Muscle Truth

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The cornerstone of any good dietary plan is a balanced intake of proteins, carbohydrates and other nutrients. Without this it will be impossible for your body to support the muscle-building process. This means that no matter how much time you spend in the gym, you will not see results unless you follow these guidelines. The good news however, is that it this is easier than it sounds.

The most important part of any bodybuilder or weightlifter’s diet will be your protein intake. This is due to the fact that protein is the foundation upon which muscle is built. A good rule of thumb regarding protein intake is that you should consume roughly twice your bodyweight in grams per day. So for example, if you weight 150 pounds your ideal intake would be roughly 300 grams of protein a day.

There are a number of good sources of cheap protein. Among these are:

Egg Whites
Chicken
Turkey
Beef
Fish
Kidney Beans

Beef and chicken, along with other red meats should be the primary source of your daily protein consumption. These foods are also high in calories, which are essential for building muscle. Egg whites are also one of the purest forms of protein in the world, and have a protein to fat ratio of over 60:1, making it one of the best auxiliary choices for those trying to increase their muscle mass.

Another important group of nutrients concerned with building muscle is carbohydrates. Carbs are primarily used as the body’s energy source as they convert to usable energy much more readily than protein does. For this reason, about fifty percent of your nutritional intake should be slow-digesting complex carbohydrates. These can be found in nearly all vegetables, though sweet potatoes and lettuce are excellent examples. Oatmeal is also a prime source and serves as a great breakfast option.

Water consumption is also often overlooked. However, as nearly seventy percent of your body consists of water, this is a critical mistake. Staying hydrated not only ensures that your muscles stay fuller looking, but also guarantees that your blood and cells are able to adequately transport the nutrients that your are consuming.

Well that’s about it for me. Don’t forget to join the list!

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Ok so I know its a few months late, but I just wanted to say congratulations to Dexter Jackson for unseating two-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler! Way to go Dex.

I also wanted to post a few pictures to keep you motivated from the 2008 IFBB Mr. O competition, so here you go:

~ms

I also wanted to tell you Merry Christmas! And remind you to join the list so you can stay up-to-date.

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What’s up!  Ok so I’m still plugging along on getting all my stuff done, which hasn’t been easy as we got slammed with a pretty hardcore storm out this way.  It’s been in the single-digits for about a week now, and I have a sheet of ice on the INSIDE of my windows that won’t go away.

Anyway in the meantime I wanted to show you this article I found over at bodybuilding.com that was written by Hugo Rivera.  The dude is a legend and really knows his way around the gym.  He also knows his nutrition and food intake pretty well.

This is something that you really can’t underestimate.  If you don’t eat correctly, you will never gain any muscle.  Sorry to be all doom and gloom but it is the simple truth.  The good news though is that its actually a lot easier (and more fun) than you think.

Rather than reinvent the wheel I thought it made more sense to just give him the props and let you read what he wrote.  So read on…

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What’s A Hardgainer?
The popular definition of a hardgainer is a person that works out hard with weights but has a hard time putting on muscle. Six weeks of working out can go by and no significant changes in muscle size are noted other than perhaps a bit of an increase in muscle tone.

According to this popular definition of a hardgainer, all of us are “hardgainers” because for the most part, putting on muscle is not an easy endeavor. The easiest period to gain muscle is during puberty. After that, gaining muscle becomes progressively harder as we age due to the fact that hormonal production starts declining between the ages of 25 and 30.

Ectomorph Somatypes:
My definition of a hardgainer is the naturally skinny person, who no matter what he or she eats, always seem to remain the same body weight.

This is what Dr. William H. Sheldon referred to as an “ectomorph” somatotype when he came up with the theory sometime in the 1940’s. Sheldon’s theory states that human bodies are divided into three main somatotypes:

• The Ectomorph
• The Endomorph
• The Mesomorph

In a nutshell, the ectomorph is the naturally skinny person who has trouble gaining weight, whether in the form of muscle or fat. The endomorph on the other hand has the opposite problem, it is too easy for a person with this body type to gain weight.

While endomorphs are easy muscle gainers, provided they diet and train correctly, they are cursed with a slow metabolism, which makes it imperative that they be strict with their diet year round if they wish to have any abdominal definition.

