How do I gain muscle....not just weight? (The Holy Grail)

What does your weight training program look like?

Great guide to nutrition for people looking to build strength or muscle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAvW6xBZjSk

That is the first video in a series by Eric Helms. Eric Helms is the man and is exceptional at making complicated things sound simple.

You will need to bulk (eat at surplus) and lift heavy on a good program.

You are at a good starting weight, slightly underweight but ok for starting a bulk. Eat slightly over maintenance to start, maybe 200-300 calories daily (you can start smaller and work your way up to this) and lift heavy 3-4 times a week. No cardio.

It might take a good 6 months but you can put on some nice muscle in 6 months.

No cardio? Really?

Cardio can eat up a calorie surplus. Just account for it....

Ok, so probably squeeze in an extra meal on Body Combat days then. Too much fun to give it up

The biggest problem with cardio is that it can interfere with your strength training. The extent to which that happens will depend on the routine that you pick, how well you space it out, and what type / intensity of cardio.

That's one thing that I do like about All Pro's program... There's a royal boat-load of related information in the thread that I linked above, and more in other FAQ type threads, but it really comes down to, "Don't over-do the cardio the day before your heavy lift session" (which is typically the first of three in a given week).

So, you'd be looking at something like:

Sun : Rest
Mon : Heavy lift
Tue : Light cardio
Wed : Medium lift
Thu : Light cardio
Fri : Light lift
Sat : Heavy cardio

... repeat.

Either of the other programs can be managed similarly, but they key -- if you want to increase muscle mass and make progress with the routine -- will be to make sure your muscles are well rested for the strength training. If you plateau early on any of those programs, you're either not eating enough, not resting enough, or both.

Not sure how much you cardio now, but long duration cardio interfered with my strength gains when I was focused on lifting and gaining muscle. I did small sprints only (2-5x 300 yard shuttle sprints) 1 or 2 days a week or the occasional bike ride. After 12 weeks of that I still ran my fastest 2 mile ever, never running more than 300 yards at one time.

Heavy weights, compound lifts, will tax your whole body. Make ya stronger every where. Keeping the cardio limited will help you recover faster from lift day to lift day

Arghhh....take two. I wasn't sure where to post this query, it's kind of an Introduce yourself/nutrition/exercise hybrid. I hope it finds someone who can impart some wisdom

Hi,

I have been on MFP for two weeks now, so I'm just getting to grips with it. It has been such an eye opener! I know what I should be eating, but it is so good to be able to track what I am actually consuming and see where I can make improvements.

The issue I have now, is how to increase my muscle mass. I am 5ft 5in and weigh 50.5kg. I am happy to gain weight, but I am nervous that if I don't make the right adjustments to my exercise plan, or eat the right foods (at the right times) that I will gain weight but not muscle.

At the moment I have set my goals to 40/30/30 Carbs/Protein/Fat and to maintain my weight. I know this is not quite right for muscle gain, but would like some advice before I take the plunge and up my calories.

I will be grateful for any advice

Thanks

Emma

This is the same as asking how can I gain muscle and lost body fat? It's really difficult to do two things at the same time especially when they both rely on either a calorie surplus or deficit.

If you weight lift on a deficit and maintain proper protein intake, you will maintain lean body mass which will make it seem like you are gaining muscle but in reality you are simply toning. However, if you want to be safe, you can eat at maintenance or slightly above and lift so you can gain some muscle mass.