To Perfect Body

  If you were going to build a house, you would first need to decide on what the best materials would be. Naturally, the choice of materials would be governed by the anticipated strength of the structure. The size of your structure would require enough materials to be available for the construction.

  Assuming you’ve chosen the best and highest-quality materials to build with (which I’ll list for you as we go along), you’ll have to be aware of a few facts from the start. I hope this doesn’t stop you in your tracks, but here it is. If you want to add one pound of muscle, you are going to have to eat more food. Your calorie intake should be at least 2500 calories more than required to maintain your current weight. (however raw foodist require less calories to maintain weight than a cooked food eater). If you do this, you can gain a pound of muscle in a couple of weeks, providing you work your butt off in the gym. Are you willing to make that commitment, or are you content to be a scarecrow?

  If you’re a 140-pound man, it will take you 9 weeks to gain 5 pounds of muscle if you follow the program in this book. If you are a woman weighing 100 pounds, the same gain in muscle will require 10 weeks. For a 10-pound gain, simply double those figures. For every additional 20 pounds of original weight, deduct half a week. So a man weighing 160 will take 8.5 weeks to gain 5 pounds of muscle, while a 180-pound man requires only 8 weeks.

  Since muscle is built with protein, you will have to increase the number of grams of protein you eat per meal. However, you will only assimilate a small amount per meal; the rest of the excess unassimilated protein will be stored as body fat. This is why it is important to begin eating more small meals per day, perhaps as many as five.

  I personally enjoy high-calorie/high-protein snacks like the nuts I carry on my website, Raw Organic Live Nuts. enzyme-rich organic foods. If I sit down and enjoy a 4-oz. package of their pesto walnuts, that’s an extra 600 calories and 16 grams of protein.
Before workouts, you can eat some dehydrated fruit. As fruits dehydrate, their natural sugars become concentrated. Just a small handful of dried fruits, about ¼ cup, will yield another 120 calories. Now, finish it off with a glass of fresh apple cider and add another 120 calories. Raw organic juices add a very important component in building muscle—potassium.

  Potassium removes waste products that accumulate in your muscle tissue during hard workouts. These include monopotassium phosphate, paralactic acid, and carbon dioxide. The sugar that releases workout energy is glycogen. It must be oxidized and converted to usable power within the muscle. Potassium salts are essential elements in this process. When oxidation is impaired, glycogen is not consumed, other sugars and starches cannot be used by the body, and your muscular activity comes to a halt.

  In order for you to keep your muscles and nerves healthy, you must have a high percentage of potassium in your body. What I especially like about high-potassium foods and drinks is their ability to neutralize acids and toxins; they dramatically increase the alkalinity of your blood and lymph. Potassium literally washes your organs and muscles in a process called saponification, which is the conversion of fat into soap. You wash the built-up workout acids out of your muscles, giving you better muscular gains in less time.

  One of the highest-potassium foods on earth are black olives, especially organic Greek olives. Just two olives will give you around 40 calories and a whopping 250 grams of potassium. In addition to my regular lunch of raw salad, I’ll always consume at least 20 raw, organic black Greek olives—that’s 400 calories. Since I usually get up in the middle of the night to drink extra water, vital for muscle tissue, I will also eat a couple of bananas. This ups my snack calorie count by another 210 calories.

  Every afternoon, my wife and I have quiet time and enjoy a glass of red wine; we do the same before bedtime. Those two glasses of red wine add another 240 calories. However, I may omit the evening glass and opt for one of my favorite drinks, a “Merrie Wabbit.” This is a combo of raw carrot, beet, and tomato juiced in the juicer with horseradish, garlic, cayenne pepper, half a lemon, and half a lime. I add a dash of vodka for my enjoyment (which you may want to leave out). Then I sprinkle dried onion and parsley on top. This drink contains 350 calories, making a total of 1750 extra calories from snacks and drinks. Oh, I almost forgot six small sticks of celery with a tablespoon of raw organic almond butter on each piece—there’s another 780 calories (plus 42 grams of protein), making the snack total 2530 extra calories. This will allow you to gain a pound of muscle every two weeks.

  So, you can see, it’s really not that difficult if you count. And at present, I only eat two meals a day. By adding one extra raw meal, I could gain five pounds of muscle in a little under two months. But, again, I’ve got to count calories and work out constantly. More on that as we go along.

  Remember, muscle is 70% water, 22% protein, and 7% lipids or fat. Here’s where we get back to those phospholipids we talked about earlier. You must train with sufficient intensity to stimulate new muscle growth by drawing amino acids from your bloodstream. Trained muscles do that more easily than untrained muscles.
The reason I find it easier to gain muscle on a raw food diet is that I get plenty of sleep. Your body’s natural growth hormone is released mainly during periods of deep sleep. The delta and theta brain wave rhythms of deep sleep release the vital chemicals the body requires for growth and repair in around two-hour to four-hour cycles.

  The only difference between a beautiful, young, fit, athletic body and an aged, frail, and withered-up body is the amount of human growth hormone available. During exercise we release HGH. That's why exercise is so important to your health, youth, and wellbeing. HGH is also released during sleep and available by supplementation. But, the bottom line is that you need muscle to remain youthful. That's what this book is about.

  First of all, the most important muscle in your body, your heart, wouldn't beat if the muscle was weak. In fact, you'd be dead without muscle tissue at work. You'd be a vegetable, unable to move even your littlest finger. Look what happens to people as they age; many have muscles so weak they're unable to even get out of their walkers. Soon, they become so weak they become bedridden, and then they die. Is this what you envision as your inevitable destiny?

