Weight Gain

[Lucifers_Ghost]

building muscle can be difficult depending on your genetics.
each muscle in your body already "knows" how big it can get.
Once a muscle reaches it's maximum size it will never get larger, but it can still get stronger.

You may get to the point where you can pump just as much weight as those freak show body builders but never be anywhere near as big as them....

Actually, thats fine with me. Im not doing this to get "bigger" really. I was more doing it for some tone, definition, and just better overall health. I hit a bit of a slide and was becoming a couch potato after having been very much in shape in my teens/early 20's. Now as I am in my mid 30s I noticed a big change. I dont want to get back to being a stud jock again but would like to be able to play with my son for more than an hour and need a nap :P

[Xylob the Destroyer]

I can relate.
2 years ago I went to the doctor for complete physical (the first I've ever had!).
He yelled at me and told me I was in horrible shape.
I was 20 pounds UNDER weight for my height/build/age and had a big budda belly...

I just turned 34 a couple months ago -- I'm slowly getting into shape, but with work and the "real life" that comes along with being an "adult" and home-owner, it can be hard to find the time to exercise.

[rotten apple]

Science has prooved beyond doubt that the saying "everything in moderation" is the key to ALL types of health not just the physical body.

Despite current scientific and technological advances when it comes to trained muscle growth the sheer number of factors involved, just like the weather and climate change means accurate predictions and universal agreements on the subject are NOTHING like with the areas of Evolution or Newtonian Physics.Muscle/body building is a mixture some science BUT with a lot combined subjective/anecdotal evidence - where some of the facts claimed are guesses in scientific terms - if it works for you its all down to luck given the relative vast difference in our individual genetics. Science is about doing away with random chance and trying to get probabilities of occurance of results - this the central theme of Medicine for example.

So Beavereater as a Scientist i must agree some of your advice is very sound HOWEVER some of it is downright scientific nonsense IMO and increases risk for health in the longterm.

Gaining and losing weight will depend entirely on how dedicated you are.

NONSENSE!!!It depends on many OTHER factors aswell!

3. Cardio is great for the heart and lungs. It is not necessary for weight gain. It can, in fact, hinder your results. If you decide to do cardio then do 15 minutes or so AFTER you lift. Or you can do HIIT.


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For a long time now it been accepted Aerobic (cardio) exericse IS ESSENTIAL in reducing the risks of bad health - there is NO ALTERNATIVE to this(ie HIIT is not a substitue). Its part of what our still stone age hunter gatherer bodies in evolutionary terms expect as part of everyday life. Even if cardio doesn't reduce weight it can still benefit the overweight (while excessive adipose tissue has its own peculiar health risks, it is also the actuall excessive WEIGHT of the body to height that risks longterm furture health - the human body was not evolved to carry around such excessive size muscles - you might increase muscle size by specific training but that training does not increase all the corresponding biological intereactions with the muscle organs to a proportional extent eg carrying around extra mass all the time puts much more constant stress on the heart and circulatory system ( as opposed to regular excercise which is only a small part of total waking hours or should be as EXCESSIVE aerobic exercise is ironically but logically also detrimental to longterm health - "everything in moderation"))


In contrast LIGHT/MODERATE weight training or exercises where the muscles use more force over shorter periods than they do in aerobic exc is also supported as being important to to overall health - as you know Muscle tissue unlike adipose is metabolically active even at rest, so amongst other things it helps the body keep off the stores of fat.

If you have trouble gaining weight, you need more calories. There will always come a point when your body HAS to gain weight regardless of your 'fast' metabolism...unless you have an over-active thyroid or something, then it might be harder.

THE problem here i think is lack of objectivity. To the majority of the population no matter how hard they trained there would come a point where they simply could not eat more food - whether itmakes them so ill or just automatic vomitting.The amount of food Body Biulders eat EVERYDAY consecutively to the general population is FREAKY ( and i say that knowing the General population will think my illness is freaky!)i think you assume they could all eventually could manage it but i disagree-you think nothing of saying you drink 4 Litres of water a day for example!!! I doubt many of the population could manage that everyday.In practical terms many couldn't do it anyway like the OP.

