Legal Disclaimer
Warning: All the information presented in Bulk Up Fast is for educational and resource
purposes only. It is not a substitute for, or in addition to, any advice given to you by your
physician or health care provider.
Consult your physician before making any changes to your lifestyle, diet, or exercise habits.
You are solely responsible for the way information in Bulk Up Fast is perceived and utilized,
and doing so is at your own risk.
In no way will Alain Gonzalez, Human Evolution Publishing, or any persons associated with
Bulk Up Fast be held responsible for any injuries or problems that may occur due to the use
of this book or the advice contained within.
Personal Disclaimer
We are not doctors, nor do we possess degrees in nutrition. Rather, we have spent years
uncovering the best practices for achieving maximum benefits to the health and physiques of
ourselves and others. The advice we give is based on the practical application of such. Any
recommendations we may make to you regarding diet, including supplements and herbal or
nutritional treatments, must be discussed between you and your doctor(s).
Muscle-Building Disclaimer
Required Legal Disclaimer: Due to recent laws from the FTC, it is required that all companies
identify what a “typical” result is. The truth is that most people never act when it comes to
building muscle. They might buy a million products, including this one, but never do
anything with the information they have in hand. The testimonials we share are from people
who took action, followed a healthy lifestyle, exercised, and ate a balanced nutritional diet. If
you want results like them, you should do this too.
Copyright Notice
Published by: Human Evolution Publishing
Copyright © 2017 All material in this guide is, unless otherwise stated, the property of Alain
Gonzalez and Human Evolution Publishing. Copyright and other intellectual property laws
protect these materials. Reproduction or retransmission of the materials, in whole or in part,
in any manner, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, is a violation of
copyright law.
Editor: Matt A. Barr
CONTENTS
About the Author
Introduction
Chapter 1: Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone
Chapter 2: Why You’re Skinny
Chapter 3: You’ve Won the Lottery
Chapter 4: The 3 Factors for Muscle Growth
Chapter 5: Getting Started
Chapter 6: Eating for Growth: The Majors
Chapter 7: Eating for Growth: The Minors
Chapter 8: Food Selection
Chapter 9: How to Eat for Growth
Chapter 10: Meal Plans
Chapter 11: Diet Hacks
Chapter 12: Weight Gain Shakes
Chapter 13: Eating Big on a Small Budget
Chapter 14: Training for Growth: The Majors
Chapter 15: Training for Growth: The Minors
Chapter 16: The Principles
Chapter 17: The Laws
Chapter 18: The Big 6
Chapter 19: Bulk Up Fast
Chapter 20: How to Track
FAQ
References
Uploaded for FREE by Croker2016
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
My name is Alain Gonzalez and I am confident that anyone, no matter how
skinny, can achieve an eye-popping physique that exudes confidence and
commands respect. I’m talking about arms that hug the sleeves of your tshirts and a chest so big that it enters the room before you do.
The bad news is that you’ll have to declutter from your mind all the
garbage you’ve been told about building muscle over the years. The good
news, though, is that my methods, although unconventional, are all grounded
in science and are 100% fail-proof.
I don’t care how fast you think your metabolism might be or how skinny
your dad was. If you’re convinced that you’ve been cursed with “skinny
genetics” that don’t allow you to gain weight or build muscle, regardless of
how much you eat or how hard you train, you’re dead wrong.
Now I know what you’re asking yourself…
“Why in the world should I listen to this guy?”
Well, because I’m a lot like you.
All throughout high school I was the smallest guy in the class—perhaps
I should say smallest student because even most of the girls were bigger than
I was. I always loved football but was never big enough to play for the high
school team—and the sad part was that I was actually quite good.
Unfortunately, the chances of a coach putting a scrawny, 90-pound, 15-yearold string bean on a football field were slim to none.
Fast forward to a few years later when I noticed my friends becoming
more muscular, getting more girls, and walking around with more
confidence. As for me? Zilch, nothing, nada. I didn’t grow, my confidence
dropped, and I hovered around the same 107lbs for what seemed like an
eternity. I was a 21-year-old man living in the body of a 16-year-old boy.
This caused me to become very insecure around women—and adults in
general—because I felt like all they noticed were my scrawny arms, my puny
wrists, and my pathetic bird chest.
When I went on dates (which was hardly ever), I avoided going
anywhere there was a crowd (and by “crowd” I mean any other human
beings). This was mainly because I felt like she—my date—would feel
uncomfortable to be seen with some skinny geek who looked like he could be
her little brother. On the outside, I was strong and confident; on the inside,
however, I was an insecure mess.
I can remember, on more than one occasion, a guy hitting on my date
RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. Do you know how embarrassing that was? I
could only imagine how she felt.
I wanted respect. I wanted to be looked at as a man! I didn’t want to be a
bodybuilder—or even look like one for that matter—I simply wanted to be
able to fill in my clothes. At the time, that seemed like a fairy tale, so I draped
myself in t-shirts so big that their sleeves reached down to my wrists.
After years of being told “you’re lucky, you can eat whatever you want
and never gain weight,” I’d pretty much come to terms with the fact that I’d
always be skinny… and weak. On the other hand, I was also getting tired of
my mom asking me if I was sick, and of my buddies telling me to “put some
meat on those bones!”
I mean, at what point is enough, enough? Oh, wait… I know: enough is
when you’re on a date and the main topic of conversation is about how she—
your date—could probably close her tiny hand completely around your even
tinier wrist, and then proceeding to try it… and accomplishing it.
Throughout the years, my brother, who was always heavily into weight
training, would occasionally try to convince me to join the gym and train
with him. He was unsuccessful, however, because I was certain that, for me,
it was simply a waste of time. I knew that gaining weight, let alone actual
muscle mass, was just not in my cards.
As fate would have it, he eventually caught me at the perfect time.
Perhaps I was at my breaking point; perhaps I was just bored that day; but the
day he finally convinced me to join the gym was the day my life took a turn
in a different—upward—direction. Little did I know, fitness would
completely change save my life.
In the beginning, he gave me one simple piece of advice: “follow the
ABC rule.” ABC—Always Be Consuming. As for training, that was covered.
We were consistently hitting the gym together five times per week, and I
would follow his lead on how best to train. Outside of the gym, I was either
working, eating, or working and eating.
Within a few weeks, I could not believe my eyes. In fact, I stepped on
and off the scale more than a few times just because I couldn’t believe what I
was seeing. Up to this point in my life, the biggest number I’d ever seen on
the scale was 107. This day, however, that changed. This day, the scale read,
in big red numbers, 112. Five pounds more than I’d ever weighed, in a matter
of weeks!
The results yielded the motivation I needed to keep at it. We continued
training, I continued eating, and the scale continued moving.
I was so amazed by what was happening that I, the shy, introverted
scrawny guy with wrists so small a girl could close her hands completely
around them, decided that I wanted to share my results with the world. Enter
MuscleMonsters.com, the blog I started as a way of documenting my progress
and showing other guys—guys like me—that we weren’t doomed.
In the beginning, the site was a public journal. It was a place where I
could write (something I’d always enjoyed doing) and share my progress
with anyone who might be interested. Even though my website suffered from
a lack of traffic or engagement, and even though my expectations for its
success were low, I stayed active and kept writing.
A few months after starting the site, and shortly after my fitness journey
began, my progress seemed to wane. For starters, my weight gains had come
to a screeching halt. Weeks had passed and I hadn’t put on a single ounce of
muscle. It was so bad, in fact, that my buddies now questioned me about
whether I was still hitting the gym. During that time, my brother’s schedule
no longer worked with mine so I was forced to hit the gym on my own—
which I didn’t do. On top of that, I’d moved out on my own and finances
were a bit tighter, making it nearly impossible to keep up with the kind of
food consumption I needed to maintain. It wasn’t long before I’d ended up
back in the same scrawny body I started out with—a few pounds heavier, but
as skinny as ever.
This failure, however, proved to be a pivotal moment in my life. Not
because everywhere I went people pointed out the fact that I was skinny
again—although that was tough to hear—but because I’d quit, I’d let other
people down, and I’d let myself down.
It was at that point that I decided to double down and take this
transformation much more seriously. I refused to spend the rest of my life
being haunted by thoughts of not feeling like a man and not being respected
by my peers. I was determined to completely change my body—and my life
—and achieve the results that I now knew were possible.
I threw myself wholeheartedly into the study of biology, nutrition,
kinesiology—you name it! If it got me even half a step closer to
understanding the mechanisms by which we (naturally skinny guys) could
build muscle, I read it.
Most importantly, I scoured the internet looking for real information.
Not old-school, outdated bodybuilding methodologies that never seemed to
work, but, rather, the cold hard facts. I wanted to know, from a scientific
perspective, how it all worked. Armed with that kind of information, I could
sidestep the hurdles that accompany trial and error and get into the meat of
what building muscle is all about.
To my surprise, it was much simpler than I’d imagined—so simple, in
fact, that I grew increasingly skeptical. I thought to myself, “You’re telling
me that I don’t have to eat six meals per day, train more than 3 – 4 times per
week, or ever drink another protein shake again?” I just didn’t believe it!
As skeptical as I was, however, it all made so much sense.
In my research, I discovered astonishing lies that the supplement
companies and bodybuilding magazines were spreading, and figured out why
I wasn’t getting any results beyond those few initial pounds. I discovered that
all those training routines by internet gurus and fitness mags were extremely
ineffective, especially for us skinny folk.
Why hadn’t I ever heard of this type of training before? And why, if it
worked so well, did no one ever write or talk about it?
It was simple: the methods my research uncovered contradicted the
notion that supplements, powders, pills, and other products being sold were
the most effective tools for building muscle. These new methods went against
everything most of us have ever heard about gaining weight and putting on
lean mass. I realized that muscle magazines and “fitness gurus” chose to
proliferate their unsubstantiated bro-science to keep selling you more
products, rather than choosing to embrace methods truly rooted in science—
methods that happened to be a lot less expensive and less time-consuming.
Once I uncovered these little-known methods, I packed on 27lbs of rock
hard muscle mass!
From there, I became the go-to guy for fitness advice among friends.
Not long after, I began receiving emails from former high-school classmates
asking for advice. Surely they were more impressed than most—last they’d
known I was the runt of the class and struggled to lug around my own book
bag.
My mass, strength, knowledge, and confidence in teaching others all
grew together at an astounding pace. The same insecure guy who, years ago,
walked around with his eyes to the floor—me—started a YouTube channel
where I’d publish videos regularly. Between website articles and YouTube
videos, I was determined to share what I’d discovered with other skinny guys
who had lost hope and felt destined to a life of shopping in the kid’s section.
Day by day, week after week, website traffic increased while the
YouTube subscriber feed grew. The next thing I knew, I was spending hours
each day replying to questions and comments from readers and viewers, and
engaging with other skinny guys all around the world. I’ll never forget the
email I received that cemented my journey down this path:
“Alain, thank you for all that you do. Your videos have
completely changed my life.”
- Albert
I remember sitting at my desk in the dark with nothing but the computer
screen illuminating my apartment, and thinking to myself, “this is what I am
going to do for the rest of my life.”
Determined to reach more skinny guys, I worked tirelessly to spread my
message. I spent my lunch breaks at work eating at my desk, writing new
articles, reading books, and sometimes even just reflecting on my goals. After
work, I’d go to the gym, then back home where I’d spend the remaining
hours of the day (9pm-2am) working on the website. The more value I
offered, the more people I reached. The more guys who came across my
content, the more flooded my email inbox became. From all the comments
and emails I received, there seemed to be one question that hit my inbox
more frequently than the rest: do you have a program that I can follow?
Those emails inspired my first training program: Bony to Brawny—The
Beginner’s Guide to Muscle Growth. It was a short, comprehensive guide
with a workout routine specifically designed for beginners who wanted to
build muscle. It was a huge success. Not because it was bringing in enough
money for me to commit to this passion full-time, but because the
testimonials I received from guys who achieved their goals by following the
program were endless. I received before and after pictures—or just a thankyou email—almost daily.
From there I’d go on to be featured in some of the most popular online
fitness magazines in the world.
Reigniting my passion for writing and combining that with a burning
desire to help more people, the only thing that made sense to me was writing
this book. The book that, if all goes according to plan, will put me one giant
step closer to achieving my ultimate goal.
The goal: to help one million naturally skinny guys to build muscle and
achieve a physique they never thought possible.
Once you’ve completed the program and transformed your life, shoot
me an email at Alain@MuscleMonsters.com and tell me all about it. Help me
reach my goals by telling me how I helped you reach yours.
INTRODUCTION
We’ve heard it all too often: put some meat on those bones! Whether it was
your distraught mother who was genuinely worried about your wellbeing, or
your meathead buddies making you the butt of a joke, at one point or another,
someone has shown some type of concern regarding your extreme thinness.
What if I could give you a simple, step-by-step formula that would
dramatically transform your body in a matter of months?
What if I offered you the exact blueprint for gaining 10, 20, and maybe
even 30lbs of muscle mass faster than you’d ever thought possible?
A strategy so powerful, you’ll be able to add size to your frame on any
given week, practically on demand?
What if I told you that you—the walking, talking string bean—could
become the biggest and strongest dude in your gym?
And what if I promised that it could all be done without training 5 – 6
days per week, chugging down chalky protein shakes, force feeding yourself
meals every two hours, or, get this, taking a single pill or powder?
Chances are, you’d call my bluff. Fair enough. Unfortunately for you—
but fortunately for the both of us—I’ve got science on my side. You see,
every claim I make in this book has been backed by hard scientific evidence
and is irrefutable. This isn’t another “this is how I did it” or “it worked for
me” approach. This is, humbly speaking, the most straight forward, hard
hitting, eye-opening guide for anyone who struggles to gain weight and build
muscle. This, my friend, is the definitive guide to muscle mass for skinny
guys:
No matter how fast you think your metabolism might be
No matter how skinny your dad and grandfather were or how
small your wrists are
No matter how many other fitness plans you’ve tried… and
failed at
No matter if you’ve spent hours in the gym, five days a week,
for years without gaining a single pound of muscle
In fact, if you follow the strategies I give you in this book and put them
into action (like thousands of guys before you), your friends won’t believe
their eyes!
With your arms and chest busting through the seams of your t-shirts, it’ll
be hard not to notice you. You’ll turn heads in every room you walk into, and
be looked at as a man. Hot chicks at the bar will ask to squeeze your biceps,
while other guys stare with envy.
Women will look at you as a protector and a defender… rather than
some little boy who can’t stick up for them.
You’ll no longer be mistaken for someone’s little brother.
No more shopping in the kid’s section for clothes that fit.
And never worry again about whether or not you’re “doing it
right” in the gym (the remarkably noticeable results will make
it very clear that you are).
You want to gain a little bit of weight and put on some muscle to look
like a man instead of a boy? That’s fine, this program can do that. But if you
follow everything I teach in this book, you will go from scrawny weakling to
jacked and shredded, and become virtually unrecognizable. Not just because
you’ll be carrying slabs of newly added muscle mass, but the strut of
confidence that you’ll develop will make you seem—and feel—like a
completely different person… a better version of who you are today.
Never again walk into a room with your head down and shoulders
slumped; you’ll command the room with your presence, never going
unnoticed and overlooked again.
Did I mention that you’re going to do it all without taking any
supplements or spending more than 3 – 4 hours in the gym per week?
This program is going to show you the most effective methods to
building large amounts of muscle mass, fast.
What You’ll Get from Me
This is not going to be another dry and complicated textbook. We won’t
discuss satellite cells and nuclei, or hypertrophic responses from a cellular
level; we won’t go over ATP, ADP, or any other acronym that’ll have you
screaming “FML!” or “WTF?!” Instead, I am going to give you practical and
actionable advice that you can implement right away. This is a
straightforward, no B.S. guide that sidesteps some of the confusing
terminology you might find elsewhere.
I promise that this guide will be completely fluff-free to ensure you are
not overwhelmed, confused, or dozing off as you read.
What I Need From You
All I ask from you is this: commit to giving this program 110% so that you
too can transform your physique and spend your life in the body of your
dreams.
That’s it.
What does that commitment look like?
The word commitment has two definitions:
Both definitions apply.
Over the years, I’ve seen friends come and go…to and from the gym,
that is.
What typically starts out as excitement and determination almost always
ends up as disappointment and failure.
In a recent survey conducted about the reasons why people quit their
gym memberships, 30% of respondents said they weren’t using it (their
membership).1
We can speculate as to why they weren’t using it, but I think it’s safe to
say that anyone who just quits is not committed.
One might say that it’s due to a lack of motivation, and this may indeed
be true, but beware of acting solely on emotions, as that can set you up for
major failure.
Allowing our emotions to dictate our actions is partly due to decision
fatigue. Decision fatigue is a theory suggesting that the simple act of making
a decision depletes us of willpower.2 Going to the gym isn’t just about
money or time, it’s about making the decision each day to get in your car and
head to the gym for a given amount of time. When going to the gym becomes
a commitment rather than a choice, you’ll never have to rely on willpower
ever again.
Success in anything, from fitness to business to marriage to friendships,
all boils down to one thing: commitment.
If you’re committed to the goal of transforming your physique, then
dedicating yourself to your training comes naturally.
Are you committed to the journey?
If so, I don’t want you to tell me, but rather, show me. Better yet, show
yourself.
CHAPTER 1
STEPPING OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE
“Greatness begins beyond your comfort zone.”
- Robin Sharma
Your scrawny arms and bird chest are a couple of reasons you want to hit the
weights and bulk up. Oddly enough, they’re also the reason you avoid going
to the gym in the first place. It’s a vicious cycle.
You’re worried that you’ll be criticized and laughed at for being thin
and pushing light weight—and yes, in the beginning you’ll probably feel a bit
awkward as you’re learning the exercises. Fair enough. But, what’s the
alternative? You see, you can avoid going to the gym for fear of being
judged, but that’s just going to ensure that you stay skinny and insecure for
longer. It’s like having a crush on a girl who you know is interested in you
and never asking her out because you’re too shy. You know if you ask her
out she’ll say yes, but you never overcome that fear and, ultimately, you
never get the girl. Similarly, unless you’re willing to get a little
uncomfortable, you’ll never get the gains. So, your options are simple: stay in
your comfort zone and remain scrawny and weak, or get out of your comfort
zone and start packing on some serious muscle mass. I don’t know about you,
but the latter seems like the more reasonable choice to me.
Oh, and if you think that the big and jacked grunting cavemen are going
to the gym to watch you train, you’re sadly mistaken. These guys are so
caught up in their own reflection that they wouldn’t notice if a fire broke out.
If gymtimidation is holding you back from starting your muscle-building
journey, then pay very close attention to the tips I am going to share in this
chapter. Not only will these tips help you beat gymitimidation, they’ll also
help you understand why you shouldn’t fear hitting the gym in the first place.
It’s Not Like What You See On TV
If you’ve never set foot in a big box gym, then your perception of what it’s
like might be a bit skewed. You see, although you will come across a few
spaghetti tank-top-wearing, water jug-bearing, grunting meatheads, the
overwhelming majority of gym goers are average Joes—guys who, if you
saw them outside of the gym, you’d have no clue they even lifted weights.
They’re not in the gym trying to get so big their necks disappear, they’re just
there to exercise and stay healthy. So, tell me, does that still sound
intimidating?
You Won’t Have to Figure It Out on Your Own
The toughest part about beginning your quest to get jacked is learning the
lifts. Fortunately, most gyms are staffed with personal trainers who are there
to show you how to use the equipment and how to perform specific exercises.
Not that the lifts you’ll be performing are complicated, but if that’s your
excuse for not going to the gym, it’s no longer valid. Plus, I’m providing you
a library of exercise execution videos that you can watch right from your
phone.
Everyone Had to Start Somewhere
I picked up a basketball for the first time before I’d even watched anyone
play. I literally had no clue how to dribble—heck, I didn’t even understand
the concept of dribbling. I was utterly clueless about the basic rules of the
game. My parents bought me a small hoop that I could hang up on a door,
and every day I set it up in the tennis court behind our house and practiced.
Each day, more and more kids showed up to play and each day I learned a
little bit more. When I failed to dribble the ball, I wasn’t made fun of or
criticized, I was simply corrected. Eventually, I got good… really good.
Good to the point where I was typically the first pick—on the real court—
during pickup games with the older guys. I went from not understanding the
basic concept of the game, to being one of the most popular players on the
court where we played. The moral of the story is this: you’ve got to crawl
before you walk and, in most cases, walk before you run—and so does
everyone else.
No matter how big and strong some of these guys may be, they too had
to start somewhere. In most cases, that “somewhere” was exactly where you
are right now. You see, people don’t go to the gym because they’re already
happy with how they look and feel, they go because they want to improve.
Show me a guy who executes every exercise with perfection, and I’ll show
you a guy who once had no clue what he was doing. Zig Ziglar said it best,
“you don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”
With Competence Comes Confidence
If you know how to swim, you’re not going to be nervous about jumping in
the pool. What you must understand, however, is that you didn’t always
know how to swim. As you got better and more competent, you developed
confidence—not the other way around. My point is, if you want to reach a
point where you’re confident enough to go to the gym, you have to go to the
gym first to build competence. The better you understand the lifts and the
more progress you make, the less likely you are to feel insecure. You can’t
perfect the lifts until you practice them though, and you can’t make progress
until you start—so stop waiting for the right time to start. The only “right
time” is right now.
It’s plain as day: there are no pros for living your life based on how you
think other people will perceive you—especially if it’s going to stop you
from achieving your goals. The mentality that’s keeping you from going to
the gym is the same mindset that’s going to hold you back in other areas of
your life. On the other hand, the confidence you will build from conquering
your fear could be the perfect segue into a life of complete domination.
It’s Easier Said than Done
We all have fears. Let’s take a fear of flying for example. I am almost certain
that I’d be unable to convince someone to hop on a plane by simply
explaining to them how unlikely it is that they’ll crash and burn. No matter
how logical it may seem to me (or you), sometimes it’s just easier said than
done. I do think, however, that there may be some techniques one could
practice to overcome this fear—and even more so if that person has a big
enough purpose for taking that leap.
For anyone who likes to ease into life-changing decisions, here are a few
techniques you can follow to make hitting the gym less daunting and less
uncomfortable (notice I said less uncomfortable—there’s no way around it,
you’re going to have to get out of your comfort zone).
Follow This Program
The gym can be most intimidating if you don’t know what you’re doing.
However, because you know exactly what exercises you’ll need to do and
you’ll have the resources available to learn how to do them (e.g. this book,
the videos on the resources page, trainers, etc.), you won’t have to spend time
walking around trying to figure out how to use every single machine. Not
only does this save time, but it gives you a map to follow that doesn’t result
in you training your arms on a leg machine.
Get a Workout Partner
When I first started working out, I had my brother to train with. Before that,
I’d never set foot in a gym without a friend. Eventually our schedules
diverged and I lost my workout partner, but by then I was armed with enough
knowledge to confidently walk into the gym and train on my own. If you’re
lucky enough to start off with a gym partner, take advantage of that. Not only
is it great to have someone to spot you, push you, and keep you accountable,
but training with a friend is probably the easiest way to overcome the fear of
going to the gym.
Zone Out
If you don’t have someone to train with, your best bet is a set of headphones.
Load your phone up with your favorite jams and zone out in the gym. When
it’s just you, your workout log, Eminem, and the weights, everything else is a
blur. When you’re in that zone, it’s unlikely you’ll even notice the hot girl
next to you, much less the grunting meathead in the corner.
Avoid Peak Hours
In most cases, the gym is either packed like a night club on free drink night or
as empty as a western saloon after a showdown. Going to the gym at a time
when there aren’t many people may make it a bit less daunting.
Google the name and location of the gym and see what the peak hours
are—most gyms provide that information online. If not, when you’re signing
up for your gym membership, ask the sales guy what the busy hours are and
what days get the least traffic. Armed with this knowledge, schedule your
workout times accordingly.
Just Jump!
I remember a great kayaking trip from years ago with my buddies. We had
been out for a few hours having a great time when things took a turn for the
intense. We spotted a giant tree branch that looked perfect for jumping from
into the river (never mind that the water was freezing cold). We couldn’t see
the bottom, and we’d just passed four or five alligators. Naturally, we needed
to jump anyway. When it got to be my turn, I took my first hesitant steps out
on the branch of this Tree of Certain Doom. Would I freeze to death? Crush
my head against some rock just beneath the surface? Become that night’s top
news story after being torn apart in an alligator feeding frenzy? The anxiety
was so close to winning, but then something happened: it hit me that I was
thinking way too much. I had to stop it, and the only way to stop it was to
jump. So, I jumped.
A few things happened when I jumped: I proved to myself that I could
overcome my fears in the face of failure; I lived to tell everyone about the
experience; and with great friends, I created one of my fondest memories.
Every summer, we return to that spot with our kids and proudly recount that
fateful day.
I am also slightly less afraid of alligators.
The moral of that story is that sometimes you need to get out of your
own head and just jump. If you’re wasting time going over everything that
you fear might happen at the gym, it’s going to be extremely difficult to focus
on why you should go in the first place.
Hop in your car, drive to the gym, and sign up. Once you’ve gone into
the gym, talked to an employee, and made a financial commitment, going to
the gym may just get a bit easier.
Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable
“The more important an activity is to your soul’s evolution, the
more resistance you will feel to it—the more fear you will feel.”
- Steven Pressfield
We don’t grow in our comfort zones. Growth happens when we overcome
challenges that help us evolve. This goes for both physical and mental
strength. If you want to get physically stronger, you must lift heavier weight.
If you want to get mentally stronger, you must overcome mental obstacles.
The guy who is afraid to go to the gym but goes anyway is building far more
mental strength than the guy who was never scared in the first place. Don’t
give in to your fear, embrace it!
CHAPTER 2
WHY YOU’RE SKINNY
The idea that you’re genetically programmed to stay skinny and
weak, no matter how hard you train or how much you eat, is just
plain wrong!
Before we can fix a problem, we’ve got to understand its cause. The problem
you have with gaining weight or building muscle has nothing to do with your
body type. This notion that our bone structure determines the rate at which
we build muscle is not only silly, it’s unsubstantiated, to say the least.
In fact, somatotypes were first suggested by a psychologist—William
Sheldon—in the 1940s. His conclusion on the three body types was based on
pictures of people and how their appearance made him feel. Yes, you read
that correctly! Although there is nothing inherently wrong with identifying as
an ectomorph or a hardgainer (after all, you do fit all the criteria) it can
become a bit of mental hurdle, and an excuse for not achieving the results
you’re after.
Your Metabolism Isn’t That Fast, Bro…
“My metabolism is lightning fast; that’s why I can’t gain
weight.”
I want you to be very honest with me: what was your first thought the last
time you heard an obese individual blame their weight on metabolism? I’ll
assume that it probably came across as a poor excuse. Likewise, attributing
your puny arms to a superhuman metabolism is just that—a poor excuse. Not
because we should “do whatever it takes,” or “go hard or go home,” but
because it’s just not a huge factor.
The research is clear that resting metabolic rate does not vary
significantly for the overwhelming majority of people.1 One study noted that
one standard deviation of variance for resting metabolic rate was 5-8%. This
would mean that 68% of the population was within 6-8% of the average
metabolic rate, and 96% was within 10-16% of the population average.
Assuming an average expenditure of 2000cal, 68% of the population
falls into the range of 1840-2160cal per day while 96% of the population is in
the range of 1680-2320cal per day.2 If we compared an individual at (or
below) the 5th percentile of the standard norm with somebody at (or above)
the 95th percentile—extremely rare circumstances—it would only yield a
difference of about 600cal per day.
So, yes, metabolic rates can vary—and some would argue that 600cal is
a significant difference. Statistically speaking, however, most of the
population metabolizes calories to the same extent, and within a range of
200-300cal from each other—roughly the equivalent of one peanut butter
sandwich or four Oreo cookies.
I’m Confused… Why Am I Skinny Then?
If it’s not your body type, and it’s not your metabolism, then why are you still
unable to gain weight? To be fair, there are a few major factors that make it a
bit more challenging for you to get bigger. The good news is that once you
understand those factors, everything in this book will make perfect sense and
you’ll be able to gain weight and build muscle practically on demand. A
strong claim to make, eh?
You’re A NEAT Freak
According to the aforementioned study on energy expenditure, a person’s
total daily energy expenditure does vary a great deal, but not due to resting
metabolic rate, the thermic effect of food, or the thermic effect of exercise.
Rather, it varies due to non-exercise activity thermogenesis.3
That’s right! The main reason you find it hard to gain weight is quite
simple: you’re a NEAT freak.
No, this has nothing to do with how tidy you keep your room. NEAT, or
non-exercise activity thermogenesis, refers to the number of calories we burn
from everyday movements (e.g. brushing our teeth, walking to our car,
thrashing around in our sleep, fidgeting, etc.). This—not your metabolism—is
the reason you can pound down burgers and milkshakes and still wake up the
next morning at the same exact weight.
In fact, research shows that NEAT can vary by up to 2000 calories per
day between one person and another.4
Are things starting to make a bit more sense yet?
Your Energy Needs Exceed Your Appetite
A high NEAT equates to higher energy expenditure. The higher the
expenditure, the more calories necessary to reach a caloric surplus (more on
that later). The problem then becomes that our energy needs exceed our
appetite. Simply put, we need more calories than our bodies can stomach.
And, although this is not the case for all naturally skinny guys, I’ve found it
to be true for most individuals who struggle to gain weight.
The reason is twofold: (1) Most naturally thin guys are gifted (and
cursed) with high insulin sensitivity and (2) the prolonged undereating has
kept their stomachs small.
Before you skip this section and assume that appetite is not the issue, let
me make something very clear: if you’re not gaining weight, you’re not
eating enough, period.
I know exactly what you’re thinking…
“I am already eating six times a day, bro.” Or, “I eat more than anyone I
know, dude.”
Both of those answers might be true, but because years of undereating
have led to stomach contraction, the skinny guy who eats everything in sight
may still not be getting the number of calories he needs to tip his body’s
energy balance in favor of gaining weight.
The one thing that matters when it comes to gaining, maintaining, or
losing weight, is energy balance.4 Energy balance refers to the number of
calories taken into the body through food and drink, compared with the
number of calories being used in the body for our daily energy requirements.
Essentially, energy in vs. energy out.
According to the 1st law of thermodynamics: the total energy of an
isolated system is constant; energy can be transformed from one form to
another, but cannot be created or destroyed.5
In simple terms, if you want to gain weight you must consume more
calories than you expend. If you truly believe you’re eating a good deal of
food, you may be right, but it’s just not enough.
High Insulin Sensitivity: A Gift and a Curse
Insulin is a hormone that is released into the bloodstream whenever we eat
food. It causes our muscles, organs, and fat tissue to take up nutrients from
the food we’ve consumed. Those nutrients are then also released into the
blood and either used, or stored as body fat.
Insulin sensitivity is determined by how much insulin needs to be
produced to deposit a given amount of glucose, which is an important source
of energy. Although being insulin-sensitive plays a huge role in allowing us
to build muscle tissue while staying relatively lean, it’s also the reason we
find it hard to eat enough. According to Dr. Michael T. Murray, ND, the
brain regions most responsible for appetite respond immediately to insulin.6
This response results in a decrease of appetite, causing that feeling of being
full. It’s a double-edged sword.
What We Can Learn from Gastric Bypass Surgery
Our next issue is stomach capacity. Think about the obese person who lost
200lbs simply due to a surgery that essentially shrank their stomach. It’s
almost impossible for them to consume enough food to gain weight because
their stomach has become too small to hold that much food. That’s essentially
what’s happening to us. Fortunately, though, the stomach is like a balloon
and, over time, as we introduce more calories, it’ll adapt by expanding.
You’re Rockin’ Skinny Genes
Genes are sections of DNA that instruct proteins, cells, and other molecules
to perform all the important duties in our body. Everything from how our
organs are formed to how we partition nutrients. Believe it or not, most
people share up to 99.9% of their genetic makeup with everyone else on the
planet. The other 0.1% of genetic variations that make us unique control the
differences in our hair and eye color, predispositions to certain diseases, and
the ease with which we lose or gain weight, among other things.
In the realm of muscle-building genetics, being a “no-gainer,” or
someone who actually does build muscle more slowly than the average
person, is just as rare as the genetic freak who gains muscle by simply
looking at the bench press. Most us fall somewhere right in the middle,
making us very much the average person. That means if you were once
concerned that your “skinny genes” doomed you to remain scrawny forever, I
have good news: your genetics do not defy the laws of physics. While you
may be prone to extreme thinness, if you’re willing to follow this program in
its entirety, you’ve got a 100% chance of gaining weight, building muscle,
and giving your skinny genetics the finger.
CHAPTER 3
YOU’VE WON THE LOTTERY
“When you focus on problems, you’ll have more problems.
When you focus on possibilities, you’ll have more
opportunities.”
- Unknown
Now that I’ve completely crushed your dreams by demonstrating that there
are, in fact, scientific reasons for your struggle to gain weight, let me give
you a bit of hope. Believe it or not, being a naturally skinny guy who finds it
almost impossible to gain size is actually, genetically speaking, the
equivalent of winning the lottery… twice.
You see, the problem isn’t your genetics (which are grade-A by most
standards), it’s your mindset. The more research I did to write this book, the
more I realized that a victim mentality has been forced upon us. No matter
what you read, if it pertains to ectomorphs, or “hardgainers,” the stigma
remains: you’re going to struggle to build muscle. However, this just isn’t
true!
In fact, I would argue that being naturally skinny has more benefits than
not. Statistically speaking, we’ve actually got the upper hand on building a
great physique. In this section, my goal is to completely transform your
mindset and take your psyche from victim to victory. By the time you finish
this chapter, you’re going to look at this “curse” and realize it’s the most
disguised blessing you’ve ever received.
1. One Focus
The beginning stages of your training are the most important by far. If you
miss that gain train, you can expect to walk to the next station where the
trains are slower and take longer to arrive. While most guys are battling belly
fat, or fearing too much fat gain, you’ll have one focus: to build muscle mass.
Instead of spending your beginning days in a caloric deficit trying to shed
belly fat, you’ll have the ability to maximize muscle gain by eating a surplus
of calories without increasing your waistline.
The Beginner Stages
If done correctly, you’ll achieve more muscle growth in your first 6-12
months than in your next four years combined. That is, of course, if you
maximize this short window of opportunity. Luckily for you, taking full
advantage of this critical time in your training is quite simple.
According to currently available information, the average trainee can
expect to gain 40-50lbs of total muscle mass over his or her lifetime, with
about half of that growth occurring in the first year.1 This is due to our bodies
being hyper-responsive to the newly introduced stimuli during the beginning
stages of our training.2
Because you’ve been blessed with “skinny genes”, there is absolutely no
reason why you can’t get the absolute maximum result from your efforts.
This is true for one reason and one reason only: your sole focus is to build
size.
2. More Time to Grow
The longer you can stay in a slight caloric surplus, the more time you’ll spend
building muscle. Fortunately for you, you’ve started out lean and have the
metabolic capacity of a hummingbird (approximately 100x that of an
elephant). While most guys can expect to bulk for a maximum of 4-6 months,
the “hardgainer”—you—can easily double the length of that growth phase.
The more time you spend building, the less time you waste destroying.
