Question About Workout

Hi guys, my I haven't been able to bodybuild lately and it is really hard to maintain now that I am working a job. However I am quitting my job at the end of April to get back in shape because I ship out for the Army July 19th. The time period I have is 2 months. Here are my current goals for that time period.

• Get Back In Shape (Obviously)
  
• Gain 10 Pounds Of Muscle
  
• Change Diet

My diet plan is going to be for the first month 3 meals a day because I will still have school but include a lot of wheat, fruits, vegetables, and protein. During the first month I am going to tone up. I plan to spend 2 hours in the gym per day that month and do some swimming each day too. It may sound like a lot but the exercises will be different.

The second month I will not be in school so I hope to do more. The second month I plan to eat  5 meals per day; small but adequate ones that include wheat, fruits, vegetables, and protein. This will be my bulking up month. I will spend about 3 hours per day in the gym and swim too.

My questions are:

• How much protein should I consume?
  
• Can non-stop lap swimming (10 laps of 75 ft per lap) give me the same endurance I would gain from running 2 miles per day?
  
• Will I hurt my body even though I will be getting adequate sleep (8 hours)?
  
• What are some good mass gaining substances?

Thank you for your time.

What are some good mass gaining substances?

Food.
 

#1 diet - most important
You need to be eating enough calories so that your body is not in survival mode! 
500 calories over your needs will get you 1 pound a week...if you need more, some will likely be fat...so you have to decide what weight you want to gain...some needs to be fat anyway, just decide how much you want by how much you gain per week!

At least 4-6 meals a day!

Go to this post to figure your daily calories if you don't have a clue.
Calories needed per day for various goals <------ link for you to click
At the bottom of the post is a link to a spreadsheet/calculator that you can use...

Use fitday.com to plan meals to get what you need not just as a meal journal...it is free! Use fitday.com as a MEAL PLANNER..not just a journal.  To help you tweak your diet into different mixes! 

Basic meal:
A protein (3 oz Chicken/turkey/beef/soy...)
A vegetable (1/2 cup broccoli/green beans/peppers/ 2 cups salad...)
A carb source (1/2 cup Rice/quinoa/amaranth/oatmeal...sweet potato, potato...)
Sufficient good fat  (from the protein and/or Fish oils, omega 3 oils, flax oils, nuts..)

You are looking for:
Protein-15-30%,
carbohydrates-40-75%,
fat-10-30%
...of your total calories

The ideal range of protein for growth is .6-.9 grams per pound of body weight.

If you are a light eater and meats sit like a brick in your tummy then go for the lower part of that range. 
If you enjoy meats and could eat them many times in the day, and they give you energy...go for the higher end.

Target the fat % on the scale proportionate with the protein. Then inversely proportion the carbs to the protein.

Foods should be fresh whole foods.  Carbs should be from veggies and non processed starches (rice, baked sweet potato, potato, quinoa, amaranth...) with some fruits.  Drop most processed sugars from your diet.

It depends on your preferences and your body chemistry.  Everyone IS different in the way they digest and use food.  You have to work with it to find what gives you the most energy and power, focus and good feeling.

Yes, I am speaking from experience as a trainer.  I assess clients for where to start their meals, then assign a diet and adjust based upon what we observe.  This is what you will do for yourself.

Experiment with different mixes...1 week strict per "experiment"!

I.E. (these are the extremes and represent points in a whole spectrum!  They give you ideas of parts of the spectrum to explore)

The moderate protein type=
Protein-20%,
carbohydrates-65%,
fat-15%

High Protein type=
Protein-30%,
carbohydrates-40%,
fat-30%

High Carb type=
Protein-15%,
carbohydrates-75%,
fat-10%

#2 Training
train your whole body
Chest
Back (upper/lower)
Legs (Hamstrings, Quads, Glutes)
Triceps
Biceps
Shoulders (back, medial and front and traps)
Calf
Abs
Optimal set / rep ranges and days between:
For muscular Endurance the rep range is 12-25 slow pace/30-90 second rests/ 1-3 sets / 1-2 days between
For muscle size the rep range is 9-12 slow- moderate pace/30-60 second rests / 3 -4 sets per / 4-7 days between
For Strength (vs. power) the rep range is 6-8 slow pace/2-3 minute rests/ 3-4 sets per / 4-7 days between
For power the rep range is 1-5 fast/explosive pace /3-5 minute rests/ 4-8 sets per / 2-3 days between
That has been heavily tested and it works...courtesy of the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

You are looking for size so work mostly in the size range slipping into strength and power occasionally for variation!

There are a lot of intensity principles that you can toy with to spice up you results a bit. Some discussion threads on varying intensity...
http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/m_87226/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm#87256
http://www.discussbodybuilding.com/m_93729/mpage_1/key_/tm.htm#94183


#3 track your progress!
On the topic of Body fat measurement...
The methods YOU can use to test your body fat yourself are unreliable on a one time basis.  They are better used to track changes over time on an ongoing basis. 

Test every 1-3 weeks at the same time of day...and use the same scale to take your weight. 

Here is a calculator that allows you to use skinfold calipers (3 or 7 point test) or tape measure
http://www.linear-software.com/online.html

Here is the best price I have found to date for good cheap accurate calipers:
skinfold Calipers <--- link to place on amazon where it is cheapest

Once your diet and training are in place, measure your body composition and go a week following your plan.  Take circumference measurements of your muscles.

At the end of the week (and each week) check your body composition again - always at the same time of day with the same method and tools. 

--If at first you are just gaining fat, then revamp your training it is obviously not sufficient to create muscle gains, also look at adjusting your caloric intake and nutrient balance.
--If you are gaining fat and muscle, stay where you are! or if it is too much fat, you can drop calories 250 or add a bit of cardio.
--If you are just gaining muscle go another week as is.
--If you gain muscle and lose fat but gain no weight (or lose weight), add calories (keeping the %) 250 and go another week
--If you are gaining muscle and losing fat...while gaining weight you are at an optimal balance.
--If you are just losing fat bump your calories up 250-500 calories.
--If at first you are just losing muscle, adjusting your caloric intake up 500 calories.
--If you are neither gaining nor losing muscle or fat...you are at maintenance.  Add 500 calories.

#4 the basics
Keep the training under an hour
Do not over train
Don't miss a meal. 
Don't go low carb on us. 
8-12 cups water minimum a day!!!
Don't let your calories get behind your muscle gains.
Multivitamin to support growth!
8 hours sleep a night
Avoid artificial additives (flavorings, coloring, preservatives) in foods
Cut out processed foods
get pre and post work out nutrition:

Here is a general rule for replenishing glycogen and sparing muscle pre-post workout:
0.2 g/lb high glycemic index carbs
0.1 g/lb whey (or Just 5 grams of BCAA or 15 grams of EAAs)


If you need to add cardio, start with the least amount of it you can do…3x20 minutes.  I will guess you are training and so you probably will not need to.
 
Yes swimming is fine!

Diet will be your biggest challenge.  You have to get the caloric level sufficient so that you are gaining weight.  You should expect to gain .5 to 2 pounds a week.

Any questions…after you do your homework…post your caloric needs, diet, and training and we can comment to get you in the groove!
 
Once you get that in place, after the first week...we can tweak you into a better growth zone with supplements if needed!
 
Get busy!

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