Yeah, volume is a key to hypertrophy but you have to be working in the 65%+ of 1RM to at the same time. A beginner lifter probably isn't going to have the endurance to train high volume and also lift...
Yes, if you had a period of time where you were completely off of lifting or doing much lower frequency of training you could get a little softer muscles from that too.
I also tack GI stuff too because I have celiac disease and it can help pin point if I'm having issues where I may have been exposed so I can avoid it...
You will only gain fat if you are in a surplus. Eating increased fat while also in a surplus typically accelerates fat storage even more. Your body will more readily store fat as fat if in a surplus...
Yeah, I wasn't meaning to make it sound like whey is bad for you or that you can't make gains just on that for protein. I think a varied diet is best for overall health but for body composition it...
If your avi is accurate you have more lean mass and are more lean than most people. Obviously, the bigger and leaner you are the more you're going to have to lean on whey to be practical.