Ah, tis fall! The leaves are falling from the trees
and Christmas is around the corner, shall we begin to
sing, tis the season to be bulking fa la la la la...
Ah, the art of the bulking diet. It is a simple
concept, in theory, but many fail to master it. This
failure is usually due to one or more of the following
reasons:
(1) They don't keep their calories high
enough; therefore, they fail to put on muscle mass
(2) Their caloric intake is too high over their
maintenance level and they use the gain weight at all
costs philosophy. This is great, right? Not really,
for even though you put on a lot of weight, you'll
lose a lot of muscle trying to cut it off once you
diet since you'll have to diet more aggressively for a
longer period of time.
(3) They aren't consistent enough with their meals.
Well never fear, I am here to help you. I have
developed a bulking system that works for everyone
that I have tried it on. One of my subjects put on as
much as 30 lbs in 5 months of clean weight (his
bodyfat increased only by 2%) without the help of
steroids or prohormones...and he was an athlete who
had been lifting for 5 years already! In this article
I will talk about the system and provide a sample
diet.
My System
Also, I will give people who I have trained and
placed on this diet a chance to give their feedback
and advice. Before I talk about the system itself it
is important that everyone understands the basics
behind muscle growth and how calorie surplus helps you
gain muscle. I will cover these issues in 3 parts.
Part I will deal with the macronutrients, Part II will
discuss hormones, and Part III will be about the
actual diet system itself.
So where do we start? Calories my friend, calories.
In theory, gaining weight is simple. If you eat more
calories than you burn, then you gain weight due to
calorie surplus. Sounds easy right? Wrong! Some
people (ectomorphs) with fast metabolisms need 4,000,
5,000, and as many as 6,000 calories per day to gain
weight. That's a lot of calories! As a basic
starting point you need to know your calorie
maintenance level.
There are a bunch of fancy
equations that use bodyweight, fat, age, etc. to
calculate this level, but the best way to do it is
experimentally. Write down the amount of calories you
consume everyday for a week. If you don't gain weight
that week, then that is your calorie maintenance
level. Calories however, are not the only part of the
equation. The macronutrient breakdown of a diet, and
the timing of your caloric intake, can be the
difference between muscular gain and fat gain.
Protein
When it comes right down to it, no other
macromolecule is more important in the muscle building
process than protein.
Protein is the only
macromolecule that is used to synthesize muscle
tissue. Amino acids are used for muscle protein
synthesis, however these aminos are obtained through
protein hydrolysis. The RDA for protein is 50g per
day. That only applies if you are a couch potato who
weighs 150 lbs and has the metabolism of a snail. If
you are a bodybuilder, you need more protein and here
is why...
Lifting Weights
When you lift weights your muscle tissue is actually
broken down (atrophied). Amino acids are then used to
synthesize new muscle tissue. The body will enlarge
the muscle so it will be stronger and better able to
handle the same overload in the future (Note: This is
a grossly oversimplified unscientific explanation of
muscular hypertrophy in response to training but
effective for our purposes). The amino acids that are
used to synthesize muscle tissue do not appear out of
thin air.
They come from your dietary protein intake.
The synthesis of new muscle creates a deficit in your
body's amino acid stores. In fact, if amino acid
levels are not high enough, protein synthesis will
slow or even stop as amino acid availability is a
limiting factor in protein synthesis 1,2,3,4). What
does this mean? To be direct, it means that if you
are not eating enough protein, you are not maximizing
your muscle protein synthesis and thus limiting your
muscular gain.
How much protein are we talking?
Anecdotal and scientific research suggests that
0.8g-1.0g protein per pound bodyweight is the magic
number. However, this is for a bodybuilder with a
slower metabolism (endomorph). Anecdotally, through
working with various people and talking to other
bodybuilders, (several professional natural
bodybuilders) I believe that 1-1.5g of dietary protein
per pound of bodyweight is ideal. If you have a slow
metabolism then you should aim near the bottom of this
spectrum. If you have a fast metabolism, aim for the
higher end. If you have a medium metabolism, you
should be somewhere in between.
Carbohydrates
Contrary to the new age belief that
carbs are evil, carbohydrates are a very helpful
macronutrient when one is trying to gain muscle.
Carbohydrates assist the muscle building process in a
couple ways. Carbohydrates spare amino acids from
oxidation by providing a more readily available source
of stored energy. When carbohydrates are ingested,
they are first broken down (if need be) into
monosaccarides in the stomach, and then released into
the bloodstream. The cells receptors sense the rise
in blood sugar and the body releases insulin to
transport the saccarides into the cell.
Insulin attaches to GLUT receptors on the cell, which causes a
conformational change in the receptor, causing the
cell to open and allow the saccaride molecules into
the cell. Once inside the cell, these saccarides are
polymerized into glycogen. Glycogen is long branched
chains of glucose polymers and is a stored form of
energy for the cell. When the body needs energy,
these chains can be broken down, and the glucose can
be released to supply the cell with energy.
