Muscle building/development:the absolute article

Building muscle mass is not a luxury.It is a necessity!!


Chris



Whether you are a 20 year stallion or a 60 year housewife you will need muscle mass to confront small everyday challenges and fulfil your duties however humble might they be!



I consider strength training and muscle mass development as an absolute must for every man and woman of whatever age!



The reasons are firm:



-better physical appearance(any volunteers?),improved posture.




-better physical performance.




-enhanced self -confidence,self-esteem,self-worth!




-higher basal metabolic rate since muscle mass is much more metabolically active than fat!




-fat reduction usually accompanies muscle gain




-muscles are the engines of our body!With stronger engines we are bound to have a better performance in our work,common daily duties and chores,beloved hobbies and sports,sexual activities (I have just blushed scarlet!),etc.


With a more efficient powerhouse we can feel and be more alive!




-stronger and denser bones,stronger tendons and ligaments.Reduced danger for osteoporosis.




-improved cardiovascular health.Strength training has been found to help reduce Low Density Lipoprotein or LPL (the bad guy,what we call bad cholesterol).At the same time it is beneficial for the good guy:LDL




-lower blood pressure




-as we age-we won't be young for ever,shall we?-muscle loss and body fat increase are inevitable consequences as long as we are not engaged in some kind of strength training. I strongly urge you to keep this in mind since years flow like water!


Muscle loss decreases life quality in a dramatic way!


I have a strong conviction that all people can enjoy a vibrant life until their very late years!But they will have to include strength training in their every day rituals!




-stronger muscles and joints will function as shock absorbers to prevent from injuries. This is critical for aged people




-improved balance ,stability and coordination




-strength trainining shows an inverse correlation with obesity.




As one can easily conclude strength training is not an option but a must!






Muscle development needs mainly two things:



- the right supportive nutrition


-an effective strength training program




Nutrition is a domain that many people ignore.Nutritional mistakes halt the progress towards muscle development for many fitness enthusiasts.
What's more, nutrition is by far the most important parameter for novices at muscle building.These people could achieve spectacular results with only minor adjustments to their nutrition strategy and tactics!!




Muscle development and nutrition



1. If you need to gain some muscle mass your first concern is to create a slight caloric surplus.


Though,you will have to move very cautiously if you want to minimize the possibilities of fat storage.


Thus,while some fat gain is inevitable in this phase, you could control it by taking the appropriate measures:




-the caloric surplus should be slight


-the caloric surplus should be gradual :start with a 10% increase over your caloric maintenance level and make it bigger when and if you reach a plateau.




2. Meals frequency is of strategic importance.


Spread your daily caloric intake into 5-6 equivalent meals and try to eat every about 3 hours.Include a premium protein source in every meal otherwise your body might cannibalize its own muscle tissue!Some benefits of frequent eating-among many else-are:




-your metabolism is boosted into high gear




-you are never hungry and the danger to pig-out is minimal




-you have a constant flow of nutritional constituents and energy




-your blood sugar and insulin levels are kept under control




-there are less possibilities for fat storage




3. How much protein? For an average fitness enthusiast-who is actually the "target group" of my articles-2gr of premium source protein per kg of body weight will suffice.


If you are a bodybuilder you will definetely need more (but these articles are not addressed to bodybuilders anyway!)




4. Protein sources:just good plain food.Please refer to my article:"Fitness/exercise:nutrition to boost your results".




I am a strong opponent of any kind of supplementation and a fervent advocate of feeding only on unprocessed,unrefined,natural foods!!


5. Supplementation:


I will put it explicitly: don't be suckers!Don't even touch the chemical,man-made supplements!


You can perfectly -and you should - receive all the necessary micronutrients from whole,real foods amply provided by mother nature.


A real food is something much more complex than the total of its constituents.It is a unique combination of nutrients which work synergistically to satisfy our nutritional needs in the most efficient and idoneous way.


You don't have to part with your hard-earned money only to buy garbage that eventually will harm you!


Eat abundant quantities of vegetables and if you have some money to spare go for organics.




6. And what should my nutrition base be?






We have touched on this subject many times. Please take a look here:





FITNESS/EXERCISE:NUTRITION TO BOOST YOUR RESULTS






I will limit myself here to the biggest no-nos and yes-yes.