That means that while Joe the Endomorph spends his first four months
building and the next six months destroying, you—Andy the Ectomorph—
can spend that same ten months growing instead.
3. Insulin Sensitivity
Remember that jerk (Insulin Sensitivity) that completely destroyed your
appetite? Well, turns out he’s actually a nice guy. Thanks to him, you don’t
have to worry about getting fat and sloppy, even when you’re in a growth
phase and you’re purposely overeating.
Here’s what I mean: Insulin’s main role is to shuttle nutrients into cells.
It also reduces the breakdown of fatty acids, making it harder to burn dietary
fat or body fat when insulin levels are elevated.3 At first glance, this may
seem like a recipe for fat gain. The truth is very much to the contrary,
however. When your pancreas releases insulin into your blood, glucose is
removed from the bloodstream and stored in your liver, muscles, and fat
tissue. Your liver and muscles store the glucose as glycogen—which expands
muscle cells—and your fat cells store it as triglycerides—which expand fat
cells.
The more sensitive your cells are to insulin, the more efficient your body
becomes at absorbing the glucose removed from your bloodstream by insulin.
Simply put, high insulin sensitivity allows us to both stay leaner for a longer
period of time, and to spend more time building muscle mass.
4. You’re Primed for Growth
Partitioning Ratio: “Essentially, it represents the amount of
protein that is either gained (or lost) during over (or under)
feeding. So, a low P-ratio when dieting would mean you used
very little protein and a lot of fat. A high P-ratio would mean
that you used a lot of protein and very little fat.”
- Lyle McDonald4
The main factors that determine your p-ratio are as follows: genetics,
metabolism, hormones, and insulin sensitivity.
What do these things all have in common?
You guessed it! They’re things we have very little, if any, control over;
however, there is one more factor that plays a significant role in p-ratio: body
fat! Essentially, the fatter you are, the less lean mass you will gain.
Conversely, the leaner you are, the more lean mass you will gain.
Being naturally skinny guys, we are more likely to be primed for muscle
gains. When we are leaner, our bodies become more efficient at adding lean
mass and less efficient at storing fat, plain and simple.
5. We Have to Get to Eat More Food!
It’s no secret that we’ve got high energy needs. Compared to others, our
bodies burn more calories from activities that don’t involve exercise. For us,
higher energy expenditures equal higher energy needs, especially for building
muscle. Where do we get the energy needed to build muscle? Food!
So, stop looking at your “situation” as having to eat more calories, and
start looking at it as getting to eat more food. Food, after all, is one of life’s
greatest pleasures.
6. More Time Lifting, Less Time Running
Believe it or not, there will come a time in your journey where your goals
will shift and you’ll want to lose weight. This will require that you remain in
a caloric deficit—consuming less calories than you expend. Fortunately, you
can consume more food when losing weight than most people when they’re
gaining. This is where cardio normally comes in. Eventually, your fat-loss
will stall. At this point you’ll be hit with the daunting decision to do one of
the following: cut calories or add cardio.
As most guys get leaner, they end up with relatively fewer calories to
“play with,” so they add more cardio instead of consuming less calories.
Your high metabolic rate means you don’t have to make that sacrifice. This
gives you the luxury of cutting calories (but not so many that you’re starving
yourself), rather than adding cardio.
High carbs, low cardio, no hunger pangs, and shredded abs. Doesn’t
sound too bad, eh?
7. The Ladies Love Us
Do me a favor. Next time you’re around a girl (even if it’s just your mom or
sister), show them a picture of four-time Mr. Olympia winner, Jay Cutler.
Pay attention to her reaction. Chances are, it’s not the reaction you’d want
from a lady. Now show her a picture of Chris Evans as Captain America. See
the difference? 9 times out of 10, women prefer the leaner, more aesthetic
physique over the puffy look that most non-ectomorphs end up with when
they train hard.
Part of what makes us “hardgainers” is our small bone structure, but
that’s also exactly what makes us more likely to develop an aesthetically
pleasing physique. Adding muscle mass as a result of smart training and
sound nutrition practices can lead to a body that’s well defined, giving the
impression that you’re 20lbs+ heavier than you are.
Being scrawny doesn’t seem so bad anymore now, does it?
CHAPTER 4
THE 3 FACTORS FOR MUSCLE GROWTH
“There are no shortcuts.”
- Mark Rippetoe
Want to know the secret to unlimited muscle growth? The secret is this: there
is no secret. Eat enough, train for progression, and do it consistently. Perhaps
that’s a bit of an oversimplification, don’t you think? The truth is, though, the
mechanisms by which we build muscle are quite simple. There are three main
factors that dictate muscle growth, and if you act in accordance to the three
principles I have outlined in this chapter, you’re guaranteed to grow, despite
“good” or “bad” genetics.
There are a thousand ways to skin a cat; likewise, there are just as many
ways to train and diet to build muscle. Whether you’re a vegan or eat paleo, a
powerlifter or a bodybuilder, if the goal is to gain size, the same laws apply to
each.
Muscle Growth Factor #1: You’ve Got to Supply Sufficient Nutrients for Growth
Think of building muscle mass as remodeling your home. When you go into
the gym, you’re demolishing the house, and without providing the necessary
nutrients, you’re leaving holes in the wall. If you want to ensure that you’re
rebuilding those walls and adding those new appliances, however, then
you’ve got to make sure you’re prepared.
This remodel can be quick and painless or drawn out and stressful. If
you want the former, you’ve got to ensure you have the workers, tools, and
supplies available for the job. The latter occurs when you’re unprepared and
shorthanded. Making sure you’re consuming the proper amounts of the
proper foods daily is the only way to make certain you’re able to
continuously rebuild and remodel the damage caused by the demolition phase
(the workout).
Fortunately, eating for muscle growth is quite simple.
First, we must be in a net positive energy balance to ensure we’re
providing our body the necessary nutrients for growth. This simply means
that we should be consuming more calories than we’re burning.1 Second, we
must consume the necessary protein to achieve a net positive protein balance.
This ensures that we are synthesizing more protein than we’re breaking
down. If the opposite occurs, we can forget about building new muscle tissue.
Third, we’ve got to make sure we’re getting in enough of the good kinds of
fats. Failing to consume enough dietary fat can result in lower testosterone,
which makes building muscle and losing fat more challenging.2 Lastly, we’ve
got to eat enough carbs to fuel intense training. If your performance sucks, so
will your results.
Thankfully, most people who adhere to the first rule (net positive energy
balance) find that meeting their macronutrient requirements (adequate
protein, fats, and carbs) comes as a byproduct.
Once you know how much protein you need on a daily basis, how many
carbs and fats for optimal performance and recovery, and how to adjust them
according to your current needs, you’ll have the ability to gain weight/build
muscle practically on demand.
Don’t worry about doing any of the math either. I’ve put together some
free resources that’ll take care of that for you. No need to waste time solving
math equations—you’ve done enough of that in school. The calculator I’ve
designed will lay out everything from protein intake to how much water you
should drink to how many servings of fruits and veggies are recommended—
all specific to your individual needs.
Muscle Growth Factor #2: Progressive Tension Overload
“If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.”
- Random Dude on The Internet
Progressive tension overload refers to lifting progressively heavier weights.
You see, muscles need to be given a reason to grow, and eating a ton of
protein alone just isn’t going to cut it.
Here’s how it works: When we introduce a stress to our muscle, our
body is forced to adapt by building new muscle in the hopes that it will
handle the same stress again in the future. If we fail to increase that stress,
however, our body will find no need to repair and grow. It’s really that cut
and dry.
This is what makes progressive overload the most critical pathway to
building muscle.3 If we continue to add stress, we’ll be forced to adapt and
grow over time. There are many ways to achieve this—and we’ll cover those
in the training section of this book—but the main idea is simple: if you want
to get bigger, you’ve got to get better.
Muscle Growth Factor #3: Consistency
“Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to
great achievements gained slowly over time.”
- John C. Maxwell
If you’re “eating enough” five days out of seven, you’re not eating enough.
That one or two days of skipping meals, missing calories, or eating
intuitively, could determine whether you make any progress that week.
Similarly, missing training days will reduce the amount of work you’ll have
done in a given timeframe. For example: if your workout program requires
you to train four days per week for 12 weeks, that’s 48 total workouts in the
next three months. If you skip one day each week, you will have completed
just 36 workouts—a total of three weeks’ worth of work. That’s taking the
workload that you could have done in 12 weeks and extending it into 15 or
more. Extend that into six months and now the progress that you could have
made in 24 weeks takes you 36 instead, and on and on and on.
With each factor, there’s a common theme: they’re powerful together,
but alone they’re useless. If you’re consistently eating enough but you’re not
progressing in the gym, you won’t achieve the adaptive response necessary
for growth, and the excess calories you consume will likely end up as fat.
Similarly, if you’re consistently progressing in the gym but you’re not
providing your body the necessary nutrients, your body won’t have the
resources available to supply its demand. If you’re consistently undereating
and/or missing gym sessions, well, you get the idea… these three rules work
synergistically, and if you don’t have them all in order, you’ll never
maximize your true muscle-building potential.
CHAPTER 5
GETTING STARTED
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
- Benjamin Franklin
Failing to follow the steps I’ve outlined in this chapter can very well be the
determining factor for whether you achieve success with this program—or
any other program for that matter. If you have no idea where you want to go,
how do you expect to get there?
In this section of the book, I am going to give you the tools necessary to
build a solid foundation—one that will allow you to implement the steps
necessary to transform your body with little internal resistance.
Skipping even just one of these steps can and will dramatically reduce
the likelihood that you’ll be prepared to take on the demands of this program.
This isn’t because it’s inherently difficult (although it is challenging) but
because you’ll be missing one of the key ingredients to success: purpose.
Step 1: Find Your “Why”
Sometimes it takes a doctor telling you that you could die in eight weeks to
finally get you to put that hamburger down and hop on the treadmill. Other
times it may be as simple as wanting to fit into a dress for a wedding. For
you, I suspect it’s a bit different, right?
For me, it was this: I was in my early twenties, my son was in
kindergarten at the time (yes, I was extra busy in my teens), and I felt a sense
of shame anytime I was in a professional environment (i.e. schools, doctors’
offices, etc.). It always felt as if every other adult who looked like and acted
an adult was judging me. In my mind, they all thought I was some young,
reckless teenager with a kid, who was bound to lose at life. I had a strong
sense that my scrawny, 107-pound frame gave people the impression that I
was much younger than I actually was.
I’ll never forget the time I took my son for a check-up and the doctor
treated me like an incompetent sack-o-crap. Everything from his mannerisms,
to his verbiage, right down to the tone of disgust with which he answered my
questions—it all told me that he had no respect for me as a man.
My “why” was quite simple: I wanted respect. I wanted to walk into any
professional or social environment and be looked at and spoken to as a man
—not as some punk kid.
What’s yours?
Do you have dreams and visions of becoming a professional athlete?
Do you want the status and the aura of dedication and discipline that
comes from being big and strong?
Are you tired of girls not seeing you as a protector or a defender and
sticking you in the friend zone?
Or maybe you’re like me and you just wanted to feel like a man…
Whatever it is, I implore you to find it.
Step 2: Know Where You Are
How can we know how far we’ve come if we have no clue where we started?
I am a big believer that results yield motivation, not the other way
around. When you see a positive result from your efforts, it changes the game
for you more than any catchy success quote ever will. Because you see
yourself every single day, five pounds of newly added muscle may not
translate into a visible difference. You might have trained hard and eaten big
for three weeks, yet the changes you expected never materialized, and now
you’re thinking of quitting. On the other hand, had you tracked your weight
and saw how far you’d come, you’d have been unstoppable.
What Gets Measured Gets Managed
Find Your Starting Point:
Step 3: Set a S.M.A.R.T. Goal
Chances are that your goal is to build muscle if you’re reading this book. The
question then becomes: How much? How quickly? Is it even possible?
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Timely
Let’s say it’s August 1st and you weighed in at 127lbs this morning. A
good example of a S.M.A.R.T. goal would be “I will weigh 137lbs on
November 1st.”
It’s specific because you know exactly how much weight you want to
gain and how quickly, measurable because you can physically measure your
weight, attainable because 10lbs in 12 weeks is realistic, relevant because it’s
the solution to your “why”, and timely because you have a deadline.
Is Your Goal Realistic?
Specific, measurable, relevant, and timely are all pretty cut and dry.
Attainable, on the other hand, requires you to know the difference between
what is and what isn’t possible. Fortunately, in the case of building muscle,
we’ve got a pretty clear understanding of what is attainable for the average
person.
The overall consensus is that, as a natural trainee, you can expect to gain
40-50lbs of total muscle mass in your lifetime. According to Lyle McDonald,
author of The Protein Book, we can expect to achieve half of that (20-25lbs)
growth in the first 12 months. Alan Aragon, another expert in the field,
suggested roughly the same thing—18-27lbs in your first year.
In his book The Max Muscle Plan, Brad Schoenfeld suggests that for a
novice lifter to gain 15 pounds of muscle (or more) within the first six months
is not unusual. Because you’ll likely gain a bit of fat in the process, gaining
15lbs of muscle may translate into about 20lbs (give or take) on scale weight.
If you’re reading this book, you’re either (1) completely new to weight
lifting or (2) you’ve been training for a certain amount of time with little to
no success. In either case, you’re primed to take full advantage of the rapid
gains that come from proper training and nutrition as an inexperienced lifter.
For you, gaining 2lbs (or slightly more) of muscle per month is realistic. If
the maximum monthly amount of muscle tissue that we can gain is 2lbs, then
aiming to gain a bit more overall weight than that would be ideal. This is due
to the simple fact that not every single pound we gain will come in the form
of muscle tissue; we will gain some fat too.
Assuming you fit the criteria (i.e. naturally skinny guy who struggles to
gain weight, new to weight training, etc.) and your goal is to maximize
muscle growth, then I’d recommend aiming for an increase of 0.8-1lbs of
bodyweight per week for the first 3-6 months.
Step 4: Forget Everything You Thought You Knew About Building Muscle
95% or more of what you thought you knew about building muscle as a
skinny guy is wrong. Not because you’ve misunderstood what the “experts”
have showed you, but because these gurus base their teachings on what’s
worked for high level bodybuilders who use tons of drugs rather than drugfree skinny guys. Luckily for us, though, we’ve got science, common sense,
and practicality on our side.
Before I can convince you that my methods work—despite having
scientific backing for each concept I discuss—you’ve got to let go of
everything you’ve been programmed to believe. Otherwise, you’re going to
get a lot of internal resistance to anything I prescribe when it isn’t in line with
what your big buff buddy is doing. The best results will come to those guys
who read and take action, plain and simple.
Get these out of your head:
You’ve got to eat six meals per day to build muscle.
If you want to gain weight, eat everything in sight.
The more you train, the bigger you’ll grow.
You’ve got to chug down chalky protein shakes immediately
following your workout or the session was a waste.
You’ve got to train for size, not strength; you’re not a
powerlifter.
If you spend more than 45 minutes in the gym, you’ll over
train.
You’ve got to “eat clean”.
You’ve got to take supplements to gain muscle.
ALL LIES that have been widely accepted as gospel in the bodybuilding
community. Here’s the kicker: there is no conclusive evidence that any of
these claims are true. To the contrary, each and every one of these
“principles” has been debunked over the years, and they show absolutely zero
added benefit for building muscle mass.
Step 5: Man Up!
If you’re looking for an easy way build muscle, then I apologize—what I
teach takes hard work, discipline, and drive.
You see, the steps required to pack on lean muscle are simple, but
they’re not easy.
There will be days when you’re just not in the mood to train; train
anyway. There will be nights when you’ll want to drive straight home after
work rather than hitting the gym; drive straight to the gym. There will be
times when you convince yourself that you’ll “do it tomorrow”; do it today.
It’s easy to hit the snooze button and “train later”; don’t. Get up and go train
now.
“Resistance will tell you anything to keep you from doing your
work.”
- Steven Pressfield
Every time you find yourself in a mental battle about whether you
should go to the gym or prepare a meal, realize that this resistance you’re
feeling can either (1) show how much you’re truly capable of or (2) expose
how little dedication you have. And if you truly lack dedication, then giving
in to resistance will become the habit that destroys your ability to reach any
level of success, in any area of your life, fitness or otherwise.
When you can do what needs to be done, even when you don’t feel like
it, you’ll reach your goals. Forget about how you feel—that’s irrelevant. Man
up and get it done.
CHAPTER 6
EATING FOR GROWTH: THE MAJORS
Imagine you had hopes of making it to the NBA, but had no experience
playing basketball. Fortunately, however, you had access to the greatest
basketball coach on the planet. What would you ask him to teach you?
You’d probably ask him to teach you how to shoot a jump shot or how
to jump higher so that you could dunk the ball. Or perhaps you’re really
ambitious and want to jump right in to practicing your 3-point shot.
Either way, you’re majoring in the minors. You see, it doesn’t really
matter how great your 3-point shot is; if you don’t understand a basic pivot,
you’ll never get a shot off over the defense. I don’t care how high you can
jump if you can’t even dribble the ball past your opponents. Without the
fundamentals—or as we’ll refer to them here, the majors—you’ll never
become a great basketball player.
This isn’t to say that shooting isn’t important; to the contrary, shooting
is one of the most critical skills of the game. The point, however, is not that
shooting is inferior, but it is useless if you don’t first learn to handle the ball.
You see, there is a hierarchy of learning, and without a solid foundation,
building your skillset becomes impossible.
The same thing happens when I get an email from a reader who wants to
know what supplements I recommend before they even know how much
protein they should be getting. Another person might ask how many meals
they should eat in order to build muscle, yet they have no clue how many
calories they need in the first place. Although I do think those are fair
questions, 9 times out of 10, they’re being asked much too early. Too much
time is spent google searching “best post workout meal” and not enough time
is spent learning about the role of food in general.
It’s like wanting to run before you walk, or trying to develop the world’s
best jump shot before learning to handle the ball.
It doesn’t matter how much protein you’re consuming if you’re not
eating enough total calories to support muscle growth. You can buy the
“perfect” supplement stack, but if you’re not getting enough protein in your
diet, you may as well have flushed that money down the toilet. All of these
things are important, but less important (if not completely useless) if you
don’t understand the hierarchy of nutrition. If the majors aren’t in order, the
perfect understanding of the minors will mean nothing.
In this section, I am going to lay out the foundation of your diet—the
three majors of muscle building nutrition responsible for 95% of the results
you’ll get from your efforts outside of the gym. Failing to follow these
guidelines, however, will ensure that you end up stuck and confused about
why you’re not moving the needle on the scale. On the other hand, if you do
manage to follow these principles, you’ll be primed to put on pounds of
muscle, break through any weight gain plateaus, and maximize your
performance in the gym.
Note: this section contains a lot of (simple) math equations. Don’t
bother working these out (unless you really don’t mind) because I’ve got a
free resource you can download that will do the work for you. To access
these resources, head over to www.musclemonsters.com/bulkup.
Energy Balance
Energy Balance: For our purposes, defined by the laws of thermodynamics
and dictates whether weight is lost, gained, or remains the same.
Energy In: Food calories taken into the body through food and drink.
Energy Out: Calories being used in the body for our daily energy
requirements.
If your goal is to put on lean muscle tissue, the only way to ensure that
you are providing your body with the necessary nutrients to perform, recover,
and rebuild, is to eat in a positive energy balance. This simply means that
you’ll need to consume more calories (energy in) than you expend (energy
out) if you want to get bigger.1
In order to ensure that we are in a positive energy balance, we must first
determine our maintenance calories. This refers to being in a state where your
TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and your energy intake are roughly the
same; you’re burning just as many calories as you’re consuming and thus
maintaining the same bodyweight. Once we can determine our maintenance
calories, creating a positive energy balance then becomes practically
effortless.
Before you suggest that calculating your TDEE would be the simplest
and most efficient way to determine how much you need to eat for muscle
gain, understand this: unless you have access to a lab equipped with
sophisticated calorimetry equipment, there really is no way for you to
determine what it is.
Calculating Your Caloric Maintenance
If you are a male with a healthy metabolism who exercises regularly, then the
number 16 is a great place to start and will be fairly accurate for about 80%
of people. For the other 20%, however, it may be a bit further off. In any
case, no matter how you calculate your starting calorie intake, it’s never more
than an estimate and it will always have to be adjusted based on actual
changes in bodyweight.
Regardless of whether we use intricate equations like the KatchMcArdle, the Mifflin-St Jeor, or the Harris-Benedict, it’s never going to be
100% accurate. That said, I prefer to keep it simple.
Calculating your maintenance calories
Bodyweight (in pounds) x 16 = Starting Caloric Intake
Example: 125lbs x 16 = 2000cal
Where Does This Number 16 Come From?
Resting Metabolic Rate: An estimate of how many calories you’d burn if you
were to do nothing but rest for 24 hours. For men, we typically use about 11
calories (10 for women) per pound of bodyweight.
Thermic Effect of Activity: The number of calories burned through
physical activity. This accounts for about 30-50% of the energy your body
uses, all depending on how active you are.
Thermic Effect of Food: The amount of energy required to eat, digest,
absorb, and store food. This makes up for another 10% of the energy our
bodies use.
Creating a Positive Energy Balance
Now that we’ve found a starting point, it’s time to track and adjust. For some,
the calculated starting intake may be enough to put you in a caloric surplus.
For others, you may need to increase your intake slightly. In rare cases, an
individual may find that the starting intake puts them in too high of a surplus,
meaning they may need to decrease their intake a bit. Either way, it’s a
starting point and changes will need to be made on an individual basis.
Here’s what I want you to do:
If you’re not sure how to calculate an average, it’s quite simple: add all
the weigh-ins up for the week and then divide that by the number of weigh-in
days.
Day
Weigh-In Week 1
Weigh-In Week 2
Sunday
145
145.2
Monday
145.1
145.4
Tuesday
144.8
145.5
Wednesday
145.5
146
Thursday
144.2
146.3
Friday
Missed
145.8
Saturday
145.5
146
Average: 145
Average: 145.7
Simple enough, right?
If your average weight has stayed the same, then you’re at maintenance.
All you’ve got to do from there is increase your intake by 500cal.
500cal above maintenance because 1lb of adipose tissue
contains 3500 calories.2 Therefore we can estimate how
much of a surplus we are in based on bodyweight changes.
Although “the 3500-calorie rule” isn’t 100% accurate—since
not all weight gained (or lost) is fat and energy expenditure
changes over time3—it serves as a good guideline for
estimating maintenance calories.
If your average weight has increased, then voila, you’re in a caloric
surplus and you’re putting on size. If you’re not, however, gaining enough to
maximize growth (about one pound per week), then slightly increasing
calories again (preferably in the form of carbohydrates) should do the trick.
On the other hand—because we are only capable of building so much muscle
mass in a week—if your surplus is too high, it will result in unwanted fat
gain. If your average weight is increasing by well over one pound per week, I
would recommend that you leave it alone—your metabolism is adaptive and
the rate of weight gain will decrease over time. You also have the choice of
decreasing your calorie intake a bit, but as a beginner who can expect to
make rapid changes in muscle mass, gaining weight too quickly for a short
period of time isn’t likely to have any major negative effects.
In theory, if you’ve gained one pound in a week, you would be, on
average, in a 500cal surplus (7 x 500 = 3500). If your weight has increased
only slightly, however, (by 0.4lbs, for instance) then simply multiply 3500 x
0.4, which equates to a 1400 calorie surplus for the week. Since the goal is
roughly 3500, subtract that 1400 from 3500 and divide the answer you get by
7.
3500 – 1400 = 2100
2100 / 7 = 300
In this case, you would have to bump your calories up by about 300 to
reach the goal of one pound per week.
The Calorie Surplus Shortcut
If you’re anything like me, you’re not going to want to spend two weeks
finding your maintenance—you’re going to want to start growing now.
Luckily for you, a naturally skinny guy who’s new to weight training isn’t
going to have to be as meticulous about his calories. Due to your rapid
adaptations and growth in muscle mass, eating above the recommended
surplus is probably not going to do too much damage. In fact, perhaps none at
all.
If you’re as impatient for gains as I am, then skip tracking your
bodyweight for two weeks just to find your maintenance. Instead, multiply
your bodyweight (in pounds) by 20 and eat that many calories. Not only will
this ensure you’re eating enough and moving the scale, your growth during
those first two weeks will almost be guaranteed.
Weigh-Ins: Why Daily and Not Weekly
The reason I recommend weighing in daily as opposed to weekly is simple:
There are numerous factors that can affect our scale weight from day to day
(e.g. water intake, sodium consumption, sleep, stress, etc.). This is why it is
very possible to weigh one pound less than you did the previous Monday but
still be gaining weight. In this case, had you tracked your weight on a weekly
basis, you’d be under the impression that you were undereating. The opposite
is also true; despite an increase in scale weight from a weekly weigh-in, there
is still a possibility that you’re not eating enough. Had you tracked your
average, however, you’d have a better gauge as to what was happening, and
thus any adjustments you made would be more accurate.
Why You Don’t Want to Gain Too Much Weight
“Gaining a bunch of fat is going to decrease the effectiveness of
your training for muscle and strength gains as muscle insulin
sensitivity decreases.”
- Greg Nuckols
To a skinny guy who struggles to put on size, gaining “too much” weight
seems like a dream scenario. Unfortunately, more weight gain does not
always mean more muscle growth. As we spoke about in a previous chapter,
the highest amount of lean muscle tissue we can expect to build per week is
about 0.5lbs. Anything above that will likely result in unnecessary fat gain—
it’s why I recommend aiming to gain no more than about 0.8-1lbs per week.
This will allow you to maximize muscle mass, keep fat gain to a minimum
and ultimately allow you to spend more time building muscle.
The Disadvantage of Rapid Weight Gain
As someone who has struggled to gain weight all my life, I know how
tempting it can be to eat your face off to gain five pounds per week and meet
your goal in a month. Accumulating that much body fat has absolutely zero
benefit, unfortunately. On the contrary, it can potentially slow down or even
ruin your ability to build muscle over the long term. So, before you head for
that chocolate cake in the fridge, let me quickly go over the disadvantages of
rapid weight gain.
Decreased Insulin Sensitivity
Having a high insulin sensitivity is arguably the biggest advantage possessed
by us skinny guys when it comes to building muscle mass. Gaining too much
fat too quickly is a surefire way to increase insulin resistance, which
ultimately decreases the level of efficiency with which we build muscle.
Decreased Testosterone
Eating at too high of a calorie surplus is a recipe for excessive fat gain. The
more body fat you have, the longer you’ll have to spend in a caloric deficit
burning it off. The problem with this is that eating in a negative energy
balance for a prolonged period can have negative effects on your anabolic
hormone levels,4 while increasing the production of catabolic hormones5—
making you more susceptible to muscle loss.
Impaired Nutrient Partitioning
There are a few factors that determine how effectively you partition nutrients.
There are genetics, hormones (e.g. testosterone, cortisol, etc.), metabolic rate,
and insulin sensitivity—all things you have little to no control over. One
primary factor that you can certainly control is body fat percentage. The
fatter you are, the more difficult it becomes to gain lean mass.
“Naturally lean (but NOT folks who have dieted to lean)
individuals tend to gain more muscle and less fat when they
overfeed, and fatter individuals tend to gain more fat and less
muscle when they overfeed.”
- Author of The Protein Book, Lyle McDonald 6
More Destroying, Less Building
It’s a vicious cycle: if you gain weight too quickly and end up at 18% body
fat within a few months, you become more efficient at storing body fat and
less efficient at building lean tissue. This is when you would cut. However,
because you’ve accumulated so much fat, it takes longer than you’d wished
to get back into the “prime” body fat level (10-12%) for muscle growth.
For example: During your second year of training, let’s say you spend
three months bulking up, which increases your scale weight by 12lbs, 9lbs of
which are body fat. You spend another two months dieting down to your
initial body fat percentage and, assuming you’ve maintained every ounce of
muscle, end up three pounds heavier after five months of grueling work—and
repeat! After 12 months, you’ve gained about 7lbs of muscle—only 60% of
your potential muscle growth for the year.
Mr. Potato Head Syndrome
Only someone with grade A genetics will store body fat evenly throughout
their body. Unfortunately for us men, we are more prone to storing body fat
around our midsection and less likely to distribute it evenly in our arms and
legs.7 This is especially problematic for those who are building fat at a faster
rate than they’re gaining muscle. Take an experienced weight lifter who’s
been training for two years and is gaining one pound per week: at this rate,
he’s gaining 3lbs of fat for every one pound of muscle. In the short span of
three months, he would have gained 12lbs, with 9lbs of those being fat. With
almost 10 new pounds of fat and only three small pounds of muscle, it’s less
likely that you’ll look ripped or jacked and more likely that you’ll end up in
physique purgatory (a.k.a. skinny-fat).
Macronutrient Distribution
Macronutrients (or Macros): Nutrients that the body uses in relatively large
amounts—protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Not to be confused with
micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, which the body requires in
smaller amounts. Macronutrients provide calories to the body as well as
performing other functions.
Eating enough calories to build muscle is a great start. The next step, is
to adjust the macronutrient distribution of those calories to ensure we are
gaining more muscle and less fat. Failing to do so will result in faster fat gain,
poor nutrient partitioning, and ultimately, less time in a lean mass phase.
Protein
When you consume protein, your body breaks down the protein molecules
into amino acids and uses them to build new muscle. If you don’t consume
enough protein, however, your body may not get enough of these amino
acids, thus impairing your ability to build and repair muscle tissue.
The average sedentary person can “survive” with very little protein due
to a survival mechanism we inherited from our ancestors. This mechanism
allows us to recycle broken down protein. Although you would die if you
didn’t consume protein, you can easily survive on miniscule amounts.
But, you’re not average and sedentary, right?
Since you’ll be regularly lifting weights, your body will require more
protein. In fact, research has shown that athletes need to eat a high protein
diet to maximize performance.8
How Much Protein?
One study suggests that 0.6-0.8g per pound of bodyweight is enough to
maximize protein synthesis; however, they note that “more protein should be
consumed during periods of high frequency/intensity training.”9 Another
study reached a similar conclusion, but suggested that a higher intake may be
beneficial depending on several factors, as mentioned below.
“Numerous interacting factors including energy intake, carbohydrate
availability, exercise intensity, duration and type, dietary protein quality,
training history, gender, age, timing of nutrient intake and the like make
this topic extremely complex.” 10
With all of that in mind, the overall consensus among experts in the field
is that somewhere around 0.8-1g of protein per pound of bodyweight is the
recommended amount.
Bodyweight (in pounds) x 0.8-1 = protein intake in grams
125lbs x 1g = 125 grams of protein per day (for someone
consuming 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight)
125g of protein x 4 calories per gram = 500 calories from protein
Fats
Dietary fat is the most calorically dense energy source available to your body.
Each gram of fat contains twice as many calories as a gram of carbohydrates
or protein.
Protein
Calories Per Gram
Carbohydrates
4
4
Fats
9
Good fats are found in dairy, meat, eggs, oils, nuts, and fish. These fats
aid in your body’s ability to absorb nutrients.
Other major benefits of a healthy fat intake are:
Reduced inflammation11
Increased testosterone12
Increased brain function13
Reduced risk of heart disease14
And more
How Much Fat?
The Department of Nutrition and Exercise Sciences at Oregon State
University concluded that somewhere around 20-35% of our energy intake
should come from fats.15 Another study, published in the Journal of the
International Society of Sports Nutrition, noted similar findings.16 That said, I
recommend starting at about 0.4-0.7g of fat per pound of bodyweight.
However, if a higher fat intake is warranted for better adherence, go for it.
Just don’t overdo it because getting too many of your daily calories from fat
may result in faster fat gain when eating in a caloric surplus (more on that
shortly).
Again, dietary fat is the most calorically dense macronutrient of them
all. However, starting off at the higher end of the range (0.7g / pound of BW)
may prove beneficial for anyone struggling to eat enough calories.
Bodyweight x 0.4-0.7 = fat intake in grams
125lbs x 0.4 = 50 grams of fat per day (for someone consuming
0.4g of fat per pound of bodyweight)
50 grams of fat x 9 calories per gram = 450 calories from fat
Carbohydrates
I’d hate to be a carbohydrate this day and age. They seem to be
misunderstood, feared, and even demonized by fitness cults. Thanks to
science, though, debating intelligently against the slander by so-called
“experts” is possible. To be fair, it’s easy to understand why “experts”
believe this “carbs make you fat, bro, everybody knows that” myth. Carbs
increase insulin production, and insulin is a storage hormone that forces our
body to store fat. The evidence is clear, though, that the insulin response from
food intake doesn’t determine the amount of fat you store17—total energy
balance does.18
What they also fail to mention is that insulin is responsible for driving
amino acids into our muscles, thereby elevating protein synthesis—this is
vital for maximizing muscle growth.
The fact is, if you’re looking to put on lean muscle through weight
training, you should never avoid carbs. The reasons are twofold: (1) carbs are
converted to glucose, our body’s main source of energy—and (2) glucose is
stored in the muscles as glycogen. Blood glucose and muscle glycogen are
the most important elements in the formula for maximizing physical
performance.19
Avoiding carbs to minimize fat gain is akin to avoiding airplanes for
fear of crashing, but still driving to work every day while texting—you’re
worried about the wrong thing! If we go low carb, we’ve got to go high fat—
probably a bad idea. A study published in The American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition found that when subjects were put in a 50% caloric surplus—either
purely from carbs or purely from fats—after one day of overfeeding, the
carb-only group stored just 10% of excess calories as fat, while the fat-only
group stored a whopping 60%.20 In short, excess dietary fat leads to greater
fat accumulation than does excess dietary carbohydrates.
This actually makes perfect sense, especially since there is plenty of
evidence that carbs are inefficiently stored as body fat even when
overfeeding21—this is due to a highly regulated metabolic pathway known as
de novo lipogenesis.22
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way and, hopefully, have a better
understanding as to the benefits of a higher carb intake, let’s talk about what
carbs are and how much you should be consuming.
Carbohydrates are sugars, starches and fibers found in fruits, grains,
vegetables and milk products. Their main responsibility revolves around
energy. This energy comes from a sugar called glucose. So, whether you are
consuming carbs from candy or from brown rice, the carbs are converted to
glucose during digestion, which then becomes the preferred energy source for
both the mind and muscles.
How Many Carbs?
According to some research, 45-65% of our daily intake should come from
carbohydrates. Unfortunately, dictating your carbohydrate intake by
percentages is just not ideal.23 Fortunately, because we know exactly how
much protein and dietary fat we need, it wouldn’t take a mathematician to
allot the remaining calories to carbohydrate intake (don’t forget, this’ll be
done for you with the free macronutrient calculator you’ve got access to).
As I mentioned, once you’ve calculated your maintenance calories,
figure out exactly how many calories you’ll be getting from both fats and
protein. Whatever calories are left over will make up your carb intake.
125lbs x 16 = 2000 starting calories
125lbs x 1 = 125g protein
125g of protein x 4 calories per gram = 500 calories from protein
125lbs x 0.4g fat = 50g fat
50 grams of fat x 9 calories per gram = 450 calories from fat
2000 – 500 – 450 = 1050 calories left over
1050 calories / 4 calories per gram of carbohydrates = 263 g
carbs
Using this example, an individual who weighs 125lbs and is in a slight
caloric surplus at 2000cal per day, a macronutrient breakdown of 125g
protein, 50g fat, and about 263g carbs would be ideal for maximizing growth
and performance.
