10 Rules of Eating for Mass

1 – CALORIES COUNT
When it comes to packing on the pounds it is vital that you become a dedicated calorie counter. Regardless whether you’re eating protein, carbs or fat, your body first considers them for the fuel they provide to perform basic physiological functions such as body temperature regulation, muscle repair and even digestion of food.

If you’re a hard-core bodybuilder who trains for at least an hour a day you will need 19-20 calories per pound of bodyweight on training days, and that’s just to maintain the muscle you have. You actually need to eat 2 or 3 calories per pound of bodyweight more than this (21-23 calories) to gain mass. On rest days you’ll need 16-18 calories per pound of bodyweight to maintain your muscle mass. Sticking to this will ensure that you gain lean muscle without excess body fat on rest days.

2 – CARB UP
Carbs are very important for packing on mass. They drive up levels of insulin and also load your muscles with glycogen, the stored form of carbs. This is important for 2 reasons: First glycogen keeps muscles big and full by pulling water into muscle cells and filling them up like water balloons. Secondly, muscle levels of glycogen are an important indicator of whether you have enough energy to build muscle or whether you need energy (by breaking down muscle protein) to fuel your body’s functions. When your muscles are full of glycogen, as happens during a high carb diet, your body has the energy needed to grow; when energy levels are low, the body breaks down muscle for use as fuel.

On workout days, shoot for about 2.5g of carbs per pound of bodyweight. On rest days you won’t need as many carbs – halfyour intake to 1-1.25g of carbs per pound of bodyweight. For most meals choose slow digesting carbs such as oats, wholemeal bread and sweet potatoes.

3 – GET FAT
You must boost your fat intake when on a mass-gain plan. Athletes that eat a higher-fat diet end up with higher testosterone levels. Testosterone is a critical anabolic hormone for pushing muscle growth. Healthy fats such as those found in salmon, walnuts, olive oil and peanut butter help joints to recover.

When you’re on the Winter Mass Attack plan, you should be training with heavier weights and greater intensity, which can     stress your joints. Taking in plenty of healthy fats can help protect your joints and allow them to recover from heavy training.     On training days, your fat intake should comprise at least 25% of your total daily calorie intake; on recovery days, move up to about 35-40% of your total daily calorie intake.

4 – POUND THE PROTEIN
For mass gaining, take in 2g per pound of bodyweight on workout days and 1.5g on rest days. Taking in ample amounts of quality protein is critical for mass gain. Of the three macro-nutrients, only protein builds muscle. Protein sources are eggs, beef, chicken, beef, fish and dairy products along with addition of protein powders. Getting protein from whey and casein shakes is a convenient way to boost your intake, and at certain times of the day it’s the best source of protein for your needs (see rule 7).

5 – CUT BACK AT REST
In the previous rules we call for cutting back food intake on rest days. Calories drop by about 2-3 per pound of bodyweight     and carbs are slashed in half. Even protein drops a little (mainly due to not drinking pre and post workout shakes). Watch your calorie intake on rest days as your body requires less energy when it’s not working. If you ingest the same amount of calories on rest days as you do on workout days, you run the risk of gaining some fat with your newly developed muscle.
However, increase your fat intake on rest days, so your body doesn’t compensate for a deceived calorie deficit. If you focus on getting extra healthy fats (see rule 3), you will not only help to keep body fat off, but will also enhance joint recovery.

6 – WAKE UP FAST
When you wake up in the morning your body is in a catabolic state ie. Your body is literally eating your muscle protein for     fuel. To stop this process you need to eat ASAP. Forget about showering or cleaning your teeth. Head straight to the kitchen and don’t even think about eating whole foods – they take too long to digest. You need 2 things: the fastest-digesting protein and the fastest-digesting carb.

For protein that means whey protein isolate, or whey protein hydrolysate which is even faster-digesting than isolate. This will rapidly supply your body with protein to use for energy, sparing your muscles from further breakdown. The amino acids from  the whey that are not used for fuel will go to your muscle fibres and rebuild that was broken down at night and that will put     you in an anabolic state.

For fast-digesting starch the answer is waxy maize starch. Research shows that these carbs digest even faster than sugar. Getting carbs into your bloodstream fast is as important as protein for stopping the catabolic onslaught when you wake up in the morning. With your liver glycogen totally depleted by your nights fast, waxy maize starch will rapidly signal your body to     stop cannibalising itself. This is why we suggest you get in a liquid breakfast as soon as you awake, and then 30-60 minutes later, a whole food meal – your 2nd breakfast.

7 – MIX UP YOUR PROTEIN BEFORE AND AFTER WORKOUTS
Within 30 minutes before workouts you need rapidly digesting protein such as whey as this maximises muscle protein synthesis. Whey also contains peptides (small protein fragments) that enhance blood flow to your muscles. This can increase the delivery of hormones and nutrients to your muscles during workouts and enhance your muscle pump.
Also consider adding some Soya to your pre-workout shake. Not only is Soya protein isolate fast-digesting, but research shows that genistein, as Soya hytoestrogen, increases nitric oxide levels. And since Soya is rich in arginine, it is a great way to further boost blood flow to your muscles during the workout.

