Topic: Gaining Mass Without Weights

[Dustin Combs]

May I ask if this is realistic? I figured it's "possible" so I didn't wanna say that, but I feel like it would be really hard. I'm not asking for strength, by actions such as body weight conditioning, but actually bulking up? Would you just do so many push ups, dips, pull ups, climb ups, muscle ups, and such? Plus protein supplements as an aid (idk if that's healthy, but I thought that it'd make it more realistic rather than without). Because if so, I'd kinda like to do so. Maybe. I'm doing a mixture of body weight conditioning along with other free weight exercises such as push ups, pulls, and dips.
So, what would you say? How do you go about gaining mass without the use of weights, if it's realistic?

And I do apologize if this is a dumb question.
And I'd like to add, I use to use weights for conditioning, but then I moved and still haven't been able to get the weights to this house.
Thanks in advance.

[Steve Low]

Yes. But not with high reps.

http://www.eatmoveimprove.com/2010/03/the-fundamentals-of-bodyweight-strength-training/

[Jordan]

Also, you have to eat a lot! if you're naturally skinny, you need to be mindful of calorie intake. Constantly eat.

[Jason C. Astor]

Eat!!! Do hard low rep stuff. Planches. Muscle Ups. Explosive Squats. Hill Sprints. Etc. Oh and.. Eat, like a lot.

If you eat a lot you will gain "Mass" That's just a given. If you activate and tare muscle you'll build muscle, you just need to eat more then you burn which is why endurance, high rep stuff is bad for gain and get enough protein to rebuild. That of course is putting it simply and it's just my understanding of muscle weight gain

[Rafe]

Muscular hypertrophy IE Bulk is generally driven more by training volume then intensityull ups, dips, and muscle ups are all potentially good hypertrophy training methods it just depends on your strength, I wouldn't use the climb up its a bit to specialized and the strength curve isn't optimal to challenge all the upper body musculature in my opinion.

If a pull up, dip or muscle up is with in your 5rm to 20 rm then it should be fine as hypertrophy tool, the key is to accumulate lots of volume. A recent study for instance showed that 8 sets is superior to 3 sets for hypertrophy.

You should be 2 minutes or under for hypertrophy purposes it increases metabolic stress and muscular damage and thereby causes more hypertrophy

A general hypertrophy based workout would be 5-10 sets of 6-10 reps, using 60-85 percent of 1rm with 1-2 minute in between sets for 2-3 times per week.

The other factor that is frequently not mentioned is that response to excercise protocols is variable some people respond well to high volume others do not some respond well to high intensity other do not.

[Dustin Combs]

Muscular hypertrophy IE Bulk is generally driven more by training volume then intensityull ups, dips, and muscle ups are all potentially good hypertrophy training methods it just depends on your strength, I wouldn't use the climb up its a bit to specialized and the strength curve isn't optimal to challenge all the upper body musculature in my opinion.

If a pull up, dip or muscle up is with in your 5rm to 20 rm then it should be fine as hypertrophy tool, the key is to accumulate lots of volume. A recent study for instance showed that 8 sets is superior to 3 sets for hypertrophy.

You should be 2 minutes or under for hypertrophy purposes it increases metabolic stress and muscular damage and thereby causes more hypertrophy

A general hypertrophy based workout would be 5-10 sets of 6-10 reps, using 60-85 percent of 1rm with 1-2 minute in between sets for 2-3 times per week.

The other factor that is frequently not mentioned is that response to excercise protocols is variable some people respond well to high volume others do not some respond well to high intensity other do not.

Really digged this post. Just sayin

But thank you, too all, for posting. How should one construct a eating plan to best benefit bulk/mass gain? High protein, low carbs, and low fat? I really wanna learn this stuff Haha, sorry.

How does this sound, as far as working out:
5 sets of 6 reps (I think this may be my limit, haven't tried yet, but I feel like 6 sets would be too many for now ) of dips with 1:30 minutes of rest between sets.
10 sets of 8 pull ups with 1:30 minutes of rest between sets.
(when available) 5 sets of 6 muscle up progression reps with 2 minutes of rest between sets.
10 sets of 8 pistol squats (both legs) with 1 minute between sets.
(when available) 5 sets of hill sprints (until about 80% fatigued) with 2 minutes of rest between sets.
10 sets of 12 explosive squats (felt like I wasn't getting enough leg work out in there...) with 1 minute of rest between sets.

Whenever I have rest days, could I do "skill work," such as working on my plance, HSPU, general handstand work, and L-sits?

Also, Are protein supplements advised? Such as whey protein? Or protein bars, in general?

[Joe Brock]

Also, Are protein supplements advised? Such as whey protein? Or protein bars, in general?

There are many ways to eat to gain mass, but you've got to simply be smart with it.  Are you looking to lean while increasing size?  Are you looking to simply put on bulk?  These are the main things that you must figure out first.

I'd only suggest supplementing if you cannot get what you need with whole foods.

[Dustin Combs]

There are many ways to eat to gain mass, but you've got to simply be smart with it.  Are you looking to lean while increasing size?  Are you looking to simply put on bulk?  These are the main things that you must figure out first.

I'd only suggest supplementing if you cannot get what you need with whole foods.

Lean while increasing size, sir. But some say I'm already "lean" (I don't agree cause I'm self conscious so...). So how would this work? I'm around 140 and roughly 6 foot, 17 years old. Should I worry about being lean or worry about bulking?

And alright. I feel like I may have to, I'm picky... Haha.

