# Why You're NOT Building Muscle!



## Lone Wolf (Jan 25, 2010)

*Why You're NOT Building Muscle!*

Here’s a question I see time and time again in online bodybuilding & fitness forums:

“Hi, I have been working out for __ [insert long time period here] months and I have only gained __ [insert small amount of weight here] pounds. I train hard and have been taking XYZ supplements. I can’t gain weight or get stronger! Please help!”

This is an all too common story for people with no experience or knowledge on how to build muscle and gain weight. In most cases, after trying to gain weight for several months the person will quit. That’s a pity, because the only thing stopping the person from progressing is knowledge.

In this article I’m going to discuss in detail the possible reasons why you’re not building muscle. I’ve got 15 reasons listed below, which covers 99% of reasons why you’re not growing. If you feel you’re doing everything I’ve talked about here, and you’re still not growing, let’s take it one step further and talk about it on our forum.

*1. You’re not getting enough calories*

Calorie consumption is the solution to about 90% of the complaints lifters have about not being about to get bigger and/or stronger. Your body requires a certain number of calories to maintain your current weight. This figure is known as basal metabolic rate (BMR), and varies from person to person depending on your weight, muscle mass, activity level, age etc. If your calorie intake is lower than BMR, you will lose weight. This is known as a calorie deficit. If your daily calorie intake is higher than your BMR, you will gain weight. This is known as a calorie surplus.

How do you know how many calories your body needs?

The easiest way to calculate your BMR is to use our BMR calculator. This calculator uses the Harris Benedict Formula (one of the most accurate methods) to calculate your daily calorie requirements. Go over to the calculator and work out your daily calorie requirements. Most people are surprised at how many calories they need just for maintenance!

Let’s focus on your goal. You want to build muscle and gain weight, so your calorie intake needs to be more than your expenditure. Take the figure the calculator gave you and add 500. This is how many calories you should be eating every day to build muscle.

Example:

Your calculated BMR is 2,760 calories 
You require 3,260 calories for weight gain 
You require 2,260 calories for weight loss 

*2. You’re not eating the right foods*

Generally speaking, if you’re eating excess calories every day and training with a decent workout you’ll grow. But, if you’re not eating the right foods, the chances are that you’ll be limiting your potential, putting on excess body fat, and not growing enough lean muscle.

The best way to plan your muscle building diet is to split it up into protein/carbohydrate/fat (P/C/F) ratios. Arguably the best ratio of muscle growth is 30/50/20. This mean you’re getting 30% of your total calories from protein, 50% from carbohydrates and 20% from fats.

So let’s look at our 3,260 calorie diet from above and break it up:

30% of 3,260 is 980 calories from protein.
Divide by 4, and that’s 244g protein per day 
50% of 3,260 is 1630 calories from carbs.
Divide by 4, and that’s 408g carbs per day 
20% of 3,260 is 650 calories from fat.
Divide by 9, and that’s 72g fat per day 

*3. You’re not eating enough meals*

When you eat is just as important as what you eat. The days of eating “3 square meals” are long gone. Research has shown that eating more smaller meals is not only great for promoting a fast metabolism, but helps maintain, lose, and gain weight. Think of your body like a log fire. If you put too much wood on at once, the fire burns slow and sluggish. But if you gradually add more wood as the fire gets bigger, it burns more efficiently and gets bigger.

You should be aiming for a minimum for 6 meals spread at even intervals throughout the day. You want to make these meals as even as possible, but it’s OK to eat a bit more at breakfast/lunch/dinner if you don’t have time during the other breaks.

So you’re probably thinking, “I don’t have time to eat all those meals”. If I had a dollar for every time I heard that I could retire. The truth is you can, it just requires a bit for forward planning. There are endless ways you can cook and store food for meals throughout the day. Spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon cooking up your lunches and snacks for the week. Use your imagination. Here’s some examples of foods you can cook, then freeze or refrigerate.

