icantplayguitar
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Note: This is a super long post. Save it to your Drive or as a PDF and read it later.
Back when I was 21, I was 5'10" and about 125 pounds. I was skinny, played video games all day, and was terrible with women. I thought that weightlifting would help develop muscle and improve my looks. After my first six months, I got stronger, but still looked thin. I fell victim to the number one mistake new lifters make.
A ton of fitness advice focuses on exercise. The foundation is important, and you don't get swole without lifting heavy. I understood sets and reps. I was consistently hitting the gym 3 times a week (or more). I was doing squats, deadlifts, bench press, rows, and all kinds of legit exercises, but I was missing a vital key. Meanwhile, buff dudes discussed the best angle for deltoid raises, whether hammer curls are superior to preacher curls, and all kinds of minutiae. They were hardcore pros, and I struggled to get through the beginner level.
My mistake, and how you can avoid it
When I first started weightlifting, I completely ignored nutrition. I didn't realize that your diet is responsible for 80% of your gains. Eat the the right stuff, and your body has the nutrients to build muscle. If you don't have the nutrients, you stay the same (or worse).
My biggest mistake was not eating enough.
Whether you gain or lose weight depends mostly on one factor: your diet. Your body can be viewed as very simplified model:
If you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight.
If you consume less calories than you burn, you will lose weight.
Once again, this is a very simplified model.
When I first started bulking, I thought, "Just eat more!" This is terrible advice. I focused on the wrong foods, avoided shakes, and occasionally went up to 36 hours without any calories. Oftentimes, I piled my plate with vegetables and rice, thinking they were "healthy options". Yes, they had vitamins and carbs, but they were lacking in calories and protein. Without adequate protein and calories, my body had insufficient materials to grow.
I needed to construct additional pylons. My pylons were made of calories.
De-mystifying Calories
A Calorie is a unit of energy measurement. Scientifically speaking, one Calorie is enough energy to heat 1 g of water by 1 degree Celsius. That's it.
Before, I wasn't thinking with the right systems. My limiting factor was my stomach, and I physically couldn't eat 3 pounds of food every meal. Instead of eating more "light" food, I should have doubled down on "macro-dense" foods like meat and eggs. Taking an extra serving of fish has way more protein and calories than an extra serving of broccoli.
And I seriously needed more calories.
How many calories do you need?
Normal people: that’s too much food to eat at once
Me: eats 16 oz steak, baked potato with extra butter and sour cream in 1 sitting
Normal people: surprised pikachu
Nutritionists say the standard person needs 2000 calories per day. You'll need more if you do strenuous exercise. And the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll need for maintenance.
Your calorie needs also depend on your genetics. If you’re an ectomorph (thinner body with a faster metabolism), you’ll need more calories than the average Joe. The huge guy benching 300 pounds might be an ectomorph (large frame, easier to keep on both muscle and fat).
As a skinny guy building mass, I now plan to eat at least 3000 calories per day when bulking (though I often only hit 2500). I've been lazy about counting exact calories, but I aim to consume:
My strategy is to use these heuristics and let the process take care of itself. I might get a lot of hate for admitting this, but I don't spend time tracking individual meals. Would I get better results if I counted macros more accurately? Absolutely! I tried it for awhile, and found it inaccurate and boring. Instead, I consciously chose to focus on the 20% of the effort that yields 80% of the results.
If you can count calories, great! Do what works for you.
Not all calories are created equal, but some are more equal than others. Where you get your calories from will influence how you body uses them.
There are three main sources of calories:
If you want to gain lean mass, you have to turn conventional wisdom on its head. The route to "gainz" requires whole foods and lots of protein.
Protein
In the beginning, I thought, "I get enough protein with my current diet, there's no need to change." I was wrong.
Why you need protein
Protein is the God nutrient of bodybuilding. First, your muscles are made of protein. No protein = no muscle. Period.
Second, protein is used for constructing tissue in all parts of your body. When you exercise, you cause micro damage to your muscles. Your body repairs itself with protein and becomes stronger in the process.
