Gaining strength but not mass

[Tenacity]

I would never advise anyone to eat piss poorly often just to add mass. In the sake of the 120 pound man looking to add size, I would recommend he eat that pizza rather than skip a meal, but only periodically, not daily.....

.......I don't bulk clean and neither does everyone else.....Also, benefits of eating like crap is........crap is sometimes cheaper, and it's doesn't take much prep time.

Guys, I'm sorry, but this is complete and utter bull___. How you can be on a Health, Fitness and Nutrition Forum and actually RECOMMEND that people go out and eat processed garbage as it's going to somehow (some way) improve their body aesthetics by adding more muscle mass, is complete and utter bull____.

The recommendation is extremely unhealthy and eating this garbage on a recurring (almost daily) opens you up to all TYPES of potential health problems.

The part you don't understand Tenacity, seems to be the biology part. I'm not an expert but it's pretty much common sense that the more weight/mass you put on, it will be split into fat and muscle.

How do you reach this conclusion? You know I know a lot of FAT chicks and FAT dudes who have put on a lot of "mass", if they took their shift off you wouldn't see a muscle in sight.

When you eat more than what you need to eat, you gain weight. If the weight is not properly used, it turns to fat. If you wanted to get "bigger" and gain more "muscle mass" then it would make sense to CLEAN BULK. That is eat the healthy food sources in higher portions but increase your weight lifting capabilities so the additional energy can go to support higher levels of MUSCLE MASS.

The healthy food sources you eat (baked chicken, veggies, fruits, nuts, whey protein, etc.) are designed to BUILD muscle, INCREASE energy, INCREASE metabolism, and drop fat.

The processed garbage sources (pizza, bbq, fries, fast food, etc.) are designed to BUILD FAT, DECREASE energy, DECREASE metabolism, and cover any ounce of muscle that you might have.

Man I don't believe you guys are even saying this shyt lol? Obviously it's your body and do what you want, but how about you be honest here and admit if you are eating this processed garbage on a daily basis you are NOT serious about your Nutrition nor level of Fitness?

I don't know any credible Body Builder who has significant Muscle Mass and decent body fat levels (to where you can see his muscle mass), that will ever recommend that someone form their diet around eating garbage like you guys are doing.

This is unbelievable.

 

[AAAgent]

I am not advocating anything. I am explaining how to bulk and the extremes of both types of bulking. Clean bulking/dirty bulking, both accomplish the same goals of helping you gain more muscle.

What you need to stop doing is turning everything into a debate, as I've told idiots like Danger and now you, that you take good threads where people ask for advice and turn it into a battle where you spend your free time making people chase you in endless circles with no conclusion for the benefit of your own satisfaction.

Also, as you've never bulked/clearly don't understand wtf you're talking about and we're suggesting bulking to the OP, just stfu or listen and learn.

--

In case anyone is confused or as dumb as the guy above me who thinks he can create muscle by snapping his fingers, muscle is just muscle. Any weight you gain, in general terms, is split into muscle and fat. Eating healthier might result in less fat and more muscle but in general if you eat a ton of food, you will gain more weight and some of that weight will be muscle. Eating healthier or unhealthy will determine that split.

Now, what you do with that muscle/fat is what comes after the bulking phase. You can burn the fat and build more muscle. You can also turn your existing muscle, into leaner muscle which will in turn be heavier.

 

[AttackFormation]

Any weight you gain, in general terms, is split into muscle and fat. Eating healthier might result in less fat and more muscle but in general if you eat a ton of food, you will gain more weight and some of that weight will be muscle. Eating healthier or unhealthy will determine that split.

Now, what you do with that muscle/fat is what comes after the bulking phase. You can burn the fat and build more muscle. You can also turn your existing muscle, into leaner muscle which will in turn be heavier.

:crackup:

Where do you get this BS from man?

 

[marmel75]

It's just another instance of the old myth of "bulking for mass" appearing. As has been said already, you cannot "eat more" to get bigger muscles if they are already getting the fuel they need. If you eat more than you need to, you will get fatter, and that's it. Muscle mass is defined by hormones, not food intake, that's why someone on steroids can basically eat anything while fat boy just gets a bigger gut and a set of titties from gulping down chicken breast all day. Eat slightly more than maintenance and you're set.

However if you want to get fatter then by all means eat substantially more than your body needs. You will indeed gain "mass".

Yes this is the truth...bulking means adding fat and muscle, cutting means losing fat and muscle.

You end up at the same place as when you started and did way too much to get there...

 

[Tenacity]

:crackup:

Where do you get this BS from man?

His own MADE UP theories .

