The Truth About Building Muscle
Copyright & Disclaimer
- Copyright & Disclaimer Before beginning any new exercise, nutrition or dietary supplement
program you should consult a physician first. The information presented
herein is not meant to treat or prevent any disease or to provide the
reader with medical advice. If you are looking for specific medical advice
then you should obtain this information from a licensed health-care
practitioner.
This publication is intended for informational use only. Sean Nalewanyj
and www.MuscleGainTruth.com will not assume any liability or be held
responsible for any form of injury, personal loss or illness caused by the
utilization of this information. The individual results obtained from the use
of this program will vary from person to person and we make no
guarantee as to the degree of results that you will personally achieve.
This publication is fully copyrighted and does not come with giveaway or
resale rights. You may not sell or redistribute this report. It is reserved
solely for MuscleGainTruth.com members. Copyright and illegal
distribution violations will be prosecuted.
© 2007 - www.MuscleGainTruth.com - All Rights Reserved
2007 - www.MuscleGainTruth.com - All Rights Reserved
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The Truth About Building Muscle
Table Of Contents
Table Of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
5
Chapter 2: The Muscle-Building Philosophy
20
Chapter 3: Structuring The Perfect Workout
36
Chapter 4: Optimum Muscle-Building Nutrition
80
Why Do Muscles Grow?
Intensity and Progression
Why Less is More
The 3 Components Of A Successful Workout
The 5 x 5 Warmup
Pre-Workout Stretching
The Hypertrophy Phase
Duration
Volume
Exercise Selection
Machine or Free-weights?
Resting Between Sets
Ideal Rep Range
Rep Speed
Proper Breathing
The Cool Down Phase
Frequency
Taking 1 Week Off
Total-Body Training
Leg Training
Arm Training
Strength Imbalances
Lifting Straps
Socializing
Choosing a Training Partner
Anabolism Vs. Catabolism
5-7 Meals Per Day
Calories
Protein
Carbohydrates
Glycemic Index Chart
Fiber
Fats
Water
Alcohol
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24
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118
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Table Of Contents
Chapter 5: Supplementing For Massive Gains
126
Chapter 6: Critical Feeding Times
177
Chapter 7: Muscle-Building Myths Uncovered
193
Chapter 8: Proper Rest & Recovery
207
Chapter 9: Closing Words
225
Protein Supplements
Whey Protein
Meal Replacement Powders
Protein Bars
Creatine
Glutamine
Multivitamins
Essential Fatty Acids
CLA
N02
ZMA
Tribulus
Caffeine
HMB
Methoxy
Taurine
BCAA's
Chromium Picolinate
Citrulline
Ecdysterone
Myostatin Blockers
Tyrosine
Carnitine
Morning Nutrition
Pre-Workout Nutrition
Post-Workout Nutrition
Pre-Bedtime Nutrition
Myths #1-15
Sleep
Injury Prevention
Taking Time Off
Training With An Injury
Training When You're Sick
Taking a Day Off
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133
136
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The Truth About Building Muscle
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 1: Introduction
Here's the scenario…
It's late at night. Most of the neighbourhood is asleep, but I'm still awake, sitting at my
computer desk. It's been a long day, and I'm feeling pretty relaxed with my headphones
on and a nice glass of ice water to my left. I finish answering the remainder of my emails
and have successfully completed my list of tasks for the night. I'm not feeling super-tired
just yet, so I decide to stay up and surf the web for a little while longer.
Sitting comfortably in my reclining leather computer chair, I cruise on over to my
favourite online supplement store. My supply of multivitamins is getting low, so I decide
it's time to re-stock. I toss 3 bottles into my online shopping cart and pay the imaginary
clerk with a few clicks of my mouse (isn't the Internet great?). I'm about to leave, but on
the way out something catches my eye. It's a banner advertisement for an online
bodybuilding program. The title reads:
"Renegade Bodybuilding Guru Discovers Revolutionary, Never-Before Seen,
Underground Anabolic Muscle-Growth Breakthrough!"
Uh huh, yeah, right. I'd been involved in the bodybuilding and fitness scene long enough
to pinpoint a false promise when I saw one. I decide to pay this website a visit just out
of plain curiosity...
*Loading Homepage*
The title at the top reads:
"Learn The Shocking, Never-Before-Seen, Underground Muscle-Growth Secrets
That Will Literally Force Your Body into Anabolic Overdrive And Will Allow You
To Gain 30 Pounds of Steroid-Like, Rock Solid Muscle Mass in 30 Days or Less!"
I can't help but chuckle to myself as I read though the page.
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The Truth About Building Muscle
Chapter 1: Introduction
Although I'm fully aware that this website is nothing more than, well, a giant load of B.S,
I do quietly admit that this fellow is quite the online salesman. The website is extremely
well organized and put together. His writing style is equally as impressive; entertaining
and witty, but also very convincing.
I scroll down the page and begin reading through the sales letter. As I get farther and
farther down the page, the humour that I once saw turns to contempt. I start to feel
frustrated with the incredibly misleading message he's putting across and the false-hope
that he is pounding into his readers' brains. What is he doing that is so terrible?
Well, He's lying. He's lying straight through his teeth, and he's taking people's hardearned money in the process.
A giant "Click Here To Order!" link is sprawled across the middle of the page.
I quickly realize that there are probably quite a large number of people falling for this
scam, and I become quite angry at the thought of it. I realize that the people who are
buying into this far-fetched marketing hype are people just like me.
The "me" of years back, that is.
Who is the "me" of years back? I'll tell you who. The me of years back was a weak,
skinny and unconfident person who couldn't stand looking at his body in the mirror. The
me of years back wouldn't take his shirt off, didn't like going to the beach, and walked
around with the painful self-conscious awareness of being the "skinny" kid. The me of
years back would have done anything to become bigger, stronger and more muscular,
but he didn't know where to start or whose information to trust.
Eventually, he gained enough confidence and courage to make a change. He began by
dedicating every ounce of his energy toward literally consuming and digesting every
piece of available bodybuilding literature he could find.
After countless hours of research, the most important thing he came to realize was that
building muscle was NOT as complicated as all of the so-called “gurus” were making it
out to be. In fact, it was actually very straightforward.
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The Truth About Building Muscle
Chapter 1: Introduction
There were no magical routines or secret supplements; all it took was the consistent
application of a few proven, basic principles. He then put his newly gained knowledge to
use, and didn't once look back.
So here I was, 80 pounds of solid body weight heavier, sitting in the dark, reading about
this so-called "bodybuilding guru" and his "Anabolic Muscle-Growth Breakthrough
Program."
I started thinking deeply. I envisioned all of the aspiring muscle-builders out there,
desperately plugging away in gyms the world over, hopelessly tossing weights around,
searching for that "magical" formula that would yield massive muscle gains.
Some of them would achieve impressive results and would be able to confidently say
that the effort they put in was proportionate to the changes they saw in the mirror.
Many others (actually, most others) would not find the same success. Most others would
lift until they were blue in the face, would battle through the sometimes unbearable burn
of contracting muscle fiber, would literally dedicate every inch of their being to packing
on some new muscle weight, and at the end of the day their mirrored reflection would
remain the same. How can this be?
"Renegade Bodybuilding Guru Discovers Revolutionary, Never-Before Seen,
Underground Anabolic Muscle-Growth Breakthrough!"
That's why. It's because the world of bodybuilding information is corrupt.
Good old-fashioned hard work, patience and perseverance in the gym has been taken
over, attacked and destroyed by an over abundance of miracle programs, secret musclegrowth pills, fancy, chrome gym equipment and straight-up lies.
Angry, frustrated and motivated to change this, I double clicked the "Microsoft Word"
icon sitting on my desktop. I took my headphones off. I shut my door. I pulled my chair
up extra close to my keyboard, and I began to type. At the top of the page, in big, bold
writing, I wrote…
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Page 7 of 229
The Truth About Building Muscle
Chapter 1: Introduction
The Truth About Building Muscle.
By Sean Nalewanyj.
I started writing.
I wrote, and wrote, and wrote some more. I went to bed that night. I woke up, and I
began writing once again. I wrote, and wrote and wrote some more. I revised. I edited. I
added. I took away. And then I wrote some more.
A year later I was finally finished.
What you're about to read is the bare-bones truth. I'm not going to purposely fill your
head with all sorts of scientific, biological jargon to make this program sound "high-tech"
or "revolutionary".
Quite the contrary, actually.
The goal of this book is to put the muscle-building process into perspective and to
provide people with a simple, step-by-step system based on logical, proven principles.`
Whether you're fat, skinny or just somewhere in between, the basic muscle-building
methods still remain the same. Using this program, you will safely and efficiently build
muscle, gain strength, burn excess body fat, and accomplish all of this as quickly as your
body will allow.
Some of this information you may already know, and some of it may be completely new
to you. Regardless of what you currently know or don't know, I can assure you this:
there is something here for everyone.
Do you want to learn the truth about building muscle? Well, here it is…
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The Truth About Building Muscle
Chapter 1: Introduction
The Real Introduction
I've been sitting here for a quite a while trying to think of a clever way to kick off this
book. I've been exploring deep and into the farthest corners of my brain, searching for
that perfect combination of words and phrases to fully encapsulate everything that this
book is about.
I'm thinking to myself, "wow, this book is really going to be something. Whoever is
reading this is going to be absolutely captivated. They'll laugh. They'll cry. This book will
become a part of them. By time they finish reading, they'll be so absolutely inspired and
affected that they won't know what to do."
That was me 10 minutes ago.
10 minutes later, I realize that I can't accomplish this. Why not? Well, it's because the
information that I'm getting ready to write about is nothing special or super-exciting to
begin with. My goal in writing this book is to make things simpler for you, not more
complicated.
So, that's exactly what I'm going to do.
I'm not going to try and dazzle you with fancy words like "protein mRNA transcription" or
"muscle sarcomere hypertrophy." I'm not going to write every sentence with plays on
words, clever, witty jokes and flawless University level English.
I'm going to teach you everything you need to know, plain and simple. Everything you
need to know, and nothing more. As Bruce Lee said…
"Absorb what is useful. Discard what is not."
By the time you finish reading through this book, the concept of building muscle size and
strength will make sense. And when it finally makes sense to you, you'll realize just how
straightforward it really is. Contrary to what most people believe, building muscle is
simple.
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The Truth About Building Muscle
Chapter 1: Introduction
I'm not saying that it's easy, but learning the proper methods and techniques to gaining
muscular size is actually fairly straightforward. The problem is that since there is such an
enormous amount of muscle-building information out there, it is extremely difficult for
the average weightlifting beginner to know where to start.
The seemingly endless heap of bodybuilding theory and science makes it nearly
impossible to differentiate between the good information and the bad information, and
believe me, there is a lot of bad information out there. This causes the majority of
people to start off on the wrong path and waste valuable time and energy in the process.
No one can blame them, because it's so easy to get caught up in this infinite whirlwind of
bodybuilding misinformation, from books to magazines to the Internet. It's so easy to
get confused of this routine or that routine, which exercises work and which ones don't,
which foods to eat and which ones to avoid.
The list goes on and on until you are eventually led to believe that building muscle is an
infinitely complex process involving rocket science precision and an intimate
understanding of human physiology.
I mean, that's what it takes to build muscle, right? Wrong!
It continues to amaze me how misguided the majority of people are when it comes to
gaining muscular size. The reality of it all is that this ultimate goal is much more
straightforward than most people make it.
So if you are one of those people who has fallen victim to muscle magazines and socalled "miracle supplements", think again. Building muscle is not a complicated process.
It is a very difficult practice to actually execute, however, understanding the basic
guidelines to increased muscle mass and strength is an entirely different matter.
What would you think if I told you that the basic principles for gaining muscle size and
strength are the same today as they were back in the 1950's, 40's and even 30's? Well,
you'd probably think I was crazy.
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The Truth About Building Muscle
Chapter 1: Introduction
It would seem obvious that with all of the rapid advances in sports science and workout
techniques things could only be getting better. However, if you look a little bit closer at
the overall idea behind building muscle, you will quickly discover that this is not the
case.
While some areas of bodybuilding (such as proper nutrition and supplementation) have
allowed today's lifters to make faster gains than those who trained years before, a lot of
areas have actually gone downhill. Fancy chrome gyms, super-high-tech workout
machines and bogus bodybuilding magazines have blinded many of today's hopefuls and
have prevented them from making the gains they deserve.
The first thing we must do as an opening to this book is to cleanse your mind of every
piece of inaccurate bodybuilding information you have learned up to this point. We must
purge all of the unnecessary nonsense that is confusing you and pushing you farther
from your goals rather than closer to them.
Although I know this probably isn't true, and may come as a bit of an insult:
YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT BUILDING MUSCLE!
There, that's better. Don't be angry; just accept the above statement as if it were the
complete and total truth. This way we can work with a clean slate and you can be
completely open to what I tell you.
You should not be asking questions such as "why can't I do this?" or "the huge guy at
my gym said to do this." Yes, some people do achieve impressive gains in muscle mass
and strength using their own unorthodox methods, but these are simply the people who
have superior muscle building genetics and will grow no matter how they train.
The principles outlined in this book are aimed at average people with average genetics
that are looking to pack on the greatest amount of muscle that they possibly can and in
the shortest period of time.
And I know how hungry for success you are right now. I can literally feel your musclebuilding hunger oozing through these pages.
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The Truth About Building Muscle
Chapter 1: Introduction
Are you ready to set all of your fears and inhibitions aside? Are you ready to take your
body to limits you never thought possible? Are you ready to blast your entire body into a
gigantic spurt of muscular growth? Are you ready to finally be happy with your reflection
in the mirror?
Perfect!
That's what I love to hear, and that's what I am here to help you accomplish. Anyone
who is willing to make that commitment and put their body to the test deserves success.
I am here to equip you with what I believe to be the absolute best muscle-building
techniques available so that your hard work and perseverance pays off in its fullest, and
so that all of your muscle-building goals are met.
I can completely relate to anyone who is new to the weightlifting scene, and I want you
all to follow the same path that I did…
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The Truth About Building Muscle
Chapter 1: Introduction
A Little Bit About Myself
My name is Sean, and before I ever picked up a dumbbell I was nothing more than an
average skinny guy with a far-off fantasy of being huge. I was never happy with my
body, and all my life it had taken a toll on my confidence and on the way that I viewed
things. I didn't like taking my shirt off or going to the beach because I was embarrassed
about my weight and was afraid of being looked down on.
If there was anything in my life that I wanted to change, it was that. I felt so weak and
small compared to everyone around me. I did the whole "hiding behind baggy clothes"
trick that most skinny guys do, even though I knew what was hiding underneath. Maybe
I wasn't as small as I imagined, but it didn't matter.
In my mind I was nothing. I would always whine and complain to myself thinking, "why
can't I just be average?" Forget about being huge and muscular, I just wanted to feel
like I wasn't a toothpick compared to everyone else!
Then one day it hit me.
As I was looking in the mirror, unhappy and unsatisfied, something inside my head just
sort of snapped.
I was absolutely sick and tired of being so preoccupied with my scrawny little body and
decided that I could no longer continue this way.
I started thinking really deeply about how badly I wanted to become bigger, stronger
and more muscular. I realized that there was no reason to continue living my life this
way, and that I could never achieve true happiness until I looked the way that I wanted
to look.
I thought back to the seemingly endless days where I walked around with my confidence
in the dumps, doing everything I could to avoid showing people my body. I could
remember the jokes and insults that I endured from my classmates, and the profound
effect it had on my self esteem and on my outlook on life.
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The Truth About Building Muscle
Chapter 1: Introduction
In that very moment, I took the leap of faith and made the conscious decision
to change.
I started envisioning what my new body would look like: ripped, muscular and defined.
I imagined the startled looks on my friends' faces as they stared in disbelief at my new
physique. I envisioned the attention I would get from women and could hear them
saying "flex your arm for me!" I thought about how amazing it would feel to put on a tshirt and feel the sleeves hugging my newly developed arms.
Once I was able to create a clear mental image of the body that I wanted to achieve and
could literally feel success at my fingertips, my mind took a 180-degree turn.
This was it, I was really going to do this. I had made the decision and there was no
turning back. I was going to prove everyone wrong and show them exactly what I was
made of.
If I truly wanted to be happy with my body then quite clearly the only way of
accomplishing that would be to use my own power to change it. There is nothing more to
it than that.
I decided that no matter how hard it would be, how much work it would take or how
much pain and discomfort I would have to endure; I would achieve my goal of becoming
huge and muscular.
That night I began researching, and let me tell you, there is a lot of bodybuilding
information out there. The key for me was to differentiate between the good information
and the bad information, and then put it to use. I literally spent hours each day soaking
up every piece of bodybuilding literature I could find. I read anything and everything I
could get my hands on to find out what the absolute best methods of building muscle
were.
A lot of my earlier days were a complete trial and error process, but eventually I was
able to narrow it down far enough to figure out what worked and what didn't.
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The Truth About Building Muscle
Chapter 1: Introduction
The thing that I came to realize most from all of my research and training experience
was that building muscle was actually pretty straightforward.
I realized that there were no top-secret routines or magical supplements, just a few
basic principles, which, if applied consistently, produced amazing results.
A couple of months went by, and I had gained 12 pounds. My arms had also increased
by an inch. The feeling was surreal. I could not believe that I was actually beginning to
see and feel a difference in my body. I was actually able to look in the mirror and see my
muscles becoming larger and more defined as each week passed.
Not only that, but my friends and family were beginning to take notice as well. As soon
as those first 10 pounds came, I knew I was hooked for life.
I now weigh in at a lean and muscular 195 pounds.
I cannot even begin to describe the feeling of transforming my physique from weak and
skinny to strong and muscular as a result of my own hard work and perseverance.
To go from being thin and underweight to having people asking me for bodybuilding
advice is a feeling that can only be experienced to understand. My life has completely
changed for the better now that I have pursued bodybuilding.
No matter where I go or what I do, I am always able to walk around with my head held
high. I get comments from people all the time who cannot believe the gains I was able
to make in such a short time, and without the use of steroids. I am able to wake up
everyday, look in the mirror and be overcome with a feeling of pride, knowing that I was
able to change my body through my own effort and determination. That's the beauty of
it. The satisfaction of reaching your goals is a feeling unlike any other, and is something
that you must accomplish in order to understand.
Well, what are you waiting for?
The world is full of people with unrealized potential. You only live once, and there is no
reason to continue living your life unhappy with the way you look.
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The Truth About Building Muscle
Chapter 1: Introduction
Your body is what houses your entire being, and when you are happy with your body,
that feeling of satisfaction and pride will carry over to every other aspect of your life.
You have all of the power you need to change buried inside of you. All you must do is
realize that potential and then put it to use. If you truly want something, then go out
and get it! I have no sympathy for a person who wants to accomplish something, has the
potential to do it, but chooses not to.
I mean seriously, let's make it count this time. Let's put all the pissing and moaning
aside and get to work. Let's stop wishing we were muscular, and get muscular.
You really do have the potential to do this.
Reaching your goal of bigger, stronger muscles is simply a matter of having the right
knowledge (the reason you bought this book in the first place), and then systematically
applying it, over and over and over again. Combine that with patience (Rome was not
built in a day) and perseverance, and you can't not be successful.
I won't lie to you; it is very hard work. I heard a quote once and it said, "Building muscle
is one of the simplest things to understand but one of the most difficult to implement."
It's so true, and is something that you must be willing to face and conquer.
Building muscle is hard!
Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is a straight up liar.
Any advertisement you read for a book, magazine, workout gismo or miracle pill that
tries to portray the muscle-building process as a walk in the park is simply misleading
you and trying to steal your money.
The job of this book is to deliver the truth. The truth is that building a significant amount
of muscle is a difficult task, and will require you to face large amounts of physical
discomfort in the gym and to constantly feed yourself with proper nutrients, week in and
week out.
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Page 16 of 229
The Truth About Building Muscle
Chapter 1: Introduction
It is all too common to see those who go to the gym for a few months and then simply
quit. I would guess that around 95% of people who embark on the journey to physical
greatness fall far short of what they had hoped to accomplish. One of the biggest
reasons for this is that most people don't really know what they're doing. They read
some bogus routine in their favourite muscle magazine, train 2 hours a day, 6 days a
week, and then can't figure out why they aren't getting results. They end up tired and
frustrated with little to nothing to show for their efforts, and soon enough they give up
for good.
This is also what makes reaching your bodybuilding goals such a huge taste of victory;
knowing that while others are failing and giving in to laziness, you're sticking it out and
becoming the best that you possibly can.
Don't become a statistic! Become a success story!
The beauty of it is that all of your passion and drive for success can be put to the best
use possible. Why? Because I am going to show you exactly what you need to know to
get the best results you possibly can.
By reading this book you will have a very significant edge over those who choose to go
about it their own way. You won't have to endure a strung-out trial and error process or
waste any of your valuable time on routines and diet plans that simply do not work. I will
literally save you hundreds of hours of painstaking research and will lay the entire
muscle building process out for you in a simple, easy-to-understand lesson plan.
You will learn in detail about all of the most important principles when it comes to
building muscle such as overload and progression, training intensity, the most efficient
workout techniques, proper nutrition, supplementation, recovery, and everything in
between.
By the end of this book you'll know exactly what you need to do to build the greatest
amount of lean muscle mass that you possibly can and in the shortest period of time.
From there on it will simply be a matter of executing the knowledge that you have
gained, and that is the hardest part by far.
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The Truth About Building Muscle
Chapter 1: Introduction
You can have all the knowledge in the world but without the ability and inner-strength to
apply that knowledge you will get nowhere, and very fast. I can fill your head with all of
the best muscle-building information possible, give you a flawless workout schedule, set
you up with a highly-effective diet plan and motivate the hell out of you, but without
100% passion on your part you will not make the gains you are looking for.
In the end it all comes back to you, and to the decision that you have made.
So before we get started on the “knowledge” portion of this book, you must make
yourself a promise. Right now, as you read this, you must promise yourself that you will
succeed at all costs. You must promise yourself that no matter how difficult your journey
gets (believe me, it will get difficult), or how tempted you are to give up, that you will
dig down deep and press forward.
This is the only way that you will truly reach your goal of increased muscle mass and
strength. There is absolutely no room for giving in and slacking. I transformed my body
through week after week and month after month of the same repetitive application of a
few basic principles.
Yes, the journey got hard, and there were times when I thought about packing it in. All I
can say is that giving up would have been the worst decision I ever made. Instead, I
reached deep within myself and remembered just how badly I wanted to succeed. I
remembered staring in the mirror, unhappy and unsatisfied with the way I looked. So
instead of throwing in the white towel and giving up, I pressed forward and continued
with my hard work.
This is the same attitude you must apply, and is the only attitude that guarantees
success. It's all about passion, and without passion you have nothing. Take the leap of
faith. Make a change. Get that dream body that you deserve.
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The Truth About Building Muscle
Chapter 1: Introduction
Building muscle is not about working hard; it is about complete
domination of every situation! It is not about trying to be the best; it is
about total and utter disgust for anything else! It is not about training
intensely; it is about willingly blasting your muscle fibers to their
complete and utmost limits! This is it. Do you want to build some
muscle? I mean, do you want to build some serious muscle? Well you
can, and this is your chance. Starting right now. The fact that you have
purchased this book tells me that you really want this and that you are
willing to put in the time and effort to learn how. So pay close attention
and let me teach you. You have made the conscious decision to change,
and you have promised yourself that you will follow through.
Let's get started.
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Page 19 of 229
The Truth About Building Muscle
Chapter 2: The Muscle-Building Philosophy
Chapter 2: The Muscle-Building Philosophy
Okay, it's time to begin. Hopefully by now you're motivated, pumped and ready to build
some serious muscle. Unfortunately you'll need to spend some time learning how to
build serious muscle before you attempt to do so. You would never build a house without
blueprints, and this situation is no different.
The purpose of this first section is to introduce you to some very important principles
and ideas in an effort to mold your basic overall muscle-building approach. This book is
much more than a bunch of random sets, reps and exercises tossed together; it is a
holistic muscle-building philosophy. We are going to look at muscle-growth from its most
basic roots, and this will allow you to see just how simple and straightforward this
process really is.
Now, before we get started, let me just say that I don’t claim that this is the only way to
build muscle or that the principles that I outline are the be-all-end-all of the bodybuilding
game. There are literally an infinite number of approaches out there, and each has its
own unique advantages and disadvantages.
What I am presenting to you is what I personally believe works best, and I base this on
the following:
1) My own personal results
2) The hundreds of hours of research that I’ve conducted on the subject
3) The results that I’ve seen in others following these principles
4) The general consensus among many top level experts
5) The fact that it makes the most logical and rational sense
These 5 factors combined have led me to support and preach everything that you are
about to read. It is to my belief the most effective, efficient and logical approach to
building maximum muscle size and strength in the shortest period of time possible.
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I can honestly say that I believe anyone who follows this program as it is outlined will
see dramatic, impressive changes in their body. The only way that this approach will not
work for you is if you don’t properly apply it.
If you do properly apply it, consistently and with dedicated focus, results are virtually
guaranteed, and I truly do believe that. So while this may not be the only successful
approach to building muscle, and while there may be many different approaches out
there that do deliver solid results, I believe that the approach you are about to learn is
without a doubt the best way.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get down to business!
The very first thing I would like to do is talk about a very simple concept, and one that is
often overlooked. It’s the most basic question one can ask, and is infinitely important to
understand during your quest to increased muscle mass and strength…
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Why Do Muscles Grow?
Did you ever really think about that? Do you even know why they grow? How can one
possibly put together a solid weight-training program if they do not even know the
answer to this basic question?
Well, to tell you the truth, no one really knows for sure the exact science behind muscle
growth. The precise biological steps involve all kinds of complex reactions that no one
has quite uncovered yet. Don't worry about that, because in the grand scheme of things
understanding the nitty-gritty biological processes involved in muscle growth really isn’t
worth your time. It is the concept of muscle growth that is another matter, and is
something that you should definitely be aware of and understand.
Think of it this way: every single action and process that goes on within your body is
centered around the ultimate goal of keeping you alive and healthy. You see, we humans
tend to think of ourselves as such incredibly important beings who are here to serve
some great purpose on earth.
Now I'm not saying that's not true, but as far as mother nature is concerned, we are
here for one thing: to stay alive and healthy so that we can pass on our DNA and procreate. It's that simple. Through thousands of years of evolution the human body has
evolved and created natural alarm systems in response to stress in order to ensure our
survival.
Think about it:
a) when you haven't eaten you feel hungry.
b) when you haven't drank you feel thirsty.
c) when something harms your body you feel pain.
d) when you're out in the sun you acquire a tan.
The action of muscle growth, scientifically known as "hypertrophy", can be viewed in
exactly the same way.
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When you go to the gym, you place your muscles under stress by lifting weights. Each
repetition closer to muscular failure (the point at which your muscles “give out” and no
further work can be performed despite your best efforts) creates deeper inroads into the
muscle fiber and causes what are called "micro-tears". In other words, you are
voluntarily inflicting damage on your muscles by "breaking down" the fibers. Your body
will perceive this as a potential threat to its survival and will react accordingly.
The moment you leave the gym your body will begin repairing these tears. Since the
ultimate goal is to keep you alive and healthy, the body will rebuild the muscles bigger
and stronger in order to protect itself against a possible future threat.
Micro-tears through resistance training -> Repairing of damaged muscle ->
Increased size and strength as a natural evolutionary response
It's a simple concept, but crucial to understand. It's very similar to the way that the
body builds calluses on the skin from overuse. Think of excess muscle tissue as one
giant “body callus”.
What conclusion can we draw from this?
In order for muscle growth to occur, your body must perceive the work
performed in the gym as a threat to its survival.
This concept is absolutely crucial to understand and implement. So naturally if your
workouts must be perceived by your body as a threat to its survival, then the more
intensity you train with, the greater results you will achieve.
Now pay attention. Although you have just begun learning about the basics of muscle
growth, it is already time to share with you the absolute most important principle in the
entire muscle growth process. It's actually two separate ideas, but they both go hand in
hand. This principle is what muscle growth is ultimately based upon, and is absolutely,
positively critical to understand and implement if you want to see real results. Gaining
muscle is all about following this law, and you will only get the results you are looking for
if it is put into practice…
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Intensity and Progression
You see those two words up above? Consider those your two new best friends. In fact,
say it out loud 10 times so that the words are tattooed on your brain and you will not
forget their importance.
Every single thing you do in the gym should be focused around the law of
intensity and progression.
Let me explain this all-too-important principle.
1) Intensity: The amount of effort exerted by the muscles on each given set of each
given exercise.
2) Progression: Consistently increasing the amount of weight lifted or the number of
repetitions performed on each exercise.
I cannot possibly stress the importance of this principle enough. It is one that is often
overlooked and is the main reason why most people do not see the results they are
looking for. Your muscle-building success in the gym completely depends upon the law of
intensity and progression. This law is at the very root of the muscle growth process.
The Law of Intensity and Progression simply states that in order to build muscle, we
must:
a) Train with enough intensity and effort on each given set in the gym in order to trigger
an adaptive growth response from the muscles.
b) Progressively increase the workload from week to week by either increasing the
weight lifted or the number of repetitions performed for each exercise.
Let’s break it down…
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Intensity
As I stated before, in order for the muscles to grow they must perceive the stress placed
upon them in the gym as a threat to their survival. Therefore it is only logical that in
order to achieve 100% of your potential growth, you must train with 100% intensity.
When you enter the gym, it should be as if you are going to war.
There is nothing more to it than that.
There is absolutely no room for slacking or laziness here. If you truly want to add a
considerable amount of muscle mass to your frame, you must be prepared for the
inevitable discomfort that is associated with high intensity resistance training.
You began reading this book in the hopes of building some serious muscle, and now you
must be prepared to do what it takes to achieve that. The plain reality is that you will not
make significant increases in muscle mass and strength unless you train at a level that is
at (or very close to) your maximum potential effort.
Instead of "100% intensity", I should have more accurately said "100% controlled
intensity". The goal here is not to completely annihilate your body until you can't get out
of bed in the morning. You will be putting forth a large amount of effort every time you
train, but obviously this falls within certain limits. The idea of 100% intensity is simply
this…
Every set that you perform in the gym must be taken to the point of concentric
muscular failure.
Concentric Muscular Failure: The point at which you are unable to complete an
additional positive repetition of a given exercise despite your greatest efforts.
Side note: there are two basic phases to every exercise that you perform in the gym: the
“positive” (concentric) and the “negative” (eccentric). The concentric portion is the “lifting” phase,
such as the pressing motion of a pushup or the pulling motion of a chin-up.
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The eccentric portion is the “lowering” phase, such as the lowering motion of a pushup or the
lowering motion of a chin-up. When we refer to “concentric muscular failure”, are talking about
being unable to perform an additional positive repetition.
For example, let’s say you’re performing a set of bench presses. Your spotter helps you
un-rack the weight and you begin your set. The first rep is easy to perform, the second
is a bit tougher and as you continue the set each repetition becomes increasingly harder.
By the time the 5th rep comes you’re pushing with all of your strength in order to make
the bar move. After a hard struggle you finally crank out that 5th rep, and now you
attempt a 6th rep. You lower the bar back down to your chest and begin pushing. Even
though you are pushing as hard as you possibly can and with 100% of your effort, the
bar will not budge and another repetition cannot possibly be performed despite your
greatest efforts to continue the exercise. Your spotter helps you re-rack the weight.
You’ve just successfully trained to muscular failure.
This is point cannot be overstressed! If you want a significant amount of muscle growth
to occur, you must take every single set that you perform in the gym to the point of
concentric muscular failure.
Remember, your body does not want excess muscle. This is an unnatural state, as we
were meant to be lean and smaller framed. Muscle is a metabolically expensive
inconvenience for the body to deal with.
Why do you think it is that when a person stops training, their excess muscle tissue is
broken down for use as energy?
It's because your body wants to get rid of it! My point?
YOU MUST FORCE MUSCLE GROWTH UPON YOUR BODY!
In doing this, you will leave your body with no other choice but to increase the muscles'
size and strength in order to protect them from a possible future attack.
Don't you see? Muscle growth is all about adaptation to the environment.
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So put your muscles in a downright uncomfortable, painful environment so that they
have no choice but to adapt and grow.
If you are completely new to weight training then it will definitely be a good idea to ease
yourself into the gym and gradually build up your training intensity. The goal here is not
to kill yourself, but to safely push your body to its limits. It is very important that you
always utilize proper form and make sure that your joints and connective tissue are not
being stressed too heavily.
Once you have learned the proper form for each exercise and have given your body a
chance to adjust, you can then begin to stretch your limits a bit. It will also be difficult to
mentally deal with the discomfort that is associated with training to failure when you first
start out.
I'd now like to explain the second part of the law of intensity and progression…
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Progression
Although intensity and progression basically go hand in hand, this is without a doubt the
most important part of the whole equation. Let's see if you can figure out why
progression is so infinitely important by presenting a basic analogy…
Envision a building. A 7.0 earthquake hits and the building is severely damaged. Workers
rush to the scene to repair the damage that has been done and to protect the building
against a possible future earthquake. Sure enough, a 7.5 earthquake hits and the
building is once again broken down. The workers return and repair the building once
more. Only this time they rebuild it even larger and stronger to protect against any
possible future earthquakes. Now an 8.0 earthquake hits…
Do you see where I'm going with this?
In order for the muscles to continually increase in size and strength, they must be
presented with greater and greater amounts of stress each workout. As I said before,
muscular hypertrophy is centered around the body's natural reaction of adapting to the
environment. Therefore, in order for the body to become larger and stronger you must
continually and systematically increase the amount of weight you lift or the amount of
repetitions you perform each week. In doing this the body will continue to adapt and
grow to the ever increasing stress.
Think about it; if you were able to squat 200 pounds today, and were still using the
same weight 3 months from now, do you think you would have experienced any
considerable gains in muscle size during that time?
Of course not.
Your body would have adapted itself to squatting 200 pounds and will only become
larger and stronger when it is presented with a workload beyond that capacity.
This is why it is so unbelievably important that every single time you set foot in the gym
you have your plan of attack in mind.
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You should know exactly what you accomplished in the previous week and what you are
striving to achieve this week.
