Well folks, today I am going to give you the answer to this age-old question. Are you ready for it? There is no secret! That’s right. There is no secret to building quality muscle mass. I mean this in the sense that, there is not one definitive answer to this question. It’s much more than just a simple black and white answer. There are a multitude of things that contribute to one gaining considerable amounts of muscle.
Training is probably the number one aspect people look into; especially initially. You have to lift weights to build muscle right? There’s a lot of truth to that statement. That’s also a blanket statement. It’s not quite that straight forward. Do you think you would build your pecs by going to the gym every day, grabbing the 5 pound dumbbells, laying down on a flat bench, doing 3 sets of 10, and then going home? Probably not. Building muscle through weight training takes consistency over a very long period of time.
There are obviously different modalities that contribute to muscle mass. Maybe more so than any other aspect, training can be effective through many different styles. Dexter Jackson does not train the same way as Dorian Yates, but they are both Mr. Olympia’s. Dorian said, “The obvious answer is the pervasiveness of the “more is better” mentality that most of us have. It’s always tempting to do a little more. It’s significantly easier to put 90 percent into three to four sets. And I’m not saying it isn’t effective. There’s no denying it does work— just look at the physiques of the top guys who train that way. I simply feel my way, one set to failure, is more effective and more efficient.” Steve Kuclo is a top level pro and he said “A lot of guys just go too heavy because they think muscle growth is all about lifting as heavy as you can. They don’t understand how critical it is to get the best pump possible.” Both have world class physiques; both have very different training theories. While I side more on the ideals of Yates, it shows there is more than one way to do things. Whatever style you choose to adopt, you have to consistently give it a go for a long period of time.
Maybe more so than training, nutrition has its place in attempting to attain significant amounts of muscle. For the average person first getting started into bodybuilding or weightlifting, this is the most overlooked aspect. Eat big to get big right? Kind of. Eating in a caloric surplus over an extended period of time will yield muscle growth. It really is as simple, and as complicated as that last sentence.
The most important thing to do is figure out where your maintenance calories are. There are many different ways to do this, but the easiest and most common is to take your body weight and multiply it by 15. So for a 200 pound person their maintenance calories for a day are 3000. So for this individual to gain mass, they would need to create a surplus in calories. Typically to gain one pound week (definitely not all going to be muscle), you need a surplus of 3500 calories, or 500 calories a day. I even caution myself making such a broad statement such as this; there are many different variables that could affect that number.
It’s truly not enough to just throw out a caloric number. Your daily macronutrient intake has a lot to do with the aforementioned as well. Protein should be number one on your priority list. Aim for roughly 1.2 to 1.8 grams per pound of body weight. After you have figured out your protein intake you can start to figure out your other macros; carbohydrates and fats. I am not confident enough to make a claim on carbs and fats needed; as everyone is so different when it comes to these. Some people respond better to higher fats and lower carbs, while some people respond better to higher carbs and lower fats.
It’s very easy to put on scale weight with no regard to the quality of the weight you are putting on. We are trying to build lean muscle mass here, not just a number that shows on a scale. Diet will be the key to ensuring you put on muscle and not just fat mass.
The recurring theme here is consistency. Consistency in the gym. Consistency on the diet. Consistency with your supplements (which we did not discuss and will save for a future discussion). As Jay Cutler said, “It’s Consistency. Stay with it. You have to do this day in and day out. It becomes a lifestyle.”
]]>When it comes to building tons of muscle, too often, tons of fat accompany it. This is why it is considered by many that it is impossible to do both at the same time, although you do have more control than you think. A lot of that control involves the powerful hormone insulin, who can make or break a physique, depending on what you do.
Without a doubt, insulin could be considered the key that dictates muscle growth, and speed of recuperation, along with nutrient uptake. But in that same breath, however, is insulin’s “darker” side, the one that makes it incredibly easy for you to get fat.
See, insulin is a powerful storage hormone, one that is recruited when we eat foods, primarily carbohydrate heavy ones.
