Name:
Steve
Question
Hi
Coach,
I'm an Asian. My height is 5'11" and weight is 120 pounds.
My extremely thin build has been bothering me for a long time.
Could you recommend some methods of gaining mass?
Answer
Don't
be too frustrated with how you look. As long as you are physically
healthy how you look is not of much concern - Sure everyone
want's to pleased with their appearance but you probably know
where I'm going with this - avoid becoming compulsive about
how you look. If you are frustrated with a lack of results
in gaining mass despite trying, this seems pretty normal.
Who wouldn't be frustrated with trying but not achieving?
The trouble with the emotions surrounding frustration over
the long term though is we might tend to devalue ourselves
and even feel guilty, and that starts to become unhealthy.
Short
term frustration is part and parcel of moving through challenges,
but we can be our own worst enemies if we don't move on.
Setting
more realistic goals and focusing on long term gains while
allowing room for the occasional setback will help reduce
feeling frustrated.
Although
medical research shows some degree of variability between
humans with different ethnicity for development of high blood
pressure, cholesterol, type two diabetes and other ailments,
there does not seem to be any strong data that suggests our
ethnicity predetermines ability to increase muscle mass or
decrease fat mass.
Increasing
muscle mass can be achieved by any person at any age. The
errors that I see repeated most often leading to failure to
gain mass are:
- Expectations
of gaining muscle mass are too high and beyond the normal
healthy rate of mass gain.
- A
short term approach with only weeks or months is considered
instead of the reality of the years that are required.
- The
misunderstanding that the simple consumption of protein
will result in increased muscle mass (it doesn't).
- Person
becomes frustrated with lack of results and "try's
everything" - meaning they never stick with a long
term plan but rather do many short term plans spaced apart
from each other.
Go
to this article
to figure out how many calories per day you need. I also suggest
making an appointment with a registered dietitian.
Muscle
mass appears to be increased most effectively with 3 to 5
or possibly more sets with reps of 8 to 12. If the individual
is very well trained and is very diligent with recovery protocols
a greater volume can be used, but most people should stick
to 3 to 4 and occasionally 5 sets if they are not completely
committed to serious training as a major part of their everyday
life.
While
mass can also be increased with more intensive lower repetition
sets or exhaustive higher repetition sets, 8 - 12 reps appears
to have the best balance of mass and reasonable strength increase
while avoiding excessive stress to connective tissue that
may be present with lower repetition higher weight models.
Three to four training sessions per week will be enough.
While
I am unable to provide you with a specific program in this
forum, I can suggest that you stick to your program for years
with a Periodized approach. This means no long term layoffs
or significant diversions from your training goal.
In
terms of specific exercises to gain mass, there aren't any.
The stimulus for muscle growth is not within a movement pattern
but comes from the intensity of muscle contraction and how
many times that intensity is repeated. Having said that, in
a general sense it will be more productive to make the core
of your weight training exercises be compound or closed chain
exercises like squats, dumbbell bench press, seated row and
one arm row, overhead press, and lat pull down. Always do
core stability exercises and be sure not to make the number
one mass building mistake of focusing on "beach muscles"
- chest and arms only - it is imperative that your exercise
lends its self to correcting and supporting correct posture
and biomechanics.
Avoid
overdoing it. When you train harder and harder, you ultimately
exceed your ability to adapt to training.
The
most lean mass a male can build in one year is about 10 pounds
so don't expect more than this.
I
can share with you personal experience. I'm 6'2" and
used to weigh 160 lbs. Moderate weight training brought that
up to 170 lbs over about 2 year period. Over the next few
years of regular weight training three times per week I gained
another 15 pounds of lean mass. In about 1997 after being
out of competitive cycling for a while I decided to put on
some more muscle mass. I went from 185 to a peak of 197 lbs
in about 14 months with 7 pounds being put on in the first
7 months. How did I do it? I'll tell you there was no secret
program or diet. I increased my protein intake to 1.8 grams
per kg of body mass per day, while also increasing my total
calories from carbs. My diet remained at about 60 to 65% carbs
15 - 20% protein, and 20 to 25% fat. I trained weights 3 times
per week with once or twice per week training quite hard -
mostly 5 sets of 12 reps, although I did go through a phase
where I did 10 sets of 10 (German volume training). The 10
sets of 10 gave me a great initial response of strength and
strength endurance, but I started to burn out. German volume
training is supposed to be used sparingly anyway so I knew
the initial gains could not be maintained from the start.
While
it felt great to weigh 197 lb and finally have an actual biceps
muscle, when I returned to competitive cycling I looked intimidating
but totally sucked performance wise. No doubt about it, I
had to drop at least 20 lb of muscle in order to even think
about being a factor in the peleton - even in the lowest category
which is where I started out again.
Now
I'm back to 170 lbs and my performance is finally starting
to feel like I can put the hammer down. I lost 2 inches off
my arms, two inches off my chest, and nearly three inches
off my thighs- all muscle - all gone. Now my shirts fit loose
again.
If
I ever decide to pack on some muscle again it won't be a big
deal, I'll simply focus more on mass training and eat more
- 12 months later I'll have another 10 pounds or so of muscle
- no hassles, no worries.
I
don't think I'll be doing that any time soon as I'd like to
spend another 5 years or so with serious competitive cycling.
Take
it from me, if a guy who's nickname used to be "bonerack"
can put on 37 pounds of muscle mass, anyone can! Also consider
how unimportant having that extra mass can be; I had to drop
most of it to suit my performance needs for the sport of cycling.
I'm still as ripped as ever, just a little more.. svelte.
-
Cris LaBossiere
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