How to Build Mass & Maintain a Flat Stomach?

Have you ever noticed that guys who are trying to build muscle mass usually end up gaining a ton of body fat? This old school “bulking” approach to gaining muscle is purported to be a two steps forward, one step back proposition. However, it’s very difficult to get rid of the excess body fat later when you want to get lean. According to IFBB pro bodybuilder Dave Goodin, the negative effects of bulking may take many months to correct. Moreover, you might only gain a few pounds of muscle, despite the 10- or 20-pound swing in total body weight. In his opinion it simply isn't worth it. The science of muscle has come a long way. In order to build mass and maintain a flat stomach you must take a balanced approach to your training and diet.

Instructions

    • 1

      Follow a low-carbohydrate, low-calorie diet for five days prior to starting your muscle-building program. According to “Muscle Explosion” author Nick Nilsson this primes the body to build mass with lower calorie intake.

    • 2

      Increase calories to your maintenance level or just above. For example, a 200-pound male might take in a daily maintenance of 3,000 calories a day. If you have a faster metabolism, you may need to increase your calories to 300 to 500 above maintenance.

    • 3

      Take in fewer calories on your nonworkout days, say “Man 2.0 Engineering the Alpha” authors John Romaniello and Adam Bornstein. You may reduce your caloric intake 300 to 500 calories below maintenance on these days to help stay lean.

    • 4

      Do resistance-training workouts three to five days per week. Make sure to emphasize the compound movements like squats, deadlifts and bench presses. “The Ultimate Power-Density Mass Workout” authors Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman recommend getting at least 40 seconds of time under tension in each set to stimulate muscle size growth.

    • 5

      Add one negative-accentuated set to each exercise by lowering the weight to a slow and controlled count of six seconds on every repetition. Holman and Lawson call this a “fat-to-muscle” approach because it forces your body to use extra body fat for energy for up to 72 hours after your workout.

    • 6

      Do 20 to 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise immediately after your workout to further encourage fat burning. “Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle” author Tom Venuto points to science that shows cardio actually improves muscle gains, so long as you don't burn so many calories that you go into a steep deficit for the day.

    • 7

      Drink a post-workout shake that contains 30 to 50 grams of whey protein and up to 60 grams of carbohydrates, say Lawson and Holman. Any more than that may cause excessive body fat storage.

    • 8

      Take in 1 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of your lean body weight per day. Protein is essential for building muscle and it also keeps you full, so you will not overindulge in foods that will cause body fat storage and derail your goal of keeping a flat stomach.