Chili 
Stir fry 
Mexican chicken & potatoes 
Pasta bowls 
Potato and chicken salad 
Beef stew 

The other option is weight gain shakes. There’s nothing easier than banging some water into a shaker with some powder, having a shake, and drinking. Good meal replacement shakes usually contain around 600 calories with good amounts of protein, BCAAs, glutamine and carbohydrates. It’s literally a meal in a cup. All you need is a few shaker bottles, add the powder before work, then just add water and drink on the job. Simple.

*4. You’re not getting enough water*

Water is nature’s wonder supplement, it’s essential for a whole host of bodily functions. Many lifters underestimate the importance of being hydrated well before they step into the gym. If you feel dehydrated just before you’re about to train, it’s too late, you won’t be able to rehydrate yourself time. Keeping yourself hydrated should be a priority from the moment you get out of bed. Dehydration is a serious problem, and in extreme cases can lead to death. Here are some signs of dehydration you should look out for:

Feeling thirsty (obviously) 
Fatigue. Feeling tired for no apparent reason. 
Dry mouth and possible sore throat 
Headache 
Loss of appetite 
Dark urine with strong odor 
Drinking an adequate amount of water is easy, and there’s no excuse why you cannot do it. Just take a bottle wherever you go and keep sipping out of it throughout the day.

Some supplements, like creatine, may lead to dehydration. If you’re using creatine monohydrate you should increase the amount of water your consuming.

*5. Your workout routine sucks*
Choosing the right routine to suit your body type, training experience and goal is vital. Many new lifters get their workout routines from magazines and articles written by professional bodybuilders. These workouts are not designed for beginners, and will only lead to a lot of wasted time, energy and frustration.

A good workout routine needs the following:

Training days arranged to allow for adequate rest 
Muscle groups arranged so overtraining does not occur 
Muscle groups arranged so that each muscle can be worked to maximum effect 
A good selection of compound and isolation exercises 
Good warm up and cool down 
It’s also important to know and understand the characteristics of your body type. Different body types respond to different methods of training. What works for your friends may not work for you. For more information on body types see our “which of the body types are you?” article.

[B]6. You’ve been using the same workout too long[/B]

Building muscle is simply the process of the body reacting to increased stress. You put stress on your muscles in the gym, and they grow bigger to cope with the stress. The body is very quick to adapt to any changes, this includes your workout. Once your body adapts to your workout routine, it will not see the need to build more muscle or get stronger. You have to change.

As a general rule you should change your workout when you stop getting stronger or heavier, or after about 8-10 weeks. If you’ve been doing your workout for 12 weeks and you’re still growing, don’t change it, everyone is different – if you’re still growing, stick to it. We have plenty of great workouts on this site for all experience levels. 

*7. You’re not focused on progression*

Progression builds muscle, without it you won’t grow. Progression is the constant increase of weight, stress and intensity required to tell your body that it needs to grow more muscle.

You should aim to improve at least one aspect of your workout every week. It could be increasing the weight, it could be your increase the reps, but it has to be something. This is where a training log becomes so important. Before every workout you should look back at what you did the previous week, exact weights and reps. Choose the areas you want to improve, and get in the gym and do it.

If you’re finding that you can’t progress (ie you’re not getting stronger) read the other points in this article, especially the points about diet and workout routines.

*8. Your exercise technique is bad*

You’re doing the right exercises, but are you doing them right? If you want to place the maximum amount of stress on the muscle, and prevent serious injuries, you have to execute every movement with good form. Don’t copy what others are doing in the gym, this is how bad habits spread. Here are a few general rules that apply to most exercises:

Keep your reps slow and controlled 
Don’t use momentum to move weight (no swinging!) 
Use a full range of motion 
Don’t lock joints out at the top of movements 
Check out the exercises section on this site for instructional videos on how to do all the muscle building exercises correctly.
*
9. You’re doing the wrong exercises*

This goes hand in hand with a solid workout routine. Doing the wrong exercises is a common mistake made by new lifters. Usually, the lifter is either doing too many isolation exercises and not enough compounds, or only doing exercises they “like”.

