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I need help gaining more mass

dee306 Posts: 10 Joined: 2005/07/17	2005/12/28, 05:52 PM I've been lifting weights for 5 months now and started at 123lb, and now at 153lb. My daily calorie intake is usually 4000 calories with a good ratio of protein and carbohydrate. I'm training usually 4 times a week with max reps of 5-8 and 3 sets of each excersize. Is there a way to trick my body to lower my metabolism and eat alot to gain mass? or should I continue to increase my calorie intake weekly/biweekly ? thanks
Zenkei18 Posts: 277 Joined: 2005/06/22	2005/12/28, 06:45 PM You are in almost exactly the same boat as I am. I have a really fast metabolism. I started weight training about 6 months ago and gained around 20 lbs. Most of it was muscle that I gained, I gained some fat though. The problem is that when I first began at around 122 lbs I gained weight easily even while in school because my daily needs weren't so high. Now I would have to take in around 3000 calories in roughly 4 hours to keep gaining weight so I am cutting my calories in order to drop body fat so I can pack on more muscle without having to take in as many calories. You will eventually have to do the same. I think you should evaluate whether you want to keep taking in that many calories to keep gaining weight (and keep hitting your checkbook pretty hard), or whether you would like to drop some fat. Get your body fat taken with some calipers if you do, figure out what body fat % would be good to drop to before bulking again, then SLOWLY reduce your calories until you lose 1-2 lbs per week. Keep in mind on days you work out you might have to take in 400-500 more calories than you normally would while on your diet. This is what I'm doing anyways.
dee306 Posts: 10 Joined: 2005/07/17	2005/12/28, 07:56 PM the problem i have is that i stand at 5"11 and after 30 pounds of gain, it does not look like much improvement when i look in the mirror. My goal is to gain enough weight to bulk up, then start toning and getting "cut". would losing body fat now be a good idea? I eat mostly healthy and rarely the odd junk food (once every 3 days or so).
mikencharleston Posts: 1,585 Joined: 2002/01/09	2005/12/28, 08:14 PM dee - I don't know what your experience level is but be careful on your bulk. Until you can "perfect" your cutting diet and your workout, it's often easier to stay on a lean mass gain cycle while you fine tune the stuff that really counts - diet. It takes longer but your gains in muscle far exceed fat gains. It doesn't happen quickly but it keeps it simple for awhile. -------------- Mike in Pensacola Now.
dee306 Posts: 10 Joined: 2005/07/17	2005/12/29, 03:08 PM how days should I work out? I'm doing usually 5 now usually focusing on one muscle a day. but I've been reading that strength training and mass gaining recommends 3 or 4 days of intense work with combination of muscles. which would work?