When we think of bulking up, many of us begin to shake in our lifting straps. Many of us would like to gain some quality muscle but do not want to add any extra pounds in the form of fat to our body. Even though it may only be an extra pound of two (probably around the mid-section), we cannot see it as an even trade off for the gain in muscle mass. I mean what does it matter if you gain some lean muscle if it is covered by 20 pounds of fat?
Well here is the question you may be wondering: "How do I bulk up without adding unwanted bodyfat?" The answer is: "Carefully paying attention to what foods you eat and when you eat them."
An increase in calories taken in daily are required to build muscle. This means you must eat more calories than you burn daily to gain weight. This is a fine line to walk, because too many calories could spill over into unwanted bodyfat. The key is to eat just enough to facilitate the muscle-gaining process but not so much that you'll add fat along with it.
One way to do this is to control your portion sizes at each meal throughout the day. Most meals except your post workout and breakfast meals should have adequate portions of protein and carbs. (40-60 grams of protein and 40-80 grams of carbs depending on your size) Dietary fats should be kept to a minimum except for healthy fats (nuts,olive oil,fish fats, etc). This can be around 5-10 grams per meal.
Timing plays a key role in staying lean also. While bulking up and trying to stay lean, when you eat is as important as what you eat. The two meals most important in gaining and keeping you lean are post-workout and breakfast. These are the two times of the day when your muscles crave more calories and nutrients. At breakfast because your nutrionally depleted from you long night's sleep (hopefully a long sleep anyway), and after training because the stressed muscles are in extreme need of recovery foods to jumpstart the recovery process. Optimum growth can be facilitated during these key windows of opportunity. Doing so can also help keep bodyfat levels lower.
By manipulating your calorie intake on training days and non-training days, you can speed growth and keep bodyfat storage to a minimum. By eating the larger meals when you need them on training days and keep the other 4-5 meals in proportion you can really reap the benefits. By adjusting the meal portions to lower your carb intake on non-training days, you can avoid added body fat storage. The added calories and carbs will not be utalized as well if your muscles are not depleted and in need of them. These are the days you are not burning through the same amount of carbohydrates, so you do not need to keep adding them.
Eating six meals a day will definately help you gain the lean mass you crave, but remember to take a second look at portion sizes and the time of your meals. Since insulin senivity tends to be lower later in the day, avoiding carbs helps prevent fat gain. Protein intake stays the same on bot days, so the drop in carbs also means a much-needed drop in calories. (roughly 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight)
This is a small sample of possible diet plans and tips to help you gain mass and stay lean. Everyone is different and the numbers in the examples could very depending on the person training. Experiment and see what works best for you. The numbers always can be adjusted.
jr
Well here is the question you may be wondering: "How do I bulk up without adding unwanted bodyfat?" The answer is: "Carefully paying attention to what foods you eat and when you eat them."
An increase in calories taken in daily are required to build muscle. This means you must eat more calories than you burn daily to gain weight. This is a fine line to walk, because too many calories could spill over into unwanted bodyfat. The key is to eat just enough to facilitate the muscle-gaining process but not so much that you'll add fat along with it.
One way to do this is to control your portion sizes at each meal throughout the day. Most meals except your post workout and breakfast meals should have adequate portions of protein and carbs. (40-60 grams of protein and 40-80 grams of carbs depending on your size) Dietary fats should be kept to a minimum except for healthy fats (nuts,olive oil,fish fats, etc). This can be around 5-10 grams per meal.
Timing plays a key role in staying lean also. While bulking up and trying to stay lean, when you eat is as important as what you eat. The two meals most important in gaining and keeping you lean are post-workout and breakfast. These are the two times of the day when your muscles crave more calories and nutrients. At breakfast because your nutrionally depleted from you long night's sleep (hopefully a long sleep anyway), and after training because the stressed muscles are in extreme need of recovery foods to jumpstart the recovery process. Optimum growth can be facilitated during these key windows of opportunity. Doing so can also help keep bodyfat levels lower.
By manipulating your calorie intake on training days and non-training days, you can speed growth and keep bodyfat storage to a minimum. By eating the larger meals when you need them on training days and keep the other 4-5 meals in proportion you can really reap the benefits. By adjusting the meal portions to lower your carb intake on non-training days, you can avoid added body fat storage. The added calories and carbs will not be utalized as well if your muscles are not depleted and in need of them. These are the days you are not burning through the same amount of carbohydrates, so you do not need to keep adding them.
Eating six meals a day will definately help you gain the lean mass you crave, but remember to take a second look at portion sizes and the time of your meals. Since insulin senivity tends to be lower later in the day, avoiding carbs helps prevent fat gain. Protein intake stays the same on bot days, so the drop in carbs also means a much-needed drop in calories. (roughly 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight)
This is a small sample of possible diet plans and tips to help you gain mass and stay lean. Everyone is different and the numbers in the examples could very depending on the person training. Experiment and see what works best for you. The numbers always can be adjusted.
jr
