Nutrition

Mar 24, 2021

Tip of the week Tip: Eat enough cholesterol

There is no correlation between cholesterol intake and the levels of bad cholesterol in your blood. You need cholesterol to increase your testosterone levels.

The cholesterol - testosterone connection

Testosterone is made from cholesterol. There is no other way for our body to produce testosterone naturally. Therefore, if you abstain from cholesterol, you can be sure that you are compromising the production of one of the most powerful muscle-building hormones: Testosterone. It's time to give up egg whites and chicken breast.

But cholesterol is bad!

What about the potential health consequences of cholesterol-rich foods? Recent research shows that we may have been completely wrong in our views on cholesterol in the past. There appears to be little correlation between dietary cholesterol intake and blood cholesterol levels. This is especially true when carbohydrates are minimized. These studies also show that people with higher cholesterol levels tend to live longer.

Don't get this wrong: you should not deliberately try to raise your serum cholesterol levels. Neither should you worry about eating too much cholesterol. Eat mostly organic foods, minimize starchy foods, eat plenty of vegetables, use a fish oil supplement and exercise regularly.

What you should be concerned about is your serum triglyceride levels. High cholesterol levels have been shown to be a major red flag when it comes to potential cardiovascular problems and disease. Minimize your triglyceride levels by reducing your total carbohydrate intake, consuming omega-3 fatty acids and green tea daily, and spending at least 5 hours per week doing a mix of resistance training and energy system training.

Eat more eggs and less poultry

I eat with Pavel Tsatsouline more often. I'll never forget the first time. I ordered chicken tacos. When I ordered them, he gave me a threatening look and said "Chicken will make you weak." He then told me that whole eggs are good for two reasons. First, they are excellent for helping you build muscle and strength. Second, they keep chickens from being born

He's right. Whole eggs, beef, shrimp, cheese and other cholesterol-rich foods are essential to maximize your testosterone levels.

Tip: Build biceps with 5-3 countdowns

This is one of the best training methods for biceps. It's very different, but very effective.

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-build-your-biceps-with-5-3-countdowns

This method is known as the 5-3 countdown method. Although it can be used for almost any lagging muscle group, it has proven to be particularly effective for lagging biceps. Here's how this method works:

Overview

Perform several training sessions per week during which you tighten your biceps hard under load for a predetermined period of time, followed by isometric holds with repetitions through the full range of motion.

The execution

After warming up, move on to cable curls. Cable curls work better than barbell curls in this method.

Curl the weight upwards and hold it in the highest position. Tense your muscles hard for 5 seconds (this is the first isometric hold of the exercise. Then perform 5 normal repetitions through the full range of motion without pausing. Pause for just 10 seconds and then move on to the next step.
After the 10-second pause, do it again, with the isometric hold now only lasting 4 seconds. Then perform 4 normal repetitions and pause again for 10 seconds.
Repeat one more time, holding the isometric contraction for only 3 seconds and then perform 3 normal repetitions.
All of the above is one set. After this, rest for about 3 minutes and perform a total of 3 sets.

Frequency is the key

Three of these sets of one exercise is all you need for your biceps that day. It may not seem like much, but the magic here is in the frequency. Perform this program three to four times a week with at least one day of rest between each biceps workout. You can also train other muscle groups on this day, but always start with the biceps training as it is a specialization plan.

Many trainers also like to use this method for triceps on the same day. Tricep presses on the cable with a rope grip work quite well with this method.

Explanation

It is optimal to combine the longest isometric contractions with the highest number of repetitions. You do most of the work when you have the most energy and then the duration of the isometric contractions and the repetitions decrease to take account of the accumulation of fatigue.

Tip: Avoid these training mistakes

Do you want to become more muscular and stronger? Then you need to eliminate these bad habits.

By Paul Carter

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-avoid-this-major-training-mistake

Have you ever thought the following? "I'm doing program X and getting good results. Hmm, maybe I should switch to program Y and try that one."

Think about this for a minute. You're already getting good results, but you want to try something else...to see if you get good results? That doesn't make sense. How about sticking with what's working and making minimal changes when progress stalls?

Stop hopping from training program to training program

Training program hopping is out of control these days. Why? Often it's a matter of imitation. People see someone very muscular and naturally ask what training program that person is using. They say there are no secrets to working out, but there are some. Here's one of them:

Copying someone else's training program will not make you look like that person. Don't change a program that's already working well for you because you're having a bout of penis envy.

Most strong exercisers have something in common - they have a good intuition about what works for them and they use this as a basic guideline for their training over the years. Six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates has changed his training program exactly three times since he started bodybuilding. Three times. He found out what worked for him and used it to his advantage until he was forced to make changes.

The lesson

Don't jump from program to program if what you're doing is working. Find a set of common sense principles that work for you and spend your years planning your training around them. This foundation is the source from which you can draw to continue making progress.

Tip: Start every training session with a strength exercise

Focus on a heavy basic exercise and then perform some supportive training.

By Christian Thibaudeau

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-start-every-workout-with-a-strength-move

Focus on the exercise and not the muscle group

Base each training session on a basic exercise and not on a muscle group. And depending on how you perform on that exercise, use supporting exercises to eliminate the weak points. You don't need to spend a lot of time working on your natural strengths because these are sufficiently trained by the main exercise. It's the weak links in the chain that need extra work.

If you have dominant quadriceps and a weak gluteus, then you don't need much (or any) extra stimulus for the quadriceps as they will already be getting plenty of stimulus from squat training. If there is a personal strength, then your body will tend to use it more during squats.

Your supportive training should therefore be chosen in such a way that it strengthens the weak links in the chain of your main exercise. The main exercise also serves as a diagnostic tool to tell you what you need to correct and as an evaluation tool to tell you whether the supporting exercises are fulfilling their purpose.

Start with the main exercise, choose a strength exercise that addresses your weak point and then perform one to three smaller targeted exercises to strengthen the individual muscles. Don't waste volume on muscles that are already dominant. Your body only has a limited capacity to adapt.

Examples

Divide your training week into these four training sessions:

Deadlift and supporting exercises
Bench press and supporting exercises
Squats and supporting exercises
Overhead press and supporting exercises

You don't have to use these exact exercises, but a very closely related variation should be the center of your workouts.

