For Gaining Mass

Hope this isn't too off topic-

Sweet Potatoes
-How long do you cook your sweet potatoes and what temp?  I've been doing 350 for an hour but you talk about yours being 'SOFT'

-How do you store them to reheat during the week?  I've kept them in tuperwear but it seems to lock in the moisture and make the potatoes yucky

-Do you eat anything on them?  Honey, etc

First I use Jewel sweet potatoes when possible.
350-375 for about an hour.
I wait until they are SOFT and the juices are bubbling out...put something underneath.
 
I store them in glass, like tupperwear.
 
I tend to eat them on the run.  They are like candy.
I do reheat them in the toaster oven with my other food, crush them and spread them out.
 
I do not put anything on them...sometimes tomatillos or spices...

My Journal - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=168123
PRIMERS:
Gain Muscle - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111173
Lose Fat - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111175

I've been doing a pretty good job eating clean for the last 2 months.  Everything is going well except I'm starting to get these stomach cramps/ pains.

It just started about 2 weeks ago, and they usually happen sometime after a meal .

Do you have any ideas Dan? 

If the problem persists much longer I'm going to my doctor, but I was curious if this is possible nutrition related.  I haven't changed too much in my diet, and I've tried to find patterns of certain foods that cause this, but to no avail.

If it matters I'm eating 4000 calories a day at 55% Carb 15% Pro 30% Fat.

They feel like a mix of stomach cramps, and the feeling of having to throw up-- and usually resolve themselves within an hour.  (Sometimes worse than others)

It's just odd because I'm now getting more vitamins and minerals than ever before and things seem to be going good.

Could be too much fiber.
Also the fat% may not be ideal for you.
Perhaps you are not hydrated enough by meal times.
4000 calories is a large number of calories and perhaps your digestion is not keeping up with your caloric intake.

My Journal - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=168123
PRIMERS:
Gain Muscle - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111173
Lose Fat - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111175

is NO explode good for a beginner
14 years
weight 150
dont really ever work out till 3 weeks ago
my bench is around 160
but i hate free weights
wired weights r better for me
height 5'8
and is one scoop good cause im kinda on a low budget
i have been doin intese workouts
is NO explode going to actully give me good results

No. 
Save your money and buy quality food.
That is your best friend as far as growth.

If you want to see a training response for very little money..
Something like this:
Creatine Monohydrate <--- (link)
1 hour pre workout 3-5 grams

DO NOT TAKE ARGANINE WITHIN 4 HOURS OF YOUR TRAINING!

You can use it PURE before bed!  (Not NO FORMULA's with astimulants!!!!)

L-Arganine (the main constituent of NO supplements) supresses the growth hormone spike you should get from just good hard training!

That is the latest real research on it.  No BS.

Effect on Growth hormones of pre or post workout arganine:
Just training Gives the highest
Just arganine gives the next highest
Arganine + training gives the lowest

Apparently the body has a feedback loop so it will take only 1 GH spiking event and the next event causes a negative feedback.

Training alone causes the highest spike!

L-Arganine before bed will give you all the NO benefits you want for the next day+

Most NOs on the market are really too low in dose (4-6 grams L-Arganine) to obtain the proper training effect, they are mostly stimulants (caffeine) and really, that is not what you want when bulking!  Even though it feels good, it is counter productive for optimal growth!

Save the stims for the cutting when you will really want them!

Read more about this issue?
http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/m_332361/mpage_2/tm.htm

I have trained exclusively with resistance bands for years at a streatch and see no problem...
For some other thoughts on that...read the page linked in my signature for my journal...

My Journal - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=168123
PRIMERS:
Gain Muscle - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111173
Lose Fat - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111175

ORIGINAL: danmirage

Could be too much fiber.
Also the fat% may not be ideal for you.
Perhaps you are not hydrated enough by meal times.
4000 calories is a large number of calories and perhaps your digestion is not keeping up with your caloric intake.

Ok, thanks!  I'll experiment with these ideas

One idea is to drop your caloric expenditure and your calories...

Is it a particular meal?
When and what is in it...or how many calories...or how much fiber or fat...

Is there a supplement you are taking around this time?

Is it near a workout?

