But You Don't Want to Add Fat? (part 1)

THIS IS THE BIGGEST THING HOLDING YOU BACK.

Please read & re-read that. Fear of adding fat is the Biggest Thing holding you back from your dream of bulking up, and building a muscular physique. You know what, I don't think that really registered. Please, please read this one more time: You want to build muscle, build size, build strength . . . but you don't want to add an ounce of fat? Restricting fat gain is the biggest mistake you will make.

Let's back up a little bit. You think you have a high metabolism. You categorize yourself as a "hard-gainer" (both of these aren't true). But even if this were, wouldn't it follow logically, that you'll thus have an easier time metabolizing any dietary fats? Won't you, then, have a harder time gaining fat, if you really are a hard-gainer? That's the logic you need to embrace here, my friend.

Is this about "abs"? Somewhere you've made the false connection between visible abdominal muscles, and an excellent state of fitness. Do you realize you can be perfectly healthy, as well as incredibly fit, even if you can't see your abs? I'm guessing you already have "abs", and they are your only prized possession. You tell yourself, "I'm way too skinny, I have noodle arms and no shadow, but at least I have aaaabbss!"

I hate to break it to you, but abdominal definition in the absence of muscle size & strength means nothing. But it's true: If you have abs while weighing only 125 lbs, they're not even functional abs. They are "arbitrary abs"; they are a byproduct of being underweight, and under-nourished. They are nothing to be proud of. So let's start from this point of understanding: Abs you didn't build aren't abs you need to keep. You'll be exchanging them for "real" abs. Okay?

Trying to hang on to these silly, starving abs throughout the duration of bulking up will be pointless. If you're trying to gain weight and muscle, you're going to have to bite the bullet and kiss whatever-excuse-for-an-aesthetically-pleasing-midsection GOODBYE. Goodbye for now, we'll see you later. You shall return. Because in all reality, abs are the cherry on the cake, not the cake itself. Would you rather have just a cherry on a plate, or a plateful of cake, with no cherry?

STOP WORRYING ABOUT FAT! Stop restricting your intake of dietary oils & fats! Your body needs fats to grow, to develop, to be healthy. Healthful dietary fats contain many fat-soluble vitamins you are likely deficient in. They're called "essential fatty acids" for a reason! Your body needs sufficient fats to manufacture hormones. If you go too low on fats, you will hamper your ability to make testosterone; you will hinder your muscular potential. You don't want this, at all.

What's more, you can actually increase body fat, yet still remain the same body composition! Let's use this illustration: You weigh 100lbs, at 10% body fat. You bulk up to 200lbs, yet are still 10% body fat. In the first case, you have 10lbs of body fat; but after bulking, you now have 20lbs (10% of 200 is 20). Of course, these are just round numbers for simplicity. But the point remains, just because you add fat, doesn't mean you're getting "fat". Please embrace dietary fat!

Dietary fats are an incredible source of energy to fuel your training! Fats are calorie-dense, which means they make adding calories to your daily intake much, much easier. Becoming "fat" is a result of excessive calorie overload coupled with a sedentary lifestyle. But that won't be you. You'll be in a controlled state of slight calorie surplus, while also engaging in regular resistance training, plus occasional cardio/conditioning work. The obese figures you fear aren't doing any of these things. So don't compare yourself to them.

Yet still, FAT GAIN is part-and-parcel to the massing process. Muscle is metabolically expensive, and a little body fat goes a long way to help build & retain your new muscle. Building new muscle tissue is much easier when fat-fear is not a limiting factor. More than anything, muscle protein synthesis is hard and slow. Fat-burning in the future is relatively easy, by comparison. You WILL gain a slight amount of fat. But you WILL burn off this body fat at a later date...

Think about it like this: One job pays $10/hr, with no taxes. A different job pays $40/hr, but you have to pay out $15 for taxes out of every forty dollars you earn. Which would you rather have? Trying to "leangain" when you are monumentally underweight would be like accepting a job paying only ten dollars per hour. "It's 10 solid dollars per hour, tax free!" But although you pay back 15 dollars for taxes in the second job scenario, you take home 25 dollars, for every $40 you earn.

This is "The Fat Tax". You are effectively being taxed for your gains. Yet this is the most efficient path to faster results. Would you rather eke out a fat-free gain of 1 pound of muscle per month, or would you prefer to build 2.5 lbs of muscle which comes with 1.5 lbs of fat each month? 6 pounds of muscle in 6 months, or 15 pounds of muscle in 6 months? (The 9 lbs of fat can be cut in 2 months). So after eight months of training, you either build 8 lbs the fat-phobic way, or 15+lbs the fat-taxed way, but now you've dropped any added body fat. Simple as that.

Embrace the Fat. Gain a little fat. Build a bunch of muscle. Get hench.

Because you're too damn skinny.

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