Build muscle mass without putting on unwanted fat

This article will help you determine your daily calorie needs and provide a sample nutrition plan.

The process of building muscle is not just about sets, reps, consistency and progressive overload. To build lean muscle mass, you also need a mass-building diet that lives up to its name. Moving the weights without moving the fork is like running uphill in the mud. You may get to the top eventually, but it will take a hell of a long time.

You will often hear the following mantras: Nutrition is 90% (or 80% or 70%). These statements understate the importance of proper training. The truth is that both nutrition and training are important. These are not two variables that add up to 100%.

Training is 100%. Nutrition is 100%. When both of these essential factors are optimized, you will maximize your progress. If your training is 100% optimized, but your nutrition is only 50% - or vice versa - then you are wasting valuable time.

This article assumes that you know how to train properly. We will therefore only focus on the nutritional side of things.

Do you need a mass building diet to build muscle?

Each of us needs a certain amount of calories to maintain our current weight. This amount is called the maintenance calorie intake. In bodybuilding culture, a diet with a calorie intake above the maintenance calorie level is called a mass-building diet.

By providing your body with a surplus of raw materials, you are able to...

• Help your body to better repair damage to muscle tissue that occurs during exercise.
• Put the body into a more anabolic state. A state in which calories are not supplied as strictly rationed portions for the maintenance of important physiological functions and in which the body can use vital resources more freely to meet the increased demands of your resistance training.

It is an obvious fact that the less you eat, the less of these raw materials the body can use for non-vital processes such as building muscle. The body is too busy supporting its organs and helping you recover from the normal demands of daily life.

During periods of calorie surplus, the body is more willing to build muscle. You gain weight and if you do everything right, most of this will be muscle mass. On the other hand, during periods of reduced calorie intake, this process slows down or stops completely as the human body simply has more important issues to deal with.

The conclusion we draw from this is quite obvious...the more you eat, the greater the chance that you can maximize the muscle building process. But before you start stuffing yourself with all the food you can get your hands on, you should know that there is another factor you should consider during the muscle building process: the physiological limits of muscle building.

In a natural, steroid-free exerciser, the body can only build a certain amount of muscle mass during a given year. Typically, the muscle building curve looks like a half-life curve. During each subsequent year, the amount of potential muscle mass you can build is halved. Here is a typical (in a perfect world) scheme that I use as a guideline:

• Year 1 - Expect to gain up to 8 kilos of muscle mass.
• Year2 - Expect to gain up to 4 kilos of muscle mass.
• Year3 - Expect to gain up to 2 kilos of muscle mass.
• Year4 - Expect to gain up to 1 kilo of muscle mass.
• Year5 - Expect to gain up to 0.5 kilos of muscle mass.

It probably goes without saying that if you ignore these guidelines and build weight at a faster rate, more of that weight will be fat. Slow and controlled weight gain is the way to go. Welcome to the world of low-fat muscle building.

Different types of mass building diets

Believe it or not, there are several different methods for gaining mass:

• Low-fatmass building - A nutrition plan that focuses on building lean muscle mass while minimizing fat gain. Macronutrient intake is usually strictly controlled.
• "Dirty" mass building - A more aggressive style of mass building that includes a greater amount of calories and likely more processed foods and junk food. Such a mass-building diet rarely involves calorie counting or macronutrient control.
• IIFYM - IIFYM stands for "If it fits your Macros" and can be used during a mass building phase or a dieting phase. The primary focus is on achieving the desired macronutrient goals, regardless of the foods used to achieve those goals.
• "Clean bulking" - This variation is not as different from low-fat bulking, but with an even greater emphasis on eating non-processed foods. Clean bulking involves a higher degree of clean eating.

It is beyond the focus of this article to discuss the merits of these methods. My goal with this article was to put together a sample nutrition plan that focuses more on low-fat mass building and clean eating. You are free to modify the sample meals as long as you are hitting your macronutrient goals.

If you don't challenge yourself in the gym, your body will have no reason to work with those extra calories and build more muscle mass.

Determining your calorie needs

The first step in setting up a nutrition plan for low fat mass gain is to calculate your daily maintenance calorie intake. This is the amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight. If you don't know where to start, you can use some of the countless calorie calculators on the internet. These calculators usually require you to enter your weight, height, age, gender and daily activity level and will give you an approximate amount of calories you need to maintain your current weight.

It is important to understand that these calculators can only provide an approximate estimate, which can only be used as a starting point. It will be necessary to make adjustments depending on what your scale says from week to week.

I recommend ignoring weight changes during the first 2 weeks of mass gain. An increase in calorie intake may lead to some additional water retention. This is not an increase in fat and calorie adjustments should not be based on weight changes that occur immediately after a change in diet.

