[loover21]

Im 6ft tall 180lbs, and am looking to put on 20lbs of muscle. I have always been around 165lbs but when my girlfriend got pregnant I gained a lot of bad weight and went up to 190lbs, but since then have dropped 10lbs and turned the rest into mostly muscle. I want to get up to 200lbs and the only way that I have ever gained weight is the fatty way! How do I gain 20lbs of muscle?

I have already upped my protein intake to about 200gr per day.
A typical day consists of eating breakfast- 6-7 egg whites with cheese, a bowl of fruit (pineapple, canteloupe, oanges and bananas) and a glass of apple juice (2 cups)
snack- 4 scoops of weigh gainer (has about 600 cal and 55g of protein)
lunch- A tuna sandwich (one whole can, whole wheat bread, low fat mayo) and 1/2 tub of yogurt
snack- usually just something healthy and random
dinner- usually 8oz of some kind of protein, 2 potatoes and a vegetable
snack- A low carb protein drink after my workout about 360 cal and 60gr of protein
And I lift weights 5 times a week and play hockey twice for cardio!
Please help if you can??

[Bocasean]

Drug use notwithstanding, bodybuilders are masters of putting on mass while remaining lean. Many of them use what's known as the ZigZag method, and it's what I teach to all of my advanced clients.

Basically, in order to put on lean mass (muscle tissue), you must grow new cells. You do this with a combination of periodized weight training and increased caloric intake.

These 2 factors are actually approached in the same manner: By gradually Zig-Zagging up the ladder to prevent plateaus.

Simply put, you do NOT want to just start hammering out heavy workout after heavy workout, or your body WILL adapt and, thus, plateau. Instead, you should break your training into cycles and lift heavy (80% max 4-6 reps, etc) for a couple weeks, then work mid-weight (8-12 reps), then try a couple weeks of light weight high rep, and then try a couple weeks of mid-weight pyramid training. After that, start the cycle over again.

As for increasing your caloric intake, this is the KEY to you being able to bulk up with lean mass and NOT get fat:

For several days, eat larger meals and/or an extra meal per day. You know your body's caloric needs, so whatever you ingest to remain at the status quo... well, just eat more than that. After 3 days, you must STOP eating more calories and instead eat whatever your body is used to. Repeat for several weeks/months until you're at the bodyweight/lean mass ratio you were looking for.

The reason this is effective is because the zig-zagging or staggering of your caloric intake allows your Basal Metabolic Rate to change slowly, while keeping your blood sugar levels where they need to be to ensure constant fat burning.

Many/Most people will tell you to "Eat more calories to put on mass" but they're only half-right. You must address your body's ability to adapt to change and use it to your advantage, and if you just start eating more calories your BMR won't be ready for the increased work load.

Good luck. It definitely takes discipline once you get to this level.