Need some advice on gaining weight/muscle mass

mkarias1

I started working out about 17 weeks ago (following Mike Matthew's workout plan). My goal is to accumulate some muscle mass. I have been following high weights/low reps (4-6 reps) plan and progressively increasing the weights. I have not weighed myself but I think I gained about 8-10 lbs (my initial weight was about 138lbs on 7/17/16). Although I am getting some definition, I feel that my build is not where it should be. I know I am getting stronger as I my weight load on various exercises are higher. I have to measure my gut but I think it is a little bigger which I know one cannot really gain mass and lose fat at the same time. My goal is to cut once I get to the weight that I want (targeting 155-160lbs). I think my issue is nutrition. I am fine on the protein intake (.92-1 grams per lb). My macros are 55% carbs/20% fat/25% protein. However I am rarely eating the carb minimum nor reaching my required calorie intake based on a couple of different calculators. Basically, I think I am not growing mass because my carb and calorie intake are not reaching the minimum. My carb intake should be 321grams (based on my starting weight) and my calorie intake should be 2,335. Unfortunately I fail to meet that. I am not sure if those mass gainers are good but I think that will help. It's tough for me to eat that many carbs and calories (at least trying to not eat junk food). Also I rarely hit my macro numbers. Seems that my fat intake is high at times so that does not help.

Here are my numbers for the past 90 days so you can see:






Do you think I am right that I am not gaining mass because I don't eat enough carbs/calories? I think mass gainers may help (looking at BSN True Mass). Or can you recommend a good quality brand? Thanks!

psuLemon

Step 1 - go weigh your
Step 2 - report your findings


If you are actively gaining weight and following a progressive overload program than you should be gaining some muscle. If you haven't been consistent with your diet its possible you gained a higher ratio of fat to muscle.

Not hitting your carb targets will not prevent muscle gains. Not hitting your calories will. The bigger drivers for protein synthesis are leucine and training stress. Carbs help but you can bulk with lower levels of carbs.... even on keto.


So lets baseline things with a current weight.

serapel

In my experience, as long as I'm hitting my protein intake, I gain mass with progressive overload.

serapel

It's also going to take time. The first 4-6 weeks, you are not gaining muscle, but your brain is creating neuro connections...something like that

mkarias1

psuLemon wrote: »

Step 1 - go weigh your
Step 2 - report your findings


If you are actively gaining weight and following a progressive overload program than you should be gaining some muscle. If you haven't been consistent with your diet its possible you gained a higher ratio of fat to muscle.

Not hitting your carb targets will not prevent muscle gains. Not hitting your calories will. The bigger drivers for protein synthesis are leucine and training stress. Carbs help but you can bulk with lower levels of carbs.... even on keto.


So lets baseline things with a current weight.

Thanks. I will send you my current weight when I do that (I usually weigh myself 3x early morning and average it) plus my last 2 readings.

I was under the impression that not eating enough carbs limits protein synthesis.

psuLemon

mkarias1 wrote: »

psuLemon wrote: »

Step 1 - go weigh your
Step 2 - report your findings


If you are actively gaining weight and following a progressive overload program than you should be gaining some muscle. If you haven't been consistent with your diet its possible you gained a higher ratio of fat to muscle.

Not hitting your carb targets will not prevent muscle gains. Not hitting your calories will. The bigger drivers for protein synthesis are leucine and training stress. Carbs help but you can bulk with lower levels of carbs.... even on keto.


So lets baseline things with a current weight.

Thanks. I will send you my current weight when I do that (I usually weigh myself 3x early morning and average it) plus my last 2 readings.

I was under the impression that not eating enough carbs limits protein synthesis.

You carb levels aren't low enough that there would be any noticeable difference. If you where keto bulker, there would be other variables to consider and different approaches (timed and/or refeeds).

mkarias1

psuLemon wrote: »

Step 1 - go weigh your
Step 2 - report your findings


If you are actively gaining weight and following a progressive overload program than you should be gaining some muscle. If you haven't been consistent with your diet its possible you gained a higher ratio of fat to muscle.

Not hitting your carb targets will not prevent muscle gains. Not hitting your calories will. The bigger drivers for protein synthesis are leucine and training stress. Carbs help but you can bulk with lower levels of carbs.... even on keto.


So lets baseline things with a current weight.

Back in July 2016, my weight was 137lbs (I'm 5'9"). My goal is to gain some mass, not huge but pack on 10-15 pounds of muscles. I recently weigh myself and I am about 147lbs so I gained about 10lbs in about 4 months. That is the good news, nice weight gain.

In addition, I measured myself and saw some increases in my thighs, chest, arms, etc. (but not a lot or visually noticeable). What I did not like to see is my waist increased from about 31.5" to almost 34". So I am gaining too much fat. I calculated my calorie intake to about 2,335 but I rarely hit that mark. I seem to fail to hit my minimum carb requirement too. I average about 2,200-2,100 calories per day. My target carb is 321g/day but average about 270g/day. My protein intake is about 135g/day while my fat intake is about 65-70g/day. I thought I needed more carbs and calories (the mass gainer that I mentioned). However after seeing my stomach grow big, I don't know if the mass gainer is the right move.