I wanted to share with you a topic that has come up a lot recently since my last article. For those of you that read the post, you will have learned that Tom gained 12 lbs of lean muscle mass in a very short space of time. It may seem a large amount of weight to those of you who are not in the habit of helping people gain muscle mass, but this is not an uncommon amount to gain if your nutrition and training has been designed properly.

The process of gaining muscle mass isn’t as simple as working out calorie requirements and loading up on large quantities of food as many people think. There are some key rules that must be followed if you are going to gain appreciable amounts of lean muscle mass. Many people gain weight but end up trying to lose it again when they realise that it’s actually fat that they’ve gained and minimal amounts of muscle.

Science has moved on a lot since the old days of bulking up and stripping down, you can gain large amounts of muscle mass whilst getting leaner at the same time.

If you find yourself in this position, you may want to add these tips into your training plan.

The common mistakes I see and how to you overcome them:

1. You’re not eating enough protein.
You must be consuming enough quality protein daily to build lean muscle mass. There is still much controversy out there about the quantity you should eat each day but I work on 2 grams per pound of lean body weight for muscle gain.

2. You’re not eating essential fats
Not only do healthy fats support your immune system(essential for muscle building), lower inflammation and help deliver vital nutrients around the body, but foods like avocado, oily fish, nuts and oils provide a nice 9 calories per gram. If you’re trying to add calories to your diet, you’re missing a trick if you’re eating your fats. Fats should form at least 30% of your daily calorie requirements.

3. You’re not consuming enough calories
If someone is training 4 times per week I work on 18 – 20 calories per pound of body weight. So for a 200 lb male at 12% body fat, I would recommend 3168 – 3520 calories per day. If you’re nowhere near the calorie requirements you need to gain mass, don’t complain when you don’t see the results. Time to make eating a priority!

4. You’re body is resistant to the effects of carbohydrates
If you’re like 80% of the guys that come to see you me,  you’re body will not tolerate carbohydrate foods like rice, pasta and potatoes well. Does eating too many of them soon show up around your waistline?  If this is you then you will want to save your carbohydrates until the hour to 2 hour window after your workout. For more information on insulin sensitivity read this article.

5. You’re spending too much time in the gym
It has been shown that testosterone levels drop an hour into the main part of a strength workout. Have you noticed that your focus and concentration dips at the hour point? So warm up, get lifting hard and get out.

6.You’re not using Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs provide the basis for protein synthesis, energy production and they have been shown to increase growth hormone levels)
Failure to use Branched chain amino acids during your workouts is a big trick you’re missing out on.  A tip I learned from Strength Coach Charles Poliquin was to use 0.44 grams per kg of body weight. So for a 90 kg individual you would need to use 40 grams spread throughout your workout.

7. You’re not using enough time under tension to gain muscle mass
To grow a muscle your sets must last between 40 and 70 seconds and be in the 8 – 12 repetition range. So if you’re lifting quickly, chances are you aren’t even lifting in a range that supports the muscle building process. For example, try 8 reps with 4 lowering tempo, 1 pause at the bottom position, 1 second on the way up and then repeat the lowering phase. This is a tempo of 48 seconds, ideal for muscle growth.

8. You’re not getting enough sleep
You must sleep at least 7 - 8 hours per night. Lack of sleep increases your cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and high levels of the stress hormone lowers your testosterone level. If you don’t know this by now, you need testosterone to grow! Get some sleep and start growing!

9. You’re not using post workout nutrition

Post workout nutrition in the liquid form is absorbed by the body so much more effectively. The 3 main benefits to nutrition right after your workout is that it replenishes your glycogen stores, it decreases protein breakdown and also Increases protein synthesis.

An optimal post workout drink should contain glutamine, glycine and whey protein, this is unless you are lean (sub 10% body fat). In the case of leaner individuals you should consume the ingredient listed above, high glycemic index carbohydrates in the form of maltodextrin and antioxidant juice like grape juice. Aim for 2 grams of carbs per kg of body weight.

10. You’re repeating the same workout over and over again and expect to get results

Programmes work on roughly 4 week cycles. If you have been doing your current programme for longer, chances are your body has become accustomed to it and your gains will have ceased. A simple step would be to move from a program using a 10 – 12 rep range to a program using a 8 – 10 rep range.