Tips for gaining mass

So today I finally reached my weight loss goal of 150lbs lost! I've been a constant gym rat for the past year and lift 4-5x a week, but I've definitely reached a plateau in terms of mass. I'm going to start refocusing my diet away from losing weight and more towards more lean protein and whole grains (i've always been big on veggies so that's a plus). Outside of the kitchen, does anyone have any tips for gaining muscle mass?

My current gym routine includes around 8-10 different exercises (4-5 exercises per muscle group), 5 sets of 8 reps. Day 1 is Chest/Tris, Day 2 is Legs/Shoulders, Day 3 is Back/Bis, Day 4 is upper body, Day 5 is lower body. I take the GNC brand Amp Protein, 2 scoops as well as their creatine supplement (not the whole strength pack, just the 2 white creatine pills).

Any tips/advice would be greatly appreciated!!

More is not always better. You're doing 40-50 sets a day. Back and bis, then upper body the next day? Let those muscles rest a little. Maybe give arms and legs each their own day.

Amazing weight loss and great determination. But I agree with the overtraining....be careful. Mass = low reps and high weight. And protein intake should be 1 gram for every pound you want to weigh. For example, my target weight is 165lbs so I try to consume around 165 grams of protein per day.

Lower reps for strength, higher reps for size. Calorie surplus, with as many protein sources as possible. Don't depend on whey or other supplements. Eat fish, poultry, beef and dairy. Supplement with whey AND soy where necessary. Which means only as a means to get extra protein calories when you come up short.

Also, don't stick to a routine for too long. And don't depend on weight training alone. Combine low reps/heavy weight and high reps/lower weight, HIIT and cardio for best gains. Eat back your calories and get LOTS of sleep.

That it in a nutshell.

And P.S., do not believe the BS you hear in the bodybuilding community such as:

Cardio/HIIT hurts muscle growth
Soy is bad for you because it "raises estrogen levels"
Fruit makes you fat
5x5 is the best way to make gains
You "need" a multivitamin
Dub

etc etc

Good luck

I like this site http://scoobysworkshop.com/ some good info there. http://www.muscleandfitness.com/ also has plenty of information available online to give you ideas.

Now as far as nutrition goes, get all the protein you can from lean meats and fish but remember that the easiest and fastest absorbed protein is that which you drink. Drink a protein shake before the gym to help prevent catabolism. Drink one immediately afterwards to help kickstart repair. Studies have shown that this makes a difference. If you're really working hard then you'll probably want to take a casein protein shake right before bed. It slowly digests up to 8 hours and will feed your muscles while you sleep rather than letting your body go into a fast. The AMP protein is pretty good stuff. I've used it before. Maybe try some others to mix it up a bit. Isopure is pure whey protein isolate, which is the best form (hence a higher price) and it tastes good. I'm currently taking MusclePharm Combat Powder before bed. It tastes pretty good as well.

A lot of plateau's can be overcome by changing up your routine. Maybe you need to go from barbells to dumbbells, or vice versa. Are you doing forced reps? They're really good for pushing past muscle failure and maximizing growth. How about drop sets? Changing up how you do your sets may help bust that plateau. Also, I would give your muscles more than a day to recover if you're really going to be pushing them that hard. You can also try machines to max out. You don't need a spotter and they target specific muscles better than freeweights. (Although freeweights will always be king.) Creatine is good stuff. Did you do a loading dose first or just consistently taking it?

Wolf pack, I've also heard that cardio hurts muscle growth , so I've been worried....thanks for clarification ...it's hard to know where to begin sometimes as a women and lots of other women like to put out these myths to beginners......:) thanks for sharing

I don't wanna step on toes of other commenters but you don't need all those supplements or use them at certain times. Save yourself some money and get as much nutrition as you can from real food.

Example, one of the posts talks a lot about protein shakes and when to take them. This is complete broscience.

First of all, whey protein - the fastest digesting of all proteins - digests at a rate of 10 grams per hour assuming you take it with just water, and your stomach is empty. If you've eaten recently or take it with milk its even longer. So a 40+ gram shake will cover you for quite a while. You don't need to take a shake before AND after a workout.

Secondly, casein is a great slow digesting protein but you don't need to buy it in a bottle and pay *kitten* loads of money for it. Casein is derived from dairy protein and the best natural source of it cottage cheese and/or plain old milk. One or two servings before bed will still be releasing amino's well after you wake up.

Third - Nutrition timing. Unless you are a professional bodybuilder, don't get your panties in a bunch about timing your meals and supplements. Just eat. The only thing you need to be sure of is at the end of the day when you go to sleep - you've reached your calorie targets for the day.

And finally - so called "catabolism" during workouts and fasts. Don't lose sleep over this. Supplement companies would love it if you did so you'll buy their products, but the reality is - unless you are working out and starving yourself for days at a time, catabolism shouldn't be an issue for you. Catabolism during overnight fasts? Pffft. I (and many people) fast for 16 hours DAILY and I have no problem maintaining or building mass. And I'm 35!

In summary, there's a lot of broscience in the bodybuilding community and a lot of what you read - including some of the studies, are influenced by supplement companies. They can see you coming a mile away.

The human body is fantastically adaptable machine that, honestly - we don't know everything about. But people have been building fabulous physiques since the 1920's without all these supplements and crap you read about. No doubt some of it can be helpful, but for the casual guy trying to put on some mass - don't get all caught up in the propaganda.

Just trying to save you some time and money brah.

The thing that struck me is that the number of times you are lifting a week and how much you are doing every time you lift seems... like a bit much. I don't know how you can even get up in the morning! Personally, I'd stick to mostly a handful of key compound lifts with more weight and fewer reps, and a couple more rest days.

From what I understand, the muscle gains are slower as you add more muscle. The new lifters will gain very quickly and the experienced will gain very slowly as they approach their limit. So depending on where you are at on that spectrum, that could be part of your perceived plateau. Just give it some time.