My Journal - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=168123
PRIMERS:
Gain Muscle - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111173
Lose Fat - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111175

well im lookin for the best supplement to get me the fastest results the best results and for my muscles to acutully look bigger and for them to actully be muscle not water
oh yea and r u saying i should work out wit no supplement them be4 i go to bed take creatine monohydrate
im not really worried about gettin much taller
just WAY BUFFER and WAY QUICKER
i bought cytogainer before and now i have mass tech by muscletech but i only take 1.5-2 scoops
remember low budget

another question
i work on upper body all 5 days i workout
and its intense but im sore then but by the time im home it feels all normal and when i go to the gym the next day im ready for upper again
i work lower every other day
is that good to work upper everyday

is that good to work upper everyday

No.  At most every other day, depending on load and recovery.
Pain is not a good indicator of qaulity training or recovery.
Training the same muscle every day tops the list as one of the quickest ways to LOSE muscle.

well im lookin for the best supplement to get me the fastest results
Just WAY BUFFER and WAY QUICKER 

That would be pre and post workout protein/carbs/creatine monohydrate.
Those are the king of SIZE.
Read the post linked at the bottom of the main gaining mass post on your pre-workout protein/carbs/creatine for the most anabolic effect..
It explains when and how much.

and for my muscles to acutully look bigger and for them to actully be muscle not water

Muscle is about 75% water and so that is a silly thing to say, in fact if you want larger muscle fibers,
YOU DO WANT MORE WATER IN THE MUSCLE!!!
that is called VOLUMIZING the muscle and it leads to faster growth.

oh yea and r u saying i should work out wit no supplement them be4 i go to bed take creatine monohydrate

1 hour pre workout 3-5 grams Creatine monohydrate.
Read the main post in this thread on recommendations on your pre-workout protein/carbs/creatine for the most anabolic effect.

THAT is the cheapest, and also the fastest way to get HUGE.
Assuming your training is optimal and progresive and your diet is optimal and your rest is optimal.

My Journal - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=168123
PRIMERS:
Gain Muscle - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111173
Lose Fat - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111175

lol
but should i take any percausions when taking creatine monohydrate
like drink tons and tons of water
or like cycling off the effects ?

That's the thing I can't narrow it down a whole lot..

ORIGINAL: danmirage

One idea is to drop your caloric expenditure and your calories... Well I've slowly upped my calories ~250 every week because I am not gaining any weight yet.  In the last month or so I've gone from 3000 up to 4000

Is it a particular meal?    Nope, usually occurs anytime except right in the morning or before bed.  And I can't link any particular foods that cause it.  Haven't broke down the fiber I consume daily.. not sure what's 'normal'.  Also, when I was younger I used to have to take metamucil and similar to keep me regular, so I seem to be someone who doesn't get ENOUGH fiber.
When and what is in it...or how many calories...or how much fiber or fat...

Is there a supplement you are taking around this time?  Nope

Is it near a workout? Not particularly--Sometimes before and after, along with other times of the day.

After your post last night I did drink quite a bit more water today and the problem didn't even appear.  I ALSO though, didn't have a cup of oatmeal for breakfast like usual, and I didn't have my usual ~14oz of sweet potatoes for lunch---so at this point I suppose it could be water or fiber-- Either way I think I'm on the right track.  Thanks for all your help!

EDIT:  Perhaps I spoke too soon Even though I haven't had any tummy problems all today, I did just have a little bit of discomfort before my workout.  My Pre workout nutrition consists of whey and 1/4 cup raisins.

Also- I've been having a heck of a time with Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes.  Dan I assume you weigh yours, but do you weigh before or after cooking?  And then what calorie system do you use?  ( Fitday has oz, but also oz raw yields)

Thanks

ORIGINAL: biga273

lol
but should i take any percausions when taking creatine monohydrate
like drink tons and tons of water
or like cycling off the effects ?

These have all been answered many times.  Read through this link and you will find what you need.
http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/Awesome_Muscle_Building_Topic_17_Creatine/m_183989/tm.htm

I did just have a little bit of discomfort before my workout.  My Pre workout nutrition consists of whey and 1/4 cup raisins.

Try replacing the raisions (dehydrated fruit) with a whole fruit.

Also- I've been having a heck of a time with Potatoes and Sweet Potatoes.  Dan I assume you weigh yours, but do you weigh before or after cooking?  And then what calorie system do you use?  ( Fitday has oz, but also oz raw yields)

Calculate based on uncooked unless they specifty cooked.
I cook 3 days worth and use a cooked weight to calculate, then I lop off what I need, weigh, and chow down.

but should i take any percausions when taking creatine monohydrate
like drink tons and tons of water
or like cycling off the effects ?

Read the thread at that link...

My Journal - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=168123
PRIMERS:
Gain Muscle - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111173
Lose Fat - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111175

This article was amazing.  Thank you so much Dan.
I had just a few questions:

1.  I've been going through the MAX-OT training and under nutrition it suggests 53% of your diet come from protein, 35% from carbs and 10% fat.  I read your other thread that was more along the lines of 25-pro 50-carb 25-fat.  Is the MAX-OT diet different because of the training?  Would you recommend against it?  I initially built my diet plan around a 25/50/25 plan (ALSO thank you so much for suggesting fitday.com, awesome website.) If I'm planning to follow the MAX-OT training for the next 6 months do you think I should follow that diet? or would 25/50/25 be more appropriate?

