Three components to bulking up without getting fat

I am looking to bulk up a little bit for summer, but I don't want to put on a lot of fat. My friend, Rapid Ronnie, went on a mass-gain diet, and he blew up and is now trying to shed the blubber. How can I get a little bit bigger -- maybe ten lbs -- without getting fat like my buddy, Ronnie? -- Brian Knowles, Boston College



There are three components to adding lean, quality muscle mass: training, recovery, and eating. While most people think proper training is the most important part of building muscle, all three aspects are equally important. The following is a brief description of how each piece of the puzzle should fit together to optimize muscle gain and minimize fat gain.



>Training

Training to build muscle should be short and sweet. Spend no more than 45 minutes to an hour in the gym for each session. Break up the muscle groups into a four or five day split. For example, Monday train shoulders, Tuesday back, Wednesday chest, Thursday off, Friday arms, Saturday legs, and Sunday off. Each day in the gym, attempt to lift the heaviest weight possible with the strictest form possible for rep repetition ranges from six to ten.

In other words, bouncing 315 pounds off your chest three times on the bench press probably will not stimulate much muscle growth. However, benching 275 pounds for six using a controlled movement and strict form will recruit muscle fibers more effectively and will lead to muscle hypertrophy (growth).

Also, take care not to over-train. Do three or four heavy sets of two or three different exercises; do not do set after set of cable crossovers or machine flies -- these are not mass builders. When you are lifting for size, short, intense sessions are key. Get in, do your sets, go home, and grow.

For building size, heavy compound movements are the best. Barbell bench press, barbell squats, and deadlifts are all exercises that should be included in any fundamentally sound mass-building program. Barbell rows, pull-overs, and weighted dips are also good exercises for overall mass.

It is important to make sure you have a spotter when you are lifting for size. This not only ensures safety when handling heavy weights, but can also provide motivation to get those extra two reps.



>Recovery

Recovery is probably the most underrated part of the mass building puzzle. Your muscles do not grow when you are in the gym; rather, they grow when you have finished your workout, left the gym, and are relaxing at home. At that point, your cells begin repairing themselves in preparation for another intense workout. Most people who have trouble getting big think they are not training hard enough. So they increase their sets and reps, and still, nothing happens.

These people have not taken muscle recovery into consideration, and have fallen into the trap of over-training. It is crucial that your muscles have enough time to repair themselves between workouts. As a general rule of thumb, get seven to nine hours of sleep per night. Also, if a particular muscle is sore, refrain from training that muscle until it is no longer painful. When it comes to rest, it is better to get too much than too little.



>Eating

Eating is the third and final piece of the puzzle. You should eat five to seven meals a day, each of roughly equal caloric content and breakdown. Try to consume 1g to 1.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight. Your daily calories should fall loosely into the following breakdown: 30-35% from protein, 50-55% from carbohydrates, and 10-15% from fat. Usually, it is recommended to have a little bit more fat in your diet, but you will be consuming so much food that you will inadvertently get the dietary fat you need without even trying.

Make sure the majority of carbs are complex (brown rice, yams, whole wheat bread, etc.) as opposed to simple (sugary foods such as fruit juice, frosted cereals, etc.). Junk food should be avoided if you want to minimize fat gain. If you have trouble fitting this much food into your stomach, get a low-fat mass shake. This can easily replace a meal or two a day. I recommend N-Large, made by Prolab.

If you follow this advice, keep the calories clean, and get enough rest, putting on ten pounds of quality muscle mass should not be a problem. While I have provided a basic outline of steps to be followed for building muscle, there is much more information on the subject than I can print here. If you have specific questions, or want to know more, e-mail me at Ian.Asaff@tufts.edu.