Problem gaining weight

I'm on Sean Nalewanyj's program (Truth about building muscle e-book). Basically I train 3 times a week, one hour, very intensively and always to muscular failure.
I've been on this program for 8 weeks. When I started, I weighted 160lbs. Now I weight 160lbs. There is no increase at all.

I have always been able to eat a lot without getting much fat at all. I'm 180cm/6feet tall.
I supplement with whey protein and glutamine. I eat protein after and before each workout, sometimes when I go to bed and sometimes when I know I won't be getting a good meal any time soon. I try to eat every 2 hours, protein and carbs rich food.

I haven't seen much increase in the amount of weight I can lift/squat/pullpresswhatever. My muscles always hurt after each workout because of training to failure so it shouldn't be because I don't train hard enough.
Any solid advice or should I just eat more and more and more? :\

Eat more, and don't train to failure every time. You're likely over training by working out for that long and going to failure, it's far too taxing on your muscles and cns. It's pretty easy to make yourself think that if you're not giving it 100%, you're not going to make any gains, but stopping yourself a rep or two shy of failure will probably provide some great results for you.

tl;dr=ease off a little bit, eat more.
(I'm not saying that training to failure doesn't work for some people, but for most it doesn't.)

Yea, you don't really list your diet, and I'm going to assume its the major issue. If you are trying to gain weight, you have to be on a positive caloric intake, preferably a massive positive intake. You are 160 lbs, so for a quick solution I'd say aim to eat 20-25 cals/lb. That's 3200-4000 calories, in balance. For your goals I'd say try a balance of 35% protein, 45% carbs and 20% fat. So that's about 280-350g of protein, 288-360g carbs, and 71-89g of fat.

Write it all down. For diets, this is key. Make sure you aren't missing anything.

I think 35% protein might be a little much. It is pretty expensive to eat 280g of protein a day no matter how you take it, and I once read that tests have shown that you can put on just as much muscle with 15% of your calories coming from protein as you can with more than that since the body can only absorb so much protein. The rest would of course go to carbs.

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Originally Posted by Mr. E

I think 35% protein might be a little much. It is pretty expensive to eat 280g of protein a day no matter how you take it, and I once read that tests have shown that you can put on just as much muscle with 15% of your calories coming from protein as you can with more than that since the body can only absorb so much protein. The rest would of course go to carbs.

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Most of my weight gain has been more from calories versus protein intake. It is expensive, I would drink 4 shakes a day with 25gm of protein each shake, and honestly, at $4 a pop/shake, I switched to the powder form. I save more money that way, but my protein intake is nowhere near 280gm of protein.

The macro breakdown is a little more advanced, and it needs adjustment for each person. That is just a basic starting point. Kal is right, its more about caloric intake than the macro breakdown. Most bodybuilders actually bulk(or start on then adjust from) on a 40/40/20 macro split. With his workout, he should be able to absorb well more than 150g of protein.

Cottage cheese and eggs are about to become your best friend. Cheapest protein sources available.

Yeah I'm back now.

I'm actually allergic to eggs but gottage cheese etc. is already my best friend :)
My caloric intake is well positive but I'm gonna start writing it down now so I see how much protein I really get.. I'm not really into eating protein powder everyday either because honestly that gives me an allergic reaction too..

No wonder... I'll have to look into it, but I am sure there are some protein powders that don't have any egg extract in it at all.

But if that is not the case, I used to eat cheese sticks all the time, and each one has about 3g of Protein in it. You'd have to look at the nutritional facts, but I am sure the majority of brands have that much in each stick.

Soy protein powder is my personal favorite, you could probably consume that without any problems.

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Originally Posted by djwolford

Soy protein powder is my personal favorite, you could probably consume that without any problems.

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I think this is your best bet.

I'm just double checking right now that Soy Protein doesn't have anything egg related in it now, I can't say, because the protein powder I use is milk and egg protein.

