How Ryan Hall Gained 40 Pounds of Muscle

You've got to be kidding me. I know runners know jack shit about lifting, but 30 to 35 pounds of muscle? That's nearly impossible to put on in a lifetime of lifting unless on heavy anabolic steroids (I'm talking tren not test). Hall has put on maybe 5-7 pounds of muscle, and that's only because of noob gains. It is very hard to build muscle.

LYLE MCDONALD'S NATURAL LEAN

MUSCLE MASS GAIN MODEL

YEARS TRAINING: MUSCLE GAIN:

1 YEAR 20-25 POUNDS (2 POUNDS PER MONTH)

2 YEARS 10-12 POUNDS (1 POUND PER MONTH)

3 YEARS 5-6 POUNDS (.5 POUND PER MONTH)

4 YEARS 2-3 POUNDS (NOT WORTH CALCULATING

I looked some more at his pictures. He is not that big (it's an optical illusion because you compare it with the before pic) but his PEC definition is quite nice. Definitely a full C cup.

I am glad he focuses on the bench press since many gym bro's lately neglect this all so important body part - THE CHEST.

Panda wrote:

Ryan Hall has low T.. as much as a 6 year old girl. So how can he build 40lbls of muscle? Steroids?

Obviously he is now able to medically replace his low testosterone. It would dq him from athletics, but not from life.

Most of the weight gain is fat. Look at his face in the second photo. He's morphing into Matt Stafford. Hall has always had a frame that was too big for a runner - wide shoulders, etc. Someone as scrawny as Hall with his body type is going to look "buff" just by filling out from over eating.

'I have low T'

(I'm burnt out and tired of micro dosing)

'I'll run races to be amongst the people'

(Gotta get a trip and get out of the house)

'I enjoy being big'

(Hope they believed the lie T thing)

'Here are some selfies'

(Please somebody notice me)

So so sad.

What a time to be alive wrote:

Letsrun, the corner of the internet where a skinny 165lb white dude is referred to as "jacked".

Why does it have to be a white thing? #palelivesmatter

The only advice I have for Ryan is to keep a stretching regiment before and after lifting. Keep your flexibility in case you come back to running.

mnbv wrote:

Hall has always had a frame that was too big for a runner - wide shoulders, etc.

Just like Rupp, Bob Kennedy, Solinsky, Baumann, pretty much all westerners. They are too well fed to grow up naturally scrawny like people from hungry countries.

Without competition he will soon get bored down the gym and be a complete lard arse

Come with me if you want to live...

left on the shelf wrote:

...but I'm sick of men all thinking that they need to look like the terminator to get a girl....

Now that's just naughty!

left on the shelf wrote:

... but I got all excited when I read that Ryan had taken up weightlifting. I clicked on the article wanting to know how he was getting on with his cleans, jerks and snatches.

That was my first thought too. This must be like a dream come true.I think Sara must be happy too.

Alan Webb's Triceps wrote:

I was dying to hear XFIT BRO's opinion.

Ryan is in beast mode and happy. Good for him.

BUFF

Is not vanity or pride one of the seven deadly sins.

Hall = Disgusting Hoarder wrote:

runner893 wrote:

Good for him for having a new physical goal to work towards

http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/thats-not-fat-how-ryan-hall-gained-40-pounds-of-muscle

FFS, look at the mess that is his garage in that second picture!?!?! You're retired brah, so how bout getting a workout by cleaning your f$*king garage. Gross!!!

^This. Plus, doesn't this dude need to get a real job? He's got 4 kids now and, as others have pointed out, Sara ain't going to be able to compete forever.

Get a real job Ryan and, please, clean up your filthy garage. I am not sure of the exact criteria, but I don't think Ryan qualifies as a "real man" just by becoming a lifting brah.

Not so fast my friend wrote:

'I have low T'

(I'm burnt out and tired of micro dosing)

'I'll run races to be amongst the people'

(Gotta get a trip and get out of the house)

'I enjoy being big'

(Hope they believed the lie T thing)

'Here are some selfies'

(Please somebody notice me)

So so sad.

You jelly?

RTFA. He was bulking and is now going into a cut down.

sdmiler wrote:

The OP's headline is misleading. Hall has gained 38 pounds of total weight per the article, but nowhere did it say it was all muscle. It is impossible to put on nearly 40 pounds of muscle in 3 months without some serious drugs and even then it would be a challenge. He is definitely bigger and has gained some fat as well. Regarding his weight training program, considering how undertrained he was from a weight lifting perspective, nearly any program would have gain size and strength for the first few months. He will plateau unless he constantly changes his routine since the muscles adapt fairly quickly. Is there a career in competitive bodybuilding on the horizon or crossfit for him? Possibly. I don't see him doing all this for a noncompetitive reason. (and as a possible source of income).

RTFA wrote:

RTFA. He was bulking and is now going into a cut down.

Typical bodybuilders BS.

This is why CrossFit is superior to weight lifting or body building.

CrossFit incorporates high intensity weight lifting and conditioning work which will allow you to gain muscle and lose fat at the same time.

With endless bulk and cut cycles, Hall may become BUFF or RIPPED but never both at the same time.

Why did Ryan take these selfies? Is he on Tinder now?

Tinder wrote:

Why did Ryan take these selfies? Is he on Tinder now?

While I admit that tinder is a heavens sent and I use it frequently (two hawt dates last week leading to .....) I don't think married men should engage in adultery.

However, I understand that Sara is starting to get concerned. All of a sudden she has a husband which some women adore. It's a new experience for her, having to share her husband (at least for looks).

40 pounds is nothing to shrug off, but it has helped him to get his testosterone levels back to normal/high levels. He should be able to knock up his wife after the Olympics and once that is taken care of,

I could see him attempt a comeback for 2017 with the final goal of one last great Boston Marathon April 2018.