Trying to gain weight

[herzblutx88]

Ive been trying to bulk for about a week and a half now. I started at 138, and I have been going up but I cant figure out if Im gaining or not. Sometimes Ill go to bed at around 147 and by morning im 143?! Even if I cant figure it out by weight I can see a noticable difference in the overall density in my muscles. For a guy whos 143 or so Ive been multiplying my weight by 20, 2860, but ive been eating 3000 calories just in case. How much weight should I be expecting to put on in a week? Im clean bulking with no junk at all.

[tbohacker]

Well if your eating clean and taking in those 3000 calories i would say 1-2 pounds a week. Anymore than that and its certainly going to be fat. Clean bulking is a slower process than just eating whatever, but the end result is much better. Good luck and stick with it.

[massive member]

taking your bodyweight and multiplying it by a certain number isnt gonna cut it. keep track of your calories each day and if you're not gaining, up them by about 300. maintain that amount for a week then see what the scale says. if you didnt gain, add 300 more.

the most you want to aim for is 1-2lbs a week. for some ppl, its 1-2lbs every two weeks.

[pu12en12g]

Diet:

-Total daily calorie intake. This is what will make / break you
-Total daily calorie intake. This is what will make / break you
-Total daily calorie intake. This is what will make / break you

- It is NOT efficient to try and lost fat AND gain muscle at the same time
- It is NOT efficient to try and lost fat AND gain muscle at the same time
- It is NOT efficient to try and lost fat AND gain muscle at the same time

- BMR and nutrition calculator (click here)

- Total Daily Protein Intake (for best results I recommend AROUND 2g per lb of bodyweight)

- Fatloss basics. READ IT:

- Foods (Good vs. Bad):

- If there was ONE SINGLE KEY to the gains I made in the 1 1/2 years when I went from 175-225 (my best.. leanest gains), it is OATS / STEEL CUT OATS ! The emphasis here is that oats / steel cut oats are a INEXPENSIVE, HEALTHY, yet VERY CALORIE DENSE FOOD. I saw lean gains like I had never seen before. But NO THEY DON'T TASTE GOOD. YOU HAVE TO FORCE FEED THEM. This gets old fast. I added about 1 cup of oats to each protein shake.

When bulking (to gain lean muscle mass), I aim for:

- 1lb lean beef per day
- 1 Gallon Skim Milk per day
- Around 2000 cals per day from oats
- Lots of protein shakes (up to 8 per day)
- Lean chicken
- Lean turkey
- Lean beef / sloppy Joes (manwich)
- Hamburger Helper
- Lots of pasta
- Lots of tuna
- Potatoes
- Rice (Note: If you can afford it you can do things like boneless chicken breast, steaks etc.. etc..)
- Veggies (Fresh if possible)

When cutting (to lose fat):

- I eat many of the same foods above, but with a lower TOTAL DAILY CALORIE INTAKE

- I put a emphasis on PRE- and POST-workout nutrition, and the end result is that most of my calories are eaten before my afternoon workout. I have found this to be ideal (for me).




Supplements:

- SAVE $$$$$ ! ! STICK WITH THE BASICS ! ! )

Multivitamin
10 lb bags of Optimum Whey Protein (This includes a great BCAA profile AND glutamine) (Note: I recommend Choc / Choc Mint only)
Creapure Creatine or Creatine Ethyl Ester HCL or Magnesium Creatine Chelate

Cold Pressed Flaxseed oil (and / or fishoil

- Stay on creatine, there is no need to cycle it ! (cycling and loading are totally optional)

- Creatine timing (when / how to take it):

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=307788
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/author22.htm

- For best results, aim for AROUND 2g of total daily protein intake per lb of bodyweight EVERY SINGLE DAY ! !

Example:

Bodyweight: 200lbs
Total daily protein intake: 400g

Here is why:

http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/...oprejudice.htm
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=337536
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=392907

Workout / Routine:

- I recommend a MAX-OT, 5x5, HST (or similar) routine with a EMPHASIS ON:

- Squatting / Leg pressing
- Deadlifts
- Barbell benchpress (Including flat / decline / incline)

- Both BB's and DB's for best results

- Concentrate more on measurements and less on bodyweight

- Weigh yourself once a week. Should gain (or lose) around 1lb per week (depending on goals).

- Concentrate on form first, in order to stay injury free

- Emphasize both range of motion, and mind-muscle connection

- With intensity, strength gains, and a proper bodybuilding diet, the size gains (or fatloss) will come

- Make sure and have a spotter when working out your major muscle groups, preferrably someone bigger than you

- Don't be scared of overtraining. Simply listen (pay attention) to your body, and ask more questions later if you think you are overtraining.





Cardio:

- If possible, do cardio at least 8 hours from when you lift weights

- If possible, do cardio in the AM after sleeping.

- No need to do cardio on a empty stomach, but many prefer to due to nausea

- Jumping rope is a very efficient form of cardio

- HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is a efficient form of cardio






Recovery (A.K.A GROWTH !):

- With proper intensity MUST COME PROPER RECOVERY !

- Make sure and get enough protein right before you go to sleep.

- Make sure and get enough protein/carbs right when you wake up

- Make sure and get enough deep, quality sleep (Not getting enough quality sleep is the #1 newbie mistake. You should aim for at least 8 QUALITY hours of sleep per night):

http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/...sleep_1_pr.htm
http://www.johnberardi.com/articles/...sleep_2_pr.htm

- Make sure and get enough protein / calories on off days (This is when your body will be recovering) It is important to be consistent !

- Make sure and get proper pre and post-workout nutrition:

Carbs pre and post workout.
Protein pre and post workout.
Creatine pre and post workout:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=272067

H20 / Cell volumization:

- Make sure and drink enough water throughout the day (This is CRITICAL ! !) I drink about 1 liter per hour. (Keep in mind I am currently over 240lbs so you may not need this much) Click here to read about why this is SO IMPORTANT:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=332329
http://www.t-nation.com/findArticle....le=301stretch2
http://www.biochemj.org/bj/313/0697/3130697.pdf
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/author22.htm

Good luck !

Disclaimer: The above post is IN MY OPINION, or IN MY EXPERIENCE, unless otherwise noted.

[rockstarsar]

How much weight should I be expecting to put on in a week? Im clean bulking with no junk at all.

Clean eating? No more than a pound a week, and that's pushing it (if you want to stay very lean). Typically, half a pound or so of muscle can be gained a week. Occasionally a freak comes through and gets a whole pound. Some people don't care about putting on fat so they gain a pound or two a week, and just diet it off later. It just comes down to how you feel about fat.