Sloppy to sliced

Adding new muscle to your frame is an admirable pursuit, but no matter how much weight you lift in the gym, you’ll never obtain that tight, shredded look you covet without chipping away at your bodyfat stores. Many people mistakenly think that losing fat is simply a matter of exercising more and eating less, yet a bodybuilder can’t afford to arbitrarily hack calories and run until it hurts. It’s about striking a balance. These tips will help you get lean without losing hard-earned muscle.

1 Cycle Carbs

Limit your carbohydrate intake for 4-5 days, then boost carbs for the following two days. When you cut calories you lose fat, but when you cut calories and limit your carbs to 100 grams or less for 4-5 days, the body goes into a fat-burning mode that’s influenced both by fewer calories and a favorable hormonal shift. When you reverse the process and increase your carb intake to 250-300 grams for two days, you drive your metabolism even higher. Just remember to keep protein intake high to spare muscle tissue.

2 Clock Your Carbs

Too many carbs can make you fat, but too few for an extended period can slow your metabolism. That’s why timing is important: Consume a hefty sum of your daily carbohydrates at breakfast and after training. Eating at least 50 grams of fast-digesting carbs first thing in the morning and immediately postwork-out hinders training-induced muscle breakdown and keeps cortisol, a stress hormone that destroys muscle and slows metabolism, in check.

3 Use BCAAs to Preserve Muscle

To help prevent catabolism, take 5-10 grams of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) with breakfast as well as before and after training. Ingested preworkout, BCAAs are used by the body as a substitute fuel source so it doesn’t tap into stored muscle protein to get through a session. Also, when you’re going low-carb, BCAAs can better trigger protein synthesis.

4 Make Carbs Work for You

Since building muscle is the best way to burn more fat in the long run, you need to make your workouts intense enough to elicit the gains you want. Taking in 20 grams of fast-digesting whey protein and 20-40 grams of slow-digesting carbs (from sources such as fruit, sweet potatoes or brown rice) 30 minutes or less before your first rep helps you power through your workouts with the required intensity. Keep the weight loads up and your rest periods short to burn through your preworkout fuel.

5 Increase Neurotransmitters

What’s a neurotransmitter? Think spark plug. These chemicals in the brain signal the body’s internal fat-burning machinery to shift into an active state. Caffeine, evodiamine and tea (green, oolong and black) boost these fat-fighting chemicals, especially when taken before training and in the absence of carbohydrates. Dosages vary, but each can be taken in a stack with other fat-burners 2-3 times a day, with at least one of those doses coming 30-60 minutes preworkout.

6 Prioritize Slow-Burning Carbs

Slow-digesting carbs such as beans, whole-grain breads and pastas, oatmeal, brown rice and sweet potatoes should constitute the bulk of your daily carbohydrate intake (the exceptions being first thing in the morning and immediately postworkout). Slow carbs reduce the effect of insulin, the hormone that initiates both hunger and fat storage. Research confirms that athletes who consume slow-digesting carbs burn more fat throughout the day as well as during exercise.

7 Snack Right

Sugar-free yogurt and cottage cheese are quite possibly the perfect snack foods. Their slow-digesting carbs prevent your insulin levels from going through the roof. Also, dairy products contain plenty of calcium, which can affect calcitriol levels in the body; calcitriol makes the body’s fat-storing system inefficient at manufacturing fat. Keep low-fat cottage cheese and sugar-free yogurt at your office to avoid the call of the vending machine throughout the day.

8 Always Feed the Machine

Prolonged low-cal diets end up impairing your metabolism over time. One way to get around these inevitable slowdowns is to eat constantly in small quantities. Consuming multiple small meals each day–eating every 1 1/2-2 hours–stimulates thermogenesis, which supports metabolism. While dieting is about restriction, doing so while eating as often as possible allows your body to roll right through potential metabolic slowdowns.

9 Employ Arginine

Taking 3-10 grams of this amino acid an hour before training increases blood flow to the muscles, boosting metabolism and enhancing your pump. It also magnifies the natural growth hormone (GH) burst associated with training, which amps muscle growth and steers the body toward using fat for fuel instead of muscle protein and glycogen.

10 Avoid Carbs Late

Hit the sheets light on carbs. When you go to bed in a carb-deprived state, your body maximizes its natural GH output. GH favorably shifts metabolism and causes more calories to be burned, with a greater amount of those calories being derived from bodyfat. One caveat for evening trainees: You should still consume 40-60 grams of fast-digesting carbs immediately after workouts to kick-start recovery. The bulk of those carbs will be burned or stored as glycogen, leaving blood-sugar levels fairly flat. As long as your blood sugar is stable at bedtime, you’ll max out on GH release while you slumber, putting you in a position to grow muscle, not fat.

11 Drink Tea Regularly

Adequate hydration is essential for performing at optimum levels and keeping your metabolism high. Drink about half your bodyweight in ounces per day; in other words, if you weigh 180 pounds, drink about 90 ounces of water daily. Yet that doesn’t mean you can’t make some of that liquid work overtime for you. For instance, try brewing green tea, which contains antioxidants that increase calorie-burning, or adding ginseng, which can keep blood-sugar levels stable to help you get lean.

