I have been working out for about 4-5 months now and I still look exactly the same. I am 5’9″ and I weigh about 170 pounds. I’m trying to add size and get up to about 200 pounds but I want to stay lean and avoid packing on too much body fat. My diet consists of eating every 3 hours and I’m basing my diet on a 2,000 calorie a day plan. I can’t figure out what to change or what I’m doing wrong. Here is what I’m eating every day:
- 6 AM: 1/2 cup of oatmeal with a banana
- 9 AM: Whey protein shake (52 grams of protein)
- 12 PM: 2 wheat wraps with chicken breast and mustard
- 3 PM: Whey protein shake (52 grams of protein)
- 6 PM: Whole wheat pasta with steak
I workout at 7pm followed by a whey protein shake (26 grams of protein). Is it safe to take dextrose with my post-workout protein shake? I do all my workouts with heavy weight and go to positive failure. If I go past 15 reps, I increase the weight and drop the reps down to about 8-10 per set. What else can I do to gain muscle without getting fat?
Here is my entire weekly workout routine:
Monday: Chest
- Pushups: 3×10
- Incline, Decline and Bench Press with Dumbbells
- Pec Deck Machine
- Isometric Chest Presses
- Abs
Tuesday: Legs
- Machine Squats (I use the same machine for my calves)
- Leg Extensions
- Inner and Outer Thigh Abductors
- Lying Leg Curls
- HIIT Cardio 20 minutes on Elliptical
Wednesday: Shoulders, Traps, Back
- Dumbbell Shrugs
- Machine Rows
- Wide Grip Rear Pulldowns
- Standing One Arm Front Deltoid Dumbbell Raises
- Standing One Arm Deltoid Lateral Raises
- Upright Barbell Deltoid Rows
- Standing Two Arm Barbell Presses
- Bent Over Rear Deltoid Raises
- Abs
Thursday: Triceps, Biceps, Forearms
- Close Grip Bench Presses
- Rope Pushdowns
- Seated Dips Machine
- Seated Palms Down Barbell Wrist Curls
- Seated Palm Up Barbell Wrist Curls
- Dumbbell Curls
- Hammer Curls with Dumbbells
- HIIT Cardio 20 minutes of Elliptical
Friday: Abs
Saturday: HIIT Cardio
Sunday: Rest
If you’re currently only eating 2,000 calories a day, this is simply not enough food to pack on a substantial amount of size. If you want to get big, you will need to eat big which means consuming a lot of food! You cannot eat like a bird and expect to look like a horse. However, you want to get big in the right way. You want to gain lean muscle tissue without your waistline getting bigger. You do not want to look like one of those burly powerlifter guys with rolls of fat on your body. They might be big but they are definitely not lean and impressive. To get big the right way, you must be strategic in the way you perform your training and how you eat. It takes a lot of commitment and dedication to get big without getting fat but you can do it.
Diet is probably the most important element in your quest to get big. You will simply need to eat more calories from nutrient dense sources of whole foods along with choosing the right supplements to help with your goals. This enables your body to remain in an anabolic state throughout the day and night. By remaining anabolic 24/7, your body will be primed to recover from intense workouts and build muscle. This means that you will have to eat around 5-7 meals a day consisting of high quality food. Yes, it does sound like a Herculean task to eat this many times per day but once you get into a routine and a defined schedule, it will come easy because you will basically be eating every 2.5 to 3 hours all day long. You need to fully understand the importance of your diet and the key role it plays in your success since this is really the only way you can get big and lean.
You will need to keep all of your meals healthy and nutritious. This helps you survive the brutal workouts that you have to endure for months on end to reach your muscle building goals. Cut out all fast food, junk food and processed foods from your diet. Not only are these foods junk in terms of nutritional value, they will surely make you pack on the wrong kind of weight (body fat) thanks to their high sugar and saturated fat content. You must avoid simple sugars at all costs. Sugar will jack up your insulin intake and encourage the storage of fat in your body. Keep an eye out for simple sugars and fat hidden in many types of foods and especially if you ever want to eat out at restaurants, since they tend to cook everything in butter even if you choose the “healthy” chicken breast or shrimp skewers. When in doubt, cook all of your meals at home so you can make sure you know exactly what is going into them.
You might want to add weight gainer supplements to your diet in order to hit your target number of calories each day but you need to be very aware of many of these products. Mass gainer supplements are the main culprits when it comes to hidden sugars. Many supplements on the market are loaded with simple sugars to make you gain weight fast. However, if you keep using them for a prolonged period, you will definitely gain fat. I recommend passing on the weight gainer supplements. Get all of your carbohydrate needs from 100% natural whole foods like yams, potatoes, oatmeal, whole wheat bread, and brown rice. Eat fresh fruits and veggies for your vitamin and mineral needs. If your diet is lacking in certain areas, let supplements do what they are intended to do which is to “supplement” your efforts as opposed to being the main source of nutrition in your diet. Your whey protein shakes are totally fine and this is the one supplement which I highly recommend using since it’s a lean source of fast acting protein which is very convenient and comes in handy when you don’t have time to cook a meal.
In regards to your current weight training routine, it looks pretty good. For cardio, cut it out for a while and see if you start adding more muscle and size. If you start packing on a little fat, add it back in and do slow and steady cardio for 30-45 minutes after your weight training workouts. Here are a few more diet and training tips:
- Add a lean protein source to your 6am meal (whey protein, egg whites, etc.)
- To burn more fat, cut out all starchy carbs and fruit after 5pm. Stick with lean protein and veggies.
- Dextrose is fine to add to your post-workout protein shake.
- Rest longer between sets. Rest at least 90 seconds between sets to recover fully.
If you’re still packing on too much fat after you’ve increased your calories and added some light cardio to your workouts, then you can try doing 45-60 minutes of cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach to really tap into your fat stores. The elliptical trainer and walking at an incline on the treadmill are great slow and steady fat burning cardio exercises to include in your routine. Fasted state cardio can work wonders burning off fat but make sure you preserve all of your hard-earned lean muscle tissue by adding 1 scoop of fast acting whey protein powder to 12 ounces of water before your morning cardio. You can also try a BCAA (branched chain amino acids) supplement which comes in a powder form and you can mix it with water and drink it before and during your morning cardio workout.
