INSANE strength gains, little muscle gains?

[Konada]

Started on Starting strength 2 weeks ago, so bascially I'm experiencing insane strength gains but little muscle gains. I gained 4lbs in 2 weeks but given my ectomorph build (100lb, 5'6" before working out, 108lbs now), I think I should be making more gains than this, my weight load has increased around 20-30lbs average (yes I can finish the sets with proper form). I think I might not be getting enough calories for bulking up so I'm posting up my diet for critique

Breakfast: Complex carbs (bread, noodles) + 1 egg + 1 cup oats mixed with weight gain powder.

Meal 2: 2 cups milk (20.8g protein, 320cals)

Lunch: Whatever my mom cooks (usually noodles) + 1 cup milk

Meal 4: Peanut butter sandwich + 1 cup milk

Dinner: Whatever my mom cooks (1 meat dish, fish, veg). Taking more of the meat and fish until I feel full

Meal 6: Peanut butter sandwich + 1 cup milk

Note: I drink milk throughout the day, average 4 cups per day excluding milk from my meals.

On workout days I drink a 500ml weight gain shake post-workout.

Any help on how to improve my diet plans or anything in general?

 

[bilboteabaggins]

are you a newbie? you should start seeing results soon, on the tape measure I mean

and man you need to gain alot of weight, throw some doughnuts in for good measure

looks like you need more protein as well, add at least another 55g shake a day to your food intake and drink water like it is your life

 

[Maxtro]

It's perfectly normal to gain a lot of strength before your body starts looking stronger.

My suggestion is to stop watching what you eat, and eat more of everything. Of course try to eat healthy, but you need to pack on some serious pounds.

I'm 5'6, 165. I have a little bit of extra weight on my stomach, but it's not noticeable at all when I'm wearing a shirt.

 

[Konada]

Also, I've read online that one should invest a little time in cardio even when trying to bulk up. Is that applicable to ectomorphs like me? Because I recently ditched fencing, which is my hobby, to gain mass and I really hope I can go back to it without compromising my gains.

 

[cuzza]

You're doing Starting Strength, a strength training routine, what do you realistically expect?

Despite that, in two weeks of any program you'd probably see nothing. You can't judge the effectiveness of a program for such a small time scale. Stick it out for at least a few months before reserving judgement.

 

[Konada]

You're doing Starting Strength, a strength training routine, what do you realistically expect?

Despite that, in two weeks of any program you'd probably see nothing. You can't judge the effectiveness of a program for such a small time scale. Stick it out for at least a few months before reserving judgement.

I'm not talking about lookwise. I haven't been seeing mass gains when I do my weigh ins

 

[Matthew Lyon]

Be sure you're drinking at least 1 gallon of water every day, getting 8 hours of sleep and also taking multivitamins. Multivitamins and sleep and water are very important. Also, be sure you're eating 21-24x your body weight in calories. Any less and you won't gain. And be sure you're taking 0.5 - 0.8g protein x your weight.

P.S. If you're not taking multivitamins and just eating peanut butter sandwiches, milk and meat, then don't be suprised if you don't gain. You can't just eat healthy or a lot and expect to see results. You need to have proper nutrition. Bodybuilding is a science and a lifestyle. You have to conduct your life as such as you would in learning to become successful with women. It's more than just eating and working out. You need to learn HOW to eat, HOW to workout. And most of all, you need to be passionate about it.

Here's a list of things you should be taking:

- Fish oil/flax seed or other source of omega 3s
- REAL multivitamins (Using those all-in-one pills is nonsense; ie: GNC Men's Multi). Get a REAL multivitamin like Nature's Way or Animal Pak.
- Vitamin D3

Also, you shouldn't be gaining more than 1 pound of weight per week. Any more than this is not healthy. Do not eat too much! Go for 0.5 - 1 lb of weight per week. Also, do NOT take too much protein. It will turn into fat. And eat healthy! I don't care what anyone says, do not eat crap (ie: fastfood). Peanut butter IS crap. Eat whole, UNPROCESSED foods. Milk IS crap as well. After experiencing the wrath of eating crap and developing fat rolls, I've dramatically changed my diet to eat 100% healthy. I don't care how skinny or fat you are, you need to eat healthy. Some people call this "CLEAN eating". You should eat clean for the rest of your life. And working out is the same. This isn't something you're going to do for a few months or a couple years. You'll be doing this for the rest of your life.

And one more thing... try to avoid the supplements. Most of them are harmful, such as NOXplode. Be careful in what you choose to take. Not all supplements are bad. Some are beneficial, but 90% of them are crap and will kill you.

Expect to see some good results after 1 year of intense working out + focus. Bodybuilding is a very, very, very slow process. Anyone telling you otherwise is full of ****.

 

[Konada]

Milk is crap?? Seriously? No offence but I'm curious where you got such info from.

Other than that I'll start to drink more water and take supplements. Already taking cod liver oil 3caps a day.

 

[Matthew Lyon]

Milk is full of fat. And if you like to eat such unhealthy fat, go right ahead.