12 Use Glutamine and Taurine

These two aminos help maintain your body’s anabolic environment while dieting. When you reduce calories and carbs, cortisol levels often rise. Glutamine interferes with cortisol uptake, staving off protein loss and muscle breakdown. Taken postworkout with fast-digesting carbs, glutamine also assists in recovery by pulling water into muscle cells; it has been found to significantly boost metabolic rate as well.

Another crucial amino acid, taurine enhances water retention within muscles, giving them a greater anabolic edge. Take 5-10 grams of glutamine and 1-3 grams of taurine pre- and post-workout to continue dropping bodyfat.

13 Eliminate All Fat

Okay, not all of it. Do away with most fat for 4-5 days to bust through a sticking point in your fat-loss efforts. (Temporarily eliminating fat leverages the body to burn more stored body-fat.) No chicken breasts, no lean meat, no egg yolks. Ditch even oatmeal, which contains small amounts of fat. Instead, consume near-zero-fat protein sources such as turkey breast, egg whites, fat-free cottage cheese and protein powders. Your body is extremely adaptable, however, so even the zero-fat approach stops working after 4-5 days. That’s when you can return to protein-rich foods that provide more fat.

Mass made simple

Gaining mounds of appreciable muscle doesn’t seem to come easy for most people. It’s rarely for lack of enthusiasm in the gym, though; where most lifters fall short is in their diets. Using the proper approach with whole foods and supplements makes all the difference between being barrel-chested and bare-boned. This assortment of tactics will help you start piling muscle onto muscle in no time.

14 Ditch the Low-Fat/Fat-Free Approach

Strict low-fat diets are for getting lean. When gaining mass, make sure you include olive oil, avocado and whole eggs in your diet, as well as lower-fat–not fat-free–yogurt, milk and cheese. These types of dietary fats drive growth and recovery. Fat also spares the use of protein as an energy source, meaning the protein you eat is directed to its most crucial role–building mass. Fat also supports the natural production of testosterone and GH, two major players in the mass game. Make sure your daily calorie intake is about 30% of calories from fat, mostly from healthy sources such as egg yolks, fatty fish, nuts and seeds.

15 Splurge Occasionally

Stepping up your calorie intake once a week can actually trigger new growth. When you radically increase calories–even with foods you may not typically find in the pages of M & F, such as pizza, burgers, fried food and desserts–the body responds by increasing anabolic hormones responsible for repairing damaged muscle tissue. Plus, this type of occasional dietary splurge keeps you sane while eating clean.

16  Use Powder

Protein is nutrient No. 1 when it comes to building mass. To maximize your protein intake, make at least two of your 5-6 daily meals a protein shake. Powders are more readily absorbed than tougher proteins such as meat and poultry, and you can generally control your portion down to the gram. The two most critical times to have protein shakes are right before (20 grams) and after (40-60 grams) workouts.

17 Crank Up the T & C

Weightlifting boosts levels of testosterone, the muscle-building hormone, and increases the density of T receptors in muscles, allowing greater amounts of testosterone to do its job. After a few weeks, however, the training-induced testosterone burst declines. That’s where T boosters come into play. Taking 500-750 mg of tribulus terrestris an hour before workouts increases luteinizing hormone, which in turn improves testosterone levels. In addition, taking 1,000 mg of vitamin C after training lowers levels of cortisol, the stress hormone released during training that suppresses testosterone uptake by muscles. The net effect: enhanced testosterone status, leading to greater muscle strength, recovery and mass.

18 Go With Garlic

How can something that’s edible but contains hardly any calories, carbs, protein or fat yield gains in mass? By influencing natural hormones in the body that support growth. Getting big is about macronutrients–protein, carbs and fat–as well as hormones. Animal research shows that a high garlic intake combined with a high protein intake produces increased testosterone levels and less muscle breakdown–the elusive anabolic state!

19 Supplement During Training

A sports drink consumed during exercise can shut down the usual muscle breakdown associated with hard training. Select a product that contains glucose (50-60 grams of carbs), add 10-20 grams of whey and sip throughout your workout.

20 Flush the System

Everyone hits plateaus. You eat like crazy and yet inevitably hit a wall. What to do? Take 10 days and pull back on your carb intake, then go back to high carbs. Let’s say you’re eating 400 grams of carbs a day. Cut back to 200-250 grams for 10 days, then go up to 500 for a couple of days before leveling back off to 400. What happens? Your body slingshots right through that plateau and you continue to grow. A chronic high-carb diet makes enzymes that store carbs lazy and less effective. When you pull back on and then add carbs back in, you revamp and recharge your glycogen-storing machinery, allowing you to get back on a growth spurt.

21 Let Salt Work for You

Bodybuilders often make a fuss when someone recommends salt as part of a diet, but keep in mind that sodium is a major mineral your body needs. Salt regulates metabolism by increasing the body’s ability to store carbohydrates in muscles. Generally, greater carb storage yields greater mass gains. That’s why bodybuilders who eliminate salt in hopes of getting ripped for a competition often fail to look the way they hope to. A lack of sodium reduces the body’s ability to make muscle glycogen, and too little glycogen leads to muscles devoid of fullness.

