I gained my 40 pounds in a year on a 1900 calories per day at 60-70 grams of protein per day at best.

For all those who beleive that mucsle gains can not be made on a caloric resrticed diet- go to gymjones.com(click the knowledge tab and scroll down to the '300' link) – these guys trained the actors/stuntmen fromn the '300' and expicably state that all the trainees were put a severly restricted calorie diet – barely enough for recovery – check it out

Your topic How to build muscle for skinny guys (w/ workouts and meal … was interesting when I found it on Sunday searching for weight lifting body building…

if you cut your calories and workout more, you will not gain more muscle, in most cases you will enter a catabolic state and lose musce.

this idea is over simplied and i'd hate to see honest people get sucked in by this idea.

At the end of the day you don't need all the supplements under the sun, and you don't need to eat 6-8 meals a day. however if your trying make muscle to the maximum amont your body can, you need the nutritional requirments needed to make that muscle. if its not there, then what can you make the muscle with?

i agree that eating a stupid amount is not the best way to build muscle, as you will put on extra fat. however you need to consume atleast enough so that you body can create muscle mass as quickly as it possibly can, limiting caloires will only limit progress (in regards to muscle building)

Whilst I agree that the amount you eat does not dictate how much muscle mass you will gain I still think nutrition is important. Eating the right foods can make you much more alert when working out and also give you the fuel you need to rebuild after a workout. However, eating the wrong foods can make you feel sluggish whilst you workout – something I used to find quite a lot.

I go into the vacation a bit carb depleted without losing muscle. I am going to throw together a free report on how to do this, but it won't be in time for your vacation. Think along the lines of eating low carb and low fat for 6-7 days before your trip. You are aiming for the muscles to be a bit flat by the time you hit your flight. Within a couple of meals you will look quite a bit better. You will be able to eat pretty loose and not have to worry about working out and will look outstanding and leaner than normal for 7-14 days.

thekid,

I have found no evidence that artificial sweetners affect fat loss at all. I have seen studies that try to prove otherwise, but they are almost always flawed. I have achieved extremely low body fat levels while drinking a couple cans of Diet Coke each day. These days I try to limit my Diet Coke consumption, mainly for health reasons.

Aditya,

I do think ESE works better. The Warrior Diet encourages one big meal at night every day. I simply wasn't able to get as lean eating like this. Eat Stop Eat uses two fasts per week until dinner…the big difference is that the ESE method encourages a moderate size dinner. These 2 days wind up being pretty low-cal and really aid in fat loss. You wouldn't be able to do this on the Warrior Diet, since going low cal every day would basically become an eating disorder. I find the ESE diet easier to follow and more effective than the Warrior Diet. Maybe at some point I will do an article on Bear Grylls.

Daniel,

I can totally relate to this sentence…"Quitting BB was like being let out of social prison!". Although I never was a true bodybuilder, I was obsessed with gaining muscle for the first 6-7 years of training. Now I try to become more and more efficient while looking my best. The result is much less time in a gym and more time to enjoy life. I also agree with you that people should try some of this stuff. Between me, John Barban, and Brad Pilon…there is a lot of experience. I'm not saying our way is the only way to go, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. The worst thing that will happen is that people will maintain muscle while giving their digestive system a break.

Ramon,

I've become friends with Mark Sisson over the past 2 years and really respect his knowledge and wisdom about health and fitness. It has been fun to get to know him. He is a great guy and I certainly plan on doing a review of the Primal Blueprint. It is an outstanding book.

Baz,

Okay…let me Google the guy (Steven Strait)…Okay, so most sources say he is 6'2" and some say 6' even. I am going to assume 6'1" to be safe. He looks like he has a bigger frame than Brad Pitt and he is 1-2 inches taller. Brad is somwehere around 5'11" and 6' tall. Brad Pitt was 155-160 pounds for Fight Club at 6% body fat. For the movie Snatch he was 165-170 at 8% body fat. Steven Strait looks around 8% body fat in most of the photos that I saw. So at 6'1", I would guess for him to be around 175-180. Just a guess, but I'm probably close.

Sam,

I answered this for you in a more recent post (low carb or low fat post). Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you.

Jason G,

True that I think most of us (readers of this site) want to steer short of maxing out our genetic potential. At 6'3" I have been 220 pounds while being kind of lean (15 years ago)…These days I stick around 185-190 and look and feel better (I can actually fit into normal pants). You are right about training differently to stay slim and lean versus getting close to your genetic potential. I wanted to introduce those who do want to gain a bit more muscle, a guy who tells the truth. Jihn Barban is that guy.

John B,

Thanks for responding to all the questions!

