Put in its very simplest form; if you wanted to increase your weight you must be eating more calories (energy) than you are expending. I.e. Energy in (calories in) must be more than energy out (calories out). Below are examples and explanations of how the body puts 'Energy In' and puts 'Energy Out:Energy in:This refers to anything that contains calories/ energy. Examples include:
- Any Food
- Juices/ Cordials
- Soft drinks
Energy Out:
This refers to ways in which energy is expended in the body, this occurs in 3 ways:
Through the movement of your body. Any movement produced by your body requires energy, a general rule of thumb is the more muscle fibres used to move the more calories you will be using or 'burning'. E.g. Running on a treadmill burns more calories than cycling on a gym bike since the gym bike only requires the leg muscles to move, whereas running requires muscles throughout the entire body to work.
Through the digesting of your food. Few people know the actual eating and digestion of food will result in 'energy out' i.e. you expending energy and burning calories when eating.
Through simply keeping alive. Your body burns calories even when you are doing nothing, this is known as your Basal Metabolic rate, and is the number of calories you expend merely keeping the body functioning at rest.
Mathematically minded, I've explained the concept of gaining weight below. Consuming more calories than you expend is known as 'Energy Surplus.' This can be shown through the following equation: Energy Surplus = Energy expended (exercise, metabolism, thermic effect of feeding) < (less than) Energy taken in (Food + Drink)Nutrition for Gaining Weight and Increasing Muscle Size
On it’s most basic level, to increase muscle mass you must be consuming 500 more calories than you are expending and combine this with an efficient weight training regime. But as well as this energy surplus, you must be aware of the quality of food, not just the quantity. Your diet should consist of:
50% carbohydrates:
oats
root vegetables
bananas
barley
beans
lentils
nuts
sweetcorn
wholegrain cereals
wholemeal breads
brown rice
chickpeas
wholemeal cereals
parsnips
potatoes
wholemeal flour
wholemeal pasta
yams
35% Protein:
Beef, poultry, pork and lamb
Fish and shellfish
Dairy products, including cottage cheese, cheese, yoghurt and milk
Eggs, egg whites or egg substitutes
Dry beans, peas, oats and legumes
Tofu and soy products
Nuts and seeds
15% Fats:
Vegetable oils
Salmon
Tuna
Nuts
But to actually work out the quantity of each nutrient needed to increase muscle mass, use these equations below:
Protein: 1- 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight e.g. For a 170lb person wanting to bulk up, they must eat between 170 - 255 grams of protein per day
Carbohydrates: 2.5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight e.g. For a 170lb person wanting to bulk up, they must eat between 425 grams of carbohydrates per day
Rough Diet Plan for a 200lbs, 20 year old male
Obviously everybody’s biology is different (age, height, weight, metabolic rate) so everybody’s diet will vary quite considerably, however so you have a rough idea, here is a diet plan for a 200lbs 20 year old male wanting to bulk up:
Nutrients Per Day
As grams:
268 grams of protein per day.
383 grams of carbohydrates per day.
51 grams of fat per day.
As Calories:
1073 calories from protein per day.
1533 calories from carbohydrates per day.
460 calories from fat per day.
Total Calories: 3065 per day
Quantity of nutrients & calories to be consumed in relation to meals per dayMeal Plan
HIGH= High Carbohydrate Meal
LOW= Low Carbohydrate MealMeal One
77 Grams of Low Glycaemic Index Carbohydrates
38 Grams of Protein
17 Grams of Fat
613 Calories
Options:
Meal One:
HIGH - Shredded Wheat with skimmed/ semi-skimmed milk, plus Whey Protein powder in a shake and a handful of nuts and seeds.
HIGH - Egg White Omelette made with 4-6 egg whites and 1 yolk. Add grated ham, onion, spinach or diced chicken and pepper + 4 slices of whole-wheat toast with peanut butter.
HIGH - Instant Oatmeal/Oats (Unsweetened and Unflavoured) with protein shake added to or on it's own and a handful of nuts and seeds.
HIGH - Freshly squeezed juice – Fruit of your choice made into a Fresh Smoothie. Whey Powder in a separate shake (Peanut Butter may be added to your shake).
HIGH - Breakfast Protein Burger – 1 slice of back bacon, half a teaspoon of fat free spread, whole-wheat muffin. With Whey Powder and possibly a tea spoon of flaxseed oil.
HIGH - Wheatbix/Weetabix with skimmed or semi- skimmed milk with Whey Protein Shake and peanut butter.
HIGH - Breakfast Burrito - Wholewheat tortilla with four scrambled egg whites. Tablespoon of salsa (perhaps mix salsa sauce with olive oil) low fat shredded cheese and low fat sour cream. Plus Protein shake.
HIGH - Muesli with no added sugar with skimmed or semi skimmed milk. Protein Shake and a handful of nuts and seeds.