This guy just said that when you EAT A LOT OF FOOD (any type of food, including processed garbage) you are going to acquire some fat but you will also add some muscle. So basically go to the Buffet and eat every piece of fried chicken, cup cake, cake, fries, bbq ribs, and anything else you can find in SIGHT because you know....doing so will build muscle .

I have seen a lot of ridiculous stuff posted in Fitness Communities across the internet and in magazines, but this has got to be the most ridiculous stuff I have ever read lol.

AAAgent just admit, you aren't fvcking serious about eating right and working out, so you have created whatever "theory" you have in your head to justify eating GARBAGE all of the time thinking that the GARBAGE you are eating is building muscle.

Everybody go run out to Krispy Kremes today so you can build those biceps :crackup:

 

[Gman21]

I don't believe he can comprehend what we're are saying.

I can't break it down any further than I have. That occasional food bag session at the local Chinese buffet, or uncle Jo's BBQ isn't going to sacrifice this kids health or his physique. The cals he will eat are essential to growth. You can get loose with your diet and continue to gain muscle mass, especially at 120 pounds- kid needs to eat, and then eat again while lifting heavy and getting plenty of rest.

Again as I've stated several times now, the basis of his diet should be whole food sources. Nothing wrong with the occasional cheat to get your cals in, in fact I would advise it rather than skip a meal for the 120 pounder that wishes to add mass. Not rocket science, and this will be the last time I address Tenacity regarding this subject.

 

[foreverAFC]

a lot of natural guys will look way bigger by getting more toned. i know guys who walk around at 150lbs who look like they are 170 and 180 lbs because of how cut they are.

5x5 is not the best for stimulate hypertrophy. try more reps, focus on tearing up the muscle and contracting it over how much weight you are lifting

take a look at this video, it may help, pro bodybuilder kai greene explains the difference between lifting for hypertrophy vs lifting for strength

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=7e5_1342056496

 

[Tenacity]

I don't believe he can comprehend what we're are saying.

I can't break it down any further than I have. That occasional food bag session at the local Chinese buffet, or uncle Jo's BBQ isn't going to sacrifice this kids health or his physique. The cals he will eat are essential to growth. You can get loose with your diet and continue to gain muscle mass, especially at 120 pounds- kid needs to eat, and then eat again while lifting heavy and getting plenty of rest.

Again as I've stated several times now, the basis of his diet should be whole food sources. Nothing wrong with the occasional cheat to get your cals in, in fact I would advise it rather than skip a meal for the 120 pounder that wishes to add mass. Not rocket science, and this will be the last time I address Tenacity regarding this subject.

Gman this I 100% agree with. I think the OP could benefit from eating more as well to put on more MASS, but what he "eats more of" will determine what type of MASS he puts on.

He should focus on eating heavier meals of healthy sources like chicken, lean meats, seafood, veggies, fruits, nuts, more whey protein shakes, etc., WHILE at the same time increasing his level of exercise to focus only on lifting as heavy weight as he can WHILE doing very minimal (if any) cardio.

That would be the plan that I would recommend. His eating would be centered around a CLEAN bulk program and NOT some of the suggestions about centering the diet around processed crap like pizzas and cupcakes. He will be allowed to have a cheat meal once a week like normal, but that's it, he doesn't want to have pizzas and cupcakes be the center of his eating plan just to "gain mass" because the only mass he would gain in that case would be FAT MASS. In addition, eating processed crap like that on the regular is extremely unhealthy.

 

[marmel75]

Gman this I 100% agree with. I think the OP could benefit from eating more as well to put on more MASS, but what he "eats more of" will determine what type of MASS he puts on.

He should focus on eating heavier meals of healthy sources like chicken, lean meats, seafood, veggies, fruits, nuts, more whey protein shakes, etc., WHILE at the same time increasing his level of exercise to focus only on lifting as heavy weight as he can WHILE doing very minimal (if any) cardio.

That would be the plan that I would recommend. His eating would be centered around a CLEAN bulk program and NOT some of the suggestions about centering the diet around processed crap like pizzas and cupcakes. He will be allowed to have a cheat meal once a week like normal, but that's it, he doesn't want to have pizzas and cupcakes be the center of his eating plan just to "gain mass" because the only mass he would gain in that case would be FAT MASS. In addition, eating processed crap like that on the regular is extremely unhealthy.

Personally I think the only thing whey protein does for 70% of people is make you gain inflammatory body weight and bloat you. Most would do well to stay away from it. Protein shakes in general are completely unnecessary, but a combination of pea protein and brown rice protein will give the same amino acid profile as whey without the bloat...

 

[ImTheDoubleGreatest!]

Didn't read the above comments so forgive me if it has been mentioned before.