Also, protein helps you feel full after eating a meal. Good to know if you’re trying to limit your calories, but not a problem when you’re an ectomorph.
How much do you need?
Aim for 1 gram per pound of body weight each day. For example, if you weigh 130 lbs, plan to eat 130g of protein each day.
Does that sound like a lot? it should. A "snack" of 1/4 cup of nuts is about 8g of protein. A man might eat 1/4 pound of chicken at lunchtime. That's 31 grams of protein. Try doing that 5 times a day, every day for the rest of your life!
In order to get the required protein in each day, I needed a plan, and I needed to stick to it. In addition to eating heavier meals, I also started snacking on peanut butter absentmindedly. This led to me gaining 1 pound per week during my better bulking phase.
You want to eat good sources of protein around the clock. You can't just devour a pound of steak at dinner and expect to get swole. Eat slow-digesting protein from meat or milk before you go to sleep, and get some protein with breakfast. This will make it easier to hit your protein goals.
Good sources
Short answer: no.
Protein powder is basically concentrated food. Often it is made from protein that's been filtered out of milk (no lactose). The two main types in protein powder are:
Carbs
Carbohydrates are a mixed blessing. Carbs give your muscles energy, but too many calories from carbs will turn into fat.
There are two main types of carbs: simple and complex.
Simple carbs come from "white" foods like sugar, pasta, white rice, and white bread. Simple carbs are digested quickly and raise your blood sugar levels. Soon after, your blood sugar drops and you feel tired and sluggish. You feel hungry, and want to eat more "white" food.
Generally, you should limit your simple carb intake. This is the reason why many fad diets work so well: they restrict processed sugar and therefore make you less hungry. Less hunger = less motivation to eat.
Complex carbs are found in "whole" foods like whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes, oats, and brown rice. They digest more slowly and give you energy over several hours. They make you feel more full than simple carbs.
The carb paradox: the more you eat, the hungrier you feel
When I eat one slice of whole wheat bread at breakfast, I feel fine. Having two slices makes me feel hungrier at 11:00 AM. Experiment and see what works best for you.
Good sources
Fruit juice and smoothies are often marketed as a healthy alternative to soda. Usually, juices are 99% sugar--not much of an improvement, huh? Same thing for Gatorade and "sports drinks". Nutrients like fiber and vitamins are found in solid fruit, so eat those instead. If you're thirsty, drink tea.
Consider this:
Fat
Contrary to many news reports, fat is an essential nutrient. The problem in the past hundred years is that man has been eating higher levels of processed foods and unhealthy fats. Fortunately there's been some pushback from proponents of low carb diets.
Fat is the most energy dense macronutrient. Your brain is mostly fat, you need it to build testosterone, and guess what, every cell in your body contains lipids (a type of fat).
Besides supporting normal body processes, eating fat makes you feel full.
There are three main types of fat:
Saturated fats mostly come from land animals. They're solid at room temperature.
Unsaturated fats typically come from plants or fish. Usually, these are found in liquid form.
Trans fats are a product of the modern era. Concentrated trans fats are made from vegetables and occur in nature in only very small quantities. Also known as “trans-unsaturated fatty acids”.
Most Americans don't have a problem getting enough fat in their diet. It's OK to eat saturated and unsaturated fats from natural sources, up to a point. However, avoid vegetable oil and trans fats.
Ignore people who shout "unsaturated fats are bad!" In general, when someone gives fitness advice, look at how fit they are and see if you want to be like them.
If you're an ectomorph, you don't need to worry as much about limiting fat consumption. I've heard of people adding extra olive oil to their meals to hit their calorie goals.
Good sources
Listen to your gut
If you eat a certain type of food, and your stomach feels bad, stop eating that kind of food. Human beings are mostly the same, but not everyone digests the same food the same way. For example, if you're lactose intolerant, you probably don't want to drink milk. That's fine!
Too many people try to make "one size fits all" plans. Listen to your body.
What about intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting (IF) has been associated with tons of health benefits, including weight control, mental energy, avoiding diabetes, and other cool stuff. However, it's harder to get enough calories to build muscle if you are not allowed to eat. So I would avoid IF while you're bulking.