Since the ultimate goal of everything you accomplish in the gym is progression, then
quite clearly the entire basis for building muscle is to build strength. I truly believe that if
there is one important piece of advice to take away from this book, that is it.
You absolutely, positively will not experience any appreciable gains in muscular size
unless you focus on increasing your strength on each and every exercise you perform.
This is a universal law of muscle growth and applies no matter what type of approach
you choose to implement in the gym.
The more you progress, the larger your muscles will become. This is the number one
reason why most people don't experience the size gains they are looking for.
You see, it's all about getting better each week. If you were trying to become a skilled
guitarist, would you stick to playing one single song for months on end? Of course not.
You'd learn how to play one song, and as you got better and better your mind and
fingers would adapt to harder and harder songs. As you continually adapted to songs
with higher and higher degrees of difficulty, your overall skill as a guitarist would
increase.
Get it? Got it?
Good.
Here's what usually ends up happening: the average lifter goes to the gym on chest day
and aimlessly performs his various presses and flyes without taking note of how much
weight he lifted or how many repetitions he performed. A month later he is completely
oblivious to the fact that he is still bench pressing the same weight for the same reps
and yet he still can't figure out why his chest isn't responding.
Remember, if you continually present your body with the same stimulus week after week
your muscles will have no reason to grow.
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Instead, you must focus on making small, continual increases in the weight you lift or
the repetitions you perform each week, and in doing this your body will steadily grow
larger and stronger. This should be your entire focus in the gym. You should be paying
attention to the weight you use and reps you are performing with laser-like accuracy.
Every time you enter the gym the first thing you should be thinking of is:
What did I do last week?
What must I do this week in order to improve upon last week?
This is the ultimate bottom line.
No progression = no growth.
You now understand that the more you can progress, the greater your muscle mass will
be. However, it is extremely important that you realize that strength is not gained
overnight and should be increased at a gradual pace. Sure, squatting 5 extra pounds
may not seem like a lot in the short term, but over time these small increases will
equate to massive gains in overall strength.
By simply increasing the squatting poundage by 5 pounds or a few reps each week you
can see how much this adds up over time. With the proper focus, one could increase
their squat by 75 pounds in just a 4-month period. While the body's response from week
1 to week 2 would be relatively small, week 1 to week 16 would yield a huge response in
size gains. This is why it is so absolutely crucial that you pay close attention to the
amount of weight you lift each week and continually strive for improvement.
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Keep in mind that the example above is for someone who has never seriously trained
before. The amount of time you have been training with weights and the degree of size
and strength increases you receive are inversely proportional. That is, the longer you've
been training, the slower your improvements will come. You will always experience your
best gains in the first 3 or 4 months of training, and they will gradually slow down after
that.
Write It Down!
I don't care how incredible your memory is or how much you insist that you "keep
everything in your head", you absolutely must keep a written record of every workout
you perform. By doing this you will have a visual representation of the exact weight you
used and reps you performed in the previous workout.
This is an extremely powerful tool and will enable you to progress as fast as you possibly
can. By keeping a written record versus just remembering, you will be much more
motivated to increase your weight and reps since you'll have to hold yourself
accountable if you fail to do so.
I know from my own personal experience that I slapped the most amount of muscle onto
my frame and saw the greatest gains in strength when I began keeping a detailed record
of each and every workout.
It is also extremely motivating to be able to look back at previous weeks of training and
have a concrete visual of the increasing weight and repetitions. I've made this whole
process a bit easier on you by providing all of the workout sheets you'll need. Everything
is laid out in an easy-to-follow manner and will allow you to very easily track your weight
and reps on every exercise you perform.
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Why Less is More
With all of this talk of mind-blowing intensity and discomfort you must have come to the
conclusion that you will need to spend countless hours in the gym, week in and week out
in order to achieve your goals. You've probably painted a mental picture of yourself
endlessly slaving away against the weights twice a day, six days a week. I mean after
all, the more time and effort you put into something the more you will get out of it.
Building muscle must be no different, right?
The answer to that question is a gigantic, definite, absolute NO! In fact, in order to
achieve optimal muscle gain results you will only need to spend roughly 1% of your total
available time in the gym!
Sound too good to be true? Believe it.
I know what you're thinking…
"But Sean, you said that in order to achieve 100% of my potential growth, I need to put
forth 100% intensity!"
That is absolutely correct. However, when I said "100% intensity" I was in no way
referring to the actual volume or duration of work you would be performing. Instead, I
was talking specifically about the amount of total effort you would exert for the limited
amount of work that you’ll actually have to perform.
How limited?
Roughly 3-4 hours per week.
You see, when it comes to weight training for size, more is certainly not better.
You are not going to the gym with the intent of completely annihilating your muscles, set
after set, until they fall off. The idea is simply to yield an adaptive response from the
body and not a thing more.
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When you train with weights you are simply "sparking" the muscle growth process. Once
your body has been put into an adaptive position where it will be forced to respond to
the stress placed upon it by rebuilding the muscles larger and stronger, you have done
your job and any further stimulation will be counter productive and a waste of time and
effort.
From there on it is simple a matter of providing your body with the raw materials
(nutrients) needed to facilitate growth, a topic which will be covered later on.
In order to build muscle you must provide your body with sufficient recovery
time in between workouts!
I cannot stress this enough. When trying to add muscular weight, recovery is absolutely
crucial. If you try to push your body beyond its ability to recover, you will be digging a
deep whole that will move you farther away from your goals rather than closer to them.
You must forget the traditional thinking of "more is better." It's sometimes difficult to let
go of, but this notion simply does not apply to bodybuilding. This is the number one trap
that almost all beginning lifters fall victim to.
They assume that the more time they spend in the gym, the better their results will be.
And who could blame them? In almost every other aspect of life this holds true. The
more time you spend practicing on the golf course, the better golfer you will become.
The more time you spend jamming on your guitar, the better guitarist you will become.
The more time you spend studying for a test, the better you’ll perform.
When it comes to building muscle, this basic and accepted logic definitely does not hold
true. The average beginner spends countless hours in the gym hoping to pack on the
pounds and instead ends up with taxed joints, a beaten down immune system, rampant
fatigue, a deep nutrient deficiency and little, if any muscle growth to show for it.
Do not become a victim of overtraining!
Highly intensive workouts tax the mind and body much more heavily than most people
know.
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It only takes a few sets of a few basic, proven exercises in order to see the best results
you possibly can. Forget about all of the crazy "secret" techniques some lifters
implement such as pre-exhaustion, drop sets, giant sets; these are simply unnecessary
and a waste of time. The real techniques for building maximum muscle mass are actually
very straightforward.
A very influential figure in my muscle-building research is a man by the name of Mike
Mentzer. Mike was a former pro bodybuilder and a huge proponent of low volume, high
intensity training. I’ll sum this section up with a quote from one of Mike’s seminars that
always stuck with me…
“The goal is NOT to see how many sets you can MINDLESSLY endure, but to intelligently,
knowingly, rationally, logically do ONLY what nature requires to activate the growth
mechanism”
Amen.
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Chapter 2 Review
You now know that muscle growth is a product of the body's natural reaction of adapting
to the environment. In response to muscular tears brought on by resistance training, the
body will repair the muscles larger and stronger in order to protect against any possible
future threat.
Since muscle growth ultimately occurs because of the discomfort resulting from weight
training, then naturally the higher the intensity we train with, the more dramatic our
gains will be.
Although we must train as hard as our bodies will allow by taking every set to the point
of concentric muscular failure, we must also understand that training intensity and
volume are directly related. This means that since we are training with 100% effort, we
must limit the amount of time we spend in the gym and only perform as many sets as
are necessary. In doing this we can prevent the chance of over-training and will allow
our bodies to make steady, consistent progress.
This is extremely important, because progress is the ultimate deciding factor between
those who make significant gains and those who make modest gains. In order to
consistently achieve greater and greater size and strength gains we must focus on lifting
slightly more weight or performing slightly more repetitions from week to week. Keeping
a detailed written record of every workout is the best way of efficiently accomplishing
this.
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Chapter 3: Structuring The Perfect Workout
Chapter 3: Structuring The Perfect Workout
You've now learned the basic principles and ideas behind muscle-growth and have
formed an overall framework for your bodybuilding approach. By simply understanding
the principles and ideas in the previous section you are already light-years ahead of your
average muscle-building hopeful who is oblivious to these basic ideas and does not truly
understand what he is trying to accomplish in the gym.
It is not enough for me to merely say "do this exercise, for this many reps, for this long,
for this day, blah blah blah, etcetera, etcetera." Sure, there are specific guidelines you
will need to follow in the gym, but while I'm teaching you what to do in the gym, I also
want to help you understand why you're doing it.
Building muscle is not just about following set-in-stone numbers and exercise
procedures, it is about understanding how to make your muscles grow and why certain
approaches work better than others.
The last chapter taught you about the basic principles, but they branch off into some
more detailed guidelines that you must also understand and implement. It's now time to
get specific and talk more in detail about how your workouts should be structured. In
order to be successful you must follow these guidelines exactly as they are laid out.
These are what I consider to be the most effective workout methods available, and if you
follow them closely you will be greatly rewarded…
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Chapter 3: Structuring The Perfect Workout
The 3 Components Of A Successful Workout
1) 5 x 5 Warm-up (15-20 minutes)
This is the first component of the workout and is designed to prepare your mind and
body for the hard work to come. A successful warm-up will increase your strength and
decrease your chance of injury. This component should consist of 5 minutes of low
intensity cardiovascular exercise followed by 5 sets of low intensity weight training.
2) Hypertrophy Phase (45-60 minutes)
This is the main component of the workout and is designed to trigger your body's
adaptive growth mechanism by placing your muscles under stress. Every single thing
that you do during this component of the workout is aimed at one task and one task
only: stimulate new muscle growth. This will be accomplished by performing anywhere
from 8-12 high intensity muscle-building sets.
3) Cooldown (5-10 minutes)
This is the final component of the workout and is designed to relax your muscles and to
help eliminate metabolic waste products created during the hypertrophy phase.
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The 5 x 5 Warmup
A solid warm-up is the first component to any successful workout. Before you move into
the hypertrophy phase and perform your muscle-building sets it is absolutely imperative
that you prepare your mind and body for the work to come.
By doing a proper warm-up you will greatly decrease your chance of injury (an injury is
the absolute last thing you want) and will ensure that your muscles are ready to deal
with the heavy weights and hard work you will be inflicting on them.
The honest truth is that 95% of lifters in the gym are dead wrong in the way they warmup. Some people avoid a warm-up altogether (a costly mistake) while others simply have
no clue what they're doing. In fact, the majority of people warm up in such a fashion
that they actually decrease the quality of their workouts and prevent themselves from
pushing the maximum amount of weight they are capable of.
A solid warm-up should take about 15-20 minutes to complete. I know it isn't the most
enjoyable thing in the world, but trust me, when an injury takes you out of the gym for 3
months you'll wish you had taken those few extra minutes to warm up.
Now remember, a warm-up is just that, a warm-up. In no way should you be fatiguing
your body during this period. The entire basis of building muscle is to lift the greatest
amount of weight that you possibly can and for as many reps as possible. This is why it
is absolutely crucial that your muscles are at 100% strength when the hypertrophy
phase comes. If you feel that you are getting even slightly tired or that you are draining
strength from your body, you must ease up and take things a bit slower.
The first component of a proper warm-up is to perform 5 minutes of light cardiovascular
activity. I personally choose the stationary bike, but any basic piece of cardio equipment
will do. This will gradually raise your body's core temperature and will increase blood
flow to your muscles. It will also stimulate your heart and lungs and increase your body's
secretion of "synovial fluid" which will lubricate your joints and assist in injury
prevention.
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As you are performing this simple cardio warm-up, envision the workout that lies ahead
of you. Think about the muscle groups you'll be training and the intensity you'll need to
put forth in order to achieve a successful workout. Since you already know the amount
of weight you'll need to use for every exercise it will be easy for you to visualize the
entire workout taking place and to create a clear mental picture of yourself successfully
performing each lift. It's very important that you prepare your mind and body, since
your mental attitude plays such a vital role in the success of your workouts. If you are
not mentally prepared to workout, your performance will surely suffer.
As you finish your 5 minutes of light cardio, make sure that your mind is psyched and
ready for war. If you feel tired on any given day (which is bound to happen) take a
minute or so to sit down and rid yourself of all negative thoughts and fears about the
work to come. Remember your purpose in the gym and the self-promise that you have
made. It is inevitable that on certain days you simply won't feel like working out, as this
has happened to me on numerous occasions. Just remember that no one reached their
muscle building goals without overcoming obstacles. If you are truly committed to the
mission at hand then you will be able to rise above this natural feeling of laziness and
deliver an intense and successful workout.
After your 5 minutes of cardio you will move on to the second part of the warm-up
process: weight acclimation. This is where you will take your first major compound
exercise of the hypertrophy phase (we’ll discuss exactly what a “compound” exercise is
later on) and perform 5 low intensity sets, gradually building up to your maximal
working weight.
For example, if you were training legs on a certain day then you would use squats as
your warm-up exercise (don’t worry, all of the warm-up exercises are outlined in the 26week workout plan). Weight acclimation will prepare your muscles for your all-out,
muscle-building sets without causing any fatigue or loss of strength in the process.
Let me give you an example of how most people warm-up, and why this method, known
as "pyramiding", is completely illogical and downright counterproductive. We'll use the
bench press as an example…
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Let's assume this person, we'll call him Stupid John, maxes out using 260 pounds for 5
reps. Stupid John starts his workout by loading the bar with 135 pounds and cranks out
a quick 15 reps. He rests a few minutes and then ups the weight to 175, performing
another 10 reps. Stupid John then moves up to 200 and performs 8 reps. He is starting
to feel fatigued, but continues building up to his maximum weight. He removes the 10's
and 5's and slaps on another 45 to each side of the bar, making for a total of 225. He
gets his training partner to spot him as he pumps out 7 reps. Stupid John is feeling great
and starting to get a nice pump in his chest (we'll discuss "the pump" later on) as he
moves the weight up to 245. He squeezes out 6 hard reps, re-racks the bar and prepares
for his first muscle-building set. Stupid John loads the bar with 260 pounds and using all
of his effort, barely manages to squeeze out his 5 reps.
So, what was wrong with this method? I mean, John got a great warm-up, didn't he?
Yes, he did, but at an extremely costly price.
By the time John reached his first muscle building set, he had already prematurely
fatigued his muscles and had drained out his strength from the previous ones. This
ultimately sacrificed the amount of weight he could lift and therefore compromised the
amount of stress he could place on his muscles.
Why in the world would John want to fatigue his muscles before performing his musclebuilding sets? I mean, the "warm-up" sets he performed were not aimed at building
muscle, correct? He was using a weight well below his maximum potential, and was not
training to failure.
So what were these sets for? Why would he want to drain his strength on a bunch of sets
that will do extremely little to nothing for muscle growth?
As I said before, a warm-up is just that, a warm-up. It is so absolutely crucial that you
do not fatigue your muscles whatsoever during these sets. They are simply performed to
increase blood flow into the target muscles and surrounding connective tissue and to fine
tune your mind-muscle connection.
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In doing this you will gradually build up your body's tolerance for the heavy weights to
come, thereby increasing your strength and preventing the chance of injury.
You must avoid useless sets at all costs!
Every single time you pick up the weights and perform a set it should be for a damn
good reason. If you are not training with the ultimate goal of building muscle then you
are simply wasting your time. As you perform every set in the gym you should know
why. So, let's look back at the warm-up process and see what Sensible John would have
done in this same situation...
Sensible John would have started off by loading the bar with 130 pounds and performing
a smooth, controlled set of 10 reps. He would rest a couple of minutes and then up the
weight to 155, cranking out 6 easy reps. Sensible John would make sure not to fatigue
his muscles whatsoever during these sets, as he knows they serve only to warm up his
muscles and to prepare them for his first muscle-building set using 260 pounds. Sensible
John then moves up to 185 pounds and performs 4 reps. After a few minutes of rest he
pumps out 3 reps using 210 pounds. Sensible John then finishes his warm-up by
performing a single rep with 240.
He has now increased blood flow into his muscles and connective tissue and maximized
his body's nerve-muscle contractions without causing any fatigue or loss of strength. He
can now safely move into the hypertrophy phase of his workout at full strength and
100% intensity. His muscles are still fresh and ready to lift as much as they possibly can
as he slaps on an extra 10, 5 and 2.5-pound weight onto each side of the bar and gets
ready to perform his muscle building set using 260 pounds.
However, instead of only performing 5 reps, he is now able to perform 7 reps. That's
correct, by performing a proper warm up without fatiguing the body you will actually
increase the amount of weight you are able to lift and thereby maximize muscle
stimulation.
This warm-up seems like a lengthy process, but keep in mind that you will only perform
a warm up set for your first exercise of each major muscle group.
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Since compound exercises stimulate the use of more than one muscle group, this will
mean that you perform even less warm up sets.
For example, if you are training chest/shoulders/triceps, you will only need to perform a
warm up for your first major chest exercise, since all basic chest presses also stimulate
the shoulders and triceps. The same can be said for the back in relation to biceps as well
as quadriceps in relation to the hamstrings.
Remember, you must avoid useless sets at all costs and focus all of your energy on
maximum weight, muscle-building sets. The hypertrophy phase is the only component of
the workout that is directly aimed at stimulating muscle growth. You should complete a
total of 5 weight acclimation sets in order to fully prepare your muscles for your musclebuilding sets.
Here is a basic chart you can use to calculate your warm-up weights. The first column is
the amount of weight you should use for each warm-up set (given as a % of the weight
you will use for your muscle-building sets). The second column is simply the number of
reps to perform with that weight.
You don't need to become a mathematician or bring a calculator to the gym, and a few
pounds off will definitely not be a big deal. Don't get stressed out about getting these
percentages dead on. Estimate as best you can or simply calculate the numbers and
write them down before you go to the gym.
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Stretching As Part Of The Warm-Up: Is It Really Necessary?
For years we've been told about the importance of thoroughly stretching our muscles
before we exercise. It has been said that a proper stretching routine will significantly
decrease your chances of injury and will keep you flexible and limber.
Conventional wisdom isn't always correct, and I think the importance of stretching is a
bit overrated. Studies are now showing that stretching provides absolutely no benefit as
a pre-workout warm-up. In fact, some studies have actually shown that stretching your
muscles before you workout can actually increase your chance of injury as well as
decrease your strength.
The goal of building muscle is to lift as much weight as you possibly can in a given rep
range, so you can see why you'd want to have your strength peaked before you pick up
the bar.
A proper warm-up should consist of light cardiovascular activity followed by progressive
resistance training just like the method described on the previous pages. This is the most
efficient and effective way to prepare your body for the work to come and will do the
best job at keeping you injury-free.
So there you have it: a simple, easy-to-follow method to efficiently and effectively warm
up before beginning your muscle-building sets. Do not underestimate the value of this
procedure! It is extremely important and will not only decrease your chances of injury
but will also maximize the amount of weight you'll be able to lift. It should only take 1520 minutes to complete when finished you can move right into the main section of your
workout:
The Hypertrophy Phase.
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The Hypertrophy Phase
This is the most important section of the workout and should be performed with one goal
and one goal only: stimulate muscle growth. The hypertrophy phase begins with the
completion of your first muscle-building set and ends with the completion of your final
muscle-building set.
Instead of simply throwing a workout schedule at you and saying "go do this," I think it's
very important that you gain a true understanding of why your workouts are structured
the way that they are and how to properly perform them. To accomplish this, I am going
to go through each individual component of the hypertrophy phase and teach you
exactly how it should be performed and why.
Duration
The hypertrophy phase should last no longer than 60 minutes.
No, this is not some random number that I dreamt up out of the blue. It is a number
derived from basic human biology.
Why 60 minutes?
There are a multitude of reasons why you should aim to complete your muscle-building
workout within this time frame. This 60-minute period does not include warm-up sets,
but comes into play beginning with your first muscle-building set and ends with the
completion of your final muscle-building set.
As I said before, the ultimate goal is to simply "spark" muscle growth using the least
amount of volume necessary and in the shortest amount of time. Highly intensive
training is extremely taxing on the body and it is simply unnecessary and downright
counterproductive to spend extended periods of time in the gym.
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After about 45 minutes of strenuous exercise, the body releases a powerful catabolic
hormone called "cortisol" which begins to stimulate the breakdown of muscle tissue for
use as energy. If you are aiming to gain and preserve as much muscle as possible then
you must avoid cortisol's negative effects like the plague. The longer you continue to
train as this powerful hormone is circulating in the bloodstream, the greater its negative
impact will be.
In fact, after just 30 minutes of intense training your mental focus and intensity will
begin a rapid downhill slide. This is why 60 minutes is the optimal time frame to
complete this phase. It is long enough to complete all of the assigned exercises and sets
but not so long that the negative effects of cortisol and other catabolic hormones will
have any significant negative impact on your muscle gains. As the hypertrophy phase
drifts beyond the one-hour mark, you will be doing yourself more harm than good.
Your body will have stepped outside its optimal hormonal state, your muscles will be in a
state of breakdown and you will be eating further and further into your all-too-important
recovery time. Since mental focus and intensity will be also be very low, you will be
increasing your chance of injury as well.
Not only is it physically beneficial to complete the hypertrophy phase within 60 minutes,
but it also serves mental benefits as well.
Building muscle is all about efficiency.
It is about completing the required work in the most effective manner and in the least
amount of time. It is much easier to mentally deal with a short, explosive workout rather
than one that drags on endlessly. You will be able to enter the gym, know the mission at
hand, blast out the required sets and go home. You will not have to prepare yourself for
a marathon workout lasting hours on end. Since you know there is a set timeframe to
complete this phase, it will force you to take full advantage of each and every set you
perform.
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Volume
For maximal muscle gains, perform 5-7 total sets per workout for large muscle
groups and 2-4 sets for small muscle groups.
Large muscle groups are the chest, back and thighs (Although thighs consist of
both the quadriceps and the hamstrings, they are always trained together and
we’ll be considering them as one major muscle group.)
Small muscle groups are the shoulders, biceps, triceps, upper traps, abs, calves
and forearms.
When I talk about "workout volume" I am simply referring to the total number of
muscle-building sets that you will perform for each specific muscle group for each
workout.
Using this training system, you will be performing anywhere from 5-7 sets for large
muscle groups and 2-4 sets for smaller ones. Remember, this is total sets per workout,
not total sets per exercise. For example, if you were training chest, you might perform 2
sets of bench presses, 2 sets of dumbbell presses and 2 sets of dips, for a total of 6 sets.
You would NOT be performing 5-7 sets of bench presses, 5-7 sets of dumbbell presses
and 5-7 sets of dips. This is total sets for the entire workout with all exercises combined.
And remember, this does not include warm-ups!
As stated many times before, this training system is based upon efficiency. The truth of
the matter is that as long as your hypertrophy phase is performed with 100% intensity
and all sets are taken to true concentric failure, the muscles simply do not require very
many sets in order for growth to be stimulated.
Excessive workout volume is extremely common among lifters and is one of the major
pitfalls that beginners make. The clueless beginner is stuck with the idea that "more is
better" as he reads the muscle magazines filled with articles such as "Mr. Olympia's Killer
Bicep Routine" or "10 tips for massive traps". He then proceeds to pump out 15 sets of
barbell curls and dumbbell shrugs and can't figure out why he isn't growing.
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Wake up and smell the coffee! Do you remember why muscles grow in the first place?
The goal is simply to yield an adaptive response from the muscles by presenting them
with a workload they have never experienced before. Once this has been done, any
further stimulation will be useless!
If you go too far over the edge, you will actually take away from your gains. In fact, did
you know that there is currently no research proving that a second set of any given
exercise provides additional benefit to the first one? That's correct, 1 set of each exercise
may be all you need to see the best gains of your life. This system uses slightly more to
ensure complete stimulation, but many serious lifters have experienced their best gains
with extremely minimal workout volume using only one set per exercise.
So why is it that every time I go to the gym I see the same misinformed people, week in
and week out, slaving away on endless sets of bench presses and barbell curls? It's
because they are simply misinformed! Well, I am here to inform you, and the plain fact
is that 5-7 sets is the most you will need to perform for large muscle groups, and 2-4
sets is the most you will need to perform for smaller ones.
Forget about all those 25 set workouts you did in the past, where you performed 5 sets
of 5 different exercises. You are not at the gym to run a muscle-building marathon. You
are there to convince your body to grow by training with a high level of intensity on a
few basic, controlled sets. Believe me, if you train with the amount of effort that you
should be, your body will not require very much convincing.
Your workouts are about quality, NOT quantity. How much will each specific muscle
group require?
Well, there isn't really one absolute number that is set in stone. It may vary slightly
depending on certain workouts, but since I'm going to lay all the workout schedules out
for you, you won't have to worry about this. It may not sound like a lot now, but once
you're in the gym training as hard as you possibly can, you will be physically unable to
complete any additional work.
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Exercise Selection
To stimulate as much muscle as you possibly can, you must focus on heavy,
compound movements.
There are 2 main types of exercises that you can perform in the gym:
Compound Exercises: Multi-joint movements which require the use of more than one
muscle group (i.e. squats, deadlifts, bench presses)
Isolation Exercises: Single-joint movements which only require the use of one muscle
group (i.e. tricep pushdowns, dumbbell raises, bicep curls)
Choosing the right exercises is definitely one of the most important decisions you will
make in the gym, and again, another gigantic mistake most lifters make. It's kind of a
contradiction for most. They are in the gym to work hard and stimulate their bodies to
grow, yet they choose the easiest and least uncomfortable exercises to try and
accomplish this.
They'll do lat pulldowns instead of chin-ups, leg presses instead of squats, machine flyes
instead of barbell presses or cable rows instead of barbell rows.
Does anyone see anything wrong with this picture?
Remember, the ultimate goal of lifting weights is to convince your body that it is in lifethreatening danger. A simple little machine flye will definitely not accomplish this.
I'll bet if muscles had a mind of their own, they'd be laughing hysterically at these
pathetic wimps trying to choose the easy way out. Give me a break. If you want real
gains, train like a real man. And training like a real man means choosing the proven
meat and potatoes exercises which have packed the most pounds onto skinny frames
than any other. I'm talking about the basic compound movements…
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- Squats
- Deadlifts
- Bench presses
- Barbell rows
- Chin-ups
- Overhead presses
- Dips
- Lunges
- Leg Presses
Don't worry if you aren't familiar with some of these lifts, as they are all laid out for you
in the exercise database.
Isolation lifts do have their place in a solid lifting routine, but most certainly not in place
of the basic compound exercises.
Why?
The basic compound movements will allow you to lift the greatest amount of total
weight, will stimulate the greatest amount of total muscle fiber, and will promote the
highest overall anabolic effect on the body. Consistently adding poundage to these lifts
should be the basis of your entire routine.
Do you think that back in the 1950's they were training with fancy "Cybergenics Multiple
Resistance" machines? No, of course not. Like I said before, the real secret of building
muscle is that there is no secret.
The fact of the matter is that the absolute most effective muscle-building exercises are
the same today as they were back in the 1940's, 50's and 60's. Nothing has changed!
A barbell squat is still the absolute most effective lift for packing mass onto the lower
body, just as it has been for decades. The deadlift, just as it has been for years, is still
the king of all upper body exercises.
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It will also come as no surprise that these lifts are the most uncomfortable to perform. I
guess life is just unfair that way; the greater the reward is, the harder it is to achieve.
Well, tough luck!
As I said before, this system is all about efficiency. These compound lifts, although
extremely challenging to perform, are the absolute most efficient lifts out there. They
will give you the most bang for your buck by stimulating muscle growth much more
effectively than any isolation exercise ever could. Treat these lifts with respect and they
will allow you to reach your goals faster than you ever thought possible.
Once again, since all the workouts will be laid out for you, you won't have to worry about
picking and choosing all the right exercises. Simply go to the exercise selection booklet
included in this package and you will be able to see how all of the recommended
exercises are performed. Each lift will be accompanied by a diagram and written
description.
If you're new to weight lifting, don't be intimidated by the amount of lifts you'll need to
learn. For the most part they are fairly straightforward and after a few workouts you
should have them down pat.
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Machines or Free-weights?
Free-weights are, overall, the most effective tools to stimulate muscle growth,
but machines can still have their place in a solid workout routine.
A lot of hardcore lifters and old school enthusiasts will argue that free-weights are the
only way to pack on serious amounts of muscle and that machines are simply a waste of
time.
While I agree that the basic compound free-weight exercises are certainly the most
effective lifts one can perform in the gym, machines can still have their place.
You see, this course is all about ridding your mind of conventional, illogical thinking. I
want you to forget about chrome gyms with juice bars and cell phones. Instead what I
want you to do is to look at the science of muscle growth from a new perspective, from
outside the box.
As I've said many times before, muscle growth is all about adaptation to the
environment. The fact of the matter is that there are many tools both in and out of the
gym that will stimulate muscle growth. Heavy resistance training is undoubtedly the
absolute most effective way of doing this, however it is not the only way.
Have you ever seen the calves on most hardcore cyclists? What about the biceps on
farmers who stack bails of hay all day? As long as you present the muscles with a
workload that is beyond their capacity, they will always respond to some degree.
I was in the gym the other day and off in the corner there was a young guy performing a
set of trap-bar deadlifts. This is a fairly rare exercise to see nowadays, but is quite
effective at stimulating growth throughout the entire body, much the same as a regular
deadlift does. It is different from a regular deadlift in that the lifter actually stands inside
the bar, which encloses the lifter with its octagonal shape. This allows the exertion to run
directly through the center of the body rather than in front as a regular deadlift does.
Anyway, the point is that this lift is very uncommon and is something you won't see in
the gym very often.
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Another group of guys then walked by as he was performing his set and I heard one of
these young, misinformed lifters chuckle and say to the other "how are you supposed to
get big doing that?"
What a bunch of nonsense.
It's ignorant comments like these that cause the rampant spread of misinformation the
bodybuilding world is currently being attacked by.
What makes a trap-bar deadlift so incredibly less effective than a regular deadlift?
Because the bar is shaped differently? Because they've never seen the lift being
performed before? Because it's not a bench press or a bicep curl?
The point I am trying to make is that muscle growth is not strictly limited to the use of
traditional barbells and dumbbells.
Again, I agree that basic free-weight exercises should be the cornerstone of any effective
lifting routine and that they cannot be replaced in their overall effect on muscle growth
and total body anabolism. They are the most difficult to perform and will yield the
greatest adaptive response from the body possible. Increasing your weight and reps in
the big basic lifts like squats and deadlifts will definitely be your main focus in the gym.
However, certain machine exercises are effective and will have a small place in your
routine. It is simply a different way to stimulate the muscles and if used properly they
can be fairly effective.
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Resting Between Sets
Only perform your next muscle-building set when you feel that you are 100%
recovered from the previous one.
Some programs advocate the use of a 2-3 minute resting period between sets, some use
4-5 minutes, while others say that 1 minute is the optimal time frame. Do you want to
know the real answer?
The real answer is that there is no answer.
You are in the gym with the goal of moving the greatest amount of weight you possibly
can for as many reps as you possibly can. There is no way to assign one absolute period
of time to rest between sets. Sure, having a set time period between sets gives more
organization to the workout and ensures that you can complete all of your exercises in
the targeted time frame, but this is not the best way to make sure that you give 100%
effort on each and every set.
How can you know for sure that you'll be fully recovered and ready for another set in
exactly 2-3 minutes? You can't.
The reality is that some sets will tax you very heavily and force you to rest longer, while
others will not have as great of an effect. It all depends on which exercise you are
performing, how much weight you are moving and how you are feeling on any particular
day.
The key is to listen to your body and perform your next set only when you feel that you
have fully recovered from the previous one and can execute the set with 100% intensity
and strength. Sometimes I rest for 3 minutes and other times I can rest as long as 6 or
7 minutes. After you perform an all-out set of squats to failure you'll know exactly what
I'm talking about!
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Since your workout should last no longer than 60 minutes it is vital that you always
watch the clock to ensure that you are not resting any longer than you need. You must
move around the gym efficiently enough to allow for maximal rest between sets while
still completing the assigned lifts in less than 60 minutes.
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Ideal Rep Range
To achieve the greatest gains in muscle mass and strength, the majority of your
muscle-building sets should consist of 5 to 7 repetitions.
The rep range debate never ends. No matter what you read or who you talk to, everyone
has their own opinion on what the "perfect" rep range is to allow for maximum muscle
stimulation and growth. Well, I'm going to clear up the confusion once and for all and
teach you the truth about choosing an effective rep range for the best results possible.
Although you will be using a different rep range depending on what muscle group you
are training, low-rep sets will be used the majority of the time. Sets that utilize heavy
weight and low reps are without a doubt the most effective means of stimulating
maximum muscle growth and strength gains.
So, the majority of the time, you will be using a rep range of 5 to 7. This means that for
every set you perform, the weight should be light enough that you can complete at least
5 reps using proper form, but heavy enough that you cannot complete more than 7.
If you can only perform 4 reps then the weight is too heavy. If you can perform 8 reps or
more then the weight is too light.
What's so special about 5 to 7, you ask? Well…
1) Each set will only last between 20-30 seconds.
As I've said so many times before, maximizing your muscle gains is all about intensity
and efficiency. By utilizing a lower rep range your sets will only last a short period of
time, allowing you to generate 100% mental focus and intensity. As you already know,
training with 100% intensity is critical to muscle gains and it is much easier to maintain
this level of effort for shorter periods of time. You will not have to psyche yourself up for
marathon sets lasting minutes on end, but rather for a short burst of all out effort lasting
only several seconds.
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2) Muscle stimulation will be maximized.
Our bodies our made up of 2 main types of muscle fiber: slow twitch and fast twitch.
Slow twitch fibers cannot generate large bursts of power and are utilized during
prolonged activity. They have a high tolerance for endurance exercises but do not have
very high potential for muscle hypertrophy.
Fast twitch fibers on the other hand produce large bursts of power and are utilized
during short, explosive movements. They contain a large amount of mitochondria (an
area in the muscle cell where energy is produced) and have the highest potential for
muscle hypertrophy and strength increases.
By utilizing a rep range of 5 to 7 you will tap into these extremely responsive fibers and
this will result in the greatest amount of muscle growth and strength gains possible.