  I think it's outrageous when I hear people talk about the big 40. That's when somehow, like Cinderella's coach turning into a pumpkin once the clock struck twelve, you suddenly lose all your athletic ability. Nonsense! That's simply the time when age-related loss of muscle mass, strength, and function begins for most people.

  It's also the time when the ratio of fat mass overcomes muscle mass, although you've got to admit that in developed nations, children appear to be born fat. It's no wonder researchers have drawn a correlation between waist size and the likelihood of developing diabetes. If your waist size is under 34 inches, you're probably safe; however, if your waist size is over 40 inches, you've probably already been diagnosed with diabetes. Now, the question resurfaces: do you want to be fat or fit? Don't answer. The fact that you're reading this book in the first place shows that you want to be fabulously fit and lean with lots of beautifully sculpted muscle.

  While the medical fraternity generally focuses on the loss of bone mass (osteoporosis) in aging adults, the real problem is the creeping deterioration of muscle mass. Most people take it for granted that you're supposed to lose your athletic prowess as you age. I certainly hope you don't believe that. I don't, and as a pre-baby boomer senior, I still put on muscle easily and am as strong as I have been any time in my life.

  Actually, after I first began eating 100% raw foods, I did lose muscle. I seemed to drop weight like a lead balloon—30+ pounds of it. My body fat index was at 6%, and I looked like an anatomy chart. However, I made a startling discovery: my body weight settled down at 172 pounds, and I soon began to gain muscle weight faster than in any time in my life. This discovery of how to gain muscle on a raw food diet is the reason I've written this book. You don't have to be thin as a rail and just as frail; you can pack on all the muscle you desire. Now, don't misunderstand me—you will have to work hard to do it. Have I scared you yet?
 
  Well, this ought to concern you. The progressive loss of muscle mass is just like the unseen loss of bone density. The medical term for this loss of muscle tissue is sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is a multifaceted process including loss of growth hormone, loss of testosterone (needed by both men and women), oxidative stress, and loss of motor nerve cells.

  One of the potential problems many experience on a raw food diet is a lack of adequate protein and calories. If this condition persists, there is a progression of sarcopenia that is difficult to reverse; however, it is not impossible if one begins today. Since sarcopenia is first evident in adults around the age of 40 and greatly accelerates after 75, now is the time to do something about it.

  It is believed that this loss of muscle mass is associated with a decline in mitochondrial function. The mitochondria are where your body generates energy through the production of ATP. The lower the ATP levels, the more the body's muscle mass index declines. Without those energy molecules, it is more difficult for the body to detoxify and replace the cell damage that occurs with intense exercise.

  More on how to increase the energy stores of your body later, but first understand that calories are needed for fuel. No matter what you hear about weight gain or weight loss, the bottom line is that it is measured in calories. Of course, the question arises, “Calories from what?” We will discuss that in detail when we discuss how you metabolize your food.

  The point I really want to make is that you need muscle tissue and you should do everything you can to build and maintain it. Of course, there are things you should not do in an attempt to build muscle: taking steroids or eating chemically laden meat or cancerous chickens, for example. The bottom line is that muscles are good and it is unhealthy to be without them.

  Listen, I've been lifting weights and exercising for more than 50 years. Once, I found an abandoned old tractor axle on my grandfather's farm. I could barely get my hands around it, but it made a great barbell. So, being the impetuous young man that I was, I began lifting it with regularity.

  My aunt came to visit and saw me lean, tan, and fit. She scornfully rebuked me, “Why, you're going to get those ugly bumps all over your body from doing that!” (The bumps she referred to were muscles.)
I retorted, “I should be so lucky!”
She argued, “Look at my Paulie.” That was my cousin Paul. I just hated it when she called him Paulie. “Paulie doesn't exercise or try to hurt himself like you do, and he does just fine. Why, he's got a very good body!”

  To which I countered, “He's FAT!”

  She huffed off quite offended. By the way, he was not only fat—he's dead. Yep, died about 25 years ago. We were the same age.

  So, does exercise kill you? Well, certainly not in my cousin’s case. But we hear the tales of strongmen who die young—is there any truth in that? What is the defining difference between strength athletes who break the century mark and those who die before 65?

  Author Bob Brown conducted a study of the longevity of 70 old-time strongmen that was reported in the 2005 June-July issue of Iron Man magazine. When Brown checked the ages at death, here is what he found. He divided the group of 70 men into the early death group and the long life group. Then he compared the life spans of the strongmen to that of the average, untrained man.

  Here's what he found: 55% of the average men suffered an early death before reaching 65 years of age. However, only 25% of the strongmen fell into the early death group. They had more than double the survival rate of the average untrained man—and consider, this was in spite of poor diet and bad habits! Of the average untrained men, only 10% lived past the age of 75. Again, the statistics are incredibly impressive—50% of the trained men made it to the long life group.

  Now contemplate this: at the time when these strongmen lived, there were only 200 million people in the United States, and only 200 broke the century mark. That's 1%. Of the 70 randomly selected strongmen, with a vast difference in diets and habits, 2 men lived beyond the century mark. That means almost 6% of the strongmen lived beyond 100. That's 600 times more than the untrained group, in which only 1% of the population made it beyond 100 years of age.
Do you think it might be a good idea to maximize your chance of a long life by putting more muscle on your bones?

  Well, I don't know about you, but for me it is definitely a priority. Of course, this also requires knowledge of the foods that can supply your muscles with what they need to grow. As an example, intense exercise can deplete levels of choline, a B vitamin. In a marathon, runners experienced a 40% drop in plasma choline levels. This could have been avoided by an increased consumption of phosphatidylcholine, a phospholipid rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. These are very, very important in supporting your brain, nervous system, liver, and heart.

