building muscle without getting TOO big

E

enjoi_life

0
hey guys.

lately i've been working out everyday in sought too lose some weight and gain some muscle. so far i've lost roughly 14 pounds going from 186 to 172. my goal is to be 155-160. even though i'm trying to gain some muscle, im not trying to get big (if thats even possible) . i dont want to be a really big guy like your stereotypical gym buff. however, my chest is getting really big and its not really the look im going for especially since i have gynecomastia (puffy nipples). my diet is pretty balanced and every workout is followed by a protein shake. my work out routines consists of 3 sets of 8 reps on a certain body part depending what day it is. how can i gain strength without getting too big?
 
Higher reps with lower weights.
 
1. gyno is not 'puffy nipples'...its caused by too much estrogen causing men to grow breasts. It sounds like you just have nipple fat...nothing more.

2. maybe you're putting too much emphasis on chest exercises. are you working the back and upper legs as much (if not more) than your chest?

3. high reps/low weight trains endurance, not strength. High weight, low reps (4-6) trains for strength. You might wanna look into the 5x5 routine, and skip this 'one body part a day' mentality. You're not a bodybuilder...don't train like one. A 3x a week fullbody workout is probably exactly what you need.
 
malkore said:
1. gyno is not 'puffy nipples'...its caused by too much estrogen causing men to grow breasts. It sounds like you just have nipple fat...nothing more.

2. maybe you're putting too much emphasis on chest exercises. are you working the back and upper legs as much (if not more) than your chest?

3. high reps/low weight trains endurance, not strength. High weight, low reps (4-6) trains for strength. You might wanna look into the 5x5 routine, and skip this 'one body part a day' mentality. You're not a bodybuilder...don't train like one. A 3x a week fullbody workout is probably exactly what you need.
Click to expand...

do you have any tips on making a full body workout?
 
You can get those nipples cut out. People who takes steroids get this side affect in which they call "bitch tits". like i said before have high reps with lower weights because right now 3 sets of 8 reps is building big muscles. So you want to up those reps to 15 - 20 reps, this will build a more lean muscle mass. with you chest, it may appear bigger but that may be from the excess fat there so i would recommend to still train that area so that you body isn't unbalanced. i also highly suggest getting them cut out so you can up your confidence and let it stop bothering you. by the sounds of it you don't like them. i had a friend who got his cut out and he is really happy with the outcome.

Add cardio 2 - 3 times a week in you routine and separate it from your training days so you can keep the intensity high on your cardio without burning protein (muscle) on the weight training days, have on a split routine to avoid over training so back and biceps, chest and triceps, shoulders and legs. remember to build a more lean mass higher reps lighter weights. Also train your chest they won't get any bigger just become more lean as long as the reps aren't low.
 
To gain strength without adding a lot of size you should stick to lower rep ranges (3-5) reps per set. As was mentioned above a 5X5 routine would be a great idea.

Doing multiple sets in higher rep ranges will give you great muscular endurance, but if you're looking for max strength you gotta lift heavy stuff.
 
enjoi_life said:
do you have any tips on making a full body workout?
Click to expand...

do a google search on Chad Waterbury - Total Body Training.

you don't have to worry about some of the 'advanced' stuff like 'synergist' weeks. but the main core workout of 4-5 compound exercises and 1-2 isolation exercises per session is a good place to start.
expect it to be HARD too when you're not used to doing squats, bench press, pull ups and rows all in one session. that's a lot of blood pumping out to all parts of the body, and a lot of stress on your central nervous system.
 
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