calories you take in. you cannot change size without a change in the amount of fuel your body takes in. with that in mind, here are some of my suggestions: 1. keep track of what you eat. this will give you a baseline of where you're at now. www.fitday.com is a great tool for that. once you have an idea of that, start adding more calories SLOWLY, maybe an extra 100-200 each week. see how your body adapts and go from there. 2. when you're eating, make sure the food is from clean sources so you don't gain fat and/or health problems. use the following as a foundation: a) protein: chicken breast, turkey, lean cuts of beef, egg whites, fat free dairy (yogurt, milk, cheese, cottage cheese), and whey powder b) carbs (your main focus here is the fiber content to keep your blood sugar levels constant while minimizing the calories that get stored as fat): veggies, fruits, beans, whole grains like whole wheat bread & pasta, regular oatmeal, brown rice, pitas/wraps, sweet potatoes c) fat: olive oil, fish, all kinds of nuts, avocados, flax seeds, and natural peanut butter d) junk food: yes that's what i said! you need to reward yourself every now and then. there's no point in living if you're going to deprive yourself of the things you enjoy. just be wise about which times you choose to indulge. 3. finally, the workout. building muscle mass comes from lifting weights. i personally prefer full body routines that focus on big compound movements, using free weights. this way, you build the most amount of muscle per lifting session, release a greater amount of growth hormones per workout, and ensure that your body develops in a balanced, symmetrical manner. here's a routine similar to what i do (DB = dumbbell, BB = barbell): day 1 - BB full squats - legs, mainly quads (and going down all the way is SAFER on your knees DB bench press - chest, triceps, shoulders DB single leg deadlift - legs, mainly hamstrings, lower back bent over DB rows - back, biceps day 2 - regular BB deadlifts - legs, mainly hamstrings, lower back dips - chest, triceps, shoulders lunges - legs, mainly quads pull ups - back, biceps after doing those basic moves, if you feel like you need more direct work, feel free to add in 2-3 exercises. examples include bicep curls, lateral raises, leg curls, ab work. keep the reps low, maybe between 5-8 reps. anything more and you're really just wasting your time. the myth about "higher reps tone" is crap. "tone" comes from eating clean so your layer of fat gets smaller. building muscle comes from actually stressing them enough to make them grow... and light weights won't cause much stress. give yourself at least 24 hours rest between lifting days. you might need 48-72 hours after your first few workouts, but eventually your body will adapt and be good with one day's rest. on the rest day, feel free to do some cardio. if you wanna be ambitious, do sprints. if you feel lazy, just walk. either way, don't do more than 20 mins cause you could risk burning muscle after that. (notice how sprinters and NFL running backs are lean). phew, i hope i've given you some info to think about. feel free to contact me if you want any more advice. oh yeah, here's a good website that shows you instructions on how to do the lifts, as well as the muscles worked in each exercise: http://exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html
  4. Here is a sample workout and an article about muscle growth. You will need to increase your caloric intake. http://www.spartafit.com/exercise/exercise%20program%201.php http://www.spartafit.com/main/muscle%20growth.php
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