Was researching some articles and came across this one--thought it was pretty straight up for people who aren't dieting or watching the food they eat.
Building Quality Muscle
**A Recipe for success for hard gainers.
By: Jeff Behar
I have heard time and time again over the years how "I just can not gain any muscle and I eat so much." This statement probably ranks just as high as "I do not want to get too big."
YOU CAN NOT GET BIG BY ACCIDENT!
-Everyone Can Gain Muscle
Well, let's address this once and for all. Everyone can gain muscle. It is how much muscle, how quickly and the quality that can vary widely. Many of the clients I have trained that claimed they could not gain muscle, did gain muscle while working with me (the men an average of 15-20 pounds).
What was the magic potion I used?....I wish I could make claim to one. The magic potion was in fact just tailoring the training and diet to their body types and following a consistent approach.
The following is a summary of my recommendations to the person who "could not gain any muscle even though they ate so much".
-Develop A Plan
Start Writing Down Your Food Intake Now
This will serve several purposes. First you will see what you are eating now, and how many calories it takes to maintain your current physique. Secondly it will serve as a reminder to eat.
My experience has shown that clients I counseled with their claim of an "inability to gain muscle" had no idea of their calorie intake, were often severely deficient in the appropriate amount of required protein for muscle gain, and clearly had no idea as to what vitamins, minerals and other supplements were important to aid in muscle growth.
Interestingly enough they all seemed to know what fuel they put in their car (as oppossed to the fuel they put into their body). Telling, huh?
-Improve The Diet
Increase Food Quality And Quantity
In order to build muscle mass you must eat a lot of food in order to have the available calories to support muscle growth. This is why writing down your initial diet and continuing to track what you are fueling your body with is so important. It allows you to provide a baseliner and develop a plan to get you to where you want to be.
From this diet evaluation you will be able to determine the things you may be deficient, as well as how many calories it takes to maintain your physique. This information again will be useful when developing a diet whether your goal is just to bulk up, or to gain muscle and burn fat. Either way the initial approach is the same.: document, evaluate, plan, and implement.
In general terms a good lean muscle building our diet should consist of 40-50 grams of high quality protein (turkey, chicken, tuna, etc.) every two to three hours.
Shoot for 5 to 6 protein meals. Your diet should also include good quality low glycemic index carbs (brown rice, oatmeal, fibrous vegetables, beans, etc. and some good fats (UDO oil is a good supplement) for the needed calories.
-Stay Away From The Carbs
THIS IS IMPORTANT: Eating a high carb, low fat diet is an OLD STRATEGY. Recent studies have show a diet that is higher in protein, moderate in carbs with a limited amount of polyunsaturated fats such as the essential fatty acids - linolenic (omega-3) and linoleic (omega-6) are more effective. I am not saying to eat saturated and trans fats.
These should be eliminated as much as possible. To add more healthy polyunsaturated fats to your diet, eat fish a few times each week or try adding some UDO oil or flaxseed oil to your protein shakes or salads.
--Minimize Empty Calories
Empty calories (sugars, alcohol, soda, etc.) do not aid in muscle repair. Empty calories (such as any processed will only just raise blood sugar which will result in a crash and burn and a later binge. Eat healthy foods that contain the needed nutrients to repair the muscles your broke down while training intensely.
-Eat At The Proper Time
Eating to gain also includes eating at the right time, and NOT missing meals. Remember you should always have 40 grams of protein and carbs as close to when you finish a hard workout. Side note: You can adjust your diet to eat smaller meals and increase cardio to develop abs while you gain mass, but realize only advanced bodybuilders tend to be successful at this.
Most people are not successful at doing both at the same time and as a result it takes the longer to meet their goal. For this reason I suggest eating clean and well, but not worrying about a few extra pounds until you are ready to do your first evaluation (i.e. compare your initial condition to your new condition against your goals after an agreed upon reasonable amount of time). | 
Team Johnnie Jackson / Pretty Boys
PAIN IS OXYGEN