Big compound movements recruit the most muscle fibers and place the most stress on the body. These are your big muscle builders. A good compound to isolation ratio is 2-1, or 3-1. So for every 2-3 compound exercises you do, you do 1 isolation. This of course does not apply to arms, forearms, and calves where most exercises are isolation movements. Here are some big mass builders that you should be including in your routine:

Squat 
Deadlift 
Wide grip pull up 
Chin up 
Rows 
Bench press (dumbbell and/or barbell) 
Dips 
Shoulder press (dumbbell or barbell) 

Check out the exercises section for instruction on these exercises.

*10. You’re not training your legs*

Want to increase your bench, increase your squat. Yeah, yeah, I know we all want big biceps and chests, but here’s 2 reasons why you should train your legs just as hard as the rest of your body.

Firstly, think long term here. Do you want to get the ostrich look?! A big upper body on thin legs does not look good, in fact I’ve seen it in extremes, and it’s laughable! Secondly, exercises like squats have an impact on your whole body. Not only does it use most of your upper body muscles in the movement, but this exercise is so stressful that the body releases growth hormone to try and cope with the load. This effects the entire body.

Leg training is hard, but essential for a well developed physique. See the leg exercises section for detailed instructions on how to do leg exercises using strict technique.

*11. You’re not getting enough rest*
This point kind of goes back to point #5, your workout routine does not allow for adequate rest. Rest is just as important as training. Many people believe that muscle building takes place in the gym, but it’s actually the opposite. Weight training is actually creatine millions of tears in the muscle tissue. In effect, you’re actually damaging the muscle. Your muscles get “pumped up” because of the swelling caused and increased blood flow to the area. The actual muscle building (repair and growth of new muscle tissue) takes place out of the gym, when you’re resting and sleeping.

There are 2 ways you may not be getting enough rest. First, you are training too many days without taking as day off. Although you may not feel it, you body needs days of complete rest to recover from hard training sessions. It’s not just the muscles that need to recover, it’s your whole neurological system, tendons, joints, even your brain need rest.

Secondly, and this comes back to your workout routine again, you may not be allowing muscle groups to fully recover between training sessions. If you do not allow enough recovery time, your muscles will not grow. It’s that simple. If your muscle group is still sore from the previous workout, don’t train it. For most muscle groups, one training session per week is adequate. Some smaller muscle groups like calves and abs may be trained twice, but still need at least 2 days of rest between sessions.

*12. You’re not getting enough sleep*

Sleeping is you body’s time to recharge. For you, the weight trainer, it’s your body’s time to repair damaged muscle tissue, and grow more muscle. As I discussed in the previous point, no rest, no muscle. Aim to get around 7-8 hours of good quality sleep every night. Here’s some tips on how to get a good night’s rest:

Only sleep when you’re tired. There’s no point it trying to when you’re not. 
Develop sleeping rituals, going to bed and getting up at the same time every day. 
Refrain from stressful activities for 1-2 hours before bed 
Don’t take stimulates within 4-6 hours before bed time 
Have a light snack before bed 

*13. Your post workout nutrition sucks*

Your post workout shake/meal is arguably the most important meal of the day. When you finish your workout, your muscles are crying out for nutrients that were lost during training. Your protein levels are down, creatine levels are down, and glycogen is depleted. Most people think that a simple whey protein shake is all that’s needed after your workout. This is not true. While a protein shake is better than nothing, it still falls well short of a good post workout shake. Here’s what would be better:

Shake containing the following:

30-40g of whey protein powder 
5g of creatine 
60-70g of dextrose 

1 hour later:

A well rounded meal containing protein, complex carbs and fats.

You see above I’ve pimped out your post workout shake by adding dextrose and creatine. Dextrose is the simplest of simple carbohydrates. Studies have shown that taking dextrose in these doses creates a huge spike of insulin in the body. Insulin is an extremely anabolic hormone and helps move nutrients quickly throughout the body. This means that the creatine, protein and BCAAs are quickly absorbed into muscle cells where they’re needed for muscle repair to begin.

*14. Your pre-workout nutrition sucks*

Carbohydrates are the key to having adequate fuel in your tank for a hard workout. There are 2 types of carbohydrates, simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates (like dextrose mentioned above) are quickly converted into energy for use in the body. Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and process, but provide you with long lasting energy. Complex carbohydrates are your primary fuel source for your workouts.

