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Archive for June, 2009

Effective Muscle Weight Gain Tips

June 22nd 2009

If you are one of the many people trying to build their body through muscle weight gain, then there are some key tips to remember. Most think that gaining muscle weight is so much easier than building muscle while losing fat, but getting effective results still requires diligence.

1. Maximize your protein intake at every meal. After calculating the calories per day required for achieving your muscle weight gain goals, ensure that at least 60% of each meal consist of protein in the form of fish, lean beef, or poultry.

2. For between meal “snacks”, carry around a bag of mixed nuts and dried fruit. Trail mixes that contain high levels of quality protein and low glycemic grade carbohydrates can be found at most grocers or health food stores. Other healthy snacks include unprocessed cheese, boiled eggs, and fresh fruits and vegetables.

3. Structure your workouts so that you spend time working on the core muscle groups including the legs, chest, shoulders, and back. It is especially key that if you are just starting a weight lifting program, that you work on building up the strength, endurance, and coordination of these key muscles in order to support the isolated muscle movements (biceps, triceps, etc) you will eventually be doing.

4. In order to achieve a superior level of muscle weight gain, you need to focus on your movements when performing your weight routine. Focus on the muscles being worked and mentally envision the muscle fibers contracting and releasing as you perform the exercise. This mental concentration will encourage the body to bring more of the muscle fibers into play, thus maximizing your efforts.

5. Always allow your muscles sufficient recovery time. Muscle weight gain workouts can be very intense and typically rely on heavy weights to encourage the breakdown and rebuilding of the muscle fibers. If you don’t provide the muscles the time between workouts to recover and grow, you will not make any gains and will be risking injury.

6. Find a program that will support your muscle weight gain goals. There are many fad fitness programs on the market. Make sure you find one that offers a comprehensive set of instructions on both exercise and diet. Find one that is authored by someone who’s “been there, done that” and is not just some academic physical fitness guru who’s never seen the inside of a gym. Find a program that demonstrates proven results.

Effective muscle weight gain programs can accelerate your progress in the weight room and in the kitchen. If you truly want to get in the best shape of your life, check out the RTP Transformation System, a superior muscle weight gain program developed by NEST certified trainer Adam Waters.

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Myth: Build Muscle, Fat Shrinks Away

June 12th 2009

There is a myth in the fitness world that revolves around the belief that when you build muscle, fat just falls off. Regardless of the hype surrounding many of the fad “get in shape” programs, this is just not true.

Let’s get a few facts straight:

Muscle does not replace fat.
Fat does not turn into muscle.
And muscle does not turn into fat.

Fat and muscle are two very different components of the human body.

To build muscle and reduce fat requires a fitness program that combines an effective muscle building plan with a sensible diet. Let’s address each.

Effective Muscle Building Plan

A program that is focused on building muscle and increasing strength usually involves free weight and machine exercises structured in such a way as to encourage the high intensity training of the major muscle groups of the body. High intensity training is accomplished by breaking up the workouts to allow for sufficient rest and recovery time between exercise sessions.

A typical plan may dictate that you work the chest and triceps on Monday, legs and biceps on Wednesday, shoulders on Thursday, and back on Saturday. This is just one example and there are multiple muscle group combinations and workout schedules that will allow you to maximize your training efforts. Again, the key is to hit the major muscle groups at least once a week and allowing time between workouts for the muscles to recover. Trying to perform high intensity resistance training on the same muscles day after day will not provide the time the muscle needs to recover and grow, and in fact, will usually lead to injury.

Effective Muscle Building Diet

The key to an effective muscle building diet is to follow a menu that is both rich in protein (the muscle building blocks) and also discourages the accumulation of body fat. There are many diets out there, but any meal plan that supports muscle growth and fat loss typically revolves around 5-6 small meals during the course of a day. Each meal should consist of roughly a 60-30-10 percentage split between protein, carbohydrates, and fat.

A meal will consist of a lean protein such as fish, skinless poultry, or lean beef. Lean and skinless cuts are key here, as you want to minimize the intake of the fat that is associated with beef cuts such as ribeyes and filet mignon and the fats found in poultry skin. Carbohydrates should come from fruits, vegetables, and legumes. Fat intake requirements will typically be met through the intake of meat, poultry, and seafood, but can certainly be supplemented with limited portions of seeds and nuts.