Not only that but some people have poor muscle genetics, just like intelligence,having ability to excell certain sport we're ALL different, your muscle genetics are extremely good no doubt cf the rest of the population. A "fast metabolism" is a simplication/generalization of many varying factors - some people will more likely to put on fat than muscle if they add calories no matter how much they exercise - you have to imagine people aren't all like you!!!

Dont eat too much fat

That's wrong. Fat is good for you.

....BUT ONLY IN MODERATION LIKE ANYTHING ELSE!!!!!!!!

Fat DOES NOT go straight to your stomach, hips or thighs.

NONSENSE we don't have such certain knowledge!!!! Too simplified anyway! ALL energy from food has the potential to be stored for emergencies ( when we were stone age men (our minds have changed our habitat way beyond the speed of evolution) food suply was not constant). There are too many factors to make such a statement - sometimes dietry fat may end up converted and stored into adipose tissue

Fat is very important.

TRUE - some fattty acids cannot be made by the body like Vits and minerals - they are ESSENTIAL to the diet.

They also help control inflammation,

Thought to be down to a balanced intake of omega-6 eg sunflower and Omega-3 (frequently too low in the western diet) eg certain fish oils ,rapeseed oil

and are used in the metabolism of fat-soluble micronutrients such as vitamins A, D, E and K. Fats can help or interfere with the metabolism of other fats, and eating fats with your veggies helps you get more nutrition out of them than if they were eaten without fat.

When it comes to fats, you want most of it to be mono or poly unstaturated fats and some saturated fats. No trans fats.

Very familiar with this. Good stuff! 8)

Transfat in countless manufactured foods - AGAIN moderation - trying to avoid completely might cause more stress and so risk to long term health than such a small amount of trans fats - just like with food additives we're naturally exposed to such levels of toxic substances in nature before any artificial intervention by man - the body has natural defenses against such low levels through evolution - don't forget the placebo effect if people are lead to believe something is toxic some will develop the symptoms regardless if it turns out to be inert!!

I will disagree with you on this one as well. So long as the weight he puts on is healthy weight, he will be healthier and stronger. I could go on about all the advantages there are to more muscle, but here's just one: Take 2 people and put them in a car accident, one is 220lbs at 10 percent body fat, the other is 165lbs at 15 percent body fat, of the two, who will will likely be hurt the most (From the same crash) and who will heal faster?

(In your answer i hope you haven't forgotten Newton's laws on force dynamics, F=mt F= change in momemtum , Momentum (mv) is conserved, Inertia(Mass size) = reluctance of a body to change constant velocity........ the bigger the Mass the bigger the momentum - needs more force (potential injury) to bring it to rest ( DECELERATION= change in constant linear velocity.)

OK using your stats who of those two at 60-70y old does science currently think will be mentally/physcologically healthier (even alive), given that the 165lbs 15% body fat individuals has all the indications that he could be doing all the "Everything in Moderation" based practices i've mentioned while the 220lbs 10% bf individual may can only be doing a limmited amount of these practices if ANY?????? I'd trust science over a unorganised bunch of anecdotal evidence ANYTIME - if i hadn't used + followed scientific advice i wouldn't be writting this now - many times over

BEST POST of thread imo;

You can substitute for better foods but don't just add extra calories no matter what the source unless you increase the activity to burn them off, you will regret it in the long run.

Your age, family genetics, bone structure and muscle mass all play a role in your health.

You are fine at 165 pounds and adding weight won't make you healthier, just heavier. Later in life your feet and legs as well as your heart and other organs will benefit from the reduced weight. If your body has good vital signs why mess with it.

Shape your muscles and improve your cardio if you want but try not to add too much weight as you do so.

See your doctor first and find out what he/she recommends.