P.S. Who is the idiot who told you to eat so much?

 

[Konada]

Milk is full of fat. And if you like to eat such unhealthy fat, go right ahead.

P.S. Who is the idiot who told you to eat so much?

I take skim milk in my diet. If I weren't eating so much I'd be stuck at 100lbs now.

 

[EFFORT]

Change your diet to this

16oz of any meat (Fish, Beef, Chicken)

Have this shake twice ...... 3oz oats, 2scoops whey, 2raw eggs, 16oz milk (if you can digest milk)

2 cups brown rice

1cup salad or Broccoli ...or you can drink a v8 if your too stuffed


Also make sure to get in a gallon of water daily

Report back on your results after eating this everyday for a week

 

[Kerpal]

It's been 2 weeks. Take 2 months and see where you're at. Also, unless you need to weigh in for an athletic competition, throw your scale away.

 

[cuzza]

I'm not talking about lookwise. I haven't been seeing mass gains when I do my weigh ins

I repeat - you're doing a strength routine.

 

[Alle_Gory]

Milk is full of fat. And if you like to eat such unhealthy fat, go right ahead.

You should be more worried about the sugars coming from lactose when it comes to milk rather than the fat.

What makes fat unhealthy btw? And which fats did you mean? Saturated? Polyunsaturated? Monounsaturated?
Bonus points if you can figure out what kind of fat milk contains. Here's a hint: Most animal fats contain this type.

P.S. Who is the idiot who told you to eat so much?

Gaining muscle mass requires extra calories to build tissue. It doesn't come out of thin air. He's got a half decent (better than most beginners) diet with plenty of protein. He should make sure to balance the calories with enough exercise to avoid fat gain and definitely cut out the sugars hiding in his food (like most peanut butters).

If you're not taking multivitamins and just eating peanut butter sandwiches, milk and meat, then don't be suprised if you don't gain.

That's retarded. Multi vitamins are there to supplement if you have a deficiency in your diet. If you don't have a deficiency and you have a well designed diet especially for you there's no need for a multi.

- Vitamin D3

This vitamin comes from the sun. Your body produces it in response to sun exposure. It's also NOT SUGGESTED TO SUPPLEMENT WITH VITAMIN D. IT'S FAT SOLUBLE AND CAN ACCUMULATE TO A POINT OF TOXICITY.

Your body can regulate it's own vitamin D production with exposure to sunlight. If you believe you have a deficiency you take a blood test and then supplement with the appropriate amount.

Also, you shouldn't be gaining more than 1 pound of weight per week. Any more than this is not healthy.

It's not up to you to make this judgement. Some people can gain more than 1 pound per week depending on their body mass, diet and genetics. This is complete bull****.

Also, do NOT take too much protein. It will turn into fat.

More bull****. Too much protein does not turn to fat. Too much calories turns to fat (there more to this, read into insulin and how it works).

 

[Konada]

You should be more worried about the sugars coming from lactose when it comes to milk rather than the fat.

What makes fat unhealthy btw? And which fats did you mean? Saturated? Polyunsaturated? Monounsaturated?
Bonus points if you can figure out what kind of fat milk contains. Here's a hint: Most animal fats contain this type.


Gaining muscle mass requires extra calories to build tissue. It doesn't come out of thin air. He's got a half decent (better than most beginners) diet with plenty of protein. He should make sure to balance the calories with enough exercise to avoid fat gain and definitely cut out the sugars hiding in his food (like most peanut butters).


That's retarded. Multi vitamins are there to supplement if you have a deficiency in your diet. If you don't have a deficiency and you have a well designed diet especially for you there's no need for a multi.


This vitamin comes from the sun. Your body produces it in response to sun exposure. It's also NOT SUGGESTED TO SUPPLEMENT WITH VITAMIN D. IT'S FAT SOLUBLE AND CAN ACCUMULATE TO A POINT OF TOXICITY.

Your body can regulate it's own vitamin D production with exposure to sunlight. If you believe you have a deficiency you take a blood test and then supplement with the appropriate amount.


It's not up to you to make this judgement. Some people can gain more than 1 pound per week depending on their body mass, diet and genetics. This is complete bull****.


More bull****. Too much protein does not turn to fat. Too much calories turns to fat (there more to this, read into insulin and how it works).

Well currently my bf is 8.4% (and I weigh 108lbs) and I find it absolutely hard to gain any fat at all. So eating foods with fat is no problem for me at all (I'm not talking fast food trash kind of fats.) Should I still continue eating peanut butter?

EFFORT, about the diet you posted, are the proportions for a total of one day or just one meal? That seems kind of little for a whole day's worth of food.

 

[Quiksilver]

Yes that is a days worth of food.

And listen to EFFORT, he knows his ****.

 

[Fuglydude]

I'd KILL to gain 4 lbs of clean weight in 2 weeks. I'm not sure what your problem is. Bodybuilding/strength training/fitness is a lifelong endeavor... you're already making substantial progress in your first 2 weeks, so stay consistent and you'll continue to see great gains.

