This is an added extra- there ares still 2 videos for the “How-To’s” and 2 videos if your a Diamond member for “Eat Great in 8” this week!
FixmyFitnessClub.com Muscle Nutrition
How to gain/maintain muscular hypertrophy while staying lean/losing fat
The Importance of Protein and Meal Frequency: In order to maintain or increase muscle mass, the body has to stay in a constant state of anabolism (aka muscle building environment). No matter how hard you train, if you do not supplement the body with the right building material, results will be undesirable. Think of a carpenter: You can hire the world’s best brick layer to build you an amazing brick house, but if you only give him wood to work with, you’re not going to get a brick house. Rough translated; no matter how hard you workout, your body will not build muscle without the proper nutrition.
To keep the body in this state it is necessary to keep a positive nitrogen balance. The only way to attain this is to take in some type of protein source every 2-3 hours. Protein should be the staple of every meal eaten. Its major function is to build and repair the body, so without ample protein at a constant rate, the body will not rebuild from its workouts. In fact, if not enough protein is taken in, workouts may even “eat away” at the current muscle you have. We don’t want that now do we…
It is important to vary the types of protein consumed throughout the day. Not only will your body respond better to them, but keep in mind that different protein sources release and breakdown into the body at different times. Whey proteins (shakes) release very quickly, while lean beefs release very slowly. Some great protein sources included lean beef, chicken, turkey, fish, nuts, and protein shakes.
Fats and Carbohydrate Timing: Just like protein, fats and carbs have important functions in the body. Fats are responsible for long term energy supplies and are necessary for hormone production (i.e. testosterone) and joint mobilization. Many fats can be found within the protein sources we eat (beef, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs). It is important to remember that we need good fats in our diet (not Trans fats that come from fried foods and junk snacks) to help our body recover and function properly. DO NOT BE AFRAID OF FATS. Instead, make sure you are eating the right ones! Almonds, cashews, walnuts, fish oils, and extra virgin olive oil are all examples of great fats that should be included in daily diets. Carbohydrates on the other hand are the basic quick energy suppliers of the body. Carbs, like fats, are not a bad thing either. However, carbs need to be taken in AT JUST THE RIGHT TIME or they will be the most counterproductive aspect of your diet. Slow digesting carbohydrates are the only carbohydrates that should be taken in (other than post workout). This allows the body to have a slow, sustained release of energy that won’t spike blood sugar and cause the body to store fat.
Carbs are great at two times during the day: First thing in the morning and prior to workout. It is best to try and get all your carbohydrates in the morning and early afternoon meals. This way you have energy for the day and for you’re workouts. Stopping carbs after about 4 or 5 pm will ensure that you use up all the energy they supply and start tapping into body fat reserves by the end of the night. Again: They key to leanness is avoiding carbs at night! They should always be avoided later in the evening and should never be taken in more than needed. For example, your workout days will require you to take in more carbs than your non workout days. You’re not expending as much energy on those days, so why take in more energy? It may end up being unused and will make its way down towards your belly. We don’t want that either…
Pre and Post Workout Nutrition:
These two times are probably the MOST VITAL aspects of the diet when it comes to building and retaining muscle. To ensure maximum potential for creating that anabolic environment, take in roughly 15-20 grams of whey protein 1 hour to 30 minutes or so before your workout. This releases quickly into the body and keeps amino acids in your bloodstream so that muscle is not broken down as much during strenuous exercise.
Post workout is your Ultra Anabolic Window of Opportunity. Directly after training, you MUST take in 30-60 grams of a fast digesting carbohydrate (aka sugar). This is the ONLY time in the day when we actually want sugar. This is because it causes our insulin (the most anabolic hormone in the body) to spike and allows glucose to be sucked into the muscle immediately to help repair the micro-trauma done during the workout. It basically tells your body to “stop producing energy” and “start rebuilding” the muscle.
The best sources for these types of quick releasing sugars are dextrose, maltodextrin, and waxy corn maize. If taking dextrose or a shake with dextrose in it is not available, I recommend slamming a bottle of Gatorade directly after your workout. Fruits do contain high amounts of sugar, but are less affective at spiking insulin. Hence fruits should only be used if no other sugar source is available. HAVING SUGAR POST WORKOUT WILL NOT GO TO FAT STORAGE. Your body is aching for nutrients so much that they are sucked into your muscle literally in 3-5 minutes.
The other vital thing post workout is to take a fast digesting protein with your fast digesting carbohydrate. Take in 30-40 grams of whey protein post workout with your sugar for maximum results. Coupled with the insulin spiking, your body will absorb that protein immediately and shuttle it directly into the muscle to repair the damage done so it can be built into a bigger/stronger state.
Adding the Final Touch:
The following are several things that are often overlooked, but should never be:
–Drink enough water. Your muscles are 70% water, so how can they work to their potential when they are dehydrated? Aim for a tad more than half your bodyweight in ounces of water per day.
-Sleep enough. Your body builds muscle and burns fat at night, mainly during your first hour of deep REM sleep. Without ample rest, your body will not fully rebuild itself.
-Avoid alcohol.
Not only does taking in alcohol completely shut off your metabolism, but it lowers testosterone and increases estrogen… not the right environment for happy muscles.
-Eat your greens. Vegetables are an important part of any diet and should always be consumed. The greener the better. These slow digesting carbohydrates will not put on fat, but will actually burn calories because they take so long to digest that they use up more calories than they are made of. Not only that, but taking in fibrous carbohydrates will slow the absorption of other carbs to help avoid their storage as fat loss.
-Recommended Supplements:
With Breakfast: Multivitamin/mineral, potassium, Glutamine, Krill Oil, Vitamin C,
Pre workout: BCAA or light protein shake, L-Arginine- Glutamine
Post workout: High sugar Recovery Protein shake, Vitamin E, Chromium, CLA, Glutamine, BCAA
-Krill Oil is your best friend. Take it religiously, at least 2000 mg daily with protein and fat only meals. Have ½ Avocado per day.
Samples Meal Plan 1:
Meal 1
2 whole eggs, ½ cup egg whites
1 cup Quinoa or Old Fashioned Steel Cut Oatmeal
Glass of Cranberry Juice or handful of raisins
Meal 2
Protein Shake- * (careful lots of garbage out there)
Slice Gluten free Bread
Meal 3
Can of Tuna or Wild caught pink Salmon
½ to full cup Brown Rice
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Meal 4
Post workout Shake
Coconut Water
Meal 5
Lean Beef, Bison, Ground turkey, flank steak
Large Salad
Meal 6
Lean Turkey (white meat)
Broccoli, asparagus or green salad
Samples Meal Plan 2:
Meal 1
Protein Shake (30 grams)
2 Slices Gluten free Bread
Organic Fruit Jelly
Meal 2
Tuna, Lean Beef, ground turkey, or Wild caught Cod filet
1 Cup brown Rice, ½ avocado
Meal 3
5 hardboiled egg whites
½ to full cup Brown Rice or Sweet Potato
Meal 4
Post Workout Shake- (Careful lots of garbage out there)
Coconut water
Meal 5
Grilled Chicken breast
Spinach Leave- make a sandwich use a Flax Wrap
Sliced cucumber, sea salt
Meal 6
Wild caught Salmon
Mixed greens salad, or asparagus, or broccoli
Samples Meal Plan 3:
Meal 1
Protein Shake (30 grams)
1 Cup Old Fashioned Oatmeal or Quinoa
Small Apple or Banana
Meal 2
Ground Turkey
½ to full cup Brown Rice or ½ Sweet Potato
Meal 3
Lean Beef or Any Fish
½ to full cup Brown Rice or ½ Sweet Potato
Meal 4
Post Workout Shake
Coconut water
Meal 5
Protein Shake
2 tablespoons Organic Almond or Cashew butter
Meal 6
Grilled Chicken Breast
Large Serving of Spinach leaves
Some quick helpful hints for my Gold members! To see me cook these meals go to our Diamond section…pay by the month and transform your body!
Dave Parise CPT MES FMFC FPTA
