For the past few weeks, I have added many posts explaining how to gain mass with P90X, but haven’t focused much attention on the diet side of it, which is probably the most important.
When I first started P90X, my goal was to lose the fat and get ripped. I didn’t care about gaining mass at the time because I knew that it took a complete different diet to do so. I committed myself to the Fat Shredder Diet for just about the entire first round, limiting the carbs and eating enough calories throughout the day to have about a 500 caloric deficit, which is a good number to aim for. I lost a ton of fat quickly, and also ended up losing about 25lbs by the end of my first round. However, round 2 came, and I had a new goal in mind, and that was to put back on some weight and build some mass. I knew that I had to complete change my diet to gain mass.
Like I mentioned, in the first round I ate enough to have a 500 caloric deficit, taking in about 2,100 cals per day, but when it came time to gain mass, I increased the cals to about 3,100 per day because I wasn’t worried about losing weight/fat anymore. If you want to gain mass, you have to eat! Also, after much research, I learned that I needed to increase my complex carbs throughout the day so that my body would burn carbs and not muscle, plus provide me enough energy to get in great workouts. I followed close to a 20% fat/ 55% carbs/ 25% protein ratio to gain mass. However, please understand that this is just for gaining mass, not losing fat. If you still have quite a bit of fat to lose, you are not going to want to follow these tips. The higher the cals and carbs, the harder to lose fat/weight.
Complex carbs are important to eat throughout the day if your goal is to gain mass, but there are also two very important times to take in simple carbs as well, and that’s before and after your workout. Simple carbs like white bread, sugar, etc. are digested very quickly, spiking your insulin levels, and giving you a burst of energy, necessary for you to get in a better workout. Also, if you’re taking creatine, simple carbs transport the creatine to the muscle cells quickly, and that’s why I always recommend drinking 8 oz. of natural non-acidic fruit juice with your creatine. Take in 30-40g of simple carbs pre workout and 70-90g of simple carbs post workout, combined with 30-40g of whey protein.
If you work out in the evening, it’s always great to eat a large meal containing 2-4 servings of complex carbs about an hour after your workout. If you workout in the morning, then you can do this with your breakfast, and the same goes for lunch as well.
To summarize how to change your diet to gain mass, the most important things to remember are to increase the calories, increase the complex carbs, and also focus on proper pre and post workout nutrition by taking in simple carbs.
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What to you eat/drink to get your simple carbs and how long before and after your workout do you need to take these in?
Great post, I have a question, I on my 3rd week of phase 1, and even thought Im level 2, ive been trying to stick to 2100ish cals, instead of the 2400, but Ive only lost 4-5lbs, depending on what time i weigh. Is there anything extra that I should be concentrating on, I have been working really hard and bringing it everytime, and even though I can see that the six pack is wanting to come out, I still have this love handles, that are annoying.
Im 5’9 and when i started was at 191lbs, and now Im usually at 186…But im coming into recovery week and was hoping to lose at least 10lbs in the first month. Thanks for any advice. Hugo.
Pre workout I recommend 8 oz of natural fruit juice, and post workout I recommend the Recovery Formula.
The love handles are usually the last place for people to lose fat, me included, and you just have to be patient and keep focusing on the proper diet and completing all the workouts.
I just want to start out with…. saw your video on you tube and love your results so much that i decided that I wanted to look like you did. Especialy after your first round and then you put on 15 lbs. of mass. thats exactly the goal I have set for myself. Anyway I am 25 years old, 6’2″ 225 lbs. I have gotten real chubby in my love handles, stomach, butt and thighs since I got married 2 years ago. my question is, should I try to shread the fat like you did and then put on the mass? Or should I try to put on the muscle mass and then get ripped on round 2? I hope this makes sence.
Yeah, I recommend focusing on losing the fat first and then on gaining mass, which is what I did. Follow the Fat Shredder Diet that comes with the program and you will lose body fat. Have you ordered the program yet? If not, you can purchase it from this site, and doing so will automatically assign me as your coach.
josh, how long did it take you to put on 15lbs. I have a new doubles routine im doing to gain weight but i was just curious about how long it normally takes to put on that kind of mass with p90x.
It took me about 5 months to put on all that mass. Doubles is more for losing fat than gaining mass because of all the cardio involved.
Hey Josh, thanks a lot for getting back to me on a previous question I posted. I have another question about gaining mass. You said take about 30-40g of whey protein which is about one of my protein drinks which is what I have been taking, but I hear a lot of people taking in about 2 or 3 of those drinks a day which seems like a lot of protein to me and a lot of money. Do you think one drink of 30-40g of protein is adequate? Also, if the doubles routine is more for losing fat, then when gaining mass is it best to stick with the classic p90x routine?