Glycogen Formula
If glycogen levels are low, the body will oxidize
proteins (amino acids) and fats for energy. This
means you will be losing amino acids to oxidation
which could be used for muscle protein synthesis. The
body also stores 2.7g of water per gram of glycogen.
A rise in protein synthesis is seen with increased
cell volume and one of the reasons for this may be
that the body will retain more amino acids inside the
cell to maintain the concentration gradient across the
lipid bilayer. Therefore, more amino acids will be
available for protein synthesis and the rate of
protein synthesis will increase accordingly.
Ingesting carbohydrates is also hormonally anabolic.
As I stated earlier, carbohydrate intake causes
insulin release. Insulin is a very anabolic hormone,
it drives more nutrients (including amino acids) into
cells by allowing them more openings on the cell to
enter through. (once again, oversimplified, but
effective for our purposes.) In addition, insulin has
been found to be a limiting factor in muscle protein
synthesis and also prevents protein
breakdown (4,5,6,7,8,9).
Insulin
Insulin also inhibits the
action of catabolic hormones such as glucogen and
cortisol, the main catabolic hormone released during
intense exercise sessions (10). Due to its anabolic
and anti-catabolic effects, one can clearly see that
insulin is a very useful tool in stimulating muscle
protein synthesis. The hormone article will go into
more depth into this subject.
Carbohydrates are also helpful in maintaining stored
glycogen levels. Low glycogen levels can increase
fatigue while training, leading to less productive
workouts and lower energy levels. Lifting heavy
weights is an anaerobic activity and requires ATP.
ATP energy of hydrolysis is used to power many
cellular functions including muscle contraction. Your
body has very little stored ATP as it is a transient
carrier of energy. The body prefers to produce ATP on
demand.
After your stored ATP is used and your
muscles use up their stored phosphocreatine , the body
will begin to break down glycogen in order to produce
ATP to provide the body with more energy. One can
then see why low muscle glycogen stores would not be
advantageous to people who lift with high intensity.
Intense lifting sessions can deplete as much as 40% of
the stored muscle glycogen! Therefore, eating
carbohydrates throughout the day to keep muscle
glycogen high is very important.
Fats
Fats are another misunderstood macronutrient.
First, there was the low fat fad, followed by the
high fat keto diet fad. It's no wonder nutrition
confuses people! Moderation in all things is the key.
Fats are essential nutrients. They are the body's
preferred source of stored energy and the most
efficient molecule for the body to burn. (in terms of
energy yield per gram, 9kcals/gram) Also, fats are
required for the synthesis of some hormones.
Furthermore, fats are needed to keep hair, skin, and
nails healthy. So what's the deal?
How much fat is
too much and how much is too little? This is a
difficult question to answer. If fat intake is too
low, testosterone levels may be affected. There has
been much research done on the effects of dietary fat
on testosterone. However, the answer as to, How much
fat is optimal? It is hard to decipher as there are big
differences in the designs of the performed studies.
This makes it difficult to standardize them to each
other. Several studies concluded that diets low in
fat (under 15% of total calories) significantly
decreased testosterone levels while diets higher in
fat (above 30% of total calories) increased serum
testosterone levels(11 and 12).
Testosterone
Without going into too much depth on the studies
themselves, I will provide my take on the issue.
Although fat increases testosterone to a degree, it is
important to remember that testosterone is only a
small piece of the larger puzzle. There are many other
hormones and factors involved in building muscle other
than just testosterone.
If a diet that is extremely
high in fat, for example 40% of daily calories, did in
fact increase testosterone, you would still face
deficiencies in other areas of your nutrition. You
would have to lower your calories from carbohydrates
and or protein to accommodate the increase of calories
from fat. If you lower your protein intake too
drastically, you will reduce the amino acids that are
available for protein synthesis, thus limiting your
muscular gain.
If you drop your carbohydrates too
low, then you will be robbing yourself of many of the
benefits of carbohydrates that I previously discussed.
In addition, fats are the easiest molecule to be
stored as adipose tissue (body fat). Carbohydrates
and protein both must be enzymatically converted to
fat and then stored in adipose tissue, while dietary
fat requires no conversion and only needs to be sent
to adipose tissue to be stored as fat. Clearly, one
can see that too much dietary fat can then lead to
excess body fat storage. Moderation of fat is
especially important if calories are already high, as
in the case of a bulking diet.
So, where do we go from here? Although the jury is
still out, it appears that a diet with approximately
20-30% of the total calories coming from fat seems to
be efficient in maintaining favorable testosterone
levels. This level of fat intake leaves room for
reasonable amounts of carbohydrates and proteins to be
consumed as well.
Fat's Role In Your Diet
I'm sure your next question is, what kind of fat
should I be eating? You will want to have a high
intake of omega-3's and other good fatty acids.
