How to gain muscle mass and increase strength.

Gaining weight is hard work

Unpopular opinion I know. Hear me out before you throw sticks. While there are many that struggle to lose weight, there are those ‘hard gainers’ that struggle to gain weight. Sure, if you ate hot dogs, burgers and pizzas all day everyday, you’d eventually gain weight, but gaining quality weight in muscle. Is. So. Freaking. Hard.

 You can lose weight simply by changing your diet, you can’t however, gain muscle by changing your diet. You with me? 

 Weight loss is pretty simple (in theory)

You see, if you eat less, in theory you should lose weight. Your body doesn’t really get picky about what it loses, it just does. Gaining weight in muscle though? You have to eat a lot of food, lift really heavy, and…….. accept that the weight gain will likely come with a lot of fat too. Some may be luckier than others and may genetically be able to build muscle with minimal fat. Lucky you. I hate you a little. For someone like me, gaining muscle is like trying to find a unicorn at the end of a rainbow. 

Some misconceptions about going on a bulk.

Myth #1. You can eat whatever you want.

Yes and no. As someone who has a pretty balanced diet anyway, yes eat the same, just increase the total calorie intake. But if you think you can just eat junk food and build muscle, you couldn’t be more wrong.

When I enter a bulking phase I eat pretty much exactly how I eat during maintenance but more. I eat majority home cooked meals with loads of whole foods made of vegetables and lean protein and of course I include some of my favourite treats.

Myth #2 You’ll never feel hungry.

This is likely where people get it wrong. Our bodies will feel hunger from time to time. If you never allow your body to feel full ever, you are likely eating way more than you need too. Remember when we are talking about gaining quality weight it’s not just about stuffing yourself with whatever you want in whatever quantities you want.

The basic good nutrition rules still apply: eating quality food, eating carbs at the right times for better recovery, and choosing majority whole foods.

Myth #3 You have to focus on protein.

When you are eating with a goal to build muscle, your protein intake can remain the same as a maintenance phase (somewhere between 0.85-1.3g per lb of body weight for active women and 0.95-1.35 for active men).

Increasing your carbohydrate intake will give your body the fuel it needs to lift heavier which is where the muscle building process comes from.

Myth #4 You can gain pure muscle on a bulk

Because gaining muscle requires your body to be in a calorie surplus, it is likely that you will gain fat in the process too. This won’t last forever if you follow a nutrition plan with a clear exit strategy.

One of the biggest emotional challenges with increasing calorie intake is watching your bathroom scale increase over time. It’s important to understand that there really isn’t such thing as “lean muscle”. Muscle is muscle, and you can have lean body mass but in order to create muscle you have to eat and build for it, whereas revealing the muscle under the layers of fat, you have to cut for it.

So lets look at what you can do to build muscle.

Start by determining your calorie needs.

If you are new to calorie counting and tracking read this blog here about How To Count Calories For Weight Loss and Muscle Gain.

Follow these simple rules

#1 Add lean proteins to your diet

We all know that protein will help us build muscle, so eat your protein. Choose good quality sources. If you are a plant based eater read this blog about How To Get Enough Protein On A Plant Based Diet. Most people I coach don’t eat enough protein on maintenance. As mentioned above, starting at a base of maintenance protein intake will suffice.

#2 Include sugary carbohydrate-dense foods or drinks during and after each exercise session.

Peri workout carbs will be your ticket to success. Carb cycling around training sessions will allow your body to recover from each session so that you can train harder, longer and be fresh for the following session.

#3 Eat whole, minimally processed carb-dense foods liberally during every meal.

As mentioned above, carbs are really going to be the macro hero that helps you to build muscle during a bulk as it is a great source of energy during exercise. Plus carbs are fun.

#4 Up your vegetable game

Consume a 2:1 vegetable to fruit ratio through the day. Bulking isn’t about eating processed foods just to gain weight. You want good quality fuel so you can hit your gym sessions with the right nutrients, and feel great.

#5 Lift heavy weights

There are a lot of myths that surround weight training, that women should train differently to men or that lifting makes women bulky. None of that is true. If you don’t know where to start, most gyms have PT’s so find one and speak to them.

When it comes to changing body composition (muscle to fat partitioning ratio) its 90% what you put in your body and 10% how you train. You can’t really do one without the other. Weight loss can be achieved without any exercise but building muscle requires a strategy along with a nutrition plan.

Let me know if you find any of these helpful.

As always I’m here if anyone wants a chat.