What you eat throughout the day, and 1.5-3 hours before your workout is going to affect how much energy you have. Like I mentioned at the start of this article, you need to space your meals out evenly throughout the day. If you eat a big breakfast, a big lunch, then train after work, you’re probably going to feel tired and sluggish. What would be better a better approach would be to eat a small breakfast, mid morning meal, smaller lunch, afternoon meal, then train after work. This gives you about 2 hours between your last meal and training, which is ideal.

So what should you have in your pre workout meal? This meal should be well rounded, containing protein, complex carbohydrate and fats. The amount of calories in the meal depends on your personal diet plan. Try and keep the protein/carbs/fats (PCF) ratio to around 30/50/20. Here is some examples of quality sources of complex carbohydrates:

Brown rice 
Potatoes 
Brown bread 
Pasta 
Oats 
Pita bread 

*15. You’re not motivated*

Finally, if you’re not gaining it may be due to lack of motivation. Can you honestly say you put in 100% every time you hit the gym? There are several ways you can help yourself stay motivated and focused on your goals.

Keep a training diary 
Set small bi-weekly achievable goals (use your training diary to record results, good or bad) 
Take before and after pictures 
Get a picture of someone you want to look like and stick it someplace you’ll see it all the time. 
Get involved with discussions about muscle building and learn more (check out our forum) 
Watch training and workout videos from the pros before you train 
Fire yourself up before a session with some music that gets you going 

Let’s quickly recap what I’ve just talked about in this article. So if you want to build muscle and gain weight you need to…

Know how many calories your body needs, then eat 500 more than that every day. 
Eat the right amount of protein, carbs and fats in your diet. 
Eat 6-7 meals spread out evenly throughout the day. 
Keep yourself hydrated all day, whether you’re working out or not. 
Get a good workout routine to suit your goals. 
If you’re not growing, change your routine. 
Make sure you’re progressively adding more weight. 
Always use correct exercise technique 
Do the right exercises for your goal 
Train your legs as hard as the rest of your body 
Get enough rest between workouts and muscle groups 
Get enough sleep 
Have good post workout nutrition and supplementation 
Have good pre workout nutrition 
Keep motivated!


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## kyoun1e (Jan 25, 2010)

Overall, I'd say a lot of good info there.

I would say that on 2., I disagree. You need to set your protein first at 1 - 1.5g/lb. From there, divy up the carbs/fat depending on the day (training vs non) and objective (muscle gain vs fat loss).

On 3., I think the eat smaller meals thing is more myth than science. I think at the end of the day it's calories in, calories out. Additionally, the intermittent fasting (IF) community, which has some impressive results in terms of both lean muscle gain and fat loss, would disagree strongly with this idea.

All that said, a beginning bulker could get headed in the right direction with this information. Well done.

KY


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## PushAndPull (Jan 25, 2010)

I think the fast acting whey & sugar post-workout shake is supplement hype. I think eating a full meal immediately after working out is better. For me protien powder is about convenience. I've tried the "post-workout shake", honestly it didn't do shit for me. Otherwise I agree with the rest.


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## kyoun1e (Jan 25, 2010)

Geared Jesus said:


> Maybe. But How could one possible get enough protein in a day with 3 meals? Cramming 100+ grams per meal isnt advisable obviously.
> 
> If you spread your meals out into 6 or more, you can then take in 40-60 grams of protein per sitting and easilly reach the required amount needed for repair/growth.



Yup. Exactly what's difficult about IF. I can't stuff all that food in me in say, an 8 hour window. Others can though on IF. More power to 'em.

KY


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## kyoun1e (Jan 25, 2010)

PushAndPull said:


> I think the fast acting whey & sugar post-workout shake is supplement hype. I think eating a full meal immediately after working out is better. For me protien powder is about convenience. I've tried the "post-workout shake", honestly it didn't do shit for me. Otherwise I agree with the rest.



If you read Lyle MacDonald's "Protein Book" there's a lot of studies that show a whey + carb drink, or better yet, whey/casein mix + carbs post workout is beneficial for protein synthesis. 

Bottom line: Without doubt, get nutrients in you after you workout by hook or crook. 