In addition, salt helps amino acids and creatine pass readily into muscle cells, creating growth. We’re not suggesting you shovel in salt at every meal, but you don’t need to worry about buying low-sodium foods. And if you feel like a dash of salt on your steak or rice, go right ahead.

22 Eat Meat

When it comes to mass, red meat is the way to go. Gram for gram, lean red meat contains more B vitamins, creatine, iron and zinc–all vital for growth–than any other protein source. If mass gains are something you’re truly serious about, you must consume red meat on a fairly frequent basis.

23 Eat Fatty Fish

Six-ounce helpings of fatty fish such as bluefish, sardines, salmon and trout provide 32 grams of muscle-building protein and up to 18 grams of omega-3 fatty acids. These fats reduce muscle inflammation, in turn encouraging muscle repair and helping to control cortisol. As cortisol levels fall, testosterone levels generally rise, promoting gains in mass. Omega-3s also alter the fate of glucose, the energy byproduct of carbs. Glucose can be stored as muscle glycogen (promoting growth) or bodyfat, and consuming a diet rich in omega-3 fats shortchanges bodyfat stores by pushing the majority of glucose into muscles.

24 Adjust for Inflation

If you’re not gaining mass yet have energy in the gym, it’s likely that you’re eating enough carbs but not enough protein to build new muscle tissue. So if you’re currently following the golden rule of 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day, immediately move that up to 1.5 grams per pound and muscle will come your way.

25 Emphasize Post-workout Nutrition

How and what you eat right after the gym can make or break your physique. Packing in 60-100 grams of fast-digesting carbs, such as a sports drink, fat-free sorbet or white bread with jam, and 40-60 grams of whey protein immediately after training drives muscles into a state of growth and recovery.

General Tips

While the previous tips are aimed at two specific groups–those looking to get lean and those wanting to gain mass–some advice applies to every physique-minded lifter. The following tips should be used by all bodybuilders, no matter the training goal.

26 Cheat Right

If you’re a bodybuilder getting ready for a show, you know you have to get onstage with one small piece of cloth as the only thing preventing you from being naked. It’s easier to stay motivated and never cheat in that context. But the rest of us who just want to look better are a little more susceptible to the occasional food binge. That’s okay. But if you go overboard, do it on protein. Choose a very large steak, a small potato and salad over a huge pasta meal or pizza because the protein and fat in steak hangs around the gut far longer, making you feel full and allowing you to reassess how hungry you really are. Also, protein can increase chemicals that signal the brain to make you feel full, whereas carbs can do the opposite and trigger the release of chemicals that make you feel hungry.

27 Pack Your Food

One reason many trainees fail to get big and ripped is that they get suckered into cheating by eating foods that are off the reservation. When you cook and pack your food, you’re the master of your destiny. Reaching into your insulated lunch box for a microwaveable helping of steak and rice is much better for you than hitting the drive-thru every day.

28 Snack Right

Stuck in a cubicle all day? We know the feeling. But that’s no reason to fall off the wagon every time you get a sweet tooth at work. Cucumber slices marinated in vinegar, salt and Splenda; sugar-free Jell-O or Popsicles; strawberries; and cantaloupe are some of the very best get-ripped snacks because they yield next to nothing in the calorie department and satisfy the urge to eat something sweet. If you snack on something else–say, a banana nut muffin–you have no one to blame but yourself for the effect on your physique.

29 Go Big at Breakfast

If you’re looking to lean out, breakfast helps ignite your metabolism for the day ahead. When you skip this meal, your metabolism sputters like a dying campfire. A healthy breakfast also keeps you from gorging on something less nourishing at mid-morning.

For mass-gainers, eating breakfast puts the brakes on sleep-triggered catabolism. Remember, when you wake up you’ve essentially been fasting for 6-8 hours, sending your body on the hunt for energy anywhere it can find it, and eventually your muscles become the target. For either goal, strive for breakfast containing a minimum of 30 grams of protein along with 30-50 grams of carbs.

30 Hydrate

Consuming plenty of water is easy to do. It’s also easy to overlook. Getting an adequate amount of water ensures that your body runs on all cylinders. Need we remind you that your body is more than 70% water and that nearly every bodily process requires it? Plus, you’re active, which means you need more water than most. Forget about 6-8 glasses a day–aim for at least half your bodyweight in ounces of water per day, minimum. As a bonus, chugging 2 cups of cold water can have a positive impact on your metabolism.

31 Be Punctual

Whether you’re trying to get shredded or pack on the mass, always eat immediately after training. Is it pointless if you wait longer than three minutes after your final rep to chug your protein shake? No, but you shouldn’t wait more than an hour after training–that’s just too long. When you hit the iron, your hormones and enzyme processes go haywire and demand energy in the form of carbs and protein to get the body back to a state of balance. If you eat fairly soon after exercise, you match up supply with the body’s demands. If you wait, demand wanes. Calories taken in after the one-hour window are still used for recovery and growth but not nearly to the same extent.

Pack your own lunch. Too much trouble? Too boring? Just think of how much better you’ll eat and how many hundreds of dollars you’ll save, all with just a little advance planning and prep time. Our favorite lunches are, of course, good leftovers. If you’re making something tasty and healthy for dinner, make enough extra for a lunch or two during the week (and hide your leftover portion from your family members).

