1-1.5 lbs a week gain!

hey man, I signed up for the same reason. To make sure I was getting enough calories. The mobile app is better than the desk top version because it gives you the breakdown between carbs, protein, and fats that you need to take in. what they say is true
' you have to eat big to get big' and 'you are what you eat' so try to eat the amount of what the app is telling you. Eating right and training like a beast are important but taking a multi-vitamin, drinking a crap ton of water, and proper rest are the things that let your body train like the aforementioned beast. Remember that over training is just as bad for your body as not training at all.

Your question was the fastest way to gain muscle mass...I strongly recommend you google Mark Rippetoes "Starting Strength" program and read Arnold Schwarzeneggers encyclopedia for modern bodybuilding

Good Luck!

Just keep your calories at the goal it sets you (for gaining that weight) AND eat lots of protein/carbs! Maybe up the protein from 126, because that should be my goal while I am cutting weight.

You're going to need to focus on all your nutrients, not just proteins

Go through to www.iifym.com and there will be an iifym calculator.. Follow the given macros quantities and you should be good to go.. Remember to include fruits and veggies in your diet.. Don't rely on supplements, simply allow them to aid you..

I'd recommend doing a slower weight gain approach, because if too aggressive you'll probably just be gaining fat more over muscle..

Could I recommend a program to you that is structured well..? To be honest the routine you've mentioned doesn't really seem like it's made by anyone professional

For a 21 year old male, judging from your profile pic, you look healthy and fit to me... i have a cousin your age who was very skinny and he gained weight by eating high protein and lifting weights.

I don't know a lot about gaining weight but I can tell you your protein is really low. You're eating as much protein as I do and I'm a 126 lbs female runner trying NOT to even gain muscle.

I have a couple friends on here who look to be about the same size as you and they are trying to gain. They are eating 200+ grams of protein a day and about 400+ carbs.

Scoobys Workshop is a great resource for building muscle. Google him.

I don't know a lot about gaining weight but I can tell you your protein is really low. You're eating as much protein as I do and I'm a 126 lbs female runner trying NOT to even gain muscle.

I have a couple friends on here who look to be about the same size as you and they are trying to gain. They are eating 200+ grams of protein a day and about 400+ carbs.

Scoobys Workshop is a great resource for building muscle. Google him.

OP doesn't need anywhere near 200 grams of protein a day. 1g per lb of lbm is more than enough. .4-.5g per lb of fat. the remaining Tyrese should be filled with carbs. Yes he can add more protein if he wants but it's no necessary.

Yeah this. And i agree with no GOMAD. And really no protein shakes\suppliments at all. If you want to be in it for the long haul, you need to learn how to eat more food and if anything suppliment with a reasonable amount of milk. Also for training I would recommend not doing the body part split and starting off with a decent novice routine with enough volume to grow like Stronglifts or Ice Cream Fitness 5x5 or even the one below.

Alternate A and B routines 3 non consecutive days per week. (Ex. Mon\Wed\Fri, week one ABA week 2 BAB, etc.)

A routine
Mandatory:

Squat 3x8

Superset
Standing barbell press 3x8
Chins 3xfail\3x8 weighted or assisted\lat pull downs 3x8

Optional:

Superset
Any curl 2-10x12
Lying tricep extension 2x10-12

Superset
Calf press 3x12-15
abs 3x10-12

B routine
Mandatory:

Deadlift 1x8

Superset
Bench press 3x8
Barbell Row 3x8

Optional:

Giant set
Shoulder side raise 3x10-12
Face Pulls 3x10-12
Shrugs 3x10-12

Superset
Calf press 3x12-15
abs 3x10-12

Do at least one warmup set for each compound lift with 8 reps at 50% workset weight. An additional warmup with a bit more weight and less reps might be nice. Something like 4 reps at 75% of workset weight.

Find your 8 rep maxes for each lift and start at 20% less than that. Ex. If 135 is the absolute most weight you can bench for 8 reps, start at .8*135=105 and work up from there.