2.  A lot of confusion as to fats/carbs before bed.  It seems like the concensus is GOOD fats before bed are ok, carbs should be kept to a minimum.  If so should I stack carbs earlier in the day? (pre workout, and first meal after workout?)  Or are carbs before bed ok?

age: 24
height: 6'4"
weight: 217lbs
bf% 15
____________
currently attempting first bulk

2.  A lot of confusion as to fats/carbs before bed.  It seems like the concensus is GOOD fats before bed are ok, carbs should be kept to a minimum.  If so should I stack carbs earlier in the day? (pre workout, and first meal after workout?)  Or are carbs before bed ok?

Have a balanced whole food meal as described in the main post as the last meal of the day.  If you do not supply them, the body will get them somewhere...that would by from proteins.

1.  I've been going through the MAX-OT training and under nutrition it suggests 53% of your diet come from protein, 35% from carbs and 10% fat.  I read your other thread that was more along the lines of 25-pro 50-carb 25-fat.  Is the MAX-OT diet different because of the training?  Would you recommend against it?  I initially built my diet plan around a 25/50/25 plan (ALSO thank you so much for suggesting fitday.com, awesome website.) If I'm planning to follow the MAX-OT training for the next 6 months do you think I should follow that diet? or would 25/50/25 be more appropriate?

That is a program.  I think you might be better to ask in the Max-ot thread.

However, in general I think that the ratio (53% protein, 35% carbs and 10% fat) is not very ideal except for a very small portion of the population that are in the last stages of cutting and do not tolerate fats.

My Journal - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=168123
PRIMERS:
Gain Muscle - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111173
Lose Fat - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111175

hey dan, i got back from a travelling adventure aprox 5 weeks ago now,, during that time i dropped down to 182 from 190. lifts went down quite alot... bench down from 310 to 275, barball rows down to 200 * 6 for working sets from 230, squats didnt change to much but still i lost alot of strengh.
 
anyway since ive got back ive been bulking up, and lifts are almost higher than ever bench is up to 225* 10, barball row rep range 250 * 6.. so basically im stronger than ever.. however ive only gained 5 pounds since coming back,, and quite alot of this i believe is fat.. 0.75 inche increase to waist, and generally looking less defined than before!!
 
so why am i gaining  strength but not much muscle? i tend to acumalate fat round my hips which i hate!! so im really down about gaining the fat..
 
my diet generally looks like this.. my job varies but is generally  very labour intensive lots of lifting etc..
 
6.30 am   protein shake+milk   and bowl of porridge
10.00 am  tuna sandwich or chicken wrap.. usually with flap jack
1 pm        salmon sandwich
3.45         another sandwich uaully chicken turkey or fish
5.45 pm    beef vegatables or chicken,,, or spagetti etc general tea foods.
8. 00 pm    pre workout whey shake + bananna or apple
9. 15 pm   finish workout shake have another protein shake plus small carb source bread etc usually 2 slices
10.15        bedtime..
 
well thats my diet maybe ive noticed not enough good fats.. but still if i can gain strength from the diet why not muslce..?
 
i live on my own im only 19,, so im usually quite straped for cash so i cant afford lots of expensive steaks etc..
 
my routines the max-ot routine has been generally for the past 12 months.. (worked great for strengh)..
 
thanks any input aprechiated

 

deadlifts: 550 lbs
bench press:370 lbs
militery press : 265 lbs
squat : 425
bw: 209

The first thing to note is strength and muscle gains are not really related.
Strength is a neural adaptation to increased loads and muscle is a physical adaptation to new work demands in a certain range.

Second, it looks like you need to add vegetables (or fruit) to every meal.
Also I note you train at night, which can have some interesting repercussions.
It is better to train than not.
If you sleep fine then that is good.

Third, your training is strength oriented and needs to be varied.
You know what strength athletes look like.
If you want more muscle, train with a different program.
Max-ot  has specific instructions as to how much to use it.
OT stands for over training.  Perhaps you need to back off and do hypertrophy training!

Try the 3-day program in the main post for a change.
Read the entire description.

Other factors can also play in to this.
Number of calories, nutrient ratios, rest, stress, water...

My Journal - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=168123
PRIMERS:
Gain Muscle - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111173
Lose Fat - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111175

thanks dan will consider changing from max-ot.. never tried high rep rangesss.. might give them a go..
 

 

deadlifts: 550 lbs
bench press:370 lbs
militery press : 265 lbs
squat : 425
bw: 209

Just to report back on a few things:

I still have the stomache pains, just as bad as before.
I've found that I almost always get them from my pre/post workout nutrition, so I've dropped the whey and grapes, and this has helped.  (Although now I'm not replenishing anything!) and I still get pains throughout the day.

I did a little reading online and found that sometimes stomach aches can come from excess gas.  Well I have noticed ever since eating healthier I have more gas, and especially now that I'm eating 4000 calories.

