Capital gains

I go to the gym religiously, lifting two days a week and running five miles on my other days there. But no matter how much I work out, I can't seem to put on any muscle. Help!

--J.R., Dearborn, MI

The problem isn't your workout--it's more likely your diet. Chances are, you're not eating enough food to build new muscle. Think of your body as a machine that needs fuel (calories) for all its various functions.

When you run five miles, three days a week, you're using up most of that fuel, so you've got nothing left to promote muscle growth. If your goal is to bulk up, you need to do two things: Eat more lean, healthy calories--both protein and carbohydrates--and cut down on the amount of time you spend running.

John P. Thyfault, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist at East Carolina University, suggests reducing your cardio to three 20- to 30-minute runs a week, and adding a third or fourth day of weightlifting to your routine. "Make sure your workouts are intense enough to meet your goals," he says. "And keep an eye on your weight. You should be gaining muscle, not fat"

COPYRIGHT 2004 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning