This short article is the antagonist of LOSE WEIGHT, feel great — if you haven't read it yet, do it now.
Listen, let's cut to the chase … if you want to build muscle you must be in a positive caloric balance & you need to do this without putting too much stress on your digestive system (namely, do not eat food that disrupt your gut microbiom). How do you do this? —
CREATING A POSITIVE CALORIC BALANCE, start here:
Eat 1x bodyweight (lbs) in grams of Carbohydrates
Eat .75x bodywight (lbs) in grams of Protein
Eat .35x bodyweight (lbs) in grams of Fat
For Example: a 180lbs lifter would be required to eat 180g CARBOHYDRATES, 135g PROTEIN & 65g FAT — 1845 TOTAL KCALS
Spread over 3 evenly distrubuted meals this represents: 60g CARBOHYDRATES, 45g PROTEIN & 21g FAT — 605 TOTAL KCALS PER MEAL
NOW, THIS IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE: the lifter is not yet in a positive caloric balance … they are about (depending on the person) 600 to 800 kcals/day shy of meeting that requirement. Temporarily lowering your caloric intake can have positive benefits:
Digestive System Relief
Decreased Inflammation
Optimized Insuline Sensitivity
Improved Glucose Control
Improved Body Composition
Easier Way To Prepare Meals (consistency is key to muscle building)
Honestly, simply meeting the above requirements is all you might need to start building muscle. Either way, we recommend the minor Calorie Deficit for 2 weeks before inceasing Calories. When you do … do it strategically.
HOW TO INCREASE CALORIES OVER TIME
Simply add a meal on REST Days (you should not be training everyday to build muscle) & monitor your body composition! Another option is to simply add 1 Meal Per Day for 3-5 Consecutive Days followed by removing 1 Meal for 1 Day (creating a caloric deficit). Either way, when you WAVE YOUR CALORIC INTAKE you improve the cells ability to UPTAKE NUTRIENTS.
EAT DIGESTIVE SYSTEM FRIENDLY FOODS
CARBOHYDRATES, such as: Potatoes, White Rice (with fibre), Berries, Fermented Vegetables Broccoli, Asparagus, Peppers, Brussel Sprouts, Apples, Oranges, Banana's & Yogurt (with fat)
PROTEINS, such as: Beef, Eggs, Fresh Fish, Chicken (with fat), Game Meat, Shellfish & any protein supplement that does not create flatuation
FATS, such as: Butter, Olive Oil, Chocolate (80% or Higher), Avocado, Cheese
CAUTION: Don't eat too many vegetables out of fear you might become one yourself. Stay balanced. Make a mental note on how you feel after eating. Are you reenergized or tired?
If you eat too much food, you will experience blood flow diversion (blood rushes to digestive system to aid digestion) = fatigue.
If you eat something that you shouldn't, you will experience an inflammatory response (bloating, irritability, mental fogginess) = fatigue.
If you are renergized after eating, you are on the right track.
MEAL EXAMPLES, for our 180lb lifter
1/4 Jasmine Rice
1 Cup Brocolli
150g Extra Lean Beef (95%)
2 Eggs
200g Mixed Berries
200g Potatoes
150g Chicken Thigh
1 Cup Brussel Sprouts
1 Medium Orange
1 Large Apple
150g Salmon
2 Pieces Lindt Dark Chocolate (90%)
The Lose It! App is great for helping you track Macronutrients and creating Muscle Building Meals.
Again, the key to improving body composition and building muscle is consitently feeding yourself adequetely so as to be prime the body for ever more intense forms of training. If you feel you are not getting stronger in the gym … you either don't know what your doing or your not feeding yourself appropriately. Muscle needs adaquet energy to contract & relax! Let STRENGTH ADAPTATION be the greatest indicator of Muscle Building — if your stronger from month to month you are building muscle. If the reverse is true of you, it's likely you are in a Catabolic State.
SUPPLEMENTS THAT WILL HELP YOU BUILD MUSCLE
Add a 5th Meal
Creatine
Salt
HAVE QUESTIONS, Need help? — Reach out!
Everyone Strönger