Irish,

You don't want to create a large chronic calorie deficit. You can go extreme for a day or two and create a calorie surplus for a day or two and as long as you average a moderate calorie deficit you will be fine.

keith,

I still wouldn't force in too much food. Since you are naturally skinny you can get away with eating more without gaining fat. As long as you aren't gaining fat, you will be good. Different people have different calorie requirements. You can probably eat more than some and be fine, just don't go overboard.

Jarl,

I follow ESE with the Primal way of eating. Fruits veggies and meat, while fasting until dinner 2 times per week. On my non-fasting days I eat 3 primal meals. 1-2 times a week I am less strict, due to being social (parties, BBQ's, etc.)

Jim,

You could do that, but it does seem a little strict. It would be a good approach to losing body fat, but once you get to a point you are pleased with I would suggest that you loosen up the diet a bit.

Jarl,

Over time your body will adapt to fasting and you will have some of your best workouts in a fasted state. It is weird how it works. There is a perdios of adapting that can take a while.

John Lloyd,

I agree that every man is capable of gaining 20-30 pounds of muscle naturally. I did that when I was younger. As I got older I realized that this wasn't a look I enjoyed and I slimmed down. As far as John goes. He is actually quite muscular, but he downplays it with the clothes he wears. He isn't the type of guy to pose with his shirt off. Brad Pilon has mentioned that John is stronger and a little bigger than him (and Brad is a pretty big guy). Anyway…I used to have some of the same opinions as you, but those have changed over the years. I'm just simply going to have to disagree with your take on nutrition and building muscle. I still appreciate the comment and I hope you keep contributing even when we disagree.

Jason G,

I have never claimed that supplements were useless and neither has John. John still works in the supplement industry. I just want people to know that they can hit their goals just as well without supplements. Things like whey protein and meal replacement powders are a great time saver…and are healthier and cheaper than a lot of other meal choices.

Denmark,

When you workout on an empty stomach, you will burn some fat while working out…but will also have a larger HGH response to the workout. John is talking about EPOC and metabolism…which will be just as strong if you workout in a fasted state. The bonus of working out in a fasted state is the additional HGH response as well as burning (some) body fat while working out. Might as well stack the deck in your favor and get all of the benefits!

Aditya,

The reason ESE works so well is the overall calorie reduction cause by those 2 low calorie days. With ESE you are eating a normal sized healthy meal, not a big meal like the Warrior Diet recommends. You couldn't do 5 ESE style fasts each week, because that would cause you to become anorexic. Two fasts per week ESE style increases HGH while helping you maintain a decent calorie deficit over time. It is a great way to get lean and stay lean.

TonyKim,

Eating before lifting doesn't have too much of an impact for me, but eating before HIIT or any type of interval work is brutal. I ocassionally make the mistake of eating before doing intervals and I fight burping up food. I'm not puking or anything, but I will burp and taste my last meal. I know it is gross, but I know I'm not alone when it comes to this. I absolutely beyond a shadow of a doubt get better workouts on an empty stomach. Again…the lifting part is about the same (as long as I'm not doing a circuit). Also the body composition benefits from working out on an empty stomach are outstanding. If it isn't for you, that is cool.

Rusty

I was about to say the same thing. Its actually a lot convenient to combine both ESE and Warrior Diet. And for me too its mostly Warrior Diet. And 2 times a week, I do complete fasts. I find this method easy to follow.

Rusty would agree it all comes down to creating a calorie deficit no matter what diet you follow!

In your opinion given the information you have/know would it work out alright to combine both ESE and the Warrior diet. Personally I think a combination of the two work best for me. I like fasting twice per week because it empties out my system and makes burning fat easier because it allows me to be flexible on my weekends when I tend to eat in a large caloric surplus. I also enjoy eating my largest meal of the day at night. So on non fasting weekdays I tend to only eat fruit/veggies/hard boiled eggs during the day (not all of them in one day I usually pick which one of those I'll eat that day and then eat 4 apples for example on a Tuesday). However, on the weekend/Holidays/Special Occasions I find it too difficult and wierd to follow either diet. I am going to live life and be a normal person and eat with family/friends when they are eating. I know the Warrior diat is supposed to be a way of life but I guess I'm not hardcore enough to follow it everyday of the year. I guess what I am getting at is do find any information in the Warrior diet that says it must be done always and at all times? The flexibilty of combing the two diets and taking what I like from each allows me to enjoy life but am I not getting the desired effect by not following either diet the way they are strictly designed? For example I am not following ESE by the book either because it says eat normally (3 meals per day on non fasting days) and I am not doing that I am eating more Warrior style on non fasting days. Hope I was clear enough and you can answer my question. Thanks…