Q&A: Novice Weight Gain, How Not to Gain Muscle, and More!

Matt and Scott are back with another round of Thursday Q&A. If you’d like to ask Matt and Scott a question, email questions@barbell-logic.com and we’ll feature you on a future Q&A episode!

Episode Summary

Matt and Scott answer listener questions on novice weight gain, how to avoid gaining muscle if that’s your goal, and a few lighter topics along the way.

Topics covered

• Novice weight gain: why many novices are encouraged to gain bodyweight during linear progression and how much is enough.
• How not to gain muscle: what a lifter can do if they want to get stronger without adding much size.
• And more: additional listener questions.

Strength gains during the novice phase are supported by eating enough to recover. Lifters who are underweight often stall early if they don’t increase their food intake, while lifters with more body fat may not need to gain at all.

Strength and size are related but not identical. Lower-rep, heavier work and controlled calorie intake let a lifter get stronger without much change in bodyweight, which matters for athletes in weight-class sports.

Have a question of your own? Send it to questions@barbell-logic.com and it may be answered on a future episode.

Key takeaways

• Many underweight novices need to eat more to keep progressing.
• Not every lifter needs to gain weight to get stronger.
• Strength can increase without large changes in size.
• Match your eating to your goals and your current bodyweight.

Q&A episodes like this one are a good way to hear how Barbell Logic coaches think through real problems that lifters run into. If one of the topics above matches what you’re dealing with, listen to that segment, then apply the advice to your own training. A good coach can help you sort out which changes make sense for you.

Want a coach to answer your questions and guide your training week to week? Learn more about Barbell Logic online strength coaching.