Gaining mass

[jc71corvette]

I am about 160 lbs. I have a toned chest and bicepts. But they are nothing big, my arms I mean. I just do not have the muscle mass........ What kind of regimen for eating should I do?

[GTM]

I don't know if I can suggest a specific eating regimen, but I can give a basic suggestion to steer you in the right direction.  Basically if you want to gain alot of muscle, you have to eat, ALOT.  Specifically you'll have to eat more calories than you burn in a day.  Get one thing clear here, this WILL result in gaining some fat.  But there is a cycle of bulking and cutting that most serious muscle gainers do.

They'll eat, eat, eat and lift, lift, lift during the fall winter and early spring.  Then they cut the calories, and up to cardio before summer hits to burn off the fat they've gained, but leaving the muscle they've gained.

Check out this article, and all the other articles at bodybuilding.com for the best info:  http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/layne2.htm

[Razor X]

You have to eat a lot of protein to build muscle mass.   

[pharmer]

I would start by getting a subscription to the magazine Muscle and Fitness.  Not only are the pictures and articles motivating, there is tons of information about nutrition.  M&F hits the basics almost every month.  The "basics" come down to this- what you do outside the gym (nutrition) is just as important as what you do in the gym.  Like what has been said before me, you need tons of calories and tons of protein.  If you are a "hard gainer" you may be looking at 5,000 calories per day and 200g of protein. 

[Sean25]

I'm returning to football next year at a school I'm transferring to so I'm looking to do the same thing.  If your willing to take supplements, muscle milk is the best protein out there in my opinion.  There's always creatine or testosterones if you want the good old quick fix but no one really knows the long term effect of many of those yet.  If you're looking to keep it strictly natural then don't do too much cardio and focus on increasing your weight training.  Less reps more weight.  Eat as much as you can and often but dont eat fast food all the time, keep it mostly healthy.  Cook up a couple of pounds of ground beef and add noodles or whatever you prefer with some bread.  I do that and that is my dinner for about a week.  A big bowl of cereal in the morning with bread and sausage.  For lunch you could cook up chicken strips.  Basically noodles, meat, salad, vegetables and fruit should be all you eat; in mass though.  Of course for this to be effective, you have to stick with your workouts.  If you go hard for about 2 months, you can slow it down and just maintain after that.  It could be your workout too, I have some friends that work out 5 times a week and you couldn't tell at all.  Make sure you're technique is good.  I used to ignore people who told me i was doing it wrong but they we're right.

[Camp]

to bulk--you need to eat.

I feel like a spammer when I post this because I post it all the time--but check out www.stronglifts.com and start that program.  I've put on 25lbs since summer using it.

Another thing you should look into would be a GOMAD diet--
To bulk, you must eat LOTS.  A lot of people have a hard time finding 'good' things to eat all day long.  GOMAD is a diet where you add one gallon of WHOLE milk to your diet every day.  One gallon--EVERY DAY... and that is on top of everything else you are eating (lots of protein).  Milk is a really really good balance of fat, protein, and carbs, and a lot of people find it easier to drink milk than to prepare good food to eat all day.  I did the GOMAD diet for about a month and was able to put on a quick five lbs.  Mind you, those five lbs weren't ALL muscle, but I could definitely see the difference in the gym.

[dieseldan04]

To gain mass, you just need to take in more calories than you expend.  I would recommend getting yourself a good whey protein powder and add that to your diet.  Whey absorbs quickly and will give your body more protein to build muscle without adding fat.  I also recommend a creatine monohydrate supplement.  Creatine will volumize your muscle cells and help you lift more to build muscle.  I cycle on and off creatine all year and really notice a strength difference while using it.

[Razor X]

Dan, how much creatine do you take?  I've taken it intermittently but I can't say I noticed a huge difference one way or the other.

[D.A.L.U.I.]