Setting up a nutrition plan for fat-free mass gain

Once you know your daily calorie needs, here are the steps you need to take to create a diet plan for lean muscle gain:

• Step 1 - Add 300 kcal to your maintenance calorie amount. This will be your starting point.
• Step2 - Calculate your daily protein requirements based on the table below. You calculate the amount of calories you consume in the form of protein per day by multiplying the calculated amount of protein in grams by 4. So if your protein requirement is 180 grams per day, then you will consume 720 kcal (180 x 4) calories per day in the form of protein.
• Step 3 - Multiply your calorie intake during the mass building phase by 0.3. This gives you 30% of the calories you will consume in the form of fat calories. You can adjust this value up or down by 5% if you wish.
• Step 4 - Calculate your carbohydrate intake. To do this, subtract the amount of calories you consume in the form of fat and protein from your total calorie intake. So if you are 180 cm tall and eat 3,000 kcal per day, 900 of these kcal will come from fat (30%) and 800 of these kcal from protein. This leaves 1,300 kcal for carbohydrates. Carbohydrates provide 4 kcal per gram, which means that 1,300 kcal equals 325 grams of carbohydrates.

Daily amount of protein
Body size	Protein, grams per day
160 cm	160 grams
165 cm	170 grams
170 cm	180 grams
175 cm	190 grams
180 cm	200 grams
185 cm	210 grams
190 cm	220 grams
195 cm	230 grams
200 cm	240 grams
205 cm	250 grams

Note: The amount of protein is based on body size. The taller you are, the more natural muscle mass you have. As a rule of thumb, you can build about one kilo more muscle mass for every centimeter more in height.

Since it is typically recommended that you consume 2 grams of protein per day per kilogram of body weight, I have simply increased my protein intake by 2 grams per centimeter of height.

During periods of calorie surplus, the body is more willing to build muscle. You build weight and if you do everything right, you will mainly build muscle mass.

Is this too much protein?

Some will argue that strength athletes can get by with a little less protein per day. This is a valid discussion. Here are my reasons for increasing your daily protein intake a little:

Nutritional balance

Nutrition is more than just the minimum amount of protein needed per day. If you want to build mass, you will consume more calories than normal. I prefer to keep such a diet more balanced and less carbohydrate-based by slightly increasing protein intake.

Nutrition for your target weight

I believe that protein intake should be based on target lean body mass. Call this speculative if you want, but if you want to reach a lean body mass of 80 kilos but currently only have 70 kilos of lean body mass, I don't think you're best advised to eat only for your existing amount of muscle mass.

Are you striving for the minimum?

Successful individuals rarely wake up every day and ask themselves "what is the minimum I can do today to achieve my goals?" If you want to be a minimalist, you are welcome to be one. For my part, however, I prefer to build in a small buffer zone and eat a little too much protein rather than too little.

Putting together a sample nutrition plan for low-fat mass gain

Let's look at an example before we continue. You are 180 cm tall and need 3000 kcal per day for a low-fat mass gain:

• Protein - If you look at the table, you will see that you need 200 grams of protein per day. This corresponds to 800 kcal.
• Fats - By multiplying your daily calorie intake of 3,000 kcal by 30%, you will find that you should consume 900 kcal per day in the form of fat. This corresponds to 100 grams of fat, as fat provides 9 kcal per gram.
• Carbohydrates - This leaves 1,300 kcal per day in the form of carbohydrates. This corresponds to 325 grams of carbohydrates.

Structuring a diet for low-fat mass gain

Now that we have calculated our daily macronutrient requirements, it is time to structure our diet. How many meals you eat per day is entirely up to you. The most important thing is that you meet your daily calorie and macronutrient requirements.

Some sources will tell you that you only need 1 to 2 meals a day. Some advocates of a more classic bodybuilding style may recommend 7, 8 or even 9 meals a day. It is highly recommended that your meal planning is based on your current eating habits.

• Nocturnal eaters. If you are a nighttime eater, save more of your calories for the evening.
• Snackers. If you like to snack and eat more frequently, eat several smaller meals throughout the day.
• Breakfast hater. Do you hate eating a lot earlier in the day? No problem. Eat small meals until lunchtime and then eat larger meals afterwards.

I've never liked eating a lot before a training session. If I eat too much before training, I feel sluggish and bloated. In addition to this, I like to enjoy a huge meal after a workout. For these reasons, I limit my meals before 5pm to mostly protein and only eat light meals until my workout is over.

It may take some time to find your mass-building structure, but don't get discouraged. Shift meals, calories and macronutrients to what works best for you.

And don't let anyone dissuade you from your path. There are many different views in the bodybuilding world about how you should eat. Nutrition plans should ALWAYS be based on YOUR eating habits - no exceptions.

This article presents you with a 3,000 kcal sample nutrition plan.

