Hello. My fiance wants to start doing something to gain muscle. The problem he has is that he can eat whatever he wants and not gain a pound. He does not excersise at all. He is 6'0" tall and weighs about 145 lbs. I know he is underweight and he wants to do something about that now. He is afraid though that if he starts working out he will just loose more fat and not gain muscle. He has tried before with no luck. Are there any suggestions I can give him? And would a p90 workout be a good idea for him? He is ready to start training now we just need to know what videos to buy for him. Thanks for you help. Amanda

Amanda,

Yes, your husband can gain some mass. To start, here are some of the basics:

http://www.beachbody.com/jump.jsp?itemID=42&itemType=NEWSLETTER_ISSUES#2

Once you've read this article, write back with specific questions. No matter how fast his metabolism is, he can gain mass if he works out correclty and eats the right foods.

Thanks. That article was very informative. Do you think P90 would be the best fitness program for him?

I think P90 would be good, yes, considering the Slim series are more geared towards, well, slimming.

From there, he might want to look into 90x. I would suggest that first, but you have to be pretty darn fit.

Have a look at both here on the site.

I'd recommend P90 to start with. Make sure that he also reads the P90 Maximizer, which you can find in the FA FAQ forum.

Then, once he's fit, P90X will turn him into a machine.

Thanks. I think we are going to look into that.

First let me say to any who are reading this that I am just quoting certain areas I have questions about. I have left out some very important aspects of the article, so take the time to read the article linked above.

Now for the FA/A

Should I hold off on this type of regimen until I reach Phase 2 of P90X? The pre- and post- meals and snacks are carb heavy and seem like they would pretty hard to overcome to still achieve 30-50-20 of Phase 1, but doable in Phase 2. Or should I just limit my carbs the rest of the day to account for it?

Now to the article:

---The latest studies in applied physiology show that you need to consume nearly a gram of protein per pound of body weight per day to significantly increase muscle size---

Any detriment to eating 2 grams per pound, or more? I currently weigh about 150 and am eating 275-325 grams of protein during Phase 1 of P90X with the 30c-50p-20f ratio (about 2600 calories)

---Eat a pre-workout meal. 60 - 100 grams of complex carbs about an hour before you workout should allow you to push much harder and finish off that extra rep. That'll build muscle!---

Does it matter how much protein is in that meal, or should I try to get it as close to pure carbs as possible. For example, 1 cup of Steel cut oats and 1T of honey (I realize the honey is not complex carbs) comes out to about 75 grams carbs and 8-10 grams of protein. Is this good enough?

--- Eat a post-workout meal, then do it again. Within 15 to 45 minutes of finishing your workout, eat a snack or shake that has some simple sugar (for immediate glycogen replacement) and about 20 - 30 grams of protein and 60 - 80 grams of carbohydrates. Then 2 hours later, eat a high-protein meal---

Workout + 5-10 minutes = 4 oz grape juice with 10g of creatine
Workout + 30 minutes = BB P90X Recovery drink
Workout + 60-90 minutes = dinner with 60-70g protein, 10-15g carbs
Sound good? Would it be advisable to just add the creatine to the Recovery drink and skip the grape juice?

--- Take creatine both 15 minutes before and 15 minutes after your workout. Take amino acid supplements or a protein drink without carbohydrates before bed. ---

Post workout taken care of in previous blurb, so is 4 oz grape juice (20g carbs) with creatine before the workout a sufficient amount? Is the recommendation of 10g of creatine taken each time, or split 5g before and 5g after the workout?

What amount of protein should I aim for in the pre-bedtime drink?

Steve (Xnav)

Hey Steve,

Good questions. I was worried there would be a huge hole in that article because I wrote it a long time ago but everthing seems pretty solid. As always, there are many individual variables that always matter with each individual. I'm assuming that you are trying to gain a fair amount of weight, and killing yourself in each and every workout.

Any detriment to eating 2 grams per pound, or more? I currently weigh about 150 and am eating 275-325 grams of protein during Phase 1 of P90X with the 30c-50p-20f ratio (about 2600 calories)

It's more than I'd generally recommend but there is probably not harm in doing so for 4 weeks (or longer) and it could help. How much protein your body can actually assimilate is debated greatly. Some bodybuilders consume 600 grams per day, while others (who look the same to me) will only eat 200. These guys all weight 200 to 300 plus pounds so keep that in mind. No science I'm aware of shows true benefit to taking in such a high amount of protein but so many people have success with it I'm not going to say that you absolutely shouldn't. For me, I always use trial and error on myself.

Does it matter how much protein is in that meal, or should I try to get it as close to pure carbs as possible. For example, 1 cup of Steel cut oats and 1T of honey (I realize the honey is not complex carbs) comes out to about 75 grams carbs and 8-10 grams of protein. Is this good enough?

I was just discussing this. In theory, it seems like you'd only want the carbs (which I read in an article by an RD this morning). However, Ed Burke's studies showed enhancement from a small amount of protein, which seems to enable some amount of protein resynthesis to occur during exericse. The improvements seemed as high as 26%! I'd say what you are doing is just about right--though probably too many cals, but not necessarily. I'd experiment with the cals in this meal and see what amount gives you the most energy with the least discomfort.