Add 10lbs to deadlifts every workout, 5lbs to squats every workout, 2.5-5lbs to bench, rows, and standing press every workout. Progress on chin-ups as best you can. If you do any optional lifts, add weight\reps as often as you can. I would hold off on adding any of the optional lifts for 2-3 months. Without optional lifts added, each routine should last a bit under 30 minutes.

Rest 90-120 seconds between sets of squats. Rest 30-60 seconds between each exercise on supersets. If you do the full giant set on B routine, probably no rest at all between sets.

Eat at least 1g protein and .45g fat per lb of your lean body mass (total weight minus fat weight). Fill the rest of your calories with whatever, but plenty of carbs. Order a digital food scale from amazon.com Track food on myfitnesspal.com website and\or phone app. Eat to gain 3-4lbs\month for ~3 months then drop back to gaining 2-2.5lbs\month from there.

Hmmm I guess I learned something! Sorry guys, I was just going off what I see all my gaining pals doing - not actual experience. Probably shouldn't have chimed in.

Yup...most people initially think this. I learned it by experience. Once upon a time I took protein shakes and underate. It accomplished nothing.

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no don't get some "gear". thats for guys who don't have the balls to produce their own testosterone.

protein: lean body mass in lbs x 0.8-1 = gramms of protein.(a little more if you like but no need to overdo it.)
fats: bodyweight x 0.5-0.8 = gramms of fat. (a good amount should be polyunsaturated. for a hardgainer a little more fat is not a problem and can have an anabolic effect.)
crabs: increase until you start gaining at the desired rate. simple as that.

if you are looking for a new training program "5/3/1 boring but big" worked great for me.

no don't get some "gear". thats for guys who don't have the balls to produce their own testosterone.

protein: lean body mass in lbs x 0.8-1 = gramms of protein.(a little more if you like but no need to overdo it.)
fats: bodyweight x 0.5-0.8 = gramms of fat. (a good amount should be polyunsaturated. for a hardgainer a little more fat is not a problem and can have an anabolic effect.)
crabs: increase until you start gaining at the desired rate. simple as that.

if you are looking for a new training program "5/3/1 boring but big" worked great for me.

do you even lift bro?

no don't get some "gear". thats for guys who don't have the balls to produce their own testosterone.

protein: lean body mass in lbs x 0.8-1 = gramms of protein.(a little more if you like but no need to overdo it.)
fats: bodyweight x 0.5-0.8 = gramms of fat. (a good amount should be polyunsaturated. for a hardgainer a little more fat is not a problem and can have an anabolic effect.)
crabs: increase until you start gaining at the desired rate. simple as that.

if you are looking for a new training program "5/3/1 boring but big" worked great for me.

do you even lift bro?

Lol exactly. especially the stupid gear comment.

look guys, it's fine that you advocate low protein. but maybe hold off on the advice based on personal experience until you've actually got the experience to begin with. if you weigh 170, you don't have it yet. No offense, but some of the stuff in this gaining weight forum is just silly

if you actually want to gain mass, you aren't going to do it anywhere near quickly at 140 g or whatever protein. you have to gain some fat to maximize lean mass gains. Its just the way it is. if you go at .8 g protein and the macros I've seen posted in this thread and only 3000 Calories etc, you will never gain much mass. it just won't happen. you don't need to get sloppy but you have to make real changes to see real results. you must eat for the size you WANT to be.

you know that gear comment was just a pun, right? but it seems to have hit a nerve with some...

and yes you are right of course. its just' that, since we all store our knowledge in our bodymass, i lost most of it when i cut the last time.

but thankfully the brofessors are in and if they think we should put the 21 year old with little lifting experience on steroids and a 5000+kcal diet than by all means that must be it.

Hey guys, I'm pretty new here; just signed up an hour ago haha.

I'm starting mfp because its really hard for me to gain weight and I thought maybe I should track what I eat and see where it goes. Anyhow, my question is, what is the fastest way to gain muscle mass (healthy weight gain)?. I'm looking for suggestions on my diet, I do consume 1 26g protein & supposedly complete amino acid protein shake a day (Mutant Mass), but would like to supplement it with more.