The Crappy Part About Carbs
High carbs don’t necessarily mean more Pop-Tarts and donuts—although
you’ll be able to fit those into your diet regularly without any negative
effects. One of the main reasons for this is simple: we’ve got to get enough
fiber.
Fiber is the one type of carb that has additional health benefits. They
either slow down the surge of glucose in your blood, which slows down or
shuts off the insulin response, or speeds up the journey of food through your
system, which makes crap happen, literally. High fiber diets have also been
linked to reduced risks of colon cancer.24
Before you facepalm and get annoyed about adding to the long list of
things to track, I have good news. Because you’re on a high carb diet, you’ll
probably never have an issue with getting enough fiber. Just because it
matters, though, I’ll give you a simple formula you can use (although this
will also be done for you with the free calculator) to calculate how much
daily fiber you’ll need.
How Much Fiber?
The current guidelines suggest that men should get 14 grams of fiber per
1,000 calories.
Note: Make sure your fiber is coming from whole foods and not fiber
supplements, as supplements are much less effective.
Daily calories / 1000 = caloric multiplier x 14 = daily fiber intake
For example: 2270cal / 1000 = 2.27 x 14 = 32g fiber per day
Micronutrients & Water
Micronutrients: Vitamins and minerals that are essential in minute amounts
for the proper growth and metabolism of a living organism.
With the help of a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, your body
performs millions of physiological processes that keep you alive and healthy.
As with consuming enough protein, carbs, and fats, ensuring that you’re also
consuming sufficient vitamins and minerals will improve your overall health
and performance. Negating this aspect of your nutrition is a surefire way to
compromise your overall health, and even hinder the capacities in which
you’re able to perform.
In a perfect world, reaching our macronutrient intake for the day would
guarantee we’re getting our micronutrient requirements as well.
Unfortunately, the declining quality of soil and food makes this a bit more
challenging.25 Not only that, ensuring that you’re achieving optimum levels
of vitamins and minerals requires a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, and
whole grains. This can require lots of planning and may be time consuming.
Fear not, though, because this complicated topic can be simplified.
Below you’ll find a chart that describes a very simple solution for ensuring
that you meet your micronutrient requirements.
Daily Caloric Intake
Vegetables
Fruits
1200-2000cal
2 Servings
2 Servings
2000-3000cal
3 Servings
3 Servings
3000-4000cal
4 Servings
4 Servings
If you’d like to get a bit more technical, then getting one serving of
fibrous veggies and one serving of fruit for every 1000 calories you consume
would be a good aim. For example, if you’re consuming 2500 calories per
day, then 2.5 servings of vegetables and 2.5 servings of fruit would be ideal.
The serving size for each fruit and/or vegetable will differ. Some will be
measured by ounces, others by grams or by cups. To keep it simple, I’d
recommend measuring 1 cup of a given vegetable per serving. For fruits,
items like a whole apple or banana would count as 1 serving. Blueberries,
raspberries, grapes, or any other bite-sized fruit can be measured at 1 cup or a
heaping handful. Don’t overthink this!
Daily Water Intake
Water is essential for recovery from strenuous exercise. In fact, almost every
mechanical process that occurs in your body takes place in water. With that
said, it should be clear how detrimental dehydration can be to your
performance and recovery.
Although there is no set-in-stone formula for water intake—and the
chances that you’re already drinking enough are likely—there are some pretty
simple guidelines you can follow if you’re worried that you’re not drinking
enough. There are two methods worth mentioning for the sake of keeping
things simple:
For example: 170lbs x 0.67 = 113 fluid ounces (34 fluid ounces =
1 Liter)
Again, there is no clear-cut approach, but there is also no need to over
analyze this detail. Choose one and stick to it.
This Is All You Need to Know
In all actuality, being in a positive energy balance, getting those calories from
the right macronutrient breakdown, and eating your fruits and vegetables will
net you roughly 95% of the results you’ll achieve (from a nutrition
standpoint). If you’re looking to maximize your efforts and eek out that last
5%, though, I’d recommend showing the minors of nutrition a little respect.
CHAPTER 7
EATING FOR GROWTH: THE MINORS
In the past we were led to believe that if we wanted to build muscle, we had
to eat six meals per day and chug a protein shake within 15 minutes of our
workout or we’d lose all our hard-earned muscle mass. Over the years,
though, science has disproved these common bodybuilding myths and shed
more light on what actually matters. For the most part, we’ve covered that in
the previous chapter. Although 90-95% is great, 100% is still better—that’s
why I insist that you pay very close attention to what is outlined in this
section.
Though these nutrition factors are of lesser importance—hence why we
call them the minors—they are not to be ignored if you want to truly
maximize your muscle-building potential.
Understand this: no matter how well you execute on the principles I am
about to share with you, unless the majors are in order (i.e. energy balance,
macronutrient distribution, and micronutrient intake), they will not matter in
the least. No matter how well you’re supplementing with proven ingredients,
if you’re not eating enough, you will not grow.
Three Meals vs Six Meals
The argument for having six meals per day or eating every 2.5 hours stems
from the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF). Because we know that consuming
calories expends energy, we assume that the more frequently we eat, the more
calories we’re expending, thus keeping our metabolism “revving.” The
problem with this train of thought is that the total number of calories we burn
through TEF has nothing to do with how many meals we consume. TEF
accounts for about 10% of your total daily calorie intake. Whether you’re
having one meal per day or 10, if the total intake is 2000cal, TEF will
account for about 200 calories despite meal frequency. Simply put, meal
frequency does not significantly enhance diet-induced thermogenesis.1
We have plenty of research on the impact of everything from one meal
per day all the way up to 14 meals per day—the data is very clear that the
number of meals we consume daily has very little to do with overall body
composition.2,3 Whether you’re breaking your total daily calories up into
three larger meals or six smaller ones, the result will not vary to any
significant degree.
How Many Meals Per Day to Maximize Muscle Growth?
Despite there being no significant difference between consuming three meals
or six, there is one factor we must consider: food-induced protein synthesis.
Protein intake is accompanied by a stimulation in protein synthesis. Because
our goal is to build muscle, we’ve got to ensure we’re synthesizing more
protein than we’re breaking down. Although eating in a calorie surplus while
getting sufficient protein does guarantee that we’re achieving this excess
protein synthesis, it doesn’t mean we’re maximizing our muscle-building
potential.
Studies have shown that consuming 20 grams of protein, four times per
day, with three hours in between meals produced the greatest elevations in
protein synthesis. It worked better than eight meals with 10 grams of protein
per sitting, and it worked better than two meals with 40 grams of protein per
sitting.4 This may be due to a relatively new concept in exercise science
known as the leucine threshold. Leucine, the most powerful amino acid and
single most important nutrient for building muscle, plays a key role in
stimulating protein synthesis.5 A meal that consists of 20-30 grams of high
quality protein will usually offer the 2-3 grams of leucine necessary to initiate
this response.
Does meal frequency actually matter then? No, not really. Protein
frequency, however, does matter.
Although most of your results will come from eating enough and getting
sufficient protein, I would recommend aiming for 3-5 meals per day, with
three hours in between sittings, and at least 20 grams of protein per meal.
Things to consider:
If you are extremely busy and cannot manage to eat every 23 hours, then don’t.
If you need structure and must follow a schedule, then create
one that fits into your day.
If you like structure and must follow a schedule, but are
limited on time, then precook your meals.
If you have the luxury of cooking and consuming as you go,
then do so.
If you require a meal plan, then create one or use the ones
I’ve provided in this book.
Do what you can with what you have. When it’s all said and done, the
best meal frequency is the one you can adhere to best.
Meal Timing
Over the years, peri-workout nutrition has been deemed a nonnegotiable in
any bodybuilding diet. “Experts” have labeled pre-workout and post-workout
meals—or shakes—the holy grail of muscle-building nutrition without which
you’d be doomed to remain skinny and weak. After all, Arnold ate a preworkout meal and drank a post-workout shake, so it must be necessary, right?
But let’s take a more objective look at the topic.
The Post-Workout Meal
Most “experts” have proposed that there is a post workout “anabolic
window.” This theory suggests that one must consume adequate amounts of
protein and fast-acting carbs, 15-30 minutes following their workout, to avoid
muscle loss. Whenever we work out, we start a process whereby muscle
proteins are broken down. The effects are only moderate while you’re in the
gym, but they accelerate quickly thereafter.6
The goal of the post-workout meal, however, is to mitigate muscle
breakdown and, concurrently, stimulate protein synthesis.
The truth is that not eating for more than 15-30 minutes following your
workout has no negative effects if you are consistently meeting your nutrient
requirements.7 For most of us, this “anabolic window” is actually quite large:
roughly four to six hours. The reason is simple: food takes several hours to
work its way through your system, which means that if you’re eating a good
number of calories, those nutrients will likely still be available after your
workout.
Post-Workout Protein
According to one review, the maximum rate that whey protein can be
absorbed is about 8-10 grams per hour.8 Casein clocks in a bit slower at about
6.1 grams per hour, while cooked egg protein seems to take twice as long to
absorb than casein, and about three times longer than whey (gram for gram).
Although these numbers aren’t completely accurate due to the intricacies of
measuring protein absorption, they do lend useful insight. That said, even if
you did rush through traffic in order to knock back a protein shake, your body
wouldn’t get around to absorbing it for several hours anyway.
Long story short, total protein intake—not timing—is what matters
most.
Post-Workout Carbs
The argument for post workout carbs is twofold: (1) we need to replenish the
muscle glycogen that we burned during a workout and (2) it generates an
insulin response that blunts muscle breakdown.
The fact is this: 95% of the guys reading this book won’t have to worry
about significant glycogen depletion—the other 5% shouldn’t be reading this.
For starters, we’re not performing endless bouts of glycogen-depleting
training for the same muscle-group. Even if we did manage to burn through a
good amount of our energy stores, consuming as many carbs as we should be
consuming will ensure that they’re replenished in time for our next session
anyway.
As for the insulin spike, it’s hogwash. Not because carbs don’t spike
insulin, but because protein does too, to the same extent as carbohydrates.
More importantly, most of the research we have on the topic shows no
significant difference in muscle mass or strength between trainees who
consume protein and carbs post-workout and trainees who had the same
protein and carbs at some other time in the day.9
Now, this is not to say that it is a bad idea to consume a meal or shake
following your workout (which I still recommend you do), it simply suggests
that there is no need to speed through traffic on your way home from the gym
to beat the window.
The Pre-Workout Meal
It’s no secret that carbs are an essential fuel for prolonged, strenuous
exercise. In fact, research studies have provided evidence that carbohydrate
depletion is associated with fatigue and a decrease in exercise intensity.10
This is a good reason to consume carbohydrates prior to an intense workout,
don’t you think?
Consider this, though: while in a growth phase, most individuals are
equipped with sufficient energy stores and protein to both preserve muscle
mass and perform without having to consume any carbs or protein prior to a
workout. On the other hand, most trainees cannot function 100% in the gym
without having a pre-workout meal. Either way, this is totally optional. What
I recommend is this: consider your schedule and how you feel when you do
or don’t eat before a workout. From there, make an educated decision as to
whether you want to include one.
If You Train in The Morning…
If you are an individual who trains early in the morning, it’s probably going
to be more beneficial for you to consume a pre-workout meal. Training in a
truly fasted state, for most people, will inhibit performance (performance
being our main training goal if we want to stimulate growth). If you’re
anything like me (which is a very rare case) and prefer to train fasted—and
perform better in that state—then feel free to do so; however, in this case I
would recommend that you do consume a post-workout meal within an hour
of your training session just to be safe.
A Strong Case for Pre-Workout and Post-Workout Meals
Choosing to pass on meals before and/or after your workouts just because
they don’t provide any magic benefit isn’t doing you any favors. Your
metabolism is extremely adaptive, and thus, you can essentially train your
body to be hungry at certain times of the day. If you never eat before your
workout, you’re not likely to ever be hungry at those times. On the other
hand, if you get your body used to having calories right before you hit the
gym, you’ll likely begin to experience hunger during that time of the day.
The same goes for post-workout nutrition. Not only that, but eating a nice
sized meal during a point in the day when you’re likely to be hungriest is
probably a good idea.
Supplements
Let me start off by saying that supplements are not needed for muscle
growth. I repeat: supplements are not needed for muscle growth. This is not
to say that the supplements I mention in this section are not useful, it simply
means that they are not a necessity. In fact, it’s very possible to maximize
your efforts in the gym without ever coming into contact with supplements,
period.
Understand this: If you are not building muscle with your current diet
and training, supplements will be completely useless. The difference between
an effective diet and training system, and a non-effective system is never
going to be a supplement, ever.
Got it?
Good!
What Are Supplements?
Dietary supplements are basically substances produced with the objective of
providing your body with nutrients that it’s not getting through your diet.
They’re typically derived from components of food sources that you’re
already consuming. In most cases, they’re manufactured to improve your
health, increase performance, or aid in your body’s ability to recover.
The truth is that if you’re getting enough calories in the proper
macronutrient ratio, and you’re eating your fruits and vegetables, most of the
supplements on the market will do nothing more than just burn a hole in your
wallet.
However, there are a small number of supplements that are based on
sound science and may be worth the investment—that is, if it doesn’t mean
paying your rent late this month just to buy some creatine.
Let’s talk about those.
But first, I want to clear the air.
Whey Protein
Whey protein is not a supplement in the traditional sense—it is simply the
liquid material created as a byproduct of cheese production. You also should
consider that protein is just a macronutrient and can easily be consumed in
the foods we eat.
Do we need a protein powder to build muscle? Absolutely not!
Protein is a macronutrient and, by now, you should know exactly how
much protein your body requires daily to build muscle. If you can consume
that amount of protein without touching any protein powders, then there is no
reason to invest in one.
With that said, there is some upside to including protein powders. For
one, they’re cost effective —if you find the right deal, gram for gram, you
may find that a whey protein powder saves you a bit of cash on your food
bill. Second, it’s convenient—you throw the powder in a cup, add water (or
milk), shake it up and knock out 20-30 grams of protein. They’re also great
for high protein recipes like homemade weight gain shakes (more on those
later), protein pancakes, smoothies, and so on. Lastly, the biological value.
Some protein powders just happen to have a better amino acid profile than
certain whole foods.
Personally, I don’t use a protein powder; I prefer to eat whole foods, but
that’s just me. If you are someone who has a hard time achieving your protein
goals for the day (or you just like to consume shakes), then a basic whey
protein will suffice. If you have an intolerance to lactose, then consider a
whey isolate product instead.
Now on to the supplements…
Health & Recovery
EPA/DHA: EPA and DHA are both essential fatty acids that have been
shown to have a host of health benefits.11 If your diet does not consist of
much fish, then supplementing with fish oil will have some upside.
Some benefits include:
Improved memory12
Reduced inflammation13
Reduced muscle soreness14
Preserves insulin sensitivity15
Recommended Dose: Even though you’re adhering to the majors of
muscle-building nutrition, if you’re not eating much fish, it’s likely that you
will not get enough EPA or DHA from your diet. In that case, I’d recommend
taking 2-3g of EPA and DHA (combined) per day.
Vitamin D3: Our body cannot produce vitamin D without direct contact
with sunlight.16 This means that if you’re not spending at least 15-25 minutes
in the sun each day, or supplementing with vitamin D3, you’re more likely to
have a deficiency. Being deficient in vitamin D has been shown to
compromise immune health, and can be especially detrimental to those of us
who train hard and are aiming to maximize our performance.17
If you are spending time in the sun daily and are certain that you’re not
deficient, consider this: one study published in the Journal of the
International Society of Sports Nutrition stated that “it is plausible that
vitamin D levels above the normal reference range might increase skeletal
muscle function, decrease recovery time from training, increase both force
and power production, and increase testosterone production, each of which
could potentiate athletic performance.”18
Recommended Dose: If you’re spending a good deal of time outside,
daily, then you’re not likely to benefit from supplementing with vitamin D3.
On the other hand, if you’re not spending much time in the sun, I’d
recommend 600-1000IU per day.
Performance
Creatine Monohydrate: Creatine monohydrate is quite possibly the most
highly researched performance supplement on the market. You may see
different forms of creatine being touted by big name bodybuilders, but those
are either inferior, or more expensive with no additional benefits.
Creatine is naturally produced in the body and is also found in red meat
and fish. The reason that it’s difficult for us to experience creatine’s
performance-enhancing benefits is because we cook our meat, which
degrades the creatine content.19 This is where supplementing with creatine
comes in.
I’d also like to mention that if you have supplemented with creatine in
the past and experienced no difference in your performance, the reason could
be twofold: (1) creatine isn’t a stimulant so it’s not something you’ll “feel” in
the gym and (2) it could take a couple of weeks of adequate consumption to
reach supplemental creatine levels.
Some benefits Include:
Increased muscle and strength20
Improved anaerobic endurance21
Improved recovery from strenuous exercise22
This is one supplement that I highly recommend for anyone who can
spare the extra $10-15. It’s safe for long-term use,23 it’s effective, and it
won’t break the bank.
Recommended Dose: Take 5 grams per day whether you’re training or
not. It does not have to be taken with carbohydrates, loaded, or taken at a
specific time of the day—just make sure you’re getting the recommend
amount daily.
Caffeine: Hands down the most effective performance enhancing
supplement available. This is a safe, tried and true, healthy choice for a preworkout stimulant that’ll get the job done—even when you don’t really feel
like doing it.
There are plenty of supplements out there that claim to increase strength,
improve muscle endurance, or enhance anaerobic capabilities. Some even
claim to do them all. There is, however, one problem: no supporting
evidence. Caffeine, on the other hand, has been proven to increase strength.24
Not only that, but other research concluded that caffeine is useful for
competitive or recreational athletes who lift weights due to the increases in
strength, muscle endurance, and anaerobic performance that caffeine
provides.25
Unfortunately, like any other stimulant, the more consistently you take
it, the less effective it becomes.26 That’s why it’s probably a good idea to
limit consumption to days where you need that extra push in the gym.
Recommended Dose: For better workouts, take 2mg per pound of
bodyweight (125lbs x 2 = 250mg of caffeine) about 30 minutes before
training.
Supplement
Dosage
EPA/DHA
2-3g/day of EPA and DHA combined
Vitamin D3
600-1000IU/day
Creatine Monohydrate
5g/day
Caffeine
2mg/lb/day
Don’t forget that supplements are at the end of the minors section for a
reason: they’re not important and should only be considered if you have the
extra cash to blow. This is especially true for us “hardgainers” who are eating
a good deal of food and providing our bodies with sufficient nutrients to
maximize performance and recovery.
CHAPTER 8
FOOD SELECTION
You’ve got the foundation for your diet. You know exactly how many
calories need to eat, what macronutrients should make up those calories, and
how to ensure you’re getting enough vitamins and minerals in the process.
Now, you’ve probably got one last question: what the heck should I eat?
Fair enough. It’s important to understand the difference between a
protein source and a carb source, and food quality matters. The truth is not all
proteins are created equal—the same is true of fats and, to some degree, carbs
as well.
Before we jump into the meat and potatoes of this chapter (did you see
what I did there?) let’s get your mind around a very important topic: clean vs
dirty foods.
Good Food vs Bad Food
You’ve probably heard these before: “eat clean, train dirty” or “eat clean,
train mean” or “you can’t expect to look like a million bucks if you eat off
the dollar menu.” What does that even mean, anyway? Are some foods really
more sanitary than others? Should we throw our pop tarts in the washer
before consumption?
Seriously, though… if you ask 10 people what it means to “eat clean,”
you’ll get 10 different answers. All of those answers, though, will have one
thing in common: it’s extremely restrictive. It leads us to believe that some
foods are good and others are bad. No one has ever dropped dead from one
candy bar though—just like no one has gotten up in the morning lean and
healthy from consuming a few servings of vegetables.
This is not to say that we should opt for the mint chocolate chip icecream over apples and carrots, but being too restrictive in your diet is (1)
making it nearly impossible to eat enough and (2) removing one of life’s
greatest pleasures—delicious food.
If you’ve ever attempted to get 3000cal from chicken breasts and
broccoli, you know what I’m talking about. Although I do advocate a mostly
minimally processed, whole food diet—I do also promote a flexible way of
eating. If 80-90% of your foods are coming from minimally processed, whole
foods, then don’t be afraid of getting the other 10-20% from that strawberry
ice-cream—assuming it fits into your overall macro and micronutrient goals.1
Not only will this make dieting more enjoyable, but consuming enough
calories to grow becomes a breeze when you actually enjoy what you’re
eating.
That said, food quality matters and it’s important that, if we want to
maximize our results, we pay very close attention to the sources from which
we’re getting these calories as they’re not all created equal.
Protein Quality Matters
Protein is a molecule that is made up of a wide variety of amino acids. Some
of these amino acids are the building blocks of muscle proteins. Some of
those “building blocks” must be obtained through food—these are known as
essential amino acids.
Different foods consist of different combinations of 20 different amino
acids, and some combinations are more potent than others. Nine of the 20 are
considered essential because our body does not produce them naturally,
therefore we must consume them. Out of those nine, three are considered
branched chain amino acids (BCAA). Out of those three, one is the most
powerful and important nutrient for building muscle: leucine—an essential
amino acid that plays a key role in initiating protein synthesis.2
This is why I highly recommend that a good deal of your protein
consumption come from foods with a high leucine content. This is not to say
that you should opt only for the protein sources I am about to mention—in
fact, if you’re getting enough protein in the day you’re not likely to be
deficient in any of the nine essential amino acids—but it’s certainly
something to consider if your goal is to maximize muscle growth.
Food Sources High in Leucine
Whey Isolate
Pork
Chicken
Beef
Whitefish
Milk
Eggs
Wheat
Although these foods do contain leucine in higher amounts, this
essential amino acid is present in most of the other protein sources that we
consume regularly.
High Protein Foods
Turkey
Beef
Eggs
Whey
Cheese
Cottage Cheese
Fish
Milk (2%, 1%, or Soy)
Beans
Bison
Lamb
Pork
Veal
Greek Yogurt
If you want to ensure that you’re maximizing muscle growth, I’d advise
two things: First, and most importantly, get enough protein. Second, aim to
get about 20-30 grams of protein per sitting—this will ensure that you’re
getting enough leucine to maximize the anabolic response.
Fat Quality Matters
Fats come in two forms: saturated and unsaturated.
If a fat is solid at room temperature, it’s a saturated fat. Saturated fatty
acids (SFA) are found in foods like meat, dairy, and bacon fat. These were
once considered to be “bad fats.”
Over the years, saturated fat and its potential health risks have been
highly debated. However, we now know that saturated fat isn’t the danger we
once thought it was. That is, a recent meta-analysis showed that there was no
significant evidence for concluding that saturated fat intake was associated
with heart or cardiovascular disease.3
If a fat is liquid at room temperature, it’s an unsaturated fat. Unsaturated
fats are found in foods like olive oil, avocado, fish, and so on. These are
considered to be “healthy fats.”
There are two types of unsaturated fats:
Monounsaturated Fats (MUFA): these are a great source of energy and
have been shown to have an array of health benefits.4
Polyunsaturated Fats (PUFA): these are essential fatty acids (EFA)—
meaning your body can’t produce them from other fats.
There are two types of EFAs: linoleic acid, an omega-6; and alphalinolenic acid, an omega-3. Linoleic acid is by far the most common PUFA in
our diets because it’s found in foods that we consume regularly. Alphalinolenic acid, on the other hand, is a bit scarcer. If you didn’t skip ahead,
then you’re familiar with the two omega-3s found in fish oil—EPA and DHA
—and all their benefits. Just as a reminder, however, EPA and DHA have
been shown to reduce inflammation,5 improve recovery,6 enhance memory,7
and more.
Guidelines for a Healthy Fat Intake
You can be quite flexible in how you reach your fat intake for the day—but, I
recommend you get most of your dietary fats from healthy choices like:
meats, eggs, nuts, seeds, oils, and fatty fish. Although I wouldn’t overthink
your saturated fatty acid consumption, I do suggest that you strive to get
plenty of your daily fat intake from unsaturated fats. Ultimately, if you’re
reaching your minimum required fat intake for the day (0.4g / pound of BW)
—while making an effort to get a good deal of it from healthy fat sources—
you’ll surely achieve all of the health and performance benefits that come
from a healthy fat intake.
Healthy Choices: Fats
Meat
Eggs
Avocado
Olives
Pistachios
Almonds
Peanuts
Walnuts
Brazil Nuts
Cashews
Pecans
Peanut Butter
Almond Butter
Cashew Butter
Canola Oil
Fish Oil
Salmon
Mackerel
Trout
Herring
Flaxseeds
Sunflower Seeds
Carb Quality Matters
The only thing carbohydrates are responsible for is energy. Whenever we
consume carbs, they are converted to glucose, and then become the preferred
energy source for both the mind and muscles.
Our body will also convert amino acids into glucose through a process
known as gluconeogenesis meaning we could easily survive without
carbohydrates; however, we are not simply trying to survive. We are trying to
become strong, jacked, alpha males who can lift heavy weight on demand,
and eating plenty of carbs is crucial for making sure that happens.8 When we
eat carbs, some of the glucose is released into the blood, converted into
glycogen, and stored in the liver and muscles. When we train in the gym,
we’re draining those glycogen stores in our muscles. By eating carbs, we
replenish those muscle glycogen stores. By eating enough carbs daily, we’re
ensuring that our muscle glycogen stores are consistently full, thereby
improving our performance in the gym while also reducing the exerciseinduced muscle breakdown.9 This is how we gain strength and grow our
muscles.
Good Carbs vs Bad Carbs
You’ve heard it before: “complex carbs are healthy, simple carbs make you
fat.” This is complete garbage. Any carb source you consume is either
metabolized into glucose or, if left undigested, serves as dietary fiber.
Whether you’re snacking on Sour Patch Kids (candy), or a bowl of brown
rice, your body can’t tell the difference, nor does it care to. The process is
always the same: they’re broken down, converted to glucose, and then sent
off to the brain and muscles for use.
There is, however, one main difference between “complex” carbs and
“simple” carbs: the simple carbs (from candy, for example) are metabolized
quicker and, as a result, are converted to glucose faster than the complex
carbs (from brown rice, etc.) but that’s about the extent of their differences.
Now, this doesn’t mean that you should swap your vegetables out for
bags of candy, it just means that getting a small portion of your carbs from
these “simple” sources isn’t going to harm you. In fact, we have plenty of
research proving that sugar doesn’t make you fat, but eating more calories
than you’re expending does.10 That said, though, I still recommend that most
of your carbs come from “complex” sources. The reason is twofold: (1) fiber
matters and (2) micronutrients matter. Carbs from nutrient-dense sources
such as fruits, vegetables, and grains, contain more vitamins and minerals, are
higher in fiber, and are better at stabilizing your energy levels.
Simply put, get most of your carbs from healthy, nutrient dense foods,
but don’t be afraid to devour that bowl of Rice Crispy Treats cereal.
Nutrient Dense Carb Sources
Bread: All Types
Rice: Brown or White
Pasta: All Types
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Yams
Oats
Vegetables
Fruit
Beans
More on Fiber
In the Eating for Growth: The Majors chapter we went over what fiber is and
the role it plays. In this section, you’ll get a better idea for what foods you
should consume to ensure you’re getting enough dietary fiber to maximize its
health benefits.
There are Two Types of Fiber:
What does this mean to you? Well, probably nothing at all. The only
thing you should know is that fiber is good for you and you should eat
enough of it if you want to stay healthy and live longer.
Here’s a list of high fiber foods that you may want to include as a
regular part of your diet.
Fiber
Whole Wheat Bread
Whole Wheat Pasta
Brown Rice
Leafy Greens
Nuts
Seeds
Fruits
Beans
Peas
Whole Grain Cereal
Why You Shouldn’t Give a Crap About Fiber
Yes, fiber matters. The thing is, most carbohydrates contain some form of
dietary fiber—some more than others, but the fact remains—as a naturally
skinny guy (like you and I) who is consuming a high surplus of calories made
up of mostly carbohydrates, consuming sufficient fiber is probably not going
to be an issue. Although I do recommend that you keep track to ensure you’re
meeting your daily requirements, following the carbohydrate guidelines
outlined earlier in this chapter will essentially guarantee that you’re getting
enough fiber.
More on Micronutrients (Vitamins & Minerals)
Although it’s unlikely for us to be deficient in any micronutrients that come
from meats, dairy, or starchy carbs—due to the high number of calories we’re
consuming—not eating enough fruits and vegetables seems to be pretty
common amongst us skinny guys. Not because we don’t enjoy these foods—
although that may very well be the case—but because we get a better “bang
for our buck” from a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The issue we run into
with fruits and vegetables is that they are typically high in fiber, high in
water, and low in calories—making them extremely satiating while doing
very little toward reaching our macronutrient goals. This is great if you’re
looking to lose weight, but it can be a real struggle for those of us with a poor
appetite.
This is why it’s critical that you make a conscious effort to meet the fruit
and vegetable recommendations outlined in the Eating for Growth: The
Majors chapter.
I think it’s also important to add that, if you’re ever met with the choice
of either meeting your macronutrient goal for the day or getting the
recommended servings of fruit and/or vegetables, always opt for the former;
getting enough calories is always the main goal.
Vitamins
Vitamins: any of a group of organic compounds that are essential for normal
growth and nutrition and are required in small quantities in the diet because
they cannot be synthesized by the body.
Types of Vitamins
Fat Soluble: Those which disperse and are stored in fat. We are less likely to
be deficient in these vitamins.
Water Soluble: Not stored in the body and must be replaced each day.
We are more likely to be deficient in these vitamins.
Fat Soluble
Water Soluble
A, D, E, & K
B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, B12, &
C
Milk
Cheese
Salmon
Nuts
Leafy Green
Vegetables
Grains
Kale
Spinach
Whole Grains
Pasta
Rice
Meat
Fish
Dairy
Eggs
Nuts
Peanut Butter
Carrots
Almonds
Fruit
Dark Green Vegetables
Legumes
Bell Peppers
Tomatoes
Apples
Fruit
If you look at the vitamin-rich food sources in the preceding table, it’s
not hard to see why, as someone who’s eating a good deal of nutrient dense
calories, getting sufficient vitamins isn’t going to take much planning—we’re
already eating most of these foods regularly.
Minerals
Mineral: a solid inorganic substance of natural occurrence.
Types of Minerals
Macrominerals: Present at larger levels in the body or required in larger
amounts in the diet.
Microminerals: Referred to as trace minerals, meaning they are present
at low levels in the body or required in smaller amounts in our diet.
Macrominerals
Microminerals
Calcium, Phosphorus,
Potassium, Sulfur, Sodium,
Chlorine, and Magnesium
Iron, Cobalt, Copper, Zinc,
Molybdenum, Iodine, and
Selenium
Meat
Nuts
Leafy Green Vegetables
Milk
Whole Grains
Beans
Meat
Whole Grains
Broccoli
Fish
Dark Leafy Greens
Nuts
Seeds
Oats
Fruit
Seeds
Fruit
Potatoes
Are you noticing a common thread here? A diet rich in vitamins and
minerals is simply a byproduct of (1) eating a good number of calories and
(2) ensuring that 80-90% of those calories are coming from whole, minimally
processed foods.
Micronutrient Guidelines
If you’re eating enough calories and following the 80/20 (or 90/10) rule, you
should have no problem getting sufficient vitamins and minerals from your
diet. That said, don’t fret over whether you’re meeting a specific calcium or
B12 intake, just make sure you’re meeting your calorie requirements and
getting the recommended daily fruit and vegetable intake.
The Wrap Up
Food quality matters, but more important is food quantity. Before you
assume, however, that you can get 80% of your calories from pizza and
donuts and still achieve peak health and performance, let’s contextualize a
bit: If you follow the diet guidelines outlined in this book, you’ve got a few
goals with your nutrition. First, you’ve got to be eating enough calories to
support growth. Second, those calories should come from a proper
distribution of protein, fats, and carbs. On top of that, you’ve got to consume
a specific amount of fiber and ensure you’re getting sufficient vitamins and
minerals. That said, with quantity must come quality, and thus, even with a
flexible diet, these requirements cannot be achieved through cookies and
cupcakes. In short, as long as you are getting 80-90% of your food from
whole, minimally processed sources, you’ll have nothing to worry about.
CHAPTER 9
HOW TO EAT FOR GROWTH
Knowing how much you should be eating is only half the battle—the other
half is actually reaching that desired intake. In this chapter, I am going to
share three practical strategies that you can use to reach your calorie goals for
the day. Like most things related to fitness or nutrition, there is no one-sizefits-all method for tracking calorie intake. In fact, if followed correctly, any
of them will get the job done. That said, I highly encourage that you read
through each tracking system and make an educated decision as to which one
will work better for your personality type and lifestyle. Ultimately, the best
diet tracking approach is the one you can stick to long term.
Counting Calories: The Ballpark Method
When I initially transformed my body from a skinny 107-pound insecure
weakling to a jacked and strong fitness authority, this was the approach I
followed. In fact, this is the method I’d recommend for any skinny guy who’s
first starting out. Not because it’s inherently better—it’s not—but because
it’s going to require the least amount of obsession over nutrition, thus making
it much easier to adhere to.
Although not as accurate as the following two approaches, it requires the
least amount of work and preparation and, ultimately, it will get the job done
just as well. With this tracking strategy, there will be no weighing food or
plugging meals into an app; you’ll be eating intuitively while being mindful
of your daily calories instead. It’s going to be much easier to track calories in
your head (or a small sticky pad) when you’re not worried about an exact
number of protein, fats, and carbs.
Note: this strategy is going to work best for the inexperienced novice
lifter who’s been training consistently for less than six months. If you’re a bit
more experienced, and your rate of muscle gain has slowed, a more
calculated approach may be warranted.
How to Count Calories
Say your goal for the day is 2500 calories. Every time you sit down to eat a
meal, you’ll go over the total calories on the nutrition label and add those
together (assuming you’re having more than one food source). For example,
if you’re having two whole eggs, two slices of toast, and one packet of
oatmeal, then look at the total calories for each item and add them up. Keep
serving sizes in mind when you’re adding. Let’s say your breakfast meal
came out to be roughly 600 calories; this means you’ve got 1900 calories left
for the day. Each time you sit down to have a meal, repeat the process of
adding up the nutrition labels, and continue subtracting from the remaining
calories until you’ve reached 0.
If you’re faced with consuming foods that don’t have a nutrition label,
or where the serving sizes require some measuring, guesstimate! That’s why
we call this the Ballpark Method.
The Caveat
This tracking strategy, without certain stipulations or limitations, can become
a huge disaster. That said, it’s imperative that, if following the Ballpark
Method, you stay within the guidelines listed below.
Tracking Macros: The Flexible Diet
This is the food tracking approach I personally use; however, I am fully
aware that it’s not for everyone. Weighing and measuring every single thing
before you put it into your mouth can get a bit tedious. On top of that,
constantly having to decide what you’ll eat next can be a real pain.