Tip: Prioritize for maximum results

Muscular, strong exercisers do this. Lean, weak exercisers do not. Here's a hard lesson you need to learn.

By Paul Carter | 06/19/16

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-prioritize-for-maximum-results

The best way to be bad

The best way to get average results is to try to do everything at once. You understand the concept of "long time" under the bar.

Ask unsuccessful exercisers about their goals. The list will be longer than the menu at McDonalds. "Well, I want to get rid of fat in X area. I also want to bench press X kilos and build up X centimetres on my arms and become more muscular overall and take part in a bodybuilding competition and then take part in a powerlifting competition..."

Six months later, nothing has changed for these people. They haven't made any progress and they haven't achieved any of their goals. They are not more muscular, stronger or leaner.

Instead, do the following

Choose a goal and focus all your energy on achieving it within a realistic time frame. If you're trying to get defined, don't whine about a few drops in strength here and there.

Are you trying to increase your bench press performance or do you want to get lean for the beach? If you want to gain a few inches on your arms, you should be aware that you also need to build muscle mass across your body, and you can prioritize your arm training for a while. After all, you won't find anyone who weighs 70 kilos and has 50-something upper arms.

The lesson

Stop dancing at several weddings. Do what really muscular guys do: focus on one thing and give it your all to achieve that goal.

Tip: Follow the 2 day rule

This easy-to-follow guideline will maximize your recovery and ensure that every training session leads to gains.

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-follow-the-two-day-rule

There are two guidelines you should follow if you

Train hard and heavy
Are an experienced exerciser

1. do not train more than 2 days in a row

Even if your goal is to maximize your muscle mass, your program should be based on getting stronger at the big basic exercises. To put your body in the best possible position to perform these exercises at a high level during each training session, it's best not to train more than two days in a row.

Yes, it is possible to train more often, but your performance will suffer on the third training session. The only way that will work in the long run is to keep one or two of these workouts fairly light. If you plan to train hard every session - if you plan to do basic exercises and supporting exercises - then you should avoid training more than 2 days in a row.

Remember that it's not about how much you can do and get away with it - it's about training at the highest possible level every time you go to the gym. If you're not working to improve in some way at every training session, then you're just wasting your time.

2. don't take a break two days in a row

Having trained athletes at a high level for years, I can say this with certainty: when athletes do a Monday/Tuesday/Thursday/Friday training program, the first training session of the week will always be their worst. You might think that after a weekend off, an athlete would be well rested and should perform better. This is not the case.

Even if a person is physically rested, performance will suffer because the nervous system is sluggish after 2 days off and it is harder to activate the nervous system during the training session. This is the reason that under normal circumstances (apart from illness and injury) I strongly recommend never resting for two days in a row.

How you can apply these rules

Monday: Training day 1
Tuesday: Training day 2
Wednesday: No training
Thursday: Training day 3
Friday: No training
Saturday: Training day 4
Sunday: No training

This is the training split that should allow you to complete the highest number of training sessions with maximum quality per week.

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/tip-eat-enough-cholesterol

By Chad Waterbury

Mar 12, 2021

Tip of the week Tip: Control your insulin with food

Insulin can be your friend and your enemy. Here are some ways to make it work for you instead of against you

Insulin has gotten quite a bad reputation, but basically it's just a hormone that the body makes in response to the food we eat. It can help us store energy that we have taken in as food either in our muscle cells (good) or in our fat cells (bad).

The more muscle you have - and the better the insulin sensitivity of that muscle - the greater your capacity to store muscle glycogen. Ideally, you would store more of what you eat as muscle while getting leaner, which means you reduce the amount of fat you store. Impossible? No. You can change your body composition by changing your insulin sensitivity and you can change your insulin sensitivity with food.

How to control insulin with food

Some people think that cutting out carbohydrates is the key to getting lean, but if you cut out carbohydrates completely, it makes muscle glycogen synthesis more difficult. And if you exercise or care about your performance in the weight room, this will prevent you from maximizing your performance.

Carbohydrates are a fast-acting bioenergetic energy source. Of course, unnecessarily high carbohydrate intake throughout the day will not be without consequences. Depending on how excessive it is, it will make you more insulin resistant. Instead, you should eat most of your carbohydrates during the window of time around your workout when you need and consume the most carbohydrates.

Here are some other helpful tips:

Make sure your fiber intake is adequate - but not during the window of time around your workout.

Increasing your fiber intake has also been shown to have a blood sugar-lowering effect and can increase the body's insulin sensitivity. The only restriction is that you should not eat high-fiber meals around your workout. During this window of time, a strong insulin release is desirable to help you transport your training nutrition directly into your muscle cells.

Eat more slowly

Several studies have shown that people who eat faster have higher insulin resistance. These studies have taken into account factors such as genetic predisposition, BMI, calorie intake, waist circumference and triglyceride levels. Despite this, fast eating has been linked to overweight and obesity and it is believed that fast eating makes it harder for appetite suppressing hormones to do their job, ultimately impairing insulin's ability to do its job.

Tip: Build muscle or maintain your existing muscle all the time

Losing fat doesn't have to mean losing muscle. And building muscle doesn't have to mean you get fat. Here are the facts.

By Benjamin Liu

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-build-or-preserve-muscle-at-all-times

Some people say that you can't build muscle in a calorie deficit. But the amount of muscle you build depends on much more than your calorie intake:

How far along are you?
How much time do you have available for your training?
How much rest do you get?
How do you eat?
How high is your calorie deficit really?

Eating right, training right and getting enough rest are the most important factors in building muscle and as long as you don't go into a huge calorie deficit (more than 500 kcal) you can continue to build muscle. It is possible to build muscle without building fat. And contrary to popular belief, it is even possible to build muscle while losing fat.

But won't the person who maintains a calorie surplus make bigger gains? Yes, but probably not to the extent you might think. And for those who don't mind gaining as much fat as muscle, when the time comes to diet, the extreme change in diet will often become very stressful for body and mind. It can even lead to muscle loss during the diet or the development of metabolic damage.

A better way

Over the years, the exerciser who follows a sensible diet in the maintenance calorie range is likely to make better gains than the one who continually switches back and forth between mass-building and dieting phases.