3) Maximal weight can be used.
By using a lower rep range of 5 to 7 you will allow your muscles to handle heavier
amounts of weight. As you already know, building muscle is all about building strength,
and training in a lower rep range is the most effective way to dramatically increase your
strength.
4) Lactic Acid production will be kept to a minimum.
Training in the range of 5 to 7 will also decrease the amount of lactic acid produced in
the muscles. Lactic acid is a metabolic waste product that is produced as the body burns
carbohydrates for fuel. Lactic acid accumulates in the muscle tissue at increased rates
the longer you exercise. By limiting the amount of lactic acid production you will
decrease muscle catabolism (breakdown) and create an environment in the body where
greater amounts of ATP can be generated. This will translate into greater power output
and maximum strength.
Okay, so we've established that most of the time, on most exercises, you will be
performing 5-7 reps. However, this does not apply all the time or on every single lift.
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There are few select muscle groups that should be stimulated using a slightly higher rep
range. These are the calves, abs, forearms and upper traps. As I mentioned earlier, our
bodies are made up of 2 types of muscle fiber: fast twitch and slow twitch. Fast twitch
fibers are utilized during short, powerful bursts, and therefore are best stimulated using
lower rep ranges.
However, the calves, abs, forearms and upper traps are made up predominantly of slowtwitch fibers, and therefore will respond better to higher reps. For this reason, a rep
range of 10-12 will be utilized for these muscle groups. Again, this means that the
weight should be light enough for you to complete at least 10 reps, but heavy enough
that you cannot complete more than 12.
Don't worry about trying to figure out the rep ranges for all of your exercises, as these
are all laid out for you in the 26-week workout plan.
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Rep Speed
The concentric portion of the rep should be performed as fast as possible while
still maintaining control of the weight. The eccentric portion should be
performed in 2-3 seconds.
Rep speed is another highly debated topic and when you enter the gym you'll see lifters
tossing weights around at all kinds of different speeds. Some push the weights as fast as
they possibly can while others stick with the "slower is better" mentality.
To understand the speed at which you should perform your repetitions, you must first
understand the 2 basic phases of lifting a weight:
Concentric (also referred to as the "positive"): When the muscle contracts by
shortening. This is when the muscle exerts force to move the weight against gravity. For
example, the pushing phase of a bench press or the pulling phase of a chin-up.
Eccentric (also referred to as the "negative"): When the muscle is put under
tension as it lengthens. This is when the weight is lowered towards the force of gravity.
For example, the lowering phase of a bench press or the lowering phase of a chin-up.
So, how fast should you perform your reps?
One big error a lot of lifters make is assigning a set speed to the concentric portion of
the rep. Since you'll be training with as much resistance as you can safely handle, the
weight should be heavy enough that you must exert maximum force at all times on the
positive motion. It is extremely important that you are always in control of the weight,
but it makes no sense to say, for example, that each concentric phase should be done in
4 seconds. Obviously reps 1-3 will be performed much faster than reps 4-7. As you get
closer to reaching muscular failure the reps will naturally slow down as you push with all
of your strength and your body's energy stores gradually run out. The rep immediately
before muscular failure may take as long as 7 or 8 seconds to perform. Don't worry
about how long the concentric phase takes to perform, just focus on moving the weight
as fast and hard as you possibly can while still maintaining proper form.
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The eccentric phase is a bit different and can be assigned a basic time frame to be
completed in. Do not underestimate the importance of the lowering phase! In fact, some
studies show that more muscle breakdown actually occurs on the eccentric phase rather
than the concentric phase. The most important factor when it comes to this part of the
rep is that you are in complete control of the weight at all times. Since your muscles are
about 2.5 times stronger on the eccentric phase, you will never reach muscular failure on
this portion of the lift.
That being said, you should aim to lower the weight in 2-3 seconds. You don't have to go
with the super-slow mentality, just make sure that you lower the weight in good form
and in a controlled manner.
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Proper Breathing
On the eccentric portion of the rep, inhale. On the concentric portion of the rep,
exhale.
Breathing properly when you exercise will actually allow you to lift more weight and will
decrease your chance of injury. It is very important that you do not hold your breath
when you lift. Since you'll be training with as much weight as you can handle, holding
your breath will cause a buildup of pressure within the body and could lead to a hernia or
even fainting.
Proper breathing is very simple, but must be correctly performed at all times. The only
thing you really need to know when it comes to this subject is this:
On the negative/eccentric portion of the rep, INHALE.
On the positive/concentric portion of the rep, EXHALE.
For example, if you were performing a bench press, you would breathe in as you lowered
the weight, and breathe out as you pushed the weight up.
That does it for the hypertrophy phase. You're almost ready to go home, but there's one
more thing you must complete...
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The Cool Down Phase
Once you have completed your final muscle-building set, you will move onto the final
component of your workout: the cool down phase. This is a short and simple procedure
that should only take a maximum of 10 minutes to complete.
During this phase, you simply need to perform some basic stretches for the muscles that
you've just finished exercising. Post-workout stretching will increase your flexibility and
decrease muscle soreness. It will also help to clear out metabolic waste products that
were created during your workout, such as lactic acid.
After you've done a thorough stretch for all of the targeted muscles, your workout is
complete! You can now go home, relax and eat.
For the remainder of this chapter I'm going to talk about some other important
guidelines for structuring an effective workout plan. I'll talk about training frequency,
taking breaks, leg training and arm training.
Frequency
Each muscle group should only be directly trained once per week.
Although this principle does not relate to what should be done during the workout itself,
I still thought I would cover it in this section since it is part of your overall workout
structure.
When it comes to training each individual muscle, one week is the optimal time frame to
allow for sufficient recovery and growth. Any more than this is counterproductive and
any less is simply a wasted opportunity.
You already know how crucial recovery is to your success, and you must put this into
practice by ensuring that your muscles have fully recovered before you train them again.
This is so absolutely critical for you to understand.
Recovery is everything!
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Remember, muscle growth does not occur in the gym; muscle breakdown occurs in the
gym. When you train intensely with weights, you are damaging your muscles. It is while
you are out of the gym, resting and eating that the muscle growth process is actually
taking place.
This is the time when your body will be rebuilding the muscles larger and stronger in
preparation for the next workout. It is extremely important that you do not interfere with
this process and allow your body sufficient time to repair and heal itself before you break
them down again.
Many serious weightlifters have accepted this once-per-week training method as a solid
guideline to follow, yet very few actually abide by it.
They know that they should be training each muscle group once per week, but instead
they end up training the same muscles multiple in the same week.
How can this be?
Well, let me review some basic physiology for you to better understand what I am
talking about.
Anytime you perform a basic compound movement (a multi-joint lift) such as a bench
press or barbell row, you are actually going to be using more than one muscle group to
lift the weight. Your body has different pushing and pulling systems that work together
to perform certain movements.
For example, when you perform a bench press you are ultimately trying to stimulate
your chest. However, in order to execute that basic pressing movement, the chest will
also require assistance from the triceps and shoulders. Every movement has its own
unique muscle requirements and you can find all of this information in your free exercise
database.
Here's a very general way of looking at it…
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1) All basic pressing movements for the chest (bench presses, dumbbell presses, dips)
involve the use of the front shoulders and triceps.
2) All basic pulling movements for the back (chin-ups, barbell rows, seated rows) involve
the use of the rear shoulders and biceps.
3) Most basic quad exercises (squats, leg presses, lunges) involve the use of the
hamstrings and glutes.
4) All overhead pressing movements (military presses, overhead dumbbell presses)
involve the use of the triceps.
Do you see where I'm going with this? Let's take a look at a potential training split and
see if you can find out what is wrong:
Day 1: Back/Triceps
Day 2: Chest/Biceps
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Quads/Shoulders/Abs
Day 5: Hamstrings/Calves/Forearms
Day 6: Rest
Day 7: Rest
What's wrong with this picture? Well, Let's break it down:
1) Triceps are being trained three times per week.
2) Biceps are being trained twice per week.
3) Triceps are being trained the day before chest.
4) Biceps are being trained the day after back.
5) Hamstrings are being trained twice per week.
6) Hamstrings are being trained the day after quads.
You see, if you aren't careful and don't plan out your training schedule properly you will
end up with all sorts of nasty “overlap” that will lead to excessive training frequency.
This is a perfect recipe for overtraining, injuries and lack of muscle growth.
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The goal when designing a training split is to group the muscles together in a way that
prevents overlap and stimulates the muscles as infrequently as possible.
Truly hitting each muscle group only once per week is very difficult and most of the time
cannot be achieved. The simple fact is that big compound movements stimulate a lot of
muscle fiber, and you probably will not be able to avoid hitting certain muscles more
than once per week.
Therefore you must simply hit them as infrequently as possible. Luckily for you, all of the
training splits have been laid out in the 26-week workout plan. Because of this you won't
have to juggle all of your muscles together to come up with a training split but instead
can simply follow the workouts that I have devised without having to worry about
overtraining yourself.
Does once per week not sound like enough?
Believe me, as long as you train as hard as you possibly can and take all sets to
muscular failure, hitting each muscle group once per week is optimal to achieve
maximum growth. Recovery is so important to the overall picture and there is no need to
try to annihilate your muscles to the point that they cannot heal themselves. If you start
getting impatient and alter the training schedules I've laid out for you it will be a big
mistake. You must simply go to the gym, "spark" the muscle growth process, and then
go home to eat and recover.
This is also another reason why training with 100% intensity is so important. When you
go to the gym on chest day, just remember that it is the only opportunity you have to
stimulate your chest for that entire week. If you fail to execute a solid workout you'll
have to wait another seven days before you can make up for it.
As long as you train hard you do not need to train often.
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Taking 1 Week Off
After 8 continuous weeks of training, take 1 full week off from the gym.
For those of you who fall in love with your training and can't stand a day away from the
gym, this principle won't make you very happy.
Time off from the gym? Why would you want to do that?
Well, it's fairly simple, and very important to follow. Taking a week off after training for 8
straight weeks is an important part of the recovery process and will prevent you from
hitting sticking points or getting injured.
If you were paying attention in the "why less is more" section earlier on, then you
already know the important role that proper recovery plays when it comes to building
muscle. Highly intensive training places very large amounts of stress on your body and if
you fail to give the muscles adequate time to recover and heal in between workouts you
will end up doing yourself more harm than good. The one-week training layoff will serve
you well in a few different ways.
First of all, it will give your joints and connective tissues a much-needed break. All of
those sets taken to muscular failure will have a negative, cumulative effect on those
delicate joints, and if you aren't careful you may end up with an injury. There are many
ways to prevent yourself from getting injured, and taking time off is definitely one of
them.
Secondly, your immune system needs a break. Training to failure does not just stress
your muscles, joints and connective tissues; it stresses your entire body. After all of
those intense workouts for 8 straight weeks your body will be literally screaming for a
small rest.
The one-week training layoff also serves mental benefits as well. Some of you will enjoy
training more than others, and for those of you who aren't crazy about it a one-week
break will help to keep your focus in the right place.
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You will be able to take a week off, relax and evaluate your progress in the gym. You can
have a full week of lounging and eating instead of worrying about that dreadful leg
workout a few hours away. Taking a week off will help to keep you highly motivated
because by the time that week is over you'll be psyched and ready to head back to the
gym.
Don't worry; while taking time off from the gym may not seem like a good idea, you will
definitely benefit from it. In fact, you'll probably notice that the one-week break will
leave you feeling more energized, stronger and more muscular than you were before.
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Total-Body Training
A huge tendency of people who are just beginning a weight lifting program is to neglect
certain body parts and only train their "showy" muscles. They'll put all of their effort into
select muscle groups that people tend to notice the most such as chest, biceps and abs.
It is very important that you don't allow yourself to fall victim to this ridiculous way of
thinking and instead focus on building every muscle in your body with equal focus and
intensity. The goal is to gain as much muscle size and strength as possible and that
means training your entire body.
For example, why would someone want to put more emphasis on their chest instead of
their back? Is it because the chest and the bench press have somehow become a
landmark for judging muscularity and strength? Is it because the chest is generally
considered to be more sexually appealing to the opposite sex? The reality is that 70% of
your entire upper-body muscle mass resides in your back (your lats, traps, spinal
erectors and rhomboids).
So what makes the chest so much more important? Believe me, having a well developed
back will make you appear much larger and more muscular than a well developed chest
will. I'm not saying that a big back is more important than a big chest, as they both
contribute equally to the overall package.
The point I am trying to get across is that every muscle has its own unique role in
making the entire physique come together, and certain muscles should not be favoured
over others. It is extremely important to try and develop each muscle to its maximum
potential. The biceps are no more important than the triceps just as the shoulders are no
more important than the lats. Focus on developing every muscle equally in order to end
up with a complete and symmetrical body.
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Leg Training
In no area is this lack of training equality more prominent than in most people's legs.
Everyone is so hell-bent on having a wide, thick upper body that they forget about the
other half of their muscles down below. I cannot even begin to stress how costly a
mistake this really is. Lower body training is just as important as upper body training
and if you are too lazy or just don't care about training your legs your entire physique
will suffer.
Instead of rambling on and on about why you should place equal focus on your legs, I'll
simply lay out the points for you to see…
1) It looks ridiculous.
We've all seen it: guys with a massive, muscular upper body who look like they're
walking on a pair of toothpicks. This is an absolutely ridiculous look and takes huge
credibility away from the entire physique. Imagine if the situation were reversed: a wide,
thick and ripped lower-body sitting underneath a small, smooth and undeveloped upperbody. I think you can imagine how terrible that would look.
Being huge means being huge everywhere and it is extremely important that you strive
to remain as balanced as you can from head to toe. Having thick, muscular thighs and
calves is equally as impressive as a thick, muscular chest, back and arms.
2) Your upper-body will benefit.
Still don't feel like training legs? Well, what if I told you that training your lower body will
make your upper body grow as well? You might think it was nothing more than a cheap
tactic to get you into the squat rack, but believe me, it's the truth.
As you already know, building muscle is all about forcing your body to adapt to the
stress placed upon it. If your body feels that it is in potentially life threatening danger it
will respond accordingly by increasing the size and strength of your muscles.
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In no way can this artificial life-threatening stress be more easily achieved than through
a hard, intense leg workout.
Once you start training consistently you'll very quickly find that leg workouts are much
more difficult to perform than any upper body workout. I think it's safe to say that a leg
workout is about twice as hard as a chest workout is. The difficulty of these leg workouts
will have an anabolic effect on your entire body by causing increases in important muscle
building hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone, thus resulting in total
body gains. The muscle gains that you achieve in the gym are not merely a product of
localized growth, but are also a product of overall, total-body growth resulting from
total-body stress.
Remember this the next time you are performing an all-out set of squats (the most
demanding exercise to perform in my opinion). Remember that you will be increasing the
muscle mass in your lower body as well as your upper body. There was a period of time
when I cut leg training out of my program, and boy was I selling myself short! When I
eventually got my head out of my ass and focused on heavy squatting, I experienced a
huge spurt in upper body growth. I probably gained a solid 10 pounds and had stretch
marks on my shoulders and back to prove it!
3) Total-body strength.
Not only does heavy leg training result in upper body size gains, but your strength will
shoot through the roof as well. Heavy leg training produces a total-body "spill-over"
effect that will increase your strength in important lifts such as presses, dips, rows and
chin-ups. Remember, the more weight you can lift, the more muscle you will build. As
you already know, building muscle is all about training for strength and so naturally this
spill-over effect will serve you very well.
If you've already been training for some time but aren't incorporating heavy leg work
into your routine, you'll be pleasantly surprised with the upper body results you can
achieve.
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So there you have it; 3 great reasons to train your legs hard and heavy. If you're just
beginning to workout then this will start you off on the right path, and if you've already
been training for a while then this will get you back on the right path.
The importance of leg training cannot be understated. As much as you might not care
about the size of your legs, they are an extremely important piece of the overall puzzle
and should be trained with equal focus and intensity to ensure maximal gains in totalbody size and strength.
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Arm Training
Another mistake most "newbie" lifers make is placing way too much focus and emphasis
on direct arm movements. They'll slave away on endless sets of barbell curls and tricep
pushdowns in the hope of developing a massive set of guns.
Arms, particularly the biceps, are another area that tend to be given special priority over
everything else. The reality is that building huge, muscular arms has very little, if
anything to do with direct arm movements.
Remember, every pressing movement for the chest and shoulders also stresses the
triceps while every pulling movement for the back also stresses the biceps. The best way
to effectively stimulate arm growth is to focus on heavy chest and back training. By the
time you finish a chest or back workout your arms will have received more than enough
stress to effectively stimulate new growth.
As you progress in weight and reps on your basic upper body compound lifts, your arms
will always follow along. I mean think about it, is it realistic that someone who weighs
160 pounds would have 18 inch arms?
Of course not.
Your arms will not experience any appreciable size gains until you pack a decent amount
of muscle onto your chest and back.
So once again, focus on total-body training and everything else will fall into place.
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Strength Imbalances
Another very important reason to train every muscle equally is to avoid developing
strength imbalances and postural problems. Over-development of certain muscles could
potentially lead to chronic problems that may eventually result in injury.
For example, if someone were to put more emphasis on pushing movements rather than
pulling movements their shoulders would begin hunching forward. This would eventually
lead to a strength imbalance and could cause rotator cuff problems. Or if one was to
neglect abdominal training they would end up with core instability and could very easily
sustain a lower back injury.
Not only is total-body training beneficial to the overall appearance of your body but it will
help to keep you injury-free as well.
It should now be pretty clear to you why total-body training is so important.
You won't have to worry about juggling all of the exercises to balance everything out as I
have already made the workouts for you. All you have to do is make sure you follow
them to a T. This will enable you to make the best size and strength gains possible while
maintaining overall balance and protecting yourself against injuries.
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Lifting Straps
You don't need to buy a lifting belt, workout gloves or lifting chalk, but one piece of gym
equipment I would definitely recommend is a high quality set of lifting straps. For those
of you who are new to working out, these are basically just a set of thick straps which
are placed around your wrists and then wrapped around the barbell/dumbbell. This
eliminates your grip from the equation and allows you to place all of your emphasis on
the targeted muscles.
For example, you could use them for a heavy set of barbell shrugs to focus all of your
attention on the traps instead of worrying about your grip giving out. Straps can be used
on basically every back exercise or any lift where the grip is of concern. They will
definitely increase the quality of your workouts by enabling you to lift more weight and
by shifting the stress to where it counts.
Some lifters argue against the use of straps by calling them a "crutch" and claiming that
they negatively affect the development of grip strength.
So what?
What would you rather have: greater muscle mass in your lats and upper back, or
greater ability to open a jar of pickles?
Take your pick.
Your goal should be to maximize muscle gains as efficiently as possible and straps will
definitely aid you in doing this. Besides, you can very easily incorporate specific
exercises for grip strength if this if of concern to you.
I’m going to close this section out with a couple more important points…
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The Gym is NOT A Place to Socialize!
When you enter the gym, you are going to work. You should not be going to the gym to
chat or socialize with friends. If you aren't careful it is very easy to get side-tracked and
lose your focus. The natural tendency is for your mind to wander and begin thinking
about things other than working out.
As was stated before, your body wants to forget about weight training at all costs. It is
perceived as a threat, and as something that should be avoided. This is why it is
absolutely crucial to maintain 100% focus throughout the entire workout, especially as
you reach the 30-minute mark and beyond, as mental focus and intensity begin to
radically decrease. You must always remember your purpose in the gym.
Why are you there? To break down as much muscle fiber as you possibly can by training
as hard your body will allow.
If you start daydreaming, chatting with a friend or staring at the fitness chick on the
stairmaster, your workouts will surely suffer. Think of yourself as a robot, a machine that
is there to execute the same tasks over and over. After you complete a set, you should
not be thinking about what you did on Friday night. Instead, your mind should
immediately focus on the next set to come. You should be thinking about how much
weight you'll need to use and how many reps you're aiming to perform. You should also
be psyching yourself up for the discomfort that will come with it and make sure that you
are ready to give a full-out effort.
There are plenty of places to socialize, but the gym is most definitely not one of them.
You will only be spending roughly 1% of your time there, so make it count.
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Choosing a Training Partner
A great way to increase your focus and drive in the gym is to have a reliable training
partner; Someone who is there for the same reasons you are and who will push you to
train your hardest.
But be careful, not all training partners are created equally!
This is why it's very important that you make sure this person meets some basic criteria
before you make a commitment to train with them on a regular basis. Make sure that:
1) They are there for the same reasons you are.
It is crucial that your training partner is equally as focused and driven as you are to build
muscle. This way you can feed off of each other's intensity and push one another to train
at their very best. This is a great tool for cranking up your intensity in the gym. If you've
lifted weights before then you know how much harder you tend to train when people are
watching. Having an intense training partner will allow you to maintain that level of
effort and intensity at all times.
2) They see the gym as a place to work, not to socialize.
If this person easily loses focus or spends a considerable amount of time socializing or
zoning out, they are definitely not someone to train with. Someone like this will only
bring you down and decrease the quality of your workouts. You need to have a partner
who is there to perform a job and who will even keep you in check if he/she senses that
your intensity is not as high as it should be. Maintaining 100% focus throughout your
entire workout is extremely important and you must do everything in your power to
ensure that you don't let your mind wander off track.
3) They are reliable.
"Aww man, I don't really feel like lifting today, you wanna go tomorrow instead?" These
words should never come out of your partner's mouth. You must make sure that your
partner is willing to be on time and train on the days you have agreed on.
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The main purpose of having a training partner in the first place is to push you to your
limits, and that means pushing you to train on the days when you'd rather lie on the
couch and watch Seinfeld reruns. Make sure your partner is trustworthy and willing to
train on a consistent basis.
4) They know how to spot.
If I had a dollar for every time I saw someone spot their partner in a completely
ridiculous fashion, I'd be rich. Spotting should merely be used as a safety precaution and
nothing else. Spotters are not there to lift the weight for you!
On countless occasions I've watched spotters assisting the lifter the second the exercise
gets difficult. This completely defeats the purpose of doing the exercise in the first place.
The goal is to reach muscular failure on your own, not with the help of someone else.
When your partner assists you in lifting the weight, all he is really doing is making the
weight lighter for you. There really is no logic behind this, as the entire purpose of the
exercise is to train as heavy as possible for as many reps as you possibly can.
The only time your spotter should be lightening the resistance for you is when you are
just short of locking out on a specific movement and only need a very small extra push
in order to complete that last rep. Other than that, your spotter is there only to ensure
that you are safe so that in the event that something went wrong during the exercise
(such as pulling a muscle) you would be able to set the weights down without getting
hurt.
Having a training partner is definitely not a necessity, but some people benefit greatly
from it. The decision is up to you, but make sure you are careful as having the wrong
type of training partner may do you more harm than good.
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Chapter 3 Review
1) Always perform a proper warm-up consisting of 5 minutes of light cardio followed by
5 weight acclimation sets.
2) Do not allow the hypertrophy phase to last longer than 60 minutes. This phase begins
with the completion of your first muscle-building set and ends with the completion of
your final muscle-building set.
3) Each specific muscle group should only be directly trained once per week. Anymore
than this will result in over-training and will prevent your body from properly recovering
in between workouts.
4) Perform 5-7 sets for large muscle groups and 2-4 sets for small muscle groups. As
long as you train with 100% intensity and effort you will not require any more than this.
5) Your workouts should be based around heavy, compound free-weight exercises.
These movements will stimulate the most muscle fiber and will have the greatest overall
anabolic effect on your body. Machines can be fairly effective as well, but not in place of
the basic free-weight movements.
6) After you have completed a muscle-building set, you should only perform your next
set when you feel that you are 100% recovered and can perform that set with maximum
strength.
7) With the exception of certain exercises, every muscle-building set should consist of 5
to 7 repetitions. This means that the weight should be light enough that you can perform
at least 5 repetitions, but heavy enough that you cannot complete more than 7.
8) On the positive portion of the repetition, move the weight as fast as you can while
still maintaining complete control. On the negative portion of the repetition, lower the
weight in 2-3 seconds.
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9) Breathe in as you lower the weight and breathe out as you lift it.
10) When the hypertrophy phase is complete, take 5-10 minutes to stretch the muscles
you have trained. This will clear out lactic acid, prevent injury and help to maintain
flexibility.
11) After 8 continuous weeks of training, take 1 full week off from the gym. This will
allow your body to fully recuperate and will prevent overtraining.
12) Make sure to place equal focus and intensity on all muscle groups. You should not
be favouring certain muscles over others, but instead should focus on developing your
physique as equally as possible.
13) Purchase a pair of lifting straps and use them for all back exercises or any lift where
the grip is of concern.
There you have it. As far as workout structure is concerned, you've learned everything
you need to know to perform an optimal muscle-building workout.
Forget about all the crazy and innovative techniques you see people performing in the
gym, forget what the "latest breakthrough training method" has to say, and forget about
what you read in the latest issue of your favourite muscle magazine.
All you need to do is consistently follow the guidelines set forth in the previous section
and you literally cannot fail. If you follow these methods to a T you will be implementing
what I believe to be the most effective and scientifically sound workout procedures ever
devised.
The reason is because they use common sense, not random guessing. Behind every
principle lies sound evidence and reason as to why it is so effective.
Why should you train for no more than 60 minutes? Cortisol, catabolism and injury
prevention.
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Why should you train 3 days per week? To avoid overtraining and allow for maximal
recovery.
Why should you focus on compound movements? Because they stimulate the most
muscle fiber and will have the greatest anabolic effect on your body.
You see, this isn't rocket science. I never said that this book would deliver "secret
muscle-building techniques uncovered for the first time in the history of mankind." This
is not a breakthrough, nor is it a secret. I didn't devise these principles myself. In fact,
they have been around for decades upon decades upon decades!
Most people are simply misinformed and have been blinded by the gigantic swarm of
muscle-building nonsense which has misled them and has prevented them from
understanding just how basic building muscle really is. Well, now you know.
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Chapter 4: Optimum Muscle-Building Nutrition
Chapter 4: Optimum Muscle-Building Nutrition
So there you have it. You've learned all about overload and progression, intensity,
workout duration, volume, frequency, rep range, rep speed, exercise selection and
everything in between.
You have some easy-to-follow workout guidelines and the proper knowledge to execute
the best workouts of your life. Now all you have to do is consistently apply these
principles in the gym, sit back, and wait for gigantic gains in muscle size and strength,
right?
Not so fast.
The reality is that everything you've read up until now was only, at most, about 50% of
the entire muscle-building process.
Do you remember what your goal in the gym is?
If you've been paying attention then you'd know that your purpose in the gym is to
break down your muscle fibers in order to trigger an adaptive response from the body.
When you are in the gym you are simply "sparking" muscle growth, but the real magic
takes place when you leave the gym. Your muscles have been damaged, your body is in
a state of breakdown, and the recovery process has begun. Your body is now in a
position where it must adapt to the stress placed upon it by increasing the size and
strength of the muscles.
Increases in muscle size and strength will only take place if the body is
provided with sufficient materials to carry out this process!
It would be physically impossible to construct a house without bricks, and building
muscle is no different.
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Do you remember the earthquake analogy I talked about earlier? Let's go back to that.
Failing to follow a proper nutrition plan would be like rescue builders attempting to
reconstruct the damaged building with inadequate materials.
Remember, not only do they have to repair the damage that has been done, but they
also must construct the building even larger and stronger to protect it from future
damage. How could they possibly do this without bricks, cement and machines? They
couldn't. In fact, it would be physically impossible. Before the building could be properly
repaired it would be hit by another earthquake, only furthering the damage. As long as
the workers were unable to repair it, the building would remain in the same state or
even become smaller and weaker.
Do you see where I'm going with this?
It is absolutely, positively crucial that you feed your muscles with the proper nutrients
needed to facilitate growth. Nutrition is probably the most overlooked aspect of the
muscle-building process and this is the area where most people fail miserably. They go
to the gym and train their asses off, pay little or no attention to when and what they eat,
and then cannot understand why they aren't making the gains they thought they would.
It is very important that you understand that training and nutrition go hand in hand.
They are equally important in the muscle-building process and if either is not up to par,
your gains will either suffer or be non-existent. You can’t have one without the other.
You train to trigger muscle growth, and you carry out muscle growth by eating the
proper foods at the proper times. Highly intensive training places massive amounts of
stress on the body and in order for growth to occur you must ensure that you recover
between workouts.
This means providing your body with adequate amounts of high quality protein,
carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and water, and all at the proper times. Do not
compromise your results by brushing off the nutrition process! It is extremely important!
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If you aren't going to eat properly, then you can forget about making those impressive
gains in muscle size that you promised yourself you would. There is no point in setting
foot in the gym if you are not prepared to fulfill the nutritional needs of your body after
you leave.
In fact, try training without eating properly and see how far you get. You may actually
get negative results, as you'll create a deeper and deeper nutrient deficiency within your
body. A common misconception is that as long as you exercise, it doesn't matter what
you eat.
Nothing could be farther from the truth! If you exercise it matters even more what you
eat!
An active body, especially one undergoing intense resistance training, has much higher
nutritional requirements than the average Joe who doesn't exercise at all. You see, your
body already has nutritional requirements in place simply to sustain life. Natural
processes within your body require a certain amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats
everyday. When you begin training with weights, your body will have to use a large
amount of these nutrients to deal with the damaged muscles on top of its natural
everyday requirements.
Many people consider nutrition to be even more important than what we do in the gym.
Even after you have gained a considerable amount of muscle you will still need to
continue to eat properly to maintain it. If you become lazy and let your diet slip, that
hard-earned muscle will wither away faster than you could imagine. Studies have shown
that as long as proper nutritional requirements are met, the body will preserve its lean
mass for up to 3 weeks. However, if you fail to meet your nutritional requirements,
muscle mass begins to decrease almost immediately. This is yet another reason why
nutrition is so extremely important.
By the end of this section you will be equipped with all of the necessary knowledge
needed to execute an incredibly effective nutrition plan and make the best gains you
possibly can. You'll learn about the importance of calories, as well as the macronutrients:
protein, carbohydrates, fats and water.
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I'll also talk a bit about the detrimental effects of alcohol and why it should be avoided.
The goal of this section is not to teach you everything there is to know about nutrition,
but rather only what you need to know. Everything will be explained in a fairly
straightforward manner and things will not get overly complicated. Now pay attention,
because what you are about to read is critical to your results.
Let's begin.
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Anabolism Vs. Catabolism
Remember at the very beginning of this book when I introduced you to intensity and
progression, and told you that it was the single most important principle to follow in the
gym? Well, now I am going to explain the most important principle to follow when it
comes to nutrition.
It is so absolutely important that you always abide by this guideline, because if you
don't, your gains will be greatly reduced. Just as intensity and progression tie into the
body's natural evolutionary tendencies, so does this one.
Are you ready?
You must supply your body with proper muscle-building nutrients every 2-3
hours!
Read that sentence again. Here's another way of putting it:
Every 2-3 hours you must supply your body with proper muscle-building
nutrients!
Still not sinking in?
Your body should be fed at least every 2-3 hours with proper muscle-building
nutrients!
One last time.
Eat lots, everyday, all the time, at LEAST every 3 hours, even when you don't
feel like it, or you can kiss your muscle gains goodbye!
By now you should be catching my drift.
Constantly supplying your body with proper muscle-building nutrients is so absolutely
critical to gaining mass that it cannot be overly stressed.
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What is so important about doing this?
Well, it all ties into evolution and adaptation. You see, the majority of you reading this
right now are lucky enough to have the privilege of being able to eat whenever you are
hungry. When you don't eat, your stomach growls at you and you feel uncomfortable, so
you pop open the fridge or cupboard to satisfy your body's needs.
But believe it or not, not everyone has this privilege! Our ancient ancestors certainly
couldn't cruise down to the local grocery store and fill their bags with food whenever
they wanted. Food was not a readily available source, and humans had to be able to
endure periods of time with little or no food. So, being the finely tuned and adaptive
organism that we are, our bodies created natural processes to maximize our ability to
sustain life without food.
Like I said before, every single action that goes on within your body is centered around
the ultimate goal of keeping you alive and healthy. One of the mechanisms that has
allowed us to survive for longer periods of time without food is called "catabolism".
Catabolism (in regards to bodybuilding) basically refers to the breakdown of muscle
proteins for use within the body. Remember, your body doesn't know that there is a
plate of steak and potatoes waiting for you in the fridge. If your body is not fed, bad
things in terms of muscle growth begin to happen. Your body is in need of a continual
supply of protein in order to complete its own natural processes and your muscles are
basically a giant protein storage room. If your body does not receive the protein it needs
from the food you eat, it will begin tapping into its storage rooms and break down
muscle tissue to utilize the proteins.
This is not a good thing!
When you are in a catabolic state, a giant red light begins flashing within your body.
Your metabolism slows down, and your body goes into "starvation mode" as a natural
evolutionary response.
You must avoid this state at all costs!
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Instead, you must always ensure that your body is in an anabolic state (fed), in order to
ensure that your muscle proteins are left intact. The only way to make sure of this and
keep the green light for muscle growth flashing is to continually supply your body with
high quality protein every 2-3 hours. Your body will stay out of starvation mode, leave
your hard-earned muscle tissue alone, and continue to build and repair the damage
inflicted from your workouts.
2-3 hours without protein -> Catabolism is triggered -> Muscle size decreases
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5-7 Meals Per Day
Eating every 2-3 hours means that on any given day you will need to consume anywhere
from 5-7 meals. You need to rid yourself of the conventional approach of "3 square
meals a day." From a physiological standpoint, this is definitely not the best approach for
building muscle or for overall health. Eating only 3 times per day leaves huge catabolic
gaps between meals, and will end up forcing your body into starvation mode for long
periods at a time.
As I said before, it's very important to keep your body in an anabolic state where muscle
growth and repair can occur at all times. Because of this it is a much better idea to
"graze" throughout the day and supply your body with a continual stream of nutrients
which can be used to facilitate growth. This means eating 5-7 meals every single day.
I know what you're thinking...
"5-7 meals every single day?! That's impossible! I can't eat that much!"
The key thing to understand here is that when I say "meal", I am not referring to a full 5
course plate filled with steak, mashed potatoes, vegetables, a soup and a salad.