Workout + 5-10 minutes = 4 oz grape juice with 10g of creatine
Workout + 30 minutes = BB P90X Recovery drink
Workout + 60-90 minutes = dinner with 60-70g protein, 10-15g carbs
Sound good? Would it be advisable to just add the creatine to the Recovery drink and skip the grape juice?

I would just add the creatine into the recovery drink. It's too complicated the other way and juice is a decent choice, but not great, wherease RD is made to absorb well.

Post workout taken care of in previous blurb, so is 4 oz grape juice (20g carbs) with creatine before the workout a sufficient amount? Is the recommendation of 10g of creatine taken each time, or split 5g before and 5g after the workout?

What amount of protein should I aim for in the pre-bedtime drink?

Since creatine loading has been shown not to be necessary, I might skip this. If you did want to go both pre-post, I'd do 5 grams at a time.

This depends on your daily calories totally. I'd say 100-200 cals should suffice for the pre-bedtime protein drink. I might also add glutamine and arginine to this shake as they will help aid your sleep induced gh spike.

quote:

---

I'm assuming that you are trying to gain a fair amount of weight, and killing yourself in each and every workout.

---

I am trying to gain about 15 pounds, preferably muscle, but I realize that some fat may come along for the ride and that I can get rid of it later with some good Cardio. Pushing it failure every rep, pullup, pushup, you name it.

quote:

---

It's more than I'd generally recommend but there is probably not harm in doing so for 4 weeks (or longer) and it could help. How much protein your body can actually assimilate is debated greatly. Some bodybuilders consume 600 grams per day, while others (who look the same to me) will only eat 200. For me, I always use trial and error on myself.

---

2600 calories at 50-30-20 comes out to 325g, so that was my reasoning.

quote:

---

I would just add the creatine into the recovery drink.

---

Cool, and saves 20g of carbs that I can replace with some complex carbs.

quote:

---

Since creatine loading has been shown not to be necessary, I might skip this.

---

Skip, aye

quote:

---

This depends on your daily calories totally. I'd say 100-200 cals should suffice for the pre-bedtime protein drink. I might also add glutamine and arginine to this shake as they will help aid your sleep induced gh spike.

---

I am currently moving from 2600 to 2800-3000, but will be adding it during the day, so I will just keep it to a simple BB Choc. Protein shake. Do the glutamine and arginine come in liquid, powder or pill form?

A couple quick questions though:

Should I be eating the carb serving an hour before on Cardio type days (i.e. Plyometrics)?

Should I have the RD on Yoga X days since I am not thrashed my glycogen stores?

One last more detailed question. According tothe P90X diet guide, it suggested starting out at about 1800 calories. You told me and Brice to listen to our bodies, and I did, bumping up to 2500-2600 calories. I have gained 0 pounds (lost a couple, then gained a couple, could be daily weight fluctuation, dunno) so I was am bumping up to 2800+ calories. Do you see anything wrong with this. I was doing 3000 calories for three weeks prior to P90X, and had gained 1 pound in those threee weeks. Is it just time to add some carbs back in so I can try to pump out some more reps, thereby aiding muscle growth, and therefore weight gain? Should I take it easier on Cardio days? I so what to nail this program, but at the same time don't want to warp the overall picture of weight gain through muscle mass.

"Should I be eating the carb serving an hour before on Cardio type days (i.e. Plyometrics)?"

You should anytime your HR is going to go above your AT for a long period of time. Yes on Plyo, no on yoga, cardio, and maybe even Kenpo.

"Should I have the RD on Yoga X days since I am not thrashed my glycogen stores?"

I would anyway, since P90X yoga is hard and you are doing more resistance work than you may think, even if your HR isn't getting all that high. Yoga is very isometric, so you get a different type of breakdown, but it is breakdown all the same.

"One last more detailed question. According tothe P90X diet guide, it suggested starting out at about 1800 calories. You told me and Brice to listen to our bodies, and I did, bumping up to 2500-2600 calories. I have gained 0 pounds (lost a couple, then gained a couple, could be daily weight fluctuation, dunno) so I was am bumping up to 2800+ calories. Do you see anything wrong with this. I was doing 3000 calories for three weeks prior to P90X, and had gained 1 pound in those threee weeks. Is it just time to add some carbs back in so I can try to pump out some more reps, thereby aiding muscle growth, and therefore weight gain? Should I take it easier on Cardio days? I so what to nail this program, but at the same time don't want to warp the overall picture of weight gain through muscle mass."

You are different because you're in such good condition to begin with. I'd say that there is no way you want to stick with the Plase 1 meal plan for the entire time. I only made it a bit more than a week. You will need to eat more carbs, and cals, and your level and with your goals, or your fitness will suffer. I think you'll find on Phase 2 limiting as well, and may move into Phase 3 before the second workout block is over.