I'm not saying that bulking and dieting don't have their place and justification. Some people even find that a mass-building phase helps them to overcome training plateaus. However, bulking and dieting phases should only be used temporarily and not long term, and they are not necessary for everyone. Don't use your muscle building goals as an excuse to overindulge in food and don't use your fat loss goals as an excuse to burn muscle.

Tip: Test things out and then use them

Here's something successful athletes do that you should do too

By Dani Shugart

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-test-things-out-and-commit

What are you afraid of?

There are people who never put anything into practice but always seem to be looking for the best way to achieve their goals. They want to get everything tested out by other people and then they want to compare those results with other results and then they want an analysis by a trusted source who has tried it too.

They may tell you that their inaction has something to do with efficiency and doing things the right way, but it's really about fear. The fear of failing. The fear of being the only beginner in a room full of experienced people. Maybe even fear of committing to something. So they wait for someone else to tell them whether it's worth the effort or not. The truth behind this? People who look for excuses are people who are afraid.

Expand your knowledge

Successful athletes want to try something themselves. If something doesn't work, they want to know first-hand. Why? Because something that looks like a lot of effort to one person may be worth the effort to another. Experienced bodybuilders and strength athletes will not be pessimistic about a new method until they have tried it for themselves. They experience personal satisfaction from the effort - even if it doesn't pay off. Trying something new increases their desire to keep trying things until they get the results they want.

Successful exercisers don't want second-hand information because they know friends and studies won't tell them the whole story. They may do what they instinctively believe and that instinct may turn out to be wrong, but then they have expanded their knowledge. If their instinct has been proven right, then they have a new tool in their toolbox.

Their ability to try things out - from diet to exercise - prevents their mind from being held back by fear. Sure, they will have failures, but these experiences will make them better and enable them to more easily figure out what works best for them. Failure takes away their fear.

Experienced exercisers want to achieve results through nutrition strategies, training splits and training techniques and they would never dare to put all their trust in a nutrition book or a fitness expert. They are also always skeptical when someone claims to have all the answers.

These men and women welcome trainers and their new ideas, but they don't need their approval to eat right or train hard.

Here's what you should do

Start somewhere. Try different things. And don't rely on hearsay, because you'll only know how your body reacts to something if you've tried it. Realize that if you've been researching sumo squats for months without trying sumo squats yourself, you've just been flexing your procrastination muscle.

Try things you are interested in and follow these strategies for a reasonable amount of time. After that, if something needs improvement, you will know more about how to improve it. Finding out what doesn't work for you will help you find out what does work for you.

However, you need to try things out to benefit from experience. Stop accumulating masses of second-hand information. Don't put your health in the hands of others. Read, research, test and modify.

Tip: The best lunge variation for a hard gluteus and pain-free knees

This variation of lunges will not only work better for your saggy butt, but will also be better for your knees.

By Dr. John Rusin

https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-the-best-lunge-for-hard-glutes-and-pain-free-knees

Reverse lunges involve a simple step backward instead of the traditional step forward. Because of the changes in trunk angle, reverse lunges generate more activation of the proximal leg flexors and gluteus muscles and put less stress on the front of the knee. These are all good things if your goal is to move heavy weights and train for strength and muscle mass.

Reverse lunges

Note: As you take a step backwards under absolute control, your torso will tend to bend forward, putting you in a downward-facing chest position. As long as this flexion comes from the hips and not the lower back, this change in angle can help to recruit leg flexors and gluteus.

An explosive movement back to a neutral position and putting one foot down to reverse the movement instead of balancing on one foot like a ballerina will keep the focus on building strength.

Common mistakes: Many exercisers tend to accelerate a movement that lacks dynamic stability. Speeding up the movement pattern can easily lead to the use of compensation patterns, which is why you should perform your movements more slowly, especially reverse lunges.

One trick to improve stability is to keep the cervical spine in a neutral line with the thoracic and lumbar spine. This leads to more fluid movements and generates gains instead of pain.

Tip: Follow the 90% rule

This is a simple guideline to help you overcome nutritional dogma and get back on track.

By Paul Carter | 06/16/16

https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/tip-adhere-to-the-90-rule

The great nutrition debate

Fact: Successful bodybuilders and athletes eat more quality food than junk.

The nutrition debate often gets out of hand. Why? Because a lot of people want reassurance that they can eat junk food all the time: "Please give me a scientific-sounding reason to stuff myself with junk food."

This is a big problem among beginners who would do anything to lose fat - except, of course, give up all the junk they eat. They fall for the idea that there's no difference between eating junk food and eating a healthy diet, as long as the junk they eat somehow fits their macronutrient and calorie plan.

But this isn't even an IIFYM vs. Clean Eating vs. Paleo vs. Zone vs. Keto vs. McDonalds debate. This is a very clear chapter in the common sense book: the majority of your meals should consist of high quality foods. Even if you are a strength athlete and don't necessarily want to reach a body fat percentage of 10%, if you eat high quality food most of the time, you will perform better than if you eat junk food. Unfortunately, many gym-goers seem to have forgotten this.

Food choices matter

From macronutrient and digestive issues to hormonal and inflammatory responses, your food choices matter. Experienced, successful exercisers have long figured this out. Long-term health is important to them. And it's the reason they win in the long run, while others waste years counting the macronutrients in their candy bars.

The lesson

Follow the 90% rule. This means that 90% of your meals should consist of foods with a high nutrient density. Then you can eat sweets, as long as it's not on a daily basis.

Tip: Test your grip strength

If you don't pass this test, then not only is your grip weak, but your elbows will give you problems too

By Dr. John Rusin

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/training/tip-test-your-grip-strength

Aside from the obvious problems of having the grip strength of a dead fish, a weak grip can also cause elbow problems. If you are unable to carry a weight equal to your body weight in each hand for 15 meters, your grip strength is inadequate.

Grip strength and elbow problems

A lack of functional grip strength will not only limit your performance in the gym, but can also cause terrible trauma to the finger and wrist flexors that gets worse over time. You need to improve your grip strength to prevent or reduce elbow pain in the long run. If you think your grip strength is sufficient, you are probably wrong.

The test: See if you can run 15 to 20 meters with a weight equal to your body weight in each hand. So if you weigh 90 kilos, you should be able to carry 180 kilos over this distance.

Yes, that's damn heavy. A functional carry should consist of at least 75% of your body weight in each hand. If you're not able to do that either, then it's time to go back to basics.