Although you will be eating much more frequently than you are used to, the actual
volume of food at each sitting will be smaller.
For example, one meal might consist of a simple protein shake and a bowl of oatmeal.
Not only will eating frequently keep your body in a muscle-building state throughout the
entire day, but having smaller meals also allows for a much more efficient digestion
process. Your body will be able to easily deal with these small meals and extract full
value from the nutrients consumed. In addition, grazing will keep your fat burning
metabolism raised and will decrease the storage of excess body fat.
I know it sounds like a lot of work, and at first it is. But just like anything else in life,
you'll get used to it. A lot of people complain about this aspect of building muscle and
claim that "they don't have time" to prepare and eat so many meals. Trust me, where
there's a will, there's a way.
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As long as you plan your day out properly anyone can squeeze in at least 5 small meals.
After you've been doing it for a while it will no longer become a chore, but rather a way
of life. Don't worry if you have a small appetite and can't seem to eat very much at one
sitting. The most important thing at first is to make large jumps in the frequency at
which you eat, not necessarily the volume.
As your body adapts to the increased meal frequency, you will then be able to make
small increases in the volume until your total daily requirements are met.
As you can clearly see, nutrition is an absolutely vital part of the muscle-building
process. Even though you'll only spend a few hours in the gym each week, eating
properly is something that must be monitored at every waking hour of the day. Again,
it's not as hard as it sounds and after a few weeks it will no longer be something that
you have to think about, but rather something that you just do.
So, you now know that you must eat 5-7 small meals per day, spaced every 2-3 hours.
Great, but what exactly should these meals consist of? Well, to understand why you will
be eating certain foods and avoiding others, you must first acquire some basic nutritional
knowledge. I'm going to teach you about:
1) Calories
2) Protein
3) Carbohydrates
4) Fats
5) Water
6) Alcohol
You'll learn about the important role (or detrimental role) they play in maintaining a
muscle-building environment within the body and I'll provide you with a simple method
to calculate your daily needs.
Let's begin!
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Calories
Everyone is always talking about calories. Everyone wants to count them and cut them,
and almost every food item we buy has the amount of calories listed somewhere on the
package. But does anyone really know what a calorie is?
Well, simply put, calories are fuel. Everyday our bodies expend a certain amount of
energy, and this energy is derived from the calories that we consume through our diet.
Factors affecting the rate of calories burned include activity level, body temperature,
body type and the amount of lean muscle mass we posses.
Our bodies receive calories by consuming the 3 major macronutrients: protein,
carbohydrates and fats.
1 gram of Protein = 4 calories
1 gram of Carbs = 4 calories
1 gram of Fat = 9 calories
The most important thing to understand when it comes to calories and building muscle is
this:
In order to gain muscular weight, you must consume more calories than you
burn!
This is nothing more than simple mathematics. If you burn more calories than you
consume, you will lose body weight. If you consume the same amount of calories that
you burn, your bodyweight will stay the same. So obviously in order to gain muscular
body weight your caloric intake must exceed your caloric expenditure. If you fail to
consume more calories than you burn, you will NOT gain weight, plain and simple.
This doesn't mean that you can gorge yourself on big macs (which contain about 560
calories each), ice cream cones and potato chips and expect to see great results.
You'll gain weight all right, but not the kind of weight you're looking for! The majority of
the weight you would gain from eating those foods would be fat.
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Remember, not all calories are created equally, and in order to see increases in lean
muscle mass you consume the right types of calories. What do you think would be a
better approach to building muscle, consuming 150 grams of fat or 150 grams of
protein? Here’s the bottom line when it comes to calories…
1) The raw number of calories that you consume each day will determine whether you
gain weight, lose weight or maintain the same weight.
2) The types of calories that you consume will determine what kind of body weight you
gain, whether it be fat, water or muscle.
So the key for you is to consume more calories than you burn and from the proper
muscle-building sources.
How many calories should you consume each day?
The basic idea when trying to figure out your daily caloric intake is this…
1) Determine your caloric maintenance level, that is, how many calories you require
daily in order to simply maintain your weight.
2) Add 300-500 calories to your maintenance level. This will create the necessary caloric
surplus within your body to facilitate muscle growth.
There are many different methods that can be used to determine this, and in this section
we're going to examine 3 of them...
1) The Basic Multiplier (least accurate)
2) The Harris-Benedict Formula (more accurate)
3) The Katch-McArdle Formula (most accurate)
Any of these 3 methods is acceptable in the majority of situations, but for the most
accurate reading, methods #2 and #3 are probably best.
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On the following pages I'm going to explain each individual method and how to use it in
order to determine your daily caloric intake.
1) The Basic Multiplier
Although this is a very straightforward and basic method, in the majority of situations it
will work just fine for average trainees with average body types.
The Basic Multiplier is simply a matter of multiplying your current bodyweight by a set
number. In order to create a caloric surplus that supports muscle growth, this usually
means around 17-20.
Your Bodyweight x 17-20
So if you weigh 150 pounds, it would look like this...
150 x 17 = 2550
150 x 20 = 3000
Daily caloric intake should be 2550-3000 calories.
It's really that simple. The drawback to this method is that it doesn't take into account
individual factors such as lean body mass, height, sex or activity level. For those who do
not have an "average" build (starting more on the overweight side or more muscular
side) and who do not have "average" activity levels, methods #2 and #3 will be more
accurate.
For average trainees with average body weight and activity levels, this method will
usually work fine.
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2) The Harris-Benedict Formula
This is the second most accurate method and is superior to the Basic Multiplier because
it takes height, sex, age and activity level into account on top of your basic bodyweight.
The first goal with this method is to determine your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Your
basal metabolic rate is the total number of calories that your body requires to perform all
of its natural daily functions. This does not include extra activities such as weight
training or playing sports; the BMR is for natural processes such as breathing, digesting
food, regulating body temperature etc.
Once you have figured out your BMR, you can then plug it into the Activity Multiplier
(how active you are on a daily basis) in order to determine your Caloric Maintenance
Level.
You should then take your caloric maintenance level and add 300-500 calories to that
number in order to create a caloric surplus that supports muscle growth. So, once
again...
1) Determine your basal metabolic rate
2) Find your caloric maintenance level by multiplying basal metabolic rate by the activity
multiplier
3) Add 300-500 calories to your caloric maintenance level to find your daily caloric
intake
Sounds complicated, right?
It really isn't, and I'm now going to outline step-by-step how to calculate all of this...
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Calculating The Harris-Benedict Formula
Calculating Basal Metabolic Rate
Men: 66 + (13.7 X bodyweight in kg) + (5 X height in cm) - (6.8 X age in years)
Women: 655 + (9.6 X bodyweight in kg) + (1.8 X height in cm) - (4.7 X age in
years)
Take that number and multiply it by...
Activity Multiplier
Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little to no exercise)
Lightly Active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise: 1-3 days a week)
Moderately Active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise: 3-5 days a week)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (intense exercise: 6-7 days a week)
Extremely Active = BMR X 1.9 (intense daily exercise and strenuous physical job)
Take that number and add 300-500 to it in order to determine daily caloric intake.
I’ve provided an example of this formula on the following page to make it even more
clear…
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Example Of Harris-Benedict Formula
In case you're a bit confused, here is an example of how to plug all of this information in.
We'll use Bob as our example. Bob weighs 68 kg, he is 177.8 cm tall, he's 25 years
old and is moderately active.
First we determine Bob's Basal Metabolic Rate...
BMR = 66 + 931.6 + 889 - 170 = 1717
Bob's basal metabolic rate is 1717 calories. This is the number of calories that he
requires daily in order for his normal bodily processes to be carried out. We'll now take
his activity level into account by multiplying his BMR by the appropriate activity
multiplier.
1717 (BMR) x 1.55 (moderately active) = 2661
This means that Bob needs to consume 2661 calories daily in order to maintain his
weight. In order to create a caloric surplus that supports muscle growth, he needs to add
300-500 calories to this maintenance level.
2661 + 300 = 2961
2661 + 500 = 3161
Bob's daily intake should be 2961-3161 calories.
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3) The Katch-McArdle Formula
This is the most accurate formula of all because it takes into account the specific
individual factor of lean body mass, and this will result in a more accurate Basal
Metabolic Rate reading.
The Harris-Benedict formula outlined on the previous pages is a great method and will be
accurate in almost all situations, but still has one drawback in that it doesn't take lean
body mass into account.
This is fine for most people, but for those who have a high amount of body fat or a high
amount of muscle it will not be as accurate.
If you've had your lean body mass tested (testing lean body mass is beyond the scope of
this book, and there are a ton of different methods used for this) then you can use the
following formula to get the most accurate reading of all.
BMR = 370 + (21.6 X lean mass in kg)
You can then multiply your BMR by the Activity Multiplier in order to figure out your
caloric maintenance level. (Refer back to the Harris-Benedict formula for the activity
multiplier)
You should then add 300-500 calories to that number in order to figure out your daily
caloric intake for muscle growth.
It's really as simple as that.
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Caloric Intake Overview
Hopefully you now have a solid grasp of how caloric intake works and how to calculate it
in order to reach your goals. Any of the 3 methods outlined in this section will usually
work fine, and you probably won't see a huge variance between them.
Here is a very quick overview...
1) You must consume more calories than you burn in order to support muscle growth.
2) The raw number of calories that you consume daily will determine whether you gain
weight or lose weight while the types of calories that you consume will determine what
kind of body weight you gain or lose.
3) The most accurate method for determining caloric intake is to figure out how many
calories you require daily in order to maintain your current weight, and then adding an
additional 300-500 calories on top of that number. These extra calories will keep you in
an anabolic, muscle-building state throughout the day.
Let's now go more indepth and talk about the specific macronutrients and food sources
where these calories should be derived from.
We'll be talking specifically about Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats.
Let's get started...
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Protein
Protein is without a doubt the absolute most vital and important nutrient for those trying
to increase their muscle size and strength. Protein is a macromolecule that is made up of
a chain of smaller monomers called amino acids. After you consume and digest protein it
will eventually be broken down into individual amino acids to be used for literally
thousands of functions throughout your body.
Almost every single process within your body that is geared towards building muscle
mass relies heavily on this all-too important nutrient. Next to water it is the most
abundant bodily substance and can be found in every single one of the trillions of cells
you are made up of.
It is also critical in the production of enzymes, blood health and proper immune system
function. Above all, it is responsible for the growth and repair of damaged muscle tissue.
Quite simply, if you do not provide your body with sufficient amounts of protein, building
muscle will be next to impossible. If your body were a house, consider protein to be the
bricks. Your body already needs protein for natural everyday processes, so your
consumption of protein must increase as you train with weights.
If you want to build a significant amount of muscle mass, you must pay close
attention to how much protein you are consuming each day!
If you aren't consuming the proper amount of protein from the right foods, the musclebuilding process cannot take place.
How much protein should you be consuming everyday?
For optimal gains in muscle size and strength, protein should make up 40% of
your total caloric intake.
You can calculate this number by taking your daily caloric intake, multiplying it by 0.4
(this will tell you what 40% of your caloric intake represents), and then dividing that
number by 4 (since protein contains 4 calories per gram).
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So, if your daily caloric intake is 3000 calories:
3000 x 0.4 = 1200 (The number of daily calories that should come from protein)
1200 / 4 = 300 (The number of grams of protein that should be consumed daily)
What are some good sources of protein to include in your diet?
Well, all proteins are made up of different numbers and arrangements of amino acids.
Therefore it is important to get a variety of different protein sources into your diet to
ensure that you are getting adequate amounts of essential and nonessential amino acids
to facilitate growth.
Protein sources are ranked according to the "biological value scale" which compares their
availability within the body. Don't worry too much about the BV scale because all of the
protein sources recommended in this program have their own unique benefits, and you
will be consuming a variety of them. Here is a list of "approved" whole-food protein
sources...
Eggs
Eggs rank highest on the BV scale and are an excellent protein source to have in your
diet. Eggs are extremely versatile and can be scrambled, hardboiled or fried making for a
great breakfast food. Not only does one whole egg contains about 6 grams of high
quality protein, but it is also rich in vitamins and minerals (which we’ll talk about later).
A lot of people shy away from eggs because of their "high fat" content, but if you really
look into it this claim is somewhat misleading. The white part of the egg contains
absolutely no fat at all, and although the yolk does contain 5 grams of fat, only 1.6
grams is actually saturated fat. Eggs are an excellent muscle-building food and should
play an important role in your overall diet.
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Red Meat
This is an absolutely excellent protein choice and should be consumed on a regular basis.
Red meat contains the highest concentration of growth-supporting nutrients than any
other protein source out there. It's loaded with high amounts of natural creatine, bvitamins, iron and zinc and should ideally make up a good portion of your total protein
consumption. Red meat typically contains a reasonable amount of saturated fat which
helps to boost testosterone levels and promote a better hormonal muscle-building
environment within the body. However, too much saturated fat is obviously not a good
thing and therefore you should choose leaner sources of red meat such as sirloin cuts or
extra lean ground beef.
Poultry
Chicken and turkey are another bodybuilding staple and can be used to make fajitas,
wraps or are even tasty on their own. The white portion of the meat is very low in fat
and extremely high in protein. Poultry is an excellent bodybuilding choice and also tastes
great when prepared properly.
Milk
This is another great protein source and offers a variety of muscle-building benefits. It
contains about 8 grams of protein for one cup (250ml) and can easily be added to meals
to ensure that your total daily protein requirements are met.
Milk is 80% casein protein, which is the slowest absorbing form of protein available.
Casein "gels" in the stomach and can take up to 4 hours to be fully digested. This
"timed-release" effect of casein will keep your body in an anabolic state for longer
periods of time and will decrease the chances of muscle catabolism setting in. Milk also
provides a great spectrum of amino acids and contains short-chain fatty acids which help
to support muscle growth. In addition to all of this, milk is a great source of calcium as
well as other valuable vitamins and minerals.
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Fish
A can of tuna is extremely cheap and will provide your body with a solid 30 grams of
protein, zero carbs and zero fat. Tuna has been a bodybuilding staple for decades and
can be prepared in many ways. A lot of people, myself included, are not crazy about the
taste of tuna, so you'll have to be creative with it in order to make it taste good. Salmon,
cod and halibut are also great choices. Not only is fish high in protein but it also provides
the body with a high amount of omega 3 fatty acids which play a crucial role in building
muscle.
Peanut Butter/Peanuts
A lot of people avoid peanut butter because it is "high in fat". Yes, peanut butter is high
in fat, but the majority of this fat is unsaturated and is actually beneficial to your health.
Peanut butter is very calorie-dense and will leave you feeling full and satisfied. It is a
good source of protein and can be used on whole grain toast or bagels to add extra
protein to your meals. It's very important that you use natural peanut butter, as the
commercial stuff is higher in saturated fat and contains less beneficial nutrients than the
natural form.
Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese contains mostly casein protein, which, just like milk, causes it to be very
slowly digested. This will keep your body in an anabolic state for a longer period of time.
Cottage cheese is also very high in natural glutamine, which is the most abundant amino
acid in your body. Glutamine plays a large role in immunity and in preventing muscle
breakdown. You can add flavour to your cottage cheese by mixing it with fresh fruit such
as mandarin oranges or pineapple slices.
Whey Protein
This is the highest quality protein you can possibly put in your body. Since it is
considered a bodybuilding supplement, its benefits will be covered in the supplement
section later on in the book.
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Here are some protein sources that you should avoid ingesting high amounts of:
- Bacon
- Ham
- Sausage
- Whole Milk
- Luncheon Meats
- High fat ground beef
- Cheese
I would also recommend that you avoid ingesting too much soy protein (found in soy
milk or soy nuts) as this type of protein has been shown to elevate estrogen levels and
lower testosterone. If too much soy is consumed it could have a negative effect on the
muscle-building process and could also lead to an increased risk in gynecomastia.
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Carbohydrates
Although lean muscle tissue is not made of carbohydrates, this nutrient is still very
important in the muscle-building process. The main function of carbohydrates is to
provide fuel for your muscles and brain. They also help to maintain an optimal hormonal
environment in your body by increasing levels of insulin, IGF-1, and testosterone. Every
meal should include some carbohydrates, as they will aid in the absorption of protein and
also help to prevent catabolism. Sufficient carbohydrate consumption will also help to
ensure that your daily caloric requirements are met.
When it all comes down to it, carbohydrates are sugar. If you were to swallow a
tablespoon full of sugar or eat a plate full of spaghetti noodles, the end result would be
the same. No matter what type of carbohydrate you eat, it will always be broken down
into its simplest form: glucose. If the glucose is not needed in the bloodstream to be
used for energy, it is converted to "glycogen" which is stored in the liver and muscle
tissue for later use. The liver and muscle tissue basically acts as a "bank" and keep the
glycogen stored until the body needs it.
Rather than classifying carbohydrates using the traditional method of "simple" or
"complex", it is much more accurate to make your carbohydrate choices based on their
position on the glycemic index. The glycemic index ranks how fast the sugars are broken
down and absorbed in the bloodstream.
High Glycemic Carbohydrates
High glycemic carbohydrates are those that are broken down and absorbed in the
bloodstream very quickly. Table sugar, jelly, white rice and white bread are all examples
of high glycemic carbohydrates. Consumption of high glycemic carbohydrates will result
in a rapid rise in energy, followed by a sharp decline. They also stimulate the secretion of
insulin from the pancreas.
You see, your body is always working to maintain a balanced state, and whenever this
balance is disturbed your body will work to ensure that it is back to normal.
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When you consume high glycemic carbohydrates you are causing an imbalance in your
body's blood sugar levels. Insulin's job is to drive nutrients into the body cells in an
attempt to level this imbalance out.
When you consume high glycemic carbohydrates, you "spike" your insulin. While an
insulin spike can play an important role in the morning and during the few hours after
you workout, it should be avoided at all other times. This is because spiking your insulin
at any other time will cause your body to deposit the excess blood sugars into the fat
cells.
So unless your goal is to get fat, this is something you should try to avoid. Consuming
high glycemic carbohydrates in the morning is a good idea because your blood sugar
levels are already low, and this is a great opportunity to increase nutrient uptake into
your muscles. The consumption of high glycemic carbohydrates in the post workout
period will be discussed later on.
Low Glycemic Carbohydrates
The majority of the carbohydrates in your diet should consist of the low glycemic variety.
This favourable carbohydrate form is broken down slowly and will provide your body with
a gradual release of sugars. Because of this, low glycemic carbohydrates do not have a
drastic effect on insulin and blood sugar levels. This will provide your body with a steady
stream of sugars throughout the day without large fluctuations in insulin levels. This will
keep your energy levels constant and will prevent your body from storing excess body
fat. Examples of low glycemic carbohydrates are things like whole grains, oatmeal,
yogurt and apples.
Remember, every carbohydrate that you eat will eventually be broken down into
glucose. Your body will either use this glucose immediately as an energy source, or it will
store the glucose in your muscle tissue and liver as glycogen. If glycogen supplies are
full, (your body will typically store 90 grams in the liver and 200 grams in the muscle
tissue) your body will deposit the glucose into your fat cells.
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The goal of carbohydrate consumption is to eat just enough to fully fuel your tasks for
the day without going overboard.
How much is enough?
Carbohydrates should make up 35% of your total caloric intake.
You can calculate this number by taking your daily caloric intake, multiplying it by 0.35
(this will tell you what 35% of your caloric intake represents), and then dividing that
number by 4 (since carbohydrates contains 4 calories per gram).
So, if your daily caloric intake is 3000 calories:
3000 x 0.35 = 1050 (The number of daily calories that should come from
carbohydrates)
1200 / 4 = 263 (The number of grams of carbohydrates that should be consumed
daily)
On the following page is an example of a glycemic index chart to give you an idea of the
types of foods that are low glycemic and high glycemic.
Don't get too obsessed with the numbers but just remember that a good portion of your
diet should come from foods on the medium to lower end of the scale.
A GI of 55 or less ranks as low, a GI of 56 to 69 is medium, and a GI of 70 or more
ranks as high…
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The Glycemic Index
Foods
Rating
Glycemic Number
Bakery Products
Pound cake
Danish pastry
Muffin (unsweetened)
Cake, tart
Cake, angel
Croissant
Waffles
Low
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
High
Soya milk
Apple juice
Carrot juice
Pineapple juice
Grapefruit juice
Orange juice
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Digestives
Shortbread
Water biscuits
Ryvita
Wafer biscuits
Rice cakes
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
High
High
Multi grain bread
Whole grain
Pita bread, white
Pizza, cheese
Hamburger bun
Rye-flour bread
Whole meal bread
White bread
White rolls
Baguette
Low
Low
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
High
High
High
All-Bran
Porridge, non instant
Oat bran
Muesli
Mini Wheats (wholemeal)
Shredded Wheat
Golden Grahams
Puffed wheat
Weetabix
Rice Krispies
Cornflakes
Low
Low
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
High
High
High
High
High
Pearl barley
Low
54
59
62
65
67
67
76
Beverages
30
41
45
46
48
52
Biscuits
58
64
65
67
77
77
Breads
48
50
57
60
61
64
69
71
73
95
Breakfast Cereals
42
49
55
56
57
69
71
74
77
82
83
Cereal Grains
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Rye
Wheat kernels
Rice, instant
Rice, parboiled
Barley, cracked
Rice, brown
Rice, wild
Rice, white
Barley, flakes
Taco Shell
Millet
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
High
Yogurt low- fat (sweetened)
Milk, chocolate
Milk, whole
Milk, Fat-free
Milk ,skimmed
Milk, semi-skimmed
Ice-cream (low- fat)
Ice-cream
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Medium
34
41
46
48
50
55
57
58
66
68
71
Dairy Foods
14
24
27
32
32
34
50
61
Fruits
Cherries
Grapefruit
Apricots (dried)
Apples
Pears
Plums
Peaches
Oranges
Grapes
Kiwi fruit
Bananas
Fruit cocktail
Mangoes
Apricots
Apricots (tinned in syrup)
Raisins
Pineapple
Watermelon
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
High
Spaghetti, protein enriched
Fettuccine
Vermicelli
Spaghetti, whole wheat
Ravioli, meat filled
Spaghetti, white
Macaroni
Spaghetti, durum wheat
Macaroni cheese
Rice pasta, brown
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Medium
Medium
High
Carrots, cooked
Low
22
25
31
38
38
39
42
44
46
53
54
55
56
57
64
64
66
72
Pasta
27
32
35
37
39
41
45
55
64
92
Root Crop
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Yam
Sweet potato
Potato, boiled
Potato, new
Potato, tinned
Beetroot
Potato, steamed
Potato, mashed
Chips
Potato, micro waved
Potato, instant
Potato, baked
Parsnips
Chapter 4: Optimum Muscle-Building Nutrition
Low
Low
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
Medium
High
High
High
High
High
51
54
56
57
61
64
65
70
75
82
83
85
97
Snack Food and Sweets
Peanuts
M&Ms (peanut)
Snickers bar
Chocolate bar; 30g
Jams and marmalades
Crisps
Popcorn
Mars bar
Table sugar (sucrose)
Corn chips
Jelly beans
Pretzels
Dates
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Medium
Medium
Medium
High
High
High
High
15
32
40
49
49
54
55
64
65
74
80
81
103
Tomato soup, tinned
Lentil soup, tinned
Black bean soup, tinned
Green pea soup, tinned
Low
Low
Medium
Medium
Artichoke
Asparagus
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumber
Eggplant
Green beans
Lettuce, all varieties
Low-fat yogurt, artificially
sweetened
Peppers, all varieties
Snow peas
Spinach
Young summer squash
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Soya beans, boiled
Peas, dried
Kidney beans, boiled
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
Low
15
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
15
15
15
15
15
15
16
22
29
Soups
38
44
64
66
Vegetable and Beans
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Lentils green, boiled
Chickpeas
Haricot beans, boiled
Black-eyed beans
Chickpeas, tinned
Baked beans, tinned
Kidney beans, tinned
Lentils green, tinned
Broad beans
Chapter 4: Optimum Muscle-Building Nutrition
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
Low
High
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33
38
41
42
48
52
52
79
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Fiber
Fiber is found in the cell walls of plants and plays an important role in proper digestion
and in promoting overall health. It is actually a carbohydrate but because of its chemical
structure it is indigestible to humans. Our enzymes simply cannot break this nutrient
down into its basic glucose monomers and therefore it remains completely intact as it
travels through your body.
So if it can't be broken down, what makes it so important?
Well, even though it is considered "nonessential", it still plays an integral role in your
overall diet. It is most well known for its ability to produce regular bowel movements.
Why is this so important to us?
Well, since you are trying to build as much muscle as possible, you will be consuming a
considerable amount of animal meat. If meat stays in your digestive tract for too long it
can produce toxins, which, although not immediately harmful, can have long-term
negative health effects.
This is why it is very important to ensure that foods are moving along smoothly through
your digestive system, and this can be accomplished by consuming adequate amounts of
fiber each day.
Fiber is also beneficial in its "timed release" effect on the food you eat. When you
consume foods containing fiber, they become "gelled" in your stomach and slow down
the rate at which foods are moved from your stomach to your small intestine. The small
intestine is where most nutrients are absorbed and pumped into the bloodstream. By
slowing down the transfer of food to the small intestine your body will be able to extract
the nutrients much more efficiently. This will also keep your body in an anabolic state for
longer and decrease the chances of muscle catabolism setting in.
Along with its digestive benefits, fiber has also been known to lower blood sugar levels.
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This will result in a more gradual release of sugars into the bloodstream which will
decrease the chances of unnecessary insulin spikes and fat storage. This will also allow
your body to increase its natural production of this powerful anabolic hormone without
having to increase the consumption of simple carbohydrates.
How much fiber should you consume each day?
Of your total carbohydrate consumption, around 25-35 grams of that should be fiber.
Some good sources of this nutrient are fruits, vegetables, oat bran, beans, grains and
psyllium.
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Fats
For those trying to add as much muscular weight as possible while limiting their body
fat, this nutrient may come as a bit of a scare. For decades we've been told to follow a
low-fat diet for fear of high cholesterol levels and obesity. Everywhere you go you'll see
ads for "low-fat" foods as we have been taught to avoid this nutrient at all costs.
Well, you can stop being afraid of fats because the reality is that they play a very
important role in the muscle-building process and overall health in general. Not all fats
are created equally though, and the important factor here is that you consume the right
types of fat and in the right amounts.
Fats are the most dense energy source available and provide your body with 9 calories
for every gram. If you've been paying attention then you'll notice that that's more than
twice the amount of calories of protein or carbohydrates.
Because fats yield such a high number of calories you can only consume smaller
amounts before your caloric intake shoots too high.
Fats are typically found in animal and vegetable tissue and come in two basic forms:
saturated and unsaturated. The saturated fats (which generally come from animal
meats) are solid at room temperature while the oils (derived from plants) are liquid.
Saturated fats are generally considered to be the "unhealthy" fats. While your
consumption of saturated fats should be fairly limited, they do offer certain benefits such
as their mood-enhancing effect and their ability to improve brain and nervous system
function. Saturated fats also play an important role in the production and maintenance of
testosterone. Although they do have certain benefits, saturated fats can have a fairly
significant negative effect on heart health and cholesterol levels. All in all you should try
to limit your intake of saturated fats and instead focus on unsaturated fats, otherwise
known as the "good" fats.
Unsaturated fats are derived from sources such as fatty fish (like salmon), dark leafy
vegetables , nuts, avocados, seeds and liquids such as flaxseed oil and olive oil.
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They are a great source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which play many
important roles in muscle building and in overall health. They help to lower bad
cholesterol levels and play an important role in proper brain and central nervous system
function. In addition, unsaturated fats regulate blood pressure, fight inflammation and
also help to maintain the strength of the immune system. The reason they are referred
to as being "essential" is because our bodies cannot produce them on their own and
therefore they must be consumed through our diets.
How are essential fatty acids beneficial to those trying to build muscle? Well, how about
this:
1) Increase testosterone production: testosterone is the most important musclebuilding hormone in your body.
2) Increase growth hormone secretion: another very important anabolic hormone.
3) Improve insulin action: this will drive higher amounts of muscle-building nutrients
into your cells.
4) Improve energy production of cells: this will give you more energy and strength
in the gym.
5) Increase nitrogen retention: since protein is the only macromolecule that contains
nitrogen, and since muscles are a major storage area for protein, increased nitrogen
retention indicates an increase in lean muscle mass.
6) Improve metabolism: this will result in lower gains in body fat.
Sounds pretty good, hey? Well, it is, so make sure you keep your unsaturated fat intake
high. A great way of doing this is to add flaxseed oil and extra virgin olive oil to your
diet. I use a tablespoon of each in the morning and again at night. I'll talk about that
later on in the supplement section.
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So we've established that saturated fat intake should be limited, and unsaturated fat
intake should be fairly high. Before I talk about any kind of set daily amount I'd first like
to talk about one more type of fat, and the worst by far: trans fat. This type of fat is
found in foods that are cooked with hydrogenated oils such as fast food or French fries.
These highly unhealthy fats result in a huge elevation of bad cholesterol and actually
lower good cholesterol levels. Trans fats inhibit fat loss, mutate cell membranes and
have a negative effect on cell function. Not only that, but they can actually promote
muscle catabolism. These fats should be consumed in very limited amounts! Check the
labels on the foods you buy and also avoid too many deep-fried foods.
So, how much fat should you be consuming everyday?
You should aim to have 25% of your daily calorie consumption come from fats.
You can calculate this number by taking your daily caloric intake, multiplying it by 0.25
(this will tell you what 25% of your caloric intake represents), and then dividing that
number 9 (since fat contains 9 calories per gram).
So, if your daily caloric intake is 3000 calories:
3000 x 0.25 = 1200 (The number of daily calories that should come from fat)
750 / 9 = 83 (The number of grams of fat that should be consumed daily)
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Water
Water is an absolutely critical component to the muscle building process and to overall
body health. Failing to keep yourself properly hydrated throughout the day will have a
negative impact on literally every single process within your entire body!
Most people know that they should be drinking "plenty" of water throughout the day, but
how many actually do? If you really paid close attention to your water intake you'd
probably be surprised at how little you actually consume.
What makes proper water intake so amazingly important? Well for starters, it is the most
abundant element in your body. It is ranked only 2nd to oxygen as being essential to
life. Quite simply, water is life. Your body can survive for weeks without food, but
without water you'd be dead in about 3 days.
Roughly 80% of your body is made up of water; the brain is 85% water and lean muscle
tissue is 70% water.
To demonstrate the importance of water in everyday functions let's take a look at some
interesting facts:
The Amount of Water Lost Each Day Through Normal Bodily Functions:
16oz is lost through perspiration
16oz is exhaled as water vapour
48oz is needed for proper function of the kidneys and intestines
That's a total of 80oz, or 10 cups, merely to survive! The perspiration resulting from
intense exercise will shoot that number even higher. So you can see how important it is
to ensure that you are properly hydrated everyday.
As I said before, 70% of your lean muscle is comprised of water. 70%! It is very
important that you keep your muscle cells fully hydrated at all times.
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In doing this not only will your muscles appear larger and fuller, but it will also keep your
strength and power output at its maximum potential.
Research has shown that being even slightly dehydrated can decrease strength and
physical performance significantly. In fact, merely a 3-4% drop in your body's water
levels will lead to a 10-20% decrease in muscle contractions. As you already know,
building muscle is all about moving maximum amounts of weight for maximum
repetitions, and therefore it is critical that you ensure your strength levels are naturally
peaked before you enter the gym.
Not only will water increase your strength, but it also plays a large role in preventing
injuries in the gym. Highly intensive training over a long period of time can put
unwanted stress on your joints and connective tissue (we'll talk more about injury
prevention later on). Water helps to fight against this stress by lubricating the joints and
forming a protective "cushion" around them.
Along with protecting your joints, water is vital in the process of digestion. We've already
talked about how crucial protein consumption is to gaining weight, but without proper
amounts of water you will not receive full benefit from the foods you eat. Anytime you
consume a macromolecule, such as protein, your body must break this large molecule
down into smaller pieces for absorption. In the case of protein, you will be breaking it
down into amino acids. Your body can only break down the protein into amino acids if
water is present. So, in order to ensure that your body is utilizing all of the nutrients you
consume, you must ensure that your water intake is high.
It doesn't end there.
Water also plays an important role as a temperature regulator by keeping the skin moist
through perspiration. It also helps the body to remove unwanted waste products from
the body cells through expired air, sweat, feces, urine, blood and the lymphatic system.
In addition to all of this, water helps to carry nutrients around the body so that they can
be used where they are needed.
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I think everything you've read so far should be reason enough to pay closer attention to
your water intake.
So, just how much water is enough?
To find out how many ounces of water you should be consuming every day,
multiply your bodyweight by 0.6.
So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be consuming around 90 ounces of water every
day.
150 x 0.6 = 90
I know it sounds like a lot, but if you plan your day out properly it shouldn't be a
problem. Keep a water bottle with you at all times and sip from it periodically. Keep
water in the places where you spend most of your time: in your car, at work, on your
nightstand. Another good method to ensure that you drink enough water is to pre-fill a
few 16 ounce bottles at the beginning of the day. This way you can have a visual
representation of where your water consumption is at any point in the day.
For the first few days you'll probably find yourself running to the bathroom quite
frequently, but your body will soon adapt to the increased water volume and this will no
longer be a problem.
On workout days you should consume 16 ounces before your workout, 16 during your
workout and another 16 following your workout.
Although there are many deciding factors, a good general way to gauge your body's level
of hydration is by the colour and smell of your urine. Your urine should always be on the
clearer side and should be fairly odourless if your body is receiving all of the water it
needs. And remember, if you are thirsty, then you are already dehydrated!
On another note, coffee, tea and soft drinks, although liquids in themselves, do not fully
hydrate the body due to their caffeine content.
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Caffeine is a diuretic and shuts off a hormone that regulates water content in the body.
In general, you should only add half of the liquid content of these drinks to your daily
water intake. For example, if you consume an 8oz cup of coffee, you should only add 4
ounces of that to your daily water intake.
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Alcohol
Alcohol is one of the world's oldest and most widely used drugs. Although it is made
from the seemingly harmless substances of grain, juice and honey, its consumption can
pose numerous threats that will affect you both in and out of the gym.
