Building MASS!
So you don’t need to lose a ton of weight. In fact, you need to put on some muscle mass! And most of the people on P90X that you’ve seen were fat and needed to lose weight …. Will P90X work for you? Great question! And the answer is YES! In fact, that’s exactly what I’m doing myself during Round 4. I started Round 4 at 208 lbs, but my goal is to build lean muscle mass and finish the round at 220-222 (a gain of 12-14 lbs). There are some key things I will focus on to help me reach that goal, and those are the same key things you will need to focus on if you wish to gain muscle mass with P90X. And what are those things? I have them listed below.
Things that are critical for building muscle mass while going through P90X:
- Lots of calories = No matter how hard I workout, I won’t build mass unless I am taking in a surplus of calories. I want to do it right, with the right foods, so I’ve been working with a sports nutritionist friend who used to be a powerlifter, and I have developed a BULKING DIET that I will be using this Round.
- Eat often = I will be sure that I eat every 2.5 – 3 hours all day, and that at each meal / snack I get a good balance of protein and carbs to give my muscles all the fuel they need to repair and grow.
- Creatine = Creatine allows the muscles to work harder during contraction, and it causes the muscles to volumize slightly with more fluid, which allows the muscles to recruit more nutrients for recovery after a workout. This supplement has been studied intensly for years, and most agree that there are no detrimental side effects of using it. Before you decide to use it yourself, do your own research though!
- Pre-workout = I will be using MuscleTech NanoVapor on lift days, because it makes me feel like the Hulk! The combination of caffeine, creatine, and arginine (which is an amino acid that causes vasodilation) will help my muscles get more blood flow and nutrients both during the workout for increased strength and endurance, as well as after the workout to speed recovery.
- Results/Recovery = Replenishing what my muscles have lost during the workout is critical. If I leave them depleted, they won’t grow. I want to reload them with nutrients as quickly as possible after my workout, and R/R will do that for me.
- Decrease cardio = Cardio that is too often or too long in duration will impede the mass building process. I don’t want to let my cardio conditioning fade, so I will still do 2 Insanity workouts per week, but that’s it. The rest of the time I will either be lifting big or resting (so the muscles can grow).
- Heavy weights = I am looking back over all my old worksheets and going UP on every weight in every exercise! I want to fail before rep 8 on everything. If I can get 8 reps, I will up the wieght more! I will also increase the weighted backpacks for pullups and pushups. For pullups, it’s realistic to shoot for the 8 rep range, but on pushups I can’t get enough weight in the pack to make that possible. I will still plan on making it impossible to do more than 15-18 pushups by weighing myself down.
- Longer rest between sets = Since the P90X lift days are circuit-style (with nearly no rest between sets), I will make use of the pause button a few times during those DVD’s to let my heart rate drop back down. This will allow me to push harder on each set and lift bigger! I will typically add about 10 minutes to each lift routine by taking small pauses between the sets.
- Rest = I will make sure I get a good night’s sleep (as often as possible LOL!) because muscle growth is at it’s peak while a person sleeps.
So stick to that plan, focus on your goals, and you can expect to build muscle mass with P90X. BRING IT!!
UPDATE***** 12/23/2010******
197 Responses to “Building MASS!”
Leave a Reply
Wayne’s P90X Results Video
Most Popular Products
Way to go Johnny! You don’t “need” creatine to build mass, but it will definitely help you. Read my article “creatine revisited” for the answers to those questions you have about creatine.
You can build muscle with nutrition alone, but supplements help maximize those results. Read my article “why supplement” for more on that.
Congrats on dropping the fat! And it sounds like you are at the perfect time to start building some muscle mass! Go for it!
YO COACH
so im in my 4th week of building mass.
how should i change my schedule for the RECOVERY WEEK?
I used the “constant confusion hybrid” for my mass building round (see it under my “workout zone”).
I decided to get creatine and glutamine thanks to your articles lol. I want to make sure I’m doing this right. I’m planning on taking 3 grams of creatine an hour before weightlifting and take 5 grams of glutamine and whey protein (30-40 grams) after. What do you think about that? I’m not exactly when I should take creatine and glutamine on cardio days. Should I even bother taking them on cardio days? I’m planning on taking creatine for 2 months and then stop taking it for atleast a month (cyclling). As you can tell, I’m a bit all over the place lol. Transitioning to the bulking phase is a little scary.
Hey Jimmy, you’ll like the creatine for sure! The glutamine you can’t really tell much of a difference, but your body uses it so that’s a smart move. Your plan is right on, and yes, you should still take it even on cardio days (since it’s a full cycle of 2 months).