The mesomorph, however, is the naturally muscular person, who also has a higher metabolism than the endomorph. Mesomorphs make excellent bodybuilders and for them, gains in muscle and reduction in body fat come rather easily provided they maintain a great training and nutrition program; life is not fair.

So You Have Determined That You Are A Hardgainer - Now What?!
Now, having said this, is a hardgainer doomed to stay looking the same way forever? Not at all. Basically, all the hardgainer has to do is modify the training and nutrition program to suit his/her unique metabolism.

While most people will do best on a diet consisting of 40% carbohydrates, 40% proteins and 20% fats, the hardgainer will benefit most from a diet consisting of 50% carbs, 25 % proteins and 25% good fats.

While the typical person will do best on a caloric intake that equals their lean body mass times 12, the hardgainer is better served by taking in as much as 24 calories per pound of total bodyweight (as opposed to lean body mass). Therefore, if you are a hardgainer and weigh 150 lbs, your caloric intake will be 3600 calories (150 x 24).

Your total amounts of carbohydrates per day will be in the order of 450 grams of carbs, your protein will be 225 grams and your fats will be 100 grams of good fats per day. You can take all of this in 6, 7 or even 8 meals. The key thing for a hardgainer to be successful is to minimize their caloric expenditures and maximize their caloric intake.

While the hardgainer may not be able to start out with such a high caloric base, a diet like the one prescribed below is a good starting point and then add on nutrients from there. This is necessary as the hardgainer metabolism is a furnace that burns calories at all times and if not enough are supplied at one time or the other, then muscle will be consumed by the body for energy purposes. After all, this metabolic issue is what makes a person a hardgainer.

Male Hardgainer - Muscle Weight Gain Sample Diet For Bodybuilding

Meal 1 (7 AM)
-1-1/2 cups of dry oats mixed with water
-1 banana
-1 cup of egg beaters

-Supplements:
-Multiple Vitamin/Mineral formula (I use Prolab Training Pak)
-Chromium Picolinate 200 mcg
-1 tsp of Glutamine

Meal 2 (10 AM)
-Low Sugar Weight Gainer such as Prolab’s N-Large 2 (2 scoops) mixed with 16 ounces of skim milk and 1 Tablespoon of Flax Oil or Natural Peanut Butter

-or-

-Meal Replacement Powder with complex carbohydrates such as Lean Mass Complex mixed with 2-3 scoops of Prolab’s Carb Component and 1 Tablespoon of Flax Oil or Natural Peanut Butter. 1 Piece of Fruit (Optional)

Meal 3 (12 Noon)
1-1/2 cup of brown rice, or medium sized baked potato, or sweet potato
2 cups of green beans, broccoli or any other desired vegetable
6-8 ounces of chicken, turkey, or lean fish

Meal 4 (3 PM)
Same as Meal 2

Meal 5 (5:30 PM)
-1-1/2 cup of brown rice, or medium sized baked potato, or sweet potato
-2 cups of green beans, broccoli or any other desired vegetable
-6-8 ounces of chicken, turkey, or lean fish

Pre-Workout Supplements (6:30 PM)
-1 tsp of Creatine
-1 tablet of 200 mg Caffeine (optional)

Weight Train (7 PM-8 PM)

Post Workout Supplements (8 PM) - Have as soon as done w/ workout
-12 capsules of BCAA’s
-1 tsp Creatine
-1 tsp Glutamine
-2 grams of Vitamin C

Meal 6 (8:30 PM)
-1/2 cup of cream of rice
-1 banana
-2 scoops of whey isolate

Meal 7 (10:30 PM)
-Protein Component
-2 scoops of Prolab’s Protein Component or preferred slow released protein mixed with 3 scoops of complex ume as a pudding, mix w/ 4 ounces of water; and stir with a spoon.

-Supplements:
-1 Tablespoon of Flaxseed Oil (can mix w/ shake or pudding)
-1 tsp of Glutamine
-ZMA

-Note: On non-workout days, trade the post workout meal for a solid meal consisting of chicken, 1 cup of brown rice and green beans or any other lean protein source, complex carb source and green vegetables. Also, for Meal 7, eliminate the use of the carb component.