I work out 3 times a week separating my workouts into chest, arms & back (Monday), abs and legs on Tuesday, shoulders & push-up (to failure) on Thursday, squats & dead lifts on Friday & chest and arms and back again on Saturday. Sunday is usually rest day.

Help! Thanks,

-J

1) You might want to look at a training program that has you under the barbell more frequently instead of a body-part split. All-Pro's routine is a good example, and there are others as well, that should have you pressing/pulling/squatting frequently and adding weight to the bar in a linear fashion as time goes on. Your lifts should be going UP.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843&page=1



2) I'd figure out your maintenance needs and aim for about 1lb/week gain, give or take. Some trial and error will be necessary on your part as you'll need to target a small calorie surplus and then monitor your rate of weight gain and adjust. A good plan would be to take daily weigh-ins and average them out so that you're also seeing a weekly average weight, which you can then monitor (compare changes in average weight over weeks). Adjust calories up or down to land you near that 1lb/week target.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/whats-my-genetic-muscular-potential.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html

As far as energy and macronutrient intake, protein needs will be relatively HIGHER in a caloric deficit (during weight loss) because amino acid oxidation increases.

In non drug users (I'm making an assumption here that you're choosing not to use steroids) eating in an energy surplus (excess calories), I doubt you need to go over 1g/lb total bodyweight in protein and depending on the size of the surplus, you're probably just fine going slightly under it -- but you should have plenty of room to let personal preference play a role here since it should be quite easy to get adequate macronutrition being that calories are in excess.

While the research does point to a number a bit under 1g/lb bodyweight as being sufficient, going slightly above it provided that adherence/performance needs are still being met, seems like a reasonable "cover your *kitten*" idea. This is likely even more important in a caloric deficit. You have more leeway when calories are in excess.

Hey guys, I'm pretty new here; just signed up an hour ago haha.

I'm starting mfp because its really hard for me to gain weight and I thought maybe I should track what I eat and see where it goes. Anyhow, my question is, what is the fastest way to gain muscle mass (healthy weight gain)?. I'm looking for suggestions on my diet, I do consume 1 26g protein & supposedly complete amino acid protein shake a day (Mutant Mass), but would like to supplement it with more.

I work out 3 times a week separating my workouts into chest, arms & back (Monday), abs and legs on Tuesday, shoulders & push-up (to failure) on Thursday, squats & dead lifts on Friday & chest and arms and back again on Saturday. Sunday is usually rest day.

Help! Thanks,

-J

1) You might want to look at a training program that has you under the barbell more frequently instead of a body-part split. All-Pro's routine is a good example, and there are others as well, that should have you pressing/pulling/squatting frequently and adding weight to the bar in a linear fashion as time goes on. Your lifts should be going UP.

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=4195843&page=1



2) I'd figure out your maintenance needs and aim for about 1lb/week gain, give or take. Some trial and error will be necessary on your part as you'll need to target a small calorie surplus and then monitor your rate of weight gain and adjust. A good plan would be to take daily weigh-ins and average them out so that you're also seeing a weekly average weight, which you can then monitor (compare changes in average weight over weeks). Adjust calories up or down to land you near that 1lb/week target.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/whats-my-genetic-muscular-potential.html
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html

As far as energy and macronutrient intake, protein needs will be relatively HIGHER in a caloric deficit (during weight loss) because amino acid oxidation increases.

In non drug users (I'm making an assumption here that you're choosing not to use steroids) eating in an energy surplus (excess calories), I doubt you need to go over 1g/lb total bodyweight in protein and depending on the size of the surplus, you're probably just fine going slightly under it -- but you should have plenty of room to let personal preference play a role here since it should be quite easy to get adequate macronutrition being that calories are in excess.

While the research does point to a number a bit under 1g/lb bodyweight as being sufficient, going slightly above it provided that adherence/performance needs are still being met, seems like a reasonable "cover your *kitten*" idea. This is likely even more important in a caloric deficit. You have more leeway when calories are in excess.

OP, if you listen to anything in this thread, I hope it is this^