Ok cool. I want to follow the p90x/insanity hybrid schedule but I’m afraid I’ll burn alot of calories during the cardio workouts,especially insanity. Can i just do a 30 minute run on the treadmill for 2 days a week or should I do the insanity cardio?
Sure Jimmy, the amount of cardio you do is up to you. If you want to cut it back to 2 treadmill sessions, that’s just fine.
Hey Coach. Im on my bulking phase and following the p90x schedule. I was wondering if I can replace yoga with a weighlifting workout. If I can, what workout should I do? Thanks
Hey Will, you can’t replace yoga with a lifting workout because you’ll be overtraining. Read my article “overtraining” for the specifics of how that works with lift workouts.
Coach, how much is to much cardio?
i only limit twice a week with insanity but i have P.E. 5 times a week and i only play a game there for like 20 minutes but im kinda sweaty when im done. is that to much cardio??
Hey Jimmie, short cardio like 20 minutes of a sport or game is fine. What hurts muscle building is long steady cardio like jogging or cycling for over an hour. That will start to lead to muscle breakdown. What you are doing is fine!
oh ok thank you coach, by the way i gained 3 pounds in 3 weeks (all lean muscle!) thanks to your tips!!! :))
Hey coach , which pre workout is better in your opinion, Nano Vapor or Jacked ?
Hey Hernan, I prefer 1MR most, then Nano Vapor, then Jack3d (but thats just my preference).
Hey Wayne! I apologize if this was a scenario already gone over. I have a friend interested in P90X/Shake pack, and like a lot of guys he wants to build muscle. I read your article on how to do it effectively (8% body fat first) and I explained that to him. However, he feels it’s important to keep his current weight or gain from where he’s at because he’s still playing in a hockey league right now and doesn’t want to get drilled lol.
Any recommendations for him? Thanks Coach!
Hey Wayne, it’s his choice. If he wants to keep his current weight, then it’s his choice. But if he has fat to lose and insists on staying the same weight, he won’t see much results — that’s just the facts. Besides, how does carrying extra body fat make him a better hockey player?
He feels if he loses weight he will get pushed around easier, he’s about 210 at 6″ so I was thinking he should go ahead and do it the way that works best. I would think it would just make him quicker and stronger!
Hey coach,
im confused when people gain weight with p90x they gain like 10 pounds of lean muscle in 3 months.
but i heard that u can only build 10 pounds of actual muscle a year?
Is there a difference between lean muscle and bulk muscle?
Hey Jimmie, you’ll hear many theories on how fast a person can build muscle. I think the upper limit is 1 lb per week if you are doing everything right from the standpoint of nutrition, workouts, and supplements.
I gained about 1 lb per week during my mass building round, and you can see that many others have done about that as well without gaining much body fat.
Hey coach,
So i recently started the p90x to build up some mass and i was wondering which exercise should i leave: kenpo x,yoga x or plyometrics and which lifting exercise could i add in place of that?(was hoping i could add a back and biceps exercise).And i’m a little bit confused about nutrition i’m just shooting for a 3500+ calorie diet no matter what i’m eating (no junk foods though) wether it be eggs,beans,milk shakes..will that work?
Hey Arcl, you can’t just add in extra lift days because you’ll overtrain and not give your muscles rest. Read my article “overtraining” to learn more about why. It will actually hurt your results.
You can look at my hybrids to see how I’ve set up my workout rounds. If P90X is the only workout program you have, you are best off following the Classic schedule.
hey coach,
i am starting P90X i am 19 years old skinny but have some belly fat, i am 6’2 weight 213. i want to get ripped and big but i don’t know if to do the classic or double. and what to use if protein powder, creatine or pre- workout or use them all. and what size weights should i use and reps. thank you for your time.
Hey Jose, do Classic for sure. If gaining mass is your primary goal, then yes, protein, creatine, and a PWO will all help you reach those goals. As for weights, that depends on your strength level starting out. You should do the weight that causes you to struggle to get the last 3 reps on every exercise.
Hey coach, I’m on a bulking diet but I don’t want to gain body fat so check this out and see if it’s a good idea: lift days(3X a week) 2300 calories 220 grams carbs. Cardio(2X a week) 2000 calories 180 grams carbs. Rest (2X a week) 1800 calories 180 grams carbs. Will this work? Or should I just eat 2300 calories and 220 grams of carbs for the whole round?
Hey Alan, that’s great man. I did the same exact thing with my bulking diet (highest cals on lift days, lowest on rest days, medium on cardio days) and it worked great.
What Im trying to decipher is what is the regiment used when you see guys who have a high bf but workout to gain weight and they end up bigger with a lower bf. how does that work?
