How Can I Gain Muscle Mass?

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How Can I Gain Muscle Mass?

WebMD Answers to Questions

Question:

How Can I Gain Muscle Mass?

Answer:

Here are a few thoughts:

In order to gain weight and lean mass, you need to consume adequate calories, protein, and perform resistance training. You probably have a fast metabolism; therefore, you have very high caloric needs. I would recommend at least 3,000 calories a day and at least 115 gm of protein. You mentioned that you were already eating a lot; however, you may need to eat even more -- and very consistently! If you do not take in enough calories, you will not gain weight.

Here are some tips to increase your caloric intake:

1. Make a schedule. Eat breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. Do not skip meals or snacks -- eat whether you are hungry or not.

2. High-calorie snacks include nuts, dried fruit, granola, protein or energy bars, weight-gaining drinks or supplements, peanut butter, or cheese and crackers.

3. Add fat to foods. Add cheese to sandwiches, sauté vegetables in olive oil, and add butter or margarine to foods.

4. Drink high-calorie beverages such as juice, 2% milk, milkshakes, sweetened ice teas, etc.

Sample Meal Plan:

Breakfast: 8 oz juice, cereal with 2% milk, wheat toast with 2 tablespoons peanut butter

Snack: Energy bar and 8 oz milk

Lunch: Turkey and cheese on a roll, 8 oz juice, bag of pretzels

Snack: weight-gaining drink (for at least 400 calories) or another snack for 400 calories minimum such as 3 oz nuts, large energy bar or meal replacement bar, or peanut butter and crackers, etc. Also drink 12 oz of juice

Dinner: 7 oz meat, chicken or fish, veggies, at least 2 cups of starch, at least 1 T. of oil somewhere in the meal, 8 oz milk or juice, and fruit for dessert

Snack: at least 300 calories

5. You will need to perform a lot more resistance training than just curls. It would be best if you could join a gym and work out intensely at least 4 days a week. It will also take months for you to see any real changes in your body. I would recommend that you check in with Rich Weil on the exercise message board to get suggestions for a weight-training program.

6. Taking vitamins is not a bad idea to make sure that your body is getting all the vitamins and minerals it needs. However it will not contribute to gaining mass.

7. I would recommend that you hold off of the creatine. I think that you should give your diet and weight training program at least a year to see what happens. If you are following all of my advice after a year, maybe you could try it. Keep in mind that the way creatine works is to give you more energy to weight train harder. This is how it can build muscle. If you are not eating properly and are not lifting weights enough, you will get no results at all.

According to www.supplementwatch.com, "The benefits of creatine are likely to be due to an increased ability to train harder -- thus increasing strength. This might be good news to athletes who are training intensely, but it means that creatine alone would probably have very little effect on the muscle mass of sedentary individuals."

WebMD Answers to Questions

Reviewed by Charlotte E. Grayson Mathis, MD

The opinions expressed herein are the guest's alone and have not been reviewed by a WebMD physician. If you have a question about your health, you should consult your personal physician. This event is meant for informational purposes only.