  Now, the reason I bring this up is that I sincerely doubt any of those long-lived strong men knew anything about it. If they had, could they have lived even longer? If you're already on a raw food diet and you exercise on a regular basis, you may be lacking in choline, which is richly found in oats, cabbage, and cauliflower. This is one of my reasons for consuming lots of raw, organic oat groats for breakfast. You could say I'm usually feeling my oats—that means my testosterone is flowing strongly. Remember, muscles love testosterone; it’s one of the major muscle stimulators. It is both an androgenic and an anabolic. As an androgenic, it produces maleness; thus, in addition to other functions, you develop a larger sex organ. As an anabolic, which means it builds tissue, testosterone produces larger muscles and greater strength.

  While we're on the topic of this growth promoting hormone, a warning: don't ever take injections of testosterone. When your body no longer produces its own, your pituitary gland will shut down your libido permanently, your testes will shrink, and you'll probably develop prostate cancer. None of that will happen if you obtain hormone stimulation from raw organic foods.

  Your production of testosterone can naturally be increased by choosing the proper foods to make up your raw diet. To grow muscle, your body must have enough cholesterol; without cholesterol, your body would be incapable of producing steroid hormones. Steroids are a large group of lipids or fat substances that play many vital roles in maintaining the health of your biological systems. Testosterone is a steroid. Muscles love testosterone!

  I'll try to keep this simple. Cholesterol affects the production of pregnenolone, which generates progesterone, which generates DHEA and androstenedion, which cause the production of testosterone, which stimulates muscle growth. All major steroids descend from cholesterol.

  One of the difficulties of building muscle on a raw food diet is the lack of enough healthy cholesterol to promote an anabolic reaction. From my personal observations, men become feminized without these dietary essentials. I've also seen women looking like the skeletons used to teach students in an osteopathic college. Women also need testosterone; they produce it in both the ovaries and the adrenal glands. In a male, most testosterone is produced by the leydig cells in the testes, and some comes from the adrenals. In one study I read, older men had half the leydig cells of younger men—thus, half the sex drive and muscle, due to half the testosterone.

  As you go about your muscle building diet plan, there are a few things that you should be keeping in mind that will make it much easier for you to maintain so you can see the muscle growth results that you’re looking for.

  For most people sticking with their workout isn’t a problem – they enjoy going to the gym and regularly push themselves as hard as needed to build up a good amount of muscle mass.

  Where the problem occurs however is with maintaining the proper diet that is going to encourage good muscle growth.Unfortunately though, since the muscle building diet plan will make or break your results, this is something you can’t go wrong with. Let’s go over a few of the helpful tips that you can use immediately to boost your adherence to your muscle building diet plan and see top notch results.

Pre Plan On The Weekends

  The first thing that you should do with your muscle building diet plan is make sure to do as much of the planning on the weekend as you can. This is generally a time where most people are more relaxed and can easily plan out all the meals they will have throughout the week.

  By knowing ahead of time what you’ll be eating there will be no question of what’s for dinner or whether or not you’re meeting your calorie requirements.

  Instead you have a complete list of all the foods you have to eat so all you have to do is execute the plan.

Pre-Cook Your Protein

  Second, another helpful tip for following your muscle building diet plan is to try and cook your protein sources as much as possible over the weekend as well. Both chicken and beef will freeze very well in the freezer so if you cook up all the servings you need ahead of time, all you need to do is take them out to thaw the day before you need them.

  This will dramatically cut down on your total cooking time and could really influence whether you’re able to stick with your muscle gain diet.

Get Grab-And-Go Snacks

  Having a good selection of ‘grab and go’ snacks to choose from is also a wise move. Snacking is something that will really help you get that calorie intake up higher and encourage a good rate of muscle growth so it’s not something to be overlooked.

  Some good options for grab and go snacks include peanut butter and a bagel, trail mix, beef jerky, or a pop top can of tuna. All will provide quality calories that support good muscle building.

Stock Up On Staples

  Finally, the last thing you can do to help stick with your muscle building diet plan is to make sure that you stock up on all the staples that are needed. This includes foods such as rice, oats, cereal, nuts, nut butter, and frozen meat.

  Getting these all stocked up in your kitchen ahead of time will make your week to week shopping trips that much easier.

  So keep these quick tips in mind. The more of them you can make use of with your muscle building diet plan the greater your chances of success will be.

  Research suggests that nutritional support of training with both pre and post training snacks rich in carbohydrate and high quality protein creates an environment conducive to gains in muscle size and strength. The protein helps to further stimulate muscle building while the carbohydrate provides additional energy to fuel training and also reduce protein breakdown.

  A positive protein balance, which helps stimulate muscle growth, can be achieved by spreading protein intake over the day and also including appropriate pre-and-post training snacks or meals. Just 20-30 grams of carbohydrate and 10-20 grams of protein, taken around training, can influence lean muscle mass gains,
which even individuals on a low energy budget can afford. It is best to include a pre-training snack or meal that provides a good mix of carbohydrate and protein, 2-3 hours before training. This
should be matched by a similar snack or meal following training (within 1 hour if possible) to achieve both muscle building and recovery goals.

