How best to increase lean body mass?

[TrucksAndDinosaurs]

I've got a bit too lean and am slightly worried that I've dropped 5lb lean body mass as well as dropping body fat. Info pasted from trainer using callipers below.

Oct 7th- BF% 17%
Fat Weight - 22.63 lbs
Lean Body Weight - 110.37 lbs

Dec. 27 BF% 15.73%
Fat Weight - 19.66 lbs
Lean Body Weight - 105.37lb

What's the best way for me to protect my lean body mass and bulk up a bit?

Currently I eat about 100g carbs daily, about 1800 calories and do dance/strength training 5x week: pole fitness, barre, yoga and Jillian Michaels DVDs which are HIIT, abs, cardio and strength.

I like being lean and ripped and strong but don't want to get too drawn and haggard

I prefer body weight/free weight training at home in short bursts. I can't access a gym.

Tia. :)

Ps: all I can find is male body builder stuff. Stuff about testosterone. Protein powder, raw egg, blah.
Women who are ripped and strong and lean and agile - can you help!? :)

I know someone on another thread who might be able to help with this- I'll try and send her over. I think she mostly follows the advice on Lean Gains website.

I guess you'll need to up your calories a bit, I know you've said before that you're not a fan of protein shakes but I think they could be useful as an after workout boost. Try some different flavours (I like vanilla or chocolate flavours best), or mix powder into a smoothie type drink.

Just eat more and maybe exercise a little less.

if you're losing weight it's because you are not eating enough to maintain your body weight at your current activity level.

Normal healthy food should do the trick, resistance training will tend to preserve or increase muscle tissue but not if you are in much of a calorie deficit.

Cardio training will tend to work against gaining muscle.

It's all about finding the right balance of training and eating.

If you want some intelligent writing from a female bodybuilder have a look at www.thefitwriter.com. She might be able to point you in the direction of other resources.

Sorry thefitwriter.wordpress.com/

Thank you have looked at the site.
And thanks for the encouragement.
I wonder if I can do strength training at home without equipment? Or just with hand weights?

I've got a suspension trainer (loads on ebay for around £35) which I use regularly while I'm pregnant at the moment. Great for strength training, maintenance (which is what I'm using it for) and core work. You make it as hard or easy as you like and great to use at home. Make sure you get one with a door jamb, unless you happen to have a tree handy that you can hang it off

You can get a book off Amazon for about £12 which has loads of exercise plans in it, I'll send you the link if you like.

No need for weights, it's a good progression from body weight work and you can have a great session in 30mins!

Hi, just popping in to say that I know Nic who writes the FitWriter blog. She's very lovely and really knows her stuff. She's not a member here so can't post herself but has seen this thread and just wanted to let you know that she'd be happy to help if anyone feels that they'd like her to. You can contact her through the blog via email or twitter.

She also wanted to say thank you to quodlibet for the kind words about the blog! :)

Tbh the best thing is to eat and train like a man - high protein and big big weights. You won't pack on as much muscle because you have less testosterone but that's what works.

Thanks again. I've emailed Nicola from the blog.
I'm hoping that she will say just eat more (because I now realise calorie deficit means losing muscle once body fat is v low) and also hoping she will
say body weight resistance stuff and compound strength training moves at home with just hand weights (weighted lunges and squats and press ups balancing on dumb bells etc) will do it because I don't have time to go to a gym weights room and bench press and use bar bells. If I did start heavy weight training in a gym I would have to give up the dance classes which I love.

Hi, EarSlaps sent me a pm about your question.

Your BF level is great, but it sounds like you have a calorie deficit, so you are losing weight. As you have so little fat, it is difficult to avoid part of this loss being lean mass.

Can you slightly increase your calories to TDEE ? Also, do you eat sufficient protein for your high training level, daily about 1-1.5g per kg body weight ? Timing is important, so try to consume 25g protein within an hour of each workout, to enable your muscles to rebuild.

Re training: The amount of HIIT cardio you do may be interfering with muscle build / recovery. I would suggest 1-2 days per week doing strength training instead of cardio, so just follow it by 10-15 mins walk or gentle cycling.
Forget any light girly dumbbells. If you have heavy dumbbells / barbells, lift as heavy as you can, low reps, with 1 minute rest between sets e.g. 5 reps x 5 sets each of: squats, bent-over rows, bench press, dead lift. Also, use your bodyweight: do sets of 30 pressups, 40 deep squats, some pullups if you can do these (Amazon have pullup bars which fit over doors from about £15). Perform these exercises slowly, i.e. not as cardio.