2 protein shakes per day is usually best. The other time to take it is in the morning. Also, yeah, if you’re looking to gain some mass, stick with the Classic version.
hey josh, i am about to order the p90x system and i am 5’7″ and 140 pounds i naturally already have very low body fat and a high matabolism but i am not as toned as i want to be. so what i want to do is put on mass but get extremely toned(ripped) at the same time. My goal is to put on about 15-25 pounds of mass and get extremely toned. Do i really need to watch what i eat being im trying to gain mass? will taking creatine supplements (myoswell), pre-workout supplements (neuroxplode), post-workout supplements (p90x recovery/creatine), and protein supplements (myotein)be sufficient to achieve this goal or do i need a good meal plan to go along with this and if so what should i do as far as the meal plan goes to accomplish this?
Hey Josh, great results I was just wondering about this diet to gain mass because your numbers (20% fat/55% carbs/35% protein) add up to 110% I was just wondering what the actual numbers were supposed to be 20/45/35 or 20/55/25 or what. I dont want to sound like a jerk, but I was thinking of following this ratio and was just wondering what the actual numbers were, Thanks
It’s going to be important that you still eat healthy, but you need to make sure you’re eating a lot of food and taking in a lot of carbs. If you go to the “Workouts” section of this site, you will find two posts about gaining mass that I want you to read. Also, the first thing I recommend all new people to do is get the Club Membership, which gives you access to trainer tips, healthy recipes, and creates custom meal plans for you. There are many other benefits as well, and you can learn more by clicking on this link: http://www.iwanttogetripped.com/get-fit/club-membership/. Being a Club Member helped me tremendously when I first started the program!
Haha I must have typed it in there wrong. Anyways, it’s supposed to be 20/55/25 to gain mass. Thanks for pointing that out and I’ll make the change.
Hey josh im a highschool wrestler 150lbs and i am already pretty cut. i really wanna get RIPPED but also gain some mass, im doing p90x workouts plus my own weightlifting shuld i really increase caloric intake? and this phase 1 diet with no carbs seems lame, what carbs shuld i take to gain mass? Whole wheat bagels?
If you’re main goal is to gain mass, then you should be taking in a lot of cals and whole wheat or whole grain carbs. You could move to the Phase 3 diet, and take in somewhere around 3,000 cals per day. However, you will probably gain some weight, which could affect your weight class. If this is the case, then stick with lower cals.
Thank you so much for the information. sorry i did not include that my season is over and im just trying to gain muscle in offseason. this is usually my average meal plan a day….
Morning- protein shake (2scoop whey with fruit/milk)
Snack-Protein Bar
Lunch-whole wheat bagel with peanutbutter and protein drink
snack-almonds
dinner- maybe a big protein shake or fish
I really need to step up my calories exspecially how much i work out… so if you could tell me where to add my carbs in i would HIGHLY appreciate it!
The first thing you need to do is log what you eat into http://www.fitday.com and find out where you’re currently at in terms of total cals and % of fat/carbs/protein. Next, you need to follow the Nutrition Guide! You can also find a ton of excellent diet tips on this site as well.
Hows it goin’ Josh,
I am a junior hockey player currently at 6 feet 180 lbs.
looking to gain lots of mass and develop more muscle.
would the classis p90x routine be best for me?
Also, would you recommend Purple K creatine for my situation?
Thanks a ton.
Hey man! Yeah, you are going to want to follow the Classic version, which has a balance of resistance and cardio. Also, if you’re main goal is to gain mass, then you could look into a creatine monohydrate powder. I’ve never heard of Purple K creatine before. Have you made me your coach? If not, you can do so by clicking on this link: https://teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free/11685
Cool Josh sounds good!
So besides creatine monohydrate powder, protein shakes and a healthy diet is there any other easy tips to gain weight fast?
You will have to take in a TON of calories and a lot of complex carbs as well!
Hey man I’m in a bit of a stand point with my diet!! Today I logged in my daily food intake, (since i eat the same stuff every day to make it easier to keep track of) I’m about 5’7, roughly between 165-170 pounds and my ratio came out to 51% protein, 31% carbs, and 18% fat, my calorie intake was about 1330 calories, my problem is I believe I need those extra couple hundred calories,I thought about adding a cup of oatmeal to my diet, but that totally demolished my protein to carb ratio,Now I don’t know what to eat so my ratio doesn’t get screwed up.. I’m a pretty muscular guy, and i don’t want to lose alot of muscle, but before i do the mass diet, I need to get rid of that layer of stubborn belly fat… If you have any suggestions it’d be great man!
Yeah man, you definitely have to add in more calories. You need to be more around 2,000 a day. Right now, your body is probably in starvation mode, in which it holds on to fat. If this is the case, then it will now target muscle for energy. There are a ton of options to increase your cals per day, like whole wheat products and a whey protein shake. You can find my complete grocery list in the “Nutrition” section to give you some other ideas.