Tips for increasing energy intake

• Increase meal / snack frequency. It’s easier to eat more frequently than increasing the size of existing meals and snacks. This should become a priority, even during busy days. Aim to include three main meals and multiple snacks each day, including pre and post training snacks.
• Make use of energy-dense drinks (e.g. smoothies, milk shakes, powdered meal replacement formulas, fruit juice, cordial, sports drinks) and other nutritious, energy rich foods (e.g. cereal bars, dried fruit/trail mix). Skim milk powder can be added to homemade milk drinks for an extra protein and energy boost. These drinks can be particularly useful for athletes unable to tolerate solid food before/after exercise or those with smaller appetites.
• Moderate intake of high fibre options. As you look to increase your overall food intake, allow your intake of low energy fruit and vegetables to remain steady. Although a great source of important nutrients, maintaining your intake of these foods will allow more room for energy-dense, nutrient-rich options.
• Plan the day’s intake of food. This ensures suitable foods and drinks are at hand as needed. Keep a ready supply of nonperishable snacks in your training bag e.g. tetra packs of UHT
flavoured milk/fruit juice, cereal bars, dried fruit, powdered meal replacement formulas and sports drinks.

More Protein?

  For many years it was thought that eating more protein would allow for optimal muscle building, however most athletes in hard training already consume adequate protein in their usual dietary intake. Attention should be focused on a wider distribution and variety of protein over the day, even on non-training days.

  Inclusion of a small serve of a protein rich food at each meal and snack throughout the day helps to create an optimal environment for gains in muscle mass. If you train early in the morning, a pretraining snack is an excellent start to the day. See the fact sheet on Protein for Athletes for further information on protein needs.

Supplementary Support?

  Athletes attempting to increase muscle mass are particularly vulnerable to the emotive marketing of supplements promoted to build muscle. Popular muscle building supplements include protein powders, creatine, HMB, nitric oxide, colostrum and individual amino acid supplements which may come in the form of sports bars, drinks, pills and capsules, powders and gels.

  However, most of these products fail to live up to expectations and the scrutiny of scientific support. Liquid meal supplements and creatine may be an exception to the rule. The support of a Sports Dietitian will not only help you identify fact from fiction in the supplement industry but also provide guidance on appropriate protocols for their use.

Liquid Meal Supplements

  For individuals who struggle to achieve increased energy needs, liquid meal supplements or ‘protein powders’ offer convenient, compact options for boosting energy, carbohydrate and protein intake when everyday foods are not available or are impractical to consume. When choosing a protein powder, look for one that is rich in carbohydrate, moderate in protein, low fat, fortified with vitamins and minerals, tasty and economical. Alternatively, home made shakes can be made up to provide a similar nutrient profile at a fraction of the cost. Ask a Sports Dietitian for their recommendations or a suitable recipe!

Creatine

  Creatine supplementation is particularly popular among athletes attempting to increase muscle mass. While debate continues over the direct muscle building effect of creatine, it may indirectly support gains in muscle mass by promoting recovery between exercises and allowing you to do more total work (see Creatine supplementation and sports performance). Support for the muscle-building claims associated with other products like HMB, colostrum and specific amino acids are limited or lacking. Stick with the proven winning formula of a well planned training program and meal plan. ‘Magic bullets’ will come and go, but truly successful muscle building programs are based on hard training and a well planned daily intake of food.

Training

  To gain muscle mass, an appropriate and specific resistance training program needs to be adopted. This program should be specific to your performance and aesthetic goals as well as your lifestyle and training schedule. The off-season is an ideal time to work on muscle mass gains. A strength and conditioning coach can help you develop an effective training program to achieve the right balance between resistance and other training.

Pre and Post Training Snack Ideas

• Tub of low fat yoghurt & fruit
• Bowl of cereal and low fat milk
• Sandwich with lean ham & salad
• Low fat instant noodles, pasta sauces & ‘light’ cheese
• Homemade smoothies on low fat milk & yoghurt, honey and fruit plus a scoop of skim milk powder for an extra energy boost
• Fruit muffin or toast and a glass of low fat milk
• Breakfast/cereal bar & liquid meal supplement

  Each snack provides at least 10 grams of protein and 35 grams of carbohydrate which research indicates is enough to promote muscle building during exercise.

Conclusion

• Increase daily energy intake by increasing meal/snack frequency and making use of energy-rich drinks/snacks.
• The meal plan should be based on nutritious carbohydraterich foods, and include a small serve of protein-rich food/fluid at each meal/snack to optimise training responses, especially before and after training. 
• Get organised - plan food and fluids throughout the day to make sure suitable choices are always available.
• To increase muscle mass, a suitable and specific hypertrophy program should be designed in conjunction with a strength and conditioning coach.
• Only after training and diet have been optimised should you consider a sports supplement. The professional support of a Sports Dietitian can help you determine the best supplement for you.
• Set realistic goals and monitor progress regularly. To see how effective your training program is, assess your body mass and composition.
• Commitment, perseverance, and consistency are essential. Developing optimal levels of strength and muscle mass for your sport may take years, especially if you don’t have the luxury of a prolonged off-season each year.

  Bulking up can be an important performance or aesthetic goal in the development of an athlete. Commonly, athletes will desire muscle mass and strength gains; with few wanting an increase in body fat. For a gain in muscle mass, the combination of a welldesigned training program plus an energy-rich diet with adequate protein is essential. Muscle mass is influenced by an array of factors including genetics, training program, training history and dietary intake. If all are optimised, gains of 0.25-0.5 kg per week may be possible initially, but this will depend on genetics and training history. Overall body composition goals must also be considered as well as performance and training schedules.

  Far too many athletes want to increase muscle mass and reduce body fat simultaneously, often during a competitive season. This is not achievable for most individuals as gaining muscle and losing fat have mutually exclusive nutritional goals, which may be in opposition to performance nutrition requirements. To promote gains in muscle mass, the priority must be to increase overall energy intake while effective fat loss demands a reduction in energy intake (see Body Fat Control & Making Weight). Priorities and timeframes must be set with training and diet adjusted accordingly.