Shopping list

Since you can’t always count on having leftovers, shop for some lunchtime basics. Here are a few standards:

• Eggs:

  Hard-boil them so you’ll have a batch on hand. They’re good in sandwiches and on salads. One whole egg has 6.29 grams of high-quality protein; the white has 3.2 grams. You can discard the yolks if you can’t afford the fat.

• Tuna and samlon:

  Tuna has always been a mainstay of bodybuilders’ diets, and canned salmon and salmon in a pouch are great alternatives. Both types of fish contain high-quality protein and healthy omega-3 fatty acids with very little saturated fat, says Melanie Polk, RD, director of nutrition education for the American Institute for Cancer Research. The mercury content in fish shouldn’t be a concern for most people. However, the FDA recommends that women and young children limit their intake of fish to 12 ounces a week. Tip: Canned light tuna contains less mercury than albacore tuna.

• Lunch meat:

  This is a convenient source of lean protein. Look for brands with low fat and less sodium. Since processed meats tend to be high in nitrates that may increase the risk of some cancers, don’t eat them every day, says Polk. And don’t keep deli-counter lunch meat more than a few days, as it spoils quickly, she adds. For less-processed, lower-sodium protein, see “Gobble This” on the preceding page.

• Breads:

  Select whole-wheat or wholegrain bread. Make sure whole wheat and/or whole grain tops the ingredients list and look for 2 grams of fiber per slice.

• Cottage cheese:

  A handy protein food you don’t need to cook. Choose low-fat or fat-free. Add fruit or chopped onion and bell pepper. Freshly ground pepper is tasty on cottage cheese as well.

• Fresh vegetables:

  Lettuce, cabbage, bell peppers, onion, tomatoes–anything you like chopped or sliced on your sandwich. “Put more veggies than meat on your sandwich,” advises Polk.

• Fruit:

  Apples, oranges, kiwi, bananas, grapes, cherries, peaches, apricots and more–whatever’s in season. “Pack a piece of fruit or two along with your lunch for an afternoon snack,” says Polk. That way you won’t be tempted to buy something greasy, salty or sugary from the vending machine come mid-afternoon.

• Yogurt:

  What’s more convenient than individual containers of light yogurt? Check labels to make sure you don’t end up with sugary, higher-fat versions (unless you need the extra calories).

• Fat-free or low-fat cheese:

  You can get tasty lower-fat cheese pre-sliced for your sandwiches. Try cheddar, sharp cheddar, Swiss and less common varieties like Havarti.

• Fat-free mayo:

  This can add moisture and flavor to dry, bland sandwiches.

• Mustard:

  The low-fat condiment comes in varying strengths from mild to hot. It can really spice up a sandwich.

I drink a whey protein shake after workouts, but is there another supplement I can add to it to make it even more valuable for muscle-mass gains?

A:

If there’s one supplement critical for stimulating muscle-protein synthesis that every bodybuilder should use before and after workouts to maximize muscle growth and strength, it is whey protein. Another up-and-coming supplement–leucine–should be allowed into that elite club. Leucine is not only one of the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), but it is also widely considered the MVP of the BCAAs. That’s because leucine plays a key role in initiating an important step in muscle-protein synthesis. New research in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, derived from a study done at California State University, Fullerton, supports these contentions and demonstrates a few other interesting benefits of combining whey and leucine.

In the study, scientists required 33 male subjects to train just one leg (on the nondominant side) for an eight-week period. The workouts consisted of extensions performed unilaterally at about 80% of their one-rep max (using a weight with which they could complete eight reps). The workout schedule went like this: three workouts of three sets of leg extensions for the first week; three workouts of four sets for the second week; and, finally, five sets of leg extensions for the last six weeks of the study. Some of the subjects drank a 20-gram (g) whey protein shake, which also contained about 6 g of leucine, 30 minutes before and immediately after each workout. On nontraining days, they ingested just one shake, before breakfast. Subjects in the placebo group took a shake that contained about 26 g of maltodextrin–a fast-digesting carbohydrate–30 minutes before and immediately after each workout. They also took just one shake before breakfast on nontraining days.

The researchers measured the changes in one-rep max strength for the extensions in both the trained and untrained legs, and they used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure the change in muscle size of all four quad muscles (vastus lateralis, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis and rectus femoris) of both the trained and untrained legs. For leg-extension strength of the trained leg, they discovered that those who drank the whey and leucine shake had a 30% increase, versus a 22% increase in the placebo group. They found that the average increase in muscle size in the trained leg for those taking supplements was about 7% for the vastus intermedius, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis and rectus femoris; those who took a placebo had average increases of about 4% for each muscle. The results suggest that taking a whey and leucine supplement before and after exercise can help to better increase muscle strength and size.

The bonus

The scientists also discovered some surprising results for the untrained legs in the group that took the whey/leucine combo: an increase of almost 15% in the leg-extension strength of the untrained leg, versus no significant increase for the placebo group. They also reported that the former group increased the size of their vastus lateralis (the outer quad) of the untrained leg by about 7%, while the latter experienced no increases in muscle size. The researchers were uncertain as to why a whey and leucine supplement would enhance the strength and size of an untrained muscle group, but did suggest that the strength gains for both the trained leg and the untrained leg may be due to the effects of leucine on the nervous system–BCAAs can prevent nerve-fiber fatigue and, therefore, promote better strength gains.