Furthermore, because you have no structured meal schedule, it’s easy to
under-eat throughout the day and get stuck with having to scarf down 300g of
carbs right before bed—a challenging and unenjoyable task to say the least.
I know, I probably made this strategy sound extremely uninviting.
The truth is, the pros for this calculated yet flexible approach, in my
humble opinion, far outweigh the cons. For example, if you’re tracking every
single macronutrient every day down to the gram you’ll always be one small
adjustment away from busting through a weight gain plateau. Another
worthwhile benefit of this tracking technique is flexibility. No, that doesn’t
mean that tracking your macros will make it easier for you to perform splits,
but the list of foods you can include in your diet are practically endless. If
you’re in the mood for pizza, just fit it in there and adjust the rest of your day
accordingly. Need to satisfy a sweet tooth? Calculate that chocolate bar into
your macronutrient allotment for the day and enjoy! Also, due to the loose
nature of this approach, you won’t have to skip birthday parties, avoid
restaurants, or show up to your buddy’s house with Tupperware in hand. In
short, you can build a solid physique—one that takes a great deal of
dedication and discipline—without having to alienate yourself from your
friends and family.
Before we can get started with tracking macros, we’ve got to do three
things:
Now let’s get into the meat and potatoes—no pun intended.
How to Track Macros
Protein, fats, and carbs all contain a certain number of calories:
Protein: 1g = 4 calories
Fats: 1g = 9 calories
Carbs: 1g = 4 calories
Let’s use this nutrition label as reference.
Step 1: Find the Serving Size
The information listed on this nutrition label is for one serving size. If you
notice, though, the Servings Per Container shows two.
The Macros for this particular item are as follows:
Fat – 4g
Carbs – 30g
Protein – 8g
This label, however, is for a large cookie—one you would typically eat
in its entirety. Most would assume that the entire cookie is made up of (1) the
macronutrient breakdown listed and (2) a total of 190 calories. However,
because this item contains two servings, it’s actually double the amount listed
if you consumed the entire cookie.
The macros for the entire cookie would actually be as follows:
Fat – 8g
Carbs – 60g
Protein – 16g
Keep this in mind before deciding if a certain food item is worth fitting
into your intake for the day.
Step 2: Decide
Whether you need a ton of carbs or are low on fats, choosing the serving
amount you’ll have is critical. For example, if you haven’t had any calories,
eating the entire cookie won’t be a big deal since you can easily make choices
throughout the day that will keep you within your macronutrient goals. But,
on the other hand, if it’s the end of the day and you’ve only got 25 grams of
carbs left, eating half of the cookie will be your only option (unless you don’t
mind going over, but you get the idea).
Step 3: Weigh It
Now that you know exactly how many servings you want, it’s time to weigh
it out. For example, if you wanted one serving, then you would weigh out 2
ounces, or 56 grams. If you wanted half a serving, then you’d weigh out just
half (1oz, or 28 grams). Obviously, we wouldn’t need to weigh a cookie if it
came with a nutrition label on the package. If you wanted one serving, you’d
simply break the cookie in half and have at it. If you wanted two servings,
you’d just eat the whole cookie. For other foods, such as rice, meats, veggies,
and assorted fruit, it’s not as cut and dry. In this case, you’d be far better off
weighing it out.
Tracking Meat
The label on meat is representative of it being uncooked, so you need to
weigh it out raw. If you forget to measure it raw, then use the cooked weight
instead. Not a big deal. Just make sure that if you weighed your chicken
cooked, you plug it into whatever nutrition tracker you use as so (My Fitness
Pal will have options for both cooked and raw).
Foods without Labels
Occasionally you’ll want consume foods that aren’t packaged with nutrition
labels (mostly fruits and vegetables).
In this case, I’d recommend 1 of 2 options:
There may be a slight variance between the two—that’s fine. Just
choose one and stick to it. Consistency, in this case, is more important than
accuracy.
Step 4: Plug It In
Once the food is measured, simply open My Fitness Pal (or whatever app you
choose to use) and plug in the item—make sure you have selected the correct
serving size, too. Once you add the item into your nutrition tracker, it will
automatically add that to your total daily numbers.
This will allow you to do a few things. First, you’ll know exactly how
many carbs, fats, and proteins you’ve got left, making it easier to choose food
items accordingly. Also, if you’d rather not do the math, you could plug in
the meal before consuming it to double check and make sure it fits. Second,
you can plan ahead. For example, if you know you’re going out to dinner at
Chili’s tonight, then as opposed to opting for a salad with no dressing in order
to stay within your macronutrient goals, you can plug in the meal you’d like
to eat beforehand so that it’s already accounted for by the time you sit down
to eat.
Step 5: Repeat Steps 1-4 Until You’ve Reached the Desired Macronutrient Intake
Tracking Vitamins, Minerals, and Fiber
When you’re tracking macros, you’re going to notice that vitamins, minerals,
and fiber are also being tracked. Pay them no mind. If you’re following the
diet guidelines mentioned in the previous chapters, there’s no way you’ll fall
short on fiber or risk developing any deficiencies in vitamins or minerals. If,
for whatever reason, you like to live on the edge and are getting a high
number of your carbs from sources high in refined sugars, then consider
paying closer attention to your fiber intake. Otherwise, continue to eat most
of your calories from whole, minimally processed foods, and you’ll have
nothing to worry about.
Meal Plans: The Rigid Approach
In recent years, meal plans seem to have gotten a bad rap. Some say they
don’t work and others claim they’re dangerous. The truth is, however, that
meal plans aren’t inherently useless or problematic, they’ve just been widely
bastardized by competitive bodybuilding and figure coaches. In reality, there
are two main reasons meal plans fail: (1) most of them don’t consider an
individual’s macronutrient needs and (2) they’re extremely restrictive. Not
only are proteins, fats, and carbs not accounted for, but the plans offer
absolutely no variety; they’re practically asking for nutrient deficiencies.
It doesn’t have to be that way, though. In fact, a well-structured meal
plan that accounts for an individual’s macronutrient needs and includes a
large variety of protein, fat, and carb sources can prove extremely effective
for muscle growth. For one, it eliminates all the guess work. Never agonize
again about what foods you should eat next… it’s taken care of. The structure
of the meal plan also helps with consistency, believe it or not. Not only are
you preserving willpower due to less decision making, but you’re growing
accustomed to eating a certain amount of food at very specific times of the
day. Finally, my favorite benefit of following meal plans: no counting
calories!
If the phrases “tracking macros” or “counting calories” make you want
to walk blindfolded into oncoming traffic because it seems hopeless, you
need to follow a meal plan. Likewise, if you’re the type of person who can do
the work but just needs to be told what work to do, a structured meal plan
may be your best bet.
How to Create an Effective Meal Plan
If the thought of creating your own meal plan gives you anxiety, fear not
because I’ve taken care of it for you. Head over to
www.musclemonsters.com/bulkup and download the done-for-you meal plans
that I created using the same nutrition formulas I’ve outlined in this book.
If you’re interested in creating an even more customized meal plan using
your own personal food choices, then follow the subsequent steps.
Step 1: Find Your Meal Frequency
The very first step is to determine your macronutrient intake. From there you
must determine how many meals you can include daily without placing any
added strain on your life. If you want to eat six meals per day, but your
schedule only allows for four, then eat four. If you’re extremely busy and can
only realistically squeeze three meals into your schedule, then go for it.
Ultimately, you want to schedule your meals around your life, not the other
way around. After all, the best diet is the one you can adhere to.
Step 2: Balance Your Meals Out
The next step is to break down your macronutrient goals into individual
meals. The simplest way to do this is to divide your protein, fats, and carbs
by the number of meals you’ve allotted yourself.
For example, if you’re macronutrient goals are 150g of protein, 80g of
fat, and 300g of carbs, and you’ve allotted five meals per day, then you’d
divide each macronutrient by 5. In this case, each of your meals would be
made up of roughly 30g of protein, 16g of fat, and 60g of carbs.
150g of protein / 5 meals = 30g protein
80g of fat / 5 meals = 16g fat
300g of carbs / 5 meals = 60g carbs
Simple enough, right?
Step 3: Food Selection
This is, by far, the most tedious part of creating a meal plan. Luckily for you,
though, you’ve only got to do it once—or twice, or three times depending on
how many different plans you’re creating. I’d also like to note that this isn’t
the only way to choose your foods, it’s simply the most practical and
accurate, in my opinion.
First, decide what you want to have as your first meal—but be mindful
of quality.
For example, if you’d like to have eggs, toast, and a banana for
breakfast, plug those foods into My Fitness Pal (or whatever food tracking
software you choose). Once you’ve done that, the app will tell you the exact
macronutrient breakdown for that meal. These numbers will likely not match
the protein, fats, and carbs you’ve allotted yourself per meal; however, you
can now make simple adjustments to the serving sizes (using very basic math
skills) until you’ve gotten close to your goal.
Let’s say that you calculated the macronutrients for two whole eggs, but
the protein content is still too low; just add some egg whites. If the banana is
putting you well over the allotted carbs, then try splitting it in half, or
removing one slice of toast instead. Ultimately, it’s never going to be exact,
but as long as you’re within 5-10 grams (+ or -) on each macro, you’ll be
good to go. What’s important is not that it’s 100% accurate, but that you’re
on a plan that keeps a standard. As long as you’re consistent and adjusting
intake accordingly, you’ll have no problem putting on size.
Once you’ve done this for every meal, voila, you’ve got a well-balanced
meal plan to follow. Creating a few different templates, although a bit more
time consuming, is recommended. Not only will this help avoid the
monotony of eating the same meals each day, but it’ll provide the flexibility
to add a larger variety of foods to your diet.
Lastly, keep in mind the recommended amount of fruits and veggies.
Make a conscious effort to include a sufficient number of these bad boys into
your meal plan(s).
The Wrap Up
As I’ve said before, the best diet approach is the one you can stick to. Don’t
overthink this decision or aim for what you think may be the most optimal
plan—choose the one that fits your lifestyle best and get on with it. If you
enjoy the structure of a meal plan but occasionally want to do your own
thing, do this: create a meal plan and track macros on the days where you’d
rather be more flexible. If you’d rather track calories, but be a bit more
accurate, then feel free to follow some of the flexible diet tracking principles
along with your Ballpark Method. The options are endless; however, if
you’re experiencing analysis paralysis—over-analyzing the situation and not
acting—here’s what I’d recommend: start with the Ballpark Method since it’s
the least overwhelming, get into the habit of eating big, training regularly,
and then, once you’ve gotten into the swing of things, make the transition
into flexible dieting—that’s what I did.
CHAPTER 10
MEAL PLANS
In the previous chapter, we discussed the rigid approach: meal planning. We
went over how to create your own plan in order to personalize it a bit more,
and I mentioned the free meal plans I’ve created for you on the resources
website for this book. In this chapter, I am going to share some sample meal
plans you can use, and show you how you can adjust them according to your
needs.
A few things to keep in mind:
These meal plans aren’t based on your exact starting point,
but they’re close enough—it’s not about accuracy, it’s about
consistency.
If you don’t like apples, don’t eat them. Simply find an
alternative with a similar nutrition profile—preferably another
fruit. The same goes for protein, fat, and carb sources you
want to substitute.
These meal plans should be used as a starting point. Follow
them while utilizing the daily weight tracking technique I
shared in the Eating for Growth: The Majors chapter.
If you prefer a more flexible diet, don’t follow a meal plan,
period.
Got it? Good!
Choosing Your Meal Plan
If you’ve decided to go with the meal plan samples I’ve provided in this
chapter—or the free ones I’ve included on the resources website for this book
—choosing the appropriate meal plan is pretty cut and dry.
Weigh yourself in the morning on an empty stomach (preferably after
taking a leak). Then use the number on the scale to determine what meal plan
to start with. For example, if you weighed-in at 137lbs, you’d start with the
130-140 pound meal plan(s).
In most cases, this’ll be enough to move the needle on the scale;
however, in more rare cases (specifically for guys who are a bit more active),
the selected meal plan may only provide enough calories to sustain your
current weight. If that’s the case and you’re finding that you’re simply
maintaining your weight, jump to the next meal plan up and start there.
Adjusting Your Meal Plan
At some point, regardless of what tracking approach you follow, you’ll have
to adjust your intake. Whether you’re no longer gaining weight at your
desired rate or you completely stall, getting back on track means you’ll have
to increase your calories—ideally in the form of carbs.
Use the guidelines I laid out for you in the Eating for Growth: The
Majors chapter under the Creating a Positive Energy Balance section to
determine the appropriate increase.
Adjusting in Calories
Let’s say you’ve decided that you need to add 250cal to reach your goal; for
every 100cal you add, that’s one existing meal that must be adjusted. For
example, 250 / 100 = 2.5—in this case, you’d distribute your newly added
calories between 2-3 meals.
Here’s what it looks like:
250cal / 3 meals = 83cal
For this example, you’d aim to add 83 calories to each of your three
existing meals. This may translate into one more slice of toast at breakfast,
adding an apple to your post workout meal, and increasing your rice serving
at dinner by ¾ cup.
Although the meal plan approach is more about consistency than
accuracy, if you do want to stick closer to your desired macronutrient
breakdown, then perhaps the following adjustment strategy may better suit
your needs.
Adjusting in Grams
You’re increasing your intake by 250cal; that equates to about 62 grams,
ideally in the form of carbs. Since it’s under 100 grams, I’d recommend
distributing your 62g of carbs between 2-3 meals—if it’s over 100 grams,
then disburse those additional calories between 3-4 meals or more.
For example:
62 grams / 2 meals = 31 grams of carbs
In this case, you’d simply add roughly 31 grams of carbs to two of your
meals for the day. Going back to the breakfast example, perhaps you’d add ½
- 1 cup of oats to that meal. Maybe you’re like me and bread is your oxygen.
In that case, feel free to add another slice or two of toast instead. You get the
idea. For dinner this might translate into an additional ½ cup of rice or more
potatoes. To simplify, look to the carb sources you’re already having and
increase the serving size accordingly.
Again, when you’re following the meal plan approach, the goal is
consistency rather than accuracy. As long as you’re eating slightly more, and
the meals and serving sizes are constant, you’ll have no problem tracking,
adjusting, and growing.
The Aggressive Approach
If you’re anything like me, the last two adjustment methods gave you a
headache. If that’s the case, take the aggressive approach instead. Although I
am not one to follow a strict meal plan, if I did, this is the adjustment strategy
I’d use.
This approach is essentially effortless. There will be no food decisions
or calorie calculations, just more eating.
With the aggressive approach, once your weekly weight has stalled, it’s
simply, as Swizz Beats so eloquently put it, “on to the next one.”
Say, for example, you’re 120lbs and you’ve been gaining some weight
using the 115-125 pound meal plan. At some point that’ll no longer be
enough to move the scale. When this happens, just move up to the next meal
plan—in this case, you’d jump up to the 130-140 pound meal plan. This big
adjustment will ensure that you’re back in a hefty caloric surplus and gaining
weight again. The bad news is you may have a couple of weeks where you’re
gaining slightly more weight than you wanted to. The good news is your rate
of weight gain will eventually level out and you’ll be able to continue putting
on size for a prolonged period before having to make any further changes.
Simple enough, right?
The following are some meal plan samples. Despite their simplicity,
total calorie intake, proper macronutrient distribution, fiber needs, and
vitamins and minerals have all been accounted for. I’ve also aimed to include
only basic foods that many people can easily buy and consume and regularly.
For
more
done-for-you
meal
plans,
head
over
to
www.musclemonsters.com/bulkup.
100-110lbs
Meal
Food
Breakfast
2 whole eggs
2 oz. turkey breast
2 slices bread
1 banana
Lunch
100g potatoes
2.5 oz. chicken breast
1 cup steamed vegetables
1 apple
Pre-Workout
½ scoop protein
2 tbsp. peanut butter
½ cup oats
Post-Workout
100g potatoes
3 oz. chicken breast
1 cup steamed vegetables
Dinner
½ cup rice
½ cup beans
3 oz. ground beef (90% lean)
1 cup broccoli
115-125lbs
Meal
Food
Breakfast
2 whole eggs
2 oz. turkey breast
2 slices bread
1 banana
Lunch
100g potatoes
2.5 oz. chicken breast
1 cup steamed vegetables
1 apple
Pre-Workout
1 scoop protein
2 tbsp. peanut butter
½ cup oats
Post-Workout
100g potatoes
3 oz. chicken breast
1 cup steamed vegetables
Dinner
¾ cup rice
½ cup beans
3 oz. ground beef (90% lean)
1 cup broccoli
130-140lbs
Meal
Food
Breakfast
3 whole eggs
100g egg whites
2 oz. turkey breast
2 slices bread
1 banana
1 cup spinach
Lunch
100g potatoes
3 oz. chicken breast
1 cup steamed vegetables
1 apple
Pre-Workout
1 scoop protein
2 tbsp. peanut butter
½ cup oats
Post-Workout
100g potatoes
3 oz. chicken breast
1 cup steamed vegetables
30g almonds
Dinner
1 cup rice
½ cup beans
3 oz. ground beef (90% lean)
1 cup broccoli
145-155lbs
Meal
Food
Breakfast
3 whole eggs
100g egg whites
2 oz. turkey breast
2 slices bread
1 banana
1 cup spinach
Lunch
100g potatoes
3 oz. chicken breast
1 cup steamed vegetables
1 apple
Pre-Workout
1 scoop protein
2 tbsp. peanut butter
½ cup oats
1 cup blueberries
100g potatoes
3 oz. chicken breast
Post-Workout
Dinner
1 cup steamed vegetables
30g almonds
1 cup rice
½ cup beans
3 oz. ground beef (90% lean)
1 cup broccoli
75g avocado
160-170lbs
Meal
Food
Breakfast
3 whole eggs
100g egg whites
2 oz. turkey breast
2 slices bread
1 banana
1 cup spinach
Lunch
100g potatoes
3 oz. chicken breast
1 cup steamed vegetables
1 apple
Pre-Workout
1 scoop protein
2 tbsp. peanut butter
¾ cup oats
1 cup blueberries
Post-Workout
100g potatoes
4 oz. chicken breast
1 cup steamed vegetables
30g almonds
1 cup rice
½ cup beans
Dinner
3 oz. ground beef (90% lean)
1 cup broccoli
75g avocado
175-185lbs
Meal
Food
Breakfast
3 whole eggs
100g egg whites
2 oz. turkey breast
2 slices bread
1 banana
1 cup spinach
Lunch
100g potatoes
4 oz. chicken breast
1 cup steamed vegetables
1 apple
Pre-Workout
1 scoop protein
2 tbsp. peanut butter
1 cup oats
0.2 cups raisins
Post-Workout
100g potatoes
4 oz. chicken breast
1 cup steamed vegetables
30g almonds
Dinner
1 cup rice
½ cup beans
3 oz. ground beef (90% lean)
1 cup broccoli
75g avocado
At first, eating every meal every day without skipping a beat may be a
bit difficult, but it gets easier over time. Eventually, you won’t feel
overstuffed—and certainly not starved. However, if you begin to feel
deprived or stressed about the monotony of the diet, feel free to change things
up. Transition into tracking macros, count calories for a bit, add some more
meal plans to the mix, or just substitute the foods you’re getting tired of with
some more enjoyable ones. Ultimately, the best diet approach is the one you
can stick to—there is no “best,” only best for you.
Having meal plans laid out for you alone, however, isn’t going to cut it.
You actually have to be able to fit that amount of food in your mouth without
it feeling like a Chinese torture method. That’s what I want to discuss next:
how to seamlessly add more calories into your day or increase your appetite
in general.
CHAPTER 11
DIET HACKS
It’s easy for me to give you a simple formula to help determine how much
you’ll need to eat. Knowing exactly how much you need to eat alone isn’t
going to put size on you, however. You’ll actually have to eat enough
consistently before you can expect to move the scale.
We’ve always been skinny for a reason: Our energy needs exceed our
appetite, plain and simple. If you’ve ever attempted to gain weight, then I
think we can both agree that it’s no easy task.
While most people could only dream of having this “problem,” for us,
it’s a nightmare that we can’t seem to wake up from.
Believe me, I know. Before I was finally able to transform my body, my
appetite was the biggest obstacle. Here’s what a day of eating looked like for
me: no breakfast, a bag of Doritos for lunch, the occasional after-school
snack, which usually consisted of a sandwich and a glass of chocolate milk
(my biggest meal of the day), and for dinner, regardless of what we were
having, I’d just pick at the plate and stare at my food.
When I finally did start weight training, the biggest challenge, hands
down, was nutrition; going to the gym and lifting weights was easy; eating
enough, however, felt like torture. I knew how much I needed to eat and
exactly how to track what I was eating—the problem was that I didn’t know
how to fit it all in.
Does this sound like the issue you’re having?
Well, you’re in luck.
In this chapter I want to share some skinny guy “diet hacks”—which
you can use right now—to help increase your appetite so that you can finally
eat big without having to force feed yourself. Now, I’m not saying that you’ll
have to implement all of these strategies, but whether you use one of these
techniques or all of them, eating enough on a consistent basis will no longer
seem like a chore.
Are you ready to increase your appetite and finally be able to eat like a
man?
1. Start Small & Work Your Way Up
In the beginning, eating everything in sight—otherwise known as The See
Food Diet—seems like the only logical way to reach your calorie needs.
The See Food Diet: You see food, you eat it.
I’m sure you’ve had a friend (or two) tell you to eat everything in sight
if you want to gain weight. Heck, that’s the first piece of advice I got when I
started lifting.
Here is the problem with this forceful approach:
On day 1 you eat everything in sight. You’re eating peanut butter
straight from the jar and you’re putting away pasta and chicken like you’re in
an eating contest. Congrats! You’ve consumed more energy than you
expended and, hopefully, stayed within your macros for the day. What
happens on day 2 though? Yep, you guessed it! Your appetite is completely
gone and you can hardly stomach a cup of applesauce. Now you’ve eaten far
too little to meet your caloric needs. In fact, you couldn’t even muster up the
appetite to hit your maintenance calories. On day 1 you struggled, but
managed to hit your calorie goal. On day 2, however, you’re still feeling the
effects of day one and fall short on your calories. By the end of the week
you’ve managed to maintain your current weight.
Here’s what I recommend instead:
If your goal is to gain one pound per week, this means you’re going to
have to eat 500cal above your maintenance—a hefty increase, to say the least.
Instead, try starting off by eating just 100-200cal above maintenance. Adding
an extra 100 calories to your day is as easy as throwing in an extra handful of
almonds. Now you’re in a slight surplus and eating enough to gain weight
without having to drown yourself in food.
After a few days of eating in this modest calorie surplus, bump your
calories up again slightly. Do this until you’ve reached the desired intake, and
it’s smooth sailing from there.
2. Widen Your “Feeding Window”
One of the simplest and most effective methods for weight loss is intermittent
fasting: restricting calories by increasing the amount of time spent in a fasted
state and decreasing the time spent in a fed state. This means the opposite
would be true if the goal was to consume more calories in order to gain
weight.
Waking up a couple of hours earlier—or staying up a bit later—will
allow you to consume more calories effortlessly by simply increasing your
“feeding window;” it’s much easier to eat 3000cal in 14 hours than it is to eat
the same amount in 10.
Now, perhaps you are up early or already stay up relatively late. Maybe
you’re just not hungry in the morning and too busy to eat throughout the day
—that brings me to my next tip.
3. Never Skip Breakfast
Perhaps you’re like 10% of Americans and skip breakfast because you’re
either not hungry, or you’re too busy.1 Whatever the case may be, I’ve got a
solution for you. Have a protein shake or small snack when you wake up. Not
only does this save time, it also adds anywhere from 250-500+ calories to
your day. This could be the difference between remaining at maintenance and
reaching that desired calorie surplus.
Adding that breakfast shake or snack may seem challenging at first—
mainly because you’re not used to consuming calories upon waking—but, as
I mentioned earlier, your metabolism is extremely adaptive. Although it may
feel laborious for the first few days, eventually you’ll adapt and notice
yourself already hungry as you get out of bed.
4. Forget “Eating Clean”
The whole idea of “eating clean” is extremely restrictive and can lead us to
believe that some foods are inherently “good” while others are inherently
“bad.” As we discussed in a previous chapter, however, this simply isn’t the
case. This is not to say that we should opt for the mint chocolate chip ice
cream over apples and bananas, but being too restrictive in your diet is
making it unnecessarily difficult to eat enough.
White sugar and flour are devoid of fiber and nutrients, meaning that
they do very little in terms of satiety. That’s why it’s so easy to eat a 500calorie pastry, but almost impossible to eat 500 calories of broccoli, in one
sitting.
If you’re already getting most your calories (80-90%) from whole,
minimally-processed foods, don’t be afraid to indulge in your favorite not-sonutrient-dense snacks—especially if you’re a naturally skinny guy who can’t
seem to gain weight.
5. Limit Protein Intake
Protein has been shown to dramatically decrease appetite.2 This is due to how
slowly proteins are digested.3 Because we are now fully aware that we don’t
need to consume more than 1g of protein per pound of bodyweight, we
shouldn’t try to.4
Do you recall the last time you went out to dinner and ordered the
leanest steak on the menu? Chances are you skipped dessert. If I had to guess,
you probably ended up feeling stuffed for the rest of the day, too.
This isn’t to say that you should avoid protein; it’s been well established
as the most important macronutrient when it comes to building lean muscle
tissue. However, aiming to stay within the required amount (0.8-1 gram per
pound), while increasing your carbohydrate intake instead, could make it
much easier to fit in more calories each day.
6. Drink Your Calories
Liquid calories have been shown to elicit a weak appetitive response when
compared to solid foods.5 Although drinking calories can be the worst thing
to do if your goal is weight loss, it could be an effective method for those
looking to gain weight and build muscle.
Can you remember the last time you drank 500 calories worth of orange
juice? You were probably hungry 30 minutes later. Compare that to the last
time you had 500 calories worth of solid foods—I’d imagine you were
satisfied for at least a few hours.
Here’s what I recommend:
Avoid sugary drinks like soda, and stick to milk (whole, rice,
almond, etc.) and fruit juice.
Don’t consume more than 10-15% of your daily intake from
liquid calories.
Add 1-2 homemade meal replacement shakes to your meal
plan (more on these in the next chapter).
7. Increase Energy Load
Eating an additional 250-500cal per day is typically enough to go from
maintenance calories to a healthy surplus. Consuming that many more
calories may be possible by simply increasing the energy load without
necessarily increasing meal frequency. For example: rather than using fat free
milk for your cereal, add whole milk; instead of water in your oatmeal, use
almond milk; substitute that handful of grapes for a handful of almonds;
drink orange juice instead of water. These may seem like small, insignificant
changes, but enough of them in the day should be more than ample to move
the needle on the scale in the direction you want.
8. Eat First, Drink Last
Drinking water with your meals has been shown to increase satiety,6 making
you feel fuller, faster.
Although this may be a great strategy for someone whose goal is to lose
weight, it doesn’t help much when the goal is to gain weight. Try to avoid
drinking too much water right before or during your meals. The sheer volume
of the fluid will make it more difficult to eat more food. Instead, have most of
your fluids throughout the day in between meals.
9. Increase Meal Frequency
Consuming 3000 calories in three sittings (1000cal per meal) is going to be
much more challenging than getting the same number of calories in six meals
(500cal per meal). This is why I recommend that you get into the habit of
eating smaller, more frequent meals, particularly if you’re finding it hard to
eat enough calories every day.
If I consume five slices of greasy pizza, I find that I typically won’t be
hungry for another six hours (or more). On the other hand, if I have some
sweet potatoes and chicken, I’m ready for another meal almost immediately
(2-3 hours) after.
Another way to increase calorie intake is to munch on something in
between meals. Some guys might even find it helpful to include a prebreakfast and/or pre-bedtime snack.
10. Learn to Cook
At this point you’ve probably realized that if you want to gain weight, you’re
going to have to eat more food than you can stomach at the moment. This is
especially true if the food you’re eating six times a day resembles the sludge
the lunch lady slapped onto your tray in your middle school cafeteria.
This is why you should learn to cook; consuming enough calories to
grow becomes a breeze when you actually enjoy what you’re eating. Not to
mention, knowing your way around the kitchen will allow you to prep your
meals in advance. Having food readily available makes it that much less
likely that you’ll end up short on calories for the day.
11. Schedule Your Meals
If you’re eating only when you’re hungry, or when you’ve “got the time,”
you might end up getting home after a long day’s work and realize you’ve
had nothing to eat but coffee and a muffin. With only a few hours left in the
day, you’ve still got 2500cal to eat if you want to meet your calorie needs.
This is the problem with being reactive as opposed to being proactive.
Instead of waiting until you’re hungry, or “eating when you can,”
schedule your meals. Knowing not just what you’ll eat but when you’ll eat it
will make it far less likely that you’ll have to force-feed yourself 2000
calories a few hours before bed.
The release of hormones that stimulate your appetite along with the
hunger pangs you feel tend to occur in a rhythm—like our circadian rhythm
—and can be adjusted by changing your eating patterns. For example, if
you’ve got no appetite at lunchtime, but you train yourself to eat lunch
anyway, it won’t be long before you start experiencing hunger around that
time of the day.
Simple enough, right?
Now it’s time to take action!
Implement these solutions that I’ve listed to make eating big more
enjoyable. There is a reason that force-feeding is used as a torture method,
because it’s exactly that: torture.
At this point you know exactly how much you should be eating (a lot),
what foods your calories should be coming from, how to track your nutrition
to ensure you’re eating the necessary amount and, finally, how to fit it all into
your stomach.
Next, I’ll make your life a whole lot easier—you can thank me later. In
the following chapter I am going to share some easy-to-make, high calorie
shake and smoothie recipes that will make it a breeze to reach your calorie
goals for the day.
Don’t have an appetite? No problem.
Short on time? These will do the trick!
CHAPTER 12
WEIGHT GAIN SHAKES
When it came to executing on my diet for eating enough to gain mass, these
homemade weight gain shake recipes were my secret weapon. You see, it
wasn’t enough to know how much I had to eat, and although I had a pretty
firm grasp on what foods I should be consuming, I still struggled.
At first, I battled with my appetite but eventually won. My next
archenemy, however, was a bit craftier. This nemesis—time—didn’t care
whether I was hungry or not. That I was not getting enough calories to fuel
muscle gains was the least of its concerns.
What do you do when you’re short on time but must get something
done? Simple. You either (1) throw your hands in the air and cry about how
unfair life is or (2) you find a more efficient way of completing your task. In
my case, skipping breakfast—or any other meal for that matter—was out of
the question. The solution certainly wasn’t to grab a coffee and a donut on
my way to the office—that wouldn’t have sufficed. Not because it wouldn’t
have satisfied my appetite, but rather, because I had a lot of food to eat with a
very limited amount of time to do so.
Enter the Homemade Weight Gain Shake!
If you’re like I was and are pressed for time—you know, because you’ve
got a full-time job, school, and/or kids like many people—then this chapter of
the book will be the icing on the cake for you. Not only because the shake
and smoothie recipes are delicious, but because they’re, hands down, the
quickest and easiest way to fit in a boatload of calories (600+). Add 1-2 of
these weight gain shakes to your day to get 25-50% (or more) of your daily
calories in under 10 minutes.
Although I am not a huge advocate of supplements and/or getting more
than 10-15% of your daily calories from liquid nutrition, these weight gain
shakes are technically neither. You already know my stance on Whey Protein
(it’s not a supplement, it’s food). Despite the consistency of the shake or
smoothie, these calories are not considered liquid because we’re using whole,
minimally processed foods. The only source of liquid calories in these is
milk. In much the same way that baby food is pureed whole food, blending
these nutrient-dense foods together and making an easy-to-consume shake
isn’t much different. Not only does the nutritional content remain the same,
but the liquefied peanut butter and oats become much easier to digest and
absorb.
Perhaps time isn’t your issue though. Maybe you, like most naturally
skinny guys, are struggling with appetite. Fair enough.
A study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association
compared the appetitive response from solid foods (apple), semisolid foods
(apple sauce), and liquid calories (apple juice).1 Researchers found that liquid
calories elicit the weakest appetitive response. That said, however, these
weight gain shakes wouldn’t be considered liquid; instead, they’d be
considered semisolid. Here’s the good news: semisolid food produced a
weaker appetitive response than solid food.
Think about which of these would be more practical:
If you chose the former, you’re more likely to (1) spend a good deal of
time at the table and (2) feel full for a longer period of time. If, on the other
hand, you chose the latter, you’d (1) spend less time consuming those
calories—heck, you could even take them to-go—and (2) you’ll probably be
hungry again soon.
If that wasn’t enough to make you grab your blender, think about this: if
you’re following a flexible diet, you’ll have the freedom to add (or adjust)
any ingredient to fit your macronutrient goals for the day. If you’re like me
and chose the Ballpark Method, adjusting the number of calories you get
from each shake is as simple as adding an extra banana or removing a
tablespoon of peanut butter. Need 800cal to complete your day? Add a ½ cup
of oats and another scoop of whey protein. Only have 300cal left and don’t
want to go over? Remove the banana and/or the peanut butter to reduce the
total calories. Each shake recipe is fully customizable to your individual goals
and needs.
Whether you’re short on time, a stickler for accuracy, or you struggle
with your appetite, these homemade weight gain shake recipes are a life
saver.
Directions
The directions for each shake (or smoothie) recipe are quite simple. For a
shake, simply throw all ingredients into a blender (add water to adjust
consistency as needed), blend them up, and enjoy! If you’d prefer a cold
smoothie, simply add 5-10 ice cubes to the mix and voila!
The Basic Bulker
1 scoop Whey Protein
2 tbsp. Peanut Butter
1 Banana
½ cup Oats
8 oz. Almond Milk
Total Calories: 603
Macros: 35P/70C/22F
The Basic Bulker Plus
2 scoops Whey Protein
2 tbsp. Peanut Butter
1 Banana
1 tbsp. Chocolate Syrup
1 cup Oats
12 oz. Whole Milk
Total Calories: 1,063
Macros: 71P/122C/35F
Almond Blast
2 scoops Vanilla Whey Protein
12 oz. Almond Milk
½ cup Oats
½ cup Raisins
1 tbsp. Almond Butter
Total Calories: 792
Macros: 52P/109C/16F
Nutty Butter Shake
2 scoops Chocolate Whey Protein
8 oz. Coconut Milk
1 tbsp. Chocolate Syrup
2 tbsp. Crunchy Peanut Butter
½ cup Oats
Total Calories: 681
Macros: 54P/60C/25F
Strawberry Cheesecake
2 scoops Strawberry Whey Protein
8 Frozen Strawberries
4 tbsp. Sour Cream
12 oz. Whole Milk
1 tsp. Honey
1 cup Greek Yogurt
Total Calories: 764
Macros: 72P/43C/35F
Berry Blast
2 scoops Vanilla Whey Protein
1 cup Blueberries
1 cup Raspberries
1 Frozen Banana (chopped)
2 tbsp. Blueberry Jam
12 oz. Almond Milk
Total Calories: 626
Macros: 44P/104C/9F
Peanut Butter Brittle
2 scoops Vanilla Whey Protein
1 packet Butterscotch Pudding Mix
2 tbsp. Chunky Peanut Butter
1 cup Oats
8 oz. Whole Milk
Total Calories: 917
Macros: 83P/83C/31F
Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
1 scoop Chocolate Whey Protein
12 oz. Chocolate Almond Milk
1 tbsp. Peanut Butter
1 Banana
2 tbsp. Cocoa Nibs
4 tbsp. Chocolate Chips
Total Calories: 853
Macros: 33P/90C/41F
Cinnamon Roll Smoothie
2 scoops Vanilla Whey Protein
1 cup Vanilla Pudding
½ tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp. Butter
1 tbsp. Almond Butter
12 oz. Almond Milk
Total Calories: 626
Macros: 46P/52C/27F
These recipes are guidelines, not rules. Feel free to adjust the ingredients
and serving sizes to your liking. The goal with these shakes is simple:
consume a lot of calories fast without ruining your appetite for the day.
