Getting big is not so hard – just eat a ton of food and work out heavy, right? But to look muscular, you need to add muscle without piling on pounds of fat, and adding health risks in the process.
Here are five tips to consider in your training program:
Getting big is not so hard – just eat a ton of food and work out heavy, right? But to look muscular, you need to add muscle without piling on pounds of fat, and adding health risks in the process.
Here are five tips to consider in your training program:
#1 Re-prime your body every two weeks
Even if your muscle gain diet is PERFECT, every time you overeat for muscle size, your body will store excess food as fat, and the longer you overeat, the more fat that will accumulate on your stomach. By including a one-week lower calorie diet into your program, you can quickly strip away any fat you may have gained, and then go back to your higher-calorie diet without losing any of the muscle you originally gained.
#2 Your best muscle gains come in the first two weeks
Every time you try to gain size, most of the improvement comes in the first two weeks. After that, it seems to be very difficult to make any further progress. And of course all that extra food is stored as fat. So limit your high-calorie intake to two weeks, and then drop back to a ‘normal’ diet.
#3 Never eat fats one hour before a workout
You are about to spike your insulin with a workout drink that contains sugar. If you eat a fatty steak or nuts an hour before pushing up your insulin levels, be prepared for fat storage. The best food an hour before your workout is a fast digesting protein, such as white fish, which will give you extra amino acids during your workout when they will do the most good.
#4 Cardio will not strip off your muscle
You should value your heart and lung function to the point that your appearance never comes before your health. Three cardio sessions a week are recommended, each about 30 minutes long. All year. And no, energetic sex does not count. As long as you are sweating, and your heart is pumping, you are doing well. More cardio than this and you may burn muscle as well as fat.
#5 Break your training and diet into mini 21-day cycles
Planning your training program for long periods often leads to a lack of success. It gets boring, and it is easy to backslide. Have a rough idea of where you are going in the future, but think about the details in manageable periods of time. Short programs help you to stay motivated and lead to better results.
