Middleground

I've been lifting weights more or less since the beginning of the year with the main goal of balancing myself out. See, my legs have always been quite strong and muscular, but I had a weak core and upper body that cause problems with my back. Anyway, the results have been really great so far. I feel quite strong and balanced, which was my main goal. Having said that, I'd like to look a bit bulker in the arms, shoulders and back and I'm not sure how to approach that with weight training/diet. Should I try to do more sets with less reps, or more reps, but less sets? Any foods that help with the building of muscles? How often should I lift? (At present, I do it about 2-3 times a week).

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-- If Al Gore walked on water, he'd be criticized for showing off.

WI Crippler

As far as foods, the one thing you absolutely must have in order to gain muscle-mass is protein. But you have to watch your sources. Stick to lean cut meats as they will have less(but enough) fats that standard cuts. Chicken, tuna, turkey are good protein sources. If you go with protein powder, make sure you use a whey-based protein vs. soy based(unless you are lactose intolerant). Whey based protein is faster absorbing and is better for facilitating muscle growth than soy. Even better are whey isolate proteins, but they get to be a bit pricey for people that aren't paid for their body shape.

As far as lifting weights, I know what works for guys. With women it may be different. I always suggest taking programs from fitness magazines and books, and sticking to them for 6-12 weeks, depending on the program. Then, switch it with another program for another 6-12 weeks. This is important for two reasons. 1, it gives you purpose in the gym. Alot of people walk into a gym and say "I'm going to do arms today", and then flounder around trying to figure out what excercises they are going to do, wasting valuable time. Secondly, it keeps you from plateuaing. The human body adapts over time. Once it adapts, the muscle building process slows. Challenging your body, makes it more fit. So I won't suggest, "go heavy, fewer reps", because your body will adapt to it over time. Just find some programs that differ, and change it up from time to time. For 3 weeks, do heavier weights with less reps, but then go to a lighter weight, but do more reps/sets. Also, I like the idea of working on body parts using both targetted movements, and compound movements. An example would be single arm curls, and using a curl bar. Do both of them. They may work the same muscle, but they work it in different ways.

Its really all about constantly challenging your body. If it becomes routine, then it will quit working.

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"Fatigue makes cowards of us all" - Vincent T. Lombardi.

talloulou

Make sure your weights aren't too light. Women are usually advised to go too light and if the weights are overly light for you then they won't do anything. I, personally, don't believe in all that "lighter weight" with many reps crap. I think you can do it till the cows come home and you won't bulk up your arms. The only way to ever see your arm muscles doing that is to lose almost all your body fat. So make sure the weights are heavy enough to actually force your muscles to rebuild.

aps

Totally agree with this.

gunner

Good info so far. But I'm intrigued as to why you wish to have "bulkier arms"? Aim for a slender athletic look that's also healthy. Going abit of topic it doesn't matter if you body is carrying 15st of muscle or 15st of fat the heart still has to work that much harder to pump the blood around. Stay lean and keep your femininity

Paul.

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Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.

Middleground

I try to challenge myself all of the time. By the end of my rep, my muscles are fatigued and cannot lift one more without rest. I guess I could try to up the weight, and do less reps. Having said that, I can do a lot more with my legs than upper body, so I do have some catching up to do, though I have no idea how I can make up 20+ of soccer and tennis.

And thanks Crip... that's some good advice. I'll mix it up and see what happens.

Middleground

I don't know if I'll ever have a slender athletic look. It's not the way I'm built.

And no, I'm not trying to look like a pro wrestler. I agree, really bulky looks awful, especially on women. I guess I want my upper body to look like my lower. My legs are quite muscularly shaped/defined, and I'd like my back, arms and abs to look like that. I would like to lose about 10 pounds, so that will help, I'm sure.

Gipper

Well, let's find out. Get naked and we'll see if you can crush my head with your inner thighs.

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A government big enough to give you all you want is big enough to take it all away. - Barry Goldwater

shuamort

This is pretty much it.

For most people, it works in the following way:
1)Lower weights with higher reps=more definition
2)Higher weights with lower reps=more bulk

One other tidbit that seems to escape a lot of people I see working out at the gym is that arm bulk isn't made up of the biceps. The majority is actually in the triceps. So make sure to not neglect them.

Middleground

What about resting time? I think I read somewhere that the shorter the rest time, the more beneficial. Does anyone know for sure?