actually TULIP by itself has made me pretty damn ripped without working out.
Due to increased energy consumption from the mitochondria generated by PQQ? That's pretty impressive. I have to wonder how TULIP will combine with my mass gain experiment next month, haha. (I'm planning to consume 5000 calories a day, including 900 cals of MCT.)
I wonder how much that factors into Dave Asprey's protocols. He claims to have gotten muscular and relatively ripped without exercise at all, and also consumes tons of MCT. I actually purchased his advanced supplement guide, and PQQ is one of his key supplements.
There is def a powerful connection between mitochondria and muscle. As always, you can totally do what you want...but I don't think you need all of those calories to gain mass.
Also, unless you're a competitive athlete (as a career) I don't think very much mass is necessary. Most of us want to look good to attract a woman/women OR to gain respect from male peers. Both these goals are fine, imo...I don't view these as 'shallow' or 'vain'. We all want to enjoy our lives (with family, friends, etc.), combine our genes with the highest quality woman/women out there (or men), and have amazingly fit offspring (who are good at passing our genes on further). Women (in general) like guys that are ripped (swimmers) not guys that are huge.
If you need a little mass, I would suggest focusing on three things: 1. start at the highest muscle group on your body first (your masseters [be VERY cautious here], then your neck, then your traps, then your delts), 2. work your way down and 3. focus on looking good
in clothes, not naked (you're gonna be in clothes 90%+ of the time and women care about this more anyway). Attractiveness in form is characterized by symmetry, averageness, and ratios (neck to head, shoulders to waist, etc.)
Lastly, remember that personality, energy, humor, stories, style, charisma, etc. are WAY more important than having a great body (though a nice body doesn't hurt). All of these things can be developed with a little practice.
I really like a lot of Dave's stuff...but just remember that he was obese in his 20's and therefore takes testosterone, thyroid, etc. He's really open about this and I don't think it's any reason to look down on him or anything. Just something to be aware of when you decide 'how' he gets his results. To be honest though...cholesterol (grassfed butter, raw eggs, etc.) is a hormone precursor and is very conducive to retaining mass. Props to Asprey here.
Edited by lostfalco, 21 September 2013 - 01:21 PM.