Although this pretty much sums up the nutrition section of this book,
there’s one last component I want to discuss before we jump into training:
money. Whether you’re a broke college student who wants to eat big on a
small budget, or a well-paid business executive who’d rather invest his
money in stocks than in chicken breasts, the next chapter is for you.
*These calorie and macronutrient calculations are based information in the My Fitness Pal app, using
generic and/or widely available brands for each ingredient. Calories and macronutrient breakdown may
differ slightly. If you’re tracking macros (or calories) and aiming for a higher level of accuracy, I’d
recommend using your preferred calorie tracker and inputting data based on the brands you’re using.
CHAPTER 13
EATING BIG ON A SMALL BUDGET
As you begin your muscle-building journey, you’ll soon realize two things:
first, you’ve got to eat a ton of food… I’m talking ridiculous amounts.
Second, it can get very expensive very quickly. Before I started on my quest
to gain muscle, my food bill was practically insignificant, to the point that I
never even thought to include it into my budget. Once I began, however, it
quickly became my biggest expense. At first, I accepted it as a cost of entry
to board the gain train. As I got older, though, and my priorities shifted a bit,
I had to get creative.
Here’s the deal.
When I was in the process of buying my first home, I was anticipating
some massive expenses—and rightfully so. I was expecting to put down a
hefty chunk of money, cover closing costs, fees, and making sure there was a
good cushion in the reserves. With that said, it’s pretty safe to assume that if I
wanted to make the experience go by as smoothly as possible, I’d have to cut
back a bit.
As I looked through my bank statements, I realized two things:
So, I had a few choices: I could forget about building muscle mass and
let myself shrivel away; I could go back to the “college diet”, which would
have been a much better option than the previous; or I could become a bit
more strategic with my shopping. I chose the latter.
In this chapter, I am going to show you how I cut my muscle-building
food expenses by 33%—without reverting to Ramen Noodles and tuna, or
peanut butter sandwiches. These are very simple, actionable techniques that
you can start implementing right away if you want to eat big and spend small.
Let’s dive in!
1. Dirt Cheap Nutrient-Dense Foods
High quality, nutrient-dense food doesn’t have to be expensive, and
expensive food doesn’t mean it’s any healthier. Although studies have shown
that organic foods contain 10-30% more nutrients than conventional foods,1
this is relatively insignificant if you’re already on a well-balanced diet. Not
because higher nutritional value is not beneficial, but because if you’re
already an active, healthy individual who’s consuming enough fruits and
vegetables, you’re not likely to notice any physiological difference in
switching to strictly organic.
In fact, a widely-cited Stratford study concluded that there is no
evidence that organic foods are significantly healthier than non-organic
foods.2 With that in mind, the foods on this list are still relatively inexpensive
if you decide that you must buy organic.
Whole Eggs: Eggs are a rich source of natural protein filled with
BCAAs, including the most important for muscle growth: leucine.3 Not only
are they high in nutrients, cheap, and great for building muscle, but they are
also extremely versatile. You can prepare them in omelets, sandwiches, and
other setups, and you scramble them, fry them, poach them, the list goes on.
Beans: One cup of black beans contains about 230 calories with less
than 1 gram coming from dietary fats, and a whopping 15 grams of protein.
With over 40 grams of carbohydrates, black beans are ideal for anyone who
needs a hefty number of calories in order to reach their muscle-building
goals. If that wasn’t enough of a reason to bring this mass-building food into
your diet, one can of beans can typically be purchased for less than $1.
Multigrain Pasta: Who doesn’t like pasta? Not only does pasta allow
for an array of recipes, but it’s a great source of energy. It’s low in dietary fat
and contains upwards of 60g of carbs, 7g of fiber and, get this, it’s packed
with over 15 grams of protein—and an entire box that can last 3-5 days costs
$2.00!
Chocolate Milk: Muscle is built outside of the gym and ample recovery
is critical. Most brands of chocolate milk supply around 20 to 25 grams of
carbohydrates and between 8-11 grams of protein (per 8 oz.), which makes
for an effective post-workout replenishment choice.4 If that wasn’t enough,
like eggs, milk is a great source of leucine: the amino acid with the greatest
muscle building benefits.
Ground Turkey or Beef: Ground meat contains the same amount of
protein as steak or chicken, but is less expensive per ounce. Like eggs,
ground meats are versatile and can be made into patties for burgers, chili to
feed you for a week, or even calorie-packed burritos.
A few more inexpensive, nutrient-dense food options:
Peanut Butter
Tuna
Cottage Cheese
Chicken
Oats
2. Buy in Bulk
Buying in bulk may have a higher upfront cost, but the total amount you
spend is almost always less when compared to buying in smaller increments.
If you have a Costco, Sam’s Club, BJs, or any other wholesale membership
club near you, I would recommend checking it out and seeing what food
items you may be able to save on.
Some foods that you’re typically better off purchasing in bulk are:
Meat
Rice
Oatmeal
Potatoes (If you eat them frequently enough)
Beans
Nuts
Dried Fruit
Healthy Snacks
Frozen Vegetables
Buying in bulk can both save you money and leave you with a larger
supply of food that’s readily available to you at home. Have you ever been
low on groceries and opted to order take-out, or visit a restaurant instead of
shopping? Me too—and that’s why I make it a point to make sure we are
always all stocked up.
3. Cow Sharing
Another lesser known option—one I have yet to explore –is called “cowsharing.”
This is a process by which you’ll purchase a live cow—either whole,
half, or a portion—and pick up the meat once it’s been butchered. Instead of
paying $7 (or more) per pound of low-grade, highly processed meat, cowsharing allows you to get high quality, grass-fed meat for close to half that
price.
If this is something you’d be interested in, check
www.EatWild.com/Products and select your state to find wild game
processing shops in your area.
4. Learn to Cook
Before I began this “bulking on a budget,” I spent $17.99 (plus tips) on a
mouthwatering Cajun Chicken Pasta platter at a very well-known restaurant. I
was so impressed by the meal that I found myself craving it every other day;
however, spending close to $20 on one meal (not including the rest of my
family) several times per week just wasn’t going to happen. To solve that
problem, I just learned to make it myself. I’ll be the first to admit, I am no
Chef Gordon Ramsay, but with a little trial and error, I was able to get it
pretty close.
That same meal, minus the dining experience, costs a small fraction of
what I would have paid at the restaurant. If you learn to prepare a dish
yourself, you can enjoy the same meal (kind of) numerous times throughout
the week without breaking the bank.
Not to mention, you’ll know exactly how much of each ingredient is on
your plate. This will allow you to track more accurately and avoid overeating
in error.
Not only is cooking at home healthier and more cost effective, but
knowing your way around a kitchen, married or not, is a skill every man
should aim to acquire.
5. Keep the Menu Short
Limiting the number of items on your daily menu makes buying in bulk an
even smarter choice. This is not to say that you shouldn’t enjoy variety, but a
wider variety of foods means more decisions on what to eat, more time
cooking, and more money spent on acquiring ingredients. Rather than eating
the same exact meals daily though, think about rotating through a small
weekly menu. This will give you the best of both worlds—fewer ingredients
for buying in bulk, and a bit of variety in your day-to-day diet.
6. Use Coupons
Saving money on food via coupons is not something that has to become a
second job. Almost daily, the mail carrier delivers a brochure of coupons to
spend at any given local grocery store. In a matter of minutes, you can skim
through and cut out any coupon(s) for any food item(s) you’ve already
planned on purchasing.
If you wanted to take it a step further, simply check out couponing
websites like www.coupons.com for any daily deals before heading to the
grocery store.
Whether you save $1 or $100, a penny saved is a penny earned.
7. Cook in Advance
As I mentioned with buying in bulk, having food more readily available can
reduce the amount of money you spend on going out to eat. If you work a job
or go to school, you’re likely going to eat lunch—or, in some cases, dinner—
there. Cooking your meals in advance will allow you to bring food with you
and avoid spending extra money. Doing this may not seem like a big gamechanger, but consider how much money you’d save if you didn’t buy lunch
for an entire week. The average lunch costs about $8—if you’re working fulltime, that’s an extra $40 per week—a whopping $160 per month.
Money aside, achieving physical fitness through diet and exercise
should be a positive experience and make life more enjoyable. With that said,
stressing ourselves out by attempting to create time out of thin air in order to
cook a meal every few hours is simply not ideal.
How to Cook in Advance
Take a look at your schedule for the week and find one or two days where
you have a bit of downtime. This might be sometime before bed, or on the
weekends when you’re not tied up with work or school. It may be unrealistic
to find time every single day to cook five separate meals, but finding 1-2
hours in a week shouldn’t be a problem. If you have to sacrifice TV time, do
it!
Once you have your one or two days picked out, schedule an hour or
two out of each and dedicate them to preparing your foods.
Allowing 48-72 hours between “meal prep days” would be ideal. This
will allow you to prep accordingly. For example: Prep meals on Monday for
Tuesday, Wednesday, and the better part of Thursday. Thursday night can
then be dedicated to prepping for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. If you have
more than two days where you can find time for meal prep, then more power
to you.
8. Shop for Food, Not for Brands
Rather than being married to brands, try focusing that love on nutritional
value instead. The fact is, like most over-the-counter medications, many of
the same foods contain the exact same nutritional value regardless of their
brand. Don’t shop for brands, shop for food items.
What you’ll find is that some brands are not only less expensive, but
when you’re not married to the name on the box, you’ll be able to see what’s
on sale and perhaps save yourself a few bucks without changing your diet.
Following a solid muscle-building diet doesn’t have to be costly, but it
may require some effort. If you’re a college student, low on funds, or just
looking to save some extra cash, use any variation of these budget-friendly
tips to help alleviate a bit of the load.
CHAPTER 14
TRAINING FOR GROWTH: THE MAJORS
How many reps should I do to build size?”
“What are the best exercises for mass?”
“Should I be training for longer than an hour?”
“How much time should I rest in between sets?”
These are just some of the questions that land in my email inbox from
guys who are just starting out; a prime example of majoring in the minors.
Here’s what I mean: the answer to any of those questions are useless if we
don’t have the foundational principles for muscle-growth in order. Not that
they’re bad questions, per se, they’ve just been asked prematurely.
As they often do with nutrition, people tend to focus too much on the
minor details that make up that last 5-10% of their results when building
muscle, while completely overlooking the major factors responsible for the
other 90-95%.
The truth is, muscle hypertrophy has very little to do with how long you
rest in between sets or how slow and controlled you’re moving a weight.
What really matters is work, and how much of it you’re doing. Once you’ve
understood how and why these variables play a vital role in muscular
development, you’ll be able to distinguish between a mediocre workout
routine and an effective training program.
“
In this chapter, I am going to discuss the key drivers of muscle
hypertrophy. However, unlike the sections on nutrition, these aren’t going to
be laid out in order of importance. Not because I want to confuse you, but
because these variables are interdependent and mutually reliant upon each
other.
Volume
Volume refers to the amount of exercise you perform over a given time.
Some experts define volume as the total number of sets and reps
performed in a single training session (sets x reps = volume). Others like to
factor in the amount of weight lifted (sets x reps x weight = total volume).
Either way we look at it, volume refers to the amount of work we do during
our training. To avoid any confusion, however, the term total volume will
refer to the latter: sets x reps x weight lifted.
Why Is Volume Important?
You’ve heard it before: 6-12 reps for size, 1-5 reps for strength, and 15-20
reps for endurance. We use this model because the rep range regulates the
amount of time we spend under tension. The duration of the set thus dictates
what energy system(s) we use.1 The energy system we use will then
determine whether we’re training for strength, endurance, size, or a
combination of the three.
Another reason we utilize rep ranges is because they attribute to our
overall workload (total volume).
For example: If we perform a 225-pound bench press x 4 sets x 8 reps,
our total volume is 7200lbs. If we go back into the gym a week later and
perform the same total volume on the bench press, our body has no reason to
adapt.
If we want to ensure we are eliciting an adaptive response, we have one
primary goal: increase total volume.
Before you assume that more sets equate to more hypertrophy, consider
this: A meta-analysis comprised of 19 treatment groups within eight different
studies suggested that the difference between 2-3 sets (per exercise) and 4-6
sets (per exercise) were insignificant.2 This means that, although one could
continue to add sets, at a certain point you begin experiencing diminished
returns, which is ultimately inefficient. They did, however, conclude that
multiple sets are associated with 40% more muscle growth than single set
training, in both trained and untrained men.
A more recent study published in the Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research took 48 untrained men and randomly assigned them
to one of three training groups; one group performed 1 set, another performed
3 sets, and the final group performed 5 sets. They concluded that multiple
sets per exercise were superior to a single set per exercise for strength,
muscle endurance, and hypertrophy.3
The evidence is pretty clear in suggesting that if we’re looking to
maximize muscle hypertrophy, we should be regulating volume (in terms of
sets, reps, and loads), and ensuring that we include more than one set of each
exercise.
Intensity
Intensity refers to the amount of physical power that the body uses when
performing an activity.
For more advanced lifters, gauging training intensity is typically done
using a very simple method: lifting a percentage of your one-rep max (1RM).
Here’s an example of using a percentage of your 1RM: Your program
calls for 80% of your 1RM for 5 sets of 5 reps. If your 1RM is 315lbs, this
might translate to something like 252x5x5.
315lbs x 0.8 = 252lbs
This may be a bit harder to gauge with smaller isolation lifts such as
biceps curls and lateral raises—most of us have no clue what our 1RM is for
a triceps pushdown. In this case, the trainee would use RM.
For example: If your 10-rep max (10RM) for barbell curls is 70lbs, then
perhaps using 60-65lbs for sets of 8-10 will ensure you’re training with
sufficient intensity.
For the beginner, however, gauging intensity using either of these
methods isn’t a viable option for the first six months or so. The approach
you’ll use in order to determine how much weight you should be lifting will
be much more intuitive—more on that later.
Why Is Intensity Important?
According to another study published in the Journal of Strength and
Conditioning Research, you would have to perform 3x the volume (sets x
reps) when using a lighter weight to get the same exact results you would
from a moderate load.4 This isn’t to say that building muscle with lighter
weight isn’t possible, but it’s certainly not practical.
Another study showed similar findings when they compared low,
moderate, and high rep groups to each other. The difference here was that the
low and moderate rep groups produced significantly more hypertrophy than
the high rep group.5 Again, not because you can’t build muscle with a lighter
load, but because intensity is critical for maximizing growth.
The question now becomes a matter of which is more important, volume
or intensity? The answer is always both. If you want to maximize muscle
growth, both must be given equal consideration in your routine. If you’re
increasing volume, but the intensity is too low, building muscle becomes an
extremely slow process. On the other hand, if you’re training with heavy
enough loads, but without sufficient volume (sets x reps)—again, you’re not
going to gain muscle as fast as possible.
Frequency
When we talk about training frequency, we’re talking about one of two
things:
This is another case where both are of equal importance, but since you
should be planning to train more than once per week, we’ll discuss the latter.
Why Is Frequency Important?
Here’s what we know: when we equate for volume, training three days per
week produces greater muscle growth than training once per week does.6
That’s enough to solidify the importance of frequency when the goal is to
maximize muscle hypertrophy.
More frequent training that leads to greater muscle growth is likely due
to two mechanisms:
Repeated Bout Effect: the adaptation whereby a single bout
of eccentric exercise protects against muscle damage from
subsequent eccentric bouts.
It’s been shown that, when training a muscle group more frequently (to a
degree), we increase our ability to recover and adapt.7
Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS): the driving force behind
adaptive responses to exercise. MPS represents a widelyadopted proxy for gauging chronic efficacy of acute
interventions, (i.e. exercise/nutrition).
Studies suggest that at about 24 hours following a workout MPS is more
than doubled.8 By the 36-hour mark, however, it has dropped back down to
its baseline rate. It’s not hard to see that, despite volume being equal, the
person spending more time synthesizing protein will produce greater muscle
growth.
The following charts depict what training-induced protein synthesis
might look like for an individual who’s training a muscle group once per
week (low frequency), and an individual who’s training a muscle group twice
per week (high frequency).
Before you decide that hitting your biceps seven times per week would
guarantee maximum growth, consider this: A recent meta-analysis of training
frequency by Brad Schoenfeld, PhD, concluded that training twice per week
promoted more muscle growth than training once per week on a volumeequated basis. However, as an important caveat to that conclusion,
Schoenfeld reported that, “whether training a muscle group three times per
week is superior to a twice-per-week protocol remains to be determined.”9
Before you dismiss the idea of training a muscle group three times per
week because you’re unsure of whether there is any added benefit,
understand that this meta-analysis only accounted for higher frequency with
volume being equal. That said, training at a higher frequency is a great way to
accumulate total volume, which produces more muscle growth due to the
additional work.
For example:
An individual who trains his chest once per week might perform
the following:
Bench Press: 1x per week
Day 1: 4 sets x 8 reps x 135lbs = 4320lbs of total volume.
The individual who trains his chest twice per week—with equal
volume—might perform the following:
Bench Press: 2x per week
Day 1: 2 sets x 8 reps x 135lbs = 2160lbs of total volume
Day 2: 2 sets x 8 reps x 135lbs = 2160lbs of total volume
Total: 4 sets x 8 reps x 135lbs = 4320lbs of total volume
The evidence is clear that, despite equating for volume, the individual
who trains his chest twice per week will have achieved greater muscle gains.
What we don’t know is whether distributing that same volume between
three days as opposed to two would have any additional benefit in terms of
muscle-hypertrophy.
What we do know, however, is that if we added an additional chest
training session and increased the total volume that way, we’d elicit greater
muscle growth. In fact, a paper published in the Journal of Sports Sciences
suggested that 10+ weekly sets per muscle-group was superior to training a
muscle-group with less than 10 sets per week. Not because there’s anything
magical about the number 10, but because greater volume, to a degree,
produces significantly greater muscle growth.10
For Example:
Bench Press: 3 x per week
Day 1: 2 sets x 8 reps x 135lbs = 2160lbs of total volume
Day 2: 2 sets x 8 reps x 135lbs = 2160lbs of total volume
Day 3: 2 sets x 8 reps x 135lbs = 2160lbs of total volume
Total: 6 sets x 8 reps x 135lbs = 6480lbs of total volume
To be fair, though, someone who was training his chest once per week
would probably end up doing far more than four sets. Let’s step out of the
science lab for a second and look at things from a more practical standpoint.
The following table represents what the intensity level might look like
for someone who trained his chest once per week.
They’d likely pack three different chest exercises into one session and
perform roughly 12 sets total on their chest alone. What that person will
experience is simple: for their first chest exercise, they are 100% primed and
at their peak. By the end of their first exercise, fatigue starts to set in. During
exercise number two, they are slightly fatigued, but fresh enough to continue
their workout at a decent intensity. After eight sets of direct chest training,
it’s fair to say that this muscle group is pretty beat. Intensity, once again, has
dropped, and although they can bang out a few more sets, they are no longer
performing anywhere near their maximum potential.
The second table represents what the intensity level might look like for
someone who trained their chest three times per week.
As you can see, both individuals are performing the same number of
total sets (12). What you’ll notice here is very straight forward: The person
who trained with a higher frequency is spending more time training at his or
her maximum potential.
With that in mind, who do you think achieves a higher amount of total
volume on a weekly basis? That’s right! The total workload for someone on a
higher frequency workout plan is going to be significantly higher than the
person who packs all their exercises into one session.
Using Volume, Intensity, and Frequency for Muscle Growth
If you want to continue getting bigger and stronger, you’ve got to increase
your training load over time. Regardless of whether you’re training with the
appropriate number of sets and reps, lifting heavy enough, or stimulating a
given muscle group at an adequate frequency, if you’re not doing more work
gradually, then you’re not going to grow.
This is due to the most important law of strength training: progressive
overload.
Progressive Overload
Progressive overload refers to a gradual increase of stress placed on the
body through weight training.
It’s no secret that the law of progressive overload is the most critical
pathway for building muscle mass.11 If we can continue to gradually add
stress, we’ll force an adaptive response that results in growth.
Although the list of ways to achieve progressive overload is long, as a
novice lifter this can be accomplished with very little effort. As long as
you’re using a weight that challenges you while aiming to increase that load
on a weekly basis you’ll grow.
The further away you are from your genetic limit, the easier it becomes
to make progress.12 As someone who’s within their first 12 months of
training, you’ve got plenty of room for improvement. This fact makes it
extremely easy for you to add weight to the bar, session to session, or week to
week, in a linear fashion. We’ll talk more about exactly how you should
progress with the program in a later chapter. For now, understand this: your
primary goal is to get stronger, period.
Training for Growth
The process by which we elicit a hypertrophic response (muscle growth) can
be extremely complex. It involves several physiological functions,
adaptations, and, worst of all, a ton of big words that are hard to pronounce.
The practice of building muscle, however, is actually quite simple. You
don’t have to be a rocket scientist to develop a top tier physique. So long as
you’re eating enough calories, consuming sufficient protein, and getting
stronger over time, you’ll have no problem building muscle tissue.
Yes, that’s a gross oversimplification of what it takes to build muscle;
the further you get into your lifting career, the more creative you’ll need to
get with your training and nutrition. Fortunately, though, you’re still in that
magical phase of your training where it’s just as simple as eating big, lifting
bigger, and doing those consistently.
CHAPTER 15
TRAINING FOR GROWTH: THE MINORS
Now that you understand the majors, or the main mechanisms by which we
build muscle, you understand the importance of following a logical,
strategically planned program.
In this chapter, I plan to show you how to maximize your time in the
gym. Not only will we go over the best exercises to build overall muscle
mass, but we’ll discuss the intricacies of how to perform every repetition in a
way that ensures you’re getting the best ROI on your time in the weight
room.
Understand this though: no matter what exercises you’re doing or how
great your form is, unless you’re providing sufficient volume, utilizing the
appropriate intensity, and getting stronger, none of this matters.
That said, let’s dive into the minors of training for growth.
Exercise Selection
Build your body, not your biceps. If you’re scrawny, you’re a beginner. And
if you’re a beginner, you don’t have weak points—your entire body is weak.
This is why you should ditch specialization training that focuses on building
specific muscle groups, and follow a well thought out, proven program that
focuses on building overall muscle mass.
At some point in time, you’ve probably heard that if you want to
continuously build muscle, you’ve got to avoid adapting. Marketing experts
who sell themselves as fitness professionals have coined the term “muscleconfusion.” The fact is, though, the only way we can continue to grow is
through the adaptations caused by new stress—without it, our bodies would
never find a reason to change.
“We don’t want our muscles confused. We want our muscles to
know exactly what is expected of them; and that is to produce
more force over a period of time.”
- Mark Rippetoe
So, we know we want to get stronger, that’s a given—and the most
efficient way to build strength on, say, your bench press, is to bench press
more often.1 The same goes for any other lift you want to improve. If you
want to maximize muscle mass, you’ve got to figure out what exercises you
want to use in order to drive muscle growth, then become a pro at those
movements. Thus, “switching things up” doesn’t make sense and will
actually impair your ability to gain strength and build muscle.
Another reason we want to avoid too much variation in our training is
because we want to experience the neuromuscular adaptations that come from
getting better at a lift. The better you get at an exercise, the more you can
overload the targeted muscle using that particular lift, thereby driving more
muscle growth. That said, following a program that does not allow you to
perfect specific movements is a surefire way to remain skinny and weak.2
A Case for “Mixing It Up”
Don’t get the wrong idea, there certainly is merit to adding variety to your
training routine; however, 75% of your training focus should be placed on the
big, heavy compound lifts that produce the greatest amount of overall stress.
The other 25% will be geared toward smaller isolation exercises used to finetune and balance your physique. Each major muscle group includes smaller,
indirectly stimulated muscles whose development can be maximized when
resistance is applied across more than one plane of motion. We want to
ensure that these smaller muscles also get attention because, as you may have
heard, you’re only as strong as you’re weakest link. For example, when
you’re performing a bench press, the primary mover is your chest, but there
will always be assistance from your front deltoids and triceps. With that in
mind, if your triceps are the weak link, then they’d potentially limit your
strength on the bench press. Thus, it would make sense to include direct
triceps work to strengthen the chain of working muscles.
Compound Lifts
A compound lift, or multi-joint movement, refers to an exercise that engages
two or more joints (e.g. bench press, squat, deadlift, etc.). Because you’re
involving multiple joints, you can train more muscles at the same time. The
main benefits of training with compound movements are twofold: (1) you’re
accumulating more volume for multiple muscle groups and (2) because
multiple muscle groups are involved, you’ll be able to use heavier loads.
As someone who is new to weight training, your primary goal is to
perfect the main lifts quickly. You won’t need the volume of lifting that an
experienced lifter might need to achieve significant growth, so isolation lifts
aren’t as necessary at this point in your journey. Although each person will
see different results, I’d say that a skinny guy who’s just starting out could
experience about 90% of their potential muscle growth by simply focusing on
a few key lifts.
Isolation Lifts
An isolation lift refers to an exercise that engages a single joint (e.g. biceps
curl, triceps pushdown, etc.). As stated earlier, your entire body is a weak
point, so your main focus should be on gaining overall muscle mass.
However, we are all genetically predisposed to building strength and/or size
faster in some muscle groups than in others. This can lead to strength
deficiencies in a muscle that contributes to a specific lift, or to the
underdevelopment of a given muscle. Regardless, it’s best to cover all bases
by including a sufficient variety of single-joint lifts that focus on smaller
muscle groups that may otherwise receive insufficient stress.
Let’s look at any heavy pulling movement we perform with our back.
Anytime we’re pulling, we’re involving the biceps to a certain degree;
however, being a larger and stronger group of muscles, the back will always
bear most of the load. Although the biceps will, in most cases, receive
enough stress to produce growth, there is a great probability that we aren’t
maximizing our results.
The Bulk of Your Lifts
Out of the various movements our bodies can perform, there are six key
movement patterns for building lots of muscle in little time. If you can
manage to perform these movements while complying with the main factors
of training-induced hypertrophy (i.e. volume, intensity, frequency, and
progression), you’ll have no problem getting jacked.
Horizontal Pushing
Anytime you’re pushing a load straight out in front of your torso while it’s
horizontal, your primary mover will be the chest, while the shoulders and
triceps simply assist with the lift. Getting stronger at a compound lift that
allows us to load this function will be the key to developing the main “show
muscle”: the pecs. Not only that, but pushing heavy weight will always
involve elbow extension (the main function of the triceps) to a great degree,
making horizontal pushing fundamental for arm development.
Vertical Pushing
This movement involves pushing a weight vertically from your torso. By
performing a multi-joint vertical pushing lift, your primary mover becomes
the shoulders, while the chest, triceps, and to a smaller degree, the upper traps
and lats aid with the lift.
When the bulk of your upper-body pushing movements are comprised of
heavy, multi-joint horizontal and vertical pushing exercises, you’re ensuring
that the chest, shoulders, and triceps are getting enough total volume to grow
quickly.
Horizontal Pulling
Anytime you’re pulling a load toward your torso horizontally, from straight
out in front of you, you’re distributing a great deal of stress to all the muscles
in your mid/upper back with a bit of assistance from your biceps.
Vertical Pulling
This involves pulling a weight down from over your head vertically toward
your torso. This type of movement places an emphasis on the largest muscle
of the upper-body: the latissimus dorsi (lats). By pulling vertically we are
performing shoulder adduction—the main function of the lats—with a bit of
assistance from the biceps.
The goal with heavy horizontal pulling is to add upper back thickness
and a bit of yoke (massive traps) while also stimulating growth in the biceps.
With the vertical pulling, we’re achieving back width—this gives us that
gorilla strut that says “this guy is not to be messed with.”
Lower-Body Pushing
This movement involves using your legs to drive a weight up vertically (e.g.
squat) and/or horizontally (e.g. leg press). Anytime we’re pushing with our
lower body, the emphasis is placed on the quadriceps, as their main function
is to extend the knee. Not only will this allow us to load the quads effectively,
but it’ll also involve a good degree of glute and hamstring activation.
Lower-Body Pulling
If we want to ensure we’re building our posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes,
and lower back), we’ve got to perform hip-dominant, lower-body pulling
movements. Doing so will not only help decrease the risk of injury, provide
better posture, and improve performance, but, believe it or not, women find
men with nice butts more attractive.3 On top of that, having small hamstrings
with well-developed quads is the equivalent of sporting big triceps with tiny
biceps; if the goal is overall mass, you need both.
The goal of this program is to put as much size on you as possible in the
shortest amount of time —and quite frankly, that isn’t going to happen by
spending your gym time curling 20-pound dumbbells in front of a mirror.
Rather, your primary focus should be a few key movements and getting as
strong as possible by performing them.
Rest Periods
Another overanalyzed, overhyped, and overcomplicated training variable is
rest times. The amount of time we spend resting in between sets was once
thought to be a very important factor for building muscle mass—particularly
due to acute “spikes” in growth hormone when rest intervals are kept short.4
These days, however, we’ve got vast amounts of compelling evidence that
suggests otherwise.5,6,7 Hormonal responses do still result from shorter rest
periods, but those short bursts of growth hormone (GH) aren’t responsible for
more muscle growth.8 In fact, even if you were to inject supraphysiological
amounts of growth hormone, you’d still experience no significant changes in
muscle mass. This is to say that chasing acute increases in GH by
manipulating your rest intervals is, quite frankly, stupid.9
Putting a Nail in the Coffin of Short Rest Periods
Let’s consider a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning
Research where they compared the effects of different rest periods.10 One
group rested for 1 minute in between sets while the other group rested for 2.5
minutes between sets. Researchers found that, despite a higher acute anabolic
hormone response in the group who rested for just 1 minute, the group who
rested longer experienced greater muscle gains. The reason is simple: the
guys who rested for 2.5 minutes in between sets were able to train with a
heavier load. This isn’t to say that there is anything inherently wrong with
short rest intervals; however, if they’re impairing your ability to perform,
they can become a huge roadblock to your training.
Rest Periods Matter
The point of rest periods is twofold: (1) to ensure you’re primed and ready
for your next set and (2) to mitigate the amount of time you spend in the
weight room. As long as you’re resting just enough to ensure you’re
recovered and ready for your next set—without resting so long that you end
up spending your entire day at the gym—you’ll be all set.
Rule of Thumb
Although there isn’t an exact timeframe you should aim for, there are some
basic guidelines I’d recommend. However, let me be very clear: I do not
expect you to sit around with a stopwatch and time your rest periods. Instead,
pay attention to your body and use your best judgment when deciding
whether or not you’re ready for your next set.
Rest Period Guidelines
Rep Range
Rest Period
1-6
3-7 Minutes
6-12
60-90 Seconds
12-15
45-60 Seconds
When training at a high intensity, complete recovery may not occur for
as long as 3-7 minutes. When training with a heavy load, I’d suggest resting a
minimum of 3 minutes in between sets. If, for whatever reason, you still
haven’t recovered fully, feel free to take another few minutes to do so.
Likewise, though, if you’re recovered and ready to go in less time, feel free to
do so. Remember, the goal is performance, not time.
When training at a lower intensity, rests of about 60-90 seconds would
be more appropriate. Although this training program does not focus too much
on muscle endurance, there will be times when a higher rep range is
prescribed. In this case, rest periods of 45-60 seconds should suffice.
Rep Tempo
Rep tempo refers to the speed at which you’re performing a repetition. This
variable has been overhyped and oversold as one of the key drivers for
muscle growth, particularly due to the “time under tension” theory. More on
that in a bit. First, let’s go over the three types of contractions that rep tempo
is specific to.
Concentric Contraction
The concentric contraction refers to the portion of the lift where we’re
pushing (or pulling the weight) against resistance—shortening the muscle
under load. In the bench press, this would be the point in the lift when you’re
pushing the weight up from your chest. This is often considered to be the
most important contraction of the three.
Eccentric Contraction
The eccentric contraction refers to the portion of the lift where we’re
lowering the weight—lengthening the muscle under load. Going back to the
bench press, this would be the point of the exercise when you’re lowering the
weight back down to your chest. This contraction has been shown to play a
huge role in both strength and muscle growth.11
Isometric Contraction
The isometric contraction happens at both the starting and ending point of a
lift when the weight is motionless. Sticking with the bench press example, the
isometric contraction would occur when you’re paused at the bottom of the
lift where the bar is at your chest, and then again at the top of the lift when
you’ve extended your arms to complete it. This is the least important of the
three contractions.
Rep Tempo Matters… Kind Of
If you want to get big, you’ve got to get strong—no if, ands, or buts about it.
Thanks to a 2014 study published in the European Journal of Sports Science,
we know that lifting a weight as fast as possible (while maintaining control)
produces greater gains than purposely slowing your lifting tempo.12 It’s going
to require more power to push 225lbs on the bench press in one second than it
will to move it in three—it’s basic physics.
Another popular argument about rep tempo is typically made in regards
to the eccentric contraction. It’s no secret that we are much stronger on the
eccentric portion of the lift than we are on the concentric—we can handle
more weight on the way down than we can lift up.13 The reason is simple:
we’re going with the resistance (with a helping hand from gravity), so it
requires less energy. Thus, we’re told to slow down the eccentric in order to
accentuate the benefits of this contraction. This is theorized to be due to a
longer period of time under tension.
Why Slow Rep Tempos Are Keeping You Skinny
Bear with me as I take the gloves off for this one.
Alright, where shall I start? Ah yes… anyone who recommends that you
purposely slow down the rep speed—whether on the eccentric or the
concentric—is just plain wrong. I don’t care how slowly you’re bench
pressing the bar, you’re not going to build a bigger chest until you’re loading
that bar up. You see, it’s not about the time under tension, it’s about the
magnitude of the tension we’re under.
Let’s look at it from a practical standpoint. As we know, the main goal
in our training is to use a load that’s heavy enough to maximize growth,
while we also gradually increase volume over time. If, however, we begin to
put more emphasis on the time we keep a muscle under tension than the
actual magnitude of the tension itself, here’s how it would look:
Let’s say Gary’s max bench press was 225lbs. This means that, if
aiming for 8-10 repetitions, he’d have to lift about 70% of his 1RM, or 165-
170lbs. But Gary read a few fitness magazines and has decided to focus more
on time under tension so he’s going to slow down his reps in hopes of getting
bigger. Here’s the problem: if Gary can—when using a normal, controlled
tempo—push a maximum of 170lbs for 10 reps, he’s going to have to
decrease that weight substantially if he wants to get the same amount of reps
in with a slower rep tempo. In fact, if he were to attempt to use the same
170lbs while slowing down the lifting tempo—say 4 seconds on the eccentric
and 3 seconds on the concentric—Gary would be lucky to perform half the
reps he would otherwise normally be performing.