KY


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## Phineas (Jan 25, 2010)

Very nice! Brings a tear to my eye :')

I like the inclusion of leg training. Such an overlooked aspect of "bodybuilding" to so many guys, and I say guys because it seems women are better balanced in weight lifting; (stupid) men are the ones who tend to focus solely on the upper body muscles visible to the front. 

"If you would be so kind as to look at exhibit A, here we have the Abercrombie and Fitch model. Notice the well-defined, yet thin abdominal muscles, wide, defined, yet flat chest, and defined, decently sized biceps and razor-sharp upper traps. However, on closer inspection we find that there is IN FACT no back muscles, and legs are merely for locomotion. Who needs leg muscle anyway? Girls don't look at legs...pff..."

I think we should round up all male fashion models into squat and deadlift camps.


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## HeavyBomber (Jan 25, 2010)

Who says I'm not building muscle?


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## Captn'stabbin (Jan 25, 2010)

i black out a couple times a week, that really cuts into training.


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## Curt James (Jan 25, 2010)

Captn'stabbin said:


> i black out a couple times a week, that really cuts into training.



haHA  I've read your journal. You're not kidding, _are you?_


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## Moze (Jan 25, 2010)

I really liked the post.  I think it is accurate.  I'm on a maintenance plan, so I prefer the ratio of:

1.5g of protein
1.0g of carbs
.22g of fats

multiplied by bodyweight, for daily intake.


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## theCaptn' (Jan 25, 2010)

kyoun1e said:


> If you read Lyle MacDonald's "Protein Book" there's a lot of studies that show a whey + carb drink, or better yet, whey/casein mix + carbs post workout is beneficial for protein synthesis.
> 
> Bottom line: Without doubt, get nutrients in you after you workout by hook or crook.
> 
> KY


 
500ml skim milk plus 25g whey = better


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## Hoglander (Jan 25, 2010)

I fast from 9pm to 4pm most days. I don't care if I get bigger. It just happens. Every night is like Thanksgiving.

The only rules for me is intensity and lifting more than last time.


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## PushAndPull (Jan 26, 2010)

Hoglander said:


> I fast from 9pm to 4pm most days.



That's brutal.


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## Moze (Jan 26, 2010)

Hoglander said:


> I fast from 9pm to 4pm most days. I don't care if I get bigger. It just happens. Every night is like Thanksgiving.
> 
> 
> The only rules for me is intensity and lifting more than last time.



Why?


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## Hoglander (Jan 26, 2010)

Focus on what needs to be done in a day's work and the belief that eating so often wouldn't be natural to hunter gathers.

Bear in mind that on days off I have catchup days where I eat many meals a day, none hunting days if you will.    

It's just what I feel is right for me. It just feels right. 

It's not part of a bodybuilding.


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## CowPimp (Jan 27, 2010)

kyoun1e said:


> Overall, I'd say a lot of good info there.
> 
> I would say that on 2., I disagree. You need to set your protein first at 1 - 1.5g/lb. From there, divy up the carbs/fat depending on the day (training vs non) and objective (muscle gain vs fat loss).
> 
> ...



I would argue that carbohydrate intake is more important for mass gains the protein intake.  Yes, there is a prerequisite amount of protein that is required, but once that is met, carbohydrate is king.  As well, the amount of protein intake necessary for gaining muscle mass is often grossly exaggerated.  I have seen nothing to indicate that more than .9g of protein per pound of bodyweight is necessary for muscle growth or maintenance of muscle mass on a reduced calorie diet.

As well, I don't think that eating more frequently is pure myth.  There are definitely studies indicating that greater fluctuations from required energy intake result in higher body fat percentages; this includes both undereating AND overeating.  There is also evidence to suggest that if you want to reduce body fat, you maintain muscle mass better when eating more frequently compared to less frequently.  There is also some recent data, though it needs further substantiation, that there is a limit to one's protein absorption in a sitting.  Now, I can't give you exact guidelines on this one, such as what constitutes a sitting, how long before another sitting is viable, does the type of protein matter, etc.  However, my point is there is emerging data to support this.