But my question is, how do I really lower my fiber?  I eat 55% Carbs, and it seems almost ALL good carb sources have fiber in them.  ( Potatoes, rice, oatmeal, fruits, veggies)

And along with lowering my fiber, is it worth my time and money to give over the counter remedies a try? ( Gas-x, et.c)

This is about my last attempt before I just go and see a doctor.  Although I'm worried that will result in costly tests that may or may not find anything.

Thanks Dan

You change foods high in fiber for ones lower in fiber.

Use white rise instead of oatmeal for instance.
Oatmeal has lots of fiber.

also, do you take other powder supplements?

The gut can tolerate about 30 grams+ of fiber..you could be getting 40 and you would be very unhappy.

At 4000 I had to adjust my diet to get it down to 30.

Another thing, chew your food well, don't swallow with air!

My Journal - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=168123
PRIMERS:
Gain Muscle - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111173
Lose Fat - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111175

No, no other supplements.

You may be right, I'm looking over the last few days at my fiber intake and its around 40-45.  I'll drop about 10 a day and see how I feel.
It's funny, it almost seems like I have to eat a little bit less healthy!

Thanks!

You know what is said about too much of a good thing...

It is not really healty to eat too much fiber (over 35 grams).
It interferes with absorption of vital nutrients and, as you have noted...is unpleasant.

Drop to 30 and see if you don't feel better over the following 7 days...it won't be immediate...you have to get rid of the fiber in your gut!

My Journal - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=168123
PRIMERS:
Gain Muscle - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111173
Lose Fat - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111175

Ok, will do.

Can the body get used to 35+ grams of fiber over time?  I'm trying to look into the future, and I'm only at 175lbs right now and need 4000 calories to gain weight.  When I get further along into reaching my goal, I could imagine needing to eat 5000+ calories.  And that seems like a very hard goal if I can't add more potatoes and etc into my diet without raising fiber

Fiber is a limiting factor.  The body does not really "adapt" to much more than 35 - 40.
You learn to use more foods that allow maximum calories with minimum density.

My Journal - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=168123
PRIMERS:
Gain Muscle - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111173
Lose Fat - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111175

Trainer Chad Waterbury has proposed a set/rep volume of 24-50 for each body part during each session for hypertrophy training. For instance 8 sets x 3 reps would be a set/rep volume of 24.

I've been training for more than 6 months. So this means that no longer will I see great results from the 9-12 rep range, and I should change to 8 sets of 3 reps? Is the rest for that 30-60 sec or is it 2-5 min? I dont see how 8 sets of 3 reps can create an increase in hypertrophy... Please let me know if I should try this?

Also I realized I've been eating about 40-50% protein, 40% carb and 10-20% fat I want to try doing the 70% carb. I eat around 3800 calories daily so should I gradually bump it up to 50, 60, 70... Or is it okay to go straight to 70 and reduce protein to 15% and fat to 15% ? Thanks in advance.

Oh and the reason I dont eat much carbs is because I have trouble consuming a large amount per meal... It seems to be a lot easier for my body to take in protein for calories instead. However I obviously dont want my body to use protein for energy. Any ideas to make taking in carbs easier?

The goal is to design PROGRESSION for ongoing results, not to follow general rules blindly.
By introducing work that you are unnaccustomed to you create adaptation.

Adaptation = growth

So this means that no longer will I see great results from the 9-12 rep range

It would be good to vary training modalities frequently.  But you can always cycle through different training variations and 9-12 reps will be one, and when you switch from say 5 sets of 5 to 3-4 sets of 9-12...THAT will be a progression and you will see growth if all other factors are optimally in play.

9-12 reps comes in so many different flavors that even staying with that rep range you can keep things fresh with pyramids, with supersets, with drop sets, with pre-exhaust, with various compound lifts, with different rep speeds, acceleratons, decelerations, with different rest protocols....etc, etc, etc

My Journal - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=168123
PRIMERS:
Gain Muscle - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111173
Lose Fat - www.discussbodybuilding.com/fb.ashx?m=111175

ORIGINAL: danmirage

You know what is said about too much of a good thing...

It is not really healty to eat too much fiber (over 35 grams).
It interferes with absorption of vital nutrients and, as you have noted...is unpleasant.

Drop to 30 and see if you don't feel better over the following 7 days...it won't be immediate...you have to get rid of the fiber in your gut!

Just to report back Dan-  I've scaled back the fiber and kept the fat around 30% (not too much higher) and this seems to have done the trick!

BUT- I still get stomach discomfort after I take my protein.  It's ON's 'natural' whey, which isn't supposed to have any art. sweeteners or anything.  I also had a very tasty fruit beverage the other day that gave me discomfort, and found that in the ingredients is whey protein!

It's weird I'd have this problem, as I've been taking whey for years with no problems.  Ever heard of this?