So, since Gary still wants to maintain his 8-10 rep goal, he decides to
decrease the load to 135lbs. There are a few issues with this, however. For
starters, he’s dramatically decreased one of the most important variables for
muscle growth: intensity. Secondly, despite performing the same 10 reps per
set, he’s managed to decrease his total volume—another key factor for
growth—substantially. And, if that wasn’t enough, he’s completely defeated
the purpose of arguably the most important portion of the lift: the eccentric.
The main benefit of the eccentric motion is that we can handle a heavier load
while lowering the weight, which goes out the window in this case.
Congrats, Gary—you’ve just managed to get smaller and weaker
because you didn’t read my book.
The Perfect Lifting Speed
There’s a difference between slow reps and controlled reps. If you want to
take full advantage of the negative portion of the lift, all you’ve got to do is
ensure that you’re controlling the weight—not the other way around. If you
slow down the eccentric too much, you’re going to sacrifice total volume. If
you ignore it completely, however, you’ll miss all the benefits and, more
importantly, you risk serious injury. The goal when lowering the load is to
ensure that you’re in control of it the entire time. At first, it may be a good
idea to count 2 seconds as you lower it—this will ensure that you’re not just
letting gravity take over. As you gain experience, however, you’ll have a
better idea of what it feels like to lower the weight under control without
thinking about it or having to count.
As for the concentric, lifting as quickly and explosively as possible
—without sacrificing control—is the goal. Too often, people associate
“explosive reps” with “sloppy form”—that’s just not the case. Context is the
key. If you’re using sloppy form, you’re not going to maximize resistance.
Thus, if you’re going to lift a weight as quickly and explosively as possible,
you’re going to have to be in complete control; otherwise, you not only risk
injury, you also end up grinding out an ugly rep. That said, I recommend
focusing on perfecting the lift first and then—once the lift has become second
nature—work on being faster and more explosive.
Simply put, if you want to maximize each rep, lifting speed matters.
Make sure you’re controlling the weight throughout the entirety of the set—
without overthinking it—and focus on getting stronger from there.
CHAPTER 16
THE PRINCIPLES
This program is designed for one purpose and one purpose only: to put as
much muscle mass on your skinny frame as humanly possible in the shortest
amount of time; to quickly take you from skinny and weak to jacked and
powerful.
If you’re still wondering if this program will actually work for you, the
answer is a blanket “yes.” I’ll qualify that by saying this: Bulk Up Fast is
strategically designed based on principles of hypertrophy that have been
proven by science. If you’re able—and more importantly, willing—to follow
this program to a T, you’re guaranteed to pack on muscle mass. If you’re
eating enough, ensuring you’re in a positive protein balance, and getting
stronger using the principles outlined in this chapter, the program is failproof.
As we go through the principles of the program, you might recognize
most, if not all of them. Don’t be surprised—after all, we’ve just discussed in
great detail the mechanisms by which we build muscle; now we’re just
putting them all into context.
Now, let’s get down to brass tacks. Bulk Up Fast is based on the
following principles:
The Three Mechanisms of Muscle Growth
There are three primary mechanisms that drive muscle growth: mechanical
tension, muscle damage, and, to a lesser degree, metabolic stress.1 These
mechanisms are responses to how we exercise. Volume and intensity are the
two primary variables that activate one or more of those mechanisms.
Mechanical tension is, as the name implies, a mechanically-induced
tension produced when a muscle responds to being loaded and stretched. This
stress is typically formed when lifting successively heavier loads for a
sufficient amount of time. Mechanical stress is a primary driver of muscle
growth and, at lower rep ranges, has been shown to produce the
greatest increases in strength.2
Muscle damage is localized damage to muscle tissue that generates a
hypertrophic response. The tension necessary to produce this result is
typically found in a moderate rep range—where the load is still relatively
heavy, but due to the higher number of reps, the muscle is placed under
tension for a prolonged period of time.
Metabolic stress has to do with a metabolite buildup that is a byproduct
of training with lighter loads and higher repetitions. When you’re curling
those 20-pound dumbbells to the point that your biceps feel like they’ve
caught fire, that’s metabolic stress.
Rep
Intensity
Range
Mechanical
Tension
Muscle
Damage
Metabolic
Stress
1-6
Heavy
xxxxx
xxx
6-12
Moderate
xx
xxxxx
xx
12-15
Light
xx
xxxxx
The previous chart depicts the relationships between volume and
intensity, and the resulting mechanisms they produce. It’s important to
understand that these mechanisms aren’t confined to specific rep ranges or
intensities—rather, they can occur simultaneously to varying degrees. For
example, an individual who is using a relatively heavy weight and
performing 7 reps is producing a good deal of mechanical tension and a great
deal of muscle damage. On the other hand, the person using a lighter weight
and lifting it for 15 reps may not experience any mechanical tension, but the
intensity is still sufficient enough to cause some muscle damage while
eliciting metabolic stress.
The Virtuous Cycle of Growth
Training with heavier loads corresponds to greater strength gains. Because
you’ve gotten stronger from higher intensity loads, it’s only natural that
you’ll be stronger when you train with a lighter load as well.
For example, if your maximum bench press is 225lbs and you’re
regularly pushing 170lbs for sets of 10, 170lbs can become 180lbs, 190lbs, or
more, with the same effort once you reach a maximum bench press of, say,
245lbs. This is because you’ve gotten stronger.
The purpose of training with heavy loads is to gain strength that will
spill over into your lighter load training, thereby resulting in progressively
more muscle damage. The more muscle damage we elicit via training, the
more muscle we build. That newly added muscle will then play a huge role in
your heavier load training since a larger muscle is a stronger muscle.
When we train with a light load and perform a high number of
repetitions, we’re going to build up our lactate threshold. This means we’ll be
able to fight through the burn more efficiently; we can train for a longer
period of time before the burning sensation occurs. In a sense, you’re
building muscle endurance. The benefit here is quite simple: the increased
lactate threshold will allow us to train with heavier loads for a longer period
of time.
By learning to program these three mechanisms strategically, you’ll
enter a virtuous cycle of growth.
Sets: The “Sweet Spot”
It’s clear that performing multiple sets per muscle group is superior to
performing just one set.3 It’s also clear, however, that beyond a certain
number of sets we experience diminishing returns. Anything after about 3-5
sets becomes less and less significant. In fact, additional volume in the form
of sets is not only inefficient, but it can impair our ability to recover. This is
especially true for anyone who’s been training consistently for less than one
year, since they require less overall volume to achieve growth and can’t
recover as efficiently as a more experienced lifter can. That said, Bulk Up
Fast will keep sets per exercise to the minimum effective amount to ensure
sufficient volume and adequate recovery. Better recovery equals faster
muscle growth.
It’s also important to mention that for isolation lifts that target smaller
muscles—particularly those that act as secondary movers during your big
lifts—less total volume from direct training is required due to their
involvement in other heavier movements. For example, it wouldn’t make
sense to perform the same number of biceps curls as you would barbell rows.
Not only because the biceps are much smaller than the back, but also because
the stimulus that transfers over to the biceps when rowing should be taken
into account for overall biceps volume.
Training Frequency
If you trained for three months and bench pressed during 24 of your
workouts, your bench would have increased significantly more than if you’d
only bench pressed during 12 of those workouts. The consistent exposure to a
specific movement is what produces the neuromuscular adaptations necessary
for maximizing strength in any exercise. Because our goal is to put on as
much muscle as possible, it’s imperative that we perfect the six key
movements by practicing them regularly—practice makes perfect.
Also, training at a higher frequency will allow you to limit your daily
volume. This makes for a much easier recovery between sessions. Better
recovery equals better performance, and better performance results in greater
muscle gains.
With Bulk Up Fast, you will be training with each of the six key
movements twice per week while targeting each muscle group—directly or
indirectly—three times per week. Not only does this allow for shorter and
more effective workouts, it also provides us an efficient way to meet the
optimal weekly training volume of 10 sets per muscle group per week.4
Progressive Tension Overload
“Strong people are harder to kill than weak people and more
useful in general.”
- Mark Rippetoe
You know what really grinds my gears? When someone says, “I want to
build muscle but I really don’t care to add strength.” I mean, do you really
think you’re going to get massively bigger by pushing around the same
weight as you are now? For one, it makes absolutely no sense since getting
progressively stronger is precisely how we build muscle mass.5 More
importantly, saying you want to gain size without any interest in getting
stronger is like saying you want to drive a $200,000 Ferrari with the engine
of a Honda Fit. All show, no go. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather drive
the $15,000 Honda Fit with the Ferrari engine. Realistically, though, that
could never happen. Not because the engine wouldn’t fit in the opposing
vehicle—I’d be the wrong one to ask about that—but because you’ll never
see a jacked dude who can only bench press 135lbs, the same way you’ll
never see a guy squatting 405lbs with chicken legs.
Besides, who wants to look big and muscular but struggle to open a
water bottle?
The point is this: with strength comes size. The stronger you get, the
bigger you’ll grow.
When I say you have to gain strength to build size, however, it doesn’t
mean you should focus on increasing your one-rep max—although, that may
happen as a byproduct. What it means is this: over time, the muscle adapts
and becomes resistant to the damaging effects of the load. This resistance to
stimulus can occur quite fast—in as little as 48 hours to be exact. When this
happens, muscle growth comes to a screeching halt. The load must then be
gradually increased to elicit further adaptations. Simply put, if you’re not
regularly increasing the load you’re using, you’re not going to do more than
just maintain what you’ve built.
For example, if you’re bench pressing 135lbs for 4 sets of 8 repetitions,
your body will adapt by building new muscle tissue to handle the stress again
later. If, on your next trip to the gym, you bench press the same 135lbs for 4
sets of 8, your body will have no reason to change as it’s already adapted to
that stress. Bench press 140lbs for 4 sets of 8 reps, however, and you will
have stimulated growth once again due to the heavier load. Likewise, bench
135lbs, but for 10 reps instead of 8, and you will have activated those
adaptations due to an increase in total volume.
If you increase the amount of weight you can squat without sacrificing
the number of reps, you’ve gotten stronger. Similarly, if you’re able to push
the same weight for more reps, you’ve gained strength. Therefore, the
conclusion to draw from this process is that if you want to get bigger, you’ve
got to get stronger.
Deloading
Deloading refers to a planned reduction in volume and/or intensity, whose
purpose is to allow the body to dissipate accumulated fatigue, allow a full
recovery, and prepare you for progress.
The key to building muscle and gaining strength over long periods of
time is regularly pushing your body to a point of overreaching and then
backing off.
If you’re just starting out, it’s unlikely that you’ll need to deload
anytime soon. In fact, most skinny beginners can get away with training for a
good 3-6 months without backing off. Unfortunately, though, there will
eventually be a time when progress will come to a complete halt or, in some
cases, even regress. If you’re no longer able to progress after 1-2 resets (that
is, if the amount of weight you’re able to handle decreases) it’s a good sign
that you’re overreaching (good), or that you’re close to overtraining (bad). If
we push our body to the point where it is over-trained, the deload/recovery
phase could take much longer. If we pull back at the right time, however, we
create a slingshot effect that allows us to come back stronger.
When to Deload
Your first deload should take place when you begin to experience any of the
following:
A plateau in your strength despite proper resets
Loss of strength
Feeling tired and unmotivated to train
Achy joints and/or tendons
High intensity, high frequency training for a long period of
time without a deload
Once you’ve been training for six months or more, I would advise
including a regularly scheduled back off week—every 6-8 weeks would be
ideal. If these signs come up before your scheduled deload, start your
recovery phase immediately. On the other hand, if you’re still feeling great
and getting stronger, hold off on the deload.
Why Take a Load Off?
Your body experiences physical stress in three simple steps: first, you
provide the stimulus through exercise, next you remove the stimulus through
rest and recovery, and lastly, you adapt to handle the stimulus better. This
adaptation is known as supercompensation and it is what allows us to gain
muscle and strength.
If done correctly, you’ll be back on the gain train and getting stronger—
and bigger—again. It’ll also serve as a mental and physical break that will
preemptively address any recovery issues you may have encountered, along
with alleviating any aches and pains that were hindering your performance.
The principles outlined in this chapter are the foundation for why the
program is structured the way it is. In the next chapter, we’ll go over what
rules you must follow to ensure you’re maximizing your efforts and building
upon these foundational pillars—the how of the program, if you will.
CHAPTER 17
THE LAWS
“I say break the rules. Not the law, but break the rules.”
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
Rules are meant to be broken… so we’ll call these laws instead.
Understanding the principles is one thing, but actually putting them into
practice is what creates the results. In this chapter, we’re going to go over the
guidelines of the program and how to implement them into your training.
Choosing the Correct Weight to Use
If you’ve been training for some time and already have a good idea of how
much weight you can handle for the given volume, great. If you’re just
starting out, though, you’ll have to spend a week or so finding a solid starting
point.
The way you should determine how much weight you’ll be using is
quite simple: start off with a weight light enough that you can perform the
given exercise for the prescribed volume, with perfect form, and still have a
few more reps left in the tank. For example, if the program calls for 3 sets of
5 reps on the bench press, start with the bar. Ease your way up to a weight
you’re comfortable with—one that will allow you to hit all 5 reps while still
being able to easily perform another 3 reps on top of that. Though you may
finish the working sets and feel as if you haven’t done much, your goals were
to get some practice at performing the exercise, and to get a better idea of
how much weight you can handle. I’d recommend taking this slow and steady
approach for the first week to ensure that (1) you’re learning the movements
properly and (2) you’re learning how much weight you can handle on a given
exercise.
Warming Up
The role of the warm-up is simple: to prepare the body to be primed and
ready for the working sets.
Warming up is both muscular and neuromuscular. It elevates the
temperature of the muscles and tissues, thus making them more flexible
(giving you a better range of motion) and less susceptible to injury. It’s also
going to improve the muscular contractile properties and allow you to
practice the movement pattern that you are about to train with.
If you warm up just enough, you’re going to feel primed and excited,
and you’re going to dominate your working sets. If, however, you overdo it,
the negative impact on your lifts will be apparent. Any physical activity we
perform requires energy that could otherwise be used for a strenuous workout
—why waste it by performing excessive warm-ups? If you want to ensure
that you’re maximizing your performance, you’ve got to make sure you’re
using your energy wisely.
Warming up before an intense training session is critical, but not
complicated. In the case of this program, the warm-up should fit the workout.
Because we are weight training, we must utilize a warm-up method that will
prepare the body for this specific activity. For example, if you’re going to
bench press, then the warm-up should consist of a few lighter sets of bench
pressing.
It’s also worth mentioning that the warm-up is the part of the program
that is most conducive to how well you know your body. The more
experienced you become, the better and more efficient your warm-ups will
be.
How to Warm Up
Go straight to the exercise you are starting off with. Perform 1 set with an
empty bar using a full range of motion—a basic rep range of 8-10 would be
ideal. Slowly add weight to the bar in even increments until you are ready to
handle the work set. Make sure your warm-up, excluding the set with the
empty bar, does not exceed 3-5 sets. Once you start to add weight, warm-up
reps can be tapered down to save gas for the working sets.
Warm Up Example:
Bench Press
Empty Bar x 8
95lbs x 6
115lbs x 4
135lbs x 2
Begin Working Sets
Note: These are warm-up sets and should be treated as so. The amount of
time you should rest in between warm-up sets should be limited to the
amount of time it takes you to load up the bar for the next one—no longer
than that.
This warm-up strategy should be implemented any time you’re getting
ready to train a new set of muscles. For example, if you’re going to squat
following a bench press, then warm up on the squat using the same strategy.
On the other hand, if you’re going to perform triceps pushdowns, you won’t
need to warm up as the muscles involved were already active during the
bench press.
Linear Progression
As a beginner, adding 100lbs to your bench press over the course of a year
isn’t easy, but it’s certainly possible. Adding 100lbs to your biceps curls,
however, is much less likely. This is true for a couple of reasons. First, your
chest, triceps, and shoulders working together are far stronger than your
biceps alone. Secondly, the rate of progression would simply be too fast for
anyone to achieve naturally.
Here’s what I mean: If you bench pressed 100lbs at the beginning of
your training career, and managed to increase it to 200lbs over the course of
one year, that would make for a 100% increase in your bench press. If, on the
other hand, you began with 10-pound dumbbells (20lbs total) and ended the
year using 60-pound dumbbells (120lbs total), that would make for a 500%
increase—not exactly easy to achieve.
Make sense?
Progressing with Big Lifts
As someone who is relatively new to training (or, at least, to proper training),
you can expect to progress quite rapidly. For your heavy compound lifts the
goal is simply to add 5lbs per session.
For example, if day one prescribes a squat for 3 sets of 5 reps, and
you’re able to push 95lbs for the prescribed sets and reps, the next time you
perform the same workout, you’ll aim to squat 100lbs, and so on. Due to
certain external factors, you may occasionally fail on a set, only being able to
push 3 or 4 reps when you’re shooting for the prescribed 5. If this happens,
the first step is to give it another go. Next time you perform the workout, use
the same exact weight you failed with previously. If, for whatever reason,
you fail again, simply reset (more on this in a second).
Progressing with Small Lifts
The smaller lifts will prescribe a range of reps, rather than a specific rep
quantity. For example, on a specific day, biceps curls may call for 3 sets of 812 reps. In this case, choose a weight you can lift for the prescribed number
of sets for 8 reps. Once you can complete every set for the minimum
prescribed reps (8), aim to hit 10 reps—with the same weight—the next time
around.
Once you can complete every set for 10 reps, use the same weight the
next time and aim for 12. Once you can complete every set for the maximum
prescribed reps, increase the weight by 2.5 - 5 lbs.
Perform 3 sets for 8 reps using the new heavier weight, and repeat.
Straight Sets
The easiest way to progress, especially as someone new to proper training, is
to keep things constant. It’s why we’ll be performing straight sets for every
workout. Unlike the traditional pyramid loading, straight sets rely more on
cumulative fatigue. This means that the second set will be more challenging
than the first, the third more challenging than the second, and so on.
Here’s what it looks like:
If you’re going to squat for 3 sets of 8 reps, you’ll perform the first set
with a given weight, rest, perform another set with the same weight, rest, and
finish the last set with the same weight.
Pretty straightforward, right? Straight sets basically mean that you’ll use
the same amount of weight for each set on a given exercise.
Rest
As discussed in a previous chapter, rest periods should be as long (or as
short) as necessary to recover for the following set. The heavier you’re
training, the longer you’ll need to rest. If you fail to rest long enough, you’re
going to hinder your ability to progress. If you rest too long, however, you’ll
end up spending your entire day at the gym. The more time you spend lifting
weights, the less time you’ll have for the things that really matter in life, like
eating.
Control the Weight
If you want to maximize the time you’re spending in the gym for the best
results in the least amount of time, you’ve got to focus on the entire lift, not
just the concentric. This is not to say that you should count to 10 as you lower
the bar, but make a conscious effort to ensure the weight is under control
throughout the duration of the set.
If the simple act of showing up to the gym and going through the
motions was enough, everyone would be jacked out of their minds. However,
that just isn’t the case. The guys who get the best results aren’t the ones
holding a conversation during their set, they’re the ones who are focused on
the task at hand. If you want to get the best ROI on your time in the gym,
train with intent. Make every single rep of every single set count.
Resets
Failure is inevitable. Although you’ll be able to progress in a linear fashion
for a prolonged period, at some point you’ll miss a rep or two. This could be
caused by various factors such as stress, lack of sleep, inadequate nutrition,
dehydration, the list goes on. If this happens, don’t be discouraged because
it’s part of the game. You see, there is a limit to the amount of times you can
add weight to the bar before you reach your maximum voluntary strength—
for someone who is just starting out, that number is much larger than for
someone more experienced.
When this occurs—because it will—you’ll simply reset. The role of the
reset is to prime the muscle to start responding to the training stimulus once
again so that you can continue to get bigger and stronger.
Here’s how it works:
Say, for example, you deadlifted 185lbs for 4 sets of 6 reps last week.
This week, you attempt to pull 190lbs for the same number of sets and reps;
however, due to some external factor, you’re only able to hit 4 reps on your
last set. Understand this: you’ve still gotten stronger because your intensity
has increased—this is still progress. Of course, the main goal is to match the
previous volume with a heavier weight. First, dust yourself off and try again.
It’s very likely that you were just having an “off” day. If, however, you fail
again next week, something has to change. In this case, you’d decrease the
total weight by 10-15% for your next deadlift session. That means instead of
attempting 190lbs again, you’d scale back to 160-170lbs, and start gradually
increasing the weight from there.
How to Deload
In this program, the deload is very simple. For one week, you’ll perform the
same number of sets and reps, but you will reduce the intensity by about 50%
and focus on refining your technique. In other words, if you’re currently
bench pressing 160lbs for sets of 5, you’ll knock that down to 80lbs for the
same number of sets and reps. Consider your deload a form of active rest.
Other Ways to Deload (Optional)
Ultimately, it’s imperative that you back off if you don’t want to run
yourself in the ground and sabotage what you’ve worked so hard to build.
Therefore, regardless of which method you choose, deloading is a critical
component of growth.
Training Schedule
There is no physiological difference between working out on Monday and
working out on Tuesday. What matters is not what day of the week it is, but
the total work done in a given period of time. On top of that, everyone’s
schedule is different, and since adherence is key, it’s less about what you
should do and more about what you can do. Besides, who I am to tell you
when you should or shouldn’t go to the gym—you go when you can. Also,
life happens, and Monday morning—the only time you’re able to make it to
the gym that day—might be your daughter’s ballet recital. Instead of
“sacrificing to win” and missing out on something meaningful, do it
tomorrow.
The workout won’t be broken down into specific days (e.g. Monday,
Wednesday, Friday). Instead, it’ll be broken down into a given number of
workouts (e.g. Workout 1, Workout 2, Workout 3). Whether you’re taking a
rest day after every session, or performing them all back to back—what’s
important is that (1) you perform them in order so that Workout 2 will never
be done before Workout 1 in the week and (2) that all the workouts are
completed within the training week.
If you can manage including a rest day after every second training
session, I highly recommend doing so. However, completing three, or even
all four workouts back to back will always be better than missing a session
that week. Remember, it’s not about a specific schedule, but rather, a specific
amount of work that must be performed in a given timeframe.
If you’re a little sore, no biggie. Do the workout anyway. As long as
you’re not injured or at risk of injury, training with sore muscles isn’t going
to harm you. Even if it means decreasing the amount of work you can put in,
it’s still going to be better than not training at all.
Summing Up
To summarize, you’re going to spend a week or two practicing the
movements while gauging how much weight you can handle. Once you’ve
got that in order, make sure you’re warming up just enough without
expending too much energy. When you’re ready, perform each working set
with the same weight—don’t pyramid up or down, keep it constant. Control
the weight throughout the entire set and rest just enough to recover in
between sets. Track what you did in your workout log and try to do slightly
more the next time around. If you fail, dust yourself off and try again. If you
fail a second consecutive time, reset the weight for the given exercise and
work your way back up. Once you’ve been training consistently for 12
weeks, pay close attention to your progress as it may be time to deload, or to
make other adjustments.
At first, this may all seem a bit complicated, but by referring to this
chapter regularly, it should all begin to make more sense. If you’re feeling
overwhelmed, don’t—like all else, with a little practice it becomes second
nature. Think back to the last board game you learned to play—at first, when
you were reading the rules or as your cousin explained them to you, you
thought “jeez, I don’t understand.” After a few rounds, though, you were an
expert. It’ll be the same on your quest to building a bigger and stronger body
—just start playing the game and learn as you go.
CHAPTER 18
THE BIG 6
Now that you understanding the mechanisms by which the program works
and how to put them into practice, let’s delve a bit deeper into the
foundational movements you’ll be performing.
If you want to build the most amount of muscle in the least amount of
time possible, the exercises that are going to provide the best ROI on your
time must be the focus of your training.
Think of your pecs as a house, your triceps as a shed, and the workers as
the muscles you’re recruiting to do the work. Performing isolation exercises
like biceps curls is like hiring 10 workers to build the house and telling eight
of them to work on the shed. Sure, you may eventually end up with a nice
shed, but the house will never get done.
Now imagine if you hired 100 workers to build the house instead, and
then told 20 of them to build the shed. Both jobs would get done faster.
Focusing your efforts on The Big 6 is like hiring 100 workers instead of 10.
Are you ready to build your dream home?
Let’s jump into the what, why, and how of the most important lifts in the
program. The movements that, if done correctly, will not just pack slabs of
muscle onto your frame, but will result in brute strength and stronger, more
resilient joints that improve health and longevity.
Note: For those of you who are visual learners like I am, I’ve created an
exercise video library for you to access inside the resources website area
(www.musclemonsters.com/bulkup). Go there to see what each exercise—
including the small isolation movements—looks like in practice.
Horizontal Push
“How much ya bench?”
Once people start realizing you lift weights, that’s the first question
they’ll ask, and you’ll probably want to respond with a big number. The
problem, however, is that the bench press—although one of the simplest of
the main lifts to perform—is the easiest to butcher. When your sole purpose
is to sound manly when you tell someone how much you bench press,
cheating the weight up becomes more likely.
Do yourself a favor and leave your ego at the door—don’t try to impress
anyone other than the guy you were when you last entered the gym. In other
words, focus on getting incrementally better than you were in your previous
session, and do it without using poor form to get the weight up. Not only will
you build more muscle this way, you’ll avoid injury as well.
A few things you want to avoid on the bench press are:
Failing to bring the bar all the way down to your chest
Raising your butt off the bench
Flaring your elbows out
Allowing your shoulders to shrug or roll forward at the top
If you jump right into heavy weight without being familiar with the
movement, you’re going to get injured. Nine times out of ten, improper bench
press technique leads to damaged shoulders, which can take a great deal of
time to heal completely.
Bench press with proper form, on the other hand, and you’ll preserve
your shoulders while growing your upper body bigger and stronger.
Bench Press
Setting up on the bench is quite simple: lie down on the bench with your eyes
directly under the bar. Drive your shoulder blades into the bench by retracting
them toward each other and down toward your waist. Create an arch in your
lower back that’s big enough to fit a baseball between it and the bench. Raise
your chest and keep it up for the entirety of the lift.
Grip the bar a few inches wider than shoulder width. Make sure your
thumbs are wrapped completely around the bar—not next to your index
finger. Make sure the bar sits in the palm of your hands and not in your
fingers (unless you want to destroy your wrists). Grip the bar tightly, almost
as if you were attempting to crush it with your hands.
Place your feet directly beneath your knees—angled outward—and plant
them firmly on the ground. This will allow you to push through your heels
and create “leg drive” when pushing the bar off your chest.
Now you’re ready to lift.
Remove the bar from the rack by locking your elbows out. Move the bar
into position with your elbows still locked.
As you lower the bar, try to tuck your elbows close to your body by
keeping your arms at a 45-degree angle relative to your torso. For those who
find that a 45-degree angle doesn’t work for them, focus instead on simply
bringing the bar right below the nipples. With a grip slightly outside of
shoulder width, this will almost always ensure your elbows are tucked and
shoulders are safe.
Bring the bar down in a straight line until it touches your chest and then
press the bar up explosively in a straight line. To ensure that you’re keeping
the bar moving in a straight line, don’t look at it. Instead, find a spot on the
ceiling you can stare at throughout the entirety of the lift.
To Summarize
Keep your chest up, elbows tucked, and shoulder blades back and down.
Drive your legs against the floor to transfer force up through the hips and
back, which will increase pushing force. Maintain your three points of
contact: butt and upper back should never leave the bench while the legs
should stay planted firmly on the floor.
Although you may see everyone else doing it, never allow the bar to
bounce off your chest. Always lower the bar under control, stay tight, and
then simply drive up once the bar touches your chest.
Vertical Push
The overhead press is by far the best all-around exercise for building massive
shoulders. Not only that, it also does a great deal for building the upper chest,
putting mass on the triceps, and increasing your bench press strength.
The overhead press, like most of the main lifts, doesn’t just stimulate the
obvious muscle groups (i.e. the shoulders, upper chest, and triceps), however.
It also helps strengthen the lats through heavy eccentric loading, engages the
legs by using them as stabilizers, and, of course, increases core strength.
This movement, although not the most complicated, is a bit more
complex than the bench press. Not just because it’s easily butchered, but
because your body is in a more vulnerable position since you have no
support.
A few things you want to avoid when shoulder pressing are:
Pressing in front of your body (I call this a standing bench
press)
Arching your back too much; not maintaining a tight core
Not locking out the lift (this is very common in the OHP)
Too wide of a grip, which leads to flared elbows
Like the bench press—and any other big compound exercise—you don’t
want to start slapping weight on the bar until you’ve perfected the lift. Trying
to lift too much weight on the overhead press is a surefire way to cause
serious injury. Poor form on this lift can lead to anything from shoulder
damage to straining your lower back, or even neck pain.
Perform the overhead press with solid form, however, and you’ll
strengthen your shoulders, lower back and core. Not to mention, you’ll build
massive deltoids, a bigger upper chest, and thicker arms.
Note: If you’re not strong enough to handle an empty bar with proper
form for the prescribed volume, then starting out with the seated version of
this exercise would be best.
Overhead Press
The Setup: The rack should be set so that the bar is at the same height as your
collarbone. Grip the barbell with palms slightly wider than shoulder width
apart. Wrap the thumbs around the bar and over the fingers and position the
bar in the heel of the palm.
From there, you’ll pull yourself toward the bar so that it rests on your
collarbone—get in there nice and close. Make sure your forearms are vertical
so that your elbows are pointing downward.
Now we’re standing nice and tall with our knees and hips locked, feet
shoulder width apart, and chest up. Shoulders back and down. Core tight.
Barbell at the clavicle. Forearms vertical, elbows down.
Now you’re ready to press.
First, raise your chest to the ceiling by arching your upper back a bit. Fix
your eyes on something directly in front of you to ensure you’re looking
forward and not up.
Now tilt your head back slightly to allow the bar to pass your nose and
chin as you press the bar up in a straight line.
Once the bar passes your forehead, shift your torso forward a bit and
squeeze your glutes. At this point, the bar should be in direct alignment with
your shoulders and the front of your hips, and your head should be inside to
where your ears are positioned slightly in front of your arms.
Raise the bar until your elbows are locked; your shoulders and traps
should get a nice squeeze at the top.
When you’re bringing the bar back down, take a deep breath, tighten
your core and glutes, and raise your chest up by arching your upper back
slightly to ensure your head is out of the bar’s way. Bring the barbell down to
the collarbone in a straight line and repeat.
To Summarize
Grip the bar slightly outside of shoulder width with the bar resting on your
clavicle. Stand nice and tall with your hips and knees locked and feet
shoulder width apart. Shoulders should be back and down, and your core
should remain tight.
Tilt your head back slightly to avoid knocking yourself out and press the
bar up in a straight line. Tuck your head in, lock your arms, and squeeze the
shoulders and traps.
If you’re a bit overwhelmed by the instructions, don’t be. In the
beginning, you may notice yourself focusing quite a bit on a few of the cues
mentioned, but with a little practice, the movement begins to feel much more
natural.
Horizontal Pull
There are several muscles that make up the mid/upper back: the traps,
rhomboids, teres major and minor, erector spinae, and infraspinatus. Most of
these are responsible for one primary movement: retraction of the scapula.
Anytime you pull a weight toward your body horizontally from out in front of
you, such as when you row, all those muscles are firing.
When it comes to building a thick, well developed back, you must row
to grow. This is why we’re including the bent over barbell row as part of The
Big 6. This is, by far, the best overall mass builder when it comes to back
development. Not only are you building back thickness through loading the
function of scapula retraction, but the lats—which are responsible for back
width—are getting a good deal of stimulus as well. Not to mention, anytime
we’re pulling a weight toward our body—be it vertically or horizontally—
we’re engaging our biceps to a significant degree. Want bigger arms? Pull
heavier weight!
The main issue I find with this exercise is that most people tend to use
more weight than they can handle. Jerking back and forth and using a ton of
body English to get the weight up is a tell-tale sign that the load is too heavy.
If you’re moving anything other than your arms, chances are that you’re not
going to maximize the amount of load you’re putting on the target muscle(s).
If you let momentum move the weight, you’re just decreasing muscle
fiber recruitment while increasing your risk of injury. Remember, this is an
upper-body pull, not a full body jerk.
Controlling the weigh throughout the entire range—even if it means a
little less weight on the bar—is not only going to reduce the risk of a
potentially serious injury, it will also greatly increase the amount of tension
you’re putting on the target muscle(s).
Bent Over Barbell Row
The setup for the barbell row is quite simple: the barbell row we’ll be
performing should always start from the ground. Walk up to the bar and stand
with your mid-foot underneath it. If your shins are touching the bar, you’re
too close. Grab the bar with an overhand grip, arms slightly wider than
shoulder width. Unlock your knees, keep your hips high, lift your chest a bit,
and make sure your back is straight with your torso horizontal.
Now you’re ready to pull.
Brace your core by breathing in and tightening your abs. Pull the weight
off the floor toward your lower chest. Squeeze your back at the top, but don’t
hold the weight up there. Control the weight back down until your arms are
fully extended before initiating the next rep. This will ensure that you’re
pulling the weight through a full range of motion.
To Summarize
Grip the bar overhand with arms slightly outside shoulder width. Break at
knees, chest up a bit, and back straight. Then pull—don’t jerk—the barbell
toward your lower chest. Squeeze your back at the top and control the weight
on the way down. Once your arms are completely straight, initiate the
following repetition.
Vertical Pull
Whenever we’re pulling a weight down from over our head, the largest
muscle of the back—the lats—become the primary target. Vertical pulling is,
by far, the most efficient way to build massive wings. This is mainly due to
their function: extension and adduction of the shoulder. Anytime you’re
bringing your arm down in front of you—or to your side—you’re doing so
primarily with your lats.
For this movement, I’ll give you a few options, mainly because I am
fully aware that not everyone can perform enough pull ups to make for an
effective workout. If you can perform pull ups for the prescribed volume of
the program, however, it’s what I’d recommend. If not, substitute them with
their easier-to-perform, slightly uglier cousin: chin ups. Can’t do those
either? Start with assisted pull ups and build your strength from there. This
can be done with an assisted pull up machine, a friend, or pull up assistance
bands.
Is it getting too complicated? No worries. Stick to lat pulldowns and
address the pull ups later.
If you’re willing and able to go the pull up—or chin up—route,
progression is quite simple. Use a dip belt and gradually add weight or
simply hold a dumbbell in between your feet or thighs for added resistance.
If you’re using assistance, progression is also simple: Slowly decrease
the level of assistance you’re using. Eventually you’ll be able to perform
them with no help, and from there you can gradually add weight.
Or…
Just use the lat pulldown machine instead.
Pull Ups
Once you have a bar to hang from, grab it with an overhand grip—arms
should be slightly wider than shoulder width. Bring yourself down to a dead
hang where your arms are fully extended. From there, simply pull yourself up
by pulling your elbows down toward the floor. Pull until your chin has passed
the bar, then squeeze your back at the top, and control your body on the way
down. Once your arms reach the fully extended position, repeat.