While alcohol does have a few positive benefits when consumed in moderation, the
negatives are far more prominent and numerous. So, does alcohol have any significant
negative effects on building muscle?
The answer to this extremely common question is yes!
Excessive consumption of alcohol will have a fairly significant negative effect on your
workout performance and on your resulting strength and size gains. I'm not here to tell
you that you can't drink if you want to build muscle, but you should definitely be aware
of how this drug (yes, alcohol is a drug) is affecting your gains.
All I'm going to talk about is how alcohol negatively affects the muscle-building process
specifically. This is not an anti-drug speech and the choice is ultimately up to you. This
book is called "The Truth About Building Muscle", not "The Truth About Staying Healthy."
So, how will alcohol prevent you from gaining the greatest amount of size and strength
possible?
Well …
1) It negatively affects protein synthesis.
Protein synthesis is the process by which amino acids are joined together to form
complete proteins. Excessive consumption of alcohol has been shown to slow down this
process by as much as 20%! That's a huge decrease, and since muscles are made of
protein you can see how this would be a problem. The slower the rate of protein
synthesis, the slower your body will synthesize new muscle tissue.
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2) It lowers testosterone and increases estrogen.
One of the limiting factors that determines how much muscle you can gain is the amount
of testosterone in your body. Without the use of steroids, controlling testosterone levels
can be very difficult. One way to maximize testosterone production is to limit alcohol
consumption as much as possible.
In one study, men's testosterone levels decreased by an average of 25% when
intoxicated! It was found that there is a direct relationship between blood alcohol levels
and testosterone production. Not only does excessive alcohol consumption lower
testosterone levels, but it also raises estrogen (the main female hormone). Increased
levels of estrogen translate to a decrease in testosterone and a higher risk for
gynecomastia. Alcohol also lowers another very important muscle-building hormone,
IGF-1.
3) It dehydrates you.
It is fairly well known that alcohol has a significant negative impact on the kidneys, but
how does this affect bodybuilders? Well, since the kidneys must filter large amounts of
water from the body in order to break down the alcohol, dehydration will occur. You
already know how absolutely vital water and proper hydration are, so I'm sure you can
see why you'd want to avoid dehydration like the plague.
4) It disrupts your sleep.
Although alcohol's sedative effects can make falling asleep much easier, the actual
quality of your sleep will be greatly reduced. The time you spend sleeping is very
important to your recovery, hormonal balance and muscle-building processes, so it is
crucial that you treat this period of time with respect. I'll talk a lot more in detail about
the importance of a solid night's rest later on.
5) It depletes your body of vitamins and minerals.
Alcohol interferes with the absorption of many important vitamins and minerals which
are critical to the muscle-building process.
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Vitamin A, C, the B's, calcium, zinc and phosphorus are all drained at rapid rates. Not
only will this negatively impact the utilization of protein and carbohydrates, but it will
literally have an effect on every single process going on in your entire body.
6) It increases fat storage.
Alcohol contains 7 empty, worthless calories per gram. That's almost twice the amount
of protein and carbohydrates with virtually no nutritional value. The excess calories will
lead to an increase in body fat, as will alcohol's negative effect on the Kreb's Cycle,
which plays a large role in fat burning. Alcohol also impairs the production of certain
enzymes produced by the pancreas that metabolize fat. So if your goal is to achieve a
body that stores fat easily and has trouble gaining and maintaining lean mass, drink
away!
These are the main effects alcohol will have on your body when it comes to building
muscle.
So how much alcohol is too much?
Well, if you want to gain the absolute greatest amount of muscle size and strength
possible, you should ideally avoid getting drunk altogether. Notice that I said getting
drunk. There is a big difference between getting completely hammered and just having a
couple of drinks every now and then. A couple of drinks (where a “couple” means 2, not
3, 5 or 12) on the weekend shouldn't pose too much of a problem, however, getting
highly intoxicated is a completely different story.
It’s important to have fun in life, but too much fun can lead to problems. If you’re
serious about achieving significant muscle-building results, you definitely need to
monitor your intake of alcohol and make sure that you are consuming it in moderation. A
couple drinks here and there shouldn’t be a problem, but if you find yourself getting
drunk more than once a month you can almost certainly guarantee that your gains will
be compromised.
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If you do decide to go out and party, make sure to drink plenty of water and to properly
nourish yourself with vitamins/minerals and a protein rich meal.
I don’t recommend revolving your entire life around your muscle-building program, so
don’t be afraid to go out and have a good time once in a while. Just make sure to keep
your drinking nights infrequent (no more than once a month) and properly nourish
yourself to lessen its effects. As long as you monitor what you’re doing you can achieve
an impressive physique and have a social life at the same time.
Building muscle is all about making sacrifices. If you want to be the best you can
possibly be then there are certain things you'll have to live without.
You know what you're up against, so you make the choice. If you do decide to go out
and get hammered, then follow these steps to lessen the impact...
1) Have a protein rich meal before you go to bed. This will help to keep your body
in an anabolic state and prevent muscle breakdown.
2) Take a multivitamin/multimineral supplement. Since alcohol robs your body of
vitamins and minerals, taking a high-potency vitamin before bed will help to replenish
your body's stores and also help to prevent a hangover
3) Take 5-10 grams of glutamine. This highly anti-catabolic supplement will ensure
that your body stays in an anabolic state while you sleep and will help to spare muscle
tissue through the night. (We'll talk more about glutamine in the supplement section.)
4) Drink 16-20oz of water before bed. This will help to re-hydrate your muscles as
well as the rest of your body and will also help to prevent a hangover.
5) Eat a big breakfast rich in protein. This will get you back on track and feed your
body with the muscle-building nutrients it has been depleted of.
While this certainly won’t eliminate the negative effects of the alcohol, it will definitely
help to minimize them.
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Nutritional Intake Overview
There's one important thing that I want you to understand in regards to the caloric
calculations and the macronutrient calculations outlined in this section, and that is that
these numbers are merely an estimation of how much you should be eating per day.
I cannot stress this enough! DO NOT get overly obsessed about the numbers!
Everything you have read about the daily requirements for the major nutrients is how
they would be in an ideal world. Obviously your nutrition plan will not be an ideal world!
If you start getting too stressed out about counting calories and calculating exactly 40%
protein, you will drive yourself insane. If you consume 205 grams of protein instead of
225, your world will not come crashing down in front of you.
Simply do your best to at least come close to the numbers and you will be just fine. The
most important thing when it comes to nutrition is consistency.
While being off by 20 grams of protein or 35 grams of carbs will not have much of an
effect on you, skipping meals definitely will. I've said that you must eat 5-7 meals
spaced every 2-3 hours, and this is extremely important to follow. Missing a meal should
be a rare occurrence, and if you begin skipping them regularly you will definitely be
selling yourself short. You absolutely, positively must keep your body in an anabolic
state at all times throughout the day. As far as the exact numbers go, just try to
estimate and you'll be fine.
If anything, treat these numbers as a minimum requirement. Remember, in order to get
big you must eat big, and if you have a larger appetite and are able to consume more
than this recommended amount, go right ahead. Definitely do not stop yourself from
eating more just because you have reached the upper limit of those recommended daily
amounts. This applies mainly to protein and carbohydrates, since consuming higher
amounts of these nutrients will be beneficial to your gains. Fat intake should still be
monitored because going too far over the upper limit of your recommended amount will
probably do you more harm than good.
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Also remember that you do not have to eat clean all the time! Don't be afraid to cheat
every once in a while and go for that big mac you've been craving. If you force yourself
to eat squeaky-clean foods all the time you'll go crazy. Believe me, if all you eat is tuna
and oatmeal day after day you'll very quickly become sick of these foods and will
probably begin to dread the idea of even looking at them. Those who are on specific
diets to lose weight must monitor their food intake much more closely than those who
are on diets to gain weight. Your main focus should be to eat lots and eat often in order
to keep your body in an anabolic, muscle-building state at all times.
Remember, if during your journey to increase muscle mass and strength you end up
putting on a bit of extra body fat, don't worry! You can very easily manipulate your diet
and and exercise program later on in order to strip off this excess body fat.
Also, one of the most important factors that determines your resting metabolism is the
amount of lean mass on your body.
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Chapter 4 Review
1) You must eat a small meal at least every 2-3 hours. If you fail to do this, your body
will enter into a catabolic starvation mode and will begin breaking down muscle tissue to
obtain a source of protein and energy.
2) Eating every 2-3 hours means that on any given day you will be eating 5-7 meals. It
may seem like a lot at first, but as long as you plan your day out properly you shouldn't
have any problems. Purchasing a basic protein powder or meal replacement will make
this process much easier. (You'll learn more about this in the supplementation section)
3) In order to gain muscular body weight, you must consume more calories than you
burn. You can determine caloric intake using the Basic Multiplier, The Harris-Benedict
Formula or the Katch-McArdle Formula.
4) Protein is the most important muscle-building nutrient. Among literally thousands of
bodily functions, protein is responsible for the growth and repair of damaged muscle
tissue. Protein should make up approximately 40% of your total caloric intake. Some
good sources of protein include eggs, lean red meat, poultry, cottage cheese, seafood,
skim milk, peanuts/natural peanut butter and whey.
5) Carbohydrates are responsible for providing your brain and muscles with energy. The
majority of your diet should consist of low-glycemic carbohydrates, as this form is
broken down gradually into the bloodstream and will keep your energy and blood sugar
levels constant. Take a look at the glycemic index to find out which carbohydrate sources
to choose. Roughly 35% of your total caloric intake should come from carbohydrates.
6) Fiber helps to clear out the toxins produced by meat in the intestinal tract. It also
helps the body to maintain regular bowel movements and consistent blood sugar levels.
You should consume 25-35 grams of fiber everyday.
7) Fats perform many important functions in the body and also play a critical role in the
muscle-building process.
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Not all fats are created equally, and you should strive to have the majority of your fat
intake coming from the unsaturated form. Roughly 25% of your total caloric intake
should come from fats.
8) Water performs endless functions within the body that are beneficial both to the
muscle-building process and to overall health in general. You should be drinking 0.6
ounces of water per pound of body weight each day.
9) Alcohol can have a fairly detrimental effect on the muscle-building process and should
be consumed in moderation. Alcohol lowers protein synthesis, disrupts your sleep,
decreases your strength and energy levels, depletes the body of vitamins and minerals,
increases fat storage and also lowers testosterone levels.
10) Do not become overly obsessed with counting calories and nutrient percentages.
Everything I've outlined is merely a rough estimation of how you should be eating.
11) Don't be afraid to cheat once in a while. If you're craving some junk food, it won't
hurt to indulge every now and then.
12) Consistency is everything!
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Chapter 5: Supplementing For Massive Gains
We've now arrived at the all-too confusing and all-too controversial topic of musclebuilding supplementation. For those of you who are completely new to the workout
scene, supplements are things such as protein powders, creatine, glutamine and
multivitamins. They are products manufactured by different companies and are designed
to enhance your diet in order to achieve greater than normal muscle-building results.
A lot of hardcore lifters and fitness enthusiasts will tell you that supplements are
unnecessary and a waste of money. They'll say that the supplement industry is one giant
marketing scam designed to thin out your wallet and keep you coming back for more.
They will then go on to tell you that all of the materials necessary to achieve maximal
muscle gains can be found in the foods we eat everyday.
What do I say to this?
Well, in some cases they are correct, and in others they are not.
Is the supplement industry a gigantic marketing scam?
In many ways, yes.
Are all of the nutrients needed to facilitate muscle growth found in our everyday foods?
The answer to that is also yes.
Are supplements unnecessary and a waste of money?
The answer to that is no.
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Remember, I am here to give you the truth.
There is such an enormous amount of misleading information posted all over the internet
and in books and magazines that will only serve to confuse and frustrate you. Building
muscle is all about being able to differentiate between good and bad information, and
then consistently apply it. I don't work for a supplement company, nor do I stand to gain
any benefit at all by misleading you. I am simply here to give you the absolute most
effective methods to pack as much muscle onto your frame as possible.
Supplementation is a very important part of the muscle-building process to understand
simply because there is such an incredibly gigantic amount of straight up lies out there
when it comes to this topic.
So, what is the truth about supplements? Let me first start off by saying this…
In order to build muscle size and strength, supplements are not mandatory.
There, I said it. Regardless of what the million dollar magazines would have you believe,
you don't have to use supplements in order to get bigger and stronger. Anyone who
trains hard and feeds their body with sufficient amounts of muscle-building nutrients
from natural foods can experience appreciable gains in size and strength.
Do you think that back in the 1940's guys were pounding back "Fruit Punch Flavoured
Super Cell Volumizing Creatine Cocktails" after their workouts? No, they were eating
steak with potatoes and washing it down with milk.
It wasn't until 10 or 15 years ago that supplements really became a big part of the
bodybuilding industry, and people were getting huge long before that. Nowadays our
minds are absolutely flooded with advertisements for get-big-quick pills and powders.
Just flip open any muscle magazine and really pay attention to how large a portion of
that publication is dedicated to supplement advertising. The truth is that a large portion
of the supplements you see posted all over the pages of your favourite muscle magazine
are ineffective, inefficient and waste of your hard earned money. They promise huge
gains in minimal time, and far more often than not they fall short of their promises.
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So why is everyone buying them?
Well, you'd be surprised at how effective a well-planned marketing campaign can be.
People are a lot more gullible than they think, and any supplement that promises huge
gains in size and strength is sure to sell. A popular supplement company could fill a
capsule full of crushed pig bones, call it a "revolutionary step forward in weight gaining
supplementation", and people would most likely buy it. It doesn't matter whether it
works or not, once the consumer buys it, his or her money is gone.
By now you're probably thinking that this book is completely anti-supplement and that
there is no need to invest in any of these products. Well, not so fast. Like I said before,
I'm here to deliver the truth. The truth is that a large portion of bodybuilding
supplements available today should be avoided. Most of them deliver false-hope and are
far overpriced.
However, (and that's a big however) there are some supplements, which, if used
correctly, can provide considerable results and very good bang for their buck. By using
the right supplements in the right amounts, you'll be able to reach your muscle-building
goals faster than you would without them.
There are a few diamonds hidden in that gigantic pile of garbage, and I'm going to teach
you how to find them. Forget everything you read in the magazines or what your buddy
at the gym told you, because this section will cover everything you need to know when it
comes to supplements.
So like I said before, you don't have to use supplements. You can definitely make good
gains without them, and as long as you supply your body with enough whole food you
should be okay. But if you want that extra edge and convenience factor that
supplements can provide, I would definitely consider investing in the few basic,
scientifically-backed products that I'll recommend.
If there's one advantage that today's lifters have over those who trained prior to the last
15 years, supplements are it.
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A proper supplementation plan will allow you to recover faster, increase your workout
performance and push your body's muscle-building potential to an even higher limit.
Supplements basically take the "good stuff" from certain foods and put them in one place
for you to consume.
Whey protein, creatine, glutamine, vitamins and minerals; these can all be found in
natural foods that are a part of your everyday diet. Supplement companies are able to
isolate these extremely valuable muscle-building substances and conveniently package
them in one place. For example, one bodybuilding supplement that I would definitely
recommend is creatine monohydrate. Creatine is found naturally in fish and red meat,
but in order to consume a highly beneficial amount of creatine you'd have to eat about
five steaks everyday. Instead, companies are able to synthesize creatine in a lab so that
you can mix one teaspoon of this amazing stuff into a glass of grape juice, slam it down
and get a highly beneficial amount without having to eat half a cow.
You don't have to spend a fortune on these products, but a few extra bucks each month
will definitely help enhance your gains to another level. You don't have to use all of
them, nor do you even have to use any of them.
The choice is up to you.
If you're willing to spend the extra money to get the best gains you possibly can, then
supplementation is a good idea. If you want to save your money and do things the oldfashioned way then that's fine too.
This is "The Truth About Building Muscle", and the truth is that if you supplement with
the following products that I'm going to recommend, you'll notice a definite jump in your
size and strength that you simply could not achieve without them.
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Recommended Supplements
This is what I call my "approved" list. The following supplements are backed by solid
research and have been shown time and time again to be both safe and highly useful.
These are the most basic products out there and should form the cornerstone of any
effective supplementation program. As I said earlier, supplementation is optional, but if
you do decide to use them, the following products are what I would recommend.
Here they are in no particular order:
1) Protein Supplements (Whey Protein, Meal Replacements, Protein Bars)
2) Creatine
3) Glutamine
4) Multivitamins
5) Essential Fatty Acids
6) Glucosamine
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Protein Supplements
As you already know from the previous section, protein is, nutritionally speaking, the
absolute most important nutrient for someone trying to build muscle. You go to the gym,
train your ass off and rip your muscle fibers to shreds, but without adequate amounts of
protein the muscle-building process will be next to impossible.
Consuming your recommended daily intake of protein exclusively from whole foods is
definitely doable, but it is a fairly difficult task to accomplish every single day of the
week. This is where protein supplements come in handy. A whey protein powder or meal
replacement shake will allow you to mix up a quick meal in your blender and still receive
all of the growth-supporting nutrients your body requires.
Instead of constant meal preparation, recipe hunting and seemingly endless chewing,
protein supplements are a great way to balance out your diet and make your eating plan
a far easier job.
Take a look at the following eating schedules and you tell me which one you think is
more appealing...
Meal Plan A
Meal #1: 6 egg whites/2 yolks, 2 pieces of whole grain toast, banana, 1 cup skim milk
Meal #2: 1 can of tuna, 1 apple, handful of peanuts
Meal #3: 6oz steak, 1 cup whole grain rice, 1 cup corn
Meal #4: 1 chicken breast, 1 baked potato
Meal #5: grilled salmon, 1 cup whole grain rice
Meal #6: 1 bowl low-fat cottage cheese, 2 cups milk, 1 bowl oatmeal
Or…
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Meal Plan B
Meal #1: 6 egg whites/2 yolks, 2 pieces of whole grain toast, banana, 1 cup skim milk
Meal #2: 1 meal replacement shake
Meal #3: 6oz steak, 1 cup whole grain rice, 1 cup corn
Meal #4: 1 serving whey protein shake, 1 bowl oatmeal
Meal #5: grilled salmon, 1 cup whole grain rice
Meal #6: 1 meal replacement shake, 1 bowl yogurt
While the first meal plan would be a terrific day of muscle-building foods, it's just not
very realistic that you'll have the time or motivation to prepare 6 full meals everyday. If
you are keen on doing this then go right ahead, but you probably won't last very long.
The second eating plan is much more realistic and is the kind that I would recommend.
Instead of having 6 whole food meals, it is much easier and just as effective to have 3
meals and 3 protein shakes or 4 meals and 2 protein shakes. Doing this is far more
efficient, especially if you live the type of lifestyle that requires you to be on the go for
the majority of your day.
Not only that, but protein supplements nowadays contain certain amounts of special
muscle-building nutrients that whole-food simply can't provide. So without going any
further I'd like to talk about the most popular protein supplement available: whey.
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Whey Protein
Whey protein is the granddaddy of all protein supplements available, and for good
reason. Whey is a natural source of protein that is extracted during the process of
turning milk into cheese. Simply put, whey is the highest quality and most effective type
of protein you could possibly put into your body. It is extremely popular among athletes
and bodybuilders because of its excellent quality and convenience. It is rated highest on
the Biological Value scale because it has the highest "bio-availability" of any protein out
there, meaning your body will absorb the greatest amount.
Whey is a "complete protein", meaning that it contains all of the essential amino acids.
Essential amino acids are those that cannot be manufactured by the body and therefore
need to be brought in from an outside source. Whey protein has all of them.
Not only that, but whey is also naturally high in BCAA's (branched chain amino acids).
BCAA's are the amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine, and they have been shown to
be a very effective anti-catabolic agent. When your body breaks down muscle tissue for
energy during intense exercise, it is the branched chain amino acids that will be called on
first. By consuming a larger amount of BCAA's you can prevent your body from
catabolizing muscle tissue when you workout.
The two main types of whey protein that you'll come across are whey protein isolate and
whey protein concentrate. Overall, whey protein isolate is the better choice. Because of
the methods used during the extraction of whey from milk, isolates have a higher
absorption rate within the body, a higher percentage of protein per scoop and a better
overall amino acid profile. Not only that, but whey isolates tend to mix much more easily
and also taste better.
Whey protein concentrate, on the other hand, is a lower quality protein and will not be
as highly absorbed as whey isolate. It also tends to form chunks when being mixed and
after a while this can become quite an annoyance.
Both whey isolate and whey concentrate are high quality forms of protein overall, so
you’ll still see achieve great benefits using either of them.
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You can buy pure whey isolates, pure whey concentrates or mixtures of both. If you
have the money to spend and want the highest quality products available, a pure whey
isolate is your best bet. That being said, in the grand scheme of it all it probably won’t
have a huge impact on your resulting muscle gains. I currently use a product that is a
mixture of both isolate and concentrate.
One of the great things about whey protein is its versatility. What I mean by this is that
whey protein can be used effectively in a variety of different situations. We'll talk a lot
more in depth about proper post-workout nutrition a bit later, but for now I'll just say
that directly after a workout your body needs the fastest absorbing protein it can
possibly get. Whey protein has the highest bio-availability of any protein out there and
that also means that it is absorbed the fastest. If you mix a scoop of whey protein isolate
in water it can be digested in as short as 10 minutes. This makes whey protein the ideal
choice for the post-workout period, as it will provide your muscles with an extremely
high-quality and quick-acting protein when they need it most.
Whey protein's rocket-fast digestion rate is great for post-workout, but any other time in
the day this is not exactly what you want. When your body is in a normal resting state
you'd ideally like to consume proteins that are absorbed at a more gradual pace. By
mixing your whey protein in milk it will be broken down and released into the
bloodstream in a more timed-release manner. This is because milk is largely made up of
casein protein, which can take up to 4 hours to be fully digested. By slowing down the
release of the protein, your body will be able to deal with it much more efficiently and
this will also allow your muscles to remain in an anabolic state for a longer period of
time.
This is what makes whey protein so amazing. By simply changing the type of liquid you
mix it with (milk or water) you can control its digestion rate and adapt it to your specific
needs at any given time. Not only can whey be used as a post-workout protein source
and as a meal replacement, but it also comes in handy if one of your whole-food meals
does not fulfill its total protein requirement.
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For example, if you were only able to consume half a chicken breast at a certain meal
you could simply mix half a scoop of whey protein into a glass of milk to reach the total
protein requirement for that meal.
If there is one supplement out there that I would recommend, whey protein would be it.
Supplementing with whey will not allow you to pack on an extra 10 pounds of muscle in
a 2 week period, but over the long haul it will make your eating plan much more
convenient and will help you make sure that your protein requirements are met every
single day.
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Meal Replacements (MRP's)
Another very popular protein supplement available are meal replacement powders. The
big difference between a straight whey protein and an MRP is its protein makeup,
carbohydrate content and vitamin/mineral levels.
Whey protein is made up of just one type of protein with virtually no carbohydrates, fats
and very low amounts of vitamins and minerals. An MRP, on the other hand, is usually
made up of many types of protein (whey, casein, egg, milk) and will also contain a
decent amount of slow-release carbohydrates alongside a good vitamin and mineral
profile.
Sounds like MRP's are the way to go, huh?
Well, yes and no.
When it all comes down to it, an MRP powder is basically a matter of convenience. It
contains all of the nutrients of a complete meal, which can be easily mixed with milk or
water. If you are constantly on the go and need to squeeze in a quick liquid meal here or
there, MRP's can definitely come in handy.
The one big disadvantage of MRP powders is the cost. They tend to be much more
expensive than straight whey protein and for a fraction of the servings. For example, a
box of 20 MRP packets would cost about the same as a tub of whey protein, which would
provide you with 3 times the number of servings.
The thing to remember is that carbohydrates are cheap. It's protein that you're after,
because adding carbs to a meal can be done very easily. Take a scoop of whey protein, a
banana, some oatmeal, blend it up with 400ml of milk and you've made your very own
meal replacement right there and at a fraction of the cost.
I still use MRP's myself, but only for the sake of variety and convenience.
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It is much cheaper and just as effective to take your whey protein and mix it with your
own carbohydrates and milk. This will provide you with all of the benefits a meal
replacement would, but at a much cheaper price.
I would still suggest purchasing a box or 2 of MRP's to keep around for the times when
they do come in handy. For example, if you were taking a 5-hour drive somewhere and
couldn't stop for a meal you could simply mix an MRP packet with some water and you'd
be good to go.
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Protein Bars
The final protein supplement choice is to use a protein bar. While protein bars do offer
certain advantages over powder forms, it is very important that you choose your bars
very carefully. The one main advantage of a bar is the fact that it can easily be taken
with you anywhere you go. Since it is in solid form, you won't have to worry about
shaker cups or milk, but can simply carry the bar with you and consume it at anytime.
Because of its solid form it is also much more filling than a simple liquid meal.
The downside is that bars tend to be a lower quality meal choice than whey protein or an
MRP. Bars tend to be a lot higher in simple sugar and fat, and the protein quality also
tends to be lower as well.
For example, some bars use an ingredient called hydrolyzed collagen as one of the
protein sources. Simply put, hydrolyzed collagen consists of the crushed skin and bones
of ox and pig. How's that for a protein source? A lot of bars also contain low-quality
fillers, which help to bind the bar together and keep it soft and chewy.
Protein bars can have their place, but the key is to choose your bars with caution. Read
the ingredient labels closely and try to choose bars with lower amounts of sugar and
higher quality sources of protein.
There are some bars out there with a decent nutritional profile and these are the ones
you should be searching for. You'll also find that some bars have a pretty unappealing
taste and can also take a long time to eat because they tend to be dry and chalky. I've
had bars that require 2 cups of water and half an hour of chewing to fully eat!
If possible I would suggest sticking to the powder form, but sometimes this just isn't
possible. A bar here or there won't hurt you, but if you can avoid them then that is
probably your best bet. I use bars every now and then if I'm on the go and need some
solid food when I can't get a normal meal in. As long as you can find a decent quality bar
then using it every now and then shouldn't be a problem.
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Creatine
Simply put, creatine is the most popular and most effective sports supplement available.
It is one of the only supplements on the market that has been proven time and time
again to have a significant impact on muscle size and strength. This stuff really works,
and is highly recommended for anyone who wants to dramatically increase their strength
and body weight.
Although this amazing stuff only surfaced as a popular sports supplement within the last
10 or 15 years, scientists have actually known about creatine for quite some time. It was
first discovered in 1832 and by the early 1920's scientists were able to determine that
about 95% of creatine is stored in muscle tissue. While we've known about creatine for
over 150 years, it first made its mark in 1992 at the Olympic summer games in
Barcelona. By the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, 75% of athletes were supplementing with
creatine.
Creatine is a compound that occurs naturally in our bodies. Most people store around
100 grams, 95% of which can be found in muscle tissue. Creatine is simply a
combination of 3 amino acids: methionine, glycine and arginine. It occurs naturally in
fish and red meat, but like I said before, in order to obtain a significant amount of
creatine you'd have to eat a ridiculously large amount of steak and salmon.
So what exactly does creatine do?
In short, this hugely effective compound will increase your lean muscle mass and
strength, speed up your recovery rate, decrease lactic acid production and also decrease
mental fatigue. It's the super-supplement for serious bodybuilders and can accomplish a
lot with a fairly small dosage and a very cost-effective price.
Let me go a little bit more into detail and explain how this stuff really works…
This book is not intended to be a biology course, but an understanding of a few basic
bodily processes will help you to better appreciate creatine's effects.
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One of the main things that creatine does very well is that it increases the efficiency of
your body's utilization of a substance called ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate).
What is ATP, you ask?
It's basically the bottom line when it comes to producing energy within the body. What I
mean by this is that ATP is the "usable" form of energy within the cell. Think of it this
way: You have a wallet full of 100-dollar bills, and you want to buy a chocolate bar.
Obviously you wouldn't buy the chocolate bar with a 100-dollar bill, but instead would
break the 100-dollar bill down until you had a 5 or 10-dollar bill to use. Carbohydrates
and fats would represent the 100-dollar bills while ATP would be the 5 and 10-dollar
bills.
ATP is made up of one molecule of adenine with 3 phosphate groups attached to it. By
"ripping off" the third phosphate group the body is able to produce energy. ATP then
becomes ADP (Adenosine Di-Phosphate) and must wait for the third phosphate group to
be reattached before any more energy can be produced.
What does this have to do with creatine?
Well, when you consume creatine it is converted into creatine phosphate, which is then
stored in the muscle tissue. By having these extra phosphate groups in the muscle
tissue, the body can convert ADP back into ATP at a much higher rate. This means that
higher amounts of energy can be produced and sustained for longer periods of time. In
doing this, creatine will increase your strength and allow you to lift more weight in the
gym. As you already know, more weight equals more muscle.
The next very important benefit of creatine is its "volumizing" effect on your muscle
cells. Creatine needs water in order to be stored in your muscle tissue and this results in
a "super-hydration" effect on your muscle cells. More water will be stored in the tissue
and this will leave you looking bigger and fuller all day long. This effect is sometimes
referred to as a "perpetual pump", because it causes your body to look as if it has a
training-induced muscle pump at all times.
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A lot of people argue against this effect and say that because all you're doing is putting
more water in your muscles that this is of no real value. Just remember that your
muscles are already 70% water.
Do you think this 70% is useless?
Of course not.
Higher amounts of water in the muscle cell will allow you to burn more fat calories and
will create a greater overall anabolic environment within your body.
As if these two benefits of creatine weren't enough, there is still more.
You know that intense, searing burn you usually feel in your muscles when you train with
weights? As I said before, this feeling results from an accumulation of lactic acid within
the muscle. Lactic acid is a metabolic waste product formed from the burning of
carbohydrates. Lactic acid is catabolic to muscle tissue and can actually result in muscle
loss if too high an amount is present. The pH of the muscle cell will also drop to the point
that muscular contractions can no longer be achieved. Creatine speeds up the rate that
ADP is converted back to ATP, and in doing this the pH of the cell can be neutralized.
This will "buffer" the effect of lactic acid on the muscles. Less lactic acid means less
muscle catabolism and less physical discomfort from training with weights. In a sense,
creatine can help to act as a natural painkiller and allow you to prolong the point of
muscular failure.
As you can see, creatine provides quite a few very beneficial effects for those trying to
gain muscular body weight.
How much of this stuff should you use?
The most widely accepted method is to start with a "loading phase" first. This essentially
means that for the first five days you will use a much higher amount than normal (20-25
grams) in order to completely saturate your muscles with creatine. After that you change
over to the "maintenance phase", where you consume 5 grams daily in order to maintain
the levels of creatine in your body.
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It's important to remember that the loading phase dosages should not be taken all at
once. The body can most efficiently deal with about 5-10 grams of creatine at any given
time, so it is important to split the dosages up throughout the day. If on a certain day
you should be using 20 grams of creatine, I would recommend splitting that up into 4
doses of 5 grams.
Another popular method of creatine supplementation is to use a “cycle”. This is where
you would use your creatine for a set period of time and then “cycle off” for a set period
of time by stopping its use. The idea behind cycling is that your body will never become
accustomed to the creatine usage, and therefore will continually benefit from it over the
long haul.
There is no proof as to whether or not cycling is necessary, but it may be a method that
is worth trying out. If you do want to try cycling your creatine, here is how you can
schedule it:
Week1: Loading Phase (20 grams daily)
Week2-4: Maintenance Phase (5 grams daily)
Week5-8: Cycle Off (no creatine)
You can experiment with both cycling and non-cycling methods to see what works best
for you.
Creatine basically comes in 3 different forms: pure creatine monohydrate, delivery
system sugar drinks, or delivery system insulin mimicking drinks. There are a few others
as well, such as creatine serum, pill form or chewables, but these are much less effective
than the traditional forms. They contain lower amounts of creatine and are not very
easily absorbed by the body. If you decide to use creatine, these are the types of
products you should look into...
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1) Creatine Monohydrate
This is creatine in its pure form and is the cheapest and most common way to go. It is a
white, tasteless, odourless powder, which can be easily mixed with grape juice, Gatorade
or any other type of sugar drink.
Why should you consume a sugary drink with your creatine?
Studies have shown that consuming your creatine with simple sugars will increase
muscle absorption by up to 60 percent. This is due to the effect that simple sugars have
on your body's insulin levels. As you already know, insulin's job is to balance out the
body's blood sugar levels by driving nutrients into the cells. This is why it is important to
"spike" your insulin when using creatine as this will ensure that your body is absorbing it
properly.
Most people who have never used creatine before will start off with a basic creatine
monohydrate and mix it with grape juice or gatorade. Another good method is to go to
the grocery store and buy a bag of dextrose to use as your sugar.
You can simply add some dextrose, iced tea mix for flavour and throw in your creatine.
This method is the cheapest price per serving but is still very effective.
Recently, two newer forms of creatine have emerged on the scene: creatine ethyl ester
and creatine tri-malate. Both of these forms are based upon creatine monohydrate but
with some supposed “improvements”.
Creatine ethyl ester is regular monohydrate with an “ester group” attached. Esters are
organic compounds that are formed from the reaction of alcohols and carboxylic acid.
The attached ester group is said to increase creatine’s absorption, since regular creatine
must uses lipids to permeate cells walls, and the ester group helps the creatine use
these lipids more efficiently. The main advantage is that a smaller amount of total
creatine would need to be consumed to achieve the same benefit.
Creatine tri-malate is a compound that is formed from one creatine monohydrate
molecule attached to 3 molecules of malic acid.
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Malic acid is a substance involved in the Krebs energy cycle and helps to provide the
body with energy. It is thought that the combination of monohydrate and malic acid
creates a more absorbable form of creatine that has a more dramatic impact on the ATP
energy cycle.
Any of these 3 choices (monohydrate, ethyl ester or malate) will be just fine. Since ethyl
ester and malate are still relatively new, it’s hard to say whether they really have any
significant advantage over regular monohydrate.
2) Delivery System Sugar Drinks
This is another very effective, and much more convenient way of ingesting your creatine.
A delivery system drink basically consists of creatine (in various forms) along with all of
the nutrients needed for proper absorption, packaged in one spot. Each serving will
typically contain about 5 grams of creatine along with all of the simple sugars needed to
induce that all-too important insulin spike. You can simply mix one serving in water and
you're ready to go. These drinks usually contain other ingredients as well, such as alpha
lipoic acid, which will enhance the absorption of the creatine even further. These drinks
are usually more effective than straight creatine monohydrate because they tend to be
absorbed more easily.
