newbie's question on supplement

[Louis]

I am a newbie to fitness/bodybuilding

I work hard in gym and still have trouble put on more mass.

I heard so much about supplements you can take, but is there a way to put on more muscle without supplements. I heard a bodybuilder called Zyzz who died. A personal trainer told me he is on too much drugs. sorry, no offence to zyzz's fans. That is what I heard.

The only thing I take is whey protein + my hard work

Photo attached was me when I started training 2yrs ago.

since then, I haven't changed too much.

Am I doing anyting wrong? I eat healthy and take 6 meals a day; I workout 5 to 6 days a week.

Can some experts help me?

thanks

[FellowshipOfTheRon]

putting on muscle has absolutely nothing to do with supplements. i think you might be overcomplicating things and forgetting about the basics

key components are:

1) gotta work out hard + if your goal is to build muscle, workout in a way that promotes muscle gain [ think rep ranges, weights (always try increase every session at least by a little!) and rest periods ]

1.1) consider every bit of physical activity as workouts - are you practicing any sports etc.? training for those is a workout session as well. if you do that on top of regular gym workouts then factor it in to your diet (gotta boost the caloric intake)

2) gotta eat enough food - might be 5~6 meals a day or just 3 meals a day, doesn't matter just get enough food into your body

2.1) if you cant get enough nutrients in from your food (maybe you cant stomach it all or maybe its not convenient for you to eat that much), use supplements to 'top up' the nutrient levels you need.

have you gained much weight in the past 1~2 years? and how have your strength gains been? if its been staying fairly stable for a while now, its a clear indication that you've found a sort of balance (your maintenance level) and all you need to do now is just eat more on top of how/what you are already eating. this doesn't mean go out and buy more expensive mass gainer or anything, answer could be as simple as drinking a couple extra glasses of milk and a can of tuna each day. check out the diet section for heaps of info on bulking

[Louis]

putting on muscle has absolutely nothing to do with supplements. i think you might be overcomplicating things and forgetting about the basics

key components are:

1) gotta work out hard + if your goal is to build muscle, workout in a way that promotes muscle gain [ think rep ranges, weights (always try increase every session at least by a little!) and rest periods ]

1.1) consider every bit of physical activity as workouts - are you practicing any sports etc.? training for those is a workout session as well. if you do that on top of regular gym workouts then factor it in to your diet (gotta boost the caloric intake)

2) gotta eat enough food - might be 5~6 meals a day or just 3 meals a day, doesn't matter just get enough food into your body

2.1) if you cant get enough nutrients in from your food (maybe you cant stomach it all or maybe its not convenient for you to eat that much), use supplements to 'top up' the nutrient levels you need.

have you gained much weight in the past 1~2 years? and how have your strength gains been? if its been staying fairly stable for a while now, its a clear indication that you've found a sort of balance (your maintenance level) and all you need to do now is just eat more on top of how/what you are already eating. this doesn't mean go out and buy more expensive mass gainer or anything, answer could be as simple as drinking a couple extra glasses of milk and a can of tuna each day. check out the diet section for heaps of info on bulking

thanks for advice.

my strength level increased but weight stayed the same

do you think I should increase my training intensity. Push myself a bit harder? and eat a bit more?

[teamfatboy]

putting on muscle has absolutely nothing to do with supplements. i think you might be overcomplicating things and forgetting about the basics

key components are:

1) gotta work out hard + if your goal is to build muscle, workout in a way that promotes muscle gain [ think rep ranges, weights (always try increase every session at least by a little!) and rest periods ]

1.1) consider every bit of physical activity as workouts - are you practicing any sports etc.? training for those is a workout session as well. if you do that on top of regular gym workouts then factor it in to your diet (gotta boost the caloric intake)

2) gotta eat enough food - might be 5~6 meals a day or just 3 meals a day, doesn't matter just get enough food into your body

2.1) if you cant get enough nutrients in from your food (maybe you cant stomach it all or maybe its not convenient for you to eat that much), use supplements to 'top up' the nutrient levels you need.

have you gained much weight in the past 1~2 years? and how have your strength gains been? if its been staying fairly stable for a while now, its a clear indication that you've found a sort of balance (your maintenance level) and all you need to do now is just eat more on top of how/what you are already eating. this doesn't mean go out and buy more expensive mass gainer or anything, answer could be as simple as drinking a couple extra glasses of milk and a can of tuna each day. check out the diet section for heaps of info on bulking

:ditto:

You haven't talked about either HOW you train, or your diet.

Like FOTR says, there is a generally-agreed rep-range for size (sets of 8-10-12 or so) - above that is effectively just cardio, and below that (sets of four reps or so) is strength training - so tell us about your training.

When it comes to diet, it's about giving your body what it needs - Ironman Magazine has a long-standing series of articles titled 'Train, Eat, Grow' for a reason. So, post your diet.

As for supps, the best thing you can spend your money on is food - preferably un-processed food without extra preservatives, additives, flavours and all that jazz.

[pyro]

In the other thread "which body type do you like", you said you have no trouble putting on mass and you varied from 1 body type to another. Here you say you struggle to put on mass, then chuck in a zyzz comment, is this a troll account?

[Louis]

sorry if I mentioned trouble put on mass.

I was mean to say: body fat is not a issue.

but I dont' seem to get bigger. I will bulk up a bit after workout like doing weights then after a while it will shrink down. Bulk won't stay with me as you can see on the other thread I am really lean.

below was what I wrote sorry if I confused you guys. I don't mean anything bad.

"my body varies from B to D

if I do lots of cardio, my body is very close to B but a bit bigger.

if I do lots of weights, my body is a bit bigger than C.

I am naturally a EctoMorph/MesoMorph body type, so body fat is not a issue but getting bigger is a issue.

I can eat lots of McDonald in a week and will be lucky to put on 1kg.

so

depends on what I eat and what I do.

I attached a photo of mine when I started going to the gym.

so please be nice to me and give some advice.

thanks"

[tgzerozone]

Eat more and train heavier.

[Terrymundo]

I highly suspect the diet and training are the issue not the lack of supplements. see it all to often. if its bulking your after you better be uncomfortably full right now and dreading your next meal. post your diet and training and be honest!!! don't round the truth you won't impress anyone.

[tonganstallion]

eat some fish and chips