[Joe Brock]

At #140 and 6"...you're lean.  (Some day I'm going to do a study on why young men these days seem to suffer from eating disorders that force them to not be able to tell that they're skinny.  I hear this so often that it just blows my mind, and it simply does not compute for me.)  You should put on mass without being too concerned about staying super lean.

"Whole milk and meat," should be your new mantra.

[Nick Fernandez]

Would it make any significant difference drinking skim milk? I've been wanting to get whole milk, but everyone else in the house drinks milk and either don't like whole milk or are trying to avoid extra weight

[Joe Brock]

If you're trying to add mass...Yes, it will make a difference.  Milk fat is good for you, but skim is better than nothing.

If you're going to use skim milk often, I'd look into eating some peanut butter, almond butter, coconut milk, avocados, and bacon.  Simply put, fats are a part of a sensible diet for athletes.

There are some really great resources available for figuring out how much and of what you should eat/drink for your desired goals.  It's well worth your time to at least study the basics of nutrition.

[Steve Low]

I think you would be best sticking in the 5-8 rep range for both strength and hypertrophy before you move onto the 5-12ish or 5-15ish rep range. It's just better for gaining strength in the beginning.

Whole milk if possible.

[Nick Fernandez]

If you're going to use skim milk often, I'd look into eating some peanut butter, almond butter, coconut milk, avocados, and bacon.  Simply put, fats are a part of a sensible diet for athletes.

Hmmmm, yes, of course......I believe the solution is in sight

[Dustin Combs]

At #140 and 6"...you're lean.  (Some day I'm going to do a study on why young men these days seem to suffer from eating disorders that force them to not be able to tell that they're skinny.  I hear this so often that it just blows my mind, and it simply does not compute for me.)  You should put on mass without being too concerned about staying super lean.

"Whole milk and meat," should be your new mantra.

I used to be picked on cause of my weight, and ever since then, I can't be happy with my weight...

Now, is there much to any of a difference between whole milk and 2%? Cause I usually buy like 2-4 gallons of 2% every time I go to the grocery...

If you're going to use skim milk often, I'd look into eating some peanut butter, almond butter, coconut milk, avocados (nuts too?), and bacon.  Simply put, fats are a part of a sensible diet for athletes.

There are some really great resources available for figuring out how much and of what you should eat/drink for your desired goals.  It's well worth your time to at least study the basics of nutrition.

I drink 2% but often time snack with peanut butter, and/or nuts (I know it's not the same as avocados, but I've heard from multiple sources [nutrition book I once read long long ago, and the "Flexdem" video series] that they are similar). Is that a problem?

I must do my research

I think you would be best sticking in the 5-8 rep range for both strength and hypertrophy before you move onto the 5-12ish or 5-15ish rep range. It's just better for gaining strength in the beginning.

Whole milk if possible. (Addressed above)

Okay. I lowered my pull ups to 6 instead of 8 per set because it was much harder than I though, aha. Were the set numbers too high, or correct, for the hypertrophy/strength routine?I'd never heard of using such high set amounts, which is why I ask

[Joe Brock]

Now, is there much to any of a difference between whole milk and 2%? Cause I usually buy like 2-4 gallons of 2% every time I go to the grocery...I drink 2% but often time snack with peanut butter, and/or nuts (I know it's not the same as avocados, but I've heard from multiple sources [nutrition book I once read long long ago, and the "Flexdem" video series] that they are similar). Is that a problem?

The percentage is a reference to the fat content of the milk. Whole milk contains usually between 3.25% and 4.0% fat, where as 2% obviously contains 2% fat. Also, in the US 2% milk generally will have more Vitamin A than whole milk. This is because during the fat reduction process, a lot of vitamin A is lost, so it is artificially added back into the milk.

Read that last part again..."Added BACK to the milk."  For those of us who believe strongly in micro-nutrient availability, this means that much of what makes milk good for growing mammals is removed during the skimming process.  This puts it under the category of what I generally call "processed foods."  Think of it like the difference in the meat from a steak, and what you get inside a steak & cheese HotPocket, and you'll understand better why I tend to shy away from things that have been greatly tampered with.

That being said, 1% and Skim generally run about 1 extra gram of sugar per serving than either 2% or whole.  They have almost identical protein/carbohydrates and there's only a difference of around 20 calories per serving.  Decreasing from 150 using whole milk down to around 90 with skim.  Since you're looking to put on "mass," then I'd take into consideration if you want quality kcals or just to be eating/drinking in excess.  You can only put on mass with a caloric excess, and what those excesses come from greatly influence your final nutrient ratios...which relates to body composition.

Nuts are fine for good fats, btw.

[Steve Low]

That should be total set per muscle group.... not every exercise has that amount of sets.

So say if you were doing handstand pushups and dips you'd way 5-10 total sets.... not 10 sets for each. Aim for 6-8 sets total for exercises that work similar muscle groups.

This is why I tend to say 2 push, 2 pull, 1-2 legs + skill and maybe core for an initial routine. Each of these with 3 sets... 1-3 min rest for hypertrophy, 3-7 for strengthish (though it's a continuum).

[michaelb87]

i actually put on around 15 lbs over summer vacation last year despite being away from my weight set by doing low rep body weight exercises such as , handstand push ups ,one arm push ups, one arm chin up progressions, pull ups and dips( i wore a backpack with rocks in it for these) etc.  the main thing i did was start eating and sleeping more. it taught me how important a good nights sleep and extra calories are for mass gain. good luck.