What about supplements?
Supplements won't make you fit. They are supplementary to your diet. If anyone says you absolutely need a supplement to build muscle, ignore them. That being said, some people claim that certain supplements have improved their performance along with regular weightlifting. Experiment and see what works best for you.
One Last Mistake
Besides nutrition, my other biggest mistake was thinking that I would get ripped in 6 months, maybe 1 year.
Later I learned that most people will gain 1-2 pounds of muscle per month. That felt like nothing compared to all the work I put in.
Additionally, gaining 10 pounds of muscle doesn't make you look buff. You'll definitely look more fit, but drastic physical changes take time. Additionally, your looks are highly dependent on genetics. If you're an ectomorph like me, you'll fit into a leaner archetype than Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Still, I learned that patience and consistency is key. If you have the right plan, and stick with it, you'll eventually get to where you're going. The hardest part of any fitness plan is in the psychology.
Four years later, I'm a relatively lean but fit guy. I weigh 145 pounds, and I can see muscle definition and feel proud of my journey. I started out embarrassed and knowing nothing. Now I can flex my biceps for my girlfriend (cliche and dumb, I know, but it feels manly).
I didn't write this post to brag. Rather, I wrote this to show that, if I can do it, you can too.
I hope this post was informative and helped you renew your commitment to building muscle. Feel free to save this to your Drive or as a PDF for later reference, and let me know what you think.
Back when I was 21, I was 5'10" and about 125 pounds. I was skinny, played video games all day, and was terrible with women. I thought that weightlifting would help develop muscle and improve my looks. After my first six months, I got stronger, but still looked thin. I fell victim to the number one mistake new lifters make.
A ton of fitness advice focuses on exercise. The foundation is important, and you don't get swole without lifting heavy. I understood sets and reps. I was consistently hitting the gym 3 times a week (or more). I was doing squats, deadlifts, bench press, rows, and all kinds of legit exercises, but I was missing a vital key. Meanwhile, buff dudes discussed the best angle for deltoid raises, whether hammer curls are superior to preacher curls, and all kinds of minutiae. They were hardcore pros, and I struggled to get through the beginner level.
My mistake, and how you can avoid it
When I first started weightlifting, I completely ignored nutrition. I didn't realize that your diet is responsible for 80% of your gains. Eat the the right stuff, and your body has the nutrients to build muscle. If you don't have the nutrients, you stay the same (or worse).
My biggest mistake was not eating enough.
Whether you gain or lose weight depends mostly on one factor: your diet. Your body can be viewed as very simplified model:
If you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight.
If you consume less calories than you burn, you will lose weight.
Once again, this is a very simplified model.
When I first started bulking, I thought, "Just eat more!" This is terrible advice. I focused on the wrong foods, avoided shakes, and occasionally went up to 36 hours without any calories. Oftentimes, I piled my plate with vegetables and rice, thinking they were "healthy options". Yes, they had vitamins and carbs, but they were lacking in calories and protein. Without adequate protein and calories, my body had insufficient materials to grow.
I needed to construct additional pylons. My pylons were made of calories.
De-mystifying Calories
A Calorie is a unit of energy measurement. Scientifically speaking, one Calorie is enough energy to heat 1 g of water by 1 degree Celsius. That's it.
Before, I wasn't thinking with the right systems. My limiting factor was my stomach, and I physically couldn't eat 3 pounds of food every meal. Instead of eating more "light" food, I should have doubled down on "macro-dense" foods like meat and eggs. Taking an extra serving of fish has way more protein and calories than an extra serving of broccoli.
And I seriously needed more calories.
How many calories do you need?
Normal people: that’s too much food to eat at once
Me: eats 16 oz steak, baked potato with extra butter and sour cream in 1 sitting
Normal people: surprised pikachu
Nutritionists say the standard person needs 2000 calories per day. You'll need more if you do strenuous exercise. And the more muscle you have, the more calories you'll need for maintenance.