Supportive nutrition:biggest no-nos





-white flour


-table sugar


-high fructose corn syrup


-artificial sweeteners


-hydrogenated oils(trans fats)


-sodas and all typical sugary refreshments


-visible fat in red meats


-processed meats and fish that contain sodium nitrite.Also sausages,hot dogs and the like


- all candies and pastries


-white bread


-white pasta


-white rice


-fried oils


-margarin


-all foods that contain substantial amounts of monosodium glutamate


-all deep fried foods:French fries,potato chips,doughnuts etc.They are full with acrylamide and trans-fats


-all types of canned soups


-mayonnaise and similar oily condiments and dressings


-all commercial baked foods:biscuits,cookies,cakes,bagels,croissants etc.






Supportive nutrition:biggest yes-yes







-all kinds of vegetables in season.I eat broccoli nearly every day.


-all fruits but in moderation due to their high sugar content.Prefer to take your antioxidants from vegetables which are nutritionally denser


exceptions(you can eat more from these):cranberries and most types of berries,pomegranates




-whole eggs:you can eat at least two yolks/day.Yolk protein is really valuable.


Additionally yolk contains precious choline for your mind as well as lutein and zeaxanthin which can play a serious role in the prevention of macular degeneration.


Don't buy into the myth of high cholesterol! This myth has been debunked from the findings of multiple studies.


Try to find omega-3 eggs.




-sunflower and pumpkin seeds(I keep a reservation for flax seeds)


- mixed raw nuts


-avocados(they belong to fruits!)


-extra virgin(cold pressed) olive oil


-turkey and chicken breasts


-low fat cottage cheese




-low fat plain yogurt with active live cultures.Avoid funny alternatives as frozen yogurt,yogurt with fruits and tons of artificial sweeteners etc.


If you have a creative imagination you can try endless combinations with yogurt,raw nuts,seeds,fresh or dried berries etc.




-wild fatty fish and especially the miraculous,humble sardines.


Sardines are a real food treasure: they contain omega -3 fatty acids, the much rare coenzyme Q10,selenium,calcium,phosphorus ,iron,potassium vitamin D and premium quality protein.


The best thing is that they contain practically zero mercury, a poison that has completely changed our tuna-eating habits.




6. In the third part of this comprehensive article on the appropriate nutrition for muscle building we recited very succintly and explicitly the big nutrition no-nos.

It's much easier to fight an enemy if you can see him!

But what happens if the enemy is lurking in the durk seeking to devour on first chance your precious muscle earnings?

And-much worse-if he is disguised as a caring friend?

This is our subject for today!


Unhealthy foods disguised as healthy


6.1. Tuna fish:

I quote its name and my heart pains because tuna is -or better was-one of my most favourite dishes.Cheap,convenient,available everywhere and highly nutritional.
The big concern with tuna is its relatively high content in toxic mercury. Recent research both in Europe and in the USA have found mercury levels in tuna fish to be alarmingly high.

I suggest that you should do your own research because mercury levels differ from sea to sea and from kind to kind.Depending on your weight, check your safe consumption rate.

I have switched to sardines. Luckily in Greece they are abundant,cheap and of excellent quality.


Sardines practically contain zero mercury because of their small size and their short life. They are a gift from the sea for us.Humble but of inestimable value!


6.2. Protein bars or energy bars


While you can find few products with a decent quality and nutritional value ,most of them are mere rubbish.
They are full with table sugar,artificial sweeteners,high fructose corn syrup,highly processed soya protein isolate,hydrogenated oils(trans-fats) and the like!


Search very carefully in order to find bars of acceptable quality. Double check the labels!


Most producers market energy/protein bars as nutritionally sound alternatives of meals with real food.


Alas,this is far from the truth!


Unprocessed,unrefined,natural food is what our bodies really need and deserve!Our human engines need the right kind of quality fuel in order to function well and to their maximum potential.


Why eat a bar with added protein and fiber of questionable quality when we can have the real thing naturally packed with excellent quality protein while accompanied by tenths of indispensable micronutrients?


Keep protein or energy bars only for emergency situations and plan ahead so as these emergency situations should be kept to a minimum.Don't use them to justify your lousy eating habits!!





6.3. Sports drinks:



Most sports drinks are nothing more than artificially colored,sugary water.


The only established fact with these products is that they bring crazy profits to their producers!


Ah,another one is that they make your wallet lighter!


Or is it the same thing?