Meal Two
77 Grams of Low Glycaemic Index Carbohydrates
38 Grams of Protein
17 Grams of Fat
613 Calories
Options
HIGH - Tuna pasta bake- tin of water packed tuna mixed with wholewheat pasta and tomatoe sauce with cheese grated on top and grilled.
HIGH - Whey Protein Shake + fruit: apple, pear, orange, banana or peach and possibly a spoonfull of peanut butter or avocado.
HIGH - Protein Bar and a muesli/nut bar
HIGH - Chicken/Salsa Burrito Wholewheat tortilla with sliced, cooked chicken or turkey breast. Tablespoon of salsa mixed with flaxseed oil.
HIGH - Salmon salad- Small tin of salmon with added mixed leaf salad or cucumber, celery or tomatoe with low fat dressing, sweet potatoes and olive oil.
HIGH - Lean Meat Roll/Sub Roll or Sandwich with Tuna, Chicken , lean ham or turkey (dressed in olive oil) + protein shake.
Meal Three
77 Grams of Low Glycaemic Index Carbohydrates
38 Grams of Protein
17 Grams of Fat
613 Calories
Options
HIGH - Tuna Pasta Bake- tin of water packed tuna mixed with wholewheat pasta and tomatoe sauce with cheese grated on top and grilled.
HIGH - Whey Protein Shake + fruit: apple, pear, orange, banana or peach and possibly a spoon full of peanut butter or avocado
HIGH - Protein Bar and a muesli/nut bar
HIGH - Chicken/Salsa Burrito- Wholewheat tortilla with sliced, cooked chicken or turkey breast. Tablespoon of salsa mixed with flaxseed oil.
HIGH - Salmon Salad- Small tin of salmon with added mixed leaf salad or cucumber, celery or tomato with low fat dressing, sweet potatoes and olive oil.
Meal Four
77 Grams of Low Glycaemic Index Carbohydrates
38 Grams of Protein
460 Calories
Options
HIGH - Half a tin of water packed tuna fish with raw vegetables (including potatoes) and/or loose leaf lettuce/cucumber/tomatoe or celery.
HIGH - Whey Protein Shake with handful of berries and/or mixed nuts/seeds and a bowl of porridge oats.
HIGH - Mixed fruit with low fat yogurt and a protein shake.
HIGH - Chicken, Turkey or Steak Burrito- Wholewheat tortilla with sliced, cooked chicken, turkey or steak. Tablespoon of salsa. Lettuce or salad may be added.
HIGH - Protein Bar and a muesli/ nut bar or fruit.
HIGH - Ryvita Style Biscuits/Crackers with low fat cottage cheese (possibly protein shake as well).
Meal Five
77 Grams of Low Glycaemic Index Carbohydrates
38 Grams of Protein
460 Calories
Options
HIGH - Spaghetti Bolognese – Lean minced beef with wholewheat spaghetti with tomatoe sauce.
HIGH - Tuna Burgers- 1 tin of water packed tuna drained, 1 egg white, 1 Tbs low fat pancake mix, salt free seasoning, pepper mixed together formed into a patty and cooked in frying pan with low fat spray served with vegetables or baked potato.
HIGH - Lemon Chicken Breast served with baked or Sweet Potato and mixed vegetables. You may have Sweet Potato fries, cut in chunks and grill.
HIGH - Lean ground beef or mince in tomatoe sauce with brown rice and vegetables (brown rice and canned black beans with low fat spread and hint of Tabasco Sauce).
HIGH - Grilled or baked trout, salmon, haddock or cod served with lemon juice, baked potato and vegetables.
HIGH - Turkey or chicken sandwich with wholewheat/brown bread with lettuce or salad + Protein Shake.
Meal Six
38 Grams of Protein
153 Calories
Options
LOW - Smoothie - low fat vanilla yoghurt, skimmed milk, whey protein powder and crushed ice (possibly a few strawberries or small banana for a bit of flavour).
LOW - Tuna Salad - Tin of water packed Tuna fish mixed with half a spoon of low fat mayonnaise or salad cream with freshly squeezed lemon juice with diced salad.
LOW - Low fat cottage cheese with side serving of diced fruit--melon or apple or pear.
LOW - Low fat cottage cheese salad served with loose leaf lettuce and assortment of recommended salads with fat free dressing or low fat mayo/salad cream.
LOW - Whey Protein shake
LOW - Sirloin or rump steak served with vegetables or salad. Steak can be peppered or seasoned to your choice
LOW - Chicken served with salad and low fat relish + Protein Shake
Meal Seven
38 Grams of Protein
153 Calories
Options
LOW - Protein Shake, either Whey Protein or Casein Protein powder.
LOW - Chicken Curry – diced chicken breast with curry powder, finely chopped onions, fat-free natural yogurt, reduced fat mayo, paprika.
LOW - Tuna Salad- Half a tin of water packed tuna mixed with teaspoon of fat free mayo or salad cream with lettuce, cucumber and tomato.
LOW - Omelette with chopped spinach, broccoli and onions.