Your calorie needs also depend on your genetics. If you’re an ectomorph (thinner body with a faster metabolism), you’ll need more calories than the average Joe. The huge guy benching 300 pounds might be an ectomorph (large frame, easier to keep on both muscle and fat).
As a skinny guy building mass, I now plan to eat at least 3000 calories per day when bulking (though I often only hit 2500). I've been lazy about counting exact calories, but I aim to consume:
- 1 whey protein shake before breakfast - 150 cal
- 800 calories per meal x 3
- At least 2 tablespoons of peanut butter - 200 cal
- 3 glasses of milk throughout the day - 450 cal
- 1 casein protein shake before I go to sleep - 150 cal
My strategy is to use these heuristics and let the process take care of itself. I might get a lot of hate for admitting this, but I don't spend time tracking individual meals. Would I get better results if I counted macros more accurately? Absolutely! I tried it for awhile, and found it inaccurate and boring. Instead, I consciously chose to focus on the 20% of the effort that yields 80% of the results.
If you can count calories, great! Do what works for you.
Not all calories are created equal, but some are more equal than others. Where you get your calories from will influence how you body uses them.
There are three main sources of calories:
- protein
- carbs
- fat
If you want to gain lean mass, you have to turn conventional wisdom on its head. The route to "gainz" requires whole foods and lots of protein.
Protein
In the beginning, I thought, "I get enough protein with my current diet, there's no need to change." I was wrong.
Why you need protein
Protein is the God nutrient of bodybuilding. First, your muscles are made of protein. No protein = no muscle. Period.
Second, protein is used for constructing tissue in all parts of your body. When you exercise, you cause micro damage to your muscles. Your body repairs itself with protein and becomes stronger in the process.
Also, protein helps you feel full after eating a meal. Good to know if you’re trying to limit your calories, but not a problem when you’re an ectomorph.
How much do you need?
Aim for 1 gram per pound of body weight each day. For example, if you weigh 130 lbs, plan to eat 130g of protein each day.
Does that sound like a lot? it should. A "snack" of 1/4 cup of nuts is about 8g of protein. A man might eat 1/4 pound of chicken at lunchtime. That's 31 grams of protein. Try doing that 5 times a day, every day for the rest of your life!
In order to get the required protein in each day, I needed a plan, and I needed to stick to it. In addition to eating heavier meals, I also started snacking on peanut butter absentmindedly. This led to me gaining 1 pound per week during my better bulking phase.
You want to eat good sources of protein around the clock. You can't just devour a pound of steak at dinner and expect to get swole. Eat slow-digesting protein from meat or milk before you go to sleep, and get some protein with breakfast. This will make it easier to hit your protein goals.
Good sources
- eggs
- chicken
- pork
- beef
- fish
- nuts
- beans
- Milk (including cheese, yogurt, etc.)
- Protein shakes (obviously)
Short answer: no.
Protein powder is basically concentrated food. Often it is made from protein that's been filtered out of milk (no lactose). The two main types in protein powder are:
- Plant-based protein (and whey) - fast absorbing
- Animal-based protein (and casein) - slow absorbing
Carbs
Carbohydrates are a mixed blessing. Carbs give your muscles energy, but too many calories from carbs will turn into fat.
There are two main types of carbs: simple and complex.
Simple carbs come from "white" foods like sugar, pasta, white rice, and white bread. Simple carbs are digested quickly and raise your blood sugar levels. Soon after, your blood sugar drops and you feel tired and sluggish. You feel hungry, and want to eat more "white" food.
Generally, you should limit your simple carb intake. This is the reason why many fad diets work so well: they restrict processed sugar and therefore make you less hungry. Less hunger = less motivation to eat.
Complex carbs are found in "whole" foods like whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes, oats, and brown rice. They digest more slowly and give you energy over several hours. They make you feel more full than simple carbs.
The carb paradox: the more you eat, the hungrier you feel
When I eat one slice of whole wheat bread at breakfast, I feel fine. Having two slices makes me feel hungrier at 11:00 AM. Experiment and see what works best for you.
