If you were paying attention, you noticed that there was no October ezine. I've been hard at work redesigning the site and I had hoped to introduce the site's new look with that issue. As complications arose, I gave up on that idea and decided to wait and introduce the new look with this issue. And, um, the site's redesign still isn't done...

I remain determined, however, to eventually get the "new" site up (it has been a bigger pain than I ever imagined possible). Once it is up, there will be some new features I think you'll find helpful. For one new section...

I have been wanting to find a way where people who had successfully moved towards their weight and muscle gain goals could share their stories and tips. This, I think, can be especially beneficial to those wanting to achieve similar goals.

So I will be putting up a Tips & Testimonials section with the site redesign. This will be a place where you can tell your story and tell others exactly what worked for you.

Please take a few minutes and go to http://gain-weight-muscle-fast.com/submit-tips.html. Tell your story and tell others exactly what worked for you. For people struggling to do what you have done, sometimes the best advice they can get comes from someone with whom they identify.

I've been lucky enough to get some great emails from those of you who have had success and, though you may not realize it, you have a lot to teach. Believe me, there is someone out there wanting to do exactly what you have done, whether that is developing biceps that bring looks at the beach or just putting on a few pounds to better fill out clothes.

Thanks to Brad and Taz for getting the section started (see their stories on the submit page).

As always, if you have any questions or comments regarding the site, please contact me.

In This Issue...

Site New Stuff

Well, um, nothing to put here. I promise though, keep checking, there will be a lot of new stuff soon...

There are a couple of new posts, "Gaining Mass at Home" and "Fastest Mass Gain Routine" at the Muscle Building Blog.

Interesting Off-Site Reads

Desiring The Ectomorph Look

While we are all doing everything we can to avoid the ectomorph look, there are those who are actually seeking it? Yep, enter the Calorie Restriction Society, a group with about 1,800 members that advocates a very low-calorie diet as a lifestyle. They theorize, based mostly on mice studies, that this will help them to live longer.

An interesting thought, but if you spend your life looking like you're about to keel over, is it really worth it? Not all are convinced that such a diet will lead to longer life in humans as it appears to in animals. Check out the article here.

And before you stop eating, check out the alternative approaches to long life presented with the article. I think there is some better advice there (including lifting weights to increase muscle mass).

Milk for Mass

I haven't seen the new milk commercials, but I have heard they are funny even if MLB doesn't enjoy them. Milk as a performance enhancer isn't a stretch at all. If packaged and hyped as a bodybuilding supplement, milk would quickly and deservedly become a best seller at any price.

Milk is cheap, take advantage of it.

More about muscle, milk and its new ad campaign

Bodybuilding Tip of the Month

Don't Tell Me To Eat More

"Eat more, eat more, eat more, eat more"

I feel like a broken record player telling people wanting to gain mass to eat more. I annoy myself when I say it. I try to vary the message and say, "Consume more," "Up your caloric intake," or "Increase your caloric consumption." But, no matter how I say it, I still annoy myself.

And my constant "eat more" utterings annoy others too. I've recently received two emails asking for mass gain advice that requested that I not tell them to eat more. One of them, from a guy we'll call Bill, even put it in all caps so that I would be sure and get the message - "DON'T TELL ME TO EAT MORE BECAUSE MY DIET IS GOOD."

Well, I was more than willing to accept that Bill's diet was in fact good and not responsible for his lack of progress. Over the course of a few email exchanges I learned that Bill had a pretty good idea about how to train for mass gain. He was emphasizing compound exercises at heavy weights, he was changing his routines every 6 weeks, he seemed to have an appreciation of intensity, etc. And he wasn't overtraining.

Bill had done his research. He knew what he was doing in the gym and it wasn't any surprise to learn that he had experienced some original success - gaining 12 pounds in his first 3 months of training. But then the gains had stopped and Bill had not been able to put on a single pound of muscle in the last 4 months.