You need to remember not to lose sight of the mass inherent in the muscle groups, and the bicep is a smaller muscle than the tricep. The issue w/ the tricep is to be able to work the entire muscle and that requires working it in different ways, dips on bars, dips between benches, French tri-presses, etc., you get the idea?  Also, eating and exercise must be balanced or you'll just get fat, muscular but fat too.  Muscle weighs more but has a smaller mass than fat.
The other issue w/ "guns" that people also forget is that it's not just the bicep and tricep that show the gun--the shoulders also need work, military presses w/ barbell and dumbbells, etc.  Then you have the whole package front-bicep; back-tricep and top-shoulder.  To balance try super sets of bis and tri's finishing w/ shoulders for a split routine session.  Just a thought.

[Razor X]

You need to remember not to lose sight of the mass inherent in the muscle groups, and the bicep is a smaller muscle than the tricep. The issue w/ the tricep is to be able to work the entire muscle and that requires working it in different ways, dips on bars, dips between benches, French tri-presses, etc., you get the idea?  Also, eating and exercise must be balanced or you'll just get fat, muscular but fat too.  Muscle weighs more but has a smaller mass than fat.
The other issue w/ "guns" that people also forget is that it's not just the bicep and tricep that show the gun--the shoulders also need work, military presses w/ barbell and dumbbells, etc.  Then you have the whole package front-bicep; back-tricep and top-shoulder.  To balance try super sets of bis and tri's finishing w/ shoulders for a split routine session.  Just a thought.

Yeah, I'm workin' on it.   

[RockloudRockhard88]

the best way to gain mass would be to try and eat 5 small meals a day!!!! all have to include protein though chicken,steak,tuna, all that good stuff and try and have veggies in that mix too, also a Whey protein supplement to make a shake before and after workouts help too...... and another great supplement would be Creatine me personally i like Micronized Creatine Mono by AST it does good just buy a bag of dextrose with it it will do wonders as far as endurance,strength, and gaining..... and for i think hands down the best tricep excerise is Skull Crushers....

[dieseldan04]

Razor X,

I will pre-load with 35 grams of creatine pre and post workout for a week and then I use 35 grams pre-workout maintenance dose for 3 weeks.  When pre-loading, I combine my creatine with Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey protein in a shake both pre and post workout.  Doing it this way fills my muscle cells with glycogen before I lift and then replenishes the levels immediately after my workouts.  Creatine pulls water into your muscle cells, so you have to make sure to drink plenty of water while using it.  I often do longer cycles up to 2 months in the off season, but not long before contests because I don't want to appear smooth or gain weight.  My strength and muscular endurance levels are much higher when on creatine.

[DuffRyder17]

eat,eat,eat...
and like RazorX said... loads of protein
I eat a dozen eggs per week , protein shake everyday. and eat anything in sight if it has substantial protein.

then. in the gym GO BIG, GO Heavy... I am at the end of my bulking phase this year and frankly I barely recognize myself, time to shed and shred.

[rward086]

I could go on for hours on ways to put on lean muscle mass. Some important tips:

1. Eat at least 4 times a day alternating whole foods with liquid protein drinks. A good "mass-gainer" is Monster Milk. http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/cs/monstermilk.html

2. Take 5g of plain creatine monohydrate after workouts mixed in gatorade

3. You grow when you sleep so make sure you get plenty of it.

4. Take a multivitamin

5. Try to drink a gallon of water. Bring one along with you wherever you go to keep track of your intake.

Don't buy into the supplement scams by the big name companies out there like Muscletech, who empties the pockets of gullable kids and adults by selling them placebo junk for ridiculous prices. I know it sounds cliche, but stick to the basics.

If you can follow the tips above, you will be above the majority of "muscle mass seekers" out there.

[Kratos]

It depends on your goals. Do you want to become a mass monster, or gain nice lean muscle? There's the option of a clean bulk, or dirty bulk. Clean bulk meaning eating 5-6 protein filled meals a day, with a lot of clean food. Grilled chicken, tuna, brown rice, shakes etc. Dirty bulking is also an option, it personally worked for me. As a former powerlifter, I ate 7-8 times a day. Pizza, steak, garbage pretty much and taking in around 6000 calories a day. In my 5 years of working out I gained a total of 88 lbs. After the bulking was finished, I cut down by eating 5-6 clean meals throughout the day, upping the cardio and stopped lifting too heavy. I went from 118 to 206, cut down to 185, and now I feel great! If you need help on gaining wait, you can PM me whenever you need.