Good sources
- whole wheat bread
- sweet potatoes
- oats
- brown rice
- quinoa
- All vegetables
Fruit juice and smoothies are often marketed as a healthy alternative to soda. Usually, juices are 99% sugar--not much of an improvement, huh? Same thing for Gatorade and "sports drinks". Nutrients like fiber and vitamins are found in solid fruit, so eat those instead. If you're thirsty, drink tea.
Consider this:
- An ordinary chocolate chip cookie has 14g of sugar (the whole cookie weighs 19g).
- A regular 12 oz can of Coke has 39g of sugar. Almost as much as 3 cookies!
- A 20 oz bottle of Gatorate contains 34g sugar. (20.4g in 12 oz)
- Apple juice? 24g sugar per cup (and a whopping 32g per 12 oz).
Fat
Contrary to many news reports, fat is an essential nutrient. The problem in the past hundred years is that man has been eating higher levels of processed foods and unhealthy fats. Fortunately there's been some pushback from proponents of low carb diets.
Fat is the most energy dense macronutrient. Your brain is mostly fat, you need it to build testosterone, and guess what, every cell in your body contains lipids (a type of fat).
Besides supporting normal body processes, eating fat makes you feel full.
There are three main types of fat:
Saturated fats mostly come from land animals. They're solid at room temperature.
Unsaturated fats typically come from plants or fish. Usually, these are found in liquid form.
Trans fats are a product of the modern era. Concentrated trans fats are made from vegetables and occur in nature in only very small quantities. Also known as “trans-unsaturated fatty acids”.
Most Americans don't have a problem getting enough fat in their diet. It's OK to eat saturated and unsaturated fats from natural sources, up to a point. However, avoid vegetable oil and trans fats.
Ignore people who shout "unsaturated fats are bad!" In general, when someone gives fitness advice, look at how fit they are and see if you want to be like them.
If you're an ectomorph, you don't need to worry as much about limiting fat consumption. I've heard of people adding extra olive oil to their meals to hit their calorie goals.
Good sources
- Olive oil (not canola oil)
- Unprocessed meat
- Butter
- Dairy
- Nuts
Listen to your gut
If you eat a certain type of food, and your stomach feels bad, stop eating that kind of food. Human beings are mostly the same, but not everyone digests the same food the same way. For example, if you're lactose intolerant, you probably don't want to drink milk. That's fine!
Too many people try to make "one size fits all" plans. Listen to your body.
What about intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting (IF) has been associated with tons of health benefits, including weight control, mental energy, avoiding diabetes, and other cool stuff. However, it's harder to get enough calories to build muscle if you are not allowed to eat. So I would avoid IF while you're bulking.
What about supplements?
Supplements won't make you fit. They are supplementary to your diet. If anyone says you absolutely need a supplement to build muscle, ignore them. That being said, some people claim that certain supplements have improved their performance along with regular weightlifting. Experiment and see what works best for you.
One Last Mistake
Besides nutrition, my other biggest mistake was thinking that I would get ripped in 6 months, maybe 1 year.
Later I learned that most people will gain 1-2 pounds of muscle per month. That felt like nothing compared to all the work I put in.
Additionally, gaining 10 pounds of muscle doesn't make you look buff. You'll definitely look more fit, but drastic physical changes take time. Additionally, your looks are highly dependent on genetics. If you're an ectomorph like me, you'll fit into a leaner archetype than Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Still, I learned that patience and consistency is key. If you have the right plan, and stick with it, you'll eventually get to where you're going. The hardest part of any fitness plan is in the psychology.
Four years later, I'm a relatively lean but fit guy. I weigh 145 pounds, and I can see muscle definition and feel proud of my journey. I started out embarrassed and knowing nothing. Now I can flex my biceps for my girlfriend (cliche and dumb, I know, but it feels manly).
I didn't write this post to brag. Rather, I wrote this to show that, if I can do it, you can too.
I hope this post was informative and helped you renew your commitment to building muscle. Feel free to save this to your Drive or as a PDF for later reference, and let me know what you think.