muscle gain FAQs

Got questions about building muscle? Find answers here. expand_more
By dotFIT experts
on January 22, 2010
If you use the dotFIT Me program all the answers you need are within. Enter your weight weekly or weight and body fat bi-weekly and the program feedback will tell you what to do to stay on goal. More...
By dotFIT experts
on March 19, 2009
Muscle building requires protein, nutrients and energy. Meat is just one source of protein, there are many vegetarian sources. It doesn’t take much protein to meet requirements even for a vegan if you use a variety of sources. More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 17, 2008
To date there is one published study related to the efficacy of NO (nitric oxide) boosters via oral ingestion. The major finding of this recent study was that the nitric oxide booster (arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, or AAKG) increased strength and power in resistance-trained men. More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 17, 2008
When exposed to the stresses of training, the body adapts in a manner consistent with the type of stress applied to it. This is referred to as the SAID Principle (Specific Adaptations to the Imposed Demands). More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 17, 2008
No – as long as you are performing appropriate resistance training and eating enough calories and protein to support growth, you can add muscle (up to a certain point). More...
By dotFIT Experts
on October 23, 2008
Creatine monohydrate is one of the most widely used supplements to improve sports performance, muscle size, strength and power. Loading Creatine has been a point of controversy and clarity on this issue will be provided here. More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 17, 2008
Muscle being burned during exercise is determined by a couple of factors: 1) calorie intake (including carbohydrate (CHO) and fat intake) and 2) duration of activity. More...
Absolutely, and it is also possible to add weight while losing fat. It is not uncommon for a change in body composition to occur when one begins getting serious about exercise and nutrition. More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 17, 2008
While it is true that you need some protein after a workout, carbohydrate should be present in an amount that is 2-4 times greater than protein. More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 17, 2008
By vigorously training the same muscle group each day with weights, you end up in an over-training cycle where the body spends more time damaging and repairing muscles than building them to a bigger, stronger level. More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 17, 2008
It’s better to think of the goal in pounds of fat loss and let the percentages fall where they may. We measure body fat as a percentage of total body weight but calculate the loss in pounds. More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 17, 2008
If you wanted to gain one pound of body fat, you would have to consume 3500 calories more than you burned in any timeframe. But your question is probably referring to gaining a pound of muscle, not fat. More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 17, 2008
It depends on your sport. If you are an endurance athlete, you want a significantly higher carbohydrate (CHO) to protein (P) ratio than most other athletes – somewhere in the range of 2-4 grams of CHO to 1 gram of protein with relatively low fat. More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 16, 2008
It really is dependent upon your goal. If you are a recreational exerciser or simply working out for fitness, weight loss, etc., then the timing of pre- and post-workout feedings is not crucial. More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 17, 2008
As soon as food is digested it is used for immediate energy needs (blood sugar), stored for future use (fat or glycogen stores) or used to replace or rebuild tissues (e.g. muscles or protein tissues). More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 15, 2008
There’s more to achieving your goal than taking supplements. The proper workout strategy and nutrition approach play a crucial role in “getting bigger.” More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 18, 2008
That would depend upon your goal. If fat loss is the primary goal then it’s a simple formula: the more work you perform, the more calories you will burn – the work being a combination of time and intensity. More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 18, 2008
Beer is not exactly the perfect post-workout formula. But if you are eating properly (daily menu planning) in order to maximize the workout, a couple of beers included in your daily calories will not reduce the potential positive effects of your workouts. More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 18, 2008
No – your body will let you know when you are over-training but you have to “listen” to it. More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 20, 2008
Building muscle helps with the fat burning process because a pound of muscle burns more calories than a pound of fat (approximately two times more at rest and up to ten times more when exercising intensely). More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 20, 2008
One pound of muscle burns approximately six calories per day at rest and can burn many times more while in motion (such as running, working out, hiking, etc). The more intense the activity, the more calories muscles will burn (running stairs, for example, can burn ten times your resting rate, weight lifting approximately four times, etc.) More...
By dotFIT experts
on October 18, 2008
If you’re intensely working the same body parts with resistance training and not resting the minimum of 24-48 hours before working the same muscles (the more intense and voluminous the workout, the longer the necessary recuperation time), you are definitely holding back your progress. More...
By dotFIT experts
on November 14, 2008
The actual recommendation for someone with your goals (dieting and presumably exercising with a fat loss goal) is listed below under “active recreational athlete” and “adaptation period”. You should strive for 1.2—1.8 grams of protein per 1 kg of body weight, or .5--.8 grams of protein per 1 pound of body weight. More...
By dotFIT experts
on January 05, 2009
Whether anyone gains muscle depends upon several factors, including total caloric intake (you must have a surplus of nutrients to build muscle), type and amount of activity/exercise and appropriate rest. More...
Yes, and these are the ideal conditions for long-term success, but it takes the right formula of calories, nutrition and exercise to build muscle while losing body fat. More...
By dotFIT experts
on March 19, 2009
The easiest way to gain weight is to consume more calories than your body needs. Assuming you want to gain muscle, the best way to do that is to incorporate resistance training into your life. More...
To gain weight you need to eat more calories than you burn so that the extra calories are deposited into your body tissues, with the majority More...
The most commonly used muscle gain supplements that actually work are considered safe for the vast majority of people. These supplements More...
If you are deficient in any of the essential nutrients involved in developing and building muscle the answer is yes. Our recommendation is that everyone, More...
Protein is responsible for rebuilding your muscle tissues after exercise and also plays a minor role in producing energy under more extreme More...
Depends on how much you are eating now. If you are eating Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of protein and resistance training intensely, then yes More...
If you feed yourself properly, including taking a multivitamin/mineral daily, you would only add muscle by performing high intensity More...
You need to use the bodybuilding formula of feeding the muscle while starving the body fat. Meaning, eat correctly and enough including protein intake More...
Yes – but what is happening to you is every bodybuilder’s dream. If your statistics are correct, you’ve gained over 10LBS (estimating More...
Yes, and it’s very common among athletes, especially bodybuilders and people new to weight training but it requires daily food planning and supplementation More...
Following a good workout, in order to maximize exercise-induced results, you want to consume a formula containing 10-20gms of protein, ~20-50gms of carbs More...
Yes, you can and that's what we always recommend, or at least try not to lose muscle when dieting. With conventional dieting (as prescribed by More...
No, you need to perform unaccustomed exercise 2-3 days/week. Muscles need at least 48 hours of rest following the type of workout More...
Yes, as long as the muscle soreness was caused by exercise or some unaccustomed activity that did not injure the muscle to a point where it can't More...
The formula for gaining weight is to consume more calories than you burn so the extra calories are stored in the body as lean body mass (LBM) such More...
Carbohydrate loading is a protocol that endurance athletes, and often bodybuilders, use to fill their body's glycogen (carbohydrate/energy) stores in order More...
Power athletes need more protein than non-athletes/exercisers but about the same as other hard-training athletes. The easiest and safest formula More...
Depends on how much protein you consume from food and your training goals. All healthy athletes can attain their protein requirements from More...
Most professionals use the simple and safest formula for figuring out an athlete's protein needs and that's ~ 1gm of protein per pound of body weight More...

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