Keeping It Simple on Muscle Gain

[Elliot Royce]

I've digested (no pun intended) pretty much anything I can find on eating for lean mass gain. It's not that I particularly need to put on weight but I am trying to create the optimal conditions for growth in lower leg strength and mass. My question is: if I eat right and try to take on enough calories to avoid losing weight, will the mass develop? Or, for optimal growth, do I need to make sure I get an excess of 500-1000 calories while lifting?

I'm combining SS's novice program with an O lifting program. I think it's a good combination and I am making some steady gains. There's still a long way to go before I hit the novice benchmarks that Rippetoe has in his Programming book, and I'd like to accelerate the process as much as possible.

I've tried Baggett's No Bull plan and it does seem to work in facilitating muscle gain but it also leads to some fat gain. I'm not crazy about his 10 days eat like a pig, 4 days diet like crazy. It's just hard to follow when you're an adult businessperson (people look at you weird when you've eaten two steaks and devoured the bread basket).

[Robb Wolf]

Elliot-
If you want to add some muscle you really need a caloric excess. Some situations may stray from this but for the most part that's the breaks. Sometimes the mass gain is non-linear to caloric intake...one may need to take in a surprising amount to make progress. John Berardi's Massive Eating and our own Mass Gain are good places to look for info.

[Mike ODonnell]

Positive Nitrogen balance = muscle growth, so if 1.0g of protein/lb of bodyweight isnt working....bump it up to 1.25....then 1.5.

Look at your legs too....they may respond better to rep ranges of 10 more than 3-5....mine do and I am a wimpy 195lbs.

[Elliot Royce]

Well, I did the No Bull Plan over Christmas combined with heavy lifting and put on a fair amount of muscle mass in about a month so it does work. Back to the feed bag I guess. I've read Berardi's From Scrawny to Brawny and your Mass Gain so I've got the principles down, I think. I hate the idea of putting on blubber but I seem to be able to lose 5lbs in a week with all the exercise so I guess I shouldn't worry. Of course, it's when I want to lose than it stays and when I want to gain that it doesn't!

I'll try the higher reps. Rippetoe talks about varying the reps as helping a lot on growth. Throw in a couple of gallons of milk a day and 20 super squats, and I'll be fine!

[Mike ODonnell]

either up the food....or cut down on the activities.....I know you do a ton of stuff so you may need like 6000 cal a day just to maintain...maybe not that high, but athletes typically do.....

Me if I want to put the lbs back on....I workout 2-3x a week, lift heavy in rep ranges of 5-10, short rest periods (30-60sec), eat and rest....if I do too much without uppping the calories I will end up losing lbs and probably some is muscle.

As for putting on some fat...it will happen unless your diet is dialed in to your TDEE on the nose...which is not an exact science....plus shedding the fat and keeping the muscle is the easy part.

I'm sure there is a point too that the body resists putting on more and more muscle and it will get harder and harder....much like losing fat, it's easy but then as you get lower and lower it becomes a slower and more delicate process of fine tuning.

[Greg Everett]

Originally Posted by Mike ODonnell

I'm sure there is a point too that the body resists putting on more and more muscle and it will get harder and harder....

enter robb and his myostatin blocker...