Increasing Energy Intake
  Increasing dietary energy intake (i.e. kilocalories or kilojoules) is essential if significant gains in muscle mass are to be achieved. For some athletes this can be a real challenge. Frequent and/ or prolonged training sessions can limit opportunities for meals and snacks while intense training can curb your appetite. Novel strategies like eating more energy-dense snacks and drinks, particularly around training may be required to overcome such obstacles. While an increase in energy intake is essential for gains in muscle mass, it should not be considered an excuse to indulge in high-fat, nutrient-poor, convenience food. Additional dietary fat can increase body fat stores which may pose an issue for some athletes, although for others, nutritious high fat foods like nuts and seeds may be an important inclusion to increase energy intake. For those concerned about gaining extra body fat, small increments in energy intake should be introduced until desirable results are achieved. Regular body composition assessment may help to alleviate concern among athletes with body fat gain fears.

  Ultimately everyone has a different metabolism and caloric needs. Below are a few examples, and good
starting points this is based on the average, so the best method is to monitor your eating habits and
make sure you are getting enough of the right foods. Best way to build a plan specific your needs is to
visit Max Muscle, and speak with one of our Certified Sports Nutrition Coaches, to push yourself to the
next level.

Lean Muscle Weight Gain Diet
This Sample diet is between 2,500 and 3,000 calories

Meal 1: Typically Breakfast
• 3‐4 eggs, boiled scrambled or fried in olive oil, (egg whites or egg substitute are OK). Throw in some veggies, broccoli, etc.
• 1 or 2 slices of whole wheat toast, or high protein whole grain bread.
Note: if you are trying to lose weight, then eat only 1 slice of high protein grain bread with a light canola or olive oil spread.
• Apple, orange or fresh fruit
• 8 ounces milk or soy milk
• OR, instead of cooking try this healthy shake: 12 ounces milk or soy milk,
1 banana, ½ cup strawberries or any frozen berry, 3‐4 scoops Gourmet
Gainer, ½ serving or ounce of Ultra 100 Liquid Vitamin, ½ cup of ice.
Blend and enjoy a powerful shake with 35 plus grams of protein, carbs and more than 100 nutrients! Note: You can replace the milk with juice,

Meal 2: Typically a School Snack around 10am
• Protein bar, such as Max Crunch Bar or something around 20g of protein.
• OR, 16oz milk
• OR, any snack with 15g or more protein

Meal 3: Typically Lunch 12pm
• Chicken, turkey or ham sandwich: The key here is to get mom or the lunch lady to give you at least 4‐5 ounces of meat in that sandwich and a slice of cheese. Light mayo or olive oil mayonnaise.
• OR, if you don’t like those types of sandwiches try a high protein peanut butter sandwich on high protein whole grain bread.
• 10 or so baby carrots or carrot sticks
• Small bag or serving of Sun Chips or a healthier type of chip with some grain and fiber
• 8‐12 ounces of milk or soy milk or water
Note: If you are trying to add more calories and still hungry at lunchtime, try adding another ½ sandwich.

Meal 4: Typically an after School Snack around 3pm
• Protein Shake, 3‐4 scoops of Max Gourmet Gainer, 8‐12 ounces milk or soy milk, banana or berries (½ cup) or both, ½ cup ice and blend. Feel free to try chocolate, peanut butter and banana or any other flavors and tasty ingredients that you like!
• OR, protein bar, such as Max Crunch Bar or something around 20g
of protein.
• OR, any snack with 20g or more protein

Meal 5: Typically Dinner around 6:30 or 7pm
• 4‐6 ounces of lean meat (chicken, steak, lean burgers, turkey meat etc)
• 1 or more cups of veggies such as, broccoli, green beans, snap peas, zucchini, carrots, corn etc. And/OR, a dinner salad.
• 1‐1 ½ cups pasta and/or rice. OR a large serving of both. Mashed potatoes, wild rice, hummus, and other similar foods can be substituted here.
• 8 ounces of milk, soymilk or water
• 2 slices of whole grain bread or high protein grain bread. Note: if you are trying to lose weight, then eat only 1 slice of high protein whole grain bread. If desired, use a light canola or olive oil spread.

Meal 6: Typically a snack around 10 or so The general idea for this snack is to elevate your nitrogen one last time before going to bed. You typically want to minimize the calories while adding 20 grams or so of protein before bed.
• Protein bar, such as Max Crunch Bar or something around 20g of protein.
• OR, a light shake of 8 ounces of milk or water, ½ scoop of Max Muscle protein, frozen berries are very low in calories and can make your shake taste great, or ½ cup of ice.
• OR, If you are trying to gain weight and need additional calories, try this higher calorie shake. 2‐3 scoops of Gourmet Gainer, frozen berries or a banana or both, 1 scoop of ice cream, 8‐12 ounces of milk, water or soy milk, ½ cup of ice. Blend and enjoy.
• OR, any light snack with 15g or more protein

  Ultimately everyone has a different metabolism and caloric needs. Below are a few examples, and good
starting points this is based on the average, so the best method is to monitor your eating habits and
make sure you are getting enough of the right foods. Best way to build a plan specific your needs is to
visit Max Muscle, and speak with one of our Certified Sports Nutrition Coaches, to push yourself to the
next level.