How you can get stronger

To improve the health of your elbows while maximizing your grip strength, you should increase the weight on your loaded carries in a linear periodized progression. Keep the distance relatively short (10 to 15 meters) and treat your weights no differently than any other strength exercise in your arsenal.

Schedule Loaded Carries into your training program at least twice a week and make sure you maintain adequate rest intervals between sets. The goal is to increase your anaerobic capacity, not run around like a UPS messenger for half an hour with 25 kilos in each hand.

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/tip-control-insulin-with-food

Feb 17, 2021

The Game Changers exposed Bad science, great propaganda

The killer argument...or not

The metaphor was perfect. The scene? A fight between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor. Vegans against carnivores. Plants fighting meat for nutritional superiority. It was an effective image that struck a nerve with the lay audience. Plant-based diets are for the strong, meat must be beaten. And plants have won.

But there's a problem. Diaz lost the rematch against McGregor. Was it because McGregor had also become a vegan? No. Was Diaz fed a porterhouse steak against his will? Was he injected with hemoglobin instead of electrolytes during his rehydration infusion? No.

The result of the rematch, just like the original fight, had nothing to do with the dietary preferences of the fighters involved. And while we're at it - aside from losing his second fight to McGregor, Diaz also lost to 10 other fighters...who weren't vegan.

What happened on "The Game Changers" was classic cherry-picking. You cherry pick the events, images or facts that support your point of view and ignore the ones that say otherwise. And that's something this movie (I'm not calling it a documentary) does for about 90 minutes.

I have to admit that it comes across as compelling, which isn't surprising for a movie coming from a genius storyteller like James Cameron. But this movie is misleading at best and propaganda at worst.

The REAL game changer...or not

Trivia time. Name 2 things that Georges St-Pierre (MMA), Usain Bolt (track and field), Mat Fraser (CrossFit), Michael Phelps (swimming) and Wayne Gretzky (field hockey) have in common?

Answer:

They were the best at their sports.
They were fast food junkies.

Michael Phelps' daily dose of McDonalds is well documented. Usain Bolt loves his McNuggets and KFC, which he also ate daily during the Beijing Olympics. I myself saw Mat Fraser eating a Big Mac 30 minutes before the last event at the Northeastern Regionals in 2016. I was in the warm-up room with one of my athletes and Mat was just a few feet away as he ate his meat burger before dominating over everyone else.

As for Georges St-Pierre, I spent some time with him in Vegas when he was still sponsored by Biotest. I coached his coach and know many who worked with him. And Gretzky was pretty much like every other Canadian field hockey player - he grew up eating burgers and hot dogs.

I think it's pretty clear that the real key to athletic success is eating fast food, since more than 80% of professional athletes eat fast food.

It must be the saturated fat that helps increase testosterone levels, which has a positive impact on muscle growth, strength and competitiveness. In addition, the high sodium content of the food will help prevent dehydration and optimize muscle contractions. Fast food is very effective in preventing hyponatraemia (a sodium deficiency) - a serious condition that can lead to lack of energy, irritability, confusion, cramps and even seizures.

There are at least 1000 times more athletes who regularly consume fast food than there are successful vegan athletes. So fast food is clearly the better way to go.

Do you see how easy this argument is? Of course it's complete nonsense. Fast food is not optimal for athletes (or anyone else for that matter).

I should produce a documentary called "The REAL Game Changers" and show that fast food is superior for maximum athletic performance. I would probably have no problem finding sponsors.

Of course, it would be idiotic to try to convince anyone that fast food is not only acceptable, but even recommended for athletes. But that's exactly what cherry-picking does. It allows you to convincingly present an opinion as superior.

The same works with any dietary option: keto, meat-eater, vegetarian, intermittent fasting, vegan ketogenic diet, IIFYM, the average Western European diet, etc. You will find successful athletes in all these categories. And if you get the facts right, you can cobble together something just as compelling as "The Game Changers".

The truth is, I've seen the diets of the athletes I've coached (athletes from 28 different disciplines) and in most cases, these athletes excelled in spite of their diet - not because of their diet.

Note: I don't care if you are a vegan or want to become a vegan. You can do what you want with your life. I also don't care if you disagree with me and present valid scientific information to argue with me. I'll keep an open mind as long as you keep an open mind.

What I have a problem with is propaganda - playing on the ignorance of lay people to make money or promote an agenda.

Three examples of dishonest representations

The first problem I have with the movie is that it uses powerful imagery and intellectual shortcuts to prove its point. There are three primary places where this occurs. Let's look at these in detail:

1. the Strongman example

They show that Strongman athlete Patrik Baboumian draws his strength from plants. Patrick seems to be an excellent, definitely charismatic and excellent prime example of a vegan. But we have the same problem here as with the Diaz story.

Baboumian is very strong for sure, but a lot of strongmen are better than him. I'm friends with two of Canada's strongest men (Jean-Francois Caron, who came fourth in the World's Strongest Man competition, and Jimmy Paquet) and I can confirm that both of them - like most other strongmen - eat insane amounts of meat and eggs every day.

Baboumian is the exception. And as with everything in life, unless you are exceptional yourself, you should follow what works for the greatest number of people - not what has worked for an exception that is swimming against the tide.

2. the example with the blood samples

You have two people who eat either plant-based foods or steak. Then they took blood samples and surprise surprise, the meat eater's blood was thicker and darker. This is a powerful image and you can almost feel your arteries clogging up when you see this.

But of course the blood will be thicker. The same thing would have happened if the vegan had eaten avocados and almonds, which are obviously also vegan. After eating, the nutrients are digested, enter the bloodstream to be transported to their storage sites (muscles, liver, fat cells) or to be used as energy by muscles and brain. Test the blood once the nutrients are stored and everything will be back to normal.

Fatty acids are thicker than glucose (carbohydrates) and amino acids. It is not surprising that the blood appears thicker after a steak, as the fatty acids have to be transported to their storage sites. This has always happened in the body of anyone who consumes fat and yet humans have survived.

If I wanted to do the same thing to veganism that The Game Changers did to meat eaters, I would perform the same kind of blood test after a meal of grapes and rice versus lean chicken breast. But instead of looking at viscosity, I would test blood glucose levels.

