Spot GAINING

emmab0902

I know spot reduction is impossible but is it possible to add size to a particular muscle group?? I am wanting to gain some mass in my shoulders but not elsewhere - am guessing I need to eat at a surplus but at an already average bodyfat % I am nervous of gaining fat as well. Do you have any tips/wisdom around training and diet tweaking to achieve this or is it not doable.

stroutman81

Yup, you can certainly "spot gain" by selectively training specific muscle groups.

That said, I advocate taking a more balanced approach in the vast majority of cases where all the major muscles are being trained. This reduces the chances of overuse injuries and postural issues stemming from a lack of balance.

If you haven't really strength trained before, you don't necessarily need a calorie surplus. Novices tend to gain due simply to the novelty of the stress irrespective of calories. At least for a little while.

I suppose the real question is, what's your primary goal at the moment? If you're still trying to get leaner, more deficit eating is in order... but supplementing it with a full body strength training program would make some sense.