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6 perfect meals: build lean mass and torch your bodyfat with this full day's worth of perfect food choices
Muscle & Fitness, March, 2005 by Chris Aceto
The following six meals have one thing in common: They're perfect. They're flawless. They're clean as can be, and they're ideal because they help you build muscle (provided you're hitting the gym devotedly), burn fat and promote overall stellar health. And, conveniently, they account for a full day's worth of great eating. Not sure what to eat for breakfast? Lunch? Dinner? All of the above? Now you are. And while you may have to tweak portion sizes to fit your bodytype, the following meals are about as universally bodybuilder-friendly as they come. Enjoy.
THE PERFECT DINNER
* 1 chicken breast (7-9 oz.)
* 1 yam
* 1 cup peas, corn and carrots
603 calories, 69 g protein, 61 g carbs, 7 g fat
Why? The combination of carbohydrates and lean protein in this meal increases the levels of insulin in the blood, fostering a hormonal environment that's ideal for muscle growth. Yams digest slowly, helping to sustain that environment, and lower-fat protein, like this chicken breast, helps keep bodyfat in check.
Hardgainer Tip: Add a tall glass of low-fat milk and saute the chicken in extra-virgin olive oil for additional protein and essential fats that help growth.
Shredding Tip: Eat half the yam and ditch the vegetable medley, which is higher in calories, for a lower-calorie vegetable like green beans.
THE PERFECT BREAKFAST
* 4-6 egg whites with 2 whole eggs
* 1 serving Cream of Wheat cereal
* 1 banana
525 calories, 38 g protein, 59 g carbs, 15 g fat
Why? Eggs, a universal bodybuilding staple, offer easy-to-digest protein to kick-start muscle growth. Cream of Wheat provides energy-rich complex carbohydrates, and bananas contain both fructose and potassium, which support glycogen formation in the liver and muscles to minimize muscle breakdown in the body.
Hardgainer Tip: Substitute 16 ounces of low-fat milk for water in prepping the Cream of Wheat. This adds another 16 grams of protein, 24 grams of carbohydrate and 4 grams of fat.
Shredding Tip: Go with all egg whites to keep fat and calories as low as possible and substitute a cup of strawberries for the banana to shed another 50 calories.
THE PERFECT LUNCH
* 6-9 oz. extra-lean ground beef
* 2 cups pasta
* 3/4 cup broccoll
700 calories, 60 g protein, 83 g carbs, 13 g fat
Why? For muscle-building, there's nothing like beef--it contains creatine, all the necessary aminos and a full spectrum of B vitamins, and it's dense in iron to assist in energy production. Pasta provides carbs, which are essential for energy, and broccoli yields compounds that help with fat control.
Hardgainer Tip: Choose lean, not extra-lean, beef (around 10%-15% fat as opposed to under 10%). The extra fat and calories spare the burning of glycogen and protein for greater growth.
Shredding Tip: Temper your lunchtime carb intake: Eat just 1 cup of pasta but double up on the broccoli--low in calories, high in fiber--to control calories and your feelings of hunger.
THE PERFECT PRETRAINING SNACK (One hour before training)
* 1 cup fat-free cottage cheese
* 4 slices rye toast with 2 Tbsp. grape jam
532 calories, 35 g protein, 89 g carbs, 4 g fat
Why? The protein from cottage cheese hits the blood by workout time, sparing muscle breakdown. Grape jam offers sugar, which kicks up insulin to minimize breakdown as well. Rye bread is a slow-burning carb, preventing blood-sugar drops that can come from eating sugar alone.
Hardgainor Tip: Include extra jam to guard against the depletion of glycogen.
Shredding Tip: Stick to two slices of toast to control carbs but don't forgo the jam--you'll need the quick burst of energy to offset muscle breakdown.
THE PERFECT POST-TRAINING SNACK (not shown)
* Whey-protein shake (two scoops mixed with water)
* 1 cup rlce with 4 Tbsp. raisins
549 calories, 45 g protein, 91 g carbs, 2 g fat
Why? Recovery and growth. Fast-digesting protein and carbs jump-start the rebuilding process. Whey is a great source of amino acids, and the rice and raisin mixture offers concentrated carbs that kick up insulin for muscle repair.
Hardgainer Tip: Bump the rice serving to 1 1/2 cups for more simple carbs.
Shredding Tip: Eat 1/2 cup of rice and 1-2 tablespoons raisins.
THE PERFECT ANYTIME SNACK
Turkey sandwich with:
* 2 slices whole-grain bread
* 2-3 slices fat-free cheese
* 3-4 slices deli turkey breast
* Mustard and fat-free mayo
316 calories, 36 g protein, 34 g carbs, 4 g fat
Why? Convenience, as well as that much-needed sixth meal of the day. The balanced combination of protein, carbs and fat in this sandwich are ideal for mass-building.
Hardgainer Tip: Add a glass of low-fat milk and a piece of fruit if you have a speedier-than-average metabolism.
Shredding Tip: Use carb-reduced bread to keep carbohydrates and calories under control.
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---------- Toegevoegd om 11:25 ---------- De post hierboven werd geplaatst om 11:23 ----------
Get ripped on high carbs: an eight-point strategy for getting lean without cutting carbs
Flex, August, 2004 by Chris Aceto
The idea that a bodybuilder can get ripped to the bone while eating plenty of carbohydrates may sound ludicrous. Heck, with the overwhelming popularity of low-carb diets, you'd think it would be nearly impossible to eat carbs and shed bodyfat. I say you can shed a lot of fat, and even get ripped, on high carbs as long as you take the right approach. The first things to consider are two crucial issues: energy deficits and muscle maintenance. Both are integral to a successful high-carb bodybuilding diet.