In the world of weightlifting, ALWAYS remember this:

In order to gain strength (myofibrillar hypertrophy): you must do high weight, low reps [which is exactly what you're doing in this case]

In order to gain mass (sarcoplasmic hypertrophy): you must do high reps, low weight [which is exactly what you aren't doing].

1-3 reps – Pure strength & definition
4-6 reps – Mostly strength & definition with little gains in size
7-10 reps – Mostly size with little gains in strength & density
11-15 reps – Pure size

That last part was stolen from http://fitnessblackandwhite.com/how-many-reps-to-build-muscle/ (glad I have that bookmarked lol)

 

[AttackFormation]

1-3 reps – Pure strength & definition
4-6 reps – Mostly strength & definition with little gains in size
7-10 reps – Mostly size with little gains in strength & density
11-15 reps – Pure size

That last part was stolen from http://fitnessblackandwhite.com/how-many-reps-to-build-muscle/ (glad I have that bookmarked lol)

This is not totally wrong, but it's an exaggeration. The differences are not that marked. You can't really not work both the myofibrilar and sarcoplasmic areas since they are intertwined, the difference is which one gets worked the most, just like tendons/joints and muscles. It's like arguing that you can overclock a car without burning fuel if you drive at a really high speed, or use only fuel and not the engine if you drive at low speeds. There is no "size without strength" or "strength without size" rep range in strength training. You also have to remember that part of the reason you get stronger at anything is simply your body getting better neurologically at performing the task, that's why you can strength train for years and still get your @ss handed to you in a match with a professional arm-wrestler.

The real difference comes in when you go over to weights that are light enough to be classified as endurance-based, like holding your arm up ahead of you for an hour or doing 300 squat jumps, because they tax your body in a different way.

 

[ImTheDoubleGreatest!]

This is not totally wrong, but it's an exaggeration. The differences are not that marked. You can't really not work both the myofibrilar and sarcoplasmic areas since they are intertwined, the difference is which one gets worked the most, just like tendons/joints and muscles. It's like arguing that you can overclock a car without burning fuel if you drive at a really high speed, or use only fuel and not the engine if you drive at low speeds. There is no "size without strength" or "strength without size" rep range in strength training. You also have to remember that part of the reason you get stronger at anything is simply your body getting better neurologically at performing the task, that's why you can strength train for years and still get your @ss handed to you in a match with a professional arm-wrestler.

The real difference comes in when you go over to weights that are light enough to be classified as endurance-based, like holding your arm up ahead of you for an hour or doing 300 squat jumps, because they tax your body in a different way.

I know, but I'm trying to point out that he is training more like a powerlifter rather than bodybuilder which I assume he wants to be more of the latter. Not saying he should do those 300 squat jumps because like you said that's more of an aerobic cardio workout than anaerobic and will probably make you skinnier if anything so your body doesn't have to carry as much mass, but more reps is usually used for training size over strength.

AttackFormation made a good point too. Part of the reason why you might not be gaining size yet still be getting stronger is because your neuromuscular pathways are probably getting better engraved. This means that your body can utilize more muscle fibers while contracting while making these muscle fibers contract with more force. (Usually takes about 300 repetitions of ANYTHING to begin engraving these pathways).

Another thing that I was always told was to train to exhaustion/to fatigue yourself when working for size.

 

[EFFORT]

Breakfast: Standard 1 cup oats + 2 eggs + 1 scoop whey
<School> (Usually I bring about 100g of Almonds along with me to last throughout classes, Egg Mayo Sandwich (about 300cals))
Dinner: Rice + Meat (As much as possible)
Supper: 700cal worth of noodles + 2 scoop whey + 500ml milk
Post WO - 2 scoops whey
Pre-WO - 1 scoop whey + 250ml milk

Your current nutrition plan lacks in protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. I recommend developing a healthy nutrient rich eating plan as a foundation. I have the majority of my trainees following a rotational diet, drinking a nutrient dense super shake every morning and eating 3 meals from the structure below. As a starting point eat 3-4 meals daily from the structure below.

Meal Structure

1. Green Leafy Vegetables: 1-2 Handfuls
2. Lean Meat: 2 pieces the size of your fist (about 8oz)
3. 1 Medium to large piece of fruit or potato. For rice, quinoa 1cup cooked
4. 1-2oz of nuts or 1-2 Tablespoon of Oil (Olive, Almond, Oil of Oregano, Safflower oil, Sunflower Oil, Macadamia Nut, Poppy Seed, Rosemary, Sage, Brazil Nut, Peanut, Sesame, Walnut, Pecan)

As for training I recommend following Westside for Skinny Bastards

This is very general, let me know if you'd like for me to elaborate on anything.