Gain Mass While Staying Lean?
I am only 19 years old and totally desire to gain lean muscle mass and possibly become a bodybuilder. I am 6"3 and weigh about 170. I need some help to know what to mainly eat and when to gain the muscle. I eat between 2000 - 2300 calories a day. I have been told that I am not eating near enough calories. But the thing with me is, I have a gut. I am lean everywhere but my stomach. It is like a huge problem area for storing fat with me. How do I go about losing it while trying to gain muscle mass (15-20 pounds of mass)? Won't I gain even more fat and weight if I eat more food to gain more weight to turn into muscle? Please help any guidance and help will be most grateful Thank you so much for your time with me.
This is another highly typical question that is often asked and it seems to me as if every problem that I am fixing revolves around carbohydrates and the time to eat them. I owe this to the outdated medical aspect of the U.S. diet. Thanks for messing with the American people's heads and making them think that food containing no fat means "good". Most nutritional guru's know that little to no fat foods are typically associated with a high carbohydrate food item which is actually "bad". I break this question down into parts for the easy of interpretation.
Answer Part 1:
"I am only 19 years old and totally desire to gain lean muscle mass and possibly become a bodybuilder."
Congratulations on choosing the greatest sport ever. I admire young dreamers, I was the same way during my teenage years and I am still dreaming about my future.
"I am 6"3 and weigh about 170. I need some help to know what to mainly eat and when to gain the muscle. I eat between 2000 -2300 calories a day. I have been told that I am not eating near enough calories. But the thing with me is, I have a gut. I am lean everywhere but my stomach. It is like a huge problem area for storing fat with me. How do I go about losing it while trying to gain muscle mass (15-20 pounds of mass)?"
Yeah at 6"3' and only weighing about 170 pounds I can understand why you are trying to gain some mass, especially if you want to become a competitive bodybuilder. You are right that is not really a whole lot of calories for a guy your size, but you are confused on why you still sport this little gut. The problem that you are facing is the same that the majority of the people face. You are timing your carbohydrates all wrong. I can tell you right off the bat that this is your problem and you did not even send me a copy of your current diet. I mean come on, 2000 kilocalories and you are trying to gain mass?
Your genetics play a small part in this body fat problem but nothing that a little macronutrient manipulation and cardio could not fix. Now for the additional 15-20 pounds of pure meat AKA muscle mass, well unfortunately, this will take a few years. For a natural bodybuilder like myself, now mind you that I live for the sport, you can expect about five pounds of muscle each year. I mean think about it you are actually creating new tissue that is not even in existence at the current moment, this will obviously take some time. This is not a bad thing though, IF you do like I do and just enjoy the ride. Three years is not actually that long and if you love the sport you will enjoy every second of it.
Answer Part 2:
"Won't I gain even more fat and weight if I eat more food to gain more weight to turn into muscle?"
I know that you are concerned about eating more because it seems as if you were eating enough now because you are still having unwanted body fat trouble. This is not the case. What I am assuming is that you are eating too many big meals and too many carbohydrates at the wrong time. I recommend that you incorporate 6-8 mini-meals throughout the day and taper your carbohydrate intake. To do this simply eat more in the morning and taper down as the day goes on. The two windows exist in the morning and immediately after your training session. It is then that the body can properly utilize the carbohydrates that you are feeding it.
As far a protein recommendations, well for a guy your size or with your height I must tell you that in order to do any considerable damage on the posing dais you must gain more than your goal weight of 190 pounds. You will actually need to be shooting for a shredded 210-225. So with that in mind you should try to eat for the additional 10 pounds of muscle each year that you may gain. I know that I said that five is about all you can do but you must think positively and shoot to prove me wrong and go for ten. You are young and have great hormonal potential. So 190 (your goal weight) times 1.5 would be 285 grams of protein at the minimum. I personally eat up to 500 grams in my off season, I am 5"1' and weigh about 150 pounds, and I do not get sloppy looking. So if I were you I would eat at least 300 grams of protein, 40 grams of good fats, and a properly timed 200 grams of carbohydrates and watch yourself grow to you full genetic potential. This will still only equal out to about 2300 kilocalories, but you are trying to stay relatively lean. Stay strong and do not be afraid to work because as a natural bodybuilder you must sacrifice many luxuries of life to be able to be outstanding and meet all of your goals.