* Create an Energy Deficit The formula for shedding bodyfat is remarkably simple: When you eat fewer calories than your body needs on a daily basis, you'll lose bodyfat because it becomes a major source of energy. As long as you keep your total caloric intake below the threshold for bodyweight maintenance, you can lose unwanted bodyfat even while maintaining a relatively higher carbohydrate intake.
* Avoid Losing Muscle Mass When calories drop--whether from cutting carbs or from cutting any source of energy--the risk is losing muscle. That's because muscle growth and retention are strongly correlated with calorie surpluses. Maintaining an adequate carb intake (in addition to protein) while lowering your overall intake of calories helps prevent the loss of muscle mass, as carbs spare the breakdown of muscle tissue.
With that in mind, follow these guidelines to drop fat and get cut while enjoying a much higher carb intake than you might expect.
1 | Minimize dietary fat When you follow a higher-carbohydrate diet to cut up, you must eliminate calories derived from dietary fat. There are two reasons for that. First, you have to create an energy deficit to spark fat burning. By eliminating as much dietary fat as possible, you'll gain control over your caloric intake. Since many protein foods are also sources of dietary fat, you should emphasize very low-fat protein sources, such as egg whites, protein powders and turkey breast. Good seafood choices include flounder, tuna, hake, scallops and shrimp.
The second reason to avoid dietary fat concerns insulin. Insulin helps drive fatty acids from dietary fat into fat cells. With an extremely low-fat diet, the body is starved of fatty acids, making it difficult to gain fat as long as calories remain lower.
2 | Choose the right carbs The best carbohydrates for controlling and shedding bodyfat are slow-burning carbs. Slow burners help sidestep insulin bursts. Instead of dramatically kicking up insulin levels--which can cause fat storage--slow-burning carbs take longer to digest. That favors muscle growth and retention without stimulating the body's fat-storing machinery. Oatmeal, oat bran cereal, red beans, buckwheat noodles, buckwheat pancakes and red potatoes are some of the best slower-burning won't-make-you-fat carbs around.
3 | Add vegetables to the mix How can you get slow-burning carbs to digest even more slowly? One way is to consume plenty of vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, green beans, wax beans and asparagus. The fiber content of these vegetables can dramatically slow the passage of carbohydrates from the stomach into the intestines, where the carbs are absorbed. Moderating your insulin release will help you lean out your physique.
A good rule of thumb is to add one cup of vegetables for every cup of rice, pasta or potatoes you eat. Although rice, pasta and potatoes don't fit the bill as ideal slow-burning carbs, including the right amount of vegetables will slow down the absorption process, allowing for greater fat loss than when eating starchy carbs on their own. Plus, vegetables are filling and low in calories.
4 | Eat complex carbs in the morning Carbs are less likely to be deposited as bodyfat when you consume them in the morning, because blood sugar and glycogen levels tend to be lower at that time. Lower blood sugar and glycogen levels typically mean the carbs you eat will primarily be stored as muscle and liver glycogen, not bodyfat. For this reason, you can get away with eating more than your fair share of carbs at breakfast, say 75-100 grams (g). Again, emphasize slow-burning complex carbs, such as oatmeal, buckwheat pancakes and whole-grain breads.
5 | Limit carbs before training This may contradict our customary advice, but keep in mind that this diet plan is different from many we have given you in FLEX. With a high-carb approach to getting cut, you won't need as many carbs before you work out. The trick here is to encourage your body to use fat as energy, instead of turning to preworkout carbs. When carbs are controlled before training, your body relies on bodyfat as a fuel reserve. The fewer carbs immediately before activity, the more likely you'll tap additional bodyfat.
6 | Eat more carbs after your workout Implementing point five ensures both an increase in fat burning and lower glycogen stores. When glycogen stores fall, carbs are rarely stored as bodyfat. Therefore, include 75-100 g of carbs at the meal following hard training to jump-start recovery and help drive amino acids from protein for muscle repair. Emphasize simple sugars such as dextrose, commonly found in workout shakes, at this time.
7 | Avoid carbs at night When following a higher-carbohydrate diet to reduce bodyfat, glycogen levels begin to elevate as the day progresses. The closer your glycogen levels are to being "full," the more readily carbohydrates are stored as bodyfat. For this reason, stick with lean protein and vegetables or a carb-free protein shake for your final meals of the day.
8 | Include intense cardio Unless you have a tremendous metabolic rate, you'll need cardio work to augment your progress. I recommend only high-intensity cardio to create the greatest calorie burn possible and to stimulate glycogen-storing enzymes. The harder you work, the more calories you'll burn--plus, you'll increase the activity of glycogen synthase, the enzyme that stores carbohydrates as muscle glycogen. The more you can coax the body to store carbohydrates in muscle, the less likely it will store them as bodyfat.
Build up from your current level to performing cardio at least five days a week for 30-45 minutes. If you have a sluggish metabolic rate, you may need to do even more.
THE PRESCRIPTION
I recommend that bodybuilders using the high-carb approach set their daily carb intake at 1 1/2 g per pound of bodyweight and peg their protein at 1 g per pound, with as little dietary fat as possible. For a 200-pound athlete, that would mean 300 g of carbohydrates and 200 g of protein daily. A lot of bodybuilders will think it's impossible to drop serious fat on 300 g of carbs a day, but that's just carb phobia! Do the math: 300 g of carbs amounts to 1,200 calories and 200 g of protein is only 800 calories. That's just 2,000 calories a day, give or take another 100-200 from naturally occurring fat found in the protein and carbs you'll be eating.
Follow all the points I've outlined, and you will be shocked at how easy it is to get ripped on carbs.