Research has shown that whey protein taken immediately after workouts rapidly increases muscle protein synthesis and as a result, muscle growth. The spike it causes in insulin levels not only helps to further boost protein synthesis, but also blunts cortisol levels. This catabolic hormone competes with the anabolic hormone testosterone and increases muscle breakdown. Blunting it keeps you in a more anabolic state and promotes faster recovery from the workout and better muscle growth.

You should also consider mixing some casein protein into your post-workout shake. As casein is as slow digesting as whey is fast, it has been found to boost protein synthesis after workouts. Researchers in the U.S. have found that in a 10 week study involving trained lifters who took a post-workout shake of combined whey and casein protein, gained significantly more mass than those taking a shake with just casein.

8 – SLOW DOWN YOUR CARBS BEFORE WORKOUTS AND SPEED THEM UP AFTER WORKOUTS
As stated in rule 2, for most meals you should select slow burning carbs.This is also the same for the pre-workout meal.     Research shows that when athletes eat slower-digesting carbs, they not only have more energy and less fatigue during exercise, but they burn more fat during training and experience less huger throughout the day. Within 30 minutes of your workouts, eat slow burning carbs, such as a piece of fruit, wholegrain bread  or oats, along with your protein shake.
The meal that you have immediately after your workout should consist of fast-digesting carbs such as waxy maize starch. This will spike levels of the anabolic hormone insulin, which drives the carbs you eat into muscle cells, where they will be stored as glycogen to be used for your next workout. Insulin helps amino acids get into the muscle cells to build muscle protein. It is also critical to the delivery of creatine to the muscles (see rule 10) and increases muscle protein synthesis, one of the major processes by which muscle fibres grow.

Normally, you want to keep insulin levels in check for a variety of reasons, but immediately following a hard training session is one time when an insulin spike is desirable.

9 – SLEEP ON IT
When you are asleep, you are fasting. When you have no food in your digestive tract, your body turns to your muscle fibre for protein to fuel your body. A slow digesting protein such as a casein protein shake or cottage cheese and healthy fats such as walnuts, are your best choice before you go to bed. These foods help slow digestion a steady supply of amino acids for fuel, therefore minimising the body’s tendency to use muscle.
A protein shake containing micellar casein can take up to 7 hours to digest. This means that your body gets a steady stream of amino acids throughout most of the night, preventing it from breaking down your muscles.

10 – SUPPLEMENT MASS

In addition to using whey, casein and Soya protein as well as waxy maize starch, there are certain special supplements that you need to take to ensure that you gain the mass you wish during this wintertime programme.Branch-chain amino acids -

• BCAAs comprise of the three main amino acids which are leucine, isoluicine and valine. These are the three most important amino acids for repairing and building muscle tissue.  Leucine is the most critical of the three, as research shows that this amino acid can turn on protein muscle synthesis by itself. It’s still best to take all three together as they work in synergy to provide a multitude of benefits that include muscle growth, increased energy during workouts, blunting of cortisol which is a catabolic hormone that inhibits testosterone and increases muscle breakdown and decreases the onset of muscle soreness. Take 5-10g of BCAAs with your first breakfast (protein shake), your pre-workout and post-workout shakes and with dinner.
• Creatine – Is one of the most effective supplements you can take as it can help you gain upwards of 10lbs of lean muscle and boost your strength in the gym by at least 10%. Take 3-5g of creatine with your pre and post-workout shakes.
• Beta-alanine –The body combines the amino acid beta-alanine with another amino acid called histidine to form carnosine. Research shows that when muscles have higher levels of carnosine, they have more strength and endurance and that athletes taking beta-alanine increase muscle strength significantly, allowing for heavier lifting and more muscle growth. Research also indicates that trained subjects who take beta-alanine as well as creatine, gain more muscle and lose some body fat, as compared to those taking creatine alone. Take 1-2g of beta-alanine or carnosine with your pre and post-workout shakes.
• NO boosters – Nitric oxide is a molecule that has the ability to widen blood vessels, which allows more blood flow and oxygen to the muscles, along with more nutrients and anabolic hormones. This means greater energy during workouts, with an advanced muscle pump, muscle recover and better growth. NO boosters do not actually contain NO but the amino acid arganine, which is readily converted to NO in the body. Research has shown that subjects given arganine show increased muscle strength and muscle growth as well as decreased body fat. Look for an NO that provides 3-5g of arganine and consider NO boosters that provide other ingredients that enhance arganines ability to increase NO (such as citruline, Pycnogenol and American ginseng). Take one dose in the morning before breakfast, one dose about 30-60 minutes before bed.
• Carnitine – Not only used as a fat-loss supplement, carnitine is also known as an anabolic supplement. It helps to enhance muscle growth through a number of mechanisms by increasing testosterone levels after workouts and increasing the number of testosterone receptors inside muscle cells which allows more testosterone to stimulate muscle growth. It has also been found to increase the ability of insulin-like growth factor 1 to stimulate muscle growth. It can also increase blood flow which means it provides similar benefits to NO boosters. Take 1-3g of carnitine with your first breakfast (protein shake), pre and post-workout shakes and with dinner.