Supplements :
Protein:Essential for anybody wanting to increase muscle mass is to supplement their diet with a good protein. This is to ensure the body is getting sufficient quantity and quality of protein to repair and regrow. LA Muscle supply a range of proteins and there isn’t a best one. It just depends on which one best suits your needs:
VIP Protein: contains a unique double mixture of the very best whey protein concentrate and whey protein isolate now in a new 4kg size which will last you a very long time. This protein contains two grades of high quality protein and very little carbohydrates to ensure you build muscle and not fat.
Your Protein 5 kg: LA Muscle scientists have formulated what is possibly the most advanced protein for muscle building. "Your Protein" contains 100% pure whey protein as well as LA Mega Soy, the "only" protein to contain high amounts of antioxidants. Your Protein is low fat and high in fibre and is a less expensive alternative to VIP Protein
Weight Gainers:
Also to create an ‘energy surplus’ (ensuring you consume more calories than you ‘burn off’) you can supplement your diet with ‘Weight Gainers’ again, LA Muscle have a few alternatives based on your needs:
Platinum: is the most advanced and effective weight-gain & meal replacement formula ever developed, containing just the right number of calories, carbohydrates and protein
Your Gainer 5 kg: LA Muscle's Your Gainer is a pharmaceutical grade weight gainer for those who find it hard to put size on. Your Gainer can be mixed with any protein drink or pretty much anything to put extra size on you.
Anabolic: In addition to protein and weight gainers, there are supplements that increase mass by increasing the number of anabolic (muscle building hormones) in the body:
Norateen Heavyweight II: is one of the strongest muscle builders on the market today. This supplement boosts testosterone levels and growth hormone levels so that you increase both strength and size (without having an affect on body fat levels.)
Training for Gaining Weight and Increasing Muscle Size
Again dealing on a very basic level, weight training is just the stimulus which then causes the muscles to increase in both strength and size. What happens is the muscle is loaded above its habitual level (normal level) and put under strain either through increasing amount of weight used, number of repetitions (number of times the weight is lifted) or rest time between sets and then the muscle must adapt and become bigger and stronger to cope with the new stimulus.
Split routine
Essential to increasing muscle size is also recovery, since not only must the muscle be made to lift weights above its habitual level but it must also be allowed adequate time to recover, repair and therefore regrow. With cardiovascular training or muscular endurance training you can train all day everyday, however for strength training each muscle that is exercised must be given 48 hours to recover (basically if you were to exercise your chest on Monday you would need to leave it untill Wednesday before you trained chest again.) So based on this basic physiological principle here is a weight training routine that will add muscle mass to the body:
Biomechanical 5 day split Routine
DAY 1: Pushing Day - Chest (Pectoralis Major) Shoulders (Deltoids) Triceps (tricep brachii)
Bench Press:3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
Incline Bench Press - 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
Dips:- 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
Close grip bench press:- 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
Shoulder dumbbell press:- 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
Isolated lateral raises (optional):- 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
DAY 2 -Legs (Vastus medialis, Vastus lateralis, Rectus Femoris, Bicep femoris, Gluteus maximus, Gastrocnemius) Abdominals (Rectus Abdominis)
Squat:- 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
Lunges:- 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
Leg extensions:- 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
Calf Raises:- 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
Leg Raises (abs):- 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
Eccentric leg raises:- 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
Crunches: - 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
Rollouts: - 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
DAY 3: Pulling Day - Back (Latissumus Dorsi) Biceps (Bicep Brachii) traps (Trapezius)
Deadlift (erector spine)
Lat Pull Down:- 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
Upright rows:- 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
Barbell curl:- 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
Close grip pull up:- 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
Deadlift:- 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
Shrugs:- 3 sets:8 repetitions, lifting a weight 78% of your 1 repetition maximum.
DAY 4: REST DAYDAY
5: REST DAY
Repetitions Explained
One full movement, which includes complete muscle contraction (concentric) to full extension (eccentric).
8 repetitions is optimal for increasing muscle mass, anymore and it begins to train muscular endurance, any less and you train more for strength rather than size.
To calculate the weight you can lift in 8 repetitions, you need to know your 1 repetition maximum. (This is the maximum weight you can lift 1 repetition with.) You then look at the table and see what percentage of your 1 repetition maximum 8 repetitions correlates to, this is 78%. You then simply calculate 78% of your 1 repetition maximum to find the weight you should be using. Formula:(1 Rep. Max. / 100) x 78 = X kg you can perform 8 repetitions with:
Repetitions= % of 1 repetition Maximum
1=100%
2= 95%
3= 90%
4= 88%
5= 86%
6= 83%
7= 80%
8= 78%
9= 76%
10= 75%
11= 72%
12= 70%
It’s imperative that you are almost failing on the 8th repetition, if you can perform 8 repetitions easily increase the weight, this is what’s known as Progressive Overload and failure to do this will result in you remaining the same.
Rest between sets should be 90-120 seconds, enough to rest adequately and still lift well on the next set
