Calorie Surplus + Working Out = Still Hard Time Putting On Lean Muscle? What Could Be Up?

[thisoldtown1978]

Been eating plenty of good stuff and doing unstressful concentric exercise - tried many macro combinations over the years - but I still have a really hard time putting on any significant muscle mass or lean tissue. My body is still what some might call "soft" and slender.

Besides that, my health has gone from strength to strength since finding Peat's work. It's just the body transformation bit which is taking time.

What potential problems could I be facing here, or ones that others have had experience with? Protein malabsorption? High cortisol causing tissue wasting?

 

[TeaRex14]

Did you start out with a low metabolism? Healing your metabolism is important. Hypothyroid people and people with generally slow metabolisms will have harder times making consistent gains. Also, stating the obvious, building lean mass while being a natty take much longer. Reality is you'll probably never look like Ronnie Coleman or Jay Cutler, those are juice heads and they're unhealthy. If you compromise your health in the process of getting lean, then what's the point? Eat good, sleep good, lift good, and the gains will come. Some strategic supplementation might help as well. I find pregnenolone gives me really hard muscles, and helps with my pump some. Thyroid might help too, by shifting the body away from stress hormones (serotonin, adrenaline, estrogen, prolactin, etc.).

 

[Cirion]

Only lifting while in a good metabolic state will work in the long run. I can't tell you, for you, what that feels like, but I've been around myself to not kid myself and know when I'm in an anabolic state just by my mood, energy levels, etc. That, and not overtraining (which quickly destroys a metabolic and anabolic state).

I now honestly feel that aspect is far more important than the method of training utilized.

 

[Tenacity]

Are you getting stronger?

 

[schultz]

Are you getting stronger?

This is a good question.

What is your lifting routine like? I'm no expert but it seems like a relevant question.

 

[brix]

This is a good question.

What is your lifting routine like? I'm no expert but it seems like a relevant question.

I’m in same boat. Hard to gain mass AND strength even with surplus. I only do body weight with some dumbbell exercises though. Not trying to get big but just more fit.

 

[nwo2012]

Have you checked blood levels of testosterone, estrogen, prolactin and dht for starters?

 

[olive]

Add weight to the bar each week, eat enough, sleep enough and you’ll grow

3x5 deadlifts / alt. 3x5 squats
3x8 over head press
3x8 close grip bench press
3x8 weighted chins
3x per week

Add 2.5lbs to deadlift/squat each week and 1.25lbs to the other lifts

Sprint for 12 seconds 2x per week

Eat high carb, moderate protein, low fat

Get in plenty of fructose, dextrose, salt, coffee post workout

Sleep 8+ hours

Worrying about minute differences in testosterone/dht levels will have little benefit, it’s not the absolute level of testosterone in your blood but the amount of receptors you have (formed mostly at birth, on account of your mothers prenatal hormonal activity)
The only significant way to increase these receptors is through AAS, if you want to go down that route I can point you in the right direction

 

[Andman]

Add weight to the bar each week, eat enough, sleep enough and you’ll grow

3x5 deadlifts / alt. 3x5 squats
3x8 over head press
3x8 close grip bench press
3x8 weighted chins
3x per week

Add 2.5lbs to deadlift/squat each week and 1.25lbs to the other lifts

Sprint for 12 seconds 2x per week

Eat high carb, moderate protein, low fat

Get in plenty of fructose, dextrose, salt, coffee post workout

Sleep 8+ hours

Worrying about minute differences in testosterone/dht levels will have little benefit, it’s not the absolute level of testosterone in your blood but the amount of receptors you have (formed mostly at birth, on account of your mothers prenatal hormonal activity)
The only significant way to increase these receptors is through AAS, if you want to go down that route I can point you in the right direction

needs more horizontal pulling

@Dannywharton do you track your calories?

 

[sunraiser]

I put on a lot of muscle with relatively low bodyfat while having verifiably high cortisol (and likely high estrogen).

The workouts were anything but low stress though (ended up very sick).

I think working out for body image probably isn't hugely compatible with actual health, but if you're not neurotic about it, and you only lift when you have the energy, you could try slightly more stressful workouts.

I did mr12 with 30 sec rest time to failure. I don't recommend this, but you could find a way to up your intensity a little and see how you get on.

Pay attention to your sleep - make sure it's refreshing and restful and you should be fine. Also never ever lift when you don't have the energy for it, despite what 12 year olds on the misc might say.

 

[Arnold Grape]

I have gone through this/ am going through it: pre-Peat more muscle. My deduction is that screwing with E too much (whether through taking hormonal supplements like Progesterone; Dhea, or Preg) will reduce muscle creation and/ or reduce testosterone. Finding the right balance is probably key. Whenever I have screwed with the aforementioned supplements, I could literally eat all day at surplus and still look like a stick. Even too much aspirin can create this effect, IME.

 

[Hugh Johnson]

Been eating plenty of good stuff and doing unstressful concentric exercise - tried many macro combinations over the years - but I still have a really hard time putting on any significant muscle mass or lean tissue. My body is still what some might call "soft" and slender.

