Gaining Mass

[kaniele]

Hey guys...

I want to get some personal opinions on gaining good clean muscle mass from some of you that have similar (or had similar) stats such as mine. I've been lifting on and off for several years so I am not new to the gym. My goal is to gain 30lbs of muscle (and of course a little fat is to be expected).

Stats:
37 yrs of age
190 lbs
6'1 hgt
21% bodyfat

 

[gettnlarge01]

Post up your current diet.Do you plan on doing a cycle?Is there a time frame in which you want to gain this weight?

 

[kaniele]

I haven't put together a current diet yet but was rather looking for some ideas from other hardgainers on diets they used to achieve good weight gain. I put together a diet sometime ago and got good results with about 25lbs of weight gain in about 2 months (of course some of that was fat). Timeframe I would be looking at 3 months or so.

 

[SgtSlaughter]

I'm not sure you're a hardgainer at that weight.

Why do you think you're a hardgainer?

It doesn't seem like you're a "skinny bastard" but you may learn something from this article... maybe not, it's a good read for others out there I'm sure..

http://www.elitefitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=459938

 

[kaniele]

Well your probably right about that as far as gaining weight. It has got a little easier with age but getting the size with the extra weight proves to be tough. Thanks for the article....has some great info.

 

[Protobuilder]

I want to get some personal opinions on gaining good clean muscle mass

Well, you put on 25 pounds in 2 months before so you obviously know HOW to gain weight . . . but that's so rapid, that it's bound to be large amounts of flab. LoL IMHO, I'd shoot for .5-1 pound/wk. weight gain rather than 3-4 pounds/wk. Also, IMHO, I'd drop that 21% BF number down to a more manageable level first. Get down to 13% give or take. Shouldn't be too hard. And then just watch your calories, even as you bulk. If you diet carefully, you'll learn how to adjust cals etc., which will serve you as you turn the corner and start to gain but w/out an exploding waistline.

 

[kaniele]

Yeah I did gain some chunk in the waistline and even had to go out and buy a couple new pair of jeans....lol. I read that about a 1lb a week was sufficient for muscle but I think I got carried away with the Serious Mass protein I was taking. Probably cause it tasted so good (not). 13% bodyfat?? That would be a dream man if I could do that. What would you suggest?

 

[bicepsforyou]

Work out 4 times a week

 

[Protobuilder]

You can DEFINITELY drop from 21 to 13%. I went from 27% to 13%. I took the long, slow approach and don't feel like I lost any muscle. My strength even went up, although I wasn't truly "strength" training before I started dieting so had plenty of room to get stronger. I was training, but not for strength.

Suggestions? Start carefully counting calories. Keep a food journal. It's a pain but otherwise you're just guessing, and most people underestimate their intake. Track your food intake for a few weeks. During this stage, you're not dieting. You're just trying to see where you're at. Is the scale moving or holding steady? If it's holding steady, then knock about 200-500 calories off your daily intake. Stick w/ that and see if the weight starts coming off. It should. When that stops, drop another 200 or so. Repeat. Once a week, same time of day, step on the scale and/or measure your waistline. That's a decent way to track your progress.

Long story short: manipulate calories in vs. calories out. If you're burning more calories than you're consuming, you will lose weight. You can manipulate calories by what you stuff in your face and by the type/amount of exercise you do.

To lose "fat" rather than "weight," find a decent strength-training program. It should probably be lower in volume and higher in intensity. 5x5 works great but there are others. Basically, load the body enough to let it know that it needs to keep its muscle.

That's it in a nutshell. FWIW, I dropped about 2% each month I think, which was about 2 pounds/wk. on average.

 

[boss_]

I haven't put together a current diet yet but was rather looking for some ideas from other hardgainers on diets they used to achieve good weight gain. I put together a diet sometime ago and got good results with about 25lbs of weight gain in about 2 months (of course some of that was fat). Timeframe I would be looking at 3 months or so.

I usually think of 'hard-gainers' as people who can't gain weight. If I were you, I'd look at lower carb diets. (I was on the Anabolic Diet for 2 years at one point, and it helped shed fat pretty efficiently...you can gain very well on it, too. Just adjust your calories and keep carbs very low M-F or whatever).

I would also consider some cardio at your bf%. Running (if your knees can handle it) will strip fat like nothing else. Shoot for 20-30 minutes at first. Don't overdo it, though. For instance, I built up to 35 miles/week and fucked my knee up. And still refused to stop. It's addictive.

There are quite a few approaches you can take. Just stay consistent and continue to 'show up'.