My old roommate was Lactose intolerant and was able to take Soy protein no problem. Just make sure you get actual Soy protein, not something with it added or you could be in trouble.

Although protein alone isn't enough to build muscles, make sure your dietary fats and carbs are also balanced out.

Well guys, this is no troll, I'm allergic to soy as well.. :S it's not bad tho and might have gotten better since I was tested, gotta give it a try..

But cheese sticks? what kind of cheese is that? never heard :D

Little sticks of cheese you can get at any grocery store. Some people call them string cheese. I buy them in bulk at Sam's Club. They have bags of 48 for like 8 dollars, and each stick has 7 grams of protein and 60 calories

wow they sound awesome O.o

I know a nutritionist, but if I asked him what you can use to supplement your diet since your also allergic to soy, he'd probably charge me $80 or something, not worth it to me.

basically those cheese sticks are going to be your best friend until I can get a few moments to sit down and research the matter further then.

And like Tek said, also remember to keep your carbs and fats balanced as well.

I am far more worried about the fact that you train with the goal of muscular failure than anything else. You won't build nearly as much muscle by doing this as you would other ways, such as slow incremental weight increases. Also, there is a great chance that your routine will someday result in muscle tearing and scarring like that. Some people recommend it, but 95% of the articles and information I have suggest otherwise. Not only will this actually prevent you from gaining muscle, it may also make you weaker in the long run. Train less, eat the same amount of food you are now. If you are looking to gain muscle mass, I would also recommend supplementing with creatine and flax oil in addition to whey protein and l-glutamine.

Well, it depends on your body type whether training to failure will benefit you or not. I train to failure twice a week and it suits me just fine.

Well, if you're allergic to soy and eggs, you need to find protein powder that has only milk-derived protein. Look for whey or casein protein powder that doesn't have any soy or egg (egg albumin?) protein or derived ingredients.

Oh, also are you making sure your muscles have time to rest after each work out, meaning are you rotating the muscle groups you work on?

(Also, no, I'm far from a health guru... I just know a little bit about a lot of things :()

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Originally Posted by Mr. E

Well, it depends on your body type whether training to failure will benefit you or not. I train to failure twice a week and it suits me just fine.

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I guess I'm a little biased, because everyone I've ever seen training to muscular failure is doing it wrong and hurting themselves. You really have to be incredibly careful doing it, and if you fuck up even a little bit you can severely injure yourself. I won't disagree with you because you know your body better than I do, but I have never seen a case where training to muscular failure benefited someone more than doing a regular routine.

@The OP: If you are only training 3 times a week and training to muscular failure every time, you are not helping yourself. It's important to work every muscle, not just the ones you think need work. I lift six times a week, with one day of rest and it is far more beneficial. Also, make sure you are lifting the right weights for your muscles. You shouldn't be completely blowing out your muscles every time you work out. You won't progress this way. Read up on more routines and tr to find one that fits your needs as best as possible, because it sounds like the one you have now doesn't. If you'd like recommendations on good weight gaining routines, PM me. I have a few.

Shinysides his routine is fine, you have no clue what you're talking about. As long as the muscle being trained to failure has a proper recovery time before he works it out again he should be alright. I also work out 3 times a week to muscular failure and have seen great gains, faster than I did when I was doing a more moderate workout. I do:

Day 1 - Legs/Abs
Day 2 - Back/Shoulders/Triceps
Day 3 - Chest/Biceps/Forearm

His routine isn't the problem, unless he's not following it correctly.

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Originally Posted by ozzy

Shinysides his routine is fine, you have no clue what you're talking about. As long as the muscle being trained to failure has a proper recovery time before he works it out again he should be alright. I also work out 3 times a week to muscular failure and have seen great gains, faster than I did when I was doing a more moderate workout. I do:

Day 1 - Legs/Abs
Day 2 - Back/Shoulders/Triceps
Day 3 - Chest/Biceps/Forearm

His routine isn't the problem, unless he's not following it correctly.

