Primal Living and Gaining Muscle
(14 posts) (9 voices)-
TroyB
MemberI am about to embark on a Paleo Lifestyle. I have ordered The Primal Blueprint and am eagerly awaiting its arrival.
I have a question. Is a Paleo Lifestyle conducice to gaining muscle. I am currently 69KG with about 15%BF. I want to get to 80KG with less than 10% BF. I am 183 cm tall. I plan on hitting the weights with a trainer 3 to 4 times per week.
I am a 25 year old male.
Are my goals even remotely possible on a Paleo diet?
Posted 8 months ago # -
I'm on a similar trek, been eating primal for about 2 weeks. I notice it takes my body a couple reps in the first sets to gt going, but I find I have more strength now. I don't see why it would not be possible as long as you are taking in enough calories and aren't in a deficit.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Troy B, Check back next week for a post on How to Put on Muscle... the PB Way.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Tarlach
MemberI find that eating pure paleo has made it a lot easier to put on muscle. I spent years in the gym, eating protein powder and creatine and got no where.
I have put on more muscle in 6 months eating paleo and working out at home than I did in 3 years at the gym. I also don't use protein powder or creatine.
Posted 8 months ago # -
Get Primal
MemberTroy,
I can't guarantee you'll achieve everything you're looking for, but you can absolutely put on muscle with the primal lifestyle. I've gained 15 lbs since changing my workouts and diet. I haven't tested my composition, but my pants fit the same as 15 lbs ago and everybody tells me how big (muscular) I am.
What I don't know is how much of my lean tissue increase is due to exercise and how much due to diet. I started eating primal the same time as I cut way back on my running and started doing a lot more high intensity strength work.
Your protein intake will probably go way up when you go primal...I feel like that has had a lot to do with my muscle gain, although I don't have any proof of that. I also feel like the explosive, high intensity strength work has helped a lot. When you say you'll be lifting a few times a week, I wonder if that means conventional lifting or more CrossFit style workouts? Conventional lifting, in my opinion, isn't going to do you any favors in losing significant bodyfat. Read up on CrossFit and blast your body to smithereens with their workouts...that'll help you lose fat.
Best of luck, keep us updated on your progress!
Posted 8 months ago # -
mseibel
MemberI think I unwittingly did this experiment. When I started the Paleo diet I was 10%bf (how I got there is another story). I was eating low fat, about 1g protein per body lbs, vegetables, and a lot of fruit. I don't know what the nutrient breakdown was exactly, but I was eating about 2400 calories a day. I was doing P90X, so I was working out. I did this for about 9 months and I went to about 14%bf and no discernable muscle gain. Since I've switched to PB over the last couple of weeks I've swapped carb calories for fat and am now at 13%bf.
Posted 8 months ago # -
TroyB
MemberWow! Thank you all for your comments and for sharing your experiences. I have a Personal Trainer and I plan to do a conventional body-building program with mostly free weights. I am planning to start next week and hopefully I will experience significant gains on the Paleo diet. I have NEVER in my life had a six pack, although I am not fat at all. I am basically tall and thin. I have worked a lot on abs but nothing seems to work for me. Perhaps I did not do enough cardio.
Anyway, I just wanted to thank yuo all again for your comments. It's so nice to be part of this community.
I wish you all great health!
Posted 8 months ago #
Reply
You must log in to post.