3) Delivery System Insulin Mimicking Drinks
This is the final type of creatine, and is also a very effective choice. Instead of using
simple sugars to spike your insulin, these drink mixes contain other ingredients known
as "insulin mimickers"; things such as alpha lipoic acid, phytic acid, arginine and
phosphorus. These ingredients will increase your body's insulin levels without loading
you up with super-high amounts of simple sugar. Too much simple sugar is a great way
to get fat and over the long run will provide you with an extremely high amount of unneeded calories. This type of creatine is still being perfected, but I believe that it is a
great alternative to the traditional methods of grape juice or Gatorade. Research has
also shown that consuming whey protein with your creatine will enhance its uptake into
the muscle cells.
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A great method that I would recommend is to use an insulin mimicking creatine drink
and consume it alongside a simple whey protein shake. This will provide your body with
adequate amounts of creatine and much less simple sugar.
There are times, however, when consuming simple sugar is actually beneficial. These
times are first thing in the morning and right after your workout. At these times your
blood sugar levels are low and by spiking your insulin you can re-elevate these levels,
drive higher amounts of protein and creatine into your muscle cells and not have to
worry about putting on body fat. At these times I would definitely recommend
consuming your creatine with simple sugars. So the ideal method for creatine
supplementation is this:
Workout Days: consume your creatine immediately following the workout.
Non-Workout Days: consume your creatine first thing in the morning.
We'll dive more into detail regarding post-workout nutrition later on, and you'll be able
to better understand why simple sugars are so beneficial during this time frame.
The final issue when it comes to creatine is regarding its safety.
Everyone is always asking me, "is creatine safe? I heard it's hard on the kidneys and can
lead to cancer."
So far all research indicates that when used properly, creatine is totally safe and
effective.
Not a single study ever performed has been able to prove otherwise.
The one important thing for you to remember with creatine is that you must keep your
body properly hydrated when using it. Creatine needs water in order to be properly
stored in the body. If you're dehydrated while on creatine you may experience muscle
cramping or stomach discomfort.
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This is basically the only side effect of creatine and can be easily avoided. You already
know the importance of proper water intake, so this shouldn't be a problem for you.
How much can you expect to gain from creatine? One important thing to remember is
that everyone's body will respond differently to this supplement. Typical gains are in the
range of 5-10 pounds of bodyweight within 3 or 4 weeks.
That's a pretty significant gain if you ask me!
Unfortunately about 10% of the population are referred to as "creatine non-responders",
because they don't really experience any significant gains while on this supplement. The
only way to find out is to try it for yourself.
Creatine is the most researched sports supplement on the market, and has never been
proven to be harmful in anyway. This supplement will increase your lean muscle mass,
jack up your strength, speed up your recovery, decrease lactic acid buildup and decrease
mental fatigue. Creatine should definitely be a part of your supplement program if you’re
looking for optimal results.
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Glutamine
Glutamine is another very basic bodybuilding supplement and provides many beneficial
muscle-building effects. As you already know, protein is made up of amino acids.
Glutamine is just one of those amino acids, and for those trying to build muscle it is
arguably the most important. It can be found naturally in dairy products, fish, meats,
beans and poultry, but in order to receive a significantly beneficial amount of this great
stuff you'd have to consume an extremely large amount of these foods. This is why
supplementing your diet with extra glutamine is a good idea.
What does this stuff do, you ask?
Glutamine is best known for its remarkable anti-catabolic effects.
While glutamine's effects are not as dramatic as those of creatine, it is still a
recommended part of a solid supplementation program. Unlike creatine, glutamine will
not yield any dramatic immediate effects. It will not add 5-10 pounds of muscle in 2
weeks or slap 30 pounds onto your squat. Glutamine, similar to protein powder, is
considered to be more of a "holistic" supplement, meaning that it will allow you to make
greater overall gains in the long run.
The reason for this is that glutamine does not directly build muscle. You see, glutamine
is a non-essential amino acid, meaning that your body can produce it on its own. In fact,
roughly 60% of the total amino acid pool in your body is comprised of glutamine, a large
portion of which is found in lean muscle tissue. This stuff is in extremely high demand
throughout your body for a number of important processes, and when you workout
intensely glutamine levels can drop by as much as 50%.
One of glutamine's most important jobs is to fuel the immune system, and since the
immune system is so heavily stressed through resistance training, the body must
compensate by breaking down muscle tissue in order to obtain a source of glutamine.
This will ultimately lead to muscle loss.
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This is why supplementing your diet with additional glutamine is so important. Rather
than directly building muscle on its own, glutamine will speed up the muscle-building
process by preventing muscle catabolism. Anytime your body undergoes physical stress
it will not have to break down muscle tissue in order to obtain glutamine since it will
already be provided with an external source.
Like I said before, one of glutamine's most important jobs is to fuel the immune system.
This in itself is an extremely important benefit and is worth the cost alone. Not only will
you be able to recover faster between workouts, but you will also greatly decrease your
chances of getting sick. As you'll read later on, catching a cold or flu in the midst of hard
and consistent training is very difficult to deal with both mentally and physically.
Glutamine will help to decrease the chance of this happening and will keep your immune
system and natural resistance mechanisms in tip-top shape.
It is also interesting to note that while this amino acid allows you to gain body weight at
a faster pace, most of the glutamine you supplement with does not even reach your
muscles. I know what you're thinking…
"How can glutamine increase muscle mass if it isn't even absorbed by the muscles?"
Well, failing to reach the muscles isn't really a bad thing in this case. Since glutamine is
in such high demand throughout your body it will simply go to the area where it is
needed most. By doing this, glutamine can increase the integrity of the immune system
while leaving muscle proteins intact. Remember, glutamine is an anti-catabolic agent, so
rather than building muscle directly on its own, it benefits us by preventing the process
of muscle breakdown from occurring.
Along with its anti-catabolic and immune boosting benefits, glutamine also plays an
important role in digestion. As you already know, in order to achieve dramatic increases
in muscle mass and strength you'll have to consume much larger than normal amounts
of protein, carbohydrates and fat.
In order to get the most out of all of the foods you'll be consuming you must ensure that
your body is absorbing all of the nutrients efficiently.
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Glutamine helps to maintain optimal digestive health from your lips to your stomach to
your intestines. This will make sure that all of those macromolecules you consume
everyday are being broken down and utilized fully.
Not only that, but glutamine also works to keep your liver working to its full potential.
The liver helps to flush out harmful toxins from the body and also secretes many
important anabolic hormones. Glutamine also allows the body to maintain optimal levels
of a very important antioxidant called glutathione.
So how much glutamine should you supplement with everyday, and at what times?
I would recommend 5-10 grams everyday (1-2 teaspoons). If you use 10 grams, then
you should divide this into 2 servings of 5 grams to allow for maximum absorption.
Glutamine is simply an amino acid and since it occurs naturally in your body there really
isn't a recommended daily amount set in stone. You could take up to 20 or 30 grams if
you really wanted to. However, typical doses are in the range of 5-10 grams daily.
The absolute most important time to use a serving of glutamine is directly after your
workout, ideally within half an hour. This is the time when your body is in a catabolic
state and when muscle breakdown is occurring at a rapid rate. Supplementing with
glutamine will help to reverse this process and switch your body back into an anabolic
state so that muscle growth can take place.
Another great time to take your glutamine is right before bed. Although sleep is very
important in the recovery process, the plain fact is that you'll be going at least 8 hours
without any food. Glutamine will help to minimize muscle loss while you sleep and will
keep your hard-earned muscle tissue intact. Some research has also shown that taking
glutamine before bed will increase the secretion of growth hormone, an extremely
important anabolic substance. So, to recap…
If you decide to use 10 grams daily…
Workout Days: 5 grams post-workout, 5 grams before bed.
Non-Workout Days: 5 grams with an afternoon meal, 5 grams before bed.
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If you decide to use 5 grams daily…
Workout Days: 5 grams post-workout
Non-Workout Days: 5 grams before bed.
I personally use 10 grams on workout days and 5 grams on non-workout days.
Although glutamine will not provide any instant, dramatic muscle increases, you should
be able to see by now that it is extremely important in the overall muscle-building
process and is a supplement that no serious weightlifter should be without.
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Multivitamins
Nowadays there is a large school of thought who believe that taking a multivitamin is
unnecessary and a waste of time. They believe that all of the vitamins and minerals
found in natural foods are more than enough to supply our bodies with sufficient
amounts of these important little nutrients.
While it may be true that natural foods contain all of the vitamins and minerals you
need, you'd have to balance out your diet extremely accurately in order to consume
them in the proper amounts and ratios.
In this day in age, where most people's diets consists of large amounts of simple sugar
and fast food, the goal of supplying the body with proper amounts of vitamins and
minerals usually falls far short of the mark.
Because of this, I would definitely recommend consuming a high-potency multivitamin
every single day. The thing I find funny is that although everyone knows we need
vitamins, very few know exactly what they do. I don't want to get too in depth here, but
I'd like to review some basic biology for those of you who don't really know what a
vitamin is.
When it all comes down to it, your body is basically one giant mass of chemical
reactions. There are thousands of these reactions going on at all times with the goal of
keeping you alive and healthy. In order for these reactions to occur efficiently, the body
relies on the use of enzymes. The job of an enzyme is to speed up the rate of chemical
reactions within the body. It does this by lowering the amount of energy that is needed
for the reaction to occur.
Simply put, without enzymes you'd be dead, and very fast. An enzyme is made of
protein and an attached "co-enzyme". The co-enzyme alters the shape of the protein so
that the enzyme can perform its job properly. Another name given to a co-enzyme is a
vitamin.
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So in the grand scheme of things, vitamins allow your enzymes to perform properly, and
this allows all of the chemical reactions going on in your body to be performed efficiently.
This means that if your body is deficient in just one vitamin, it will literally affect
hundreds of reactions within your body. Now can you see why vitamins are so
important? I'm not just talking about overall health in general; vitamins have a direct
effect on many important muscle-building processes as well.
Before you read the following, keep in mind that vitamins have literally thousands of
functions. The ones I'm going to list are the benefits that are specifically related to
building muscle. I'm not going to list every single vitamin out there, but here are some
of the ones that will be most important to you…
Vitamin A - Plays a key role in protein synthesis: the conversion of amino acids into
muscle tissue. It is also involved in the production of glycogen, the stored form of
carbohydrates in the body. Strenuous physical activity drains the body of vitamin A, so
this is why supplementing with an extra amount can be beneficial.
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine) - Heavily involved in protein metabolism and muscle growth.
Thiamine helps the body to produce hemoglobin, which carries oxygen around the body.
This can be beneficial during intense workouts when oxygen is needed most.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) - Plays many important roles in the body such as fat burning
and proper energy production from carbohydrates. Some studies have shown that there
is a direct relationship between riboflavin intake and lean body weight.
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) - Heavily involved in energy metabolism which will help to provide
the body with more fuel for those intense workouts. It can also increase vasodilation and
help you to appear fuller and more vascular.
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) - Very important because of its effect on protein digestion.
Muscle-building diets require larger than normal amounts of protein, and this means that
your body needs a higher amount of vitamin B6 than the average Joe. B6 is also
involved in energy metabolism and carbohydrate burning.
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Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin) - Ensures that the brain and muscle tissue are
communicating efficiently and this has a direct effect on muscle growth and coordination.
This vitamin also plays a key role in the burning of carbohydrates for fuel.
Biotin - A lot of people trying to build muscle consume large amounts of egg whites, and
this causes the body to produce a substance called avidin which blocks the absorption of
biotin. Biotin helps the body metabolize amino acids and produce energy during
workouts.
Vitamin C - This is arguably the most important vitamin for those trying to gain weight.
Vitamin C is heavily involved in amino acid metabolism and the formation of collagen.
Collagen is found in your connective tissue and keeps your joints strong and healthy.
Vitamin C also plays a role in the production of steroid hormones in the body and also
enhances the absorption of iron. On top of all of this, Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant
which flushes out free radicals and prevents damage to your body cells.
Vitamin D - Crucial because it has a direct effect on calcium and phosphorus absorption.
Calcium is very important during muscle contractions and also helps to maintain strong
bones and joints. Phosphorus is involved in the synthesis of ATP, the usable form of
energy within the body.
Vitamin E - A very powerful antioxidant which helps to hunt out and neutralize free
radicals. This will help to flush out many of the natural metabolic waste products your
body produces and maintain the health of your cell membranes.
Are you convinced now?
As you can clearly see, consuming adequate amounts of these vitamins is very
important. It will keep every little process in your body running at a smooth and
effective rate. From protein digestion to energy metabolism to fat burning to hormone
production, the value of vitamins cannot be understated. Consuming a basic, highpotency multivitamin will ensure that you are receiving all of the vitamins you need.
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A lot of lifters also supplement with extra vitamin C which they buy separately from their
multivitamins. Vitamin C plays so many vital roles in muscle-building and immune health
and therefore can be taken in higher amounts. Since it is water-soluble, you don't really
need to worry about taking too much, as it will simply be flushed out through sweat or
urine.
A good, high-potency multivitamin will usually provide you with anywhere from 200500mg of vitamin C. If you do decide to supplement with extra vitamin C, you should
probably take an extra 1000-2000mg per day.
Everyone is always calling them "multivitamins", but in reality they are much more than
just that. Most multivitamins also contain a wide spectrum of minerals; small, inorganic
nutrients that also affect many important processes in the body.
Minerals are substances such as calcium, iron, potassium, copper and sodium. Just as
every vitamin makes some contribution to the muscle-building process, so does every
mineral. Here are some of the more important minerals and the ways in which they will
benefit you...
Magnesium - This mineral plays a role in protein synthesis and energy production. It is
arguably one of the most important minerals for weight lifters.
Zinc - Zinc is involved in almost every process that has to do with growth. Studies have
also shown that intense exercise lowers the amount of zinc in the body, and this is where
supplementation can definitely help.
Iron - A component of hemoglobin, which, as you already know, helps to carry oxygen
around the body. The more oxygen you can provide your muscles with, the faster they
can recover as you workout. This will help to keep your strength at top levels for every
set you perform.
Sodium - An electrolyte that helps to regulate the amount of water your body holds or
excretes. It also plays a role in muscle contractions.
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Potassium - Important in the production of glycogen and is also involved in nerve
impulses that result in muscular contractions. If your levels of potassium are too low you
may end up with dehydration and muscle weakness.
Phosphorus - Is involved in the production of ATP, the useable form of energy in the
body. Phosphorus also contributes to the production of creatine phosphate, an important
molecule which plays a critical role in high intensity exercise. Phosphorus may also
reduce lactic acid buildup.
Chromium - Allows insulin to perform its job properly by causing this hormone to
properly transport amino acids, glucose and fatty acids into your body cells. It also plays
a role in the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats.
Calcium - Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body and has many major
benefits. It has a direct effect on muscular contractions and also helps to maintain the
integrity of the bones which can be heavily stressed from intense weight training.
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Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's)
You've already learned about the many amazing benefits of essential fatty acids and the
critical role they play in building muscle. A great way to really tap into these benefits is
to supplement your diet with extra essential fatty acids.
One way you can do this is to add some nutritional oils to your diet. A really simple way
of doing this is to go to the grocery store and purchase a bottle of flax seed oil and a
bottle of extra virgin olive oil. You can simply consume 2 tablespoons of each per day,
one serving in the morning and then another at night.
You can mix the oils with some juice or a protein shake or consume them on their own.
This will provide your body with all of the benefits essential fatty acids have to offer
without forcing you to eat gigantic portions of peanuts and avacados.
I won't go into anymore detail about the functions of EFA's, since they were already
covered in the nutrition section. Just to review their amazing benefits…
1) Increases testosterone production.
2) Increases growth hormone secretion.
3) Improves insulin action.
4) Improves energy production of cells.
5) Increases nitrogen retention.
6) Improves metabolism.
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Glucosamine
Glucosamine sulfate is a sugary compound that is formed when glucose joins together
with the amino acid glutamine. Rather than being used as an energy source like most
simple carbohydrates are, amino sugars are incorporated into the structure of body
tissues.
While many other "joint-healing" supplements and pills work by simply reducing
inflammation and pain, glucosamine actually treats the problem by rebuilding damaged
cartilage and connective tissue. It also helps to cushion and lubricate joint surfaces by
increasing the body's secretion of synovial fluid.
Another great characteristic of this supplement is its high absorption rate within the
body. Because the molecules are so small, glucosamine can be absorbed by the body
tissues at a rate of 98%.
Glucosamine can also be taken alongside another popular joint-care supplement called
chondroitin. Chondroitin also plays a key role in injury prevention by surrounding joint
surfaces and allowing for a smooth range of motion. It has also been shown to block the
enzymes responsible for degenerating cartilage.
Many companies sell products that are a combination of both glucosamine and
chondroitin.
I cannot stress to you enough just how important it is that you make an effort to keep
yourself injury-free. Highly intensive training stresses your muscles and joints, which,
over time, may catch up to you. Supplementing with glucosamine (chondroitin is also an
option) does not guarantee anything, but if this supplement provides any significant
edge at all then it is definitely worth a shot. I would suggest using glucosamine as a part
of your regular supplement plan at a dosage of 1000-1500mg per day.
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Worth a Try
This section is comprised of some popular supplements that typically get mixed reviews.
They are not "must-haves" when it comes to muscle-building supplementation, but they
may provide a slight edge if you're willing to spend a few extra bucks.
1) CLA
2) N02
3) ZMA
4) Tribulus
5) Caffeine
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CLA
As you'll recall from the nutrition section, not all fats are created equally. Some fats (the
"unsaturated fats') are actually quite beneficial to overall health and play many
important roles in the body. Conjugated Linoleic Acid, most commonly known as CLA,
definitely falls under this category. CLA is found mainly in meat and dairy products and
was first discovered in 1978 by Michael W. Pariza at the University of Wisconsin.
CLA has been shown to be an impressive anti-cancer agent and also has significant
antioxidant properties. That's all fine and dandy, but what impact does this fatty acid
have on building muscle, gaining strength and burning fat?
Well, just like many other supplements out there, the research is still somewhat unclear.
Supplement companies claim that CLA is an anti-catabolic substance that helps to
regulate fat and protein metabolism. It has been said that CLA creates an environment
in the body where greater amounts of fat can be burned and muscle mass can be
synthesized at higher rates. Although we can't say that CLA fails to live up to these
claims, we also can't say for sure if it does. Studies on rodents show significant results,
but it is uncertain whether these benefits carry over to humans. The studies are too
conflicting to provide any concrete evidence.
What's the verdict on CLA? I'm not going to rule it out, but I'm also not going fully
recommend it. If you're looking to use only basic, reputable supplements, CLA probably
shouldn't be a part of your program. If you're looking to spend a few extra bucks to try
and gain an extra edge, it's definitely worth at least trying. CLA dosages vary quite a bit,
but anywhere from 2000-4500mg daily should be fine.
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N02
In recent years, N02 has made a huge splash on the bodybuilding scene and is being
dubbed as "the biggest thing since creatine." Just walk into any bodybuilding supplement
store and you'll instantly see all sorts of N02 products lining the shelves. Supplement
companies claim that the use of N02 will dramatically increase the size and strength of
type 2 fast twitch muscle fibers and will also have a positive effect on strength and
power output.
N02 supposedly works by increasing the body's levels of a free-form gas called nitric
oxide. In order to produce nitric oxide, the body breaks down the amino acid arginine.
Most N02 products contain arginine alpha-ketoglutarate, which is a special type of this
amino acid that allows the body to maintain a constantly high level of nitric oxide at all
times.
This high level of nitric oxide is supposed to aid bodybuilders and athletes by providing
an increase in blood flow to the muscles. This increase in blood flow, otherwise known as
"vasodilation", would ultimately lead to greater oxygen and nutrient uptake into the
muscle cells, resulting in increased growth and performance.
Does N02 really work? Well, no one really knows for sure. Don't let the supplement
companies fool you, because there still has yet to be a study that can say with certainty
that an increase in nitric oxide levels has positive implications for muscle growth.
Although N02 is not backed up by any concrete evidence, we still shouldn't rule it out
completely. Many real-world users report significant positive results using the
supplement.
N02 is definitely not a must-have, but if you're looking for something new, I don't see
anything wrong with giving it a try. Just because there is no proof of its effectiveness
doesn't mean that it won't work. However, don't expect to try this stuff out for a small
cost, as N02 is one of the more expensive supplements on the shelf.
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ZMA
ZMA is a vitamin and mineral formula that is made up of zinc, magnesium and vitamin
B6. Unlike typical zinc or magnesium supplements, ZMA uses different, more absorbable
forms of these minerals: zinc monomethionine and magnesium apartate.
Supplement companies claim that consuming a ZMA formula leads to an increase in freeflowing testosterone levels and aids in recovery. Since testosterone is considered to be
the most important anabolic hormone responsible for building muscle mass and strength,
it would seem that ZMA would be quite beneficial. The question is, does this stuff really
live up to the hype?
So far, the evidence supports that ZMA may actually serve a useful purpose as part of an
effective supplementation program. Most research has shown with reasonable certainty
that hard training athletes and bodybuilders are deficient in both zinc and magnesium.
Since zinc and magnesium both play an important role in the production of testosterone,
consuming extra amounts of these minerals would theoretically boost the levels of this
important hormone. So, in cases where there is a deficiency of zinc and magnesium (due
to strenuous workouts) ZMA may be a reasonable solution.
Another piece of evidence that supports the use of ZMA is the fact that when taken
together, minerals compete for absorption. Because of this, taking a high potency
multivitamin is probably not enough to correct the deficiency. ZMA is typically taken in
the ratio of zinc (30mg), magnesium (450mg) and vitamin B6 (11mg). The best time to
take this supplement is about 30-60 minutes before bedtime on an empty stomach.
I won't classify ZMA as a "must-have", but for those who use supplements as a regular
part of their program, it's definitely something worth looking into.=
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Tribulus
Tribulus terrestris is an herb that grows in many tropical and moderate areas of the
world. It has been used by many different cultures to treat a variety of ailments. The
Greeks used tribulus as a diuretic and mood-enhancer. The Chinese used it for liver,
kidney and cardiovascular diseases. Bulgarians used tribulus as a sex-enhancer and as a
treatment for infertility.
As a bodybuilding supplement, tribulus is recognized as a testosterone booster.
Testosterone is the most important muscle-building hormone in the body and is one of
the limiting factors that determines how much muscle a person can gain. Tribulus does
not directly raise testosterone levels, but works by raising the body's levels of a
substance called LH (luteinizing hormone). LH basically "tells" the body to produce
higher amounts of testosterone, and this would seem to have positive implications for
muscle growth and workout performance.
The research on tribulus is still unclear. There has yet to be a study that shows a definite
relationship between tribulus use and increased muscle size or strength. Regardless of
this lack of concrete evidence, tribulus still remains as a top-selling supplement.
I wouldn't consider tribulus a "must-have" by any means, but I don't see anything wrong
with giving it a try. It's fairly inexpensive and you may very well notice a difference with
it. The typical dose is 750-1250mg per day.
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Caffeine
Caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant and is considered the most socially acceptable
drug in the world (yes, caffeine is a drug). It is classified as an alkaloid and is very
effective at stimulating the central nervous system. It can be found in many natural
plants such as coffee, tea, kola, cocoa and guarana and can produce some very
noticeable effects when consumed.
Caffeine works by stimulating the central nervous system and by providing the body with
increased mental alertness and energy. Caffeine also delays the onset of muscle fatigue
and seems to be quite effective at reducing muscle pain during exercise. Most people
report quite a significant boost when supplementing with caffeine before their workouts.
It has been shown to increase stamina and strength as well as alleviate some of the
discomfort associated with highly intensive training.
Keeping in mind that too much of anything may not be good, caffeine is a highly
inexpensive supplement and you may find it quite helpful to consume before exercising.
100-400mg taken half an hour before your workout should do the trick. You can either
buy caffeine in pill form or you can simply consume a caffeine-containing beverage such
as coffee or tea. Here the caffeine levels in some commonly consumed beverages…
8-ounce Beverage
Caffeine (mg)
Coffee, Drip
115-175
Coffee, Brewed
80-135
Coffee, Espresso (2 ounces)
100
Coffee, Instant
65-100
Tea, iced
47
Tea, brewed, imported brands (avg.)
60
Tea, brewed, U.S. brands (avg.)
40
Tea, instant
30
Tea, green
15
Hot cocoa
14
Coffee, Decaf, brewed
3-4
Coffee, Decaf, instant
2-3
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Might Be Worth A Try
The research is fairly unclear on the following supplements, and there isn't any hard-fast
evidence to suggest they provide any benefit when it comes to building muscle or
gaining strength. The idea behind them makes sense, but we are still ultimately unclear
as to whether or not they provide any real-world benefits. If you've got some money to
blow and enjoy trying new things, the following products might be worth looking into.
1) HMB
2) Methoxy
3) Taurine
4) BCAA's
5) Chromium Picolinate
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HMB
Beta-hydroxy beta-methylbutyrate, otherwise known as HMB, is a very popular
bodybuilding supplement these days. HMB is a metabolite (a substance produced during
metabolism) of the amino acid leucine and can be found naturally in foods such as
alfalfa, catfish and grapefruit.
Leucine is the most beneficial amino acid of the three that make up the BCAA chain
(you'll learn about BCAA's later on in this section) and has been shown to play an
important role in preventing muscle wasting and in promoting an increase in lean muscle
mass. Scientists then theorized that there may be a metabolite of leucine that could be
taken orally and in smaller amounts in order to produce these beneficial effects.
They ended up isolating HMB, and its performance in the lab was very promising. Most
studies done on the supplement demonstrated that it did in fact have a significant effect
on building lean muscle mass and in burning fat. The problem, however, is that these
positive lab results didn't carry over to the real world. As a whole, most users of HMB
give negative reviews. Some people swear by it, but the general consensus is that HMB
simply doesn't work all that well.
The ultimate verdict is unclear. We'll need to wait until more concrete evidence surfaces
as to whether this stuff really is effective or not. Because of this I would say that HMB
might be worth a try, but definitely should not be a part of your must-have list. If you do
decide to give it a try, the typical dosage is 3000mg per day.
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Methoxy
Methoxyisoflavone, otherwise known as methoxy, belongs to the flavone family, a group
of compounds derived from plants. A Hungarian company called “Chinoin” first
discovered methoxy about 30 years ago. They put a patent on it and basically had it
"locked up" until it expired in 1997. Researchers then got a hold of the paperwork and
discovered that methoxy was a highly anabolic compound that produced amazing
bodybuilding effects.
Or so they thought.
Methoxy is supposed to increase protein synthesis, decrease cortisol levels and improve
recovery in between workouts. When it first became popular in the late 1990's, methoxy
was dubbed as the next "breakthrough miracle supplement."
Companies were claiming that methoxy could produce the same anabolic effect as
steroids, but without the side effects.
That would be awfully nice, but so far the research has shown otherwise. In most studies
done on methoxy, the increase in body weight is actually due to its effect on bone mass,
not muscle mass. I'm not disregarding methoxy as a useful supplement, all I'm saying is
that there's no concrete reason to believe its use is beneficial.
Methoxy definitely doesn't fall under the category of "recommended" supplements, but it
might be worth a try. The typical dosage is 200-400mg taken twice daily.
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Taurine
Taurine is a non-essential amino acid that ranks second only to glutamine as being the
most abundant amino acid in the body. It is not referred to as being non-essential
because it is not important in the body, but rather because the body is able to produce
taurine on its own.
Taurine is gaining popularity as a muscle-building supplement mainly because of its
supposed effects on muscle cell volumization. Supplement companies claim that taurine
expands the muscle cell and allows it to hold greater amounts of water (similar to the
way that creatine does). This would ultimately lead to increased cell hydration and an
increase in protein synthesis. It is also said that taurine enhances "interstitial contractile
leverage" which basically translates to an increase in strength.
Studies conducted on taurine so far are interesting, but still have not been able to clearly
demonstrate its effectiveness. Research performed on rats shows promising results, but
whether or not these benefits carry over to humans is still unclear.
Based on what we know so far, I wouldn't recommend that you run out and spend your
money on taurine just yet. As more research is done we will be able to gain a better
understanding of this amino acid and its effect on bodybuilders. However, it's not highly
expensive, and if you're looking for something knew it might be worth a shot.
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BCAA's
As you already know from the nutrition section, proteins are made up of smaller building
blocks called amino acids. There are two different types of amino acids: essential and
non-essential. Essential amino acids are those that cannot be produced by the body and
must be consumed through the diet.
The term BCAA stands for Branched-Chain Amino Acids. BCAA's are made up of the 3
essential amino acids leucine, isoleucine and valine.
BCAA's are the amino acids that are broken down and oxidized during strenuous exercise
and also make up one-third of the amino acids found in muscle tissue.
BCAA's are considered an anti-catabolic supplement because they play an important role
in preventing muscle wasting. They have also been praised for their positive effect on
protein synthesis (the conversion of amino acids into lean muscle tissue). Of these three
amino acids, leucine seems to play the most critical role.
The theory behind BCAA supplementation makes sense, however the research hasn't
been quite as promising. Most of the studies done on BCAA supplementation have not
been able to provide any concrete evidence that its use has any real beneficial effects.
Not only that, but BCAA supplementation requires a fairly high dosage for a fairly high
price. I wouldn't put BCAA's on my list of recommended supplements, but I won't rule
out their use completely.
The good news is that whey protein is actually very high in BCAA content and you can
actually obtain a fairly reasonable amount of these amino acids simply by sticking to
basic protein shakes.
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Chromium Picolinate
Chromium is a highly important trace mineral that plays a critical role in the body's
production of insulin. It is said that chromium can enhance insulin's effect on the body
by improving the uptake of glucose into the cells. This results in more efficient blood
circulation and blood sugar level maintenance. Chromium picolinate is considered to be
the most absorbable form of chromium.
There's no doubt that chromium plays an important role when it comes to the function of
insulin and overall bodily health, but what implications does this hold for increasing
muscle mass and strength?
It's very hard to say, because chromium picolinate has one of the most inconsistent
track records of any supplement out there. Some studies have show this substance to be
quite effective (note that its main effects were on fat loss, not muscle building) and other
studies have shown no beneficial effect whatsoever.
What's the verdict? Unless you are deficient in chromium or require it for other specific
health purposes, I don't see any reason to directly supplement with it. As long as you
take a good, high-potency multivitamin and consume a well balanced diet you should be
getting all the chromium you need.
Still, some people swear by it, so I'll still say that it might possibly be worth a try.
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Don't Bother
This brings us to our final category, and one that I suggest you steer clear of. The
following products are still heavily marketed by supplement companies, but their
effectiveness just doesn't live up to the hype. These supplements lack solid research and
as far as building muscle goes, they probably aren't even worth bothering with.
1) Citrulline
2) Ecdysterone
3) Myostatin Blockers
4) Tyrosine
5) Carnitine
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Citrulline
Citrulline Malate is the supplement that many people are calling the "new kid on the
block" and are claiming is the next big thing in bodybuilding supplementation. Citrulline
supposedly increases endurance during intense exercise, improves muscle recovery and
also provides a much better "pump" in the gym. It sounds great, but does citrulline
really live up to these claims?
What exactly is citrulline malate?
Well, citrulline is a substrate of the urea cycle, and malate is a tricarboxylic acid cycle
intermediate. Sounds pretty fancy, doesn't it? I thought so too, but don't be fooled by
the complex name. Supplement companies claim that this substance will increase nitric
oxide production, reduce lactic acid and ammonia build up, as well as increase ATP
production. If all of these benefits held true, citrulline malate would be quite an effective
bodybuilding supplement.
However, there still has yet to be a single study performed that demonstrates any
significant relationship between citrulline malate supplementation and an increase in
muscle mass, strength, energy or recovery.
Supplement companies are touting citrulline as the "next big thing", but so far it has not
lived up to its reputation. It does seem to have some potential as being beneficial to the
aerobic system, but as far as bodybuilding goes, I wouldn't recommend it.
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Ecdysterone
Ecdysterone is what is known as a plant sterol: a compound found in plants that is
structurally similar to anabolic human steroids such as testosterone. It was first
discovered in insects and it was found that they depended upon it for survival.
Speculation then arose as to whether the presence of ecdysterone in insects played a
role in their remarkable body size to strength ratio. Scientists wondered if this compound
would have any significant effect on human muscle size and strength.
After various tests and studies, most scientists concluded that ecdysterone simply did
not have any anabolic effect on humans. We still don't know for sure what all of the
effects of ecdysterone are, but it's fairly safe to say at this point that there's nothing
special about it. Some studies have shown that this compound can improve athletic
performance as well as increase protein synthesis, but these studies are ultimately
unclear.
Ecdysterone was mostly popular a few years back and the hype has quieted down
considerably. I don't see any reason to bother with the stuff and would recommend that
you spend your supplement money elsewhere.
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Myostatin Blockers
Whether anybody wants to admit it or not, genetics do play a fairly large role in building
muscle. I mean sure, anyone can become huge and muscular as long as they work hard
at it, but the plain fact is that certain people have an easier time with it than others.
There are many genetic factors that affect the rate at which a person gains muscle, such
as testosterone levels, estrogen levels and muscle-fiber distribution. Another major
factor lies in a person's myostatin gene. Mysotatin is a protein that codes to limit the
amount of muscle a person can gain. Research on mice has shown that mutating or
completely knocking off the myostatin gene results in huge increases in muscle mass.
Once this was discovered, supplement companies looked to cash in by creating pills
known as "myostatin blockers". The basic idea is that these pills would limit the activity
of the myostatin gene and would therefore allow the lifter to build muscle mass beyond
their normal genetic potential.
Sounds amazing, huh?
Well, it would be amazing if it weren't for the fact that these companies have no
evidence whatsoever to support that these products have even a slight effect on
myostatin levels or muscle mass. None. Avoid these supplements completely. Need I go
further? I think not.
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Tyrosine
Tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid (the body can produce it on its own) and is a
precursor to the body's adrenal hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine.
It can be found naturally in seafood, red meat and wheat products.
