I found this forum a few days ago and decided to join. Lots of good info here.

Brief history....I am 44 years old and was athletic in my younger days...however, never really lifted weights. In August of 2006, tired of being a "blob", I decided to start exercising and lifting. Last August, I was 168 pounds (I am 5' 7" tall). As of today, I weigh 145 pounds. I have gotten rid of most of the fat and have a slight muscular build.

My question is this...what is the best way for me to start to put on about 5-10 pounds of muscle? I realize that since I am 44, it will be a bit harder than say a 24 year old. I am not a a big hurry to put on this muscle, but want to get started and to do it correctly without get fat again.

I currently lift on Mon, Tue, Thur and Fridays. Mon/Thur I do biceps, triceps and shoulders. Tue/Fri I do chest, back, and legs. I usually mix in stomach a couple of days a week also. Cardio, I try and do 3-4 days a week. Diet....Breakfast - egg white with chicken and oatmeal with dried blueberries, Snack - usually peanuts and a bit of fruit, Lunch - Chicken or Beef and Broccoli/Carrots, Before Workout - Powerbar Plus , Dinner - Chicken, Turkey or Fish with veggies, Before bed - glass of milk.

Sorry for the lengthy post...I just tried to put in everything that I could think of that people might ask me about. Thanks in advance.

http://defrancostraining.com/articles/archive/articles_westside.htm

Here's one good program for building size and strength.

Nutrition will be the key. Your diet looks ok conceptually, it's hard to tell totally without knowing quantities. I'd replace the milk before bed with a good fat or protein source like natural peanut butter or Fat-free cottage cheese.

To gain muscle mass, slowly increase calories(as in, 200cals/day each week) until you're gaining a little bit of weight.

If you list which lifts you're doing and how many sets/reps, I'm sure folks would chime in on that.

http://defrancostraining.com/articles/archive/articles_westside.htm

Here's one good program for building size and strength.

Nutrition will be the key. Your diet looks ok conceptually, it's hard to tell totally without knowing quantities. I'd replace the milk before bed with a good fat or protein source like natural peanut butter or Fat-free cottage cheese.

To gain muscle mass, slowly increase calories(as in, 200cals/day each week) until you're gaining a little bit of weight.

If you list which lifts you're doing and how many sets/reps, I'm sure folks would chime in on that.

Thanks for replying. I don't do peanut butter or cottage cheese before bed because I don't like either one...this is why I chose milk. One thing I left out regarding the eating...after each workout I have a protein shake which contains blueberries, pineapple, banana, and about 30 g of whey protein. Also, I am currently consuming about 2000 calories per day. Exercises...I am doing the standard exercises for each body part consisting of 4 different lifts of 3 sets at 10 reps per body part.

I'd replace the milk before bed with a good fat or protein source like natural peanut butter or Fat-free cottage cheese.

How come? I'm only asking because I always have milk before bed as it contains slow-release protein. Sorry for the hijack!

http://defrancostraining.com/articles/archive/articles_westside.htm

Here's one good program for building size and strength.

Nutrition will be the key. Your diet looks ok conceptually, it's hard to tell totally without knowing quantities. I'd replace the milk before bed with a good fat or protein source like natural peanut butter or Fat-free cottage cheese.

To gain muscle mass, slowly increase calories(as in, 200cals/day each week) until you're gaining a little bit of weight.

If you list which lifts you're doing and how many sets/reps, I'm sure folks would chime in on that.

Cool article. I was thinking of doing the linear 5x5 or The Art of Waterbury for my bulk, but that program makes more sense in terms of getting prepared for rugby. Another option in the folder, I guess. :nod:

How come? I'm only asking because I always have milk before bed as it contains slow-release protein. Sorry for the hijack!

I'm no expert, but I his reasoning is to avoid the sugar that milk has right before bed. I suppose it's more likely for those carbs to go straight to fat when you are sleeping.