One thing became clear, what Bill wanted out of me was a "magic" exercise that would help him bust past his plateau. He wanted me to tell him that "exercise" that pro bodybuilders keep to themselves in an effort to lessen their competition. "What exercise could I add that will jump-start the growth process?" he asked.

Unfortunately, despite the rumors, there is no such exercise. Pro bodybuilders get their size using the same common-knowledge exercises that you see at every bodybuilding site that has ever been created (well, actually, most of their size comes from those needles they stick in themselves).

Knowing that it was a sore subject, I cautiously asked Bill about his diet. How many calories was he consuming? Had he been gradually increasing his caloric intake over the past 4 months? How much of each of the macro-nutrients was he getting?

Bill wrote back and again told me that his diet was good. He told me that he didn't know the answers to my questions, didn't know exactly how many calories he was consuming and didn't have a clue about his macro-nutrient ratio. He wasn't consciously trying to increase his caloric intake. But he "knew" his diet wasn't the problem because he was eating in the same way he had when he gained 12 lbs. of muscle.

I wrote Bill back and, putting it in all caps for emphasis, I told him to "EAT MORE." I guaranteed him that if he would approach his dieting with even half as much dedication as he was his weight training, he would experience great success. I told him that the body simply couldn't add weight unless he was supplying it with a surplus of calories.

I never heard back from Bill. I'd like to think he got the message, begin to pay attention to his diet and is now putting on the weight. However, I think it is more likely that he is still fruitlessly searching for a secret exercise that will get him past his plateau while continuing

If you want to gain mass, don't be Bill. You can do everything right in the gym, but if you do everything wrong outside of it, you will soon find yourself hitting a wall.

I was listening to the radio the other day and the strength coach for a local college football team was being interviewed. They were asking him about what he was trying to get some mass on a slim but talented wide receiver. His answer was (paraphrasing), "He needs to learn how to eat. He needs to think about food all the time and just keep eating. Every chance he gets, he needs to eat."

As sick as I get saying it, usually "eat more" is the only piece of advice someone struggling with mass gain needs (provided they follow it).

From the In-Box - Q&A

Breaking Past a Chest Plateau

...I have been trying to build muscles for the last 2 yrs. and haven't seen any improvements. I try to split a 3-days workout, monday, Wed, and Friday. My main concentration is my chest. As for arms and shoulders, they are at a decent size. However, my chest is pretty much flat. No matter how much weight I train, it is still not growing. Sometimes, I get frustrated and even train chest 3 days a week. Please tell me what I have been doing wrong. For chest workout, I do mostly bench, flyes, and inclined smith machine... (from Len)

Generally, I think you are making a mistake in trying to increase your chest workouts in an effort to get it to move. For most people this will be counterproductive. In short bursts, however, it can be worth a try to move past a plateau (which is definitely where you're at). But it sounds like you've tried that to no avail.

2 indirect things to keep in mind - Firstly, take a good look at your diet and make sure you are doing all you can there. Secondly, remember that the body likes to grow all at once. You will hear a great many experienced lifters tell you that the best chest exercise is the squat. The squat affects your CNS more than any other exercise which can trigger hormone release (testosterone). So, if you want a big chest, you are best to work your legs hard as well as your chest.

You might want to try throwing a radical change at your chest. First give it a complete break for a few weeks (assuming you have been working it hard recently). Let it fully heal. Then come back and hit it entirely differently than it has become accustomed to. Try not benching and instead doing bar dips. Or do guillotine presses or decline/incline presses if those aren't part of your regular routines. Use higher or lower rep lifts. The key here is "different." Completely different. Whatever you're doing, stop doing it and try something completely new. Try and shock your chest muscles.

I had a college professor who would suddenly drop an F-bomb every time she noticed the class's attention wandering. You have to treat your muscles the same way. You have to drop the occasional F-bomb to keep their attention.

So, try dropping an F-bomb on them in combination with a re-emphasis on your leg training and diet and see if that doesn't get some results.

Future Plans

I could probably cut and paste this section from the last ezine. Here's hoping I get something done soon, eh?

Until next time, eat more.