Lean Muscle Building and Maintenance Diet
This sample diet is between 2,200 and 2,500 calories

Meal 1: Typically Breakfast
• 2‐3 eggs, boiled scrambled or fried in olive oil, (egg whites or egg substitute are ok). Throw in some veggies, broccoli, etc.
• 1 or 2 slices of whole wheat toast, or high protein whole grain bread.
• Fruit juice (apple, grape, orange etc.)
• Apple, orange or fresh fruit
• OR, instead of cooking try this healthy shake, 12 ounces milk or soy milk, ½ banana, ½ cup strawberries or any frozen berry, 1 or 2 scoops of Max Muscle MaxPro Protein,, ½ serving or ounce of Ultra 100 Liquid Vitamin, ½ cup of ice, blend and enjoy a powerful shake with 25 plus grams of protein, carbs and more than 100 nutrients! Note: You can replace the milk with juice.

Meal 2: Typically a School Snack around 10am
• Protein bar, such as Max Crunch Bar or something around 20g of protein.
• OR, 1 MaxPro Protein Shake
• OR, any snack with 15g or more protein

Meal 3: Typically Lunch 12pm
• Chicken, turkey or ham sandwich: At least 3oz of meat Light mayo or olive oil mayonnaise.
• OR, if you don’t like those types of sandwiches try a high protein peanut butter sandwich on high protein whole grain bread.
• 10 or so baby carrots or carrot sticks
• Small bag or serving of Sun Chips or a healthier type of chip with some grain and fiber
• 8‐12 ounces of milk or water

Meal 4: Typically an after School Snack around 3pm
• Protein shake, 1 or 2 scoops of Max Muscle Protein, 8‐12 ounces milk or soy milk, banana or berries (½ cup) or both, ½ cup ice and blend. Feel free to try chocolate, peanut butter and banana or any other flavors and tasty ingredients that you like!
• OR, protein bar, such as Max Crunch Bar or something around 20g of protein.
• OR, 16oz milk only if you are not home and stop by a convenience store for a snack.
• OR, any snack with 15g or more protein

Meal 5: Typically Dinner around 6:30 or 7pm
• 4‐6 ounces of lean meat (chicken, steak, lean burgers, turkey meat etc)
• 1 or more cups of veggies such as, broccoli, green beans, snap peas, zucchini, carrots, corn etc. And/OR, a dinner salad.
• Pasta and/or rice. OR a small serving of both. Mashed potatoes, wild rice, hummus, and other similar foods can be substituted here.
• 8 ounces of milk, soy milk or water
• 1 or 2 slices of whole grain bread or high protein grain bread. Note: if you are trying to lose weight, only 1 slice of high protein whole grain bread.
Also, if desired, use a light canola or olive oil spread.

Meal 6: Typically a snack around 10 or so
The general idea for this snack is to elevate your nitrogen one last time before going to bed. You typically want to minimize the calories while adding 20 grams or so of protein before bed.
• Protein bar, such as Max Crunch Bar or something around 20g of protein.
• OR, a light shake of 8 ounces of milk or water, ½ scoop of Max Muscle Protein, frozen berries are very low in calories and can make your shake taste really good, ½ cup of ice.

  Traditionally, protein-rich foods have been synonymous with muscular athletes. The (misguided) theory is that if you eat a lot of protein, you will build a lot of muscle. The truth is that heavy weightlifting, push-ups, and other forms of resistance exercise—not excess protein—build and strengthen muscles. If you consume more protein than you need, you will simply burn more protein as a fuel source (Bolster et al. 2005).

  Confusion exists about the best diet for building muscles. When you work out in the weight room at the gym, you likely hear you need to consume lots of chicken breasts and egg whites and drink protein shakes between meals to be stronger. But when you hang around in the cardio area, you hear that carbohydrate-rich pasta, cereal, and grains should be the foundation of your meals. And you are left wondering, what’s the right balance?
 
  Carbohydrate-rich grains, fruits, and vegetables are indeed the best foundation for every type of training program. Even bodybuilders need a carbohydrate-based diet because carbohydrate is stored in the muscles for energy. You can’t lift weights and demand a lot from your workout sessions if your muscles are carbohydrate depleted. Protein-based diets low in carbohydrate provide inadequate muscle fuel for you to exercise hard enough to build to your potential. The best sports diet contains adequate, but not excessive, protein to build and repair muscle tissue, grow hair and fingernails, produce hormones, boost your immune system, and replace red blood cells. Most people who eat moderate portions of protein-rich foods daily get more protein than they need. Any excess protein is burned for energy or, as a last resort, stored as glycogen or fat. Humans do not store excess protein as muscle, protein, or amino acids, so we need to consume adequate protein each day. Daily protein is particularly important for dieters who are restricting calories, because protein is burned for energy when carbohydrate and calories are scarce.
 
  When it comes to protein intake, athletes seem to fall into two categories. First are those who eat too much—the bodybuilders, weightlifters, and football players who can’t seem to get enough of the stuff. Those in the second group eat too little—the runners, dancers, and weight-conscious athletes who never touch meat and trade most protein calories for more salads and vegetables. Individuals in either group can perform poorly because of dietary imbalances. Josh, for example, was a protein pusher. A college hockey player, he routinely snacked after practice on a big protein bar and a protein shake. That one snack satisfied more than half his protein needs for the whole day. As an athlete, he has a slightly higher protein need than a sedentary person, but he overcompensated for that need with the generous servings of chicken and fish he devoured at meals, never mind his high-protein snack.

  Paulo, a vegetarian marathon runner who ate spaghetti with tomato sauce seven nights a week, downplayed his need for protein. “Most Americans get way too much protein; I’m sure I get plenty, too.” He consumed few protein-rich foods of any types—plant or animal products. He was humbled when he learned that his food intake was deficient not only in protein but also in iron (for red blood cells), zinc (for healing), calcium (for bones), and several other nutrients. No wonder he became anemic, suffered a lingering cold and flu, and performed poorly despite consistent training.