RELATED ARTICLE: CARB UP
Check out the sample breakdown below for a hard-training 200-pound bodybuilder trying to drop fat. This plan yields 300 g of carbs and about 200 g of protein a day. If this is undereating for you, bump up your lean protein sources, such as egg whites and carbfree shakes.
UPON RISING: Cardio (30-45 minutes high-intensity, on an empty stomach)
MEAL ONE: Breakfast
75-100 g of carbs
35 g of protein
MEAL TWO: Lunch
50 g of carbs*
35 g of protein
MEAL THREE: Preworkout
No carbs or less than 25 g
35 g of protein
MEAL FOUR: Postworkout
75-100 g of carbs
35 g of protein
MEAL FIVE: Dinner
50 g of carbs*
35 g of protein
MEAL SIX: Bedtime Snack
No carbs
35 g of protein
* At these meals, at least 15 g should be derived from low-calorie vegetables, which slow the digestion of carbohydrates.
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---------- Toegevoegd om 11:26 ---------- De post hierboven werd geplaatst om 11:25 ----------
Low-carb ripfest:
12-week program to get shredded for summer
Flex, May, 2002 by Chris Aceto
Low-carb diets are effective. They are virtually guaranteed to help you get lean and shredded; however, they can backfire if you don't understand the right way to apply the low-carb format to training, protein intake and the other variables that will determine your success or failure in building a top-rate physique.
Follow this 12-week program and its 12 strategies for sure-fire low-carb dieting. Employ the tactics laid out and you'll get ripped and ready in less time than you thought possible.
PHASE ONE (WEEKS 1-6)
Strategy 1
REDUCE CARBS BY 50%
Cut your current carb intake in half to stimulate fat burning. A 180-pound bodybuilder generally consumes 2-3 grams (g) of carbs per pound of bodyweight (360-540 g) per day--enough to promote muscle growth without the risk of getting fat. If you are eating 500 g of carbs per day, slash that daily total to 250 g. This easy-to-follow formula will allow you to lose one or two pounds per week.
Strategy 2
REDUCE PORTION SIZE
If you are fuzzy about how many grams of carbs you are currently chowing down daily, take the path of least resistance and simply cut your portions of carbs in half. Eat half of a yam instead of a whole one; eat an appetizer-size portion of pasta instead of a plateful; and so on.
Strategy 3
BUMP UP PROTEIN
It's fundamental that as you lower your carbohydrate intake, your protein intake has to go up. Let's assume that you are currently consuming 1 g of protein per pound of bodyweight - the benchmark for packing on lean muscle mass. Once you start slashing carbs, increase protein intake by 40-50 g per day. A 180-pound bodybuilder would increase daily protein consumption from 180 g to 220-230 g per day.
Strategy 4
DON'T OVERDO PROTEIN
Low-carb diets reduce reserves of muscle glycogen (used to support the energy requirements of hardcore training) and accelerate the burning of fat and protein. The goal in strategy 3 is to increase protein consumption so that muscle tissue isn't burned as fuel for training. Stick to the guidelines of a 40-50 g increase.
Strategy 5
DITCH THE CARDIO
Cardiovascular exercise can be an effective method of depleting fat stores. For most people on a low-calorie low-carb diet, though, cardio is a no-no. Preserve hard-earned muscle by using your energy in the weight room; the fat will be expended in support of the recovery process the rest of the day.
PHASE TWO (WEEKS 7-12)
Strategy 6
MANIPULATE METABOLISM
Most bodybuilders will lean out by following the first five strategies, but even low-carb diets present the age-old problem of adaptation through repetition. As the body gets accustomed to significant reductions in caloric intake, metabolism tends to slow down, and that spells trouble for fat burning. To avoid this metabolic slowdown, reduce carbs to a daily total of 50-100 g beginning with the seventh week of your shredding cycle. Bodybuilders weighing 180 pounds or less should consume 50-70 g of carbs daily for the next six weeks; bodybuilders weighing more than 180 pounds should consume 70-100 g of carbs daily for the next six weeks.
Strategy 7
POWER UP PROTEIN
As carbs dip to lower levels (in strategy 6), increase protein to 2 g per pound of bodyweight per day. The added protein will ensure that you maintain muscle while continuing to lose fat.
Strategy 8
CARD UP AFTER TRAINING
Eat most of your carbs right after working out to elevate insulin levels and to offset the muscle-wasting effects of the cortisol spike caused by low-carb diets. Get the bulk of your 50-100 g of carbs from a potpourri of complex carbs (such as potatoes, rice and yams) and simple carbs (such as honey, jam, sugar and cold breakfast cereals).
Strategy 9
CHEAT WITH VEGGIES
A great way to offset the cravings and feelings of deprivation caused by low-carb diets is to opt for high-fiber low-carb vegetables. Mushrooms, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce are good snack foods, and they add highly desirable phytonutrients and fiber to your diet.
Strategy 10
JUST SAY YES TO SALT
When carbs are restricted to less than 100 g a day, the body responds by lowering its output of aldosterone, a potent hormone that aids the retention of sodium and water. Since water retention is therefore unlikely on a low-carb diet, feel free to add flavor to your food with salt, soy sauce, mustard and other condiments that contain salt.
Strategy 11
SUPPLEMENT WITH BCAAs AND GLUTAMINE
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are burned as fuel when glycogen stores are low. Supplement with 6-8 g of BCAAs to offset catabolism (muscle wasting). Supplementing with glutamine helps to curtail the catabolic effects of the higher cortisol levels that go hand in hand with a low-carb diet. Bodybuilders under 180 pounds should take at least 6 g per day, split evenly before and after training; bodybuilders weighing more than 180 pounds should take a minimum of 9 g per day, split evenly before and after training.