The backbone of any successful muscle building diet is managing calories. In other words, portion control. The breakdown between proteins, carbohydrates, and fats is important, but the raw size of each portion is even more important. You need to develop a plan that dictates portion sizes based on your caloric needs. Caloric needs vary from person to person. Some people are trying to gain muscle and lose existing body fat. These people would need to adopt a diet plan that restricts calories to balance energy and muscle support needs versus the desire to lose fat.

These numbers are all able to be calculatd based on an individual’s body weight, fat loss goals, and muscle growth plan.

There are many fad fitness programs out there. Many focus on workout programs. Others focus on weight loss diets. But very few present options for effectively balancing a muscle building resistance training plan with a buld muscle diet.

To reiterate, when you build muscle, fat does not just shrink away. It takes a effective plan that is designed around your muscle gain and weight loss/gain goals and that incorporates an appropriate diet and exercise regimen. To learn about an effective and comprehensive muscle building / weight loss program, check out Adam Waters RTP System.

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Adam Waters’ 84 Day Transformation

June 6th 2009

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Eight Steps To An Effective Build Muscle Diet

June 1st 2009

An effective build muscle diet will encourage muscle growth while minimizing the storage of excess calories as body fat. There are many diet approaches one can take to achieve optimal results, but they all boil down to meal composition, meal frequency, and meal size.

Here are eight steps that should guide you in your search to find an effective eating plan that will encourage muscle growth.

1) Eat frequently

In order to best utilize the energy that your food provides, it’s best to eat every 2.5 to 3 hours to maintain a steady source of calories. The body can only process so much food at once. Any excess is either excreted or stored as body fat.

Trying to fit your daily caloric requirements into three meals a day will lead to an inefficient use of the nutrients coming in and will promote fat storage.

2) Take in enough calories

To build quality muscle, it is critical that you supply your body with sufficient calories to promote growth. The key is to calculate your daily caloric needs based on your goals. A realistic goal is to eat to add 1 to 2 pounds of muscle per week.

3) Food variety is key

When designing a build muscle diet, it is important to allow for variety in your meal plans. It’s easy to fall into a routine where you eat the same foods day after day, especially when you are being diligent in keeping track of what, how much, and when you eat.

Try rotating your meal plans week to week. Introduce new foods each week to keep your body from adapting to a particular menu.

4) Eat 50-70 grams of protein at every meal

This is a rough estimate for a male that weighs less than 200 lbs. But, in general, protein should constitute at least 35% of your overall daily caloric intake. Keeping your body supplied with protein is key in building muscle, accelerating recovery times, and minimizing fat storage.

Mix up your proteins from a variety of sources. Stick with lean meats such as ground beef, chicken, and turkey. Fish is another excellent source of protein, with breeds such as salmon, tuna, and mahi also providing healthy omega 3 fatty acids.

If you’re taking in supplement shakes between workouts, stick with whey or casein protein blends.

5) Get enough fat in your meals

Our less than 200 lb male should be taking in 20-30 grams of fat every meal. This equates to roughly 30% of your caloric intake.

Fat boosts testosterone levels and is a key building block in your build muscle diet. However, all fats are not created equal.

Stay away from trans and saturated fats, and try to limit fat intake to mono and poly fats including nuts, olive oil, and avocado.

6) Eat 70-90 grams of carbohydrates at every meal

Again, this is assuming a male weighing less than 200 lbs. Each of your meals should consist of roughly 40%-45% carbohydrates. They are the primary energy providers for the body.

Scrimp on the carbs and you will be dragging through your workouts. And it is critical that you get your carbohydrates from a variety complex, high in fiber, and low glycemic value sources. Foods such as brown rice, stone oats oatmeal, and yams provide the complex carbs that will ensure that your body is supplied a steady stream of energy.

Refined sugars, simple carbs such as most breakfast cereals, and processed carbs such as white bread, all supply short term spikes of energy with a quick crash afterwards.

7) Make fruits and vegetables a part of every meal

Fruits and vegetables supply the body with critical nutrients that it needs for growth. In addition, proteins and grains lead to high levels of acid in the blood. Too much acid can lead to bone density loss and muscular deterioration. Alkaline rich fruits and vegetables balance out these levels and keep the body running in peak condition.

Limit liquid meals to at most 40% of your daily caloric intake

Supplement protein shakes are very popular. And they are especially convenient for anyone on a build muscle diet. But, in order to ensure that your body is getting the nutrients it needs to thrive and grow, at least 4-6 of your daily meals should come from high quality whole foods.

These steps should help you develop a build muscle diet that will maximize the results from your workouts. Click to learn about a revolutionary workout and diet program that will have you building muscle, losing fat weight, and developing the type of body you’ve always dreamed of.