Hi everyone, apologies if this post is a rehash, but I wanted to get some advice on how to build up some more muscle mass while intermittent fasting. I'm a 43 year old guy, 190 cm and around 82 kg now. I'm currently doing intermittent fasting of around 16 to 18 hours daily (been doing it since 2020). While I have lost quite a lot of weight, I'm now trying to build up more muscle mass.
My current workout routine is as follows:
Monday & Friday, Upper Body Exercises (4 sets, starting from 12 reps, to 10 reps, to 8 reps to 6 reps)
Tuesday & Thursday, Lower Body Exercises (4 sets, starting from 12 reps, to 10 reps, to 8 reps to 6 reps)
Wednesday, Arms (4 sets, starting from 12 reps, to 10 reps, to 8 reps to 6 reps)
I swim about 700 m on Tuesday and Thursday and 400 m on Wednesday (all breaststroke)
I try and clock 100,000 steps daily as well as climb stairs whenever I can.
On weekends, I don't do much exercises beyond a 20 minute general body stretch and a light walk.
My diet consists of about 84 grams worth of protein shakes (Monday to Friday) and general meals at lunch and dinner. I also take a mid afternoon mini meal consisting of a museli bar and 2 pieces of fruit.
I try and avoid processed food as much as I can.
Appreciate everyone's comments and advice, thanks so much in advance
Answer
Wow very impressive!
Firstly r/leangains specializes in IF for serious gym users. You might want to try getting feedback over there, instead of here.
Personally, I suspect the high amount of swimming and walking may make it harder to build muscle specifically. I also think that having an arm-day can make it harder to build muscle, even in the arms themselves (by eating into your recovery capacity for the big exercises that are effective for producing growth).
On the flip side, if I stayed injury free for 2 years on a setup, I would be very reluctant to change anything. And if I did, I would do so in small steps.