Help and Opinions to Add Mass

Nutrition
1

Okay, sorry for the length, but I have to go into detail with this. I got Chad Waterbury’s Muscle Revolution a few months ago, and for the last two months I have been following his workout routines trying to add some mass.

The problem I have is with nutrition. First off, I weigh 187-188 lbs, at 16% bodyfat right now. I know a lot of people are going to say I should lean up first before I try to put some weight on. But I have been at 170lbs and 11-12% bodyfat (until I had a knee injury that slowed me down very quickly), The thing is, my body just doesn’t feel healthy that small (I have problems with mental function when I’m eating at maintenance calories for that weight, also with sleep, I was always tired). I really want to add some mass.

I started two months ago at 185 at 14-15% bodyfat, I was eating around 200-300 calories a day over what my maintenance was (2600 cals), and for two weeks I gained nothing eating at a 33/33/33 macro split. The next two weeks I ate the same but changed my macro split to 45/30/25, and still I weighed the same.

The next two weeks I started consuming 2800-2900 calories on cardio days, and 3100-3200 calories on weight days at about a 40/30/30 macro split. In that two weeks I somehow managed to gain two pounds. The kicker is though, the two pounds I gained were all fat. My body fat went up and that was it. These last two weeks I have been switching up my macro intake on training and non-training days (33/33/33 on non training days, and 45/30/25 on training days), doing this I’ve stayed at the same weight and bodyfat.

I eat very clean: oatmeal, sweet potatos, pumpkin, squash, green veggies, eggs, egg whites, chicken, salmon, tuna, lean beef, venison, protein shakes, almonds, cheese (in moderation), natural peanut butter, whole wheat bread, apples, bananas, natural yogurt, flax oil, olive oil, fish oil.

I am just looking for some input and opinions on what I should try doing to get some results. I work my ass off in the gym, That is the one thing I know I have pinned down (on the upside, I am at least getting stronger). I am just at my wit’s end. I am tired of being on the smaller side, and I just don’t know what to do.

I am looking for any constructive help that anyone is willing to put forward. There may have been something I have overlooked, a supplement I could try, really, anything. I know there are some really smart cats on the boards, and any help or suggestions you guys put forward will be greatly appreciated.
Please help me stop being puny.

2

Ok, well the two lbs that you did gain probably wasn’t all fat. There are many normal fluctuation’s in body weight that usually don’t mean too much unless you got a very accurate measure of your body fat like DEXA.

The biggest thing that I get from your post is a lack of consistency over time, you seem to be very dedicated. Pick a macro breakdown, pick a caloric value(300+maintenance) and stick to it for two weeks. At the end of those two weeks make an evaluation, if you aren’t making any gains add another 300kcals a day for another two weeks and make another evaluation.

After three two weeks cycles, take a step back and look at your bodyfat, if it went up, take a week or two and cut. Then repeat the cycles with maybe a macro change, or a caloric change and repeat. I like to cycle my diets like this as I am able to strip off fat and maintain mass. I do a cycle that is similar to the opposite of the one I recommended.

The biggest thing that I can see is to pick something and stick with it for a good amount of time, then change things up; a week really isn’t enough time to make an objective opinion.

3

2 months isn’t enough time to have any, but the vaguest evaluation of where you are, 2 lbs. means literally less than nothing and stop measuring your bodyfat.

Eat more fat and protein, MAYBE less carbs and see if you can find somebody who knows what they’re doing to give you an onsite opinion of what your training looks like. If you are actually working hard, actually are in the high teens for BF, which should mean some readily discernible love handles, are eating even ballpark decent and are a new trainee it’s almost impossible to not be making gains.

One or more of these is off and without being there we are at best stAbbing in the dark as to what the answer is.

4

I have been giving each macro breakdown two weeks. I’m following Waterbury’s Muscle Revolution recommendations, which are actually alot like your advice Zagman. I take my measurements (bf%, waist, etc…) every two weeks just to check my progress.

I’m also not a new trainee. I’ve been training for nearly five years, mainly for functional strength for fighting. I was lean when I was fighting mma, and it made sense for me to be smaller (around 170). I had to eat a lot of carbs to keep my energy up for all my training.

A little over a year and a half ago I suffered a knee injury that put an end to all my fighting (and a lot of my conditioning and leg workouts), and led to me gaining some body fat as I struggled to adjust my diet.

I am now finally able to do deadlifts and heavy squats again, and ridiculously happy about it (though it sucks that I am lifting near 100 lbs less than I used to).

I used to weigh 280lbs, and was fat, no ifs ands or buts, so I’m familiar with losing fat. Also, you can understand why I am so distressed about not wanting to gain any excess fat. I just have no clue how to cleanly put on mass.

I attempting to go up a weight class when I was in mma (from welterweight to middleweight) and I was unable to gain any muscle at all.
I appreciate the advice and suggestions.

Oh, my last three training programs were Thibadeau’s Damn Good Program (2 mos, good strength gains), and the last two were Waterbury’s BBB, and ABBH (both of which resulted in strength gain, but no real mass gain).
thanks again.

5

If you are getting stronger than didn’t gain all fat. There is no way you could measure your bf to decern between 2 lbs of fat and 2 lbs of muscle. Heck when I pinch people I take measurements three times and average them. Two of the measurements could easily be 2lbs of difference from the same session!

I would find a diet on here that works for your lifestyle, goals and FOLLOW it for a period of time, a month maybe?

If you are coming back from an injury with a good training and diet program you should gain a lot of muscle quick. This will allow you to cut with more muscle hence keeping your metabilism up.

just my opinion.

6

I think you are making progress, but are looking so closely that you aren’t seeing it. Do something for 6 weeks then cut any excess gained fat off in a 1-2 week cut. You won’t lose lean mass or lose strength during that week or two of cutting, so you should be able to keep making progress.

Just keep plugging along, a clean diet and a solid training program will work every time.

7

Not to over-simplify things, but…

Eat clean and lift heavy. Often.