Dosage

Before every workout (about 30 minutes or less), take 20 g of whey protein, along with 5-10 g of leucine. In addition, take 20-40 g of whey protein and 5-10 g of leucine immediately after workouts, as well as before breakfast on nontraining days.

Here we suggest a few you’ll want to take before every single workout to boost your energy levels sky-high. That’s right–carbohydrates aren’t the only nutrient you can consume to provide energy. Besides being critical for muscle growth, certain amino acids can energize you before a workout better than carbs can. Try these three aminos when you want to train with insane intensity, all in the name of muscle growth.

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs)

Three amino acids are labeled BCAAs — leucine, isoleucine and valine–and they’re critical for energy and muscle growth. Unlike most other aminos, BCAAs are used directly by muscles for fuel during exercise. Yet after the workout’s over, muscles rely mostly on stored fat for energy, allowing those BCAAs to be used for hypertrophy. That means taking BCAAs before training will provide you with more energy during the workout, spare your muscle levels of BCAAs (which normally get burned for fuel during exercise) and boost muscle growth even after your gym session is over.

• Dose: Take 5-10 grams immediately before training. Look for products that provide a 2:I:I ratio of leucine to isoleucine andvaline. In other words, a 5-gram dose should contain should contain about 2.5 grams of leucine and 1.25 grams each of isoleucine and valine.

Glutamine

This amino acid can aid energy production in a number of ways. Your muscles can use glutamine to produce more energy while you’re resting between sets, which helps you recover better and enhances your strength and endurance on later sets.

Glutamine also helps produce bicar-bonate, which buffers fatigue-producing chemicals that form during intense exercise. In addition, this amino boosts growth hormone levels and frees up more fat from fat cells for enhanced recovery. Glutamine also improves how muscle cells load up on glycogen from dietary carbs, so they can per-form better for longer. It even provides energy for your immune system to run efficiently.

• Dose: Take 5-10 grams immediately before workouts.

Citrulline malate

This supplement consists of the amino acid citrulline bound to malic acid (malate). In the body, a great deal of citrulline gets converted to the amino acid arginine, which can then enhance nitric oxide production. This boosts blood flow to the muscles, in turn delivering more nutrients and oxygen to increase energy during the workout, not to mention the incredible pump.

Citrulline is also involved in removeing ammonia, a toxic compound that’s produced when amino acids are metabolized during intense exercise, from the body. In this way, citrulline delays fatigue during workouts.

Malic acid helps the body convert the lactic acid produced during intense training sessions to energy for the muscles, thus further delaying muscle fatigue. Clinical studies in humans have shown that citrulline malate supplements can help reduce fatigue, boost production of adenosine triphosphate (the major energy currency of all cells) during exercise and increase the rate of creatine phosphate (energy used when lifting weights) recovery following exercise.

• Dose: Take 1-3 grams immediately before workouts.

Creatine, glutamine, protein powders, fat burners and amino acids are the major supplements that help support muscle growth and repair, but they are only part of the story. To help you graduate from beginner to advanced-level bodybuilder, consider the six supplements discussed in this article. These essential nutrients are often ignored or thought of as supplements that support “health” rather than building mass. Many older people and longevity enthusiasts rely on these to improve the chances of living longer or to benefit from greater energy and stamina. FullyFlexed readers should think of these supplements as part of the ideal nutrition plan — one that includes protein, carbs and fat, plus all of these important forgotten nutrients.

Iron

All growing bodies need iron. Pregnant women, babies and mass-seeking bodybuilders need iron to grow. Iron is important for the production of red blood cells, which help deliver oxygen to muscles. A lack of iron can lead to fatigue, a drop-off in appetite and less than optimal muscle recovery. Precontest bodybuilders have to be especially aware of iron intake. Many engage in up to two hours of cardio per day to strip off excess bodyfat. Unless adequate amounts of iron are consumed, such heavy bouts of aerobic exercise will likely lead to extreme fatigue and overtraining. When you hit a state of overtraining, you can kiss your progress good-bye.

• Food sources: Red meat, tomatoes, beans, oatmeal and most veggies
• Suggested dose for bodybuilders: Red meat daily, or an iron supplement yielding up to eight milligrams (mg) a day

Copper

Copper is not often recommended for bodybuilders, yet it ought to be. Besides helping to form red blood cells, copper supports the production of superoxide dismutase (SOD), the body’s most potent internal scavenger of free radicals. Free radicals are the natural byproduct of heavy training. However, overtraining or poor nutrition can create a state where free radicals not only damage muscle cells but can impair the immune system, leading to poor muscle recovery.

• Food sources: Shellfish, fish, organ meats and legumes
• Suggested dose for bodybuilders: 2-3 mg daily

[B.sub.12]

Vitamin [B.sub.12] helps cells divide, which is an essential part of the growth process. Strict diets that are low in calories — especially precontest diets that lack red meat — can result in low levels of [B.sub.12], leading to fatigue. This in turn can contribute to a state of overtraining. When overtraining occurs, a hormonal imbalance sets in that not only prevents gains in mass, but it can also cause a disproportionate amount of muscle to be shed while dieting.