I tried pull ups today on some outdoor gym equipment- I managed 1 [proud]. I really need to work on my strength so I'm trying to do lots of body weight stuff when I can.

I do find the protein powders really useful after a workout- it's a quick and easy way to get extra protein without too many calories. I have a chocolate flavour low carb one I mix with water. Of eggs are great- you could always have some boiled eggs ready to go as a snack for after a workout (or quickly scramble some with some smoked salmon ).

To maintain muscle tissue muscle glycogen replenishment is as important as protein post training

Not sure I'd bother with high rep body weight squats, stick to weighted in 8 to ten rep range.

Ditto press ups, if you can do 20 reps the resistance is to low, you'll get a better return for your efforts if you work in the 6 to 12 rep range (for work sets) for upper body training

Great thanks so much.
I think TDEE is 1950 so if I'm running a 1000 calorie deficit weekly with low BF that explains the lean mass cannibalisation. I will up calories a bit and add in some experimental starches like carrot sticks, sweet potato oven fries and the odd slice of whole meal. I average 100-150g or more protein daily so think I'm getting enough for my 5'7, small framed, 9 stone weight.

Can do 20 press ups and regularly throw and twirl and carry my 35lb child about so looks like I need to buy a bar bell or some heavier hand weights ( I use 7lb ones for Jillian Michaels DVDs) and book a training session to show me how to lift heavy safely. Have typical ex dancer hyper mobility and extreme flexibility and it is horribly easy to sprain my ribs and put my shoulder out or damage lower back, even with a very solid core and pulling in at the ribs.

Think this is why I am bit scared of heavy lifting and like idea of body weight resistance training: not scared of being strong but v scared of injury - I don't know how to do it safely and being very supple and hyper extending everything just makes risk of damage worse. Most men in training videos and in gyms don't have this, or ever come across it so there isn't much info on it.

Big thanks everyone though you've reassured and inspired me :)

Really good plan to learn proper form from a trainer. Avoiding injury is my number one priority. Unless you want to compete or get super-strong, you don't need to lift higher than bodyweight - women, not just newbies, have damaged their pelvic floor, joints or back by lifting too heavy.

High weight, low rep sets will increase strength; bodyweight exercises at higher reps will build muscle (within limits for females) and endurance. Lots of crossover though. I recommend doing both, but on different days.

I was in an advanced bodybuilding class for a couple of years, where the highly-qualified trainer concentrated on higher reps: typically 5 sets each of 30 pressups and triceps dips on a step and 3 sets of 20-50 barbell lifts, with 6-8 solid minutes for low-weight squats. Boring but effective muscle build.

Adding carbs after exercise will build muscle faster because of insulin release and I'm sure you'll monitor if this adds body fat too.

You've had some great advice here. Eat more and make strength training more of a priority. Buy yourself a set of adjustable dumbells (20/30kg) from Amazon and you can do a fair amount at home. Agree there's place for both heavy/low rep training and bodyweight/high rep training, but op needs to watch that the bodyweight/high rep training maintains a strength focus and doesn't turn into a cardio workout !

I think now I'm lower body fat than when I started exercising I'll add in a bit of carb after strength exercise, before I just wanted the fat burn.

I guess the problem with the high weight, low rep is that it is much harder to do for those of us who can't really get to a gym. But considering I can only do 12 push ups I think I've got quite a way I can go with body weight exercises. Shame our door frames aren't thick enough for a pull up bar really.

A bit bemused at the idea of an advanced body building class bigchoc!
I consider myself a bber and am familiar with the community...in my experience body builders don't go to classes.

Obviously people need to learn the basics but then its usually a case of being in tune with your body...training becomes individualized at an advanced level

High reps don't build muscle

Bin that 7lb weight, honestly! Don't be scared of the big weights - just do as you plan and be sensible and get proper advice for good form.

Oh btw theres a really good book called "the new rules of lifting for women" which I would recommend to anyone interested in this sort of thing, don't use it to replace a trainer! But it's very good, about £10 on kindle or hard copy from amazon.

The 7lb weights are just used for added weight doing crunches and stuff like long levers and cardio HIIT like jumping lunges; I wouldn't bother doing any upper body strength training with them! At the moment if I want to work my upper body I move furniture about or throw my three year old around but in the absence of heavy weights/a gym I have to improvise!

I looked at a sample of new rules, looked good but you need access to a weight room?

Hello again

Nicola replied, she is lovely and very helpful!
Do you think this looks like a good set of weights?
www.ecaytrade.com/detail.php?id=556408