Besides that, my health has gone from strength to strength since finding Peat's work. It's just the body transformation bit which is taking time.

What potential problems could I be facing here, or ones that others have had experience with? Protein malabsorption? High cortisol causing tissue wasting?

Actually lift heavy weights. Like everyone else does.

 

[Tom K]

Everyone means well. But the majority of what was recommended is bro-science. The major limitation limiting the acquisition of lean body mass is related to two hormones. There may be more hormonal/biochemical relationships discovered in the future, but myostatin and GDF are the two of which we are certain. They will improve with working out and by anabolic drug use, but they will never transform we mortals into Mr Olympia. Other components that limit muscle acquisition beyond our influence are muscle belly length and the physiological cross section of fibers. What transforms the freaks in the mags will not work for the majority of we mere mortals. Lontgitutdinal trials using different methods show such small differences between groups it is ludicrous to make statements that do not take these factors into account. WILL ANABOLICS IMPROVE YOUR RESULTS? Of course. But they are never going to transform you into one of the greats. Is it worth taking these drugs to gain muscle mass for fun? Probably not. My experience is based on 40+ years as a PT, working with athletes and body builders at all levels, years of peer reviewed research, being a researcher and a research subject. I have nothing to sell, and am no longer practicing as I am retired. I continue to participate in the peer reviewed literature and enjoy the benefits of resistance training. If I had one piece of advice for those thqt have difficulty gainin g mucle ms it would be train less and emphasize rest at least as much as exercise.

 

[Rafael Lao Wai]

Been eating plenty of good stuff and doing unstressful concentric exercise - tried many macro combinations over the years - but I still have a really hard time putting on any significant muscle mass or lean tissue. My body is still what some might call "soft" and slender.

Besides that, my health has gone from strength to strength since finding Peat's work. It's just the body transformation bit which is taking time.

What potential problems could I be facing here, or ones that others have had experience with? Protein malabsorption? High cortisol causing tissue wasting?

My muscles look much fuller when I use vitamin A. Maybe eating liver more often or popping some vitamin A pills can help. There is also vitamin A powder, which is probably better, since they often use soybean or safflower oil in the capsules, which is going to add PUFA to your diet and that's isn't desirable.

Also, lysine powder and cyproheptadine can lower serotonin and help you keep the muscles you have and build some more. Taurine helps with the adequate usage of ingested protein. It's also good for glycogen stores, so you go hungry, you won't have to waste away your muscle tissue to provide glucose for the cells of the body.

Fnally, using some form of bicarbonate is a good idea. @Amazoniac has posted that potassium and bicarbonates can help with lean mass. Since obtaining sodium is fairly easy with salt, potassium bicarbonate is probably more interesting to use instead of sodium bicarbonate.

 

[GreekDemiGod]

Have you checked blood levels of testosterone, estrogen, prolactin and dht for starters?

You can put pretty much the same amount of muscle mass having 400 ng/dL T levels vs 1000 ng/dL levels. As long as you're in the physiological range

 

[nwo2012]

You can put pretty much the same amount of muscle mass having 400 ng/dL T levels vs 1000 ng/dL levels. As long as you're in the physiological range

Sure you can but when I got my test and dht in the higher end, whilst lowering prolactin and estrogen the muscles were fuller and harder and strength gains were regular.

 

[Momado965]

Add weight to the bar each week, eat enough, sleep enough and you’ll grow

3x5 deadlifts / alt. 3x5 squats
3x8 over head press
3x8 close grip bench press
3x8 weighted chins
3x per week

Add 2.5lbs to deadlift/squat each week and 1.25lbs to the other lifts

Sprint for 12 seconds 2x per week

Eat high carb, moderate protein, low fat

Get in plenty of fructose, dextrose, salt, coffee post workout

Sleep 8+ hours

Worrying about minute differences in testosterone/dht levels will have little benefit, it’s not the absolute level of testosterone in your blood but the amount of receptors you have (formed mostly at birth, on account of your mothers prenatal hormonal activity)
The only significant way to increase these receptors is through AAS, if you want to go down that route I can point you in the right direction

Can t3 alone or it and bio identical testosterone also increase the receptors or does it have to be synthetic steroid (AAS)?

 

[Tom K]

Please re-read my previous post. I have worked with patients that did not respond to exercise to build lean body mass while using anabolics. Did these people improve greater that if they did not use drugs? Yes. But you cannot dell protein supplements and your bro science advise in magazines advising trainees that they do not have the genetic blueprint to acquire large amounts of lean body mass, primarily low levels of myostatin.

Allow me to give another example of the genetic blueprint not related to myostatin. I had a patient that was capable of developing significant amounts of muscle mass. Unfortunately, he had short clavicles, and he desired that broad shoulder physique typical of models in muscle mags. While he was capable of developing large deltoid muscles, he will never develop the broad shoulder look of someone with longer clavicles. The point here is to be the best that you can be, and to stop measuring yourself against Photo shopped genetic freaks that are pawns used to sell crap that does not work . Most of those that posses the 'look' are clueless about anatomy and physiology, they were blessed on ways that the majority are not. Knowing who you are and your limitations should be empowering
.