Muscle mass or gain muscle?

Often without consequences, there is one that may be, it is the difference between the use of muscles and muscle mass. Let me explain why this distinction is crucial.

Making muscles:

The original purpose of the training is simple: "build muscle." Become obese or diabetic is not the goal!

Concretely this means that we take maximum muscle and minimum fat.

To achieve this goal should be considered an essential point: the body will experience great difficulties in store only protein (muscle). That is to say, we will store a set of substance, namely lipids (our fat), carbohydrates (our energy reserves in muscles), water (in the cells with energy reserve) and protein (muscle).

One stored compound problem here is our fat. To minimize it should simply not grow too fast, it will leave the body time to build muscle without having to store excess calories as fat. It is simply called it "making muscles."

How to gain muscle?

Specifically making muscles occurs with a caloric surplus of 250 to 500kcal per day, compared to previous your calorie intake (maintenance). The exact value is adjusted according to the physical changes observed and the change in weight on the scale. Note that there is an exception for the beginner or very overweight person, it is possible to gain muscle while losing fat simultaneously. This is discussed in more detail in the book "Nutrition of the Force."

Mass gain:

The term "bulking" is frequently used by abuse of language to designate a "muscle gain". In reality, the two goals are very different. If taking muscle wants to limit the intake of fat, muscle mass does not want.

Indeed, the increase in mass is, by definition, the adoption of a very high calorie diet in order to make a much greater amount of nutrients so needs to gain weight and gain strength. This strength gain will allow notoriously gain muscle.

Technically it can be defined as follows: a higher caloric intake of 500 to 1000 Cal per day compared to the previous calorie intake and weight gain (mass) up to 1kg per week over a period of several months.

But this technique has a cost: it should be followed by a diet to lose the fat accumulated. And during a diet, as in weight gain, you do not lose only fat but muscle, water and energy reserves. This explains why a bulking diet followed by a misbehaving can lead to a final gain muscle close to zero. This first aspect of technical reserves practitioners intermediate or advanced level.

Attention to the increase in mass!

Attention

There are other reasons for the increase in mass is strongly discouraged in a large number of people: beginners, diabetic or pre-diabetic, sick or frail.

Why? Because when you create bigger cells called the "adopters". These cells store fat. The problem is that when you lose weight, but they are empty they never disappear completely, they are immortal. Only a surgery like liposuction can overcome.

The consequence of these new adopters is simple: when you eat too much you will store as fat in these cells. These disturbances are detrimental to the performance by decreasing insulin sensitivity and can potentially cause health problems.

In conclusion, the muscle mass should be reserved for people with experience, good dietary knowledge and reach a plateau in their progress: mass gain can help overcome this remedy. For all others, only making muscles must be used, you will progress faster, more easily and without adverse consequences.