Eating nuts and other foods high in unsaturated fats
in addition to supplementing with flax seed or fish
oil is a good way to make sure your getting enough of
these fats. However, do not try to totally cut out
saturated fat. Saturated fat and cholesterol are
needed for the synthesis of the steroid hormones in
the body, including testosterone.
This does not mean
one should simply pig out on saturated fats in order
to try to increase testosterone levels. Saturated fat
is more likely to be stored as body fat than
unsaturated fat. Saturated fat contains no double
bonds and can pack together very tightly (this is why
butter is solid at room temperature). This tight
packing makes it difficult for your body to metabolize
them. However, unsaturated fats contain cis-double
bonds. Cis-double bonds cause kinks in the tails of
fatty acids, and prevent tight packing, making it
easier for the body to metabolize them.
You should
also be wary of trans-fatty acids (may be listed as
hydrogenated oils) as they are very difficult for the
body to metabolize and are also easily stored as fat.
Think of your health in addition to muscle building.
Diets high in saturated fat have been linked to heart
disease. In order to maintain proper hormonal
balance, without increasing your risk of heart disease
and fat storage, make sure your saturated fat intake
is only about 30% of your total fat intake.
1. The American Journal of Physiology, Oct 2002 v283
i4 pE648(10) "Essential amino acids and muscle
protein recovery from resistance exercise." Elisabet
Borsheim; Kevin D. Tipton; Steven E. Wolf; Robert R.
Wolfe.
2. The Journal of Nutrition, Oct 2002 v132 i10
p3219S(6) "Regulation of muscle protein by amino
acids. " Robert R. Wolfe.
3. The Journal of Nutrition, Oct 2002 v132 i10
p3225S(3) "Latency, duration and dose response
relationships of amino acid effects on human muscle
protein synthesis. " Michael J. Rennie; Julien Bohe;
Robert R. Wolfe.
4. The American Journal of Physiology, Sept 2001 v281
i3 pE565 "Amino acids and insulin are both required
to regulate assembly of the eIF4E [multiplied by]
eIF4G complex in rat skeletal muscle." MICHELE
BALAGE; SANDRINE SINAUD; MAGALI PROD'HOMME; DOMINIQUE
DARDEVET; THOMAS C. VARY; SCOT R. KIMBALL; LEONARD S.
JEFFERSON; JEAN GRIZARD
5. The American Journal of Physiology, May 2002 v282
i5 pE1029(10) "Aminoacyl-tRNA enrichment after a
flood of labeled phenylalanine: insulin effect on
muscle protein synthesis. " Giuseppe Caso; G. Charles
Ford; K. Sreekumaran Nair; Peter J. Garlick; Margaret
A. McNurlan.
6. Diabetes, May 1999 v48 i5 pSA69 "Does Insulin
Stimulate Muscle Protein Synthesis in Humans." ROBERT
ALBRIGHT; MICHAEL JOYNER; NIKI DIETZ; K SREEKUMARAN
NAIR.
7. The American Journal of Physiology, Jan 1999 v276
i1 pE50(1) "Diazoxide-induced insulin deficiency
greatly reduced muscle protein synthesis in rats:
involvement of eIF4E." Sandrine Sinaud; Michele
Balage; Gerard Bayle; Dominique Dardevet; Thomas C.
Vary; Scot R. Kimball; Leonard S. Jefferson; Jean
Grizard.
8. The American Journal of Physiology, Sept 2001 v281
i3 pE565 "Amino acids and insulin are both required
to regulate assembly of the eIF4E [multiplied by]
eIF4G complex in rat skeletal muscle." MICHELE
BALAGE; SANDRINE SINAUD; MAGALI PROD'HOMME; DOMINIQUE
DARDEVET; THOMAS C. VARY; SCOT R. KIMBALL; LEONARD S.
JEFFERSON; JEAN GRIZARD.
9. Garrett, Reginald H. and Charles M. Grisham.
Biochemistry 2nd Edition. Saunders College
Publishing. United States: 1999.
10. Family Practice News, Sept 1, 2001 v31 i17 p12
"Carbohydrate Drinks Cut Postexercise Cortisol."
SALLY KOCH KUBETIN.
11. The Journal of Nutrition, Sept 2000 v130 i9 p2356
"High Dietary Fat Intake Increases Renal Cyst Disease
Progression in Han:SPRD-cy Rats." Shobana
Jayapalan; M. Hossein Saboorian; Jeff W. Edmunds;
Harold M. Aukema.
12. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dec 1996
v64 n6 p850(6) "Effects of dietary fat and fiber on
plasma and urine androgens and estrogens in men: a
controlled feeding study." Joanne F. Dorgan; Joseph
T. Judd; Christopher Longcope; Charles Brown; Arthur
Schatzkin; Beverly A. Clevidence; William S. Campbell;
Padmanabhan P. Nair; Charlene Franz; Lisa Kahle;
Philip R. Taylor.
Peace,
biolayne@yahoo.com
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