Sample nutrition plan for low-fat mass gain with 3,000 kcal

Low fat mass building plan
Meal	Food & Calories
Meal #1 - 7:00	2 cups cooked oatmeal, whey protein shake, fish oil 462 kcal, P/K/F = 34.9/59.1/9.6
Meal #2 - 10:00	1 medium banana, 4 boiled eggs 415 kcal, P/K/F = 26.3/28.6/21.5
Meal #3 - 13:00	2 medium potatoes, 125 grams chicken breast 405 kcal, P/C/F = 32.9/66.4/6.2
Meal #4 - 15:30	Whey protein shake, 30 g almonds, 6 strawberries, 12 grapes 348 kcal, P/K/F = 29.9/24.6/16
Training - 17:00	N/A
Meal #5 - 19:00	200 g minced meat (low fat), 2 cups cooked rice, 120 g Salza, 250 g vegetables of your choice 985 kcal, P/C/F = 57.7/114.7/30.9
Meal #6 - 21:30	Casein protein shake, fish oil, 2 rice crackers, 1.5 tablespoons peanut butter 381 kcal, P/C/F = 28/23.7/15.1
Total calories	2996 kcal, P/C/F = 209.7/317.1/99.3

*P/C/F = protein/carbohydrates/fat

Adjustments

It's important to understand that a starting point for calories is just that - a starting point. You need to check the scale and make adjustments as needed. Here are some general guidelines.

Low fat mass gain week 1-2

Don't panic if you gain a few pounds during this phase. You are increasing your food intake and this weight gain will consist almost entirely of water. Extra food also means extra carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates draw extra water into the body and can easily cause a small but noticeable change on the scale. This water weight has nothing to do with an increase in body fat. This point needs to be emphasized and it is important that you remember this.

Do not make any changes to your calorie intake during this phase. Use the first few weeks to develop a routine.

Low fat mass gain week 3-6

Starting with week 3, it's time to establish a baseline. If you are a training beginner, it is possible that you will gain a little more than one pound of muscle per month during the first year. For this reason, beginners should aim to gain a maximum of 1.5 to 2 pounds of weight per month.

If you gain more than 2 pounds per month, then it's time to make an adjustment. Reduce the amount of calories by 300 kcal per day and continue with this new amount of calories for a month. If you are still gaining weight too quickly during the following month, it is time for a second calorie adjustment.

If, on the other hand, you have gained absolutely no weight during weeks 3 to 6, you need more food. Add 500 kcal to your daily calorie intake and continue with this amount of calories for a month. After these 4 weeks, adjust the amount of calories up or down if necessary.

More advanced exercisers

If you have already built up 4 to 8 kilos of muscle mass, it is advisable to reduce the amount of weight you gain each month. Slightly more advanced steroid-free exercisers risk building up unwanted body fat if they exceed a weight gain of one pound per month.

More advanced exercisers who are building mass too aggressively are doing more of a fat-building program. Even though this extra food is great for increasing your strength, it won't noticeably increase the rate of muscle gain at this level of experience.

A note on progressive overload

A low-fat mass building program without progressive overload of one kind or another is nothing more than a fat building program. If you are not challenging yourself in the gym, then your body will have no reason to work with those extra calories to build more muscle.

How long should a low-fat mass building phase last?

If a low-fat bulking phase is done correctly, there will not be a large increase in body fat. A first-year exerciser should aim for a muscle gain of 12 to 16 pounds with a maximum fat gain of 6 to 8 pounds. This fat gain can be reduced with a properly executed one-month diet phase.

Beginners should stick with a low-fat mass-building program during their first year of training. They build muscle mass at a rapid rate and there is no reason to slow down this progress.

After the first year of training, it can't hurt to do one of the following:

• Do a one-month diet phase every 6 to 8 months
• Alternate between 3 months of mass building and one month of dieting

Both of these methods will help more advanced exercisers build muscle while getting rid of the minimal amount of fat built up during the mass-building phase.

Concluding remarks - a few quotes on the subject of low-fat mass building

"You can't completely avoid fat gain. Building only lean muscle mass is impossible." - Justin Woltering

"Your macronutrient intake is the foundation of the whole process. Everything else depends on it. Frankly, this one fundamental factor will be responsible for probably 90% of your results." - Sean Nalewanyj

"If you want the muscle without the belly, then you need to lower your expectations because finding the right amount of calories that provide the necessary nutrients without a fat buildup can be a challenge - and usually involves some sort of cyclical carbohydrate intake. Even after you find this, you'll only gain a maximum of 1 pound of muscle per month." - Anthony Mychal

"Building muscle mass naturally is a slow and steady process, and the primary driver is performance gains in the gym (getting stronger and putting more weight on the bar). As long as you're eating enough protein and enough calories to support your weight, then you're working at around 80% of your muscle-building potential." - Greg Gallagher

"Building quality weight is difficult and in no way a quick process. Be patient, increase the weight on the bar every week and make sure you have a big appetite." - Brandon Morrison

"Sadly, a mass-building approach with unrestrained food intake can result in three to four pounds of fat gain for every pound of new muscle mass built for the average genetically blessed trainee. This is not an acceptable trade-off for any bodybuilder." - Matt Kroczaleski

"Maintaining a low body fat percentage throughout the year (while building muscle) is neither a myth nor rocket science. It's enough to eat clean 90% of the time and train like crazy during every training session." - Simeon Panda

Source: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/lean-bulking-machine