Where do I go from here...

[SamMalone]

I've been working out for three years now. I went from 130 to about 150 in about four months when I started, then I couldn't gain anymore. I always just worked out to maintain that cut, skinny look. The weird thing was my shoulders and chest got big, but my arms were always real thin.

This summer my gym closed down and I've yet to get a new membership anywhere I only work out occasionally with my (limited) weight set and I haven't been eating great. Thing is, I noticed my arms are *huge* now. I thought it was just me but I looked at old photographs and my arms are much bigger than before. However, I lost my six pack and my chest is smaller Shoulders are about the same

I'm assuming because I haven't been doing cardio as much that my arms got bigger, but is there a way to get my six pack back without losing my mass on my arms? Anyone else have this problem? I've heard similar stories about arm mass getting bigger when cardio is limited, but I'm not sure I want to trade the abs off for the arms

 

[Quiksilver]

Post anything and everything you ate in the past two days. Everything.

 

[Interceptor]

Were you training Biceps everyday?

Most beginners I know think they can train a muscle group everyday and it will grow bigger. Which is totally wrong.
You also have to understand that Hypertrophic muscle fibers genetically may not always be proportionally or symmetrically distributed around the body.
You may have more type2 fibers in your chest and shoulders, and less in your biceps.
Perhaps you were under a lot of stress and didn't eat enough protein, and you catabolized some muscle tissue.
Perhaps you have a really good mind/muscle connection with your chest and shoulders, but not with your biceps.
Perhaps you had a good program with sets and exercises with chest and shoulders, ,but lacked variety with biceps? Or perhaps went too heavy or too light on your biceps to get any visible development.
Also understand that we perform more actions with our arms than with our chest and shoulders.
Perhaps, if you work, your job stresses and overtrains your arms?
Abs not showing means you've put on fat and water in your midsection.
Lowering your calories, and limiting salt and sugar should help.
Also, if you're not doing cardio you could consider a fat burner like a Xenadrine or Hydroxycut for now.I don't know how well you handle stimulants though.
The body tends to lose muscle mass when not put to use.
If you don't work it out, you will lose it.
If you don't work out, but keep your calories the same, you will maintain some muscle mass, but gain fat and water, and lose hardness.
That's why you need to reduce all calories except protein.
And if at all possible not go more than a week without working out, unless of an injury or extraneous circumstances.

 

[Quagmire911]

The weird thing was my shoulders and chest got big,

No they didn't.

 

[SamMalone]

*Big* as compared to proportion to the rest of my body, but thank you for your post. Very helpful.

And I still DO work out, 3 times a week, but I've been doing less exercies because I only have bench and barbells. My arms are still solid, and toned but bigger. I'm about 160 now but I'm still real cut except I lost my six-pack.