Weight & Muscle Gain

[5044931]

Hey guys.

What’s the quickest way to gain mass/muscle/weight?

I have a 6 month goal to totally bulk up and change my body, I’m already athletic but I just want more mass!

Should I bulk like crazy? Or does anyone have any other suggestions?

 

[Indigo20]

I find it is better to cut some before trying to bulk. Do you workout regularly already? Do you have a history in the gym? Any body forms you aspire to become?

If you are just starting out, it is good to work on form and muscle activation. That way when you are trying to get big you can isolate and build better!

 

[DSF140]

It's impossible to give you an answer without seeing how you look. Mass, muscle, and weight are different concepts. To put it in layman's terms, and without my knowing your English fluency, to put on MUSCLE mass you have to overwork your muscles and allow them to heal. They will rebuild in ever-so-slightly larger size.

 

[Indigo20]

It's impossible to give you an answer without seeing how you look. Mass, muscle, and weight are different concepts. To put it in layman's terms, and without my knowing your English fluency, to put on MUSCLE mass you have to overwork your muscles and allow them to heal. They will rebuild in ever-so-slightly larger size.

agreed!

 

[twoton]

There are a lot of websites that promote big lifting and big eating. I’ve never immersed myself in it, but that seems to be the wisdom of the past 50-60 years.

My own add to that wisdom is that a coach would be key. Maybe not a personal trainer, but a coach who specifically works with big lifts.

 

[socalfreak]

Hey guys.

What’s the quickest way to gain mass/muscle/weight?

I have a 6 month goal to totally bulk up and change my body, I’m already athletic but I just want more mass!

Should I bulk like crazy? Or does anyone have any other suggestions?

Like mentioned in an earlier post, you need 3 things to gain muscle:
Stimulation . Resistance training with a high intensity and consistency.
Nutrition. Proper dietary habits, to help the body heal and grow from the muscles being worked.
Recovery. Sleep/time off. You grow OUTSIDE the gym, not in it.

If any of those aren't right, you won't get good results (or any results at all, possibly).

You seem to be fixated on getting to your goal "fast".
If you try to "bulk like crazy", in an attempt to gain weight, you'll most likely get fat and bloated. You'll look like crap & feel like crap.
If you look at what athletes/bodybuilders do these days, you'll see that the old mentality of blowing up like a pig off-season & dieting down like a madman to lean out is all but dead.

What I would suggest is to start writing down everything you eat everyday.
Have a set calorie goal every day.
Increase your goal by 200-300 calories a day & stick with it for two weeks.
Check your progress.
If you hit a plateau, increase your calorie goal by another 200-300 a day.
Stick with it for two weeks.
Check your progress.
Etc, etc, etc...

Keep protein intake high... At least 200 grams a day.

Lots of water. Every single process in your body requires water in the equation.
You'll be putting a higher demand on your systems & they need water to function.

Eat many times a day. Ideally, every 2-3 hours. Protein in every meal.
(I eat 7-8 times a day on average).

Fats are your friend.
High calorie and healthy.
Nuts, avocado, fish...

Stay away from sugar. Possibly the worst thing you can put in your body.
Inflammatory response & uneven insulin spikes will kill your diet.

Two big points here:

BE CONSISTENT.
Tired? Raining out? Headphones broken?
Too bad. Get your butt to the gym.

Full? Not hungry? Don't feel like another meal?
Too bad. When it's time to eat, do it.

DON'T LISTEN TO OTHERS AND THEIR BULLSHIT.
By that, I mean, advertising... Gym idiots... Anyone trying to sell you something...
YOU are the most knowledgeable person about your body and what it's doing.
What I do may not work for you.
What someone else does may not work for me.

There are no "tricks" or magic bullets.
Train hard.
Eat well.
Recover.

That's it.
That's literally all you need.
You just need to personalize it to how your body responds.

I hope at least some of that helped.
Good luck!

 

[Hung10x]

Bulks have never worked for me mainly because I feel ill if i force myself to eat a lot. Time+progressive overload at the gym has seen the best results. I also wouldn’t hold yourself to 6 months. If you want to change your body it’s a long term commitment because you’ll always find things to improve. Good luck!

 

[5044931]

I find it is better to cut some before trying to bulk. Do you workout regularly already? Do you have a history in the gym? Any body forms you aspire to become?

If you are just starting out, it is good to work on form and muscle activation. That way when you are trying to get big you can isolate and build better!

Yeah I’m already fit. I’ve an athletic body type, but I’m skinny. Before the quarantine I went to the gym, but any bulk I had on my arms and chest literally disappeared since.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[andigazed]

Hey guys.

What’s the quickest way to gain mass/muscle/weight?

I have a 6 month goal to totally bulk up and change my body, I’m already athletic but I just want more mass!

Should I bulk like crazy? Or does anyone have any other suggestions?

Did you get good advice? My trainer said that skinny guys will find it easier to add muscle mass, than guys who are obese. Can anyone explain why it's harder to turn fat into muscle than add muscle to a lighter weight frame?

 

[socalfreak]

I obviously wasn't there when your trainer made that claim. So, I don't know what the context of the conversation was or his point he was trying to make.
But...
If he meant that adding muscle will be more noticeable on a skinny guy than an obese guy, ... That is true.
If he meant that if both guys trained hard, adjusted their diets, and the obese guy wouldn't put on muscle... He's wrong.
If everything is equal: hormones, macros, training intensity... They'll both add muscle the same.

You don't "turn fat into muscle".
You get rid of the fat & build muscle.
Also, your muscles don't turn into fat, when you get older or stop training.
They are completely separate substances.

 

[DSF140]

I obviously wasn't there when your trainer made that claim. So, I don't know what the context of the conversation was or his point he was trying to make.
But...
If he meant that adding muscle will be more noticeable on a skinny guy than an obese guy, ... That is true.
If he meant that if both guys trained hard, adjusted their diets, and the obese guy wouldn't put on muscle... He's wrong.
If everything is equal: hormones, macros, training intensity... They'll both add muscle the same.

You don't "turn fat into muscle".
You get rid of the fat & build muscle.
Also, your muscles don't turn into fat, when you get older or stop training.
They are completely separate substances.

Exactly. I could not have said it any better.

 

[bothhands]

In short....eat and put in the work! If consistent it will come.

 

[andigazed]

I obviously wasn't there when your trainer made that claim. So, I don't know what the context of the conversation was or his point he was trying to make.
But...
If he meant that adding muscle will be more noticeable on a skinny guy than an obese guy, ... That is true.
If he meant that if both guys trained hard, adjusted their diets, and the obese guy wouldn't put on muscle... He's wrong.
If everything is equal: hormones, macros, training intensity... They'll both add muscle the same.

You don't "turn fat into muscle".
You get rid of the fat & build muscle.
Also, your muscles don't turn into fat, when you get older or stop training.
They are completely separate substances.

I'm thinking my trainer meant if you weigh 300 pounds, and want to be 200 pounds of muscle, you have 2 trim the fat, and build muscle, two steps which may take longer than the 170 pound guy who has to add 30 pounds of muscle in one step. I must have misunderstood.

 

[socalfreak]

I'm thinking my trainer meant if you weigh 300 pounds, and want to be 200 pounds of muscle, you have 2 trim the fat, and build muscle, two steps which may take longer than the 170 pound guy who has to add 30 pounds of muscle in one step. I must have misunderstood.

Well,... Maybe.
That depends on how much muscle the 300 lb person has to start with.
Also, there's no reason to try and lose a bunch of weight/fat and THEN put on muscle.
You can do both at the same time.
But, I understand the intent of what he was saying.