Gaining Muscle Mass

I think it has to do more with the fact that my trainer's first focus was dropping that bfi of mine that was high. She has done an amazing job tbh. 30 lbs of fat and almost 20% bfi off in one year is impressive as well as getting stronger. Thanks for the food tips, I think I will avoid the five guys, chips,oreo, ice cream tip... there is such a thing as food that is simply grease and bad for you.. (ps take the burger war to another thread pls ) No thanks. Besides I can outgrill those boys lol.

I like the beans idea too. I will switch some things around and post in a month on this to see hom I am progressing.

If you're going to take one thing away from this thread:

If you want to gain mass, eat more. If you're still not gaining after 2 weeks, eat more. Rinse, Repeat.

Internet pedantry is not required. Training hard and eating more is.

Doesn't matter where you get the nutrients. If you're not a fan of burger joints don't have them. But make sure you have something, anything. And if you want to build muscle, you'll find it a lot easier with carbs. Pasta/bread/rice - calorie dense and easy to eat.

I think it has to do more with the fact that my trainer's first focus was dropping that bfi of mine that was high. She has done an amazing job tbh. 30 lbs of fat and almost 20% bfi off in one year is impressive as well as getting stronger. Thanks for the food tips, I think I will avoid the five guys, chips,oreo, ice cream tip... there is such a thing as food that is simply grease and bad for you.. (ps take the burger war to another thread pls ) No thanks. Besides I can outgrill those boys lol.

I like the beans idea too. I will switch some things around and post in a month on this to see hom I am progressing.

The point is this, you said you are struggling even getting in 2000 calories. The only solution therefore is higher calorie denser foods. If you try and bulk with high fibre foods your stomach will blow up like a balloon and you will feel extremely uncomfortable.

You can keep your saturated fats within healthy guidelines, but there's plenty of other high calorie food that will be perfect for a bulk.

Don't get caught up in the so called clean eating for bulking. The true definition of clean bulk is keeping your calories tightly controlled to 3500 extra a week, or 500 per day. Max muscle gains with the expected but minimum fat gain.

Also, after lifting, you need fast carbs to transport the amino acids into the cells. Think bagels, cream cheese, fish, mmmmmm.

Muscle Milk is an excellent product ... at making you poor. Just get some whey protein, mix it with real milk, add in ice, a banana and some peanut butter, and you have a 500 calorie shake.

Goodness, I felt like 2200 hundred calories was a glass of milk..I'm up to 3400 calories..That shyt is crazy...and none of it is fastfood or fried..and then I wake up in the morning ready to eat a door or a dresser. haha Good luck.

OK, I had back surgery in the past so am careful with how I lift so I started working with a trainer over the past year. I have gotten great results (down from 27% bfi to 9%) and have loss 30 lbs of fat...ick. Here is my issue. I am 5'8 138 lbs and am a lean build and always have been as Ive been a runner most of my life. My trainer keeps my carbs at no more than 150 per day and is shoveling protein down me and I struggle to get in 2000 calories as thats just a lot for me. What I need help with is building muscle mass. I am getting stronger and can outlift guys with arms twice my size but my arms dont seem to be really gaining mass. Ive cut back on my workout as I was overtraining and working out 3 days a week now. Abs on all 3 days and rotate those 3 days between legs/thighs, back/chest, bis/tris. I have moved from 5 sets of 5 and progressed to dropsets a month ago. Id appreciate any suggestions on helping out or changes I need to make. P.S. the weights are at a level that going higher won't work and lighter is too light.

Wanna see something amazing happen???

Do about 3 days of carbs at 350 gr / day.
Minimal to low fat
And protein at say 225 gr / day.

You will fill out....
Do a couple nights of pancakes and syrup.

But you need a calorie surplus to put on mass number 1.
And you also need more carbs, carbs help with muscle growth.

Also, after lifting, you need fast carbs to transport the amino acids into the cells. Think bagels, cream cheese, fish, mmmmmm.

gummie bears.

Cute! I've got this picture in my head now of gummy bears running through your veins with packages of amino acids.

2000 calories is too low. If you're 5'8" and 138 lbs and moderately active (3-5hrs of moderate exercise per week) then just using a basic calorie calculator shows that you need at least 2400 calories a day just to maintain your weight. Maybe you're not training that much per week, but even only 1-3 hrs of light exercise you'd need 2100 calories to maintain your weight. You need to eat over that amount to gain any muscle.

I would try to eat 2400-2600 calories per day and get in 1g/1lb of LBM in protein and see how it goes over a week or two. I think ideally you want to be gaining about 0.5 lb per week to slowly bulk. Adding muscle naturally takes time, gaining much faster than 0.5 lb or 1 lb per week is just going to result in additional fat gains, unless you have awesome genes and you're taking steroids.

Here's a calorie calculator to help you out, it's where I got the figures from above. It may not be 100% accurate, but it'll give you a good idea of where to start and then you can adjust from there. But no calorie surplus means no added muscle mass. You'll just get some strength gains from your nerve fibers adapting and finding more efficient ways to lift the weight.

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

What does your Postworkout Nutrition look like?
How is your sleep?
How is your weight training intensity?

2000 calories is too low for you. I would nix running and look into steady state cardio to get your heart rate in the fat burning zone. Maybe for 15 min post weight training workouts to lean you out. Or a stand alone 30 minute cardio session 5 days a week. You really need to get your diet right to put on the mass.

I eat 6 times a day every three hours and workout 5 days a week on a clean bulk diet. I do eat when I am not hungry...I have too...to gain mass. I also do five 35 min cardio sessions. Body Builders do not starve fat off...they burn it off with cardio.