Monday, September 16, 2013

How To Optimize Your Diet To Build Lean Muscle

By Arnold Sylvester


Do you neglect your diet? Are you one of the many gym users guilty of eating junk food under the guise of trying to bulk up? Today you'll learn how to build muscle the right way with a solid diet and why it's just as important as learning how to deadlift or squat.

When trying to gain mass, it is foolish to assume everything happens inside the walls of the gym, because it does not.

But even though it makes sense to watch what you eat, many men fall into the deadly trap of presuming they can gorge on whatever food they like then justify it by claiming they are trying to bulk up. A dirty bulk results in dirty weight being added.

For many, the diet is actually the hardest challenge of their quest to get lean. They find it easier, perhaps even fun, to workout at close to their maximum ability every day but they find it almost impossible to resist the temptation of junk food and alcohol outside of the gym.

Now, there are groups of people who totally neglect their diet out of nothing more than a lack of self discipline. That's their choice. But there are another group here, a group who want to get results but simply do not know where to get started with all the information out there offering different advice.

When in doubt, trust science. The latest research on hypertrophy shows a proven three step formula for setting out a food plan to build size and strength. It is:

1. Aim to eat about 1.5 grams of protein per lb of your weight.

2. Aim to eat about 2 grams of carbohydrates per lb of your weight

3. 0.5 grams of fat per lb of your current body weight.

Obviously, one size does not fit all here. You have the freedom to experiment with the formula and find a balance that works best for you, but these steps will at least serve the purpose of getting you on to the correct path.

In a shocking twist to what you may expect, most men do not actually eat enough protein to build muscle. That may sound very strange, given that every man and his dog seems to buy the latest whey protein drinks. But apart from those drinks, they often don't eat any other sources of lean protein.

If you are like most men, your daily fat intake could also do with a boost. Fat is an often misunderstood nutrient because it is unlucky enough to share the same name as your body's worst enemy. That's where the similarities end, though, in fact a good dietary fat intake has been scientifically shown to aid in lean muscle building as well as weight loss. You will find a lot of your healthy fat intake through your protein sources, like fish.

The real secret ingredient to success, though, is carbohydrate intake. This nutrient holds crucial nutrition which will decide if you drop weight or gain weight. Getting the balance right is the key. So start with our recommendation above, but feel free to increase or lower the intake depending upon your experience in the coming few weeks.

To teach somebody how to build muscle which creates a noticeably different physique, you must first start in the kitchen. Sure, learning your biggest lifts and the correct rep range certainly plays a very important role in your progress, but if you neglect your diet you run the very real danger of kissing goodbye to your hard toil on the gym floor.




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