I figured as much.. but the problem is, is that I’m eating all the right foods and portions, since i make my meal plans from the portion approach, I’m taking 2 whey protein shakes a day, morning, then post workout, Do you think adding one or two more meal adjustments to my daily intake would do the trick? It was a real pain getting down to the right ratio, but to find out i need more calories haha. I don’t have much fat to lose, i can see my abs , its just that last layer!! But thanks bro, i’ll definately look into it
Thanks man.. but won’t those whole wheat products affect my carb intake? Since the only carb based food i eat every day are two slices of whole wheat bread in the morning for a peanut butter sandwich and a protein shake for breakfast.. So I’m guessing that those need to be protein based calories, but as i’ve noticed, low fat foods don’t have much calories,, so would for say 8 oz. of apple juice, some olive oil, and low fat cottage cheese and string cheese give me that extra 700? I also was wondering how much you should limit yourself on peanut butter intake, right now i’m at 2 servings a day, which is 2 tbl spoons each, the fat is 12, and calories like 190, protein 8.. a few more adjustments to my diet and hopefully i should be seeing the results i’m looking for.. Thanks bro you really are a big help haha
I don’t remember your situation because I get so many comments. Anyways, if you’re looking to increase mass, then you need to increase the cals and the carbs. Also, I usually stick with about 2 TBS of PB per day.
Yeah man, meal replacement shakes like Shakeology would fit great into your diet.
I must say that you have a wealth of information here. Thanks for doing the hard work for all of us.
Also, it is great to see how diligently you reply to all the questions that people ask you. I learnt a lot by just reading your replies to the questions people had.
Could you give me some examples of some complex carbs that would be good to add into my diet?
Check out the post in the “Nutrition” section about complex carbs. Those include whole grain, whole wheat, brown rice, oats, etc.
Hi, I was curious about how many calories I should be taking? I’m 5’9 and 160 lbs. and I want to gain mass. How many calories should I be taking in? And would the calories be the same if I were doing a different exercise routine besides p90x?
@James. At your height and weight, you should be taking in around 3,000 cals per day while doing P90X. You would have to ask someone else about doing it with another program.
hi, I am taking in about 3,200 calories right now while doing P90x. I’m looking to gain muscle mass and I’m 5’9 and 165 lbs. Is that too many calories or is that a good amount?
Also, how many grams of protein per body weight should I be aiming for if I want to gain mass? Would it be the target weight or the weight I am currently? Thanks in advance.
@John. If your goal is to strictly gain mass, then that’s a good number of cals to aim for. Also, I recommend that you follow the Endurance Maximizer Phase in the Nutrition Guide, which is great for putting on muscle. Just follow the amount of protein that it recommends.
Also, have you made me your coach yet? If not, you can do so by clicking on this link: https://teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free/47458
Ok thanks. I was also wondering since I’m trying to gain mass, would it be ok if I took a serving of cottage cheese right before bed? I read that in one of your posts and so I was wondering if I could do that instead of some casein protein (i don’t have the money for it).
@John. Casein is good to take before bed because it’s a slow digested protein. If you can’t afford it, then another protein will be OK, but not nearly as effective as casein.
for ur pre-workout supplements u said that u took creatine and something like jack3d, and u took them both 35 min before ur workout. i was just wondering if it mattered which one u took first? like did u take creatine first then the pre-workout? or the pre-workout then creatine? or does it matter?
thanks.
@Travis. I took them at the same time really.
o ok, so it doesnt really matter which one u take first?
thanks.
@Travis. No, it’s doesn’t matter.
ok thanks. and for the post-workout supplements u said take the recovery formula right after, but u also said take creatine right after aswell. so witch one should i take first? the recovery formula, then creatine? or creatine then recovery formula? or does it matter?
thanks.
@Travis. It doesn’t matter the order of taking them man.
yeah i was just wondering because u said take creatine pre and post workout. but then u said take recovery formula post workout aswell and dont take anything for an hour. so how does that work? take recovery formula wait an hour, take creatine with whey protein? or take creatine, wait 30 min take recovery formula? or can i put the creatine in the recovery formula? what do u do?
thanks.
@Travis. Why are you getting so confused? Just do what I recommended!
haha! alright, thanks for everyone man!
everything*
i am 6,2 210 lbs i have only a little bit of fat left on my abs i lost some muscle due to injury i would like to gain mass and then on my recovery week do asylum and cut up
i know the proper ratio but am clueless about the calories
also do you recomend the pap workout in the same week if im doing a chest and back or chest shoulders tricep routine
@Josh. At your height and weight, you should be taking in somewhere around 2,300 – 2,400 cals per day. Also, there is nothing wrong with doing PAP in the same week, but just make sure you give each muscle group 48 hours rest before working again.
If you haven’t made me your coach yet, make sure you do so from this link (it’s free): https://teambeachbody.com/signup/-/signup/free/47458
i already made you my coach …..thanks so much…….i already do additional weighted chest exersizes but i was wondering if they would benifit more on upper body days