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Body
Building Tips |
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- Bump Up Your ProteinMost bodybuilding experts advocate consuming
at least one gram (g) of protein per pound of bodyweight daily.
To accelerate the muscle-building process, I'm advising that
you increase your daily protein intake to one and a half to
two grams per pound of bodyweight. Increasing protein intake
helps to enhance protein synthesis while preventing protein
breakdown. The net effect is anabolism (gaining quality muscle
size) rather than catabolism (getting smaller due to losing
muscle mass).
- Jack up the CarbsIngesting three grams of carbs per pound
of bodyweight daily will provide your body with plenty of calories
for energy, ensuring that your protein-derived calories will
be left to support muscle growth and repair. Another cheery
result of increasing carbs is that the body won't tear down
muscle tissue for energy during training.
- Eat the Right FatsAll fats are not created equal. The omega-3
fatty acids in salmon and swordfish help to prevent muscle inflammation,
improve glycogen formation and enhance protein synthesis. Eat
salmon or swordfish three times per week or take five to seven
grams of fish oils daily.
- Increase Rest Intervals During TrainingTaking time to rest
between sets allows for immediate recovery within the muscle.
That will enable you to train with heavier weights. It's amazingly
simple: Heavy poundages (plus good form) equal more mass. My
recommendation is to rest for no less than two minutes, but
no more than three minutes, after each set.
- Eat Six Meals Per DayI know it's a pain in the neck to eat
so often, but gaining mass on four meals a day is simply not
going to work for most people; only the genetically blessed
mass monsters can gain substantive size on a four-a-day meal
plan. Schedule each of your six bodybuilding-friendly meals
every two to three hours. This installment plan allows you to
increase the absorption and assimilation of your precious nutrients.
- Don't Snub SugarFast-digesting carbs -- a.k.a. simple sugars
-- get a bum rap. Including simple sugars in the posttraining
meal helps to suppress the production of cortisol -- a muscle-wasting
hormone -- and promote the release of insulin. Shoot for 80-130
g of carbs immediately after training, with at least half coming
from fast-burning carbs such as fruit juice, bagels, fat-free
ice cream or white-flour-based bread products.
- Use an Anabolic CocktailMy cocktail of choice is glutamine
with a creatine chaser. Two grams of glutamine in the meal immediately
following your training can increase growth hormone levels;
10 g of creatine can drag water into the muscles to turn on
protein synthesis.
- Experiment with Low Reps and Heavy WeightInclude low reps
-- two or three per set -- and heavy weights in your program,
especially with compound exercises like squats, bench presses
and deadlifts. These heavy multijoint movements are a prerequisite
for building a maximum amount of muscle.
- Design an Insulin-Boosting StackLet's get creative and devise
a three-supplement stack of goodies that will release insulin
when ingested with your high-carb posttraining meal: 400 milligrams
of alpha-lipoic acid to promote the uptake of carbs by muscles
-- even without the presence of insulin; 200 micrograms of chromium
to increase the muscles' sensitivity to insulin; and six grams
of branched-chain amino acids to provide a shot of leucine,
an amino that helps to trigger the release of insulin.
- Limit Workout VolumeVolume in a workout context can be defined
as the number of sets you perform per bodypart. Doing too many
sets promotes catabolic hormones and adversely impacts recovery
and recuperation. The ideal volume for building mass is six
to eight sets comprising two exercises for smaller bodyparts,
and 10-12 sets comprising three exercises for larger bodyparts.
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