What exactly does this amino acid do? Since tyrosine plays an important role in the
production of stimulatory hormones, supplement companies claim that increasing the
consumption of this amino acid will speed up the metabolism and lead to an increase in
energy and mental focus.
Studies done on tyrosine so far have shown that it can be an effective stress-reducing
supplement and can also enhance the effect of certain weight loss products. As far as
being a muscle-builder or strength enhancer, no research to date can provide any
concrete evidence of its effectiveness.
The only use I can see for tyrosine is that it may be useful as a pre-workout stimulant
(although caffeine will probably be much more effective for this purpose). Other than
that, I don't see any reason to spend your money on it.
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Carnitine
Carnitine is synthesized in the body from the amino acids lysine and methionine. It can
be found naturally in foods such as red meat (particularly lamb and beef) as well as dairy
products and avocados.
Carnitine plays many important roles in the body but is best known for its role in
transferring long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondria. Mitochondria is referred to as
the "power house" of a cell because it is the area where energy is produced. Because of
carnitine's role in energy metabolism, it is often sold as a fat-burning supplement.
Companies claim that carnitine will help the body metabolize higher amounts of fat and
will have a positive effect on energy levels and resistance to muscle fatigue. It is also
said that carnitine will aid in the muscle building process.
Carnitine has been studied since 1937 and since then has been shown to have a positive
effect on the cardiovascular system and on heart function. It has also been
demonstrated that carnitine can lower bad cholesterol and raise good cholesterol.
As far as its effects on burning fat and building muscle, much remains to be proven. I
wouldn't recommend supplementing with carnitine, as there are many other products
you could be using instead.
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Chapter 5 Review
Recommended Supplements (in no particular order)
- Protein Supplements
- Creatine
- Glutamine
- Multivitamins
- Essential Fatty Acids
- Multivitamins
Worth a Try
- CLA
- N02
- ZMA
- Tribulus
- Caffeine
Might Be Worth A Try
- HMB
- Methoxy
- Taurine
- BCAA's
- Chromium Picolinate
Don't Bother
- Citrulline
- Ecdysterone
- Myostatin Blockers
- Tyrosine
- Carnitine
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Chapter 6: Critical Feeding Times
Chapter 6: Critical Feeding Times
Now that you have a solid understanding of proper nutrition and supplementation, I'd
like to detail 4 crucial times when the food and supplements you put into your body are
of the utmost importance. These times are first thing in the morning, right before your
workout, right after your workout and right before bed.
At all other times during the day maintaining proper nutrition is simply a matter of
supplying your body with approximately the right amount of protein, carbohydrates and
fats based on your bodyweight. You can do this using any combination of food sources
you like as long as they are on the approved list.
However, at these 4 other times, there are specific foods and supplements you should be
consuming, and in the right amounts. If you follow these guidelines you will have a
definite edge over a person who does not.
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Morning Nutrition
If you’re one of those people who likes to skip breakfast and go about their day without
having a meal in them first, you can toss that habit right out the window from now on.
Failing to consume an adequate breakfast will have a significant negative impact both on
your ability to build and maintain muscle and on your ability to burn body fat throughout
the day.
Let’s take a look at the state of your body upon awakening from a full night of rest (a
time in which you will have gone at least 8 hours without any food or water)…
1) Protein levels are depleted and muscle catabolism is occurring rapidly
2) Blood sugar and glycogen levels are low
3) The body is severely dehydrated
In terms of muscle growth, these are 3 really bad things!
Your goal upon waking up is to correct this “nutritional deficit” by providing your body
with the proper substances needed to reverse muscle catabolism, restore blood sugar
and glycogen levels, kick-start your fat burning metabolism and rehydrate your entire
body.
Because of the highly catabolic state your body is in during this time, it’s important that
you consume your breakfast meal as quickly as you possibly can. You don’t want to
waste any time here. You should not be waiting anymore than 45 minutes to have
breakfast upon awakening, and sooner is better. If you’re like me and find that you
usually aren’t hungry when you wake up, then it’s okay to wait a little bit in order to
build up a bit of an appetite, but 45 minutes is the maximum amount of time I would
recommend waiting.
The first main component of this meal is, you guessed it, protein. I’d suggest taking in
around 30-40 grams of protein coming from any high quality source.
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A whey protein shake or some eggs will do fine. This will provide your body with the raw
materials needed to stop breaking down muscle tissue and to switch the body back into
an anabolic state.
The second component is 2 solid portions of moderate to higher glycemic carbohydrates.
These carbs will replenish your blood sugar levels and restore muscle glycogen. Since
your blood sugar and glycogen is going to be low at this time it’s okay to consume
faster-absorbing sources of carbs. Some examples might include some fruit, yogurt,
muffin, cereal or oatmeal.
Along with your protein source and 2 portions of carbohydrates you should also consume
around 500ml of pure, clean water in order to begin rehydrating your body. You can also
throw in your flax seed oil and olive oil at this time if you choose to supplement with it.
Do not neglect this meal! They don’t call it the “most important meal of the day” for
nothing.
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Pre-Workout Nutrition
It is very important that every time you set foot in the gym you are fully prepared to do
battle with the weights. The first step in this preparation begins before you even arrive
at the gym. Having a solid pre-workout meal will increase your strength, keep your
energy levels peaked and will prevent muscle breakdown from occurring during your
workout.
One of the biggest mistakes you could make would be to neglect this important meal and
to perform your workout on an empty stomach. Some people believe that by training on
an empty stomach they will force their bodies to burn higher amounts of fat since no
carbohydrates will be present. Yes, you will burn more fat, but you will also break down
more muscle as well. You work damn hard for every pound of muscle tissue that you
build on your body and so it is vital that you do everything possible to maintain your
gains. Not only will training on an empty stomach increase muscle breakdown, but it will
also increase the chance of nausea setting in during your workout.
This extremely important meal should be consumed anywhere from 30-45 minutes
before the actual workout. Being off by a little bit is no big deal, but try your best to fall
into the 30-45 minute range. This meal is designed to keep your body in an anabolic
state throughout your workout and to increase your strength and energy levels. The first
component of this meal is, you guessed it, protein. The protein consumed at this meal
should not be just any protein, but should ideally come from a mix of whey and casein.
The best way of accomplishing this is to mix 25-35 grams of whey protein isolate with
300-400 ml of milk.
Whey protein makes for a great pre-workout choice because it is naturally high in
BCAA's. I talked very briefly about this compound earlier in the supplementation section,
so I won't go into much detail about them. The only thing I will say is that when the
body decides to break down muscle tissue for energy, it is the BCAA's that will be tapped
into. BCAA stands for branched-chain amino acids and consists of leucine, isoleucine and
valine. Whey protein is naturally high in BCAA's and this will help to prevent muscle
catabolism during your workout.
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Mixing your whey with milk is a good idea because this will slow down the release of the
protein and provide your body with a steady stream of amino acids throughout your
workout.
Along with your pre-workout protein shake you should also consume some slow-release
carbohydrates. You don't want to choose high-glycemic carbohydrates before your
workout because of the effect it will have on your body's insulin levels. When you
consume carbohydrates that are rapidly released into your bloodstream, your body will
release a surge of insulin in an effort to level out your blood sugar levels. This will result
in a rapid rise in insulin levels followed by a sharp fall. The fall in insulin levels will leave
you feeling weak, tired and sluggish. This is the last thing you want in the middle of a
high intensity workout, so choose carbohydrates that won't cause this rapid fluctuation in
insulin levels.
Pre-workout carbohydrate choices such as oatmeal, apples or brown rice will provide
your body with a steady stream of sugars throughout the workout and will keep your
energy levels peaked.
A lot of people like to take creatine before their workout hoping that it will increase their
strength and energy levels. The fact is that as long as you consistently take your
creatine on a daily basis your muscles will always be saturated with it. Because of this
there is really no added benefit to taking it before your workout. It is after the workout
when your body will absorb the highest amount of nutrients (which we will talk about
next) and this is when creatine supplementation is ideal.
This pre-workout meal should be fairly small to allow for easy digestion and to prevent
you from feeling sick when you train. You should never workout without having a meal in
you first. So, just to recap…
30-45 minutes before your workout:
1) 25-35 grams of whey protein mixed with 300-400ml of milk
2) A serving of slow release carbohydrates (i.e. Oatmeal, yogurt, apple)
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Post-Workout Nutrition
A lot of people highly underestimate the importance of the post-workout period and
greatly reduce their gains as a result. When it comes to proper nutrition, the absolute
most crucial time to pay close attention to when and what you eat is during the 3-hour
period following your workout. During this timeframe your body will be in a high state of
stress, and as a result your muscles will literally act as a sponge, soaking up anything
and everything you provide them with. It is absolutely vital that you have a good
understanding of proper post-workout nutrition or your gains will surely suffer.
By feeding your body with the right foods and supplements during this crucial period you
will greatly increase nutrient uptake into your muscles, increase muscle growth and
speed up your recovery. I'll try to break this section down and make things as basic as
possible. Let's first look at the state of your body following a high-intensity workout...
1) Muscle breakdown is occurring.
As you already know, after about 45 minutes of intense exercise the body releases a
powerful catabolic hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that stimulates
the breakdown of muscle tissue for use as energy. After you finish your workout your
muscles will be in a state of breakdown as cortisol circulates throughout your body.
2) Blood sugar and glycogen levels are low.
Carbohydrates are a major source of fuel for the body, especially for anaerobic activities
such as weight training. By the end of your workout your body will have released a large
amount of muscle glycogen into the bloodstream to be broken down into glucose for use
as fuel.
3) High level of free radicals.
Free radicals are natural metabolic waste products that are produced in the body as a
result of natural processes and from intense exercise.
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Free radicals are electrically charged molecules that attack your cells, mutate cell
membranes and can cause destruction within your body. High levels of free radicals in
the body have been linked with many diseases such as cancer and diabetes. After a
highly intensive workout free radical levels will be fairly high.
4) The body is in a state of maximum nutrient uptake.
Because of the enormous amount of stress you have placed on your body and the
intense protein and carbohydrate depletion going on within, your body will do anything it
can to restore its normal levels. Your muscles have basically become sponges and will
soak up much larger than normal amounts of nutrients.
Keeping all of this in mind, the goal of the post-workout period is this:
1) Reverse muscle catabolism and put your body back into an anabolic state.
2) Restore blood sugar and glycogen levels.
3) Decrease free radical circulation.
4) Feed the muscles with proper muscle-building nutrients in order to facilitate rapid
recovery
Sounds like a lot of work huh?
Well, it's not really that hard, and I'm going to show you how to accomplish all of this
step-by-step. The first and main component of an efficient post-workout plan is to
consume a "post-workout shake". This post-workout shake should ideally be consumed
within half an hour after your workout. This half-hour period is known as the "window of
opportunity", because it is during this time when your muscles will be extremely
responsive and absorb the highest amount of protein and carbohydrates.
Remember, your muscles are literally begging for nutrients, and so you must take full
advantage of this time period. Most people don't feel like sitting down for a big meal
directly after an intense workout, and luckily the post-workout shake is in liquid form.
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The liquid nature of this meal will allow the nutrients to be absorbed as quickly as
possible without forcing your body to undergo a long digestion process. It will allow you
to shuttle all of those important nutrients into your muscle cells in a matter of minutes.
Here’s what the post-workout shake should consist of…
1) 30-40 grams of whey protein mixed in water.
As you already know, whey protein is the fastest acting protein available and this is why
it is absolutely ideal for the post-workout period. Ingesting 30 to 40 grams of pure whey
protein isolate will quickly switch your body from a state of catabolism to a state of
anabolism. Your body will stop breaking down muscle protein because it will now be
provided with an external source. This quick shot of whey protein will be rapidly
absorbed by your muscles and will speed up the rate of protein synthesis going on within
your body. This will ultimately lead to a faster recovery period and greater gains in
muscle mass.
The most important thing to remember here is that you must mix your protein in water,
not milk. The reason for this is that you want the fastest acting protein you can possibly
get, and milk slows down the absorption of whey significantly. Any other time during the
day milk is fine, but during the post-workout period you must use water.
2) 70-80 grams of simple carbohydrates.
These carbohydrates should ideally come in the form of simple sugar from a high
glycemic juice or other sugary drink. The easiest and cheapest method that I have found
is to simply go to the grocery store and purchase a bag of corn sugar (dextrose). This is
a cheap and very effective post-workout sugar.
Why do you need all of this post-workout sugar?
For starters, you need to replenish your blood sugar levels and help to restore your
muscle glycogen. Both of these have been drained as a result of your workout and play a
very important role in energy production and muscle building.
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Even more importantly than that, a quick shot of simple sugars during the post-workout
period will produce an insulin-spike in your body. This rapid rise in insulin will drive all of
that important protein (and the other nutrients I'm about to mention) into your muscle
cells at an even faster rate.
3) 5 grams of creatine.
Creatine levels have been diminished after an intense-workout, and ingesting 5 grams of
creatine post-workout will help to restore these levels. One of the main reasons for
taking creatine in the post-workout period is simply because this is when your body will
absorb the highest amount.
Not only that, but because insulin levels will be very high from consuming your simple
sugars, this is a great opportunity to re-saturate your muscles with the greatest amount
of creatine they can absorb. Creatine will also help to re-hydrate your muscle cells and
will promote faster recovery.
4) 5 grams of glutamine.
Glutamine is always in high demand throughout your body, but at no other time is this
demand greatest than after an intense workout. Your immune system has taken a big
hit, and your body will be looking to those giant glutamine storage rooms (your muscles)
in order to help the areas in which it is needed most. Consuming 5 grams of glutamine
after your workout is extremely important in preventing muscle breakdown and keeping
your body in an anabolic state. Since your body will be provided with an external source
of this amino acid, it will leave your muscle proteins intact.
5) High-potency multivitamin.
In addition to this post-workout shake I would also recommend taking a high-potency
multivitamin. A multivitamin will contain high levels of antioxidants such as vitamin C
and E, which will help to neutralize those harmful free radical levels. It will also help to
restore some of the depleted mineral levels in your body and will help to reduce lactic
acid concentrations.
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Your post-workout shake and multivitamin should be consumed within half an hour after
your workout. This is the time when nutrient absorption will be at its absolute highest.
All of these important nutrients will help to switch off those harmful catabolic processes
that are occurring and immediately put you back into an anabolic, muscle-building state.
The way I would recommend mixing it together is like this…
1) Mix your simple sugars, creatine and glutamine together in one shake.
2) Consume your whey protein mixed with water in another shake.
The post-workout shake is the most important part of the puzzle, and it is crucial that
you follow these guideline closely. This is one period of time when supplements definitely
can play a key role and help you to pack on lean muscle at a faster rate.
For those of you who have opted not to use whey protein, creatine or glutamine, postworkout nutrition will be slightly less effective. Your post-workout shake will basically
consist of some simple sugars, which you should consume alongside a protein-rich meal.
The reason why whey protein is so effective during this period is because of its liquid
form and rapid absorption rate. Eating solid protein will require much longer digestion
time and therefore it will not reach your muscles as quickly.
After you consume your post-workout shake there is still about a 3-4 hour time period to
take advantage of. The post-workout shake will be rapidly absorbed and will switch your
body back into an anabolic state, but your muscles will still be primed for nutrition
uptake for a few more hours. The high sugar content of the post-workout shake will
provide you with that much-needed insulin spike and allow your body to drive all of
those important muscle-building nutrients into your cells. However, about half an hour to
45 minutes after this natural rise in insulin levels, you will experience what is called an
“insulin crash”.
This is where your insulin levels dip down below the norm, and this is something you
must avoid. An insulin crash will result in muscle breakdown, and this is something you
most certainly do not want. In order to level out this insulin crash you must provide your
body with more protein and carbohydrates.
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Your next meal should contain about 30-40 grams of protein alongside a serving or two
of high-glycemic carbohydrates. You should aim to consume this meal within 1 hour after
your post-workout shakes. Here are some examples:
1) 1 can of tuna, 1 cup white rice.
2) 1 chicken breast, 100g rice cakes.
3) 6oz steak, 1 baked potato.
Remember, your muscles are still in a state of rapid absorption and you must continue to
feed them with the nutrients they require.
This meal will keep your body in an anabolic state and will provide your muscles with
high quality protein and carbohydrates to facilitate recovery. It is important to keep the
fat content of these meals down, because fat slows the digestion process.
During the 3-4 hours after you train you must consume meals that will be digested fairly
quickly, and that is also why it is a good idea to stick to faster-absorbing carbohydrates
like white rice or potatoes. After this small meal it is simply a matter of taking advantage
of the 3-4 hour window by providing your body with as much protein and carbohydrates
as possible.
Do not neglect this time-period!
Your body has been heavily stressed from your workout and is literally screaming for
nutrients. Eat as much as you can and as often as you can. Not only will you recover
faster, but you will make much more significant muscle gains than a person who doesn't
know the importance of the post-workout period!
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Pre-Bedtime Nutrition
Contrary to what most people think, if you want to build as much muscle as you possibly
can then you must eat before bed! Sleep is a time for muscle recovery and mental
rejuvenation, and if you enter this period unequipped with the proper nutrients you will
definitely be selling yourself short. Your body is going to be fasting for at least 8 hours
and it is very important that you do all you can to remain in an anabolic state for as
much of that 8 hours as you possibly can.
You shouldn't eat a gigantic 5-course meal, as this may make it difficult for you to fall
asleep and may also affect your sleep quality. The best approach is to consume a small,
easily digested meal about half an hour before you decide to doze off. The goal of this
meal is to provide your body with nutrients that can be released as gradually as possible.
This will keep your body in a fed state for the longest amount of time and will prevent as
much muscle breakdown as possible. A timed-release meal will give your body a steady
stream of amino acids, carbohydrates and fats to help facilitate recovery during this
extremely important time frame.
Your pre-bedtime meal should consist of some slow-release protein, slow-release
carbohydrates alongside some unsaturated fats. Putting this meal together isn't rocketscience and is actually quite simple. Here are some good ways of accomplishing a timedrelease effect from your pre-bedtime meal...
Protein: The ideal way to provide your body with a steady stream of amino acids for as
long as possible is to mix 25-35 grams of whey protein in 400-500ml of milk. The whey
protein will elevate blood amino acids levels rapidly while the casein protein from the
milk will slow down their release. This protein concoction will take at least 4 hours to be
fully digested, allowing you to remain anabolic for at least half of the time you are
asleep. If you want to add some solid protein to this meal, cottage cheese is a great
choice. Cottage cheese is naturally high in casein protein and glutamine, two ideal
nutrients to consume before bedtime.
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Carbohydrates: You don't need to go overboard on carbs before bed, but a small
portion of complex, slow-release sugars will aid in muscle recovery and protein digestion
while you sleep. There are many possible choices here: a small bowl of oatmeal, some
yogurt or whole grain toast.
Fats: Adding some fat to your meal will naturally slow down its digestion and this is
exactly what you should be aiming for before bed. A great way of accomplishing this is to
consume a tablespoon of both flaxseed oil and olive oil with your meal. You can mix
these oils into your protein shake or just drink them on their own. Another option would
be to consume some all-natural peanut butter. These fats will also help to elevate
testosterone levels while you sleep.
Glutamine: If you do decide to use this supplement, a great time to consume it is right
before bed. Simply mix 1 teaspoon (5 grams) into your protein shake. This will naturally
elevate growth hormone levels and will go a long way in preventing muscle breakdown
while you sleep. Glutamine is a very powerful anti-catabolic substance and will make
sure that your hard-earned muscle tissue is spared while you sleep.
Here are a couple of examples of what a solid pre-bedtime meal might look like:
1) 30 grams of whey protein/5 grams of glutamine mixed in 400ml of milk.
1 bowl of oatmeal
1 table-spoon of flaxseed oil
1 table-spoon of olive oil
2) 1 bowl of cottage cheese
400 ml of milk
1 piece of whole grain toast with all-natural peanut butter
1 table-spoon of flaxseed oil
1 table-spoon of olive oil
Do not neglect this meal! It is very important that you enter your sleeping period
prepared to repair your muscles.
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If you enter this important recovery time unequipped with the proper materials needed
to facilitate growth and recovery you will definitely be selling yourself short. You should
never go to sleep without consuming some high quality protein and slow-release
carbohydrates first.
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Chapter 6 Review
1) Morning Meal
This meal is critical to your gains and should never be ignored. You should aim to eat
breakfast within 45 minutes of waking up in order to promote muscle anabolism, restore
blood sugar and glycogen and to rehydrate your body.
This meal should consist of:
30-40 grams of high quality protein
2 portions of moderate to high glycemic carbohydrates
500ml of pure, clean water
1 tablespoon of flax seed oil
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2) Pre-Workout Meal
This meal is designed to prevent muscle breakdown during your workout and to keep
your energy and strength levels peaked. You should consume your pre-workout meal
about 30-45 minutes before your workout.
This meal should consist of:
25-35 grams of whey protein mixed with 300-400ml of milk
1 serving of low-glycemic carbohydrates.
3) Post-Workout Period
The post-workout period plays many important roles in muscle recovery and growth.
Immediately following your workout your muscles will be in a state of breakdown, blood
sugar and glycogen will be low, free radical levels will be high and your body will be in a
state of maximum nutrient uptake. You can reverse all of these processes with a proper
post-workout shake that is consumed within half an hour after your workout.
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Post-Workout Shake
30-40 grams of whey protein mixed in water
70-80 grams of high sugar juice
5 grams of glutamine
5 grams of creatine
You should also consume a high-potency multivitamin. Within 1 hour after consuming
your post-workout shake, you should have a small, easily digestible meal. This meal
should consist of a portion of protein alongside a portion of high-glycemic carbohydrates.
Here's a couple of examples:
1) 1 can of tuna, 1 cup white rice.
2) 1 chicken breast, 100g rice cakes.
You should continue to feed your body with as much high quality protein and
carbohydrates as you can for about 3-4 hours following your workout.
4) Pre-Bedtime Meal
This meal is designed to keep your body in an anabolic state while you sleep by
preventing muscle breakdown. The pre-bedtime meal should be consumed about half an
hour before you go to sleep and should consist of some slow release protein, lowglycemic carbohydrates and some unsaturated fat. Here is an example:
1) 30 grams of whey protein/5 grams of glutamine mixed in 400ml of milk.
1 bowl of oatmeal
1 table-spoon of flaxseed oil
1 table-spoon of olive oil
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The Truth About Building Muscle
Chapter 7: Muscle-Building Myths Uncovered
Chapter 7: Muscle-Building Myths Uncovered
By now you should have a pretty solid grasp of what it takes to efficiently and effectively
build muscle. You should know how to structure a killer workout, how to eat for maximal
gains, which supplements are most effective and how to properly recover in between
workouts. It may seem like a lot to remember, but in reality it is very straightforward
and simple.
Once you start executing these principles on a consistent basis it will become nothing
more than second nature. I'm confident that by now your mind has been cleansed of any
nonsense or misleading information you had read in the past and that you now
understand why so many approaches simply do not work. Even so, I would still like to
cover some common muscle-building myths and lies to further clear up any confusion
you may have. Bodybuilding misinformation is rampant, abundant and spinning out of
control.
Here are some common misconceptions that your average lifter would have no idea how
to argue against. By the end of this section you will have hopefully cancelled your muscle
magazine subscription, forgotten about "feeling the burn" and will have decided to forget
about what Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman has to say about bicep training.
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Myth #1: In order to build muscle, you must achieve a "pump" during your
workout. The greater pump you achieve, the more muscle you will build.
For those of you who have never trained with weights before, a "pump" is the feeling you
get as blood becomes trapped inside your muscles after a few sets in the gym. Your
muscles will swell up, increase in size and vascularity and will also give you a great
mental boost. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting a pump, but contrary to
popular belief it is definitely not indicative of an effective workout.
On countless occasions I've heard lifters raving about the massive pumps they get in the
gym as they share methods for achieving the best pump possible.
"Dude, this will give you a crazy pump!"
If you have already been working out for a decent amount of time then you know exactly
what I'm talking about.
While a pump does feel extremely satisfying, just remember that it means very little in
terms of muscle stimulation and growth. Think of it this way: if I took a pair of 5 pound
dumbbells and performed 200 reps of a bench press with them, my pump would be
absolutely incredible. Blood would be rushing into my chest and it would feel rock-solid,
thick and full. But do you think pressing 5-pound dumbbells for 200 reps would be an
effective way of stimulating chest growth?
Absolutely not.
Do not concern yourself with your pump, and do not be discouraged if your pump is not
as intense as you had hoped for. As I said before, it has nothing to do with how effective
your workout has been, only progression does. If you were able to lift more weight or
perform more reps with a certain weight in comparison to the previous workout, then
you did your job. This is the only thing you should be concerning yourself with.
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Myth #2: You should gauge the success of your muscle-building sets on the
level of muscle burn you achieve.
Another huge misconception in the gym is the belief that in order to grow, you must
"feel the burn!" Well, to understand why "the burn" has nothing to do with completing a
successful workout, you must first understand what this feeling is actually caused by.
When we exercise, our bodies produce natural waste products as a result of reactions
going in within the muscles. One of these products, lactic acid, is produced within the
muscle tissue as your body burns carbohydrates for use as fuel. So, what does this have
to do with muscle growth?
Well, nothing!
In fact, lactic acid will actually have a negative effect on muscle stimulation by
influencing muscle catabolism. We usually experience the highest instance of muscle
burn when we train with lighter weight and higher repetitions. This is yet another reason
why we must avoid this type of training and instead focus on moving as much weight as
possible for no more than 7 reps.
Muscle burn is inevitable, but it is definitely not something you should be striving for.
Myth #3: Bodybuilding professionals have more muscle than anyone on the
planet. Therefore, they also have the most muscle-building knowledge.
One of the biggest mistakes you could possibly make is to take advice from bodybuilding
magazines and from IFBB professionals. Just because these guys are the most massive
and ripped dudes on the planet does not mean that they offer the best advice!
Professional bodybuilding is a shady and corrupt world, and is not a realm worth
venturing into. These guys are simply genetic freaks whose bodies will respond heavily
to pretty much any type of training stimulus.
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Not only are they extremely genetically gifted, but their potential is maximized even
further because of the various steroids and hormones they use as a part of their
programs.
Steroid use is a personal choice, and I am not here to advocate their use or to go on a
rant about why you shouldn't use them, but the fact of the matter is that these pro
bodybuilders have more steroids and synthetic hormones running through their bodies
than most small hospitals have.
In a sport where more is always better, these guys are constantly pushing their bodies
far beyond where they were intended to go. I'm not saying that what they are doing is
wrong, all I am saying is that for mere mortals like us there is really no point in trying to
employ their training tactics into our programs.
I don't care what "the big guy" at your gym says, or what Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman
has to say. If certain unorthodox techniques work for these genetic freaks, fine, but for
the other 99% of us humans, these techniques simply will not work and should not be
followed.
Myth #4: Muscle Magazines are a good place to do muscle-building research
While I'm on the subject of professional bodybuilders, I'd like to quickly talk to you about
bodybuilding magazines and why you shouldn't read them. Have you ever noticed that
over half of a bodybuilding magazine's content is advertisements for various
supplements and "get-big-quick schemes?" Have you noticed that they actually disguise
advertisements as articles? It's basically page after page of "the latest breakthrough"
that promises to get you huge in a matter of days.
Well, that's the reason why these magazines are produced in the first place! They are
basically gigantic advertisements used to push all sorts of products on you that you don't
really need.
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Now don't get me wrong, supplementation definitely has its place, and we covered that
subject earlier in the book, but there are a lot more bogus supplements out there than
there are legit ones. The right supplements, such as protein powders, creatine,
glutamine and EFA's can help you reach your goals faster you than you would without
them. However, if you go beyond these few, basic supplements you may end up wasting
your money.
Forget about citrulline, myostatin blockers and ecdysterone. All of this stuff is nothing
more than a giant marketing scam used to empty your pockets. The magazines will push
anything and everything as long as it makes them money. Not only that, but the
majority of the training articles you read are about the techniques used by the pros. If
you want to read a bodybuilding magazine for its entertainment value, by all means go
ahead. Just don't take any of the advice to heart, as it probably will do you more harm
than good.
Myth #5: High-protein diets should not be followed because they are stressful
to the kidneys.
This issue has been debated for years and years. The truth is that the majority of the
studies performed that suggested a high protein diet was bad for the kidneys have been
shown to be false, and have been replaced by newer and more accurate research. Don't
allow yourself to fall victim to the media.
The bottom line is that there has never been a single study ever performed that has
been able to clearly demonstrate a negative relationship between high protein intake and
kidney function.
So where did this myth come from?
Who knows, but based on modern research, there is no reason to suspect that these
claims have any truth to them at all.
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Myth #6: The body can only absorb a maximum of 30 grams of protein in one
sitting.
How often have you heard this one? The "30 grams of protein per meal" limit seems to
have become a basic rule in bodybuilding circles. The idea is that the body can only
absorb a maximum of 30 grams of protein at one sitting, and anymore will simply go to
waste.
The real question is where did this piece of conventional wisdom come from, and what
scientific evidence is there to support it?
Well, the answer is who knows and none.
That is, we don't know where it came from, and there is no evidence to support it.
The digestion of protein is an extremely complicated process and involves much more
than a piece of food simply being chewed and sent to the stomach and intestines for
absorption. The digestion process involves all sorts of fancy enzymes (protease,
peptidase and trypsin to name a very small few), acids (HCL) and other substances (bile
salts, gastrin, CCK) that are secreted from the mouth, stomach and small intestine.
There are numerous sites along the digestion tract that would affect how much or how
little a person could absorb in terms of protein. Because of this, we don't really know
what the upper limit for protein absorption really is. It would seem that the number
would differ from person to person. It makes sense to say, for example, that a 250pound bodybuilder could absorb more protein in one sitting than a 95-pound ballerina.
I'm not necessarily saying that the "30 gram rule" is wrong, all I'm saying is that there's
no real reason to believe it's correct. If you were to consume 50 grams of protein in one
meal, there’s no reason to suspect that the extra 20 grams has somehow gone to waste.
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Myth #7: Performing high reps with light resistance will make the muscles
more cut and defined.
This is one of the most common misconceptions when it comes to bodybuilding and
fitness in general. Allow me to clear this up once and for all…
You cannot target fat loss from a specific area on your body!
Performing bicep curls will not burn fat from your biceps, just as performing crunches
will not give you a flat, ripped midsection. Fat loss targeting is completely genetic, and
your body will burn fat from wherever it sees fit.
Yet so often we see even serious lifters failing to recognize this and continuing to abide
by the misguided notion that "high reps and light weight gets you ripped."
Whenever I'm in the gym during the few months leading up to summer, I always run
into someone who tells me that they're focusing on using light weight and performing
high reps to get "cut and defined" for the beach.
This is complete and total nonsense!
The bottom line is this: lifting weights builds muscle and performing cardio burns fat,
plain and simple. This is not to say that building muscle has no effect on fat loss,
because it definitely does. One of the most important factors that affects your resting
metabolism is the amount of lean muscle mass you have on your body. All I'm saying is
that manipulating the amount of weight you lift or the number of repetitions you perform
will not magically cause your body to start burning higher amounts of fat from the area
you're training.
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Myth #8: You should switch up your routine periodically by changing your rep
ranges and exercises in order to "shock" your muscles.
The idea of changing your rep range, exercises or training days in an attempt to "shock"
your muscles is a widely accepted “truth” in bodybuilding circles, but I have yet to come
across any hard-fast evidence that proves this notion.
In order to maximize your muscle gains it's very important to let go of conventional
wisdom and to question the so-called "accepted" methods of bodybuilding. You need to
think of the concept of building muscle from outside the box.
Your muscles do not have a mind of their own. If you switch from using a dumbbell to a
barbell to stimulate your tricep, the muscle does not magically think to itself "Oh no!
He's using a barbell now! We'd better pack on some extra muscle mass this time!"
Muscles adapt to stress, plain and simple.
Do you want to know the real secret for "shocking" your muscles?
Here it is: intensity and progression.
As long as you train with 100% intensity and focus on making steady progression in the
weight you lift or the repetitions you perform, your muscles will continue to respond by
growing larger and stronger. The bottom line is to present them with a workload they
have never experienced before. That's all there is to it.
You’ll notice that in the 26-week workout plan I’ve provided a different schedule for
every 8-week cycle. This is simply to keep things mentally fresh and interesting, and to
allow you to have experience performing different exercises. It has nothing to do with
“shocking” your muscles.
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Myth #9: You can influence the shape of a muscle by performing certain
exercises.
Anybody who weight-trains has heard it: "use compound exercises for overall size and
use isolation exercises for shape and definition." This is yet another example of
bodybuilding "common sense" that misses the mark completely.
You can do 3 things with your muscles.
1) You can make them bigger.
2) You can make them smaller.
3) You can keep them the same size.
To say that certain exercises make the muscles bigger while others promote more
"shape" is not only wrong, it doesn't even make sense. When you train with weights,
your muscles fire on an "all or nothing" basis, meaning that every fiber in the muscle is
recruited. You cannot force your body to recruit fibers from a specific area of the muscle.
Muscle shape is genetically predetermined, and the unfortunate reality is that there is
very little you can do to change this. If you were born with flat biceps (like me!),
chances are you'll never achieve an impressive bicep peak.
The only thing you can do is to increase the size of your muscles as much as possible
and then hope that the gods of genetics were kind to you.
Myth #10: Weightlifting will cause you to become bulky, and as a result you will
lose your speed, agility and flexibility.
This myth goes back many years when people used the words "muscle-bound" and
"bulky" to describe those with muscular physiques. The common belief is that developing
muscle mass and strength will slow a person down, decrease their flexibility and agility
and will ultimately hinder their ability to perform athletic sports.
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Muscles are responsible for every movement that your body makes. Running, jumping,
throwing, skating; all of these activities are made possible by the muscles on your body.
The bottom line is that the stronger a muscle is, the more force it can apply. Having a
strong, muscular physique means that you will be able to run faster, jump higher and
throw farther. You'll be able to hit a baseball farther, shoot a hockey puck faster, drive a
golf ball farther distances and tackle opposing football players with greater force. Strong
muscles are able muscles, not the other way around.
More and more athletes are beginning to realize this and are including weight lifting as
an important part of their training programs. If you're holding back on increasing your
muscle mass because you're afraid that it will negatively affect your speed or ability as
an athlete, think again.
