Ok.. heres the thing...

I'm 24 and 5ft 10. When i was 23 i was working in a warehouse working hard manual labour 10 hours a day for 4 days a week. I was 11 stone 5 with a BMI of 23.1 and a 9.7% body fat.

Since then exactly one year later im not at an office working (sat on my a##e 9-5, 5 days a week) and im 13 stone with 27 BMI and 19% body fat :eek:

thing is.. yes, ive now got a tyre around my waste but more saddening is most has gone to my thighs and a##e. Ive never had a weight problem so although some may not see this as a massive thing for me its horrible looking at myself. However I see this as a possible chance to bulk as ive always wanted too..

I often went for a sixpack with average strength, however am i right to think that now im technically "overweight" i can use this 13 stone to a good benefit or is this an urban myth along with other such things?

anyway, if I were asked if i want to cut bodyfat or build muscle id choose the latter, could someone point me in the right direction in terms of diet.. ive read some posts before my account was activated...

heres my plan for diet first of all:

Breakfast - 2 wholemeal toast or 3-4 crackerbread
Morning break - Banana
Lunch - 4 Ham Sandwich with wholemeal bread, water and youghart
Dinner - jacket Potatoe or Chicken, peas, etc
Snacks - Bananas, Apple etc

im a super noob at this :D... ive been going gym for a while, but only recently seriously and ive overdone it and hurting all over. so im starting a new plan next monday AM.. I have taken some great advice from posts ive read.. im going to take a picture, measure up and then start the work.

so im waffling now... any tips, or advice GREATLY needed... also, i find my left shoulder is VERY weak.. i can do shoulder presses fine, but chest presses are so hard even after one set.. if i work this gradually getting higher will it work for me??

this is embarrasing but i do:

110 leg press
50 chest press
50 seated leg curl
25 shoulder press
60 abs machine
25 leg extension

all in pounds, all just one set.. i know it aint much atall, but guy gotta start somewhere.. please help :(

I know how you feel. When I first started an office job I got fat also....and also seem to gain quite a bit in my ass, hips and thighs.

Personally, I think you should use your newfound motivation to learn more about nutrition. It's the #1 item on your way to muscle gain or fat loss. Your diet appears to be sorely lacking in protein and vegetables. Read the stickies up top and make yourself out a diet plan that you can adhere to. I highly recommend a food scale so you know exactly how much you're eating.

Definately do weights and cardio, but you need to focus just as much on your diet.

... also, i find my left shoulder is VERY weak.. i can do shoulder presses fine, but chest presses are so hard even after one set..

I have one side that is quite a bit weaker from years of routine in cutting and hauling firewood. Right arm would pick up, left arm carried the load, my entire left side was twice as strong based on number of reps of certain exercises.

I used heavy dumbbell sets predominantly for the two muscles involved the worst (in my case shoulder and bicep). You work the weaker side first, then do the same number of reps on the stronger side. Be sure to start all your sets on the weaker side. At first the strong side doesn't really get worked but it starts catching up pretty quickly that way. I've usually done 3 barbell sets, virtually the entire workout, before moving to Dumbbells and doing 3 or more there, even then, they are getting pretty close now. I'm guessing just doing dumbbells for awhile would make it happen faster.

Measure the imbalance by once counting each side independently, just to exhaustion and then in a couple of months you can check the improvement by doing it again. That lets you know if you have progress.

You might want to read the bulking sticky at the top since he has some good info on some basics of lifting. It's pretty important to get the right amount of weight for the right number of reps and sets and the rest time in between. Along with diet for both energy and growth and sleep, figuring out the lifting routine will be really important and worth taking some time on if you are going to want to make gains.

Your "one set" comment is kind of suspicious of something fundamentally wrong, like maybe lifting too light and doing way too many reps. It's possible to get so worn out that way that you can't do a second set without a lot more recovery than a couple of minutes, but if that's the case, you aren't lifting in a way that gets you where you want to go, that would be endurance exercise. You mentioned the amount of weight but not the number of reps you shoot for in the set. The sticky does give guidelines on that if you want to compare how you do it with what some general norms are.

I know how you feel. When I first started an office job I got fat also....and also seem to gain quite a bit in my ass, hips and thighs.

Personally, I think you should use your newfound motivation to learn more about nutrition. It's the #1 item on your way to muscle gain or fat loss. Your diet appears to be sorely lacking in protein and vegetables. Read the stickies up top and make yourself out a diet plan that you can adhere to. I highly recommend a food scale so you know exactly how much you're eating.

Definately do weights and cardio, but you need to focus just as much on your diet.

Cant believe how quick it's piled on.. so did your thighs go down in size when you cut back? ive gained like 2 inches on my waist :rolleyes:

I have a protein shake i started with but it only seemed to make me put on more weight. is it true i use it with milk to bulk and water to cut as it gets into the stomach quicker or something?? i also bought some glutamine although its made little difference so far..

what kinda diet should i be looking for other than vegetables, lots of protein and the things ive mentioned above?

thanks

I have one side that is quite a bit weaker from years of routine in cutting and hauling firewood. Right arm would pick up, left arm carried the load, my entire left side was twice as strong based on number of reps of certain exercises.

I used heavy dumbbell sets predominantly for the two muscles involved the worst (in my case shoulder and bicep). You work the weaker side first, then do the same number of reps on the stronger side. Be sure to start all your sets on the weaker side. At first the strong side doesn't really get worked but it starts catching up pretty quickly that way. I've usually done 3 barbell sets, virtually the entire workout, before moving to Dumbbells and doing 3 or more there, even then, they are getting pretty close now. I'm guessing just doing dumbbells for awhile would make it happen faster.

Measure the imbalance by once counting each side independently, just to exhaustion and then in a couple of months you can check the improvement by doing it again. That lets you know if you have progress.

You might want to read the bulking sticky at the top since he has some good info on some basics of lifting. It's pretty important to get the right amount of weight for the right number of reps and sets and the rest time in between. Along with diet for both energy and growth and sleep, figuring out the lifting routine will be really important and worth taking some time on if you are going to want to make gains.

Your "one set" comment is kind of suspicious of something fundamentally wrong, like maybe lifting too light and doing way too many reps. It's possible to get so worn out that way that you can't do a second set without a lot more recovery than a couple of minutes, but if that's the case, you aren't lifting in a way that gets you where you want to go, that would be endurance exercise. You mentioned the amount of weight but not the number of reps you shoot for in the set. The sticky does give guidelines on that if you want to compare how you do it with what some general norms are.

I think mine is weak due to me breaking my collarbone when i was a kid, but if i work it up im hoping it gets strong as the right arm.

My main problem i think was i found i kept holding my breath during lifting and this is why i couldnt lift hardly anything.. when i get my body back in gear im going to go again and try some more with better breathing techniques ive learnt via search sites. I also picked up "the shakes" which is very strange, when i first started going to the gym i thought it was just adrenaline, but ive now got constant shakes albeit not THAT obvious, but enough to not be able to write without noticing. anyone come accross this??? i also find i cant lift much without being in alot of pain, i feel so weak..

im looking at maybe doing the cutting the body fat with some defintion instead of bulking.. maybe this would be a better option? any other advice greatly welcome

thank u