what's more important calories or protein for muscle gains ?

[RottenWillow]

Am I eating too little to build muscle?

Yep.


I'd say a daily surplus of 200 calories would be the minimum for someone hoping to build muscle.....70 is just cutting it too close. Assuming you arent using any anabolic hormones, you cant add muscle and lose fat simultaneously. Do one, then the other.


How about building phase for the next 8 months, then cut for the final 12 weeks?

 

[hotwtrbby]

I suppose thats what I'm going to have to do unless I plan on being the tiniest girl on stage. How much should I up my cals? And how much bf do you think I will put on? One more - do you think 12 weeks is enough for cutting considering I'm already 20% bf and more if I "bulk"?

 

[MS]

MS, as a scientist I hope you're not drawing conclusions based on a single case study.... j/k

More seriously, prison is such a "special" environment that the diet is just a small part of the equation

But let's say you're right and Mr Muscletech is wrong (can this be possible ? ) and 1g protein/kg bodyweight is far enough

So, assuming we don't change our overall calories intake, if we take less protein, we should take either more fat or more carbs

As a well educated BBer we already take plenty of EFAs, so would taking even more be more beneficial ?

As for carbs, wouldn't the extra protein converted into glucose anyway ?

So what would you recommend ? something like an iso 33/33/33 diet ?

BTW, so many people (supplement companies being first) want us to believe that we NEED our 2g/kg bodyweight (when it is not 2g/lb) that we should be very sceptical about the studies concerning the protein requirements for athletes....

Joking aside, it is a well documented fact that inmates are able to gain measurable amounts of muscle on what muscletech would consider and abominal amount of protein. Prison is only a "special" environment to the extent that weight training, rest, and usually calories are abundantly available. I would suggest that any serious bodybuilder should create this same "special" environment if muslce gains are a priority.

I have no idea where that mythical 2g protein per pound bodyweight came from. I suspect it is an American misinterpretaion of the research that shows between 1.5 and 2 grams of protein PER KILO is optimal. There is a big difference between a kilo and a pound as you point out, plus I believe the research in woman shows this is closer to 1.2 to 1.4 grams protein PER KILO as optimal. For those of you without calculators, this is around .5 to .6 grams protein PER POUND. That's a far cry from 2 grams per pound!!!! It is also abundantly clear that amounts in excess of this is basically wasteful to the extent that you just increase the amount of protein you burn as fuel. Expensive glucose!

If muscle gains with minimal fat gain is your goal, I would suggest increasing EFAs (especially fish oil) and low GI carbs. Carbs are the best fuel for the gruelling workouts needed to build maximum muscle, and fish oils will help divert any excess calories away from fat storage while keeping leptin resistance in check. There are also some interesting supps available now which may help with keeping fat gain minimized. If you haven't checked it out recently, have a look over at Avant Labs. A lot of their stuff is still in beta versions, but interesting none-the-less.

hotwtrbby, you need a lot more calories than you are currently getting. Sounds to me like your trainer may be confusing RMR with AMR. You will easily be burning up those extra 200 cals with weight training alone, much less have anything left over to build muscle with.

 

[RottenWillow]

How much should I up my cals?

An additional 200-300 a day depending on your activity level that day.

And how much bf do you think I will put on?

Depends on your age, training experience and current workout, what legal and/or illegal supps you use, and your genetic capability for gaining muscle. A wild assed guess? Anywhere from 3-8 pounds of muscle.

One more - do you think 12 weeks is enough for cutting considering I'm already 20% bf and more if I "bulk"?

Assuming you only eat an extra 200-300 daily than you eat now, there shouldnt be much of a fat gain during your building period.

Since you didnt mention your target bf percentage, I'm gonna assume you want to be 10%. If you gain an additional 2 pounds of fat during your bulking period, that'll leave you needing to shed about 14 pounds of fat in your cutting phase. That does seem like a lot to lose in 12 weeks without losing any of your new muscle. You might want to ask Daisy or The Shadow about this part to gauge your chance of this being successful.