If I tested that at the right time, the blood glucose levels after the vegan meal would be very high and on the verge of hyperglycemia. After the chicken meal, on the other hand, blood sugar levels would be in the normal range. I would then argue that a vegan diet can contribute to the development of diabetes due to the high blood sugar levels it induces.

I would, of course, be manipulating facts and taking an intellectual shortcut...just like the blood tests done on The Game Changers.

It is well documented that the body needs fatty acids to function optimally. This includes maintaining a healthy brain and nervous system. Also, the production of several vital hormones (including testosterone and estrogen) require cholesterol for their production. And don't forget that fat is needed for the absorption of certain vitamins.

If you need to eat fat to stay healthy and function optimally, then you will inevitably get the "thick blood" they show in the movie, because if you consume fat (even from plant sources), then it will sit in the bloodstream until it is stored or used.

3. the gladiator example

Another powerful argument used in the movie was the claim that gladiators ate a vegan diet and had excellent bone density. And of course we think of big muscles and very manly guys when we think of gladiators.

I believe that gladiators were fed a plant-based diet. They were slaves who trained to die. Why feed them more expensive meat, fish or eggs?

But here's the intellectual shortcut: a gladiator's life expectancy wasn't particularly long. This had nothing to do with their vegan diet, but with the potential dangers of their profession such as a sharp spear or a lion.

This means that they did not eat a vegan diet for very long. Most gladiators were soldiers who had been captured after a defeat. Most of them had probably followed a diet that included meat and other animal products (alongside fruit and vegetables) for most of their lives.

If you followed a mixed diet that included meat, fish, eggs and cheese for a period of 25 years, then were captured after a fight and fed a vegan diet for the next 18 months as a gladiator before dying in the arena, what would have the most significant impact on your bone density and muscle mass? Of course, the diet you followed for 25 years and not the 18 months at the end of your life.

How to correct the appearance of a suboptimal diet

Meat consumption is often subconsciously associated with strength. Conversely, vegans are often seen as weaker. This is why so much emphasis is placed on trying to show how effective a vegan diet is for building strength.

This is why they mention Patrick Baboumian and go into the impact of beet juice on bench press performance. The movie claims that a single dose of beet juice can increase bench press performance by 19%. Anyone who has experience with serious training knows how silly such a claim is.

Heck, you can use steroids for three weeks and it's still unlikely that you'll increase your bench press performance by 19%. But a single serving of beet juice is supposed to do that? Wow, amazing. We know this is a misinterpretation of the science, but to the average, non-exercising person, it sounds very appealing.

And even if the whole thing were true, beet and its juice are not limited to vegans. I know it sounds unimaginable, but you can eat beet AND still be a person who eats beef or chicken. Shocking, isn't it?

That's a consistent theme throughout the movie - they pit plants against meat. But aside from a small minority of people, most of us meat eaters also eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes and other plant products. You don't have to exclude plants from your diet if you eat meat.

All of the benefits of plants mentioned in the movie can also come into play in a meat-eater's diet.

The tooth argument

This point has nothing to do with muscles, strength or athleticism, but in The Game Changers it is claimed that our ancestors were vegan. This is simply wrong. All you have to do is look at our teeth.

We have 20 flat molars and premolars to crush food. We have 4 canines that are there to tear food apart and 8 incisors to cut food. This is the dentition of an omnivore - even if we don't have vampire-like fangs.

It is well documented that we evolved as omnivores. We were hunter-gatherers and we have been for at least 150,000 years. Although it is true that some humans lived without much meat, the opposite (humans living without vegetables) can also be found (e.g. Eskimos).

One of the reasons that we humans have survived all these years and have become the dominant species in the world is our ability to adapt. And that includes the ability to adapt to different food sources, including meat.

Nutrition and hormones

You are passionate about training and changing your body. You read up on the internet to be smarter than the average exerciser and you're probably aware of the importance of multiple hormones when it comes to building muscle and losing fat. Likewise, you'll probably be aware of the importance of controlling the stress hormone cortisol if you want to maximize your gains - especially if you're not using steroids.

The movie The Game Changers hasn't forgotten you, they mention that plants reduce cortisol levels, but even that is a distortion of the facts. The more appropriate sentence would be "Carbohydrates lower cortisol levels."

And that is correct. One of the main functions of cortisol is to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. If blood sugar levels drop too low, cortisol will raise blood sugar levels by mobilizing stored glycogen.

If you eat any form of carbohydrate, you will raise your blood sugar levels. If blood sugar levels are normal or high, then your body needs to release less cortisol.

The problem is not to say that carbs lower cortisol levels - the problem is to imply that only vegans eat carbs. Pretty much all the valid science in the movie applies to anyone who eats plants - not just vegans.

And when the documentary says that a plant-based diet will lower cortisol levels and raise testosterone levels, this is a misinterpretation of the science.

If someone eats very low amounts of carbohydrates, their cortisol levels will turn out higher (to maintain blood sugar levels). And over time, excessive cortisol production can lower testosterone levels. Why? Because both are produced from the same hormone of origin: Pregnenolone. The more cortisol is produced, the more pregnenolone is used and the less is available to make testosterone.

I agree that low carbohydrate diets can increase cortisol levels. For this reason, I would not recommend a very low carbohydrate diet for people who lead stressful lives and already have high cortisol levels.

The study they use has shown that increased carbohydrate intake will lower cortisol levels and increase testosterone levels. This is true. Since more carbohydrates lead to higher blood sugar levels and more immediately available energy, there is less need to release cortisol to mobilize stored glycogen. However, the study did not use a vegan diet. It only looked at the effects of increased carbohydrate intake on hormone levels.

It was not shown that a plant-based diet per se will increase testosterone levels and decrease cortisol levels.
It has been shown that adding carbohydrates to a low carbohydrate diet will increase testosterone levels and decrease cortisol levels.

Say I follow an "omnivorous" diet. If I increase my carbohydrate intake from 50 grams per day to 250 grams per day, while continuing to eat animal foods, then I will also experience positive hormonal effects.

You probably recognize a pattern here. The movie uses either emotion, powerful imagery or intellectual shortcuts to prove its point. And when they mention solid science, it's not directly related to a vegan diet, just to eating carbohydrates or plants in general. The benefits will be the same if you add these plant-based foods to a diet that includes animal products.