Female Hardgainer - Muscle Weight Gain Sample Diet For Bodybuilding

Meal 1 (7 AM)
-1 cups of dry oats mixed with water
-1 banana
-1 cup of egg beaters

-Supplements:
-Multiple Vitamin/Mineral formula (I use Prolab Training Pak)
-Chromium Picolinate 200 mcg
-1 tsp of Glutamine

Meal 2 (10 AM)
-Low Sugar Weight Gainer such as Prolab’s N-Large 2 (1 scoop) mixed with 8 ounces of skim milk and 1 Tablespoon of Flax Oil or Natural Peanut Butter

-or-

-Naturally Lean Mass Complex
-Meal Replacement Powder with complex carbohydrates such as Naturally Lean Mass Complex mixed with 1-2 scoops of Prolab’s Carb Component and 1/2 Tablespoon of Flax Oil or Natural Peanut Butter. 1 Piece of Fruit (Optional)

Meal 3 (12 Noon)
-1 cup of brown rice, or medium sized baked potato, or sweet potato
-1-2 cups of green beans, broccoli or any other desired vegetable
-3-4 ounces of chicken, turkey, or lean fish

Meal 4 (3 PM)
-Same as Meal 2

Meal 5 (5:30 PM)
-1 cup of brown rice, or medium sized baked potato, or sweet potato
-1-2 cups of green beans, broccoli or any other desired vegetable
-3-4 ounces of chicken, turkey, or lean fish

Pre-Workout Supplements (6:30 PM)
-1/2 tsp of Creatine
-1/2 tablet of 200 mg Caffeine (optional)

Weight Train (7 PM-8 PM)

Post Workout Supplements (8 PM) - Have as soon as done w/ workout
-6 capsules of BCAA’s
-1 tsp Creatine
-1/2 tsp Glutamine
-2 grams of Vitamin C

Meal 6 (8:30 PM)
-1/4 cup of cream of rice
-1 banana
-1 scoop of whey isolate

Meal 7 (10:30 PM)
-1 scoop Prolab’s Protein Component or preferred slow released protein mixed with 2 scoops of complex carbohydrate powder such as carb component

-Supplements:
-1 Tablespoon of Flaxseed Oil (can mix w/ shake or pudding)
-1/2 tsp of Glutamine
-ZMA

-Note: On non-workout days, trade the post workout meal for a solid meal consisting of chicken, 1/2 cup of brown rice and green beans or any other lean protein source, complex carb source and green vegetables. Also, for Meal 7, eliminate the use of the carb component.

About The Author:
Hugo Rivera, About.com’s Bodybuilding Guide and ISSA Certified Fitness Trainer, is a nationally-known best-selling author of over 8 books on bodybuilding, weight loss and fitness, including “The Body Sculpting Bible for Men”, “The Body Sculpting Bible for Women”, “The Hardgainer’s Bodybuilding Handbook”, and his successful, self published e-book, “Body Re-Engineering”. You can visit Hugo Rivera at www.bodybuilding.about.com, at www.HRFit.net, and his new site www.losefatandgainmuscle.com.

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Well that’s about it.  Now you have no excuse to not get your stuff straightened out! :)  Oh yeah, and don’t forget to join the mailing list.
~ms

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Hey what’s up! Matt here.

This is my first *real* post on here and I wanted take a break from working on the program to give you a few quick tips. Actually, just one tip because I am heading off to the gym myself here in a few minutes.

What I really want to address is form relative to the amount of weight you lift. I mean, who hasn’t been in the gym watching some of these guys loading up the bar with 300+ lbs. only to watch them squat a total of about three inches.

This is what we tend to call “ego-lifting”. As in, you load up the weight to impress everyone in the gym rather than actually increase your muscle mass. It definitely looks cool, I can’t argue with you there. But it is pointless. Moreover, its actually counterproductive instead of actually building bigger muscles.

And just for the record, most of the girls I talk to could care less about how much weight you can lift as long as you look good naked.

But hey, that’s another story(s)

Anyway, point being, don’t do this! If you allocate only one day a week to doing squats, and you do them wrong every time you go lift, you won’t build any muscle at all. Nor will you burn any fat. So mostly, you are just wasting your time (and possibly money).

Now I can hear you saying “so what is the right way then? Enough will all this.” Well, aren’t you in luck, because I just happen to know how! And I intend to cover it in depth in the course when it comes out. But in the mean time, I found some youtube videos of the three major lifts (you should be doing a lot of these!) and thought I would post them here for you guys to watch. So take a look:

Bench:

Deadlift:

Squat:

Hey I’m off. Don’t forget to join the mailing list. See you soon!

~ms

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