Although you are right to some extent, that calorie balance is most important, you are assuming that meal frequency does not impact calorie balance.  I would argue, based on additional empirical evidence, that it in fact does.  If you eat less frequently, and therefore have a less desirable body composition, does that not lead to fewer calories out?  Furthermore, I posit that some of the data I mentioned in the other studies is the result of a hormonal cascade altering your metabolic rate to prevent starvation.  I strongly believe that eating 1-2 meals a day wreaks havoc on your metabolism.  Having talked with numerous clients about their eating habits, I have yet to encounter someone who eats that infrequently, even if the portions are substantial, that have anywhere near a desirable body composition.


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## Saney (Jan 27, 2010)

I eat once a day. sometimes i'll throw in a second bowl of Cheerios every now and then..

So it must be the Mdrol 60mgs ED... 

Mdrol > Gears


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## kyoun1e (Jan 27, 2010)

CowPimp said:


> I would argue that carbohydrate intake is more important for mass gains the protein intake.  Yes, there is a prerequisite amount of protein that is required, but once that is met, carbohydrate is king.  As well, the amount of protein intake necessary for gaining muscle mass



Agree 100%. Assuming a sufficient amount of protein, which can be argued of course, carbs, carbs, carbs. On my training days, my carbs are through the roof.

As for the meal frequency thing, I think this is one of those topics that will be debated for the rest of time. There's numerous studies and with that numerous interpretations of those studies. Different strokes for different folks here...and it seems like both approaches (several meals vs IF style) work.

KY


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## CowPimp (Jan 27, 2010)

kyoun1e said:


> Agree 100%. Assuming a sufficient amount of protein, which can be argued of course, carbs, carbs, carbs. On my training days, my carbs are through the roof.
> 
> As for the meal frequency thing, I think this is one of those topics that will be debated for the rest of time. There's numerous studies and with that numerous interpretations of those studies. Different strokes for different folks here...and it seems like both approaches (several meals vs IF style) work.
> 
> KY



Fair enough.  I just didn't think it was accurate to suggest that eating frequently being an efficacious way to build muscle, or at least maintain a more desirable body composition, is a myth, and there is no science to support it.  Although it may not be something studied sufficiently to end up in a textbook just yet, I just thought I would clarify: there is in fact scientific evidence to support it.


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## Captn'stabbin (Jan 27, 2010)

Curt James said:


> haHA  I've read your journal. You're not kidding, _are you?_



unfortunately not, i have a powerful lust for the booze. haha


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## 200+ (Jan 30, 2010)

PushAndPull said:


> I think the fast acting whey & sugar post-workout shake is supplement hype. I think eating a full meal immediately after working out is better. For me protien powder is about convenience. I've tried the "post-workout shake", honestly it didn't do shit for me. Otherwise I agree with the rest.



I've tried the dextrose/whey post-workout and it seemed to work for me


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## PushAndPull (Feb 1, 2010)

200+ said:


> I've tried the dextrose/whey post-workout and it seemed to work for me



Really, how much extra muscle mass do you think you gained compared to not taking it?


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## pitman (Feb 1, 2010)

lone wolf great shit... eat eat eat ,drink alot of water.. hit that shit hard and hard again..


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## flick0069 (Feb 2, 2010)

When building muscle does it matter how many calories you are over your BMR? Is there an advantage of having 1000 calorie surplus vs 500 for example? Would 2000 calorie surplus be better?

You want to maximize your muscle growth without gaining too much fat but I am not sure what the optimal surplus would be.e


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## 200+ (Feb 2, 2010)

PushAndPull said:


> Really, how much extra muscle mass do you think you gained compared to not taking it?



i have no idea.


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## PushAndPull (Feb 3, 2010)

200+ said:


> i have no idea.



Exactly, so you're taking it on faith. I've done the post-workout shakes and I didn't gain any extra muscle or the gain was so small you couldn't notice it.
Here's my point, the title of this article is _Why You're Not Building Muscle_ and not taking a post-workout shake certainly isn't going to stop you from building muscle. In my experiences (Actually tried it twice) and feedback from friends, it doesn't result in any extra muscle gains either.