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Hmm... I don't know. I guess I'll just have to take your guys word for it. I just have never seen the benefits of a workout like the one you outlined. I benefit far more from my workout than I would from yours. But whatever, I guess we just lift differently.

The point of building muscles is to tear them up. If you tear them up to failure and give them the right time and nutrients to recover (that part is key), they will build bigger. Simple science, and I can almost guarantee that routine will give you better gains than a moderate one if done the right way. It just so happens there are a hell of a lot of morons that work out the wrong way.

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Originally Posted by ozzy

nutrients to recover (that part is key)

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i always work out from like 6-9, so i just down a whey protein shake afterwards and maybe eat some random shit(i eat healthy though). should that be enough or do you think i should take a shake in the morning after too?

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Originally Posted by raghead

i always work out from like 6-9, so i just down a whey protein shake afterwards and maybe eat some random shit(i eat healthy though). should that be enough or do you think i should take a shake in the morning after too?

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I drink 1 or 2 shakes usually every day.

And I was browsing around at the store when I was shopping tonight and I found vegetable protein powder as well. It was in the natural foods section, and it only cost around $15, which is about average for any other mix.

Training to failure at a high intensity is the Arthur Jones way.

But it should also be mentioned while Sergio (admittedly used 'roids) and Casey Viator (natural!) were friggin huge, they only trained twice a week AT BEST. After they got big, it became 2 times in 10 days.

Also, you may want to look into Rice Protein. Tastes bad, but may have to be your supplement.

You could always just eat a shit ton of chicken. If you buy it in bulk it is actually not that expensive, and it is lean enough.

Vegetable and rice proteins sound interesting.. So far I haven't been able to find them in my local sports store tho..

As for my workout routine, now it's
Day 1 Back/forearms/calves
Day 2 rest
Day 3 Chest/shoulder/abs
Day 4 rest
Day 5 Thighs/biceps/triceps
Day 6 rest
Day 7 rest

The problem with whey protein (even without the egg), is the eczema it gives me..
This week I haven't trained till total failure, I'll see if I recover better or gain more muscle this way for the bext 8 weeks, just need some fast absorbing protein source now..

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Originally Posted by raghead

i always work out from like 6-9, so i just down a whey protein shake afterwards and maybe eat some random shit(i eat healthy though). should that be enough or do you think i should take a shake in the morning after too?

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Fitting a 2nd shake in there definitely wouldn't hurt, although I would do it pre-workout about an hour before instead of the morning after. If you want a 2nd one, get a different protein shake that's good pre-workout (usually not whey) with some carbs thrown in there as well.

Just curious, you aren't going to bed right after you work out are you?

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Originally Posted by ozzy

Just curious, you aren't going to bed right after you work out are you?

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If this is for me, no I don't, there's always at least 3 hours before I go to bed after work out, and 90% of that time I spend eating lol.

Oh sorry, that was for raghead.

Usually get home at 9:30ish, eat, do homework and go to sleep around 11.
Should I be doing something else?

edit: also im trying to build muscle while im doin what im doin, but im really not lifting
more muscle endurance and cardio stuff really. like shit with kettle bell circuits, etc.
im thinkin in the summer when i have time though i'm gonna start lifting and shit, i like the sound of 'training til failure'.

Hi,
You also need to pay more attention towards your diet plan and follow it strictly...as many people forget their diet plan in holidays... and then complain for no effect of diet plan...

Many people start working out at a certain weight and over a course of a year get much bigger and stay the same weight. Body fat percentage is a major factor (not sure if this is your case, just throwing out an idea). Like many others said before, your diet is probably the problem. Sure protein builds muscle but overall calories is what makes them grow and ultimately allows you to gain weight. If you were always skinny, you need to eat, eat, eat!

Another possible factor is your routine. Are you a beginner? How many sets are you doing for each body part? I am guessing not much since you work 3 body parts a day, which is fine if you are a beginner. If you are a little more advanced you should definitely up the sets and if need be add a day or two to your routine.

Hope this helped