Hey Ray, give me an example of someone who simultaneously gains weight and lowers their body fat and I’ll give you an example of someone on anabolic steroids LOL! Seriously though, its nearly impossible to take in a surplus of calories (which is mandatory for gaining weight) and yet drop any body fat.
Lol. It seems easier to chisel out a body than to build a body. Makes me wonder about “dirty bulking”.(eating whatever) It seems the lifters have done that to pack on size quickly then chisel out their body. Your thoughts on that process Coach.
My thoughts on that Ray are in this article = http://teamripped.com/big-ripped-or-small-ripped
I think you are making assumptions that Body builders pack on size quickly by eating junk food. That’s not how our bodies work! That’s how you pack on body fat (but not muscle).
hey coach. so I’m doing p90x and I’m trying to gain weight, and bulk up my muscles. should i modify the workouts in any way?
Yes Randy, modify them in the exact ways I mention in the article above :-).
Hey coach, I just started working out very early in the morning. I have a pre workout snack, post workout shake, an hour later I’ll eat breakfast, snack, snack, but then my lunch and dinner are small (200 calories) is that okay? I eat barely any calories after my second snack. Will this mess up my muscle gains? I can’t eat more because then I’ll go over on my macros and calories
Hey Robert, that doesn’t make much sense. You should plan your macros out so that your daily calorie intake is more evenly distributed, rather than getting in nearly a whole days’ worth of calories in the first half of the day. Are you hitting the right target macros to gain about 1 lb per week? If so, you are already eating a surplus and there is no reason you should have used it all up that early in the day. Planning is key!
Well I just started the transition today. If I didn’t have to eat a ore workout snack then i’d be fine, but with all of the muscle loss stories out there I have to eat a pure protein bar in the morning which throws me off for the whole day.
Sounds like you just need to sit down with a pencil and paper and figure out how much you should take in at each meal and snack to better space it out. No worries. You are on day 1 and it takes a few days to really dial it in. Look at my sample diets for some tips.
Hey everyone, I just started P90X classic 4 days ago. I was wondering, I train Muay Thai kickboxing 3 days a week. I was wondering if I could replace, yoga and kempo with kickboxing.
Sure Mike, you can sub your kickboxing for the cardio workouts. That’s fine. And welcome to the team!!
Wayne, sorry if I missed this somewhere, but when you say you want to fail before 8 reps, does that include the exercises that Tony says “everyone does 16 reps” (e.g. in and out shoulder flys, in and out bicep curls, etc.)?
Thanks.
When building mass James, I would even decrease those (like on 21′s instead of doing 7,7,7 I would do 3,3,3), on static arm curls I would do 4,4 instead of 4,4,4,4. And so on.
Hey Wayne, I’ve done many rounds of P90X while following a great nutrition plan I made up. But now I’m looking to build more mass (looking to gain 10 pounds of muscle with my next round) and I plan on following the exact p90x nutrition guide. But it says I should still be eating 1800 calories a day (level 1) should I move up to level 2 (2400 cals per day) or will that cause me to gain a little body fat?
Hey Luke, the P90X nutrition guide is not set to help you gain mass on the suggested levels. You’ll need to go higher. So yes, if it has you at 1800 cals, you’d be better off going with 2400 for mass building.
Will do, thank you. Do you think I’ll gain any body fat? And when you say it isn’t suggested for mass building, should I still follow the food it tells me to eat? Cuz it seems to be lacking for morning protein and going overboard on carbs in the evening?
You won’t gain body fat, but monitor it weekly to be sure and adjust as necessary. Yes, follow the food it tells you to eat. What I meant is that the guide’s calorie suggestions aren’t to gain mass, but to maintain your weight. So to gain, you have to go higher.
I have seen you comment on pausing the DVD and extending the breaks between moves to allow for bigger lifts. You have also made comments about pushing through a routine without pausing the DVD. My question is how important, or what’s the benefit, of striving to complete a routine without extending the breaks? Thanks in advance.
Hey Kelly, there are benefits to both methods. Pausing is good for a mass building round. Trying to keep up is good for conditioning and endurance. I typically pace myself with the DVD’s with the exception of times when I’m focused on mass building, when I will pause and take breaks.
Hey coach if i want to build lean muscle and get ripped rather than getting bulked up, should i have more or less calories? I am doing p90x classic.
Hey David, the answer to that questions lies in the “dialing it in” article in my nutrition all in one section. Check it out here = http://teamripped.com/my-nutritionsupplements/nutrition-all-in-one
Hope that helps! Keep bringing it!