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## FMJ (Feb 3, 2010)

PushAndPull said:


> Exactly, so you're taking it on faith. I've done the post-workout shakes and I didn't gain any extra muscle or the gain was so small you couldn't notice it.
> Here's my point, the title of this article is _Why You're Not Building Muscle_ and not taking a post-workout shake certainly isn't going to stop you from building muscle. In my experiences (Actually tried it twice) and feedback from friends, it doesn't result in any extra muscle gains either.


 
Agreed! 
Tried it too. I was taking in 4200 calories at one point for a few weeks. 1000 more than my maintainence. I gained 5 pounds in a week. Think that was muscle? Think again. But that's just me. 1000 extra might be good for others. Everyones diff.


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## rockhardly (Feb 3, 2010)

kyoun1e said:


> Agree 100%. Assuming a sufficient amount of protein, which can be argued of course, carbs, carbs, carbs. On my training days, my carbs are through the roof.
> 
> KY



Cowpimp and kyoun1e,

How exactly do carbs coome into play with regards to building muscle?  I was thinking that carbs are an energy source that fuels your workout and helps you work out with greater intensity.  Is this what you mean?


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## Spaullba (Feb 3, 2010)

I am only able to eat 2 "real" meals a day since that is all my college meal plan currently allows for.  On t-th I am running on a glass of whey protein and a granola bar or two until 3:30.  It gets rough, but I have still been able to gain 25 lbs in 4 months (went from 170 to 195, stand 5'10").  I just eat HUGE for my two real meals, to the point where I cannot eat anymore.  I also eat a couple spoons of peanut butter, 3 glasses of whey protein, a bowl of ramen (I know its not ideal but Im in college, I eat what I can get), and a couple granola bars each day.  I have not carefully planned out my P/C/F ratio but I just eat sensibly and it seems to have worked out well.  I am sure eating 6 meals a day would be better, but its still possible to gain muscle mass on a crappy eating schedule like I have if you make sure you are at a caloric surplus and eat sensibly.


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## Merkaba (Feb 4, 2010)

Spaullba said:


> I am only able to eat 2 "real" meals a day since that is all my college meal plan currently allows for.  On t-th I am running on a glass of whey protein and a granola bar or two until 3:30.  It gets rough, but I have still been able to gain 25 lbs in 4 months (went from 170 to 195, stand 5'10").  I just eat HUGE for my two real meals, to the point where I cannot eat anymore.  I also eat a couple spoons of peanut butter, 3 glasses of whey protein, a bowl of ramen (I know its not ideal but Im in college, I eat what I can get), and a couple granola bars each day.  I have not carefully planned out my P/C/F ratio but I just eat sensibly and it seems to have worked out well.  I am sure eating 6 meals a day would be better, but its still possible to gain muscle mass on a crappy eating schedule like I have if you make sure you are at a caloric surplus and eat sensibly.



Actually 6 meals a day isn't much more optimal than two large ones.  I would still try to track my intake, you can estimate as much as possible. You can easily be doing 2000 calorie meals and actually be running too many calories.


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## Spaullba (Feb 4, 2010)

Yeah its very possible.  But I have weighed myself pretty much everyday for the last 4 months and my gains have been pretty consistent and normal for the most part.  I am 5'10" and once I hit 200 lbs I am going to cut down on my intake a bit.  I dont mind being a bit big and a bit less cut (that doesnt mean chubby, just not super lean) since I am training for football.  I did some calorie intake calculations before starting my "diet", I just dont go hard core into the preparation and food journal thing.  I estimate, but I estimate with some research and knowledge behind it.  Calorie tracking would still probably be better its just hard to do as a college student.


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## ninasimren (Feb 8, 2010)

CowPimp said:


> Fair enough.  I just didn't think it was accurate to suggest that eating frequently being an efficacious way to build muscle, or at least maintain a more desirable body composition, is a myth, and there is no science to support it.  Although it may not be something studied sufficiently to end up in a textbook just yet, I just thought I would clarify: there is in fact scientific evidence to support it.







I am agree with your point which you have written, that eating frequently being an efficacious way to build muscle, or at least  maintain a more desirable body composition, is a myth, and there is no  science to support it.


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