It doesn't stop to amaze me how easily,evidently sane people leave themselves to be deliberately misled!!


Is it a kind of collective paranoia the fact that we deny to discern the obvious , namely that we are overtly suckered?


Or is it our illogical,extravagant desire for quick and easy fixes?


In a future entry we will see simple recipes for nice,homemade sports drinks.




6.4. Breakfast cereals




Despite their pretentious and highly pompous claims many breakfast cereals are nothing else but well concealed cereal killers.


Those marketed more heavily have most often the poorer nutritional value.


The majority of the products :




-are based on refined grains and the quantity of fibers is minimal


-have excessive sugar content


-use fancy artificial colorings


-contain big amounts of salts(sodium)


-contain saturated or/and hydrogenated fats




Be very careful to select breakfast cereals of the proper quality. Leave taste aside and search for nutrition.They should be based on whole grains with minimal salt ,sugar and trans fats content.Don't fall victims to the marketing hype!




6.5.Many fat free products:



To compensate for the lack of taste these products are loaded with sugar,high fructose corn syrup-brrrr!- or artificial sweeteners.




6.7. Many sugar free products:




They are packed with saturated fats or trans fats from hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.




6.8. Commercially packaged fruit juices:


Though generally they won't harm you,they have very little to offer you either. No fibers,very few vitamins and quite a lot of empty calories.


You can instead opt for homemade, freshly squeezed juices. By far the best option is to eat the whole fruit .


This will give you valuable fibers plus a satiety feeling.


In general try to avoid liquid calories.




6.9. Fruit smoothies:




Usually they won't differ a lot from a milk shake,packed with sugars,fats and dead calories.




6.10. Liquid meal replacements:


Use them sparingly and only in case of emergency. One or two meals at the most per week. If you want real results go for real food!




Till now in this series of articles devoted to effective muscle building we saw :


- that muscle building concerns the general population and not only certain groups of people.We saw in other words that it is not a luxury but a real necessity.




-some strategic principles of supportive nutrition which we accepted as a very important determinant for proper muscle building.




-that supplementation is a real waste of money-at least for the ordinary fitness enthusiasts.




-the biggest nutrition no-nos




-the most important nutrition yes-yes




-and finally the top nutrition traps which are unhealthy foods disguised as healthy, usually for humble profit seeking reasons.






Now it is high time to speak about the training part of the equation.






Strategic principles of strength training






1. General axiom:aim for simplicity.Learn to appreciate the magnificence of simplicity.




2. Prefer free weights which can tax the totality of your muscles in the most appropriate way. A pair of adjustable dumbbells would be fine.




3. Keep your workouts short:20'-30'.But they should be really intense:decent loading of the muscles and minimal breaks.




4. Aim for three workouts per week.If it is hard for you, go at least for two and never for less.




5. Forget about split workouts.You are not a bodybuilder!Go for total body workouts.




6. The best range of repetitions if you want to build some muscle mass is 6-8 per set. So you will have to adjust your weights accordingly.


If you aim for strength development you should go for less.Conversely ,if you seek muscle endurance you should go for more repetitions.


Attention!:a big number of repetitions won't bring muscle definition as many people erroneously thing.


Muscle definition is mostly a matter of low fat percentage.
Make sure that you read my article: "Muscle definition:the absolute article".




7. Prefer to perform only compound/multijoint exercises which tax big muscle groups and more joints .These exercises are the best investment for your limited time.


The best movements are the classic ones: squats,lunges,deadlifts,presses and rows.


Things are simple and it's contrary to our interests to make them seem more complex!




8.Don't forget symmetry.If you train one group of muscles don't forget to train the antagonists as well.


9. Don't fall into the trap of overtraining.Balance quality with quantity.


10. Challenge yourself to brake some records.Excellent motivation indeed! You will need to coordinate body and mind. Make full exploitation of your most powerful weapon:your mind!


11. Pay due attention to the basics:excellent style,warm up and cooling down with some static stretching,blah blah blah..
..

12. Last but not least:if you are struggling to build muscle you will have to limit long ,strenuous cardio.Opt instead for short but real intense HIIT workouts.These workouts will help you save muscle while shedding fat.Sprints are excellent!


Conclusion


Lousy nutrition habits are a conspicuous violation of the muscle building laws.
Eat right ,train smart,watch your cardio ritual and muscle development will be a logical consequence!





Chris Strogilis