What's next?

[emtbag]

Hi all! I am looking for advice on where to go next with my fitness, as I'm wanting to put on some muscle but I've never gotten serious about learning what a good strength routine looks like. I've been a runner for ~10 years but after moving a few weeks ago to a cold, hilly area I'm beginning to consider shortening my runs and adding in some strength work. Having access to a (small) gym in my new apartment complex has also piqued my interest in this.

I have in my head that I'll run 5-6 days/week and go to the gym 5-6 days/week but I'm a little lost on how to structure the gym part. Right now I've just been doing lower body and upper body every other day, with rest days just happening whenever I don't make it to the gym.

This is what I've been doing the past few weeks: I pick 3 exercises and do 3 sets of 8 of each, then repeat once. So it looks like 2(3(X*8) + 3(Y*8) + 3(Z*8)). At least, that's how it looks in my head lol. When I can successfully get all the way through an exercise I up the weight by 5lbs next time. On leg days I do seated leg press, seated leg extension, and weighted squats. On upper body days I do chest press, shoulder press (with free weights), and bicep curls. Y'all, I have NO idea if what I'm doing is good or effective and would love feedback or advice. I thrive off of structure, just need to build the blueprint! I want to keep my workouts to around 30 mins because I'll also be running at least 40 mins/day.

PS I am 23, 5'1" 112lbs, eating majority WFPB 2,000-2,200cal/day, 60g protein/day. I plan to up my protein to 100g/day this week. Current physique (NSFW) I don't want to lose more weight as when I go below 110 you can see my ribs on my chest. However, I'm not sure if I should be eating at maintenance or slightly above. TIA!!

 

[baptistbiblebeliever]

@emtbag What are your goals? Or do you just want to do it for enjoyment? Running 5-6 days a week AND lifting 5-6 days a week is quite a lot. Make sure you calculate your daily calories properly for your activity levels.
If your goal is to build more muscle I think you would be better off with a small surplus, especially with all the running you are doing along with it. I would aim for 120g protein per day, at the very minimum 100g.

I think it's best to not make your own workout program. It's always better following a balanced, structured program that a professional put together. There are a lot of programs on the internet. Search around and pick one you think you will enjoy and that you will be consistent with. Building muscle/strength takes consistency & time. Probably even longer if you do a large amount of cardio too. You might have to cut down on workout days and have 2 rest days instead of 1. Rest days are extremely important for muscle building. Rest days is when your muscles repair and grow bigger/stronger, it's not just for injury prevention.

If you dont mind subscription based apps, the Sweat app has a whole bunch of full multi week programs made by a variety of trainers. From bodyweight, pilates, barre, high impact, high intensity, low impact, weightlifting at home, powerlifting, gym programs. I'm currently following the Lifting at Home program by Stephanie Sanzo. You can sign up for a 7 day trial if you want to try it out.

But there are plenty of free online programs as well. I dont have much experience with that, but I'm sure people here will give you some good recommendations.

 

[emtbag]

@baptistbiblebeliever Thanks for your thoughts! The running is definitely for my own happiness and I'm really not willing to cut back on it -- it's my favorite hobby. I also like the idea of having a few hundred extra calories to work with in order to get more protein in. My goal is to build strength, and I don't care so much about aesthetics, though I'd love bigger quads lol.

The issue I run into with looking for programs is they almost always require equipment I don't have / don't want to use -- my gym is limited and I don't have somebody to spot me. I gravitate towards simple, easy-to-remember workouts I can do on my own, and I don't like the idea of following along to videos (though maybe I need to be a little less stubborn, lol.) I don't know... I think my *idea* of a good, interesting gym routine is different than a proven effective one and I need to either change my mindset or ditch the idea altogether and just have fun with it

 

[baptistbiblebeliever]

@emtbag Well, I also don't have someone to spot me. I also dont have a squat rack so I can't do heavy barbell squats & bench press. But I've seen great strength results using mostly dumbells. You can do most exercises with a pair of adjustable dumbbells (squats, lunges, deadlifts, rows, presses, curls, etc.)

But if your main goal is strength, maybe just focus on the main lifts: squats, bench press & deadlifts. You dont need someone to spot you, just don't go too heavy in weight where you'd need one. You can increase reps & sets - this will also cause progressive overload. After doing one of the big lifts, you can add some accessory work like curls or whatever.
So maybe Day 1: Squats with other lower Body exercises. Day 2: Benchpress with upper body exercises. Day 3: Deadlift with lower or upper body or full body exercises.

It's important to either watch a bunch of videos or get someone to show you proper form. That's if you dont have much experience with those lifts.
And it is usually better having a decent program to stick to for best results.

 

[emtbag]

@baptistbiblebeliever Okay, that makes a lot of sense! I appreciate that, I feel like I have a little more direction now.

 

[sunnybasa]

@emtbag If you want to build muscle, I'd recommend cutting back on the cardio and spending more of your energy/exercise time on strength training. As mentioned in the other comment, a good strength training program would be best. I personally am loving Caroline Girvan's programs. They're mostly 10 week programs, some of which have workouts between 45-1 hour in length, though I believe Epic Heat/EndGame is shorter which might be good for you if you want to be doing a few runs a week as well.

The other piece will definitely have to do with your protein intake - you're active enough that eating at a surplus isn't going to drive your weight up too much, but you will need to gain a bit of fat to also gain a good amount of muscle! Focus on getting 30-40 grams of protein per larger meal, and try and have snacks with good protein content as well (nuts, hardboiled eggs, greek yogurt, etc).

 

[emtbag]

@sunnybasa Thanks for your input! I'll look into the programs you mentioned.