Myth #11: People who use steroids should be labeled as cheaters because they
have an unfair advantage and are sacrificing their health.
You might be a bit surprised to see this one here, but I felt it was important to include.
I've never used steroids personally, nor am I advocating that you should use them, but I
think the media has really blown the steroid issue out of control. Steroids have been put
under the spotlight and have been portrayed as highly unhealthy and as a cheater's way
out.
What is it that makes steroids so incredibly wrong and immoral?
When bodybuilders use steroids, they are simply consuming a variation of a hormone
that already occurs naturally in our bodies. How is this any different than using
supplements such as creatine or glutamine? We are simply introducing a higher amount
of a substance that our bodies already make.
The main difference between steroids and traditional supplements is that steroids
produce much more noticeable results. Because of the incredible benefits people can
achieve using steroids, their use somehow became classified as "cheating".
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But where do you draw the line? Creatine, glutamine and protein powder enhance
performance also, but you don't see users of those supplements being called cheaters.
What about athletes?
Long distance runners typically train at high altitudes because it increases their red blood
cell count, just as Olympic swimmers use special suits that allow them to travel faster
through the water. Neither of these performance-enhancing tools have ever been viewed
as cheating, yet Olympic sprinter Ben Johnson was found to be “juicing” and will now be
forever labeled as a fraud and a cheater.
Where is the justice in that?
The other issue when it comes to steroids is the negative impact it can have on a
person's health, but this has been blown way out of proportion as well. There are many
different types of steroids, and not all of them have the same impact on the body. When
used properly, some steroids can actually produce significant results without
“destroying” the body like so many would have you believe.
Please understand that I am not advocating the use of steroids in any way, I am simply
encouraging you to view the subject with an open mind and to not automatically view a
person who uses them as being immoral.
If you are considering steroid use then you absolutely must perform the proper research
first. Using steroids as a quick-fix is certainly a recipe for disaster and is something that
I definitely would NOT condone, but I don’t think it’s right to immediately judge a hardtraining bodybuilder who responsibly uses steroids as part of his entire program and who
understands the risks.
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Myth #12: You must perform all of your exercises using perfect, textbook form,
or you may injure yourself.
It's important to focus on using good form in the gym, but using perfect form is an
entirely different matter. If you try to perform every exercise using absolutely flawless,
textbook form, you may actually end up increasing your chance of injury and decreasing
the amount of total muscle stimulation you can achieve.
It's very important that you move naturally when you perform your exercises rather than
trying to keep your body completely tight and rigid like a robot. For example, a lot of
trainers will tell their clients that the bicep curl must be performed using a perfectly
straight back and elbows pinned at the sides. Some trainers will even go as far as having
their clients stand with their backs against a wall in order to maintain that "proper" form.
You need to throw conventional wisdom out the window on this one and allow your body
to move the way it was meant to be moved. I'm not suggesting that you should throw
the weights around using explosive, ballistic form; I am merely suggesting that you
loosen up a little bit and perform your lifts naturally.
This might mean adding a slight sway to your upperbody as you perform your curls, or
using a tiny bit of momentum in order to crank out that last rep. Moving naturally will
ultimately increase the amount of muscular overload you can achieve and will also
decrease your chance of getting hurt.
Myth #13: When you stop working out, your muscles will turn to fat.
I get this question all the time, and it really makes me laugh.
"If I stop working out, won't my muscles just turn to fat?"
I have no idea where this idea came from or what logic it is based on, but this statement
is completely false and downright ridiculous. Muscle and fat are two completely different
tissues, and they cannot magically transform back and forth.
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Claiming that muscle can turn into fat is really no different than saying that lead can turn
into gold. It just doesn't work that way.
A lot of times we see people who once had muscular, athletic physiques in their younger
years become flabby and out of shape as they age. However, this has nothing to do with
the fact that their muscles converted to fat. These people simply stopped training (their
muscle size decreased) and let their diets go (they increased their body fat levels).
Myth #14: Eating before bed will make you fat.
Eating before bed will only make you fat if you eat the wrong foods. Sleep is a very
important time for muscle growth and recovery, and if you enter this period unequipped
with the proper nutrients you will definitely be selling yourself short. Eating before bed is
completely fine as long as you know which foods to eat and which ones to avoid. As long
as you stick to clean, unprocessed foods that are low on the glycemic index you will not
have any problems. A small meal that is consumed about half an hour before dozing off
is ideal.
This pre-bedtime meal will provide your body with the raw materials needed to facilitate
growth while you sleep and will help to keep your muscles out of a catabolic, musclewasting state.
Myth #15: In order to achieve an impressive physique, you should use the same
techniques as the "buff" guys at the gym.
It's very important to realize that just because someone at your gym is strong and
muscular does not necessarily mean that they are doing everything "correctly". There
are many, many factors that determine what kind of results a person can achieve, and
just because someone is "buff" and "ripped" does not mean that you should follow their
techniques.
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The plain fact of the matter is that genetics do play an important role in bodybuilding.
Some people simply posses superior muscle-building genetics and will grow no matter
how they train. I know people who train 2 days a week, hardly pay any attention to their
diets, party and drink on the weekend and still have what would be considered an
impressive build.
Don't worry about what other people are doing in the gym!
Simply have faith in the system you are using and realize that it is based on science and
logic. For this reason, it cannot fail. Anybody can achieve dramatic results if they train
hard and are consistent, but this system allows you to achieve those results as quickly
and efficiently as possible.
The buff guy at your gym may be doing something completely unorthodox, but he could
probably be achieving even better results using a different system.
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Chapter 8: Proper Rest & Recovery
Chapter 8: Proper Rest & Recovery
One of the most important concepts to understand, and one that most people fail to
acknowledge, is the fact that when it comes to building muscle, recovery is everything.
Our muscles ultimately grow because of our accomplishments in the gym, but this does
not mean that they grow in the gym.
As you already know, a workout is nothing more than a simple "spark"; an activity that
tells your body to start building muscle. The actual growth takes place when you are out
of the gym, eating and resting. Highly intensive workouts place a large amount of stress
on your body, and without proper recovery your body will be physically unable to build
the maximum amount of muscle you are capable of building.
As strange as it may seem, the real magic of muscle growth is taking place as you lie on
the couch, nibbling away at a tuna melt and watching TV. Overtraining is one of the
biggest traps that misinformed lifters fall into, and one that you must avoid like the
plague.
This section will cover some rest and recovery related issues such as sleep,
preventing/treating injuries and taking time off. There are certain times when you'll have
to put your workout passion and drive on the back burner and find the discipline to take
some time off when it is needed most.
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Sleep
Getting a sufficient amount of sleep every night is a very important part of the musclebuilding equation that most people don't pay enough attention to. If you want to
maximize your muscle gains, improve your performance in the gym and increase your
mental focus, then you should be getting at least 8 hours of quality sleep every night.
That's right, quality sleep.
If you find yourself waking up every hour or tossing and turning throughout the night
then you probably aren't getting the type of rest you should be. A lot of people brag
about how little sleep they get and how they're able to get by with just the minimum
(this usually means about 5 or 6 hours a night). This is really no different than someone
bragging about how little they train or how little they eat.
Sleep is a critical piece of the puzzle and its importance should not be underestimated.
Some of us lead very busy lives with activities such as going to school, working and
making time for friends and loved ones. This can sometimes make getting a full night's
rest difficult, but you must do your best to fit it into your schedule. As long as you can
get 8 hours a night then you should be fine. If you can get more then that's even better.
One of the biggest problems with sleep deprivation is the effect it will have on your
mental state. Studies have shown that just a single night with insufficient rest will have a
significant negative impact on your mental focus and willingness to perform difficult
tasks. Last time I checked, an all-out set of squats to failure was more than just a
difficult task, so you can see where sleep would be important in this situation.
It is crucial that your mental focus and intensity are peaked at all times in the gym, and
getting 8 hours of sleep every night is a good way to make sure of this. Not only will
sleep deprivation have a negative impact on your mental state of mind, but it will also
have physical consequences as well because if you don't get enough sleep, your strength
levels will decrease. This means you'll end up using less weight and/or performing fewer
reps than you would normally be capable of.
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If you've been paying any attention up until now then you know that strength is
everything. In fact, the entire basis for building muscle relies on the small increases in
strength you are able to make from week to week.
Every time you set foot in the gym your goal is to move more weight or to perform 1 or
2 more reps. This is why keeping your strength levels peaked is so absolutely critical,
and this is where sufficient sleep will benefit you.
Cortisol, testosterone, growth hormone and insulin; these are all powerful hormones
which play a key role in the muscle-building process. Simply put, sleep deprivation has a
negative effect on every single one of them. How's that as an incentive to get your rest?
1) Cortisol
A catabolic stress hormone that increases abdominal fat storage and stimulates the
break down of muscle tissue. Studies have shown that insufficient sleep will cause the
body to release higher amounts of this hormone.
2) Testosterone
The most important hormone when it comes to building muscle. The higher your levels
of testosterone, the more muscle you can build. When people take anabolic steroids to
increase their muscle mass, they are simply taking synthetic variants of this hormone.
Sleep deprivation lowers testosterone levels.
3) Growth hormone
Regenerates the body and plays a large role in building and maintaining muscle. The
time that you sleep is also the time when your body experiences a natural surge in
growth hormone levels. If you fail to get a proper rest at night this hormonal surge will
be compromised.
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4) Insulin
Responsible for the uptake of important nutrients into your body cells. Sleep deprivation
can result in an increase in your body's insulin resistance levels, and this means that
your body will have to release higher-than-normal amounts of this hormone to
compensate. This can lead to fat storage, diabetes or heart disease.
Sleep is also a very important time for your body to recover and rebuild damaged muscle
tissue. You already know about the high importance recovery plays in gaining muscle,
and sleep is one of the most important times for this recovery to take place. High
intensity workouts give your muscles and immune system a huge hit, and it is vital that
you are fully recovered between workouts. This is yet another reason to ensure that you
get the recommended 8 hours of sleep every single night.
There are many other negative effects that sleep deprivation will have on your body but
I couldn't possibly cover all of them. These negative effects will not only compromise the
amount of muscle you can build, but it will also deliver a significant hit to your overall
health and well being.
As far as building muscle is concerned, proper amounts of sleep will increase your
strength, up your energy, heighten your mental focus, lower cortisol levels, increase
testosterone, raise growth hormone levels and decrease insulin resistance. That should
definitely be reason enough for you to get 8 hours of restful sleep every single night.
Here are some tips to help you get a deep and restful sleep:
1) Don't consume any caffeine for at least 6 hours before sleep.
2) Turn off all of the lights.
3) Sleep in a slightly cool, dry room.
4) Try to keep your sleeping schedule as consistent as possible.
5) Don't eat a huge meal immediately before bed.
6) Avoid nicotine.
7) Sleep in a quiet area free from distractions.
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Injury Prevention
Training with maximal weight and 100% intensity is without a doubt the most effective
means of stimulating muscle growth. Doing this will place your muscles under the
highest amount of stress possible and will yield the greatest adaptive response in size
and strength. For guys looking to pack on the greatest amount of muscle in the shortest
period of time, this style of training cannot be matched.
The only downside is that although your muscles are being heavily stressed, so are your
joints and connective tissues. This is simply the reality of training with heavy weights,
and if you don't follow the proper precautions you could end up with a nagging injury
that will stop you dead in your muscle building tracks.
Believe me, when you're training hard and making consistent gains, an injury is the
absolute last thing you could ever hope for. Several years back I suffered a shoulder
injury that dramatically altered my workout schedule (I couldn’t perform any pressing
movements at all) for a full 6 months. It was extremely difficult to deal with mentally
and it taught me a valuable lesson. Had I been more careful and followed a few simple
guidelines this injury could have easily been avoided.
The fact of the matter is that most people who lift weights on a consistent basis will
experience some form of training-induced injury at one time or another. Being able to
train for years on end without suffering at least a minor injury is extremely rare.
Remember, gaining and maintaining muscular weight over the long haul is much more
than a temporary hobby. In order to be truly successful it must become a way of life,
and something that is practiced day in and day out. This book is much more than some
quick fix to gain a few pounds. It is a complete muscle building philosophy that can be
applied consistently over the long-term.
Staying as injury-free as possible is extremely important to ensure training longevity and
maximum gains. Here are some guidelines you can apply both in and out of the gym to
keep your joints and connectives tissues strong and healthy and to ensure that your
training stays as consistent as possible.
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1) Warm Up!
I already went into detail regarding the benefits of a proper warm-up so you should be
pretty familiar with the importance of this component of the workout. Simply put, a
proper warm-up is the single most important procedure to follow in order to stay injury
free. It will help to lubricate and cushion your joints, move blood into the surrounding
connective tissue, increase your muscle-nerve contractions and fully prepare your body
and mind for the heavy weights to come.
Please don't neglect the warm-up process!
It is a brief, simple procedure which will greatly decrease your chances of getting hurt.
Those who fail to properly warm-up are just asking for trouble. It takes about 20
minutes to complete and can save you months or even years of training downtime
because you tore a rotator cuff or strained your lower back.
2) Always Use Proper Form.
This should go without saying. Every single set you perform in the gym should be done
using proper form and technique, and before you perform any exercise you should have
a good understanding of how it is properly executed.
This rule is especially important for the big lifts, such as squats and deadlifts, since you'll
be moving the greatest amount of weight and because these exercises are more
complicated to execute properly. Consistently lifting heavy weights with incorrect
technique will surely catch up to you in the long run and leave you on the couch rather
than in the gym.
Please make sure to read through the exercise database thoroughly before attempting
any of the assigned lifts. If you have never trained with weights before this is especially
important so that you don't develop any bad habits right from the start.
Most of the lifts are fairly straightforward and can be learned quite quickly. However,
there are a few select lifts that will require a few weeks of practice to fully learn.
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Don't forget to move naturally when you train, but there are still certain form guidelines
that are important to follow.
3) Train Within Your Own Personal Limits!
When I talk about training heavy, I'm talking about training with weights that are heavy
for you. Going to the gym is not a contest to see who can lift the most weight! You
shouldn't be concerning yourself with how much the guy next to you is lifting. Building
muscle and gaining strength should be a personal battle and if you begin concerning
yourself too much with everyone around you your mental focus will surely get off track.
Who cares if your training partner can bench press more than you?
You have to start somewhere!
As long as you focus on the laws of intensity and progression your weights will climb up
faster than you could imagine. Don't worry about the opinions of the other lifters around
you either. As long as they see you training hard and giving it your all then that's all that
matters.
Do you want to know how much I could squat when I started training? 85 pounds. 85!
That's a pretty small squat if you ask me. Now I don't consider myself to be super strong
by any means, but now my squat is closer to 400 pounds.
How did I manage to make such a huge jump in weight?
I did it by consistently improving every single week with more reps or slightly more
weight. Believe me, it adds up over time. So as I said before, don't concern yourself with
how much (or how little) you can lift as of right now. If you can only bench press the
weight of the bar, so be it. Pick a weight that you can perform 5 to 7 reps with, focus on
progressing a little bit each week, and the rest will take care of itself.
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4) Know When to Quit!
As you are already fully aware, every single set you perform in the gym should be taken
to the point of concentric muscular failure. This is the absolute best way to ensure that
your muscles are fully overloaded and will adapt to the stress placed upon them.
However, it is extremely important that you pay close attention to the definition of
muscular failure...
Muscular Failure: When no further repetitions can be completed using proper form.
This does not necessarily mean that every set will leave you screaming at the top of your
lungs, eyes bloodshot, pushing with every bodily fiber until the bar won't budge another
quarter inch.
Yes, you must train with 100% intensity and effort, but as I said before, it should more
accurately be called "100% controlled intensity."
As soon as the bar won't move or your form starts to slip it's time to put the weight
down. You don't need to start performing slow negatives or forced reps, as these
methods are just begging to get you hurt.
Simply take the set to concentric failure or to the point where you can no longer perform
the exercise with proper form and then stop.
5) Only Perform the Assigned Sets!
As long as you train as hard as you possibly can and are able to consistently progress
each week in weight or reps, the amount of sets required to stimulate growth is much
lower than most people think.
Contrary to popular belief, a few sets of a few basic exercises is all that is needed to
produce the best gains possible. Anymore than this will simply eat into your recovery
time and increase your chances of getting hurt.
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I don't care what type of training volume you've been using or think you should be
using, you must only perform the amount of work that is laid out for you. Forget about
the "more is better" mentality.
Trust me, the workout programs I've assigned you contain more than enough sets to
fully stimulate your muscles to grow. If you start adding more sets or, even worse, more
training days, your chances of being injured will greatly increase.
Since you'll be training as hard as you possibly can it is very important that you do so
using the minimum amount of volume necessary. Too much volume over the long run
will not only place undo stress on your joints but it will negatively affect your immune
and central nervous system as well.
6) Nutrition & Supplementation!
Although supplements are not a necessity, there are a few, which, if used properly, can
provide some fairly good benefits. I already talked about this earlier in the
supplementation section, but while we're on the subject of injuries I'd like to refresh
your memory.
When glucose and an amino acid join together it forms a substance called glucosamine.
This sugary compound is fairly inexpensive and can provide some great benefits when it
comes to joint health. Glucosamine works by increasing joint lubrication, regenerating
damaged cartilage and promoting increased flexibility. This is a cheap and effective way
to give your body added joint support and to protect yourself against injuries.
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Taking Time Off
As you already know, the most important aspect of a solid muscle-building program is
consistency. Training 3 days per week, eating 5-7 meals every day, sleeping 8 hours
each night; these are all guidelines which must be applied week in and week out in order
to achieve continual gains in muscle size and strength. If you regularly skip workouts or
don't eat often enough you can forget about making any sort of appreciable progress.
Consistency is achieved through motivation; through our burning passion and intense
drive to be the best we can possibly be. Being highly motivated and driven to build your
muscles can only be a good thing, right? Well, in most cases the answer is yes. However,
there do exist certain situations where you must be able to control this motivation and
make certain choices, which, at the time, may seem very difficult.
You see, no training program is perfect. This is just a simple fact and is something that
you must be able to accept. If you begin your muscle building journey thinking that
you'll never hit a bump in the road then you're in for a huge disappointment. There will
be times when things simply won't go your way and your training and diet will suffer as a
result.
This is where being so highly motivated can end up working against you.
Since your mind is so extremely focused on reaching a specific goal you'll tend to block
out anything and everything that has any negative effect whatsoever on your gains. This
could mean training when you're sick, training with an injury or simply not taking the
mandatory 1-week rest after 8 consecutive weeks of training.
Most people who are serious about building muscle would probably be lying if they said
they haven't been guilty of this at one time or another. I know that I have, and believe
me, I've paid the price. I don't want you to follow this same unwise path and so I'd like
to explain a few key situations where you'll simply have to take a break from training
and temporarily put your bodybuilding goals on the back burner.
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I'll also lay out some highly effective techniques for minimizing your losses during these
inevitable points in your muscle-building journey.
1) Training with an Injury
This is number one on the list and for very good reason. Continuing to train with an
injury is an absolutely, positively huge no-no!
Although continuing to train will temporarily keep your hard-earned muscle mass and
strength intact, the overall net effect will weigh far more to the negative side. The simple
fact is that anyone who trains with heavy weights and maximal effort will always have
the potential to sustain some form of injury. I've already gone into detail about some
great methods to highly decrease your chances of getting injured, but this does not
guarantee anything. If you follow all of the guidelines laid out you will have a much
smaller chance, but the chance will still exist.
In the event that you do become victim of an injury, whether it be minor or major, you'll
need to take some time off from the gym in order to properly heal. The two most
common injuries sustained by weight lifters are to the shoulders and lower back. These
two areas receive the most stress from your workouts and have the highest potential for
getting hurt. Other possible injuries may be to the knees, elbows, wrists or hips.
So what should you do if you're in the gym performing a heavy set of bench presses and
you begin experiencing sharp pain in your left shoulder?
A lot of serious lifters, especially those who are extremely driven to build muscle at all
costs, would continue their workout.
This is one of the most unwise and counterproductive choices you could possibly make.
Continuing to train hard and heavy when something is clearly not right could potentially
set you up for months or even years of problems.
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If you continue to place stress on an already injured area, the problem will only worsen.
As extremely difficult as it may seem at the time, you must put the weights down and
end your workout.
As I said before, this program is not a "quick-fix" for getting bigger. It is a lifestyle, a full
training philosophy, which can be applied over the long term. If you look at the big
picture then I'm sure you can see how missing 2 weeks of training is a much better
scenario than missing 6 months.
Believe me, I know firsthand.
A few years ago I started getting sharp pain in both shoulders when performing heavy
sets of presses and dips. In fact, the situation got so bad that my left arm would actually
go numb in the middle of my sets! But being the stubborn and incredibly motivated lifter
that I was, I continued to workout anyway. I thought, "aww what the hell, nothing bad
will happen to me!"
What a huge mistake that was!
Eventually I found the common sense to have the problem checked out and find out
what was wrong. Much to my dismay I learned that I had caused extensive damage to
both shoulders and would have to take at least 6 months off of heavy chest and shoulder
training. For someone who loves training as much as I do, 6 months felt like an eternity.
Had I simply gotten the problem checked out right from the start I probably wouldn't
have had to take this huge training layoff. In fact, my shoulder problems still affect me
to this very day.
So please, don't be an idiot like I was and follow this same path. If you can feel that
something definitely isn't right, seek professional advice immediately. Because I was
smart with my diet and supplementation I was fortunately able to minimize my muscle
losses and stay in decent shape while I was out of the gym.
Here is what you should do if you can feel the negative effects of an injury setting in...
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A) Get out of the gym!
As hard as it may be to go through with, it is extremely important that you end your
workout and minimize the injury's negative effects. Trust me, it will serve you much
better in the long run.
B) Seek professional advice!
This must be done as soon as possible! Don't just sit around and hope that the pain will
magically disappear. In some cases it will, since rest is usually the best medicine.
However, getting a proper diagnosis will help you to understand the seriousness of the
problem and will also enable you to perform certain stretches and exercises to speed up
the recovery process. I would also recommend getting the injury checked out by more
than one person so that you can be 100% sure of what the problem really is.
C) Keep your diet and supplementation on track!
If you aren't going to be in the gym, then keeping your protein and caloric intake high is
absolutely crucial. Remember, if your body is presented with an opportunity to get rid of
excess muscle tissue, it will. Muscle disuse coupled with insufficient caloric consumption
is a recipe for disaster. Research has shown that as long as your diet stays on track,
your body will preserve its lean mass for up to 3 weeks.
This is extremely important to remember!
Although you won't be able to gain muscle during a training layoff, you won't necessarily
have to lose much either. If you let your diet slip, your gains will disappear faster than
you could imagine.
D) Ease yourself back into the gym.
Once the injury has subsided and it's time to head back to the gym, you must do so with
caution. It would probably be a bad idea to instantly begin training at your maximum
weight and intensity right from the get-go.
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Chapter 8: Proper Rest & Recovery
Go the cautious route and perform 1 or 2 weeks of "test workouts" where you'll train
with much less weight and intensity just to see where you're at and to ensure that the
injury has fully subsided. You just finished taking time off and it would be a nightmare to
have to go through that entire process again.
Use common sense!
E) Listen to your Body!
Being able to listen to your body and adjust your training accordingly is a very important
skill. If something doesn't feel right during a workout it is up to you to decide if the
workout should continue or end. As you already know, heavy resistance training is very
stressful to the body. Because of this there might be some days where, for example,
your lower back feels a bit tender. Your back may not feel 100%, but this does not
necessarily mean that you are "injured". The key is to use your own personal judgment
based on how you feel to decide how serious the pain is.
If you feel that you can deliver a safe and effective workout, then usually you'll be
correct. The longer you've been training the easier it will be for you to tell, so if you're
just starting out it may take some time before you develop a solid mind-body connection
when it comes to training with joint soreness.
Another technique you can implement on days where a certain body part doesn't feel
100% is exercise substitution. For example, if your lower back wasn't feeling up to par
on back/biceps day you could eliminate deadlifts and replace them with an alternate
back exercise. You could also get rid of bent-over barbell rows and perform seated cable
rows instead. Only do this in situations when it is absolutely necessary.
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Chapter 8: Proper Rest & Recovery
2) Training When You're Sick
This is another big mistake most lifters make and is something that should definitely be
avoided. Lifting weights when your body is clearly under the weather will certainly do
you more harm than good.
You see, most people don't realize just how much heavy resistance training really
stresses the body. Not only does it place heavy demands on the muscles and bones, but
it also delivers a big hit to the central nervous and immune systems as well. When
you're sick, your body is trying to pool together its resources to battle against whatever
"intruders" are causing the problems. Your body will accomplish this in the most efficient
manner when it is given rest and the proper nutrients.
If you start introducing additional stress, especially in the form of heavy weight training,
your body will enter into a higher level of stress as it is forced to battle against the
sickness as well as recover from the intensive workouts. This will ultimately put your
body into a catabolic state and will lengthen the amount of time that you are sick.
We've already discussed why recovery is so important, so I'm sure you're beginning to
get the idea. If you don't feel well on any given day, whether it be from a cold, flu or
something else, do not workout.
Take as much time off as is needed for you to feel fully rested and able to train again.
Only when you feel at or close to 100% should you re-enter the gym and start training
hard again.
Do not allow yourself to become discouraged by this!
It is absolutely inevitable that at some point along the way you'll get sick. This is nothing
more than basic nature and is something that, in most cases, cannot be helped. Treat it
as part of the entire process, recover from it, and move on. The key with this one is to
listen to your body. Only you can judge whether or not you are capable of training. If
you don't feel at a full 100% but feel good enough that you can safely deliver a solid and
effective workout, then go right ahead.
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Chapter 8: Proper Rest & Recovery
Simply use common sense and make choices that you know will benefit you in the long
run. If you do get to the point where you need some time off from the gym, there are a
few things you can do to minimize your downtime...
A) Rest
When it comes to being sick, rest is always the best healer. Take it easy and limit your
other daily activities as much as possible. Get as much sleep as you possibly can, as this
is the time when your body will do most of its recovering.
B) Increase glutamine intake
As you already know, this supplement has been shown to provide amazing immune
system benefits. Typically you'll be using 5 to 10 grams each day, but when you're sick I
would recommend shooting that up as high as 15 to 20 grams. Believe me, you'll notice
the difference.
C) Keep your diet on track
When sick, your body will use anything and everything needed to fight against its
intruders. This is why it is extremely important to keep your diet as on-track as possible
to ensure that you provide your body with all of the raw materials needed to facilitate
proper recovery.
Keeping protein intake high is very important during this period to prevent muscle
catabolism. Obviously there will be times when your appetite is almost non-existent as a
result of being sick and it will be very difficult to eat solid foods. During these times
you'll have to rely heavily on protein shakes and meal replacements in order to meet
your daily requirements.
So as I said before: if you get sick, try not to worry. It will happen at some point and the
best thing you can do is to take some time off and follow these guidelines to recover as
fast as possible.
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Chapter 8: Proper Rest & Recovery
3) Taking a Day Off
Being downright lazy is one thing, but being smart and listening to your body is an
entirely different matter. This one might come as a bit of shock because of how heavily
I've stressed the importance of consistency, but hear me out. I'm not advocating that
you should regularly skip training sessions simply because you don't feel like lifting, but
there are some specific times when taking a day off might not be such a terrible idea.
Again, the key is to listen to your body. If you feel overly fatigued, extremely
unmotivated or just that your body is telling you "don't train today", taking a day off
might not be so bad. It may be a signal from your body that it needs extra recovery time
or that you are in an overtrained state.
Only you can be the judge of this and it is very important that you don't let it happen on
a regular basis. Like I said before, being downright lazy doesn't count, as this is
something that you'll simply have to rise above and conquer. But if on some rare
occasions you feel that your body desperately does not want to be in the gym, then it
probably feels that way for a good reason.
Take the day off, rest, and simply perform the workout the following day. This will
slightly throw things off as it will put 2 workouts back to back for one week, but if it only
happens every once in a while then it shouldn't be too much of a problem. If you know
that your workout will be performed at far less than 100% effort and intensity then it
would probably be a waste of time to train and a missed opportunity to effectively
stimulate muscle growth.
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Chapter 8: Proper Rest & Recovery
Chapter 8 Review
1) Sleep is an absolutely crucial recovery period and its importance should not be
underestimated. A proper sleep will increase your strength and energy, raise
testosterone levels, lower cortisol levels, increase growth hormone secretion and
decrease insulin resistance. You should aim to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night.
2) To prevent injuries you must always warm up thoroughly, use proper form, train
within your limits, know when to quit, only perform the assigned sets and follow a proper
nutrition and supplement plan.
3) Take time off when you have an injury, feel sick or feel overly tired.
4) If you do feel an injury coming on, you must get out of the gym and seek
professional advice immediately. In order to minimize muscle loss, pay close attention to
your diet and supplementation. When the injury has subsided you must ease yourself
back into the gym and listen to your body.
5) If you get sick, do NOT workout! Make sure to rest until your body is fully healed.
Increasing your glutamine intake may be beneficial.
6) If you feel overly fatigued or unmotivated to train, take a break and perform your
workout the following day. The key is to listen to your body.
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Chapter 9: Closing Words
Chapter 9: Closing Words
So, how do you feel?
Are you confident that you will now be able to execute the best workouts of your life?
Are you confident that you will know how much protein, carbohydrates and fats to
consume everyday, and what foods you can find them in?
Are you confident that you can keep yourself injury-free, spend your money on the right
supplements, allow your body to heal properly, and perform your workouts with 100%
intensity?
I hope so, because as long as you have read and understood everything in this book,
you should be able to answer yes to all of those questions.
Although you have probably spent quite a bit of time reading though all of the
information outlined in these pages, you should still able to see just how straightforward
building muscle really is. Even though there are some specific guidelines that you will
need to follow, the overall approach is very simple.
Train hard, eat lots, take your vitamins, and sleep. The rest is just details.
The goal of writing this book was to show people that the muscle-building process does
not require you to memorize countless principles, measure out your food quantities with
laser-accurate precision or buy in to the "latest breakthrough" supplement scam. The
muscle-building process merely requires you to understand a few basic principles and
execute them on a consistent basis.
There is nothing more to it than that.
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Chapter 9: Closing Words
As long as you follow the basic guidelines laid out in this book and consistently
implement them, you will be successful.
Think about that…
You will be successful.
What are you waiting for?
Building muscle takes time, so you'd better get started!
And you know what?
Building muscle is hard! It's damn hard, and it is not going to happen without a fight.
You know, there are so many other books and programs out there on the Internet, and
some of them make me cringe.
Why?
It’s because so many of the other books out there have one thing in common, they all
make building muscle sound easy.
I mean sure, it's obvious why they do it. It's because the easier they make the musclebuilding process sound, the more books they'll sell and the more money they'll make.
That's fine with me; they can make their money by misleading people.
I'm not here to do that. I'm here to give you the truth. The truth is that building muscle
is a battle! The truth is that training with 100% intensity is uncomfortable. The truth is
that eating 5-7 meals a day requires a lot of discipline. If you want to get huge, you're
going to have to work for it. That is the truth.
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Chapter 9: Closing Words
And I don't care what anyone else tells you, because if they try to portray bodybuilding
as a walk in the park, they're full of it! So yes, building muscle is hard! But I'm here to
tell you that every ounce of energy you put into your muscle-building endeavors will pay
off in its fullest.
Dramatically increasing your body's muscle size and strength is truly a thing of beauty.
Being able to change your body through your own willpower and determination is one of
the most satisfying and rewarding things you could possibly accomplish. As you press
forward in your quest for bigger, stronger muscles, you will be overcome with a sense of
pride and satisfaction as you watch your body change from week to week.
As each day passes you'll be one step closer to achieving the muscle mass and strength
you desire. When the day arrives that you are finally able to take your shirt off, look in
the mirror and be happy with what you see, every aspect of your life will change for the
better.
Right now I want you to close your eyes and envision the body you hope to achieve.
Picture yourself; massive, ripped, strong and confident.
Looks pretty good doesn't it? Well I'm here to tell you that you can achieve that body,
and it is only a matter of time before you do.
You are now equipped with what I confidently believe to be the best muscle-building
techniques available, and reaching your goals is simply a matter of taking that
knowledge and consistently applying it week after week. As long as you follow these
guidelines closely it is physically impossible for you to not build muscle.
However, one thing that is absolutely imperative to remember is that building muscle
takes time! Nobody got huge overnight, and neither will you. This is simply the reality of
the entire process and is something you need to understand before you begin.
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Chapter 9: Closing Words
Building muscle is all about baby steps. Don't become frustrated if you don't experience
the gains you were hoping for right off the bat. Rome was not built in a day!
Now I'm not a religious man, but I do know that the Buddhist philosophy stresses that
we do not focus on the past or the future, but rather devote our energy to what is
happening in the present moment.
I want you to apply this way of thinking to your muscle-building journey.
Don't worry about how much you'll weigh in 6 months or whether or not your squat will
reach 250 pounds within 8 weeks.
Focus on today.
Focus on improving slightly upon your previous workout, eating 5-7 meals every day and
giving your body adequate rest. Take everything one step at a time, and as long you're
consistent, you'll be successful. Sure, setting goals is great, but do not let them blind
you of what you must accomplish in this very moment to reach them.
Do you think I just woke up one day 80 pounds heavier? Do you think that after 3 weeks
of training my squat increased by 300 pounds?
Of course not.
I got there by applying these principles day after day, week after week, month after
month and year after year. I focused on meeting my nutritional requirements every
single day and adding a few pounds to the bar every week. My gains did not happen
overnight, they were cultivated over time.
It will be the same for you. Take things one day at a time, train hard, eat plenty and
good things will happen.
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Chapter 9: Closing Words
I don't care if you weigh 175 pounds or 95 pounds, because where you start is
irrelevant. It's where you end up that counts. Don't worry about where you
start, focus on where you'll finish. We'll all begin at different ends of the
spectrum, but in the end we'll land in the same place. Train and eat for today,
and tomorrow do the same thing. There are no shortcuts to any place worth
going, and building muscle is no different. Work your ass off, follow these
principles closely, and I promise that your life will forever change for the
better!
Thanks for reading!
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