• Food sources: Red meat
• Suggested dose for bodybuilders: Up to 15 micrograms daily

Arginine

Arginine increases the natural release of growth hormone (GH). Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably already know that increasing GH can offer bodybuilders tremendous benefits. First, GH supports the immune system, and a strong immune system is paramount to muscle recovery and muscle growth. Second, GH helps increase mass by boosting the uptake of amino acids into muscle. In addition, it helps burn bodyfat. Bodybuilders can benefit by taking six to eight grams (g) of arginine before training and another 6-8 g before bed. These are the two occasions when GH levels rise, and supplementing with arginine can enhance this natural burst in GH. Mass seekers can add 2 g to the posttraining meal because arginine can also boost insulin levels when combined with a postworkout meal of 50 g each of protein and carbs. Elevated insulin levels after training enhance the recovery phase, reversing muscle breakdown, and increase the storage of muscle glycogen.

• Food sources: Red meat, fish and fowl
• Suggested dose for bodybuilders: 12-18 g, in addition to food sources from animal proteins

Potassium

Potassium helps muscles contract and also plays a big role in helping the body convert carbohydrate intake into muscle glycogen, the reserve fuel tank within muscles and the liver that the body uses while you’re training. In essence, a low potassium intake can short-circuit your ability to carb-load your muscles. Since potassium is stored within muscles, it’s speculated that — like creatine and glutamine — it adds to the total amount of water that muscle can retain and store. More water in muscles facilitates an anabolic environment, causing greater muscle growth.

• Food sources: Lean meat, yogurt, bananas and potatoes
• Suggested dose for bodybuilders: 2-3 g daily split over five or six meals

Acetyl L-carnitine

Bodybuilders often use Tribestan and androstenedione-derived products hoping to bump up testosterone levels, because more testosterone can be translated into greater mass gains. Acetyl L-carnitine (not to be confused with the fat-burner carnitine) can contribute to stable and even higher testosterone levels in athletes who might be walking a tightrope in terms of overtraining. Too much training volume without adequate rest days can cause drops in testosterone levels. Studies also show that acetyl L-carnitine may help improve the uptake of glucose by muscles. This is important because improved glucose transport into muscles could translate into greater muscle mass and possibly less body fat.

• Food sources: Meat, fish and fowl
• Suggested dose for bodybuilders: 300-1,000 mg a day, especially when dieting, during which testosterone levels often fall

Wrap-up

Many bodybuilders direct a lot of attention into basic supplementation; many also overlook the importance of crucial nutrients that are less frequently mentioned in bodybuilding circles. Such nutrients as iron, copper, [B.sub.12], arginine, potassium and acetyl L-carnitine play crucial roles in keeping your body functioning optimally. This is critical for bodybuilders, who may have deficits in their diet or nutrition programs. By ensuring you’re getting all you need for basic body functions, you’re also making sure that your body gets all the nutrients it needs for growth.

During this diet, the brain goes into ketosis (it uses ketone bodies for energy, fats) and thus the energy requirements by the body can almost all be supplied by fats (which you’ll be taking in plenty of). The only activity that uses carbs will be the weight workout which may use 40grams per workout. You will get these 40g indirectly through the foods you’ll be eating. As a backup, the cheat meal you’ll be having once per week will provide a storehouse of glycogen (glucose) in case of emergency. So, you see, very little gluconeogenesis in the liver will be occurring. If we keep cortisol low (by restricting stimulants) we’ll ensure that muscle is spared!

A few tips to remember for this diet

• Have your cheat meal on the same day every week, last meal of the day so you don’t cheat again.
• Fiber helps burn fat! Everyone should take fiber two times per day. Fiber actually helps increase the absorption of calcium. When following my diet plan (which includes getting your brain into ketosis), there can be NO starchy carbs eaten!
• Always eat before lifting, and never between lifting and cardio.
• Remember, it takes 3-4 days to get into a strong ketosis where your brain is using ketone bodies (fats), instead of carbs, for energy. Be patient.

For a 200lb man & for women in general you will eat 4 to 5 out of the 6 meals (4 if you weigh under 130-150lbs)

Meal 1- 5 whole eggs (make sure to buy OMEGA-3 EGGS from the supermarket. They contain virtually NO saturated fat and tons of good OMEGA-3 fats); add another 4 egg whites to this (they don’t need to be the Omega-3 ones; you can use liquid egg whites).

Meal 2 - 50g Whey Protein with 1 tablespoon of All Natural Peanut butter (no sugar).

Meal 3 -8oz chicken with 1/2-cup cashew nuts (almonds, or walnuts).

Meal 4 - 50g Whey Protein with 1 tablespoons of All Natural Peanut butter (no sugar added).

Meal 5- 8oz Salmon, Swordfish, or red meat with a green salad (no tomatoes, carrots, or red peppers) with 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil or Macadamia nut oil and vinegar.

