Out of the Box Muscle Building

You CAN change yourself.

When I first started weight training at 12, I was a fanatical football fan. I'd watch all day, gorge myself on protein shakes and snacks, and workout between games and during halftime breaks.

Crazy.

When I finally stopped training like a madman, I started making gains.

Huge gains.

The less I trained, the more strength and size I added.

Life is a big conflicting and confusing and counter-intuitive thing, right?

When I was a skinny hardgainer, I was lifting every day, doing many sets of many exercises. I ate all damned day long.

After all, that's what all the bodybuilding mags said to do. Hell, “hardgainer” wasn't even a thing back then – you were just an ectomorph.

After years of frustration, I took a different approach.

• I cut out cardio.
• I lifted 3x a week.
• Heavy.
• Few sets.
• Low reps (3-6) for upper body.
• High reps and HEAVY weights for legs (15-25), like Tom Platz.

That year I did that, I gained 60 pounds and was still under 6 percent body fat.

Don't ever let anybody tell you that's impossible. I did it. I know you can, too.

No steroids, either.

If you want to – but you must think out of the box.

Like I did.

If it ain't working, stop doing it. Try something else.

After all, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

Ain't. Gonna. Happen.

Beginning Muscle Building. What Should I Eat?

Skinny? Can't gain weight? Read up.

will k asked: I'm planning to start working out again at the gym. I'm 14, around 6 foot and I weigh about 145 lbs. I'm skinny, so I'm mostly muscle and no fat. I'm very athletic so I can't really gain weight. Before or after my workouts, what should I eat or drink? Should I buy muscle building supplements?

My answer: You have to begin eating a lot. You have to create a positive caloric balance – which simply means eat more than you expend.

And it's hard. It really is. Believe me when I say I used to be like you – all muscle, no fat, but the muscle I had was little. I was skinny.

It felt like I was going to eat until I exploded. I'd go periods of time where I just wasn't hungry, followed by times where I couldn't get enough to eat.

My metabolism was on a roller coaster. I couldn't gain a pound.

And if I gained a pound, I'd lose it just as quickly as I'd gained it.

It sucks.

So I began eating 8 times a day, about 30-40 grams of protein at each feeding. I stopped running. I stopped moving almost entirely. I had to stop worrying.

I thought more training was better. It's not. I cut my training down a lot – down to 3 times a week on a split routine, so in any given week the MOST I trained any bodypart was twice.

But I lifted heavy. Few sets, low reps, high weights.

Focus on getting stronger. Once you're stronger, you can lift heavier weights in your bodybuilding routines.

But the key is eating a lot. Supplements are your friend.

But don't eat weight gainers – they fuck up your metabolism. The sugar kills your gains. Use something like MetRx instead. Trader Joe's carries it and it's not terribly expensive.

Mix one scoop with 8 ounces of whole milk. Drink one before and after your workout.

And eat all damned day long! Try GOMAD.

Consider eating right before going to sleep, too. Doing that will usually make you hungry in the morning, so you can eat more.

The name of the game is calories, and protein is your friend. Sugar is your foe.

FYI – Lou Ferrigno was 6'5, about 140 pounds when he started bodybuilding 🙂

Build Mass Without Side Effects

by Anonymous

Question: I am very lean and my body weight is very low compared to my height. So please guide me to increase my body mass safely without any side effects.

Answer: You are certainly not the first – nor will you be the last – person to experience this issue!

My standard answer is if you are not gaining weight, then you aren't eating enough. It is a simple math problem.

Building muscle is a little different. You have to actually exercise by overloading your muscles and then letting them rebuild so that they are bigger and stronger than before.

But putting on weight is simply a math problem:

Eat more calories than you burn.

It really is that simple. Now, I know. It's extremely difficult to eat a lot of food for a lot of people; I used to be the same way. I used to eat so much that I literally puked it all out. It was absolutely horrible!

You will need a good protein supplement, preferably made of whey concentrate. Prograde makes the best on the market, so you may as well pick some up right now.

Eat 6 or more times a day, including plenty of protein and fat from eggs, milk, beef, fish, fowl, and nuts. Make sure you eat a lot of green vegetables and fresh fruits, too.

For short periods of time (3 to 6 weeks), you can eat up to a dozen eggs and a gallon of milk per day. Don't start off with this volume, though — build up to it!

Get in the gym no more than 3 days a week and exercise using only compound movements like squats, deadlifts, chinups, bench presses, rows, and overhead presses. 3 sets of 6-10 reps.

Don't do any abdominal work and rest as much as possible. Sleep at least 8 hours a night. More if you can. Take a nap after lunch, too.

The trick is getting your metabolism to slow down, stimulating muscle growth, and eating as much as you can to effect the weight and muscle gains that you so desperately desire.

It IS do-able. I put on over 60 pounds in one year using those methods above.

You can get more details by getting my Hardgainer Manifesto course.

Image credit: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b5/Ronnie_Coleman_8_x_Mr_Olympia_-_2009_-_7.png