Defining Protein Needs

  Research has yet to define the exact protein requirements of sports-active people because individual needs vary. People in the following groups have the highest protein needs:

• Endurance athletes and others doing intense exercise. About 5 percent of energy can come from protein during endurance exercise, particularly if muscle glycogen stores are depleted and blood glucose is low.
• Dieters consuming too few calories. The protein is converted into glucose and burned for energy instead of being used to build and repair muscles.
• Growing teenage athletes. Protein is essential for both growth and muscular development.
• Untrained people starting an exercise program. They need extra protein to build muscles.

  In scrutinizing the protein needs of athletes, exercise scientists have found that athletes need slightly more protein than other people do to repair the small amounts of muscle damage that occur with training, to provide energy (in very small amounts) for exercise, and to support the building of new muscle tissue.

  In general, pinpointing exact protein requirements is almost a moot point because many athletes eat more protein than they require just through standard meals. That is, a 150-pound (68 kg) recreational athlete who burns 3,000 calories can easily consume 300 to 450 protein calories, or 75 to 112 grams of protein. This equates to 0.5 to 0.7 gram of protein per pound (1 to 1.5 g of protein per kg), which is more than the RDA of0.4 gram per pound (0.8 g per kg). These recommendations include a margin of safety and are not minimal amounts. If you are overfat, base your protein needs on your ideal body weight.

  In contrast to the belief that a little more protein is good so a lot more will be better, no scientific evidence to date suggests that protein intakes exceeding 0.9 gram of protein per pound (2.0 g per kg) will provide an additional advantage (Lemon 1995). Nor is there evidence that taking a protein supplement on top of an adequate diet (with about 0.5 g of protein per pound, or 1 g per kg) will enhance muscle strength or size (Godard, Williamson, and Trappe 2002). And don’t fret about how the protein is packaged—as whey powder, chicken, egg whites, or chocolate milk; all protein can build muscles. The advantage of getting protein from natural foods (as opposed to supplements) is that natural foods contain protein the way nature intended as well as yet-unknown bioactive compounds that might influence muscle growth.

  The physiques of bodybuilders are not attributable to the excessively high protein diet they commonly consume but rather to their intense training. Bodybuilders work incredibly hard. They prefer a high-protein diet because protein not only builds and protects their muscles but also keeps them from feeling hungry when they are cutting calories—lean protein is harder to overconsume.

Your Protein Needs

  To learn if you are meeting your protein needs in your current diet, follow two easy steps. First, using table 7.1, identify which category you belong to. For example, if you are a 140-pound (64 kg) bike racer, you would fit the category of an “endurance athlete, adult” and would need about 85 to 100 grams of protein per day :
140 lb * 0.6 g/lb = 84 g protein
140 lb * 0.7 g/lb = 98 g protein
Second, keep track of your protein intake by listing everything you eat and drink for one 24-hour period. The information on food labels provides protein information, and table 7.2 lists the amount of protein in some common foods. You can also use a variety of Web sites (see Dietary Analysis in appendix A) to analyze your diet and assess your protein intake. Note that you need to eat a generous portion (more calories) of beans
and other forms of plant protein to equal the protein in animal foods.

Learn how to plan your diet and nutrition for your fitness goals. Nutrition for muscle building, fat loss and health.



Emphasize The Negative

  Muscle growth is the logical byproduct of muscle contraction. Much emphasis is placed on the concentric phase of a lift where the muscle shortens as it contracts. But the stretching of the muscle during the eccentric, or negative, phase where the muscle lengthens while maintaining tension can directly cause muscle hypertrophy, too. Emphasizing the negative is an easy technique to overload muscles and promote radical gains in mass.

Set Short Term Goals

  Short term goals are important for developing a solid muscle building program. By setting short term goals, you will have the framework to follow so you can make small changes in your daily routine which will develop into healthy habits to last a lifetime. Focus on a weekly goal of gaining 1-2 pounds lean mass. This is the healthiest amount of weight gain per week and is the correct level to make sure you're not packing on body fat. To reach this 1 pound weight gain per week, focus on creating a 500 calorie surplus in your overall calories every day.

Learn how to plan your diet and nutrition for your fitness goals. Nutrition for muscle building, fat loss and health.

Eat Plenty of Carbohydrates

  Carbohydrates are needed to fuel your body during exercise. The storage form of carbohydrates is glycogen. The idea here is to super saturate glycogen levels so that the body never has to dip into protein for energy production.
  The higher the level of carbs in the body, the more likely you are going to remain in an anabolic environment. Carbs also play a role in the release of insulin. Insulin is the body's most potent anabolic hormone. It promotes gluconeogenesis, protein synthesis, and the formation of adipocytes. In short, the release of insulin is required to promote an anabolic environment and carbs help by releasing insulin.

Learn how to plan your diet and nutrition for your fitness goals. Nutrition for muscle building, fat loss and health.


Rest for Muscle Growth

  One of the best pieces of exercise advice is to understand that your muscles grow when you’re resting not
training. That's right; you don't actually get bigger and stronger when you're in the gym. It's what you do after your
workout that's the real key to muscle growth. If you don't let your muscles recover correctly, you're body will
become over trained and it will be in a state of constant "catch up". This is far from the ideal state that you want
your body in. What you want is to truly prime your body for your next workout and give it enough rest and
recuperation to fully optimize your training. The worst thing you can do is not help your body recover. This will lead to muscle atrophy (breaking down muscle) and you may experience the flu because of this. Take care of business and start your recuperation. When you get back from your workout, you might also try sitting in an ice tub or sauna to really relax and let your muscles recover. Rest is extremely important when training hard, so make sure to take the time to recover and grow from your training sessions.