Meal 6 - 50g Whey protein with 1 tablespoon all natural peanut butter or 4 whole (Omega-3) eggs and 4 extra whites

For a 250lb+ man

Meal 1 - 6 whole Omega-3 eggs

Meal 2 -8oz chicken with 1/2 cup raw almonds

Meal 3 - 50g Whey protein with 2 tablespoons all natural peanut butter

Meal 4: 8oz salmon with 1 cup asparagus with 1 tablespoon macadamia nut oil

Meal 5 - 50g Whey protein with 2 tablespoon PB

Meal 6 - 6 whole eggs

When fat loss plateau’s

Once fat loss slows, I always increase cardio first, then I increase the amount of fat burners. After those other methods are exhausted, only then, do I play with the diet. Many times I’ll switch to an alternating diet where one day it will be protein/fat, then another protein/vegetables (very little fat). The great thing about the body and fat is that EFAs can be stored in the muscle for several days, up to 2 weeks. Therefore, once an adequate storehouse of Essential Fats are built up, the body can be “tortured” a little and it still won’t give up muscle (that’s assuming you’re still taking in adequate protein. Protein can’t be stored).

Cardio

Cardio should be performed at a low intensity (under 120bpm heartrate). This will ensure that you use FAT as a fuelsource since as your heartrate increase, carbohydrates begin to become the preferred fuel of choice for the body. When on a low carb diet, you’re body will break down muscle and turn that into carbs. Remember, fat cannot be changed into carbs. Therefore, for bodybuilding, the rule of cardio should be long duration, Low intensity.

When Fullyflexed recommends that bodybuilders should eat potatoes, does it matter what kind?

A:

They’re all good, but discriminating bodybuilders use yams when cutting bodyfat because they are low on the glycemic index and help satisfy sweet cravings. Because what we know as yams here in the United States are often confused with sweet potatoes, look for the darker orange specimens to make sure you’re getting yams (they’ll also be pointier and of less uniform size). The orange flesh is due to the presence of alpha- and beta-carotene, antioxidants that protect the blueprint of protein synthesis — muscle DNA.–by squelching free radicals.

If yams aren’t available, sweet potatoes are still an option. Ranking somewhere between yams and regular potatoes, sweet potatoes have a moderate glycemic index. If it’s potatoes or nothing and you’re concerned about blood sugar or insulin backlash, choose “bakers” instead of “boilers.” Mealy potatoes, or bakers, have a lower-glycemic-index starch that is rich in amylose. Because amylose is a slow-release carbohydrate, it’s not as likely to upset the insulin apple cart. (Another moderate-glycemic-index potato is the russet.)

Waxy potatoes, or boilers, on the other hand, are a high-glycemic-index food. Of course, that can be good if you’ve just had an intense workout, because it will provide an insulin spike to help reduce muscle loss. Carbs aren’t likely to cause fat gain after training, anyway, as at this time your muscles suck them up rapidly and use them to restock glycogen stores for your next workout. For this reason, a waxy potato along with a chicken breast or a protein shake makes an excellent postworkout meal, although nothing competes with a yam the rest of the time.

Deep in a diet when the cravings start to hit you, hard. When you began dieting, your drive to be lean and mean made it easy to say no to the pizza your buddies were noshing on and the ice cream your girlfriend was eating for dessert. Yet suddenly the thought of pizza, a bugger, ice cream, chocolate, cookies, chips–you name it–seems to drive you mad. And it’s getting harder to say no to these mouthwatering foods.

If these cravings have you feeling like a failure, we have good news for you. Not only is this common, but research shows it may be good for your dieting results.

Researchers from the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University (Boston) found that 95% of subjects who were placed on a low-calorie diet experienced food cravings during the study. Those who lost the most fat while dieting were also those who craved foods that are higher in calories and fat. (They also gave in to these cravings less frequently than those who lost less weight. No surprise there.)

How can this study teach you a few things about your own dieting? First of all, if you find yourself craving foods that are high in calories and fat, such as pizza, burgers and tacos, you’re likely on the right track when it comes to dropping bodyfat.

The second point deals with giving in to the cravings. Obviously, the goal is to cave less frequently. But how? One of the best ways to cheat less often is to have a scheduled cheat day when you get to have one meal that’s “no holds barred” – you can eat anything you want.

Let’s face it

When it comes to dieting, even the most disciplined bodybuilders cheat. This is okay as long as you limit your cheating to about once a week. A scheduled cheat meal helps you stick to your diet, and you feel rewarded when eating it. It’s a winwin situation that helps you lose.

If you’re serious about packing on lean mass, you know you need protein–lots of it. In fact, for optimal muscle growth, you need at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day, every day: that’s a minimum of 200 grams of protein for a 200-pound guy. If you’ve been reading FullyFlexed for any length of time, you know that the majority of your protein should come from quality whole-food sources such as chicken, turkey, fish, eggs and red meat.

There are times, however, when whole-food protein is not the best option. Three times, to be exact: immediately when you wake up, and before and after workouts. That’s because at those nutritionally critical junctures of your day, you want a fast-digesting protein to supply amino acids to your body rapidly. Protein powders do this job best; they contain protein in one of its simplest forms. All the major protein powders (whey, casein, soy and egg) have unique benefits, but a hardcore bodybuilder should place whey first on his list. Here’s whey … er, why that’s the case.

