Recovering - Trying to Add Mass

[sarah1]

I recently got very ill and lost a LOT of weight. I am currently a stick at 5’7’’ and at most 105 lbs. I was about 125 previously. My question relates to the best way to go about trying to get back that mass without adding too much fat.

Unfortunately I have been in this situation before…about 1.5 years ago I was also 100 lbs. This was before I discovered T-Nation. My gaining program was basically 45-60 minutes INTENSE elliptical work 6 days a week followed 2 hours later by 30 minutes of weights where weights consisted of basically just trying to get sore…no real order or consistency in exercises. Not much rest either. Usually 8-12 reps.

My diet…it was healthier than average, but I had no ideas about “clean” carbs, etc. I would eat whole grain bread all day long, fats and carbs were mixed, I viewd low fat pudding as a healthy snack.

What happened…it actually worked pretty well. I gained on average a pound a week and the fat was not horrendous, although it is not a level I am willing to accept if I don’t have to.

Now things have changed. I have discovered T-Nation, and it is honestly a mixed blessing. Now I stress about macro breakdowns, how much rest I should be having, timing…etc etc etc.

My immediate thoughts now, being in this position of needing to gain a LOT of weight was that I need to go very slow, watch my macros like crazy, and lift heavy…full body 3 times a week with something like Waturbury Method or something.

However, in the last day I have been musing over this, and I just don’t know. It seems like in my experience when I ONLY do weights with 60 second rest periods and templates like 4x6 or 3x8 I just don’t get lean or stronger, even with a CRAZY strict diet.

The only time I got leaner and stronger (all at once) was over last summer when I was doing 6 full body workouts with ZERO rest periods scheduled as 3 am and 3 pm sessions. Some weeks I even went up to 8. I was always sore, but I was eating over 2000 cals and leaned out WHILE getting stronger.

So this brings me to the idea of G-Flux…is it possible that what really matters the most is how MUCH you’re doing rather than what it is? So should I be rather focusing on just moving as much as I can, burning as many cals as I can and just keeping my muscles in a state of demanding nutrients, or should I try the idea of just lifting heavy and trying to get the weight to come on?

I just feel like my muscles are primed for sucking up nutrients so much less when I just lift heavy. Sure right after is great, but then the next day when I have to rest and recover, is my body really using more fuel, or would I burn more calories by just doing cardio both days?

I really don’t know, and I would appreciate anyone’s input and experience. Part of me at this point just feels like throwing my hands up, saying I’m going to HATE my body for the next year probably as I try to gain, and just eat a lot and whatever…yogurt, dairy, all the stuff I want, since it didn’t seem to matter.

The other half of me wants to CONTROL this…to take it really slow…calculate the exact calories I need, track food intake, etc etc.

What approach is best? Any experience?

Thanks so much to anyone who got through this whole post!

[ONE_STEP_CLOSER]

Although I don’t believe in instinctive training unless and until the guy happens to be an experienced bodybuilder with quite a few years under his training belt,I believe do the training program which appeals to you the most. There are so many awesome programs on this board itself.

Couple of things you should do when trying to gain quality mass.

1 Train smart & choose a good program based on your schedule,time limit,recovery abilities.

2 Concentrate on basic compound movements like the squats,deads,clean & presses, Bench presses etc.They should be the mainstay in your program as they have maximum growth inducing potential.

3 Strive on progressive overload every workout. Strive to get strong and maintain a log book to keep your records. I have always believed that train for the strength and the size will follow regarded that you follow other aspects such as nutrition,rest & recovery.

4 Nutrition. Food is your best anabolic. It ain’t rocket science either so strive to eat every 2 & 1/2 to 3 hours. Concentrate on quality proteins such as chicken breasts, lean beef, fish, egg whites,good quality whey/protein blend powder.For carbs that would be brown rice, sweet potato, cream of wheat,oats, waxy maize etc. Of course don’t forget fibrous carbs like broccoli, green leafy veggies etc & fats like fish oil, Olive oil, natural peanut butter etc.

5 Being consistent in what you do, day in and day out. Be positive and belive in what you do most importantly and if your work hard towards it the fruits will definitely pay off.

6 Supplements like creatine, BCAA are great addition to a well balanced diet.

Hope that helps.

[Robert_P]

Try Waterbury’s high frequency training, my tip would be to start at the article “Bodybuilding’s next Frontier”.

It bases around what you think you do best on, namely total body training twice a day, 3-4 times a week.

For diet, keep it moderately clean, but don’t be afraid to cheat once in a while if you’re trying to add mass.

[Jillybop]

Sarah, I’ve read your many posts here and I am concerned about your mental issues with food and body image. I hesitate to say anything, but it sounds like you have an eating disorder or at least some problems in this area. I encourage you to seek some help with this.

My 2 cents is this. Lift full body 3 days a week (pick a program and go). Eat 2500 calories a day, 6 meals a day, 40-30-30. Limit cardio to a brisk walk on non-lifting days. Drink at least 3L of water a day.

Weigh yourself once a week and make no changes in what you’re doing for at least a month. At the end of one month, see what your gains are and adjust your calorie level up or down as needed. Do not incorporate more cardio until you have reached your previous weight of 125lbs (and maybe not even then).

You NEED to gain weight for health reasons. KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Good health, nutrition and fitness are supposed to be an enjoyable pursuit, not an added source of stress and anxiety. There is no need to be overly complicated, stick with the basics.

I wish you well!