Strategy 12
GIVE IT A REST
Another way to prevent a metabolic slowdown is to take a complete break from the low-carb approach for one day every 7-10 days after the seventh week of the 12-week shredding cycle. On that blessed day, increase carbs to 2 or 2 1/2 g per pound of bodyweight and decrease protein to 1 g per pound of bodyweight. Go ahead, enjoy a stack of pancakes with Vermont maple syrup. The next day, it's back to the low-carb levels of strategy 6 again and back en route to a lean and mean machine by summer.
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---------- Toegevoegd om 11:26 ---------- De post hierboven werd geplaatst om 11:26 ----------
Diet right: take your fat-loss efforts to the next level with these four advanced techniques from the pros
Muscle & Fitness, Jan, 2005 by Chris Aceto
It sounds simple--eat less fat and carbs, and you'll get lean. But that can't be the whole story, can it? Obviously not--otherwise a lot more of us would be ripped. To reveal the secrets of getting shredded, we went to four people who do it for a living: Top bodybuilders and fitness pros. Here's what they had to say.
#1 INCORPORATE HIGH-CARB AND LOW-CARB DAYS
Sure, reducing calories by cutting back on carbohydrates is helpful in shedding bodyfat. But eating too few carbs can backfire, decreasing your energy and even your metabolism. So how do pros limit carbs without the energy slump?
Arnold Classic champion Jay Cutler sometimes uses the low- to high-carb approach. "I might keep my carbs between 200 and 300 grams a day for a few consecutive days," he says. "When I notice my muscles shrinking or I'm not getting any leaner, I'll double my carb intake for a day or two and eat 500-700 grams a day."
Jay knows many dieters might balk at such an increase. "Eating fewer carbs helps a bodybuilder get cut, but you need them to train and maintain your muscle," he explains. "So incorporating a high-carb day once every 4-6 days allows you to train as hard as you can while on a reduced-calorie diet." He considers 1 gram of carbohydrate per pound of bodyweight to be low and 2-3 grams to be high. Therefore, a 180-pound man might eat 180 grams daily for 4-6 consecutive days, then follow with a single high-carb day yielding 360-540 grams.
Pro fitness competitor Kelly Ryan diets hard 4-5 days a week, eating only 130 grams of carbohydrates a day. "I can actually see more contours and definition on those days," she says. She then takes in a high amount of carbs over the weekend. "This boosts your energy and helps you get leaner faster than eating low-carb all the time."
Kelly eats 5-6 smaller meals a day, and recommends eating a large portion of carbs at four of those meals every Saturday and Sunday. "I'll eat anything--a bagel, pasta or fat-free ice cream," she adds. "I'm right back on my strict diet on Monday."
#2 EAT LOW-GLYCEMIC CARBS BEFORE TRAINING
Slow-burning carbs, also referred to as low-glycemic carbs, can help maximize fat loss. According to pro fitness competitor Beth Horn, "Low-glycemic carbs make you feel full longer, so you eat less." Gram for gram, they elicit less of an insulin response than many other carbohydrates. (See "Slow Burn.")
Insulin, the storage hormone released in response to eating carbohydrates, can impede the mobilization of fatty acids from fat cells. Many pros like Beth believe that if you eat low-glycemic carbs before training, insulin levels remain low, encouraging the body to burn a bit more bodyfat as fuel.
"I think eating low-glycemic carbs before training can help people get better results, especially those who have a hard time losing bodyfat," she says. Her favorite preworkout meal is cooked oatmeal with fat-free cottage cheese and a non-nutritive sweetener such as Equal.
#3 EAT HIGH-GLYCEMIC CARBS AFTER TRAINING
High-glycemic carbs are typically refined, meaning they've undergone some type of processing, and they create a larger insulin surge than unrefined varieties. Bagels, mashed potatoes, white rice, muffins, cookies and cold cereals are all high-glycemic.
While these foods don't sound like diet foods, IFBB pro bodybuilder Milos Sarcev swears they're one of his dietary secrets. "Refined carbohydrates are the ideal post-training carb because they cause an insulin surge that reverses the catabolic state associated with training," he explains. High-glycemic carbs help halt potential muscle loss, and holding onto muscle will keep your metabolic rate elevated. This type of carb also helps the body quickly enter an anabolic state by carrying amino acids into muscle.
While eating fewer calories than you need certainly plays a role in developing deep cuts, Milos notes that it's equally important to put together a diet that enables you to maintain muscle. "Getting ripped is not only about losing fat, it's about keeping as much muscle as you can. A post-training meal that has plenty of fast carbs is part of that approach." Milos' also contains creatine, glutamine, branched-chain amino acids and whey protein. He states: "High-glycemic carbs trigger a large insulin surge, and that drives these nutrients into the muscles. About 10-15 grams of glutamine helps the body recover and replenish muscle glycogen."
How many carbs do you need after heavy weight training? A good start is half a gram per pound of bodyweight. A 180-pounder would need 90 grams of carbs, about what's found in 2 cups of white rice or two low-fat blueberry muffins. Don't worry that high carbs after training will increase bodyfat. Milos explains, "Your carb intake at this time goes toward muscle recovery, and elevated insulin levels help restore energy and rebuild muscle."
#4 EAT MORE PROTEIN WHEN DIETING
When you drop your caloric intake by trimming excess fat and eating fewer carbohydrates, your need for protein increases. Protein helps prevent a loss in muscle mass, which, in turn, keeps your metabolic rate elevated. "I eat more protein when I'm dieting than when I'm in a bulking stage," remarks perennial Mr. Olympia finalist Shawn Ray. Though Shawn eats low-fat, he believes there's a benefit to eating red meat while dieting. "Of my six meals a day, I eat extra-lean ground beef at 1-2 of those meals as my source of protein," he says. Red meat contains creatine, which helps Shawn stay strong precontest. It's also high in zinc and iron, which may better enhance recovery than sticking exclusively to poultry, fish and egg whites for protein.