I have 2 university degrees in the biomedical sciences, am a healthcare professional, and have over a decade in the trenches. I've been a high performance athlete, made tens of thousands of dollars off my body as a stripper, and am currently a competitive bodybuilder. I'll tell you right now, that there's tons of good AND bad info that people will give on you these forums. Its up to you to do the research and figure out what is right and what is wrong.

I disagree w/ Allegory about not taking a multivitamin. A good multi in my professional opinion is an imperative for proper athletic performance... keep in mind I'm not talking about simply staving off disease, but actually flourishing. For example, 20 mg of vitamin C per day is the amount required to prevent scurvy in 95% of humans, however, I personally take 500+ mg/day as I know that vit. c is a great anti-oxidant. Matthew Lyon clearly knows nothing about the thermic effect of protein nor the impact it has on the hormonal regulation of metabolism and satiety because he is stating that it will make you fat... The reality is a lot more complex than what he states.

EFFORT gave you some solid diet advice. The diet effort is suggesting for you will give you 225-250+ g protein/day, which is A LOT for someone of your size. If you can consistently follow that diet for 12-16 weeks, then there's no reason why you can't gain a ton of weight. As an ectomorph you can get away with eating a shiit load of food and still stay lean. Your test levels will be high as you are still very young. This is a perfect combo for gaining lots of lean mass. There's no reason why you can't gain 30+ lbs in one year. Always remember that diet is BY FAR the most important aspect of fitness... nothing even comes close!

Instead of peanut butter sandwich/milk, replace it w/ 1 cup oats, 1 tbsp peanut butter or 1 oz walnuts and 6 oz of meat. It'll give you more calories and better quality carbs to grow from. In addition the 6 oz of meat will give you more protein than a glass of milk.

Overall man, don't complain about "slow gains"... I'm 5'8"-188 right now at around 12% bf. I'm giving myself 8 months to gain 10-20 lbs naturally prior to my contest prep. Things take time, simply stay consistent, keep evolving your diet until you figure out a combo that works, and stick with starting strength for now, but don't be afraid to incorporate different exercises and work in the higher rep ranges. Don't fall prey to training dogma that states that one method is the "best"... there really isn't a "best" way to train. The best way is simply the combo that is most optimal for you and allows you to reach your goals. Personally, I do mostly a high volume hypertrophy program mixed in w/ occasional low rep work, as well as olympic lifting and plyometrics. You gotta find the combo of diet/training that works that best for you.

 

[EFFORT]

EFFORT, about the diet you posted, are the proportions for a total of one day or just one meal?

One day

That seems kind of little for a whole day's worth of food.

Its way more than just eating the food posted. Its about learning to buy it, prepare it, store it, plan it. So 1 goal at a time. Right now were building the foundation. After you've gotten all the food+water in for 7 days in a row report back with your experience and we can move on to the next step.

 

[Alle_Gory]

Well currently my bf is 8.4% (and I weigh 108lbs) and I find it absolutely hard to gain any fat at all. So eating foods with fat is no problem for me at all (I'm not talking fast food trash kind of fats.)

That's not how fat works. Your body just doesn't absorb it. Animal fats and plant fats are different than what is inside your body. You can drink all the olive oil you want but that doesn't mean you will be full of olive oil.

You can also eat all the cholesterol from chicken you want but that doesn't mean you will have chicken cholesterol in your arteries.

Everything you eat your body breaks down into simpler building blocks and then makes whatever it needs out of those little blocks. Fats can be broken down into sugar (glucose) which are burned by the muscles and brain, fats can be broken down into simpler lipids which are stored in fat cells, proteins can be broken down into amino acids and then make the proper proteins for your muscles or make hormones, or even be broken down into sugars which power your body... etc.

Should I still continue eating peanut butter?

You can eat peanut butter no problem. Find a better peanut butter, it should have few ingredients. If you see "sugar" and "partially hydrogenated" anything don't buy it. Real peanut butter is thicker, it's tangier and it also separates from the oil so you have to mix it every couple of weeks.

There's also other butters from nuts. Almond butter is pretty good and I have also heard of macadamia nut butter. It's supposed to be very flavorful and has different health benefits compared to peanut butter.

I disagree w/ Allegory about not taking a multivitamin. A good multi in my professional opinion is an imperative for proper athletic performance... keep in mind I'm not talking about simply staving off disease, but actually flourishing.

Most people can use a multivitamin but it's not mandatory. If you're a health nut you can get your vitamins and minerals from various veggies, fruits, teas and other herbs... etc.

Look at something like greens plus. It's really more of a blend of extracts from various sources. It's not a tablet with chemically refined forms of vitamins and minerals.

 

[ArcBound]

EFFORT gave you some solid diet advice. The diet effort is suggesting for you will give you 225-250+ g protein/day, which is A LOT for someone of your size.

What's the reasoning behind 225-250g protein cause that's not alot, that's an INSANE amount of protein... When I was 150lbs I was making good gains with around 125g protein...

And Konada being 40 lbs lighter than I was back then and should be taking double that amount of protein? Am I missing something?