What the movie doesn't tell you ... conveniently

When presenting your opinion, it's always more important to talk about potential shortcomings of your point of view than to make people believe that your approach is perfect. Recognize the shortcomings of your position, but also alleviate the fear of those you are trying to convince. That is true greatness.

But The Game Changers movie doesn't do this. It doesn't fit the business, I guess.

The truth is that a vegan diet can also have significant drawbacks. The most obvious and well-documented is a vitamin B12 deficiency. This deficiency can lead to problems such as fatigue, weakness, dizziness, lack of energy and vision problems.

It can also negatively affect the methylation cycle, which uses B vitamins to produce methyl donors. If your methylation cycle is ineffective, this can lead to serious problems such as depression, anxiety and fatigue.

Not surprisingly, more and more studies show that vegans are at higher risk of depression and anxiety disorders (e.g. Matta, J.; Czernichow, S.; Kesse-Guyot, E.; Hoertel, N.; Limosin, F.; Goldberg, M.; Zins, M.; Lemogne, C. Depressive Symptoms and Vegetarian Diets: Results from the Constances Cohort. Nutrients 2018, 10, 1695.). Vitamin B12 and in particular its influence on the methylation cycle are the main reason for this.

Another major problem of a vegan diet is a lack of choline in the diet. Choline is essential for the production of acetylcholine - a key neurotransmitter involved in creativity, memory, coordination and learning. A lack of choline in the diet will lead to lower acetylcholine levels.

The main sources of acetylcholine are animal by-products. Here are some choline-rich foods and their choline content per 100 grams:

Liver: 431 milligrams
Eggs: 226 milligrams
Steak: 104 milligrams
Salmon: 90.4 milligrams

Of the non-animal foods, only almonds contain a moderate amount of choline, but at 52.5 milligrams per 100 grams, they also contain just over a tenth of the amount of choline found in liver. Most plant foods do not provide significant amounts of choline. Broccoli is one of the few plants with some choline (40 mg per 100 grams).

There is also a real risk of EPA and DHA deficiency as plant sources of omega-3 need to be converted to EPA and DHA and the body does not have large amounts of the enzymes responsible for this conversion.

The argument against these 3 possible deficiencies is that you can always supplement vitamin B12, choline or EPA and DHA. However, the latter is problematic for vegans as they are often against fish oil as it is an animal source.

But can a diet where supplementation is necessary to avoid deficiencies be optimal at all?

Strangely, the movie doesn't mention any of the vegan influencers who had to give up their vegan diet because they started to develop serious health problems. Yovana Mendoza, a YouTube and Instagram star with over a million followers, is a famous example.

She had to start including animal foods in her diet to save her health. The same happened to other famous vegan influencers like Alyse Parker, Bonnie Rebecca and many others. It's not all sunshine and rainbows.

But it's not all bad either

The movie is to nutrition what CrossFit is to training with weights. Even though CrossFit is taken to an extreme that can lead to problems, its popularity has led to many good things. It has made squats, deadlifts and the Olympic weightlifting exercises more popular than ever before. It has also made being in shape a trend.

Perhaps The Game Changers could have a similar positive effect. The movie could lead to people eating more vegetables and plant-based foods. Even though I believe that not eating meat at all is a mistake, eating more plants is certainly a good idea.

The movie could also make people more interested in learning about nutrition. A lot of people start with CrossFit and then move on to powerlifting, Olympic weightlifting or even bodybuilding. Something similar could happen with food.

However, despite these positive influences, the overall message and strategy of The Game Changers make the movie little more than a propaganda tool.

If you are vegan for ethical reasons (such as animal welfare), then I respect your choice. However, if you are doing it to optimize your health, then you should think twice about this. Eating "real food", which means more plants but still some animal foods, is still the healthier option.

"The best dietary strategy is to eat like a vegan, but with some meat."

From: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/the-game-changers-exposed

By Christian Thibaudeau

Jan 27, 2021

17 science-based benefits of omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are amazingly important. They have many health benefits for the body and brain. In fact, few nutrients have been scientifically studied as well as omega-3 fatty acids.

Here are 17 health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids that are scientifically supported.

1. omega-3 fatty acids can fight depression and anxiety

Depression is the most common mental disorder worldwide. Symptoms include sadness, lethargy and a general loss of interest in life.

Anxiety and anxiety disorders are also common disorders characterized by constant worry and nervousness.

Interestingly, studies suggest that people who regularly consume omega-3 fatty acids are less likely to experience depression (1, 2).

Furthermore, it has been observed that when people suffering from depression or anxiety disorders start taking omega-3 fatty acids, there is a reduction in their symptoms (3, 4).

There are three types of omega-3 fatty acids: ALA, EPA and DHA. Of these three, EPA appears to be the most effective when it comes to fighting depression (5). One study even concluded that EPA is as effective as a widely used antidepressant in treating depression (6).

2 Omega-3 fatty acids can improve eye health

DHA, an omega-3 fatty acid, is a structural component of the retina of the eye. If you don't consume enough DHA, you may experience vision problems (7, 8).

Interestingly, an adequate intake of omega-3 fatty acids has been associated with a reduced risk of macular degeneration - one of the leading causes of eye damage and blindness worldwide (9, 10).

3 Omega-3 fatty acids can improve brain health during pregnancy and infancy

Omega-3 fatty acids are very important for brain growth and development in infants. DHA makes up 40% of the polyunsaturated fatty acids in the brain and 60% of the polyunsaturated fatty acids in the retina. Thus, it is no surprise that infants who receive DHA formula have better vision than infants who do not receive such formula (11).

Adequate intake of omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy is associated with numerous benefits for the child, including the following (12, 13, 14):

Higher intelligence
Better communication and social skills
Fewer behavioral problems
A reduced risk of delayed development
A reduced risk of ADHD, autism and related disorders

4. omega-3 fatty acids can reduce risk factors for heart disease

Heart attacks and strokes are the leading cause of death worldwide. Decades ago, scientists observed that fish-eating populations had very low rates of these diseases. This was linked to their omega-3 consumption (15, 16).