The secret here is to start with the golden rule of 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight and add 50-70 grams of protein more when dieting. This can be achieved with a single meal-replacement shake (made with protein and carbohydrate) consumed after you train or by slightly increasing your protein portion sizes at each of your 5-6 daily meals.
RELATED ARTICLE: SLOW BURN
Put the power of slow-burning carbs into your training with these foods: Yams * Buckwheat noodles or pancakes * Beans * Rye bread * Whole-grain bread * Oatmeal * Cream of Wheat * Peaches * Oranges * Nectarines * Apples
Consume fast-burning carbs after training; these foods are some of the best: Bagels * Baked potato * White rice * Rice cakes * Muffins * Cookies * Cold cereals * Orange juice * Watermelon * Pasta * Pancakes
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---------- Toegevoegd om 11:27 ---------- De post hierboven werd geplaatst om 11:26 ----------
10 Quick Tips to Build Mass
by Chris Aceto
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Muscle mass is the straw that stirs the drink in the sport of bodybuilding. Talk all you want about symmetry, shape and definition, but in the final analysis, muscle mass is the defining element of a physique. The mass building equation has three components: a correct diet strategy, hardcore training and high tech supplementation. It;s not rocket science, but there are tricks to it, nonetheless.
To save you time and trouble, I've complied 10 tips to jump start anabolism and create a positive nitrogen balance - to pack on muscle mass, you need to take in more nitrogen via protein and training than you excrete through the natural metabolic process.
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1. Emphasize the Negative
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Muscle growth is the logical byproduct of muscle contraction. Much emphasis is placed on the concentric phase of a lift where the muscle shortens as it contracts. But the stretching of the muscle during the eccentric, or negative, phase where the muscle lengthens while maintaining tension can directly cause muscle hypertrophy, too. Emphasizing the negative is an easy technique to overload muscles and promote radical gains in mass.
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2. Eat Fish
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Fish containing higher amounts of fat - salmon, for instance - provide us with the ever popular omega-3 fatty acids. Why is this important? The omega-3s make the muscle more sensitive to insulin; hence, they fuel glycogen storage and amino acid entry into muscles while also preserving glutamine stores.
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3. Increase Sodium Intake
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I'm not kidding. Sodium is an essential mineral that is an absolute must for muscle growth. Sodium has a bad rap because it can cause water retention - anathema to contest ready bodybuilders. On the plus side, sodium enhances carbohydrate storage and amino acid absorption while also improving the muscle's responsiveness to insulin.
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4. Stop All Aerobics
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Aerobic exercise has a detrimental effect on mass building. Aerobics interfere with strength gains and recovery while burning up valuable glycogen and branched chain amino acids (BCAA). Adding mass is the best way to upgrade your resting metabolic rate (RMR); is the RMR is elevated, more calories are burned and it is easier to stay lean.
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5. Lift Explosively
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The amount of force a muscle generates is proportional to the amount of muscle growth you'll be able to create. Force is defined as mass (the weight you use) multiplied by acceleration (the speed at which you push a weight against resistance). To generate more force, then, progressively increase your poundages while lifting explosively - in this context, you actually increase speed during the second half of the rep.
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6. Dramatically increase your calories for three days
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You will never achieve a positive nitrogen balance with a low calorie diet. It takes raw materials - carbs, protein and fats - to build new muscle mass and support recovery. Increasing your calories by 50% (from 3,0000 to 4,500 per day, for instance) for three days can spur growth while adding little if any bodyfat. The key is to limit the increased calories to a designated three day period; you'll be able to stimulate growth by improving muscle sensitivity to insulin and by providing more carbs for glycogen storage. If you are in a overtrained state - and if you're not gaining any new muscle mass, this is probably the case - the additional calories will promote anabolism before fat storage is able to kick in. That's why you want to limit the 50% increase to a three day period. After that time, return to your typical intake of daily calories; you'll have stimulated new growth without adding unwanted fat.
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7. Rest
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Many bodybuilders are unable to pack on mass because they are always training and, therefore, always recovering from those grueling workouts. Taking a couple of days off can restore glycogen, increase anabolism and allow hormonal indexes such as testosterone and cortisol to return to optimal levels.
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8. Eat in the Middle of the Night
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Anabolism depends on an excess of calories. As you are well aware, bodybuilders eat four to six times per day to increase the absorption of nutrients and to provide a steady influx of carbs, protein and fat. Expanding on the four to six meals per day plan is to include a protein drink in the middle of the night that can encourage additional growth. Glutamine EFX, providing 30 grams of protein and carbs along with the 'big three' (see tip #10), is a good option for this late at night infusion of nutrients.
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9. Increase Strength Through Powerlifting
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Your muscles respond to training in three ways. When you train with high reps (more than 15), there is an increase in endurance with no substantive improvement in size or strength. The six to twelve rep range - the range that all big bodybuilders rely on - promotes an increase in both size and strength. Powerlifters generally stay with low reps, two to four per set, which supplements strength with slight variances in size. However, if you set aside one week of training to pile on the weights with low reps the subsequent improvement in strength will make you stronger when you return to the six to twelve rep routine. Here's the formula: More strength equals more tension on the muscle equals more growth.
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10. Supplement with the Big Three:
Glutamine, Creatine and BCAA
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Glutamine is known as the immunity amino. If you are overly stressed from dieting or training, the immune system kicks in, releasing glutamine into the bloodstream. Having low levels of glutamine will inhibit muscle growth - that's why supplementing with glutamine is important.