Depending on the exact timing of insulin release (such as upon eating in the morning, or after your workout, just a random snack in the middle of the day), the excess carbohydrates may be shuttled to different locations. For example, upon waking in the morning, and after a workout, glycogen levels are lower than normal, allowing insulin to shuttle sugar into the liver and muscle cells, and be stored as more glycogen.
However, glycogen stores are not infinite, and are filled relatively fast; begging the question “what happens to excess sugar?” They are then sent to fat cells, who have a much greater capacity for storage, and ta-da! Are converted to fat.
See how simple it is for sugar to promote fat gain?
Luckily, by taking advantage of glucose portioning agents, safe and effective supplements, you can temper the speed by which insulin gets to work, reducing the possibility of rapid muscle, liver or fat cell saturation. As mentioned, glycogen stores as small, and filled quickly. It’s like loading gasoline into a full tank; instead of just “wasting” the excess gas, fill it little by little, so that more is effectively used!
Give The Following Supplements a Shot To Up Your Glucose Partitioning Game:
Gymnema Sylvestre
This is an ancient Ayurvedic herb, which has been used for centuries by locals of India. It was observed as far back as the 6th century B.C to have an effect that causes reduction of sugar taste in the mouth and was given the name “sugar destroyer” by natives. Gymnema Sylvestre works in a few interesting ways, whose benefits extend beyond athletes looking for lean gains, to even people with diabetes. Take for instance:
Chromium
This micronutrient is only necessary in small amounts but must be consumed as the body cannot manufacture its own. Many people are deficiency in this nutrient, especially if you consume a high carb diet, as its excretion in urine is promoted. Regardless, chromium is believed to have numerous benefits on blood glucose chemistry, affecting how it is metabolized, to stored and more.
Most interestingly, however, is the ability of chromium to improve glucose sensitivity- which can significantly enhance your muscle building process while staying relatively lean. The less insulin you require to do the job of glucose uptake, the faster you can return to a state of fat burning. Chromium can serve as a major adjuvant to diabetic or overweight individuals.
Bitter Melon
Also known as bitter gourd, or Karela, this bitter fruit has been used for centuries in India for its blood sugar reducing effects. However, this melon does much more than that. It is also an insulin mimetic, meaning that it can display effects similar to insulin without its presence. It also improves the sensitivity of insulin itself, probably explaining why blood sugar levels improve following consumption.
Furthermore, studies have demonstrated findings that bitter melon can improve carbohydrate uptake by muscle cells, while simultaneously improving the rate of fat loss and preventing storage of subsequent fat.
These properties make bitter melon a mandatory add on when trying to gain muscle and stay lean at the same time.
Berberine
Berberine is a unique supplement, which acts in ways that may at first seem counter-intuitive. For example, consider the fact that Berberine is inhibitor of a kinase that promotes muscle growth, known as mTOR. It activates AMPK on the other hand, which is responsible for more survival type reflexes, including uptake of glucose in anticipation of starvation, but also an anti-aging effect. On the flip side, Berberine promotes weight loss, prevents the liver from making its own glucose (a process known as gluconeogenesis) and initiates a pseudo- low carb environment.
Banaba Leaf Extract
Banaba leaf extract possesses insulin-mimetic effects, improving uptake of carbohydrates to be stored as glycogen, and not fat. An extract known as corsolic acid is also being studied for its anti-obesity properties as well, making it ideal for anyone looking to improve their physique.
Alpha Lipoic Acid
A well-known fat based antioxidant, ALA has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity up to 57% in type 2 diabetics. Though people with diabetes have much weaker insulin sensitivities, the effect should translate well in non-diabetics as well, albeit using a dose of 50-100mg (compared with 600mg dose in the study).
Cinnamon
This tasty spice has numerous benefits when it comes to improving muscle growth without the heavy load of fat burden. Cinnamon does this by various mechanisms, including:
Conclusion
While these supplements independently can bring about a transformation of your physique, using them in combination can make an exponential difference. Consider trying a supplement such as our RPG that contain many of these ingredients and take your body to the next level!
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