Quote:
Originally Posted by Flabbibulin
I definitely agree in the benefits of milk as being the original protein shake/weight gainer, but are you sure that wasn't a gallon of water and maybe 1-2 liters of milk? I am by no means an anti-dairy hippie, but a gallon of milk seems a little excessive, not to mention rough on the stomach- and probably around 2000 calories in addition to the 2500 or 3000 you are getting in your meals. 4500-5000 calories a day certainly isn't unheard of for a bulking diet, but I think the average gym goer probably just needs to get around a 500 calorie daily surplus to put on lean muscle mass over a period of 6 months-1 year... Assuming a dedicated work out plan, that is probably anywhere from 2500-3500 for the average adult male- depending on age, length and intensity of work out, integration of cardio, BMR, other daily routines, etc etc...
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The gallon of milk diet is something pushed really hard by Mark Rippetoe. His philosophy is you will get really strong really fast if you take what you are already eating and add a gallon of milk onto it. The diet definitely works for power lifting, where weight class is not a factor.
It's definitely a diet that will cause you to gain fat. Even Rippetoe only recommends doing it until you're at about 20% body fat and only for people who have difficulty putting on mass.
But yeah, your average gym goer is also concerned with aesthetics and would be better off slowly putting the mass/strength. Rippetoe's philosophy is really to get you up to a to a certain mass/strength level before you can begin seriously training, which is where the initial bulking phase comes in.
From my own experience, it's much easier to put on muscle while simultaneously putting on fat. Putting on purely "lean muscle mass" is extremely difficult. I can do it for short periods of time (6 months at a time maybe) but will then stall out. I need a bulk to really break through barriers. Each person is different though. I don't dirty bulk or starve cut either. A lbs of weight gain/loss per week is the most I would ever aim for. I'm only about 5'7'' though. So a 6'4'' person could probably handle more.