Creatine is associate with added power and the ability to produce more adenosine triphosphate (ATP) - the chemical fuel source for training and growth. Supplementing with creatine allows bodybuilders to raise creatine levels in the muscle - therefore enhancing strength and ATP - without the unwanted fat that you'd be saddled with by getting all your creatine exclusively from food.
Branched chain amino acids act as a handy fuel source when glycogen stores are low. Adding BCAA to your nutritional program will increase your nitrogen balance while preventing the dreaded catabolic state that derives from overtraining or overdieting.
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This article was published in Flex Magazine, November 1997 issue.
To contact Chris, write to him at P.O. Box 557, Old Orchard Beach, Maine, 04064
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---------- Toegevoegd om 11:29 ---------- De post hierboven werd geplaatst om 11:27 ----------
10 Bite Sized Mass Building Tips
by Chris Aceto
Every month for the past few years, I've endeavored to give you practical information about bodybuilding nutrition. Now, in response to popular demand - based on the letter's I've been getting and questions I've been fielding at seminars and clinics - I'm going to switch gears. I've decided to focus exclusively on mass building tips to help you pursue the Holy Grail of bodybuilding: packing on maximum size in a minimum amount of time.
Bump Up Your Protein
Most bodybuilding experts advocate consuming at least one gram (g) of protein per pound of bodyweight daily. To accelerate the muscle building process, I'm advising that you increse your daily protein intake to one and a half to two grams per pound of bodyweight. Increasing protein intake helps to enhance protein synthesis while preventing protein breakdown. The net effect is anabolism (gaining quality muscle size) rather than catabolism (getting smaller due to losing muscle mass).
Jack Up The Carbs
Ingesting three grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight daily will provide your body with plenty of calories for energy, ensuring that your protein derived calories will be left to support muscle growth and repair. Another cheery result of increasing carbs is taht the body won't tear down muscle tissue for energy during training.
Eat The Right Fats
All fats are not created equal. the omega-3 fatty acids in salmon and swordfish help to prevent muscle inflammation, improve glycogen formation and enhance protein synthesis. Eat salmon or swordfish three time per week or take five to seven grams of fish oils daily
Increase Rest Intervals During Training
Taking time to rest between sets allows for immediate recovery within the muscle. That will enable you to train with heavier weights. It's amazingly simple. Heavy poundages (plus good form) equal more mass. My recommendation is to rest for no less than two minutes, but no more than three minutes, after each set.
Eat Six Meals A Day
I know it is a pain in the neck to eat so aften, but gaining mass on four meals a day is simply not going to work for most people; only the genetically blessed mass monsters can gain substantive size on a four a day meal plan. Schedule each of your six bodybuilding friendly meals every two to three hours. This installment plan allows you to increase the absorption and assimilation of your precious nutrients.
Don't Snub Sugar
Fast digesting carbs - a.k.a. simple sugars - get a bum rap. Including simple sugars in the posttraining meal helps to suppress the production of cortisol - a muscle wasting hormone - and promote the release of insulin. Shoot for 80-130g of carbs immediately after training, with at least half coming from fast burning carbs such as fruit juice, bagels, fat free ice cream or white flour based bread products.
Use An Anabolic Cocktail
My cocktail of choice is glutamine with a creatine chaser. Two grams of glutamine in the meal immediately following your training can increase growth hormone levels; 10 grams of creatine can drag water into the muscles to turn on protein synthesis.
Experiment With Low Reps and Heavy Weight
Include low reps - two or three per set - and heavy weights in your program, especially with compound exercises like squats, bench presses and deadlifts. These heavy multijoint movements are a prerequisite for building a maximum amount of muscle.
Design An Insulin Boosting Stack
Let's get creative and devise a three supplement stack of goodies that will release insulin when ingested with your high carb posttraining meal: 400 milligrams of alpha lipoic acid to promote the uptake of carbs by muscles - even without the presence of insulin; 200 micrograms of chromium to increase the muscles' sensitivity to insulin; and six grams of branched chain amino acids to provide a shot of leucine, an amino that helps to trigger the release of insulin.
Limit Workout Volume
Volume in a workout context can be defined as the number of sets you perform per bodypart. Doing too many sets promotes catabolic hormones and adversely impacts recovery and recuperation. The ideal volume for building mass is six to eight sets comprising two exercises for smaller bodyparts, and 10-12 sets comprising three exercises for larger bodyparts.
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This article was printed from Flex Magazine, January 2000 issue.
Chris Aceto is the author of a number of training and nutrition books!
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---------- Toegevoegd om 11:30 ---------- De post hierboven werd geplaatst om 11:29 ----------
The Carb Rules
By Chris Aceto
This article was featured in Flex Magazine, March 1999. This is a view on the eleven helpful hints about carbs: the good, the bad and the bizarre. Chris Aceto write a number of articles. To order Chris' book, 'Everything You Need to Know about Fat Loss', call him at (207) 934-7812.
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If you ask 20 bodybuilders about carb intake, you will likely get 20 different theories. Suffice it to say, there is a wide variety of opinion on how to manipulate carbs properly to either gain mass or lose fat. To get a handle on this controversial subject, I have compiled a list of facts, tips and suggestions to allow you to gain mass without adding unwanted fat.
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1. Eat Complex Carbs
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Carbohydrates should comprise the bulk of your daily caloric intake because they form muscle glycogen - the fuel for arduous training sessions. Focus on unprocessed complex carbohydrates like yams, potatoes, whole grain breads, oatmeal and brown rice. Why? These natural complex carbs are made of long chains of sugar and are digested very slowly. Slow burning carbs promoted consistent blood sugar levels, which help to offset fatigue while promoting the release of insulin - the body's principal anabolic hormone. Men can project daily carb intake, in grams (g) by multiplying their bodyweight by three; women should multiply bodyweight by two. For example, a 200 pound man should consume 600g of carbs daily, while a 125 pound woman should consume 250g.