Chin Ups
Using the pull-up bar, grab it with an underhand grip (palms facing you) and
hands slightly closer than shoulder width. Bring yourself down until your
arms are fully extended. Create a slight curvature on your lower back, and
stick your chest out—you may find that this happens naturally from the
hanging position. Then bring your body up by pulling the bar toward your
chest. Once your chin has passed the bar, control your body on the descent
until you’ve reached the starting position and repeat.
Lat Pulldowns
Grab the bar on the pulldown machine—overhand with hands slightly wider
than shoulder width—and sit down. Keep your chest tall and pull the weight
down until the bar passes your chin by bringing your elbows down toward the
floor. Control the bar on its way back up until your arms are fully extended
and repeat.
To Summarize
This program isn’t intended to increase the number of pull ups you can do—
although, that may just happen to be a byproduct. The purpose of vertical
pulling is to build bigger lats while adding a bit of volume to the upper back
and biceps as well. The reason I recommend the pull up as your first option is
because you’re moving your body through space. This requires the
involvement of stabilizer muscles and does a great deal for building core
strength—an added benefit. However, because volume is the primary focus,
performing a variation where you’ll be able to progress is most important.
Lower Body Push
Our main lower body push exercise will come in the form of perhaps the
most widely-avoided exercise in the gym: the squat. The reason some guys
pass the squat rack and end up on the leg press machine is simple: leg presses
are easy and squats are hard. If you’re looking for maximal growth in
minimal time, however, squat is king.
This is not to say that you can’t build big legs without squatting—you
most certainly can—but we’re looking for the big-bang-for-your-buck
exercises. These are the exercises that are going to pack the most meat onto
your skinny frame in the shortest amount of time.
It’s no surprise that carrying a heavy load on your back, squatting down
with it, and then standing back up again, is going to put some serious mass on
every muscle in your legs. The benefits of squatting don’t just end there.
Squats, when done correctly, will strengthen the connective tissue around the
knees, and increase flexibility and mobility. They’ll help you run faster and
jump higher, and squatting is an incredibly effective core workout as well.
Done incorrectly, however, squats can compromise knee stability or,
even worse, result in serious spinal injury. Worry not, though. If you use
proper form, you won’t have to worry about injuring your back or knees.
A few things you want to avoid when squatting:
Stopping before you reach proper depth (a.k.a. half squats)
Rounding your lower back
Leaning too far forward—you’ll know you’ve done this when
your legs straighten out and your torso is almost parallel with
the floor
Too wide of a grip on the bar
Letting your knees collapse inward
Pushing through your toes—through the balls of your feet—
instead of the heels
You’re using a tampon (a.k.a. a squat pad)
The list of blunders is long, but avoiding them is easy.
Squat
First, remove the neck pad from the bar. Although it’s well-intentioned, this
cushion is going to make it extremely hard to keep upper back tightness. It
may be a bit uncomfortable at first, but you’ll live, and eventually you’ll
adapt to the stress of the bar on your traps.
Now grab the bar outside of shoulder width. Put your feet directly under
the bar, get under it, and put it between your traps and rear shoulder muscles.
Pick your chest up, and keep your upper back tight—almost as if you’re
trying to bend the bar across your back.
Now you’re ready to go.
Remove the bar from the rack by standing upright. Take one step back
with one leg and another step with your other leg. Stand straight with your
knees and hips locked for maximum stability, heels shoulder width apart with
toes pointed outward slightly—about 20 to 25 degrees should do the trick.
Set your eyes on a spot on the floor about six feet in front of you and fix
your eyes on it for the duration of the set—this’ll help keep your neck in a
neutral position.
Squat down by pushing your knees to the side and your hips back and
down. Squat until you break parallel—your hip crease must go below the top
of your knee. Don’t stop, but quickly reverse the movement by pushing
through the heels of your feet and driving your hips straight up. Keep your
knees out, your chest up and your upper back tight. Lock your hips and knees
at the top and repeat.
To Summarize
Set the bar in between your traps and rear delts. Keep your chest up and
upper back tight. Keep your heels shoulder width apart and feet pointed
outward slightly. Fix your eyes on a spot on the floor to keep your neck and
spine safe. Squat down by pushing your knees out and hips back and down.
Once you’ve reached parallel—or slightly below—squat up by pushing your
heels into the ground and driving your hips straight up.
Lower Body Pull
As you might have guessed, our main lower body pull is the deadlift, the
granddaddy of them all. Training just about every muscle group in the body
—legs, glutes, the entire back, and core—the deadlift is an integral part of
this program.
Not only does the deadlift work more muscles than any other exercise,
but it targets all the muscles responsible for your posture, which enables you
to keep your back straighter during regular day-to-day activities.
The deadlift is, without question, not just one of the best mass building
exercises you can do, but one of the most impactful to your overall health and
longevity.
Like many other exercises, however, it’s easy to butcher. A few things
you want to avoid when deadlifting are:
Bouncing your deadlift off the floor
Squatting the deadlift up—it’s a pull, not a push!
Shrugging the weight at the top
Jerking the bar off the ground
Rounding your back
The more muscles that you work, the more joints you’re involving. The
more joints we use in a lift—especially when we’re pulling hundreds of
pounds off the ground—the higher the risk of injury. Therefore, although it’s
a fairly simple lift, I strongly advise that you take time to perfect it before
going too heavy. Even if you’re currently strong enough to muscle 225lbs off
the ground, it doesn’t mean you should. Start light, learn the movement, and
progress slowly.
The better you get at the lift, the faster you’ll progress. The stronger you
get, the bigger you’ll grow.
Deadlift
Stand with the bar above the center of your feet—your stance should be a bit
narrower than shoulder width to give your arms room. Grab the bar by
placing it in the middle of your palms. Your grip should also be fairly narrow
—about shoulder width apart. Your arms should be completely locked and
remain that way throughout the entire lift. Think of your arms as hooks and
nothing more.
Bend your knees until your shins touch the bar. Lift your chest until
your back is in a neutral position—don’t overarch your lower back. Pull your
shoulders back and down—if your lats are flexed, you’ve done it correctly,
and your shoulder blades should be directly over the bar.
Now you’re ready to pull.
Take a deep breath into your diaphragm and brace your abs—basically
what I do when my son asks to punch me in the stomach.
Push through your heels and drive your body upward and slightly back
—this should be done in an explosive fashion. Keep your back tight and
neutral the entire way up. The bar should move in a completely straight line.
The straighter you can keep the path of the bar, the more efficient the lift will
be for you.
The closer the bar is to your body, the more efficient the lift will be,
therefore the safer—and stronger—you’ll be.
Push your hips to the bar by flexing the glutes as you get closer to the
top. Now it’s time to descend.
First, push your hips back as you lower the bar in a straight line. Just as
it did coming up, the bar should rub against your thighs. Bend your knees
once the bar has reached them and continue lowering the bar down along
your shins. The bar should essentially come back down along the same path it
came up. Lower the weight until it is back at its initial position on the ground.
To Summarize
Stand with the bar above the center of your feet—your stance should be a bit
narrower than shoulder width. Grab the bar overhand and keep your arms in a
locked position. Bend your knees until your shins hit the bar. Keep your
shoulder blades directly over the bar. Lift your chest. Put your shoulders back
and down, head in line with the rest of your spine. Brace your core and pull.
Remember to keep the bar close to your body and, moving in a straight line,
roll it over your shins and thighs until your hips and knees are locked. Lower
the weight in a controlled manner until it has reached the ground and repeat
the pull.
What About Biceps Curls?
You don’t have to perform biceps curls to build bigger arms—enough pulling
will do the trick. However, as I mentioned in a previous chapter, isolation
lifts do have a place in the Bulk Up Fast workout. The reason for including
small single-joint exercises is simple: we want to cover all bases because
we’re only as strong as our weakest link—and because getting a nice pump
makes for better post-workout selfies.
That said, however, I won’t bore you with another four-thousand-word
explanation of how to perform these exercises. I’m sure you don’t need me to
tell you how to curl a dumbbell—the movement is quite natural. On top of
that, because it involves just one joint, the risk of injury is virtually
nonexistent—unless, of course, you’re not thinking straight and reach for the
50-pounders on the first day.
As long as you understand that the movement is, in fact, a single-joint
movement that requires only the use of that one joint, you’ll be fine. Leave
your ego at the door—or even preferably at home if you’re afraid he may
tailgate you in—and make sure you’re using a weight that you can control
throughout the entire set. If you’re jerking or bouncing, the weight is too
heavy.
Want to make sure you’re doing the right exercise and/or performing it
correctly?
Head
over
to
the
resources
website
(www.musclemonsters.com/bulkup) and watch the video tutorial(s).
The Bottom Line
Building size and strength doesn’t require a barrage of different exercises to
hit a muscle from various angles. It only requires that you continue to get
better over time with a handful of exercises that challenge each muscle group
effectively and efficiently.
The more frequently you perform these movements, the better you’ll get
at them. The more efficient you become at the exercise, the easier it becomes
to lift more weight. The more weight you lift, the bigger you’ll grow. It really
is just that simple.
CHAPTER 19
BULK UP FAST
If you skipped directly to this section without reading the previous chapters,
you’re going to fail. Not because you couldn’t just follow the workout as it’s
laid out here, but because without understanding how heavy you should train,
how long you should rest, or how to perform the exercises with proper form,
you’re just going to spin your wheels like a truck in the mud. In fact, even if
you did a bit of due diligence and skimmed through the training portion of
this book, you won’t get very far without knowing how nutrition affects the
workout.
I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt though. You bought this book
because you’ve probably had enough and you’re desperate to make a change.
Good for you.
You now understand the nutritional guidelines you must follow if you
want to maximize growth. You’ve got a firm grasp of what it takes to build
muscle both in and out of the gym. Finally, you understand not only the exact
principles by which all of this works, but also the laws you must follow to
achieve the results you want.
That said, it’s time for the fun stuff. In this section, I am going to lay out
a workout routine that was strategically designed to put as much muscle mass
on your skinny frame as possible in the least amount of time.
I’m not going to explain how or why the routine works, I’ve already
done that. I will, however, include some practical advice, while also
answering questions you may have regarding the workout routine.
Don’t worry about memorizing the exercises or bringing this book along
for the workout. I’ve created printable workouts that you can bring with you
to the gym to track your progress. These can be downloaded from the
resources website
(www.musclemonsters.com/bulkup).
The 90-Day Blueprint
Month 1
Workout 1
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Squat
3
5
Bench Press
3
5
Bent Over Row
3
5
Pull Up
4
10
Barbell Curl
4
8-12
Triceps Pushdown
2
12-15
Workout 2
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Deadlift
2
5
Overhead Press
3
5
Dumbbell Rows
4
8-12
Lateral Raises
4
8-12
Barbell Shrugs
4
8-12
Workout 3
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Squat
4
8
Bench Press
4
8
Bent Over Row
4
8
Incline Dumbbell Press
4
8-12
Triceps Pushdown
4
8-12
Hamstring Curls
2
12-15
Workout 4
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Romanian Deadlift
4
8
Overhead Press
4
8
Pull Up
3
6
Barbell Curls
2
12-15
Lateral Raises
2
12-15
Leg Extensions
2
12-15
Month 2
Workout 1
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Squat
4
5
Bench Press
4
5
Bent Over Row
4
5
Pull Up
4
10
Barbell Curl
4
8-12
Triceps Pushdown
2
12-15
Workout 2
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Deadlift
3
5
Overhead Press
4
5
Dumbbell Rows
4
8-12
Lateral Raises
4
8-12
Barbell Shrugs
4
8-12
Workout 3
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Squat
4
8
Bench Press
4
8
Bent Over Row
4
8
Incline Dumbbell Press
4
8-12
Triceps Pushdown
4
8-12
Hamstring Curls
2
12-15
Workout 4
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Romanian Deadlift
4
8
Overhead Press
4
8
Pull Up
4
6
Barbell Curls
2
12-15
Lateral Raises
2
12-15
Leg Extensions
2
12-15
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Squat
4
5
Bench Press
4
5
Bent Over Row
4
5
Pull Up
4
10
Barbell Curl
4
8-12
Triceps Pushdown
2
12-15
Month 3
Workout 1
Workout 2
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Deadlift
3
5
Overhead Press
4
5
Dumbbell Rows
4
8-12
Lateral Raises
4
8-12
Barbell Shrugs
4
8-12
Workout 3
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Squat
4
10
Bench Press
4
10
Bent Over Row
4
10
Incline Dumbbell Press
4
8-12
Triceps Pushdown
4
8-12
Hamstring Curls
2
12-15
Workout 4
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Romanian Deadlift
4
10
Overhead Press
4
10
Pull Up
4
8
Barbell Curls
2
12-15
Lateral Raises
2
12-15
Leg Extensions
2
12-15
How to Perform the Workouts
The exercises should be performed in order, one at a time. For example, on
Workout 1 you’ll warm up for squats, followed by your 3 working sets of 5
reps. Once you’ve completed the squat for the prescribed volume (sets and
reps), you’ll then move on to the next exercise.
This is what it would look like:
Squat: Set 1
Rest
Squat: Set 2
Rest
Squat: Set 3
Rest
Bench Press: Set 1
Rest
And so on.
Progression
As we discussed in earlier chapters, progression from week to week is the
goal. That said, however, I’d like to explain something in case it isn’t already
pretty clear: when tracking progression, you must only compare a workout to
the same of its kind. For example, if you bench pressed 140lbs for 3 sets of 5
reps during Workout 1 of Month 1, you would not aim to bench press the
same (or more) on Workout 3 of the same month. Workout 1 and Workout 3
prescribe a different amount of volume, meaning you will not be expected to
use the same load.
Instead, the numbers in Workout 1 in Month 1 should only ever be
compared to other Workout 1 numbers of the same month. The same goes for
every other exercise in any other workout. Because the volume differs from
session to session, the intensity (amount of weight you use) should not—and
cannot—be the same.
Simply put, because we’re varying the rep ranges, progression will not
show from session to session, but rather, from week to week.
I’m still Sore
Protein degradation occurs during the growth process after a workout. Muscle
soreness is something the body perceives during this growth period because
the amount of work you performed exceeded that which your body is used to
performing.
Experiencing muscle soreness more frequently and for prolonged
periods of time is normal for someone like you who is new to weight training.
Your body isn’t used to handling the physical stress associated with heavy
exercise, but the more you train, the better your body will become at
tolerating this type of stress.
Should you train a muscle while it’s still sore then?
The short answer is, yes, you should. In the beginning, you may notice
that, when training a muscle that is still experiencing soreness, your strength
is limited—that’s fine. The goal is to build up your training tolerance to avoid
excessive muscle soreness in the future. Also, the increased blood flow and
nutrient transport to the muscle will speed up your recovery rate, which
makes training a sore muscle okay, even if it means going a bit lighter.
I Don’t Have the Time…
“Alain, what if I am spending too much time in the gym?”
First, if you’re keeping a mindful eye on your rest times, you’re not
going to be in the gym for “too much time.”
If, however, you mean, “I’m short on time but don’t want to skip the
workout,” here’s a simple solution: do what you can.
Instead of trying to rush through the lifts, I’d recommend focusing on
whatever variation of The Big 6 you’re doing that day and aim to get as much
of that work done as you can. The rest can be sacrificed.
For example, if you’re performing Workout 1 but are short on time,
simply get through as much of the workout as you can without rushing. If it’s
a rare occurrence, don’t sweat it.
If—and this is a big if—you’re extremely limited on time and cannot
stay in the gym long enough to complete the workouts, here’s what I’d
recommend: First, eliminate the isolation or non-main lifts completely. If that
does the trick, great—if not, reduce the volume by decreasing the number of
sets performed by 1. This may not get you the best results—for obvious
reasons—but it’s better than rushing through and being unable to progress.
Ultimately, the best results will come from the best adherence. If this
means that cutting the volume will help you adhere better to the workout and
its principles, do this and you’ll still make gains. Your gains will be smaller,
but you will get them nonetheless.
Scheduling the Workout
Ideally, your workout schedule would look like this every week:
Monday: Workout 1
Tuesday: Workout 2
Wednesday: Rest
Thursday: Workout 3
Friday: Workout 4
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest
Realistically, though, schedules differ and not everyone can adhere to
this routine the way it’s laid out. Fortunately, that’s not important. What
matters is simply that you complete all of the work within the week.
Some may have to rest every other day, others may have to perform all
four workouts back to back. If your work or school schedule fluctuates, your
workout schedule will too. Either way, you’ve got to do what you can.
The 3-Day Solution
Not everyone will be able to hit the gym four days per week on a consistent
basis. You may have other priorities such as work, school, family, or a
combination of the three. If you fall into that category, then you’ll have to
settle for the 3-day version of the Bulk Up Fast workout.
I say “settle” with a bit of tongue in cheek, however. You see, if the 4day training is meant to produce the maximum results, the 3-day version may
fall behind by a mere 5-10%. In other words, if the 4-day routine produces
100% of the possible growth, the 3-day version is good for 90-95%.
That said, even those who are available to train at a higher frequency
may find that the ROI on the extra day of training just isn’t worth their time.
I’ll leave that up to you to decide.
Another factor to consider is that if you’re finding it hard to fully
recover from the four days of training, three days may actually produce
greater results. That’ll be determined on an individual basis and is something
best left for you to experiment with.
Bulk Up Fast: 3-Day Variation
Month 1
Workout 1
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Squat
5
5
Bench Press
5
5
Bent Over Row
5
5
Pull Up
4
10
Romanian Deadlifts
4
8-12
Hamstring Curls
2
12-15
Workout 2
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Deadlift
2
5
Overhead Press
5
5
Incline Dumbbell Press
2
12-15
Pull Up
5
6
Lateral Raises
4
8-12
Barbell Shrugs
4
8-12
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Squat
4
8
Bench Press
4
8
Bent Over Row
4
8
Overhead Press
4
8
Barbell Curls
3
12-15
Workout 3
Triceps Pushdown
3
12-15
Month 2
Workout 1
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Squat
5
5
Bench Press
5
5
Bent Over Row
5
5
Pull Up
4
10
Romanian Deadlifts
4
8-12
Hamstring Curls
2
12-15
Workout 2
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Deadlift
3
5
Overhead Press
5
5
Incline Dumbbell Press
3
12-15
Pull Up
5
6
Lateral Raises
4
8-12
Barbell Shrugs
4
8-12
Sets
Reps
Workout 3
Exercise
Squat
5
8
Bench Press
4
8
Bent Over Row
5
8
Overhead Press
4
8
Barbell Curls
3
12-15
Triceps Pushdown
3
12-15
Month 3
Workout 1
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Squat
5
5
Bench Press
5
5
Bent Over Row
5
5
Pull Up
4
12
Romanian Deadlifts
4
8-12
Hamstring Curls
2
12-15
Workout 2
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Deadlift
3
5
Overhead Press
5
5
Incline Dumbbell Press
3
12-15
Pull Up
5
8
Lateral Raises
4
8-12
Barbell Shrugs
4
8-12
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Squat
5
10
Bench Press
4
10
Bent Over Row
5
10
Overhead Press
4
10
Barbell Curls
3
12-15
Triceps Pushdown
3
12-15
Workout 3
What About Abs?
If you look at an anatomy chart, it’s clear to see that you’re born with abs in
the same way you’re born with biceps, triceps, and every other muscle in the
human body; they may be there already, but they’re not impressive. So,
whenever a so-called “fitness professional” tells you that abs are made in the
kitchen, do me a favor, punch him in the face.
Likewise, whenever some potbelly powerlifter tells you that squatting
and deadlifting is enough to build a solid set of six-pack abs, punch him in
the face too.
The six-pack—or rectus abdominis—is the superficial muscle of the
core. The keyword here is muscle. Like any other muscle, the rectus
abdominis can be hypertrophied, meaning you can build bigger, more
developed abdominals in the same way you can build bigger pecs. However,
just like you can’t build a massive chest with nothing more than some
pushups, you won’t develop neck-snapping abs from sitting in your room
doing crunches every night.
If you want deep abs that “pop,” you’re going to have to train the abs
through their primary function while gradually increasing resistance.
Understanding the functions of the abs is key to training them properly.
Luckily, their role is quite simple: stabilization and flexion of the spine.
Whenever we’re flexing our abs to stabilize our spine, or when we’re
crunching, we’re creating tension. This tension will need to be increased over
time.
That said, direct abdominal training is optional, and recommended
mainly if you want to maximize the development of your abs. Because much
of your training is made up of heavy compound lifts that involve a great deal
of core stabilization, you won’t need to train the abs directly too often. Once
or twice per week will suffice.
Abs Workout (a)
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Cable Crunches
2
8-12
Hanging Leg Raises (weighted)
2
8-12
Abs Workout (b)
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Decline Crunches (weighted)
2
8-12
Seated Machine Crunches
2
8-12
When should you train your abs? When you can. I would highly
discourage that you take an extra trip to the gym in order to fit in direct ab
work. I would recommend throwing it in at the end of your workout as you
see fit.
What About Calves?
When I began training, I was told that calf size was ultimately decided by my
genetics, and that if they weren’t growing from all the squats and deadlifts I
was doing, I was doomed. So, I never trained them and they never grew.
Then when I was finally too embarrassed to wear shorts to the gym
anymore, I decided to start training them, and how about that? They grew—
slowly—but nonetheless, they got bigger.
If you’re like me and have been plagued with sad calf genetics, the
worst thing you can do is ignore them; you’re only going to get bigger and
they’re only going to fall farther behind. At that point, you’re left with two
options: Never wear shorts in public, or risk ending up on the internet as a
never-skip-leg-day meme.
On the other hand, if you’re blessed with beefy calf muscles, you may
never have to train them directly, ever. If that’s you, congrats… I hate you.
The calves are similar to the abs in that they’re getting a good deal of
isometric tension due to the exercises you’ll be performing. That’ll be more
than enough to maintain, or even build them for those lucky guys who were
blessed with good calf genetics. For the rest of us, however, we’ll have to add
a bit of direct work. Fortunately, the main function of the calves is easy to
perform: flexion of the ankle joint—think of standing up on your tippy toes.
That said, training the calves is pretty straight forward: calf raises under
resistance. Nothing more, nothing less. Throw these in at the end of your
workout—as you see fit—once or twice per week.
Note: If you want to ensure you’re training the calves effectively, then
you want to (1) remove any momentum gained from the stretch reflex at the
bottom and (2) shorten them maximally at the top. This can be achieved quite
easily: First, make sure that your heels are as close to the floor as possible
and keep that stretched position for 3-5 seconds before initiating the lift.
Next, come up on your tippy toes as much as you can.
Calves
Exercise
Sets
Reps
Standing Calf Raises
3
8-12
“Aim for progress, not perfection.”
- Random Guy on the Internet
Like any other muscle, the goal is progression. As long as you can get
stronger—while maintaining proper form—they’ll grow.
Final Words
You now know exactly how the program works and what it takes to get the
most out it. It’s now time for you to go out and do the work. I understand it
may all seem a bit overwhelming at first, but it’s like anything else: it seems
complicated until you start implementing. Once you start hitting the weights
and putting what you’ve learned in this book into practice, you’ll realize how
truly simple it is to build a solid physique.
CHAPTER 20
HOW TO TRACK
When I began training, I was bench pressing 95lbs—a 25-pound plate on
each side of the bar. At first, I could push it for about 5 reps, but that 5 reps
eventually turned into 10. That 95lbs turned into 115lbs, and that 115lbs
eventually turned into—what felt like a dream at the time—135lbs. No longer
did I have to use 25’s, 10’s, and 5’s, now I could slap on the big plates: the
45’s—perhaps every new lifter’s main goal.
With those increases in strength came some serious changes. Not only
was the needle on the scale finally moving, but my clothes began to fit me a
bit more tightly, friends started to notice, and my mom—happier than even I
was—could lay her head down at night knowing that I didn’t have some kind
of eating disorder.
Fast forward a few months: my clothes weren’t getting any tighter and
the compliments stopped coming in. In fact, I recall on various occasions,
buddies asking me if I was still working out. For anyone who trains their butt
off five times per week, that’s a huge slap in the face. It’s like saying, “Oh,
you work out? I didn’t notice.”
At the time, I was consistently in the gym 4-5 days a week and eating
everything in sight. I was doing the same exact things that got me the results
I’d achieved in the beginning. Or was I? Here’s the thing: in the beginning, I
had a goal. That goal was to get stronger. By focusing on increasing my
strength, I was constantly introducing new stress, and thus my body was
forced to adapt and grow. Before I’d started weight training, I was hardly
eating. Once I began, I was eating everything in sight. It’s no surprise that, by
increasing the number of calories I was taking in, I was increasing my
weight.
I was making progress without tracking because, for one, I was focusing
on reaching a 135-pound bench press (along with a few other big exercises),
and I’d forced my body into a caloric surplus by dramatically increasing the
amount of food I was eating. Once I reached that 135-pound bench press,
however, I got comfortable. I bench pressed the same weight for months on
end; some days I’d manage a few more reps, and others a few less, and I
wondered why I wasn’t growing. To add the icing on the cake, I hadn’t the
slightest clue as to how many calories I was consuming. I knew I had to eat
more, but I had no idea what more was.
What Gets Measured, Gets Managed
It wasn’t until I began logging my workouts and counting my calories that I
began seeing dramatic changes in my lifts and my body again. At first, the
new stimulus from weight training along with extra calories will get you
some results. Unfortunately, though, those results won’t last forever. There
will come a time when adjustments need to be made, and if you’re not
keeping track of your numbers, you’ll be clueless as to what those changes
need to look like. On the other hand, if you jot down how much weight you
use and how many reps you perform for each exercise, while keeping a daily
log of your scale weight, you’ll always be one small tweak away from more
gains.
In this section, I am going to give you a simple strategy for tracking
your numbers to ensure that you don’t hit a wall—and if you do, you’ll be
equipped with the tools necessary to bulldoze through it like the Juggernaut.
Your Training Log
This is nonnegotiable. You’ve got to keep a training log if you want to ensure
continuous growth throughout the program. For a workout journal, you’ve
got a few options.
Either way, you’ve got to ensure that you have a goal in mind each time
you enter the gym. That goal, to put it simply, is to do better today than you
did last week. At first, it’ll be as simple as increasing the weight on any given
lift by 5-10 pounds. Inevitably, your progression will slow down, and you
may just aim to perform one more rep than you did previously.
Here’s an example:
Week 1: Workout 1
Workout 1
Exercise
Load
Reps
Squat
135
5
Squat
135
5
Squat
135
5
Exercise
Load
Reps
Squat
140
5
Squat
140
5
Squat
140
5
Week 2: Workout 1
Workout 1
As you get more advanced, it may look more like this:
Week 11: Workout 1
Workout 1
Exercise
Load
Reps
Squat
265
5
Squat
265
5
Squat
265
4
Squat
265
3
Exercise
Load
Reps
Squat
265
5
Squat
265
5
Squat
265
5
Squat
265
4
Week 12: Workout 1
Workout 1
You get the idea.
As long as you’re getting better, you’re on the right track. However, you
can’t do better this week if you have no clue what you did last week.
Tracking Your Weight
In the Eating for Growth: The Majors chapter, I provided you a simple
formula for calculating your daily intake. If you’re an action taker, then you
know exactly how many calories you should be consuming to gain weight.
Now, it’s time to eat, track, and adjust.
Although we’ve already gone over this in great detail, I think it’s worth
refreshing your memory. I also want to emphasize the importance of tracking
your weight if you want to ensure continuous growth. Pay very close
attention to this: If you fail to track your weight daily, you’ll never be certain
as to whether you’re eating enough to grow. Weighing yourself weekly,
although fine in the beginning, will eventually become less and less accurate
for determining if you’re maintaining a caloric surplus.
Stepping onto the scale on Monday and weighing 145.3lbs, then
weighing 145.1lbs a week later does not mean you’re losing weight.
Likewise, weighing 145.7lbs the following Monday does not mean you’re
gaining weight. As I mentioned before, there are several factors that affect
your daily weigh-ins.
Perhaps you drank more water before bed than usual, your last meal may
have been a bit later (or earlier), or you may have added a pinch too much of
seasoning to your steak the night before. Any of these seemingly small
changes—or a combination of them all—can make for significant shifts in
scale weight. That said, if you want to guarantee that you’re consistently
eating enough, then track your weight every single morning and adjust based
on weekly averages.
Note: Each weigh-in should be done under the same exact
circumstances. I recommend measuring your weight first thing in the
morning, on an empty stomach, after using the restroom.
How to Track Weight and Adjust Calories
Tracking your weight is straightforward: Log your morning weigh-in each
day for an entire week. At the end of the week, add up all your weigh-ins and
divide them by the number of weigh-ins.
For Example:
Monday: 145.1lbs
Tuesday: 145.3lbs
Wednesday: 145.9lbs
Thursday: 146lbs
Friday: 145.5lbs
Saturday: 145.6lbs
Sunday: 146.1lbs
Weekly Total: 1019.5lbs
Average Weight: 1019.5 / 7 = 145.6lbs
If your average weight has remained the same, you’re at maintenance
and will need to increase your calories. The number of calories you add to
your daily intake will be based on how much weight you’re aiming to gain
weekly.
If your average weight has increased, you’re eating enough to build size.
If you want to maximize the amount of muscle you build, however, you want
to ensure that you’re in a large enough surplus to do so according to your
weekly weight gain goals.
For example, if your weight increased by 0.3lbs but your goal is 0.8lbs,
then you’ll need to increase your calories accordingly. To do so, see the
formula suggested in the Eating for Growth: The Majors chapter, under the
Creating a Positive Energy Balance section.
In very rare cases—usually when you’ve failed to meet your calorie
requirements consistently, or you’ve taken part in physical activity outside of
the normal amount—your average weight will decrease. If this happens, do
not freak out! If you’ve complied with your diet but took part in some
extracurricular activity, that may be the culprit. Likewise, if you’ve failed to
hit your calories consistently despite your activity level remaining the same,
those fewer calories are likely to have caused your decrease in weight. In
either case, I’d recommend you refrain from making any changes to your
calorie intake. Instead, get back on track with your calories, settle into your
normal routine, and continue to track your weight for another week. That
week’s average will be a better indicator of where your true weight stands.
If you’ve been consistent with your diet and your activity level has not
changed, but you still somehow managed to drift into hell—a.k.a. caloric
deficit—then you’ll need to make an adjustment. In this case, use the formula
proposed in the Eating for Growth: The Majors chapter, under the Creating a
Positive Energy Balance section to determine how many calories you must
add to your daily intake in order to reach the desired rate of weight gain.
Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop
As long as you have this data (gym numbers and daily weigh-ins)—assuming
you’re using one of the calorie tracking methods recommended in the How to
Eat for Growth chapter—you’ll be armed with the necessary tools to avoid,
or to break through, any plateaus you may encounter on your journey.
Continuing to track your workouts is critical to maintaining the weekly
goal that you carry with you into the gym. Furthermore, logging your weight
each morning gives you an accurate reading as to what’s going on with your
body, and allows you to make the exact changes necessary for you to stay on
your road to massive growth.
Without keeping track of your lifts, your daily scale weight, and your
calorie intake, even the most well thought-out workout plan will result in
nothing but you hitting a wall and staying there. Although hitting that wall is
inevitable, crossing it, jumping over it, or busting through it becomes much
more difficult without the proper data.
Make your life easier, keep track of your work, and get huge.
FAQ
Q. What if I’m skinny-fat—will this work for me?
A. Perhaps you don’t exercise or keep a mindful eye on your diet, so you’ve
gained a bit of fat. Your BMI is still in the healthy range, but that spare tire
you’re sporting around your midsection says otherwise. This is caused by
poor body fat distribution, which is determined by your genetics. Some
people distribute body fat more evenly, while others seem to store it
predominantly around their waist, hips, or thighs.
Now that you understand why you’re skinny-fat, let’s delve a bit deeper.
If you’re skinny-fat, you’re a beginner. A true intermediate or advanced
lifter will have gained anywhere between 15 – 30lbs (or more) of lean muscle
tissue. With those types of muscle gains, you can be fat-swole, but not
skinny-fat.
Capiche?
In an earlier chapter, we talked about nutrient partitioning and discussed
how someone who’s leaner (12 – 15% body-fat) can expect to build muscle
without much fat gain, while the opposite is true for someone who’s at a
higher body fat percentage.
But here’s the thing: nutrient partitioning is determined by body fat,1 not
belly fat. Having a belly with no sign of abs does not mean you’re obese,
overweight, or have a high body fat percentage.
Take two almost identical males who are 5’10”, 170lbs, 14% body fat,
and have the same exact fat-free mass index. One has poor fat distribution
while the other distributes fat evenly throughout his body. One matches my
description of being skinny-fat while the other sports a flat stomach with
slightly thicker arms than the other.
The takeaway is this: having a belly does not mean you’re fat. Because
you are still in the “newbie phase” of training where you can expect both to
build muscle rapidly and torch belly fat at the same time, I recommend that
you focus on building muscle mass first and achieving ripped abs second.
To finally answer your question: yes, this program would work great for
you. The caveat being, however, that you keep your caloric surplus to a
minimum. Although your body fat percentage is relatively low, it’s still a bit
higher than the Jack Skellingtons of the world. That said, instead of aiming to
gain 0.8 – 1lbs per week, I’d recommend staying a bit more conservative and
aiming for 0.5 – 0.8lbs instead.
Q. Should I do cardio on the program—or will it hinder my
results?
A. It’s no secret that too much cardio can impair muscle and strength gains.2
Performing moderate amounts of cardio, however, can serve as a form of
active recovery and thus play a positive role.
If the goal is to add cardio to reduce the amount of fat you gain—or to
further reduce body fat you already have—forget about it. You’ve got one
goal and one goal only: build as much muscle as possible in the least amount
of time. As Confucius so eloquently put it, “he who chases two rabbits,
catches none.”
If, on the other hand, you enjoy cardio and would like to include it for
reasons other than burning fat, then feel free. If adding a moderate amount of
cardio to your training week is going to enhance your life, I think it’s a good
idea.
I would advise, though, that you do not perform more than 1 – 2 hours
of cardio per week. Also, keep in mind that the main reason you’re not
gaining weight now as a skinny guy is because you’re expending more
energy than you’re consuming. Adding cardio is only going to increase the
energy expenditure, thus increasing your energy needs. That said, if you’re
including cardio, be aware that you’ll likely need to eat much more than you
expected to.
Q. Should I train to failure—isn’t that how we grow?
A. Before I answer the question, let me quickly explain exactly what failure
is.
Muscular Failure refers to repeating an exercise to the point where a
repetition fails due to inadequate muscular strength. That’s right! The
meaning of “training to failure” is actually taking your set to a point where
you cannot finish a repetition. But let’s be honest, if this is failure, then 99%
of gym goers never actually train to muscular failure—rightfully so.
That said, the simple answer is NO WAY!
Let’s talk about the more practical method for training to failure,
however. From this point forward, when I mention failure, I will be referring
to training to a point where your form breaks down and bar speed slows
down dramatically. If you’re certain that you cannot perform another
repetition without using body English or “adjusting” your technique, you’ve
reached failure.
“The Last 3 or 4 reps is what makes the muscle grow.”
