Best way to gain weight/muscle

[JJK]

Hi all. Currently looking on finding the best way to gain weight so I can turn that into muscle. I have been lifting heavy weights for awhile now without any signs of improvement. Any ideas on the best course of action? Would protein shakes help?


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[Thommothebear]

Hi all. Currently looking on finding the best way to gain weight so I can turn that into muscle. I have been lifting heavy weights for awhile now without any signs of improvement. Any ideas on the best course of action? Would protein shakes help?


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They can do, you just basically need to make sure you get adequate protein as you cant build muscle without it, you also need to make sure you do not have a calorie deficit, so basically you just need to eat more, keep up the exercise, drink plenty of water ( a high proportion of muscle mass is water) and very importantly make sure you allow sufficient recovery time between weight sessions AND get a decent nights sleep, as thats when the muscle building process actually occurs.


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[JJK]

Thanks for the info. Any recommendations on the best powder? Aren't they full of sugar?


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[Thommothebear]

Not all. The lowest carb one I use is LA Whey, but it is very expensive. You can get unflavoured raw whey powder but its pretty revolting. The LA Whey has quite a lot of supplement in it too. Alternatively you could just eat lots of eggs, chicken and rump steak, all good sources of protein. If you make scrambled eggs or omelettes with 2 whole eggs and two egg whites the fat ratio isn't too bad either if that is a concern. I buy cartons of egg whites from Sainsburys, works out about the same price as for whole eggs but without the messing about or waste. You might want to take some l-carnitine supplements too as they help turn the proteins into the amino acids required for muscle building, although grass fed beef and lamb contain this naturally already.


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[JJK]

Is that LA whey only available from their website? Because as you say, it is expensive on there haha


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[kieran88]

hey all the protein in the world will not do you any good... managing tight BG control is the most important thing... you need to check your bloods regular and manage accordingly also have to consider that 30/40 % of your protein will convert to glucose and 20% of fats will convert also... I would recommend tracking your calories and figuring out your I:C ratios around training etc your insulin sensitivity is ALWAYS changing and tight BG control are so important for building size and strength. Any questions feel free to ask

 

[kieran88]

diet wise I would up your carbs on training days when your sensitivity is high and I would adopt a lower carb approach on off days you need to understand your body and how it responds to insulin/food/exercise

 

[Thommothebear]

LA whey is inly available kn the website, but its worth keeping an eye in, the often do bogof type deals.

Can't really comment on the BG part of the discussion as I'm T2 not on insulin and have no problems keeping my BG's under control with moderate protein, high fat, low carb and loads of training.


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[JJK]

Thanks for the replys, never knew that protein would convert to glucose. A lot more complicated than I thought


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[Thommothebear]

As far as protein is concerned about 30% of the energy contained is actually burnt up just in the process of digesting it! There is also a thermogenic effect and much get broken down into amino acids used to build various hormones and body tissues but I dont have any detailed breakdowns


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[Harveer]

Hey, I'm type 1 diabetic, I've been doing weight lifting for a while now on off.
From my research and understanding you should aim to get 1g of protein per pound (weight) ideally through your daily food intake, and use protein shakes to supplement your daily protein goal. Rather then rely on them to bulk up. Here are some tips to reach your goal as a fellow diabetic.

1. Try reaching your daily macros, so this includes, your carbs protein and fat intake, ill try posting a link on how to determine these.

2. Gaining weight and then building muscle is a common misconception, you can get big and lean whilst minimising fat gains by eating clean carbs, this includes Brown rice and sweet potato, these complex carbs Do not cause a big spike in bg. So try adding these to your diet along with lean meats, such as chicken breast and Turkey breast. This approach is a fall proof route to muscle gain.

3. Weightlifting is an anaerobic exercise, when we lift, we release glycogen and as a result we get an increase in bg, so try checking bg through out workouts if possible.

4. Insulin is the most anabolic hormone found in the body. Anabolic meaning building muscle essentially. As diabetics we can easily time when our body well get an insulin spike. The best time for this is post workout, so if you have a good amount of protein and fast acting carb such as dextrose along with your insulin as per the amount of carbs, the insulin will Guide your carbohydrates with protein into your muscles rather then get turned into fat.

5. Time your carbs and insulin around workout time, but make sure you check your bg to prevent hypos.


I hope this information will help you obtain your goals.

Regards

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[JJK]

Great info that Harveer. Ideally I could do with gaining a little weight though. I know the aim is to take in more calories than you burn off. But with eating more my blood glucose will obviously increase. So an increase in insulin necessary aswell?


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