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2. Eat Fiber
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Benefits of fiber include making muscle tissue more responsive to anabolism by improving sugar and amino acid uptake, and aiding in muscle glycogen formation and growth. Beans and oatmeal are two excellent sources of fiber.
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3. Stagger your Carb Intake
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Divide your carb meals into six distinct servings throughout the day. This divide and conquer approach stimulates a steady release of insulin to create an anabolic (muscle building) state. If you eat too many carbs in one sitting, the net effect is that fat-storing enzymes kick into high hear and you lose than lean and hard look.
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4. Eat Simple Carbs After Training
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Honey, sugar and refined foods such as white bread and white rice - typical simple carbs - are digested quickly and easily. The resulting insulin spike is a double edged sword, however. After training, it can prevent muscle catabolism while promoting anabolism. If you have not been working out, the intake of simple carbs can stimulate fat storage.
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5. East More Carbs After Training
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This edict is the corollary to tip #4. A high carb intake at your post training meal will have less chance of being stored as fat, as carbs must replenish depleted glycogen levels before they gain the ability to stimulate fat storage. Eat about 25% of your daily carbs at this meal.
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6. Eat a Carb-loaded Breakfast
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Besides the post training meal, breakfast is the other golden time to ingest carbs, because blood sugar and muscle glycogen levels are low from your overnight fast. Your body must replenish these levels before stimulating the fat storing machinery in the body.
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7. Use Supplements to Assist Carbs with Insulin Utilization
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Chromium, Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin E and Alpha Lipoic Acid all increase a muscle's ability to use insulin. Supplement your breakfast with 200 micrograms of Chromium, four grams of Omega-3s and 100 milligrams of Alpha Lipoic Acid.
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8. Minimize Fruit Intake
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Though low in calories and rich in vitamins, fruit is problematic for dieting bodybuilders for one reason: it contains fructose, a simple sugar, which is converted into glycogen in the liver. There, it can be readily used as a building block for fat synthesis.
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9. Avoid carbs after hours
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Unless you are blessed with a superfast metabolism, you should forget about eating baked potatoes late at night. Late night carbs interfere with the release of growth hormone and promote fat storage while you sleep.
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10. Mix carbs and protein in the same meal
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Combining carbs and proteins minimizes the risk of carbs being stored as fat. Eating protein with carbs facilitates the transport of amino acids from protein foods into the muscles to trigger new growth.
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11. Rotate carbs for fat loss
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Bodybuilders who rotate their carb intake tend to lose more fat than bodybuilders who maintain a steady flow of carbs while dieting. For example, instead of eating 600g of carbs every day (the typical daily total for a 200 pound bodybuilder), try varying the volume of intake. Eat 50% fewer carbs (300g) for two days, then the standard 600g for the next two days, then 50% more (900g) for the next two days, The total carb intake is the same, but this schedule works because it lowers muscle glycogen in the first stage (promoting fat loss), and then increases insulin levels (ensuring no loss of muscle) on the final two days. Carb rotation gives you the best of both worlds: decreased fat with no loss of muscle.
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---------- Toegevoegd om 11:31 ---------- De post hierboven werd geplaatst om 11:30 ----------
The 10 Biggest Mistakes you can make with you Bodybuilding Diet
By Chris Aceto
This article was featured in Flex Magazine, July 1997 issue. For more information on how to subscribe to Flex, please take a look at our Magazine section.
Success leaves clues. Ask any top professionals, including bodybuilders, "How can I maximize my progress?" and the best answer will delineate not only the right steps to take but also the pitfalls to avoid.
My goal is to share with you the nutrition lessons I've learned through developing eating regimens for several top bodybuilders, some of whom are now in the professional ranks. My hope is that these tips will allow you to correct any flaws in your nutrition program and hence maximize your progress. Here are the 10 biggest mistakes to avoid if you want to fulfill your bodybuilding potential.
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1. Dieting impatiently
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Many bodybuilders jump from one diet to another without ever giving the initial program enough time to work. It takes at least three weeks for your body to adapt to dietary modifications. If you start a high carb, moderate protein, low fat diet with reduced calories, and your goal is to lose fat, expect to notice visible changes after approximately 21 days. Don't anticipate immediate changes in your physique.
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2. Failing to Accurately track calories
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Be sure to count not only calories but carbohydrates, proteins and fats as well. Because they don't keep a record of what they're eating, many bodybuilders don't lose fat at the rate they expect, while others fail to gain weight. Don't make the mistake of miscalculating your calorie intake. Successful bodybuilders keep precise records; they don't guess or estimate. Consult the Nutrition Almanac or a comparable source for food values and buy a scale.
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3. Eating haphazardly
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Whether you're trying to lose fat or add lean body mass, consistency is key, and sporadic eating is anathema to making progress. If you're a hardgainer or you have a difficult time getting ripped, the five times a day meal plan is best. This approach (a meal every two or three hours) inhibits storage of fat and increases lean body mass by enhancing nutrient absorption.
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4. Depending on the scale to gauge progress
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Don't depend solely on the scale to fine tune your diet. When bodybuilders try to add size, they often become discouraged when their bodyweight doesn't increase rapidly. They frequently jump the gun by adding too many calories to accelerate their progress. Similarly, precontest competitors striving to get down in size sometimes subtract too many calories. While the scale and other measuring devices like bodyfat calipers are effective tools, it's better to rely on photos and an unbiased eye to measure your progress. After all, bodybuilding is a visual sport. If you look leaner and fuller, then your fat loss diet is probably working - even if the scale and bodyfat calipers don't agree.