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
Sorry Arnie, but I’ve got to disagree with you on this one. What makes a
muscle grow is not the last 3 or 4 reps, but a pathway known as progressive
overload:3 adding more volume through increased reps and/or weight, over
time.
That said, our main focus in the gym should be performance; that is,
increasing our volume (sets x reps x weight lifted) without completely wiping
ourselves out. If we’re fatigued, then our performance suffers and the rest of
our efforts are in vain.
I’ll give you an example: you walk into the gym and you are aiming to
push 315lbs on the squat for 3 sets—here’s what it looks like when you’re
training to failure.
Set #1: 315lbs x 8
Set #2: 315lbs x 5
Set #3: 315lbs x 3
You exert a great deal of energy on the first set because you want to
“force” growth by training to failure—so the second set suffers. Despite
feeling fatigued, you push as hard as you did in the first set to squeeze out the
next 5 reps. By the time you’re on your last set, you’re struggling to hit a
lousy 3 repetitions. Not only did you hinder your performance in the squat,
but you’ve made yourself useless for the remainder of the workout.
If we look at squats alone, the total tonnage would have been 5040lbs.
Now let’s look at how your squats may have gone had you ended a
couple of reps short of failure instead.
Set #1: 315lbs x 6
Set #2: 315lbs x 6
Set #3: 315lbs x 5 – 6
In this example, you’re still primed and potentiated after the first set,
thus the second set doesn’t have to suffer. Now, after two pretty intense sets
you may not be as potentiated, but certainly not fatigued.
Total Tonnage: 5355 – 5670lbs
Although the difference in volume during squats may not have been
huge, the real disparity happens as you get further into your workout. If you
insist on training to failure, consistently, then you’re just digging a deeper
hole with each set you perform.
The short answer: The higher the intensity, the further away you should
stay from failure.
That said, when training with a lighter load (12 – 15 reps), training to
failure has its benefits.4 For example, if you’re hitting some biceps curls at
the end of your workout and aiming for 15 reps, this might be a good time to
train to failure. If, however, you’re bench pressing relatively heavy and
aiming for 5 reps, and you’ve still got a ton of work left to do in your session,
steering clear of failure would be best.
Q. If I undereat one day, should I make up the calories the next
day?
A. No. Let me explain why.
At a glance, it seems logical that if you undereat one day, making those
calories up the following day would be fine, and, in fact, necessary if you
want to stay on track with your goal for the week. The problem, however,
isn’t in the one time you make up your calories. Rather, it’s about how it
affects your relationship with food. Becoming obsessed with whether you ate
enough that day, and worrying that you may lose all your newly added
muscle mass because you were short on a few grams of protein, is extremely
counterproductive.
Fitness is intended to add to your life, not the opposite. When it starts to
become a chore more than something you actually enjoy, you ultimately fail.
From a practical standpoint, it doesn’t work either. Here’s what I mean:
say you undereat by 500 calories today and plan to make it up tomorrow.
Now you’ve got to add 500 calories to the already hefty goal of 2000, 3000,
or 4000 calories you need to consume. Not only is that going to be tough, but
chances are, it’s going to ruin the rest of the week.
When you stuff your face one day, in most cases, your appetite
plummets the next. It isn’t hard to see how easily this can become a vicious
cycle of constantly undereating with hopes to make it up later.
If you undereat one day, don’t worry, it isn’t the end of the world. Just
get back on the horse and keep trotting.
Now, that doesn’t mean it’s OK to constantly fall short on your calories
—that’s a surefire way to remain skinny. If you’re finding that you’re
constantly undereating, go back over the Diet Hacks chapter and devise a
plan to make it easier on you to hit your calories.
Another technique I would consider is known as the “Seinfeld Strategy.”
Get a calendar for the entire year and a big red magic marker. Every time you
meet your calorie goal for the day, mark that day on the calendar with a big
red X. As he was quoted, “After a few days you’ll have a chain. Just keep at
it and the chain will grow longer every day. You’ll like seeing that chain,
especially when you get a few weeks under your belt. Your only job is to not
break the chain.”
Q. I’m not getting sore anymore. Does this mean I am not training
hard enough?
A. No, not at all. Muscle soreness, contrary to popular belief, is not an
indicator of a job well done. 5
Muscle soreness (or DOMS) is most pronounced when you introduce a
new training stimulus. This is why, as you’ve probably noticed, you’re no
longer getting nearly as sore as you did in your first week of training. The
more frequently you train, the more efficient your body becomes at repairing
and rebuilding new tissue, which translates to less and less muscle soreness.
The true indicator of success in the gym isn’t how banged up you feel,
but rather, how much progress you made.
Q. How old do I have to be to follow the program?
A. I’d recommend the program to anyone 16 years of age or older. That said,
anyone under the age of 18 should (1) have a parent’s permission to follow
the program, (2) consult your physician before beginning (as should anyone
who is starting a new training or nutrition program), and (3) make sure you’re
doing so under the supervision of a trained professional.
Q. Will heavy lifting stunt my growth?
A. The claim that lifting weights will stunt your growth is completely
unsubstantiated. Not to mention that, from a logical standpoint, it makes
absolutely no sense. As long as you’re training with good form on a sensible
training program (like this one), this shouldn’t be a concern.
Q. How long should I be in the gym?
A. The short answer is, as long as it takes to complete the workout. That said,
however, if you’re keeping a mindful eye of your rest periods and adhering to
the recommendations of this guide, there is no reason for you to be in the
gym for more than 90 minutes at the absolute maximum.
This is not to say that if you’re in the gym any longer than that you’ll
start losing muscle mass, but I would argue that beyond 90 minutes means
you’re probably spending too much time socializing or taking selfies.
Q. I showed my buddy this program and he said it’s good for
strength, but not for size. He’s gotten pretty big without training
for strength. Thoughts?
A. When I hear this, I cringe. Wanting to train for size without strength is like
saying you want to drive the six figure Lambo with the engine of a Toyota
Prius.
Here’s the deal: muscle is a byproduct of strength, and unless you’re
getting stronger, you’re not getting bigger, period.
Seriously, when’s the last time you saw a jacked dude struggling to
bench 135lbs? Never.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying you should stay under 5 reps and
max out every few weeks—or completely eliminate biceps curls and replace
them with more squats and deadlifts—what I am saying, however, is that
unless you’re adding more weight or more reps, you’re not going to stimulate
further growth.
Q. Can I do this program from home and still achieve the best
results?
A. Yes, absolutely.
All you’ll need is a power rack, a barbell, some dumbbells, an adjustable
bench, and enough weight plates. If you’ve got that, the only exercises you’ll
have to find alternatives for are the triceps pushdowns, lat pulldowns, and
hamstring curls. Fortunately, though, those will be easy to substitute. For the
triceps pushdowns, do skull crushers or close grip bench press instead. For
the lat pulldowns, pull ups would be the obvious choice. As for the hamstring
curls, substituting those with stiff leg deadlifts will do the trick.
For the dumbbells, you’ll need a variety of weights—or adjustable
weights—to ensure you’re able to progress on a weekly basis. If that isn’t
feasible, the workout can easily be done without them. Substituting the
dumbbell incline press for an incline barbell press, the dumbbell rows with
Meadows rows, and the lateral raises with some wide grip upright rows will
allow you to execute the entire program with just a barbell.
Q. I missed a workout session this week and couldn’t make it up.
Should I make it up next week?
A. No. Simply chalk this week up as a loss and try again the following week.
Similar to making up for missed calories, making up for a missed
workout can throw your entire week off.
Say, for example, you missed Workout 4 this week so you squeeze it in
on Monday of the following week. Well, now you’ll have to perform
arguably the toughest workout of the week, Workout 1, in a less than fully
recovered state. On top of that, now you’ll have less rest days for the week
since you’re cramming more work in, making it harder to recover from your
training.
If, in the event you do manage to squeeze the five days of training in, the
lack of recovery time may hinder your performance for the following training
week. In my opinion, it’s best to just reset the week and stay the course,
rather than potentially set yourself back.
Q. I see a ton of guys at my gym with weight belts and wrist
straps. Do I need any special equipment?
A. No. Your goal is to build muscle, not compete in powerlifting. Equipment
like knee sleeves and weight belts, although helpful when you’re further into
your training career and form is flawless, isn’t ideal for someone just starting
out. Sure, they may help you move more weight, but their assistance removes
some of the accountability for practicing proper form.
Including things like wrist straps to help with your pulling may help you
deadlift or row more weight, but it’ll be at the expense of forearm
development that comes from using your own grip. The same goes for weight
belts and core strength—they may increase the amount of weight you can
handle on a squat or deadlift, but it’ll decrease the amount of core strength
you build from these heavy compound movements.
Q. I have another question—where can I ask it?
A. If you have a question that hasn’t been addressed, please feel free to shoot
me an email at Alain@MuscleMonsters.com with the subject line The Bulk
Up Book and you’ll hear back from me within a few days (sometimes
sooner).
REFERENCES
Chapter 1
1. “Health/fitness club membership termination reasons 2014 |
Survey.” Statista. N.p., n.d. Web.
2. Tierney, John. “Do You Suffer From Decision Fatigue?” The
New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Aug. 2011. Web.
Chapter 2
1. Donahoo, W. T., J. A. Levine, and E. L. Melanson. (n.d.): n.
pag. Print. Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic
care. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Nov. 2004. Web.
2. Examine.com. “Does metabolism vary between two
people?” Examine.com. Examine.com, 28 Jan. 2013. Web.
3. Levine, J. A., M. W. Vander, J. O. Hill, and R. C. Klesges.
“Non-exercise activity thermogenesis: the crouching tiger
hidden dragon of societal weight gain.” Arteriosclerosis,
thrombosis, and vascular biology. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, Apr. 2006. Web.
4. Hand, G. A., R. P. Shook, A. E. Paluch, M. Baruth, E. P.
Crowley, J. R. Jaggers, V. K. Prasad, T. G. Hurley, J. R.
Hebert, D. P. O’Connor, E. Archer, S. Burgess, and S. N.
Blair. “The energy balance study: the design and baseline
results for a longitudinal study of energy balance.” Research
quarterly for exercise and sport. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, Sept. 2013. Web.
5. “Laws of thermodynamics.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation,
26 June 2017. Web.
6. Murray, ND Dr. Michael T. “How is my brain affected by
insulin? - Diabetes.” Sharecare. N.p., n.d. Web.
Chapter 3
1. “What’s My Genetic Muscular Potential?” Bodyrecomposition.
N.p., n.d. Web.
2. Wallace, M. B., B. D. Mills, and C. L. Browning. “Effects of
cross-training
on
markers
of
insulin
resistance/hyperinsulinemia.” Medicine and science in sports
and exercise. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Sept. 1997.
Web.
3. Choi, S. M., D. F. Tucker, D. N. Gross, R. M. Easton, L. M.
DiPilato, A. S. Dean, B. R. Monks, and M. J. Birnbaum.
“Insulin regulates adipocyte lipolysis via an Akt-independent
signaling pathway.” Molecular and cellular biology. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, Nov. 2010. Web.
4. “Calorie Partitioning: Part 1.” Bodyrecomposition. N.p., n.d.
Web.
Chapter 4
1. Hand, G. A., R. P. Shook, A. E. Paluch, M. Baruth, E. P.
Crowley, J. R. Jaggers, V. K. Prasad, T. G. Hurley, J. R.
Hebert, D. P. O’Connor, E. Archer, S. Burgess, and S. N.
Blair. “The energy balance study: the design and baseline
results for a longitudinal study of energy balance.” Research
quarterly for exercise and sport. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, Sept. 2013. Web.
2. Hämäläinen, E. K., H. Adlercreutz, P. Puska, and P. Pietinen.
“Decrease of serum total and free testosterone during a lowfat high-fibre diet.” Journal of steroid biochemistry. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, Mar. 1983. Web.
3. Goldberg, A. L., J. D. Etlinger, D. F. Goldspink, and C.
Jablecki. “Mechanism of work-induced hypertrophy of skeletal
muscle.” Medicine and science in sports. U.S. National
Library of Medicine, 1975. Web.
Chapter 6
1. Hand, G. A., R. P. Shook, A. E. Paluch, M. Baruth, E. P.
Crowley, J. R. Jaggers, V. K. Prasad, T. G. Hurley, J. R.
Hebert, D. P. O’Connor, E. Archer, S. Burgess, and S. N.
Blair. “The energy balance study: the design and baseline
results for a longitudinal study of energy balance.” Research
quarterly for exercise and sport. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, Sept. 2013. Web.
2. Hall, Kevin D. “What is the Required Energy Deficit per unit
Weight Loss?” International journal of obesity (2005). U.S.
National Library of Medicine, Mar. 2008. Web.
3. Hall, KD, and CC Chow. “Why is the 3500 kcal per pound
weight loss rule wrong?” International journal of obesity
(2005). U.S. National Library of Medicine, Dec. 2013. Web.
4. Cangemi, R., A. J. Friedmann, J. O. Holloszy, and L.
Fontana. “Long-term effects of calorie restriction on serum
sex-hormone concentrations in men.” Aging cell. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, Apr. 2010. Web.
5. Tomiyama, A. J., T. Mann, D. Vinas, J. M. Hunger, J.
Dejager, and S. E. Taylor. “Low calorie dieting increases
cortisol.” Psychosomatic medicine. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, May 2010. Web.
6. “Calorie Partitioning: Part 1.” Bodyrecomposition. N.p., n.d.
Web.
7. Gender Differences in Fat Metabolism. N.p., n.d. Web.
8. Tipton, K. D., and R. R. Wolfe. “Protein and amino acids for
athletes.” Journal of sports sciences. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, Jan. 2004. Web.
9. Phillips, S. M., and L. J. Van. “Dietary protein for athletes:
from requirements to optimum adaptation.” Journal of sports
sciences. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web.
10. Lemon, P. W. “Beyond the zone: protein needs of active
individuals.” Journal of the American College of Nutrition. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, Oct. 2000. Web.
11. Bloomer, R. J., D. E. Larson, K. H. Fisher-Wellman, A. J.
Galpin, and B. K. Schilling. “Effect of eicosapentaenoic and
docosahexaenoic acid on resting and exercise-induced
inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers: a randomized,
placebo controlled, cross-over study.” Lipids in health and
disease. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 19 Aug. 2009.
Web.
12. Dorgan, J. F., J. T. Judd, C. Longcope, C. Brown, A.
Schatzkin, B. A. Clevidence, W. S. Campbell, P. P. Nair, C.
Franz, L. Kahle, and P. R. Taylor. “Effects of dietary fat and
fiber on plasma and urine androgens and estrogens in men: a
controlled feeding study.” The American journal of clinical
nutrition. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Dec. 1996. Web.
13. Muldoon, M. F., C. M. Ryan, L. Sheu, J. K. Yao, S. M.
Conklin, and S. B. Manuck. “Serum phospholipid
docosahexaenonic acid is associated with cognitive
functioning during middle adulthood.” The Journal of
nutrition. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Apr. 2010. Web.
14. Simopoulos, A. P. “The importance of the omega-6/omega-3
fatty acid ratio in cardiovascular disease and other chronic
diseases.” Experimental biology and medicine (Maywood,
N.J.). U.S. National Library of Medicine, June 2008. Web.
15. Manore, M. M. “Exercise and the Institute of Medicine
recommendations for nutrition.” Current sports medicine
reports. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Aug. 2005. Web.
16. Helms, E. R., A. A. Aragon, and P. J. Fitschen. “Evidencebased recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest
preparation: nutrition and supplementation.” Journal of the
International Society of Sports Nutrition. U.S. National Library
of Medicine, 12 May 2014. Web.
17. McDevitt, R. M., S. J. Bott, M. Harding, W. A. Coward, L. J.
Bluck, and A. M. Prentice. “De novo lipogenesis during
controlled overfeeding with sucrose or glucose in lean and
obese women.” The American journal of clinical nutrition. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, Dec. 2001. Web.
18. Foster, G. D., H. R. Wyatt, J. O. Hill, B. G. McGuckin, C. Brill,
B. S. Mohammed, P. O. Szapary, D. J. Rader, J. S. Edman,
and S. Klein. “A randomized trial of a low-carbohydrate diet
for obesity.” The New England journal of medicine. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, 22 May 2003. Web.
19. The Role of Carbohydrates in Exercise and Physical
Performance. N.p., n.d. Web.
20. Horton, T. J., H. Drougas, A. Brachey, G. W. Reed, J. C.
Peters, and J. O. Hill. “Fat and carbohydrate overfeeding in
humans: different effects on energy storage.” The American
journal of clinical nutrition. U.S. National Library of Medicine,
July 1995. Web.
21. McDevitt, R. M., S. J. Bott, M. Harding, W. A. Coward, L. J.
Bluck, and A. M. Prentice. “De novo lipogenesis during
controlled overfeeding with sucrose or glucose in lean and
obese women.” The American journal of clinical nutrition. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, Dec. 2001. Web.
22. Hellerstein, M. K. “De novo lipogenesis in humans: metabolic
and regulatory aspects.” European journal of clinical
nutrition. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Apr. 1999. Web.
23. Manore, M. M. “Exercise and the Institute of Medicine
recommendations for nutrition.” Current sports medicine
reports. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Aug. 2005. Web.
24. Aune, Dagfinn, Doris S M Chan, Rosa Lau, Rui Vieira, Darren
C. Greenwood, Ellen Kampman, and Teresa Norat. “Dietary
fibre, whole grains, and risk of colorectal cancer: systematic
review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective
studies.” BMJ. British Medical Journal Publishing Group, 10
Nov. 2011. Web.
25. “Dirt Poor: Have Fruits and Vegetables Become Less
Nutritious?” Scientific American. N.p., n.d. Web.
26. “The Baseline Diet 2009: Part 2.” Bodyrecomposition. N.p.,
n.d. Web.
Chapter 7
1. Bounty, Paul M La, Bill I. Campbell, Jacob Wilson, Elfego
Galvan, John Berardi, Susan M. Kleiner, Richard B. Kreider,
Jeffrey R. Stout, Tim Ziegenfuss, Marie Spano, Abbie Smith,
and Jose Antonio. “International Society of Sports Nutrition
position stand: meal frequency.” Journal of the International
Society of Sports Nutrition. BioMed Central, 2011. Web.
2. Schoenfeld, Brad Jon, Alan Albert Aragon, and James W.
Krieger. “Effects of meal frequency on weight loss and body
composition: a meta-analysis.” Nutrition Reviews. Oxford
University Press, 13 Jan. 2015. Web.
3. Stote, Kim S., David J. Baer, Karen Spears, David R. Paul, G.
Keith Harris, William V. Rumpler, Pilar Strycula, Samer S.
Najjar, Luigi Ferrucci, Donald K. Ingram, and And Dan L
Longo. “Kim S Stote.” The American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition. N.p., 01 Apr. 2007. Web.
4. Areta, J. L., L. M. Burke, M. L. Ross, D. M. Camera, D. W.
West, E. M. Broad, N. A. Jeacocke, D. R. Moore, T.
Stellingwerff, S. M. Phillips, J. A. Hawley, and V. G. Coffey.
“Timing and distribution of protein ingestion during prolonged
recovery from resistance exercise alters myofibrillar protein
synthesis.” The Journal of physiology. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, 01 May 2013. Web.
5. Fujita, S., H. C. Dreyer, M. J. Drummond, E. L. Glynn, J. G.
Cadenas, F. Yoshizawa, E. Volpi, and B. B. Rasmussen.
“Nutrient signalling in the regulation of human muscle protein
synthesis.” The Journal of physiology. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, 15 July 2007. Web.
6. Kumar, V., P. Atherton, K. Smith, and M. J. Rennie. “Human
muscle protein synthesis and breakdown during and after
exercise.” Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, MD. :
1985). U.S. National Library of Medicine, June 2009. Web.
7. Aragon, Alan Albert, and Brad Jon Schoenfeld. “Nutrient
timing revisited: is there a post-exercise anabolic
window?” Journal of the International Society of Sports
Nutrition. BioMed Central, 29 Jan. 2013. Web.
8. Bilsborough, S., and N. Mann. “A review of issues of dietary
protein intake in humans.” International journal of sport
nutrition and exercise metabolism. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, Apr. 2006. Web.
9. Aragon, Alan Albert, and Brad Jon Schoenfeld. “Nutrient
timing revisited: is there a post-exercise anabolic
window?” Journal of the International Society of Sports
Nutrition. BioMed Central, 29 Jan. 2013. Web.
10. Lambert, C. P., and M. G. Flynn. “Fatigue during highintensity
intermittent
exercise:
application
to
bodybuilding.” Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). U.S.
National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web.
11. Lorente-Cebrián, S., A. G. Costa, S. Navas-Carretero, M.
Zabala, J. A. Martínez, and M. J. Moreno-Aliaga. (n.d.): n.
pag. Print. Journal of physiology and biochemistry. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, Sept. 2013. Web.
12. Narendran, Rajesh, William G. Frankle, Neale S. Mason,
Matthew F. Muldoon, and Bita Moghaddam. “Improved
Working Memory but No Effect on Striatal Vesicular
Monoamine
Transporter
Type
2
after
Omega-3
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation.” PLOS ONE.
Public Library of Science, n.d. Web.
13. Bloomer, R. J., D. E. Larson, K. H. Fisher-Wellman, A. J.
Galpin, and B. K. Schilling. “Effect of eicosapentaenoic and
docosahexaenoic acid on resting and exercise-induced
inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers: a randomized,
placebo controlled, cross-over study.” Lipids in health and
disease. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 19 Aug. 2009.
Web.
14. Tartibian, B., B. H. Maleki, and A. Abbasi. “The effects of
ingestion of omega-3 fatty acids on perceived pain and
external symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness in
untrained men.” Clinical journal of sport medicine : official
journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, Mar. 2009. Web.
15. Haugaard, S. B., A. Vaag, H. Mu, and S. Madsbad. “Skeletal
muscle structural lipids improve during weight-maintenance
after a very low calorie dietary intervention.” Lipids in health
and disease. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 13 Aug. 2009.
Web.
16. Holick, M. F. “Vitamin D: importance in the prevention of
cancers,
type
1
diabetes,
heart
disease,
and
osteoporosis.” The American journal of clinical nutrition. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, Mar. 2004. Web.
17. Prietl, Barbara, Gerlies Treiber, Thomas R. Pieber, and Karin
Amrein. “Vitamin D and Immune Function.” Nutrients. MDPI,
July 2013. Web.
18. Dahlquist, D. T., B. P. Dieter, and M. S. Koehle. “Plausible
ergogenic effects of vitamin D on athletic performance and
recovery.” Journal of the International Society of Sports
Nutrition. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 19 Aug. 2015.
Web.
19. Mora, L., M. A. Sentandreu, and F. Toldrá. “Effect of cooking
conditions on creatinine formation in cooked ham.” Journal of
agricultural and food chemistry. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, 10 Dec. 2008. Web.
20. Branch, J. D. “Effect of creatine supplementation on body
composition and performance: a meta-analysis.” International
journal of sport nutrition and exercise metabolism. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, June 2003. Web.
21. Eckerson, J. M., J. R. Stout, G. A. Moore, N. J. Stone, K. A.
Iwan, A. N. Gebauer, and R. Ginsberg. “Effect of creatine
phosphate supplementation on anaerobic working capacity
and body weight after two and six days of loading in men and
women.” Journal of strength and conditioning research. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, Nov. 2005. Web.
22. Bassit, R. A., C. H. Pinheiro, K. F. Vitzel, A. J. Sproesser, L.
R. Silveira, and R. Curi. “Effect of short-term creatine
supplementation on markers of skeletal muscle damage after
strenuous contractile activity.” European journal of applied
physiology. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Mar. 2010.
Web.
23. Bizzarini, E., and L. De. “Is the use of oral creatine
supplementation safe?” The Journal of sports medicine and
physical fitness. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Dec. 2004.
Web.
24. Astorino, T. A., R. L. Rohmann, and K. Firth. “Effect of
caffeine ingestion on one-repetition maximum muscular
strength.” European journal of applied physiology. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, Jan. 2008. Web.
25. Beck, T. W., T. J. Housh, R. J. Schmidt, G. O. Johnson, D. J.
Housh, J. W. Coburn, and M. H. Malek. “The acute effects of
a caffeine-containing supplement on strength, muscular
endurance, and anaerobic capabilities.” Journal of strength
and conditioning research. U.S. National Library of Medicine,
Aug. 2006. Web.
26. Astorino, T. A., and D. W. Roberson. “Efficacy of acute
caffeine ingestion for short-term high-intensity exercise
performance: a systematic review.” Journal of strength and
conditioning research. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Jan.
2010. Web.
Chapter 8
1. “Research Review: The Dirt On Clean Eating Written By
Nutrition Expert Alan Aragon.” SimplyShredded.com. N.p., 27
Feb. 2013. Web.
2. Fujita, S., H. C. Dreyer, M. J. Drummond, E. L. Glynn, J. G.
Cadenas, F. Yoshizawa, E. Volpi, and B. B. Rasmussen.
“Nutrient signalling in the regulation of human muscle protein
synthesis.” The Journal of physiology. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, 15 July 2007. Web.
3. Siri-Tarino, P. W., Q. Sun, F. B. Hu, and R. M. Krauss. “Meta-
analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the
association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease.” The
American journal of clinical nutrition. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, Mar. 2010. Web.
4. Schwingshackl, L., and G. Hoffmann. “Monounsaturated fatty
acids, olive oil and health status: a systematic review and
meta-analysis of cohort studies.” Lipids in health and
disease. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 01 Oct. 2014.
Web.
5. Bloomer, R. J., D. E. Larson, K. H. Fisher-Wellman, A. J.
Galpin, and B. K. Schilling. “Effect of eicosapentaenoic and
docosahexaenoic acid on resting and exercise-induced
inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers: a randomized,
placebo controlled, cross-over study.” Lipids in health and
disease. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 19 Aug. 2009.
Web.
6. Tartibian, B., B. H. Maleki, and A. Abbasi. “The effects of
ingestion of omega-3 fatty acids on perceived pain and
external symptoms of delayed onset muscle soreness in
untrained men.” Clinical journal of sport medicine : official
journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, Mar. 2009. Web.
7. Narendran, Rajesh, William G. Frankle, Neale S. Mason,
Matthew F. Muldoon, and Bita Moghaddam. “Improved
Working Memory but No Effect on Striatal Vesicular
Monoamine
Transporter
Type
2
after
Omega-3
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation.” PLOS ONE.
Public Library of Science, n.d. Web.
8. The Role of Carbohydrates in Exercise and Physical
Performance. N.p., n.d. Web.
9. Miller, S. L., and R. R. Wolfe. “Physical exercise as a
modulator of adaptation to low and high carbohydrate and low
and high fat intakes.” European journal of clinical
nutrition. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Apr. 1999. Web.
10. And, Suzanne P Murphy. “Suzanne P Murphy.” The American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition. N.p., 01 Oct. 2003. Web.
Chapter 11
1. Group, The NPD. “31 Million U.S. Consumers Skip Breakfast
Each Day, Reports NPD.” NPD Group. The NPD Group, 11
Oct. 2011. Web.
2. Weigle, David S., Patricia A. Breen, Colleen C. Matthys, Holly
S. Callahan, Kaatje E. Meeuws, and And Verna R Burden. “A
high-protein diet induces sustained reductions in appetite, ad
libitum caloric intake, and body weight despite compensatory
changes
in
diurnal
plasma
leptin
and
ghrelin
concentrations1,2,3.” The American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition. N.p., 01 July 2005. Web.
3. Bilsborough, S., and N. Mann. “A review of issues of dietary
protein intake in humans.” International journal of sport
nutrition and exercise metabolism. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, Apr. 2006. Web.
4. Phillips, S. M., and L. J. Van. “Dietary protein for athletes:
from requirements to optimum adaptation.” Journal of sports
sciences. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web.
5. Mattes, R. D., and W. W. Campbell. “Effects of food form and
timing of ingestion on appetite and energy intake in lean
young adults and in young adults with obesity.” Journal of the
American Dietetic Association. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, Mar. 2009. Web.
6. Lappalainen, R., L. Mennen, L. Van, and H. Mykkänen.
“Drinking water with a meal: a simple method of coping with
feelings of hunger, satiety and desire to eat.” European
journal of clinical nutrition. U.S. National Library of Medicine,
Nov. 1993. Web.
Chapter 12
1. Mattes, R. D., and W. W. Campbell. “Effects of food form and
timing of ingestion on appetite and energy intake in lean
young adults and in young adults with obesity.” Journal of the
American Dietetic Association. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, Mar. 2009. Web.
Chapter 13
1. Brandt, Dr Kirsten, Professor Carlo Leifert, Dr Roy
Sanderson, and Professor Chris Seal. “Agroecosystem
management and nutritional quality of plant foods: The case
of organic fruits and vegetables.” EPrints - Newcastle
University. N.p., 01 Jan. 1970. Web.
2. Smith-Spangler, C., M. L. Brandeau, G. E. Hunter, J. C.
Bavinger, M. Pearson, P. J. Eschbach, V. Sundaram, H. Liu,
P. Schirmer, C. Stave, I. Olkin, and D. M. Bravata. “Are
organic
foods
safer
or
healthier
than
conventional
alternatives?: a systematic review.” Annals of internal
medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 04 Sept. 2012.
Web.
3. Kimball, S. R., and L. S. Jefferson. “Signaling pathways and
molecular mechanisms through which branched-chain amino
acids mediate translational control of protein synthesis.” The
Journal of nutrition. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Jan.
2006. Web.
4. “An
Objective
Comparison
of
Chocolate
Milk
and
Surge.” Bodyrecomposition. N.p., n.d. Web.
Chapter 14
1. “The Three Metabolic Energy Systems.” www.ideafit.com.
N.p., n.d. Web.
2. Krieger, J. W. “Single vs. multiple sets of resistance exercise
for muscle hypertrophy: a meta-analysis.” Journal of strength
and conditioning research. U.S. National Library of Medicine,
Apr. 2010. Web.
3. Radaelli, R., S. J. Fleck, T. Leite, R. D. Leite, R. S. Pinto, L.
Fernandes, and R. Simão. “Dose-response of 1, 3, and 5 sets
of resistance exercise on strength, local muscular endurance,
and hypertrophy.” Journal of strength and conditioning
research. U.S. National Library of Medicine, May 2015. Web.
4. Schoenfeld, B. J., M. D. Peterson, D. Ogborn, B. Contreras,
and G. T. Sonmez. “Effects of Low- vs. High-Load Resistance
Training on Muscle Strength and Hypertrophy in Well-Trained
Men.” Journal of strength and conditioning research. U.S.
National Library of Medicine, Oct. 2015. Web.
5. Campos, G. E., T. J. Luecke, H. K. Wendeln, K. Toma, F. C.
Hagerman, T. F. Murray, K. E. Ragg, N. A. Ratamess, W. J.
Kraemer, and R. S. Staron. “Muscular adaptations in
response to three different resistance-training regimens:
specificity of repetition maximum training zones.” European
journal of applied physiology. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, Nov. 2002. Web.
6. “Comparison of 1 Day and 3 Days Per Week of EqualVolume… : The Journal of Strength & Conditioning
Research.” LWW. N.p., n.d. Web.
7. McHugh, M. P., D. A. Connolly, R. G. Eston, and G. W.
Gleim. “Exercise-induced muscle damage and potential
mechanisms for the repeated bout effect.” Sports medicine
(Auckland, N.Z.). U.S. National Library of Medicine, Mar.
1999. Web.
8. MacDougall, J. D., M. J. Gibala, M. A. Tarnopolsky, J. R.
MacDonald, S. A. Interisano, and K. E. Yarasheski. “The time
course for elevated muscle protein synthesis following heavy
resistance exercise.” Canadian journal of applied physiology
= Revue canadienne de physiologie appliquee. U.S. National
Library of Medicine, Dec. 1995. Web.
9. Schoenfeld, B. J., D. Ogborn, and J. W. Krieger. “Effects of
Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle
Hypertrophy:
A
Systematic
Review
and
Meta-
Analysis.” Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.). U.S. National
Library of Medicine, Nov. 2016. Web.
10. “Dose-response relationship between weekly resistance
training volume and increases in muscle mass: A systematic
review and meta-analysis.” Taylor & Francis. N.p., n.d. Web.
11. Goldberg, A. L., J. D. Etlinger, D. F. Goldspink, and C.
Jablecki. “Mechanism of work-induced hypertrophy of skeletal
muscle.” Medicine and science in sports. U.S. National
Library of Medicine, 1975. Web.
12. Baker, D. G. “10-year changes in upper body strength and
power in elite professional rugby league players—the effect of
training age, stage, and content.” Journal of strength and
conditioning research. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Feb.
2013. Web.
Chapter 15
1. Stone, M., S. Plisk, and D. Collins. “Training principles:
evaluation of modes and methods of resistance training—a
coaching perspective.” Sports biomechanics. U.S. National
Library of Medicine, Jan. 2002. Web.
2. Helms, E. R., P. J. Fitschen, A. A. Aragon, J. Cronin, and B.
J. Schoenfeld. “Recommendations for natural bodybuilding
contest
preparation:
resistance
and
cardiovascular
training.” The Journal of sports medicine and physical
fitness. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Mar. 2015. Web.
3. Hinde, Natasha. “Women Reveal Their Ideal Male Body
Type.” HuffPost UK. The Huffington Post, 07 Jan. 2016. Web.
4. Rahimi, R., M. Qaderi, H. Faraji, and S. S. Boroujerdi. “Effects
of very short rest periods on hormonal responses to
resistance exercise in men.” Journal of strength and
conditioning research. U.S. National Library of Medicine, July
2010. Web.
5. West, D. W., N. A. Burd, J. E. Tang, D. R. Moore, A. W.
Staples, A. M. Holwerda, S. K. Baker, and S. M. Phillips.
“Elevations in ostensibly anabolic hormones with resistance
exercise
enhance
neither
training-induced
muscle
hypertrophy nor strength of the elbow flexors.” Journal of
applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985). U.S. National
Library of Medicine, Jan. 2010. Web.
6. West, D. W., and S. M. Phillips. “Associations of exerciseinduced hormone profiles and gains in strength and
hypertrophy in a large cohort after weight training.” European
journal of applied physiology. U.S. National Library of
Medicine, July 2012. Web.
7. West, D. W., G. W. Kujbida, D. R. Moore, P. Atherton, N. A.
Burd, J. P. Padzik, M. De, J. E. Tang, G. Parise, M. J.
Rennie, S. K. Baker, and S. M. Phillips. “Resistance exerciseinduced increases in putative anabolic hormones do not
enhance muscle protein synthesis or intracellular signalling in
young men.” The Journal of physiology. U.S. National Library
of Medicine, 01 Nov. 2009. Web.
8. West, D. W., and S. M. Phillips. “Anabolic processes in
human skeletal muscle: restoring the identities of growth
hormone
and
testosterone.”
The
Physician
and
sportsmedicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, Oct. 2010.
Web.
9. Ehrnborg, C., L. Ellegård, I. Bosaeus, B. A. Bengtsson, and T.
Rosén. “Supraphysiological growth hormone: less fat, more
extracellular fluid but uncertain effects on muscles in healthy,
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