What is the best way to gain as much muscle mass as possible?

Hey man, thanks for the question. So, you want to gain muscle mass? Not to worry, just follow a few simple rules and you should see gains pretty quickly. Think of this as a bulking phase, then when you reach your desired weight and gains, then perhaps you could begin to go on a cutting diet to burn off the excess fat and chisel out your body. Here goes:

- From 172lbs as a starting point, you’ll probably want to set a goal for yourself...maybe 185-190 or so.

- Make sure that you consume upwards of 200+ grams of protein on a daily basis, with about 300-400 grams of carbs (more than half complex carbs as opposed to simple carbs), then about 50 or so grams of fat.

- Workout HEAVY with lower reps, ie. set1=12reps (warm-up), set 2 = 8-10 reps, set 3 = 6-8 reps, set 4 = 3-6 reps, set 5 = 3 reps. You can also pyramid the weight, but no more than 10 reps at a time.

- Creatine would be a suggested supplement, as well as Whey Protein w/more calories (MuscleMilk), and possibly extra amino's.

- Only do each body-part once per week, since you'll need a little extra time to recuperate from lifting heavier than normal. I suggest working a major muscle (chest, back, legs) with a smaller muscle (Tri's, Bi's, calves, abs, shoulders). When you're bulking, probably not the best idea to do something like chest and back in the same workout.....gotta split up the major muscle groups into separate days.

This should be pretty much it.....see how things go after the first month or so....you may have to make some adjustments to your diet, etc.... Let me know how things go for you and best of luck!
Vince

Vince