Many guys and gals who want to start gaining some extra muscle mass and bulking up realize that to do so they're going to need to start consuming extra calories on a daily basis in order to provide their muscles with the building blocks they need to grow.
However, the main fear that crops up is trying to figure out "how do I gain muscle mass without getting fat?" After all, a caloric surplus usually results in excess weight gain, and we don't want a lot of excess body fat, right? Hey, we're trying to get into shape here, not out of it! Some excess fat gain is inevitable but the amount can be influenced and controlled.
The key is to focus on one goal at a time - remember the old proverb about chasing two rabbits? Well, the same applies here...
focus on bulking up and gaining weight, and then focus on losing the excess body fat - trying to do both at the same time usually ends in frustration.
Meal Frequency Is As Important As Meal Size Knowing how to gain muscle without getting fat comes down to a few factors, one of which is realizing that the regularity of your meal times is just as important as your meal size.
When bulking up, most folks quite rightly start taking on additional calories.
However, they don't always think about how to spread these calories out throughout the day.
It is best to split your meals into 6 per day instead of the usual 3.
This gives the body a consistent supply of energy and calories, and avoids bunching large meals together.
This is actually a dieting tip used by folks who want to lose weight, since it keeps your metabolism fairly level and avoids the chance of you consuming large amounts of calories when your body can not make use of them (i.
e.
just before you go to bed).
How Many Calories Over Maintenance? This is always a big question for folks wanting to know how to gain muscle without getting fat.
The problem is that it can be difficult to give a definitive answer since every body is different and everyone has a different metabolic rate.
The safest way to ensure that you can still gain muscle without getting fat, is to begin by adding a smaller amount of additional calories to your daily diet and see what effect that has.
If you find you are beginning to gain a lot of excess body fat then you know you are doing too much.
If you're not gaining enough muscle then you can continue to add calories until you find the sweet spot for your metabolism - your own body is the best way to measure and tailor the results, so make sure you track your progress.
Typically you can begin by adding an extra 250 to 500 calories over your maintenance level (the level that keeps you at your current weight or build), and then work up from there.
Skinny guys and gals can possibly try more, but it is best to start small and go higher, rather than trying to back track later on.
Slowing Down Your Growth Rate Taking on a large amount of extra calories will help you bulk much faster, but has a higher risk of excess body fat gain.
By taking a slower approach you can still gain muscle mass but not have to worry about losing muscular definition and having to deal with fat loss at the cutting stage.
But what is the average muscular growth rate you should be looking for? On average, a person who is following a solid training and nutrition plan can look to gain half a pound to a pound per week of muscle mass.
Is this what you are seeing in your own situation? Make sure you are measuring and tracking your weight and body fat levels (use some good body fat calipers), to maximize your chances of gaining muscle without getting fat.
Now, of course, this is only a guide and results will differ from person to person, but it at least gives you a rough target to measure your progress against.