  If you have been trying to gain muscle for any length of time, you have probably figured out that training is only half of the equation. To gain quality muscular weight, you must take in more calories than you burn, with a significant portion of them coming from protein. This large food intake can be a huge drain on your wallet, especially when you already have monthly gym and other team related expenses. Here are 10, nutrient-dense, muscle-building foods that will help you get the protein and calories you need without breaking the bank.


1. Eggs
  With 5-6 grams of both protein and fat in each little egg, and with prices as low as a dollar per dozen in some grocery stores, this is a muscle building food that cannot be beat. If you're in serious need of calories to grow, you would do well to eat the whole egg. The yolk contains healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats, half of the egg's protein, and several essential amino acids and vitamins that you will not find in the white.

Learn how to plan your diet and nutrition for your fitness goals. Nutrition for muscle building, fat loss and health.

Stimulate your appetite for breakfast

  In the morning drink a small glass of orange or grapefruit juice. Cold appetizers such as refrigerated hard boiled eggs, celery, fruit and vegetables can also increase appetite. Deficiencies in B-vitamins are also causes of low appetite. Take a multi-vitamin in capsule or liquid form, tablets tend to not get broken down as well and much of the vitamin is wasted. Herbs such as Gentian root, Fennel seeds, Cardammon, Muira Puama and Rhodiola rosea also stimulate hunger.

  There is no shortage of exercises out there. But that doesn’t mean they’re all effective for building mass.
You can’t expect to go into a gym, start lifting random weights, and get bigger. (I found this out the hard way.)

  There are certain exercises that are “the cream of the crop” when it comes to putting on slabs of muscle mass in the shortest time possible. And there are others that are a complete waste of time.

  Let’s start with square one here. If you don’t have this right, then nothing else matters.

Realize that unless you have some kind of disease that eats away at your muscle tissue and keeps you skinny,
EVERYONE can gain muscle weight!

  Yes, that means YOU too!

Taking Advice From Bodybuilding Magazines And The “Big Guy” At The Gym ...


This is an easy trap to fall in to. Magazines have big buff dudes on the cover so they must have legitimate information in there, or else they wouldn’t be in business, right?

The sad truth is… these muscle-building magazines are owned by supplement companies!


  And most of the magazine’s revenue is generated from the supplements they endorse in the magazines.

Wasting Money On Bogus Supplements That Keep You Skinny And Broke…


One of the biggest questions I get from skinny guys is, “What supplements can I take to gain weight?” I won’t lie, there are a few good ones… And you’ll find out what they are soon enough…
But the TRUTH is, most supplements are complete garbage!


  The bodybuilding supplement industry is a multi billion-dollar “cash cow” that stuffs money in the pockets of bigwig CEO’s on a daily basis.

  There are 6 key hormones that you need to manipulate to turbo charge your mass building results…

  I don’t have room in this report to go over all 6 right now, but I’m going to talk about the most important and obvious hormone that everyone is familiar with: Testosterone.
  Testosterone builds muscle and keeps fat off. That’s no secret and for most people that’s common knowledge. But what’s NOT so common knowledge is how to naturally increase testosterone levels without dangerous drugs.

Training too often is one of the most common problems I see with hardgainers who want to bulk up.


I was guilty of this myself...
  It’s called “overtraining” and everyone’s doin’ it. You’d think that going to the gym 6-7 days a week vs. 2-3 days a week would get faster results, right? Well, it sounds like it would make sense, but this is actually completely false!


  This seems to be the hardest concept for people to actually accept. But let me explain...
You see, when you go to the gym and lift heavy weights, your objective is to break down muscle fibers in order to elicit a growth response from your body.

“No matter what I eat, I just can’t seem to gain weight...”

Does that sound familliar?


  You may have tried gaining weight in the past by eating more food. But was it the right food? And did you  really eat enough?

  Eating is one of the most misunderstood aspects of gaining muscle mass and this is where most people drop the ball completely.

  Being overweight increases your risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.

  Being overweight increases your risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.


Specific food diets

  Are based on limiting your diet to a few specific foods. They are a type of fad diet. These diets do not count calories, are boring, and depend mostly on will power to follow a diet that is so lacking in variety. You may develop vitamin and mineral deficiencies after a few days on one of these diets. Examples of these diets are the grapefruit diet and the cabbage diet.

  Being overweight increases your risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.

What are some of the popular diets?

  There are many popular diets. Some are considered to be fad diets and unsafe for the long term, and others are healthy and may be right for you. Remember that no one diet works for everyone. Broad categories of popular diets are :

• High-protein diets.
• Specific food diets.
• Varied weight loss diets.
• Heart-healthy, balanced nutrition diets.
• Calorie-conscious commercial programs.

  Being overweight increases your risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some forms of cancer. If you are overweight, losing just 5 to 10% of your weight and keeping it off lowers your risk for developing most of these diseases.


What foods should I limit or avoid?

As much as you can, avoid the following types of food :

• Refined carbohydrates (sugar) and foods containing added sugars, such as sucrose, glucose, dextrose, highfructose corn syrup, corn sweetener, honey, and brown sugar
• Refined grain products such as white rice and white flour (Try to substitute whole grains for refined grains whenever you can.).

Why do I need to lose weight if I am overweight?

  Being overweight increases your risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some forms of cancer. If you are overweight, losing just 5 to 10% of your weight and keeping it off lowers your risk for developing most of these diseases. Your healthcare provider can give you a good sense of whether you have an increased risk of health problems because of your weight.