From trash to treasure

Egg protein used to be all the rage among bodybuilders. Then, scientists discovered that an even more power-packed protein was being thrown away every day. That substance, whey, accounts for about 20% of the protein in milk (casein, the majority of milk protein, makes up the rest). When cheese is manufactured, whey, the liquid portion of the milk, is removed from the casein. For years, this valuable substance was just poured down the drain. Now, whey is the most popular bodybuilding protein in the world.

Whey became the gold standard because it’s not only a high-quality protein, but it’s also excellent at stimulating protein synthesis–the process by which muscles increase in size. It accomplishes this task in several ways. First, since it’s the fastest-digesting protein powder you can buy, its amino acids are rapidly absorbed into your bloodstream, where they travel to muscles, boosting the formation of protein. Second, whey has a high concentration of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), particularly leucine. Among protein powders, whey is tops when it comes to leucine. This is important because new research shows that this amino acid kick-starts protein synthesis. Third, compared to other protein powders, whey boosts insulin levels higher. Like leucine, the anabolic hormone insulin is also important for the stimulation of protein synthesis.

Essentially, then, whey covers all the bases for optimal muscle growth. But it also offers plenty of other benefits. The most important for bodybuilders is its ability to enhance blood flow to muscles. Its short protein fragments (peptides) may inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), an enzyme that increases the constriction of blood vessels. In doing so, it allows greater blood vessel dilation. The result is better blood flow to exercising muscles, which enhances the delivery of nutrients (such as amino acids), anabolic hormones (think growth hormone or testosterone) and oxygen–all critical for energy and strength during a workout and for muscle recovery and growth afterward. The increased blood flow also enhances the muscle pump you get during your workout.

Need a few more reasons to consume whey? Well, how about the fact that it provides calcium (since it comes from milk), which supports bone and dental health, and–important to the dieting bodybuilder–can aid in bodyfat reduction. In addition to the positive effects of calcium, research has found that certain whey peptides help enhance bone mineral density. Studies also show that whey protein can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease due to its ability to inhibit ACE and, therefore, lower blood pressure. This wonder protein also increases glutathione levels in the body, lowers total and LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and may even reduce the risk of some forms of cancers. All that in a supplement that also helps you pack on lean muscle mass.

Wheying the options

If you compare the labels on various bottles of protein powder, you may notice that whey protein is listed in several different forms. The three most common types available as powders are whey protein concentrate, whey protein isolate and whey protein hydrolysate. The differences are in the processing methods used to get it into the container. After liquid whey is separated from casein, the whey is filtered to remove the majority of the fat and carbs (lactose). The more processing it undergoes, the higher the protein content in the powder.

Whey protein concentrate (WPC)

One of the first steps in the production of whey protein powder is ultrafiltration. This method uses varying degrees of pressure and a porous membrane to separate the fat and carbs from the protein. The result is WPC, the basic form of whey protein. Most WPCs in protein powders today are 70-85% protein, with the remainder being carbs and fat. The simple filtering system yields a product that is typically less expensive than other whey proteins. Less processing also means that most of the beneficial whey peptide fractions remain in place. WPC is a good choice for those on a budget, or for people who want to reap all the health benefits of whey.

Whey protein isolate (WPI)

Because it is processed more, WPI is a purer form of whey protein than WPC. It may undergo longer filtration times or additional manufacturing steps, such as cross-flow microfiltration. This low-temperature process further removes the fat and carbs from the whey protein through high-tech ceramic filters that still allow the majority of the beneficial whey peptide fractions to be retained. Some manufacturers produce WPI via ion exchange. This method can often produce the purest form of whey protein isolate, but the drawback is that some peptide fractions can be lost during the process. Regardless of the method, the extra steps produce a whey powder containing 90-98% protein. Due to its lower carb and fat content, WPI is a great whey protein to use when you’re dieting. Compared to a concentrate, an isolate is also a better choice postworkout because the body can digest and absorb it faster.

Whey protein hydrolysate (WPH)

Through a process called hydrolysis, whey’s longer protein chains are broken down into smaller peptide fragments. Subsequently, WPH can be digested and absorbed even faster than WPI. This means it’s the best option you can buy for a postworkout protein shake. Of course, you’ll pay more for products that contain WPH, as the additional processing means greater expense.

Pick your potion

Whatever form of whey protein you choose, you’ll find it’s a crucial element of building a bigger and better body. Once you settle on the best type for you and your budget, use the information in the sidebar “Whey, When & How” to fully integrate this powerful protein into your own nutritional plan. Your muscles will thank you for it.

Slow digesting, by definition, means that the body is unable to process a food or supplement quickly. For instance, the body’s ability to process a soluble protein like whey is significantly faster than an insoluble protein like casein. Casein forms micelles–basically, clumps or clusters–layers of which are slowly peeled off during digestion.

How long can it take to digest casein proteins?

It can take up to seven hours to completely digest certain casein proteins, such as micellar casein, allowing the body to gradually utilize its properties. Sometimes, a quick-digesting protein, such as whey, may pass too rapidly through the digestive system and into the intestines for the body to properly take advantage of all of the nutrients.

Using casein before bed

Taking casein right before bedtime is ideal, as it provides a slow release of amino acids, helping to prevent muscle breakdown and thus keeping your system more anticatabolic.

COPYRIGHT 2009 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2009 Gale, Cengage Learning