Daily Diet Advice for Someone looking to gain lean muscle mass? page

[Dave P]

I adopted the primal eating lifestyle about six weeks ago and started the strong lifts program about five weeks ago. I'm fairly strong for my size, but started with pretty low weight as suggested (i think) by the program. And so far, it's been great. I've progressed nicely, but it's only now starting to become somewhat challenging. Likely, I started out a little light, but i wanted to focus on form and progression.

I currently weigh about 145 and would like to get to about 160. I haven't done strength training in earnest in about six years as i have competed in variance endurance racing over that time period. So, to make a long story short, I'm looking for advice regarding a simple plan that i can regularly execute to get the extra 15 lbs. My understanding so far is that i should be targeting 1.2g protein/lb...and I think i'm doing pretty good with that. But I'm only up 1-2 lbs over the past five weeks.

Further thoughts/advice anyone?

[js290]

I adopted the primal eating lifestyle about six weeks ago and started the strong lifts program about five weeks ago. I'm fairly strong for my size, but started with pretty low weight as suggested (i think) by the program. And so far, it's been great. I've progressed nicely, but it's only now starting to become somewhat challenging. Likely, I started out a little light, but i wanted to focus on form and progression.

I currently weigh about 145 and would like to get to about 160. I haven't done strength training in earnest in about six years as i have competed in variance endurance racing over that time period. So, to make a long story short, I'm looking for advice regarding a simple plan that i can regularly execute to get the extra 15 lbs. My understanding so far is that i should be targeting 1.2g protein/lb...and I think i'm doing pretty good with that. But I'm only up 1-2 lbs over the past five weeks.

Further thoughts/advice anyone?

[Dave P]

^thanks, I'm about 20 min into it.

[Dave P]

So, thanks for sharing the video...i watched in it's entirety and there is a lot to digest. The first topic i need to consider is the amount of time needed for muscle recovery which the speaker states as 5-7 days. that pretty much flies in the face of the program i'm currently following which consists of squats 3 X weekly, among other lifts.

[js290]

So, thanks for sharing the video...i watched in it's entirety and there is a lot to digest. The first topic i need to consider is the amount of time needed for muscle recovery which the speaker states as 5-7 days. that pretty much flies in the face of the program i'm currently following which consists of squats 3 X weekly, among other lifts.

I posted more interviews with Dr. McGuff in another thread you responded to, so I won't post them again here. But something he said that may address your confusion is that the exercise itself is just a stimulus and does not in and of itself produce the physical changes people are seeking. Also, the recovery period he's referring to assumes training to full muscular fatigue, i.e. failure. If you're a beginner, you can train 3x a week because you're not going to be strong enough produce fatigue at the level he's referring to. This changes as you advance. You'll become more neurologically efficient and be able to recruit more muscle fibers. You'll be able to produce a deeper level of fatigue and will require more recovery time.

[jfreaksho]

I'm in almost exactly the same situation- four weeks ago I started SL at 152, trying to get to 165. Building muscle takes a long time, and it's even harder when the weights are lighter than your capabilities. Keep doing what you are doing and it'll come.

[greenshady]

Gaining 2 lbs. in 5 weeks is not bad at all. That's actually a really good gain. I'd aim for no more than 1/2 lb. every week. You don't want to start gaining fat. Think about it long term rather than short term. If you gained 1/2 lb. every week for an entire year, you'd put on 26 lbs. That's a lot of weight.

As far as recovery and lifting go, are your numbers better than this?

* Squat: 350 lbs.
* Deadlift: 350 lbs.
* Bench: 225 lbs.
* Press: 165 lbs.

That's what I'd consider "strong" for a guy your size. You should be able to lift those numbers before really considering anything beyond StrongLifts. Your body will be able to easily recover from the multiple workouts in a week hitting the same muscles.

Once you get strong, what McGuff says really makes sense, especially for long term progression. You can then move on to something like Wendler's 531, which is a great training program that's a lot more in line with what McGuff is saying.

[tfarny]

Just never skip meals, eat rich big breakfasts even when you don't feel like it, and drink milk-based shakes all the time. START with a pound of meat per day and add to that protien-wise, with eggs, breakfast meats, cheese.
Try blending whole milk, coconut milk, and some chocolate, bananas, fruit, etc. along with some whey powder and pounding it after dinner.
Dairy is your friend when gaining weight.

[Dave P]

@jfreaksho thanks, that's the conclusion I'm coming to as well

@greenshady nope, and thanks for making me feel like a wuss!!...jk. But in all reality those were pretty close to my numbers back in the day. Probably higher bench but lower squats for whatever that's worth. I'd like to get back to that place.

@tfarny thanks, I was looking for basic advice like that. I think I've been a little too over exuberant in going paleo and have pretty much cut dairy out even though it's never presented a problem before. Think i'm going to add it back with a scoop of whey at night.

Thanks all, much appreciated.

[js290]

I'm in almost exactly the same situation- four weeks ago I started SL at 152, trying to get to 165. Building muscle takes a long time, and it's even harder when the weights are lighter than your capabilities. Keep doing what you are doing and it'll come.

The Six Year Itch, or, Was It All A Waste Of Time? « Skyler Tanner
MicroRNAs: playing a big role in explaining skeletal muscle adaptation?