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5. Overeating (especially carbohydrates)
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Athletes who try to add mass often go overboard and eat an excessive number of calories, which are then converted into bodyfat. Then there are bodybuilders who eat a very low fat diet but still gain too many bodyfat because of an extremely high intake of carbohydrates. Sure, carbs are required for hard training, and they aid in recovery, But once the body absorbs what it needs, the excess will be quickly deposited as fat.
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6. Failing to personalize your bodybuilding diet.
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There's nothing wrong with learning from what the pro bodybuilders do. However, Dorian Yate's diet is vastly different from Nasser El Sonbaty's. What they have in common is an individualized, or customized approach. Dorian's diet might not work for Nasser's, and vice versa. Maintaining detailed records of what you eat and how you react to those foods can help you customize a diet that's ideal for your needs.
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7. Viewing supplements as a magic bullet
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Some bodybuilders try to shed fat by taking carnitine and chromium, yet they fail to initiate the fat burning process by lowering their caloric consumption. Others use creatine, glutamine or branched chain amino acids to beef up, but fail to consume enough calories and proteins to stimulate a positive nitrogen balance. Supplements work to enhance a nutrition program, not to make up for poor planning and nutritional mistakes.
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8. Becoming a slave to canned tuna
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To be successful, you have to eat the right way all the time. I've known athletes who burn out from the boredom of eating nothing but plain chicken breasts and tuna straight out of the can. Laura Creavalle's cookbook, The Lite Lifestyle, contains 150 fat free and sugar free recipes designed for precontest bodybuilders. These recipes allow you to stick with your eating program for the long haul, which produces substantive results.
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9. Eliminating all Fat
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Cutting fat from your diet is helpful in controlling total caloric intake, but removing fat completely from your diet and relying exclusively on very low fat or fat free proteins like turkey, fish and protein powders can lead to a decrease in fat metabolism and/or retard growth. A low fat diet that includes essential fatty acids found in meat, chicken and fish is useful in promoting optimal recovery growth and fat metabolism.
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10. Making enormous changes all at once
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When adding or subtracting calories from your diet, try to make very small incremental changes to allow your body to adapt these dietary manipulations. Severe reductions in calories will cause the body to hoard fat; an abundant increase will stimulate fat storage.
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---------- Toegevoegd om 11:32 ---------- De post hierboven werd geplaatst om 11:31 ----------
Protein Power: Nine simple guidelines
by Chris Aceto
Show me a bodybuilder who is afraid of eating a lot of protein and I will show you a bodybuilder who is afraid of success. Protein is the key element in your physique building bag of tricks, the difference between taking baby steps in your bodybuilding career and making giant leaps.
Before making protein the main ingredient of your bodybuilding diet, check out the following helpful tips on how to use protein under various circumstances.
By applying these simple guidelines to your plan of action, you will be able to get huge, yet hold on to your mass when dieting.
Rely on Protein for Anabolism
It is a no brainer: Total protein intake and total caloric intake will determine whether or not an anabolic (growth) state can exist. If you eat a lot of calories, carbs and fats without eating enough protein, you can kiss muscle growth goodbye.
Meet Minimum Protein Requirements
You must consume at least one gram (g) of protein per pound of bodyweight daily. A 200 pound bodybuilder needs a minimum of 200g of protein per day.
Be Aware of Maximum Protein Guidelines
This tip applies to hardgainers with fast metabolic rates. If you are blessed - or cursed - with a metabolism that forces you to burn protein for fuel, then increase daily protein intake to 1.5g per pound of bodyweight. Under these conditions, a 200 pound bodybuilder would consume 300g of protein per day.
Consume Complementary Carbs
Carbs are not complete anathema to a bodybuilder in pursuit of mass. Take in 2g of carbs per pound of bodyweight daily, unless you're dieting strictly. This will provide your body with sufficient carb stores to draw on for energy, instead of tapping into protein stores that should be reserved for muscle building.
Eat More Protein When You Diet
To get ripped to the max, you have to cut way back on dietary fat while reducing carb intake. This double whammy forces the body to burn more protein as fuel, which will put your muscle tissue at risk. Dieting bodybuilders should increase protein intake to 1.5g per pound of bodyweight to compensate for the reduction in carbohydrate.
Count Protein Grams
When calculating total grams of protein, include only complete sources, such as meat, fish and eggs. Disregard incomplete sources like oats, rice, bread and other grains.
Ignore the RDA Advice on Protein Intake
The Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for protein are inapplicable to bodybuilders, as are studies recommending .75g per pound of bodyweight. Such figures are typically calculated by experimenting with university students - a.k.a. recreational bodybuilders - and are well below the requirements for hardcore bodybuilders in training.
Use Protein Powders
I recommend protein powders that include fast acting whey, which is naturally dense in branched chain amino acids; slower acting casein, and ummune system enhancing soy, which is also high in glutamine.. These three sources sombined will yield a better net increase in mass than a single source powder such as casein alone. As a rule of thumb, try to get 50% of your protein intake from powders in order to accelerate absorption into muscle tissue.
Keep It Simple
The overcomplication of bodybuilding nutrition is ridiculous. Here is a simple edict to follow in pursuit of mass: Fix you protein intake at a minimum of 1g per pound of bodyweight, with a max of 1.5g for those of you with a fast metabolism or who are dieting like crazy. Then eat at least 2g of carbs per pound of bodyweight, and avoid all excess fats that are not already contained in your protein sources. If your bodyweight does not increase, add more carbs to the mix.
That is it! No magic bullets for mass; instead manipulation of protein and other nutrients offers just enough ammo for gaining size.
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This article was printed from Flex Magazine, March 2000 issue.