Since then, omega-3 fatty acids have been associated with numerous heart health benefits (17). These benefits include, but are not limited to:

Triglycerides: omega-3 fatty acids can cause a massive reduction in triglyceride levels in the range of 15 to 30% (18, 19).
Blood pressure: Omega-3 fatty acids can lower blood pressure in people with high blood pressure (20)
"Good" HDL cholesterol levels: Omega-3 fatty acids can increase levels of "good" HDL cholesterol (21).
Blood clots: Omega-3 fatty acids can prevent blood platelets from clumping together. This can help prevent dangerous blood clots (22).
Plaques: By keeping arteries smooth and free of damage, omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the formation of plaques, which can constrict and harden blood vessels (23).
Inflammation: Omega-3 fatty acids reduce the production of substances released by your body during inflammatory responses (24).

In some people, omega-3 fatty acids can also lower bad LDL cholesterol levels. However, the research results are mixed. Some studies have also observed increases in LDL levels (25, 26).

Despite these positive effects on risk factors for heart disease, there is still no scientific evidence that omega-3 supplements can prevent heart attacks or strokes. Many studies have failed to find any benefits in this regard (27).

5 Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce ADHD symptoms in children

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a behavioral disorder characterized by lack of attention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.

Several studies show that children with ADHD have lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids than healthy children. In addition, numerous studies have observed that omega-3 supplements can reduce ADHD symptoms.

Omega-3 fatty acids help to improve attention and task performance. They also reduce hyperactivity, impulsivity, restlessness and aggression (28, 29, 30).

Recent studies have also observed that fish oil supplements are one of the most promising treatments for ADHD (31).

6 Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce symptoms of metabolic syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a collection of conditions. These include obesity around the midsection, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, high triglyceride levels, and low levels of good HDL cholesterol.

Metabolic syndrome is a major public health problem as it increases the risk of other diseases including heart disease and diabetes.

Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce insulin resistance, inflammation and risk factors for heart disease in people with metabolic syndrome (32).

7 Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce inflammation

Inflammation is a normal response to infection and damage in the body. For this reason, it is crucial for health.

However, sometimes inflammation persists over a long period of time without infection or injury. This is also known as chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation can contribute to almost every chronic disease in the Western world, including heart disease and cancer.

Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the production of molecules and substances such as eicosanoids and cytokines that are associated with inflammation (34).

Studies have also consistently observed a link between higher omega-3 intake and reduced inflammation (35).

8 Omega-3 fatty acids can fight autoimmune diseases

In autoimmune diseases, the immune system mistakes the body's own cells for foreign cells and begins to attack them. Type 1 diabetes is a good example of this, where the immune system attacks insulin-producing cells in the pancreas.

Omega-3 fatty acids can combat some of these autoimmune diseases and may be particularly important early in life.

Studies show that an adequate intake of omega-3 fatty acids during the first year of life may be associated with a reduced risk of developing autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis (36, 37).

Omega-3 fatty acids may also help treat lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and psoriasis (38, 39).

9 Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce mental disorders

Low levels of omega-3 fatty acids have been observed in people with mental disorders.

Studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the frequency of mood swings and relapses in people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia (40, 41).

Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids can also reduce aggressive behavior (42).

10 Omega-3 fatty acids can combat age-related decline in mental abilities and Alzheimer's disease.

A decline in brain function is one of the inevitable consequences of aging.

Several studies link higher omega-3 intake to a reduced age-related decline in mental function and a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease (43).

A review of controlled studies suggests that omega-3 fatty acids may be helpful in the onset of Alzheimer's disease when symptoms are still very mild (44).

However, it should be kept in mind that further research is needed on the influence of omega-3 fatty acids on brain health.

11 Omega-3 fatty acids could help fight cancer

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the Western world and it has long been claimed that omega-3 fatty acids can reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.

Interestingly, studies show that people who consume the most omega-3 fatty acids have a 55% lower risk of colorectal cancer (45).

In addition, consumption of omega-3 fatty acids is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer in men and a lower risk of breast cancer in women, although not all studies provide the same results (46, 47).

12 Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce asthma in children

Asthma is a chronic lung disease with symptoms such as coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing. Severe asthma attacks can be very dangerous as they are the cause of inflammation and swelling of the airways. Over the last few decades, asthma rates have risen in the western world.

Several studies have linked the consumption of omega-3 fatty acids to a lower risk of asthma in children and young adults (48).

13 Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce fat in the liver

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is more common than many people would believe. The number of cases has increased with the epidemic spread of obesity, and obesity has become the leading cause of chronic liver disease in the Western world.

Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids can effectively reduce liver fat and inflammation in people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (49).

14 Omega-3 fatty acids may improve bone and joint health

Osteoporosis and arthritis are two of the most common diseases affecting the skeletal system.

Studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids may improve bone strength by increasing the amount of calcium in the bones, which should lead to a reduced risk of osteoporosis (50).

Omega-3 fatty acids may also help in the treatment of arthritis. Patients taking omega-3 fatty acids reported reduced joint pain and increased grip strength (51).

15 Omega-3 fatty acids can relieve menstrual pain

Menstrual pain occurs in the lower abdomen and pelvis and often radiates to the lower back and thighs. It can have a significant impact on quality of life.

Studies have repeatedly shown that women who consume the highest amounts of omega-3 fatty acids suffer less menstrual pain (52).

One study even concluded that an omega-3 supplement was more effective than ibuprofen in treating severe menstrual pain (53).

16 Omega-3 fatty acids can improve sleep

Good sleep is the foundation of good health, with studies linking sleep problems to many conditions including obesity, diabetes and depression.

Low levels of omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to sleep disorders in children and obstructive sleep apnea in adults. Low DHA levels are also associated with lower levels of the hormone melatonin, which helps you fall asleep.

Studies in children and adults have shown that supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids can increase the duration and quality of sleep (54, 55).

17 Omega-3 fatty acids are good for the skin

DHA is a structural component of the skin. It is responsible for the health of the cell membranes that make up much of the skin. A healthy cell membrane results in soft, supple and wrinkle-free skin, as well as good skin hydration.

EPA is also good for the skin in several ways (56, 57):

EPA controls oil production and hydration of the skin
EPA prevents hyperkeratinization of the hair follicles, which manifests itself in small red swellings often seen on the upper arms.
EPA can reduce premature skin ageing
EPA can reduce the risk of acne

Omega-3 fatty acids can also protect the skin from sun damage. EPA helps to prevent the release of substances that break down the skin's collagen after sun exposure (57).

Conclusion

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for optimal health.

