Gaining muscle depends more on amount of protein or amount of calories

[gogogo]

A friend and I were having a discussion about packing on muscle and are both a bit confused. What would be more important getting 1.5 - 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight OR having excess calories ie taking in more than you burn.

What im really asking is if i wanted to do a really clean bulk keeping relatively low carbs fairly low fat but high protein keeping my overall calories a bit low would i still be able to put on some good mass?

...I hope that all made sense.

[gethugeagain]

well you will need both if your looking to bulk. sure going high protein and staying low in other areas would be a good way to get cut and keep some muscle in the process but if you wana bulk you will need the calories! if your worried about the carbs try doing what i am, keep all carbs around workout and stick with only proteins/good fats the rest of the day. also keep in mind that fat has more then twice the calories carbs do so if you wanted to avoid the carbs altogether you could still keep calories high but adding in good fats, just be sure it is good fats! hope this helps and good luck!

[gogogo]

well you will need both if your looking to bulk. sure going high protein and staying low in other areas would be a good way to get cut and keep some muscle in the process but if you wana bulk you will need the calories! if your worried about the carbs try doing what i am, keep all carbs around workout and stick with only proteins/good fats the rest of the day. also keep in mind that fat has more then twice the calories carbs do so if you wanted to avoid the carbs altogether you could still keep calories high but adding in good fats, just be sure it is good fats! hope this helps and good luck!

Awsome, that does help alot man, thanks. Have you ever toyed around with having high carbs first thing in the morning then lowering your intake throughout the day, last meal of the day containing no carbs?

Im trying to find a good balance for me as i seem to react very sensitively to carbs..

[gethugeagain]

right now i get just about all my carbs within the first few meals, may have first meal then got workout, have my post workout drink then like my next two meals will be high carb, after that its all protein/fat. i also find that if you can do your cardio first thing in the morning then keep that first(preworkout) meal no carbs as well. with your goals the only reason for carbs would be to spike insulin around workout, so after that there's really no reason for them! i would say try and get most of your carbs between post workout and the following two meals.

[american dream]

Awsome, that does help alot man, thanks. Have you ever toyed around with having high carbs first thing in the morning then lowering your intake throughout the day, last meal of the day containing no carbs?

Im trying to find a good balance for me as i seem to react very sensitively to carbs..

that is exactly what you want gogo get your complex carbs and wein off as the day progresses

[gogogo]

Awsome thank you both for your great posts!

Now I have a good base for my diet just need to tweak it around a bit.
I think i will go with a high carb ( low glycemic of course ) first meal then my only other meal containing alot of carbs will be post work out.

Thanks again

[inhuman]

im training for the a.c.e. certification test right now. its supposedly the best certification there is. they have this pannel of experts writting there study material. i have always been told atleast 1gram of protein per lb of bodyweight they say even this is way too much. it can cause liver n kidney damage n has never been scientificaly proven to build muscle. im stuck as too r there ny scientific studys done to prove the high protein theory. I spent almost 12 yrs in prison n r access to protein was almost non existent. alot of us still got huge. MAYBE slightly smaller grms of protein works as well. Im not taking ny chances im taking 75mgs of trembalone acetate a day n 100mgs of test prop. a day so protein isnt going to effect my liver ny worse than these. but maybe for the squemish they can cut there protein content.

[darthtexan]

Protein intake is important for muscle growth, but when really bulking up, I beleive the total energy intake is more important. The best way to get a clean bulk is to do it immediately after dieting and to do it for only 12 days or so.

[gethugeagain]

Inhuman, let me ask you man what did your daily diet look like when you were in? Now in my experiences it seems like jail is an almost perfect environment for getting huge, plenty of rest/down time, just enough time on the weights to do basic "compound" movements, and mostly old fashion iron! As for the food its mostly a lot of starches and carbs, correct? I just wana get an idea of what those who lift when inside do when it comes to training and eating since we see how most can go in small and come out huge. thanks bro!

[inhuman]

starches n processed food. ur lucky to get 50gm of protein in a day. alot of state jails u can get in the kitchen n u r alright.,but the county jails r mostly going to outside vendors for foodservice .aramark is a big one.they deliver the cheapest food its all about the money.as to weights there r no freeweights at any of the county jails here.the state jails r all turning over to the machines. all the weights in the yards r welded onto the bars so noone gets cracked upside the head with a plate. when a weight breaks its removed n not replaced. when i left camphill there wasnt a matching pair of dumbells to b found.ur definately right about rest theres plenty of that. what i found from my own experience is that giving someone 3000cal of starch a day then almost no movement.allmost everyone gains,but what quality is the gain.my bf% was about 25% when i was upstate. i was 265lbs n i asked for a health assesment they do ur bodyfat with the calipers, he got to my abdominal fat n the callipers werent big enough lol. if ur lucky n dedicated u might b ok up there to maintain something but ill never put myself in that situation again.