Gaining mass

[jc71corvette]

I think I want to gain some mass. Everytime I workout I do protein and glutamine. But thats not gonna gain mass that I want. What can I do without loosing my abs?

[Robmeister]

I'm no body builder, but I personally was able to put on a lot of muscle weight by lots of good quality protein and supplement with good protein powder shakes.

Stick to lower reps / heavy weights and go to failure on yer last couple sets (after warming up).  And I mean FAILURE...have a spotter and on a scale of 1 to 10 on the pain meter, go to like 12.  Don't take my word only....go talk to a good licensed trainer...that's just what worked for me....and if you can afford one, tell him/her what you want and have them work you out!

You won't lose your abs by putting on mass, unless you put on some fat.  I've never gotten radically ripped myself, but I do know that if you've got good definition in yer abs.....everywhere else will be shredded and vascular.   The abs are the LAST place for fat to come off.  While it is possible to have pretty shredded and vascular arms, legs, maybe chest and still have a little "extra" that hides the six-pack.......It's physically impossible to have shredded abs and have flab anywhere else.

[slyck85]

iI always have had a hard time gaining muscle mass even after stopping smoking.  i started the glutamine/protein supplements about 2 yrs ago and generally try do around 1gram of protein per pound of body weight during loading phases to gain mass.  On all upper body workouts I do 4 sets (warmup set + 3 reg sets) of 8/10/10/12 reps and usually 3 sets of 8/10/12 reps on lower body.  I think what you are going to run into (at least I did anyway), is when you're doing enough cardio to really get "ripped" you will also unintentionally burn some muscle mass in the process.  I had to cut back my cardio from 60 minutes 4 times a week down to 30 minutes max per week to begin gaining mass.  Robmeister is right, a trainer may be your best bet.

[Robmeister]

...when you're doing enough cardio to really get "ripped" you will also unintentionally burn some muscle mass in the process.

TRUE!! That's why consistent intake of pretty decent levels of good quality protein is important. 

I'm pretty sure that adding creatine to my supplementation helped me bulk up as well.

[TGB1]

Real protein every three to four hours. You don't need to mega-dose. If you insist on powders go for 100% pure whey. Be aware however that the majority of those products are made in unregulated Mexico and may  contain things a reasonable person would avoid. Creatine is popular but IMO (formed over 25 years as a trainer in the military and in the world) should be avoided. Heavier weights, lower reps and I also and a proponent of going to failure using a good spotter. Do your cardio in shorter,more intense workouts but make sure the ratio favors the resistance work.

[RyanJP]

I completely disagree in regards to the Creatine issue, it is the most widely researched supplement/ergogenic compound that is in anyway related to building LBM, not to mention all the research that has been touted in retrospect that it helps with burn victims, cancer patients, dimentia and the starting progression of Alzheimers...and many more studies ( Pub med has a sleu of articles ) I took Creatine when I was in the Marine Corps and it saved me from withering away again after I rebounded with Phneumonia and a really bad infection, and took it when I got out and continue to take it on and off to this day, the whole concept of creatine is quite simple : think of your muscle as a balloon, when sufficiently hydrated there are numerous things that are beneficial, cellular energy/ATP, anabolism, hypertrophy and strength gains. The only drawback and this is from some people is they cramp up or feel dehydrated...so your fluid intake must be high, drink plenty of h20 ( which you should be in the first place )

The other thing that will help build lbm ( lean body mass ) is a good EFA intake ( essential fatty acids ) such as Fish-Oil or Flax seed oil, it also helps with depression and mental clarity....a majority of fatty acid that is stored is actually in the brain and when people are defficient in Omega 3 EFA there can be numerous deficiency's neurologically and physically.

For good protein, Whey is good there are too many brands to list but I'm a fan of Bioplex and Alltheywhey as well as Optimum.
I also like Xtremeformulations ultra peptide blend as well as trueprotein.com

[TGB1]

I never said that creatine doesn't work, just recommended avoiding it. I am well aware of the research, the vast majority of which was funded by those who sell it. By reading between the lines one should understand that your body manufactures all three of components of creatine itself. If you eat properly your body will make use of the nutrients and grow the way it is meant to grow.

[Sean25]

Without talking about supplements and food it's really important that you are doing the lifts right.  I can not count how many times I have seen guys in the gym just zooming through a workout with no form and ever summer they look exactly the same, no increase at all.  I would never go up to them and tell them this because I had a bad response from a guy one time but this is very important.  Get your max up a high as possible with good form and eventually you will build mass.  Look up your workout for the day on youtube and look at the form these guys are using.  I didn't take supplements at all and in one year I went from 160 to 185lbs.  The food regiment is important too so make sure you are eating healthy, protein enriched foods plus up the carbs since you are skinny.  You won't loose your six pack if you continue to do sit-ups and maybe run a warm up mile every day that you work out.

[RyanJP]

I never said that creatine doesn't work, just recommended avoiding it. I am well aware of the research, the vast majority of which was funded by those who sell it. By reading between the lines one should understand that your body manufactures all three of components of creatine itself. If you eat properly your body will make use of the nutrients and grow the way it is meant to grow.

What you just said can go the same by supplementing with protein powder, not to throw flak at you but.......disregard I'll end it, I'm not here to argue or have a "meeting of the minds".

[TGB1]

There is nothing wrong with a little argument or a "meeting of the minds". It gives slyshadow a little more info and insight than he would get otherwise. There are a lot of different thoughts/philosophies out there on this subject. The information can be overwhelming and in many cases misleading. The only "supplement" I use is pharmaceutical grade cod liver oil.

[Robmeister]

There is nothing wrong with a little argument or a "meeting of the minds". It gives slyshadow a little more info and insight than he would get otherwise. There are a lot of different thoughts/philosophies out there on this subject. The information can be overwhelming and in many cases misleading. The only "supplement" I use is pharmaceutical grade cod liver oil.

IMHO, it's more about the intensity and consistency of ones training.  And REST is hugely important as overtraining can actually tear down ones efforts.  Supplementation is the icing on the cake of a good training program.   Of course you can't eat garbage and expect good results.  But it's kinda like those thermogenic fat burners.  Those are to be to get the extra EDGE on a solid training program.  Some people buy those things and just want to take a pill to lose weight without putting forth the effort of exercise.  That's not what they were designed for.  

By the way, where you at, Corvette?  Is this helpful?