04/24/2019
Tips from G #3: How to maximize muscle growth
1. Protein protein protein (1-1.5g x your body weight)
2. Frequent eating (every 2-3 hrs)
3. Eat sufficient amount of good fats (30-50% of your daily cal intake)
4. Use carb timings to your advantage (pre and post workout)
5. Track or at least consider overall calorie intake (bulking: caloric surplus, cutting: caloric deficit)
6. Use supplements
7. Find what works best for you
When it comes to building muscle there's more than one way to take on the approach, although variations like “dirty bulking” or “lean bulking” exist, they pretty much stick to these general guidelines.
1. Why is protein so important and how much should I eat?
Protein is truly the centerpiece of nutritional needs, it’s an important component for literally every cell in the body. Your body uses it to build and repair muscle tissues, make enzymes, hormones and other bodily chemicals. It's also an important building block for your bones, cartilage, skin and blood as well.
When it comes to eating enough protein for maximum muscle gain the general rule of thumb is 1-1.5 x your body weight in grams of protein each day.
Example: if your 100lbs, you wanna be eating 100-150gs of protein daily.
2. Why are meal timings important and how often should I be eating?
Meal timings play an important role in speeding up your metabolism, the reason being that inconsistent meal times keep the body guessing when it’s next meal is gunna be. If you can keep your body on an eating routine it will be readily waiting to process the rush of nutrients dumped down your gullet.
As far from primitive as we may be, the hunter gatherer side of us still lives on in some aspects. When we eat, our body naturally takes some of the nutrients from that meal and stores it in case of a survival situation.
By eating consistently your body will start to learn food scarcity is not an issue, thus allowing for all of the nutrients to be processed instead of only a portion.
More of the nutrients being processed = less nutrients being converted to fat
Eating every 2-3hrs keeps the metabolism crankin
3. What are healthy fats and how much should I eat?
Olive oil, coconut oil, fish oil, butter, avocado, various nuts and cheeses are all good sources of fats that can help aid in muscle growth.
Fats are often neglected due to their negative stigma, many believe all fat is bad but in reality fats are an essential part of a healthy diet. According to Jim Stoppani, “omega-3 fats from fatty fish like salmon have recently been found to be critical players in muscle recovery and growth. They also help aid in keeping body fat off, promote joint health, protect against heart disease, boost brain function and a host of other health benefits.”
If your aiming for maximum muscle growth capability, healthy fats should equate to about 30-50% of your overall weight in grams each day.
Example: 180lb man needs 60-90gs of healthy fats daily
4. When is it best to eat carbs and why?
Post workout carb consumption is absolutely essential when it comes to maximizing your muscle growth, the reason being that glycogen, the storage form of carbohydrates is pulled from the muscles and used for energy during a workout.
After a good exercise your muscles fibers are broken down and depleted of this muscle glycogen (carbs). If glycogen storage is not replenished quickly after a workout the body starts pulling nutrients from wherever it can, starting with the muscles.
It’s pretty counterproductive to do a whole workout just to have your gains taken by glycogen depletion so I highly recommend adding carbs to your post workout meal.
5. How many calories should I eat to build muscle?
Overall calorie consumption varies from person to person depending on their weight and fitness goals, but to be more specific, what ultimately matters is the macronutrients intake and ratios between the 3.
Macronutrients = carbs, fats and proteins
As stated earlier, protein is the centerpiece of nutritional needs, so basically it should be the main serving for each meal while regulating the intake of the other 2 macros.
General rule of thumb for bulking is 2 palms of protein and a palm/palm and a half of carbs for every meal. Aim for 5-6 meals a day, 2 of which can be protein shakes.
6. What supplements should I use?
These are my personal recommendations for anyone serious about pushing for their fitness goals. These are used year round while cutting, bulking or doing pretty much any type of diet:
- Whey protein powder brand can vary (On the go protein) (100% NEED)
- Ignition by 1st phorm (post workout carbs to refill muscle glycogen) (unnecessary only if your doing the keto diet)
- Multivitamin any brand (helps transport nutrients to the body)
- Fish oil any brand (joint, bone, muscle, blood and brain support)
- Opti greens by 1st phorm (8+ servings of vegetables) (100% recommend)
- Creatine Monohydrate any brand (scientifically proven to increase muscle mass and strength gains)