Consuming omega-3 fatty acids through whole foods such as oily fish twice a week is the best way to ensure a solid omega-3 intake.

If you don't like eating fish, you can consider taking an omega-3 supplement. For people who suffer from a deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids, this can be an inexpensive and effective way to improve health.

References:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/17-health-benefits-of-omega-3

Jan 06, 2021

Slow mass gain: How you can prevent fat gain during the mass phase

You will find widespread advice all over the internet:

If you want to bulk up, you need to bulk up.

However, there are a number of problems with this advice:

What does "bulk up" even mean?
What the hell does bulking mean?

In other words, this advice is so vague that most people not only eat way too much, but they also eat too much junk and too little protein.

"Well, the guy told me to bulk up and that's exactly what I did."

And so many exercisers (mainly beginners) end up getting too fat very quickly and are then forced to slow down and diet for a few months before they can start building muscle again.

Far too many people use a flawed approach to building muscle. This article will show you everything you need to effectively build muscle and gain minimal amounts of fat.

What is a mass building phase?

If you're trying to build maximum amounts of muscle and strength, then there's one process you can't skip - mass building.

In the traditional sense (the way we've outlined above), this means stuffing yourself for a few months, getting excessively fat, building up body image issues and then having to diet for a few months. And afterwards you'll realize that you don't look much better than you did before the bulking phase.

Not the best way to go about things. But is there a better way?

Yes, there is, and it's called slow mass gain.

A slow bulking phase is a phase during which calories are increased beyond maintenance calories and during which you consume enough protein to support optimal muscle growth while keeping your fat gain to a minimum

With this approach, you will build more slowly and the changes in your appearance will not always be as obvious.

Why would you want to build mass slowly?

I like the following analogy when explaining muscle growth and everyone seems to understand it immediately.

Think of your body during the bulking phase as a house being built. The protein and calories you consume are the building blocks needed for development.

If just enough calories and adequate amounts of protein (building blocks) are available, then the building process will proceed smoothly and according to plan. Progress is not sabotaged in any way.

But imagine that you suddenly start consuming more calories and more protein (which corresponds to the scenario of giving the construction workers more building materials.

At first glance, it may look as if building (up) can now be done faster. Well, the house's builders, just like your body, can only do a certain amount of work in a given amount of time, and providing them with additional building materials will not speed up the process.

With the house, these materials would be stockpiled, not used and would not speed up the building process. For your body, this would mean that the extra materials would be stored in the form of fat.

Your body can only build a certain amount of muscle in a given amount of time. At a certain point, further increasing your food intake will not help you build more muscle. You will simply get fat. And this is the economic law of diminishing returns applied to fitness.

Lyle McDonald has developed a model for how quickly you can naturally build muscle mass based on previous training experience.

According to this model, a beginner can build 10 to 12 pounds of muscle during their first year of training, while an exerciser who has been training seriously for 3 years can only build 5 to 6 pounds per year.

I must emphasize the importance of "serious training" at this point. If you've spent 5 or more years in the gym but have only been working out casually and not eating right, then you can probably expect to see some solid beginner gains if you start following a good plan.

Spending time in the gym doesn't always equate to productive workouts

In theory, Lyle's model is fairly accurate for most exercisers with average genetic predispositions and can be useful when it comes to setting goals for your bulking phases.

Now that you know these numbers, you can ask yourself how wise it is to gain 20 to 25 kilos in a year. Not very, I would say.

Apart from this, there are other advantages to building up mass slowly:

1. you can build muscle over a longer period of time and look good, or at least serviceable, all year round

I'm sure your hedonistic side will tell you "screw looking good, let's eat", but at the end of the day, whether we admit it or not, we all want to look good and attractive. Most guys I know started working out to impress girls.

However, if we don't have our bulking phase under control, we'll spend a few months of the year looking good and the rest of the year not liking what we see in the mirror.

With slow mass gain, you will still make progress in the gym and build muscle, but you will also look good all year round because you will never be more than 5 to 7 kilos of fat away from your best shape.

2. the diet phase doesn't have to be so long

I hate diet phases with all my heart and anything that can help me reduce the time in a calorie deficit is a worthwhile investment for me.

I'd rather do a slow bulking phase for a year and then diet for 4 to 8 weeks than do a classic bulking phase for 6 months, after which I have to define for 4 to 5 months to achieve the same results.

3. calorie partitioning is optimized

The term calorie partitioning refers to how your body uses the energy you provide it with and where it draws its energy from during a calorie restriction phase.

In other words, it means that your body uses more of the calories you consume for muscle recovery and growth and stores less of it as fat.

During periods of fat loss, this means that you lose more fat and less muscle.

Your body fat percentage has a direct influence on calorie partitioning. A high body fat percentage is associated with higher estrogen levels and lower testosterone levels (1). This is related to the aromatase enzyme, which is present in adipose tissue and converts testosterone to estrogen.

The more fat you have, the higher the levels of the aromatase enzyme and the lower your testosterone levels and the more you compromise your muscle building potential.

A higher body fat percentage is also associated with poor insulin sensitivity, which negatively impacts your calorie partitioning (2). For the average exerciser, this means that less muscle is built during a given period of time. For people with a body fat percentage above 22%, this also increases the risk of developing metabolic syndrome and diabetes (3, 4).

It is therefore important for your muscle building potential to keep your body fat percentage under control (no more than 15 to 17%, especially if you find dieting difficult).

4. it is much easier to judge the process visually

You can't see a muscle if it's covered in a thick layer of fat, can you?

How to build muscle without building fat

The process of slowly building mass can be summarized with three basic steps:

Provide your body with adequate stimulus by training volume with sufficient intensity in the gym. Avoid overtraining (7).
Provide your body with just enough calories to create an anabolic environment and support muscle growth.
Consume enough protein to provide your body with the building blocks it needs to repair and build muscle tissue.

Step 1: The training

Whole books can be written about proper training and the subject deserves its own guide, but general guidelines include the following:

You should perform at least 10 sets per muscle group per week to stimulate muscle growth. Up to a certain point, more is better. Once past that point, more load can have the opposite effect - muscle breakdown and lack of progress (6).
Splitting the total volume for a given muscle into 2 or 3 workouts can lead to better results as you perform all sets for the given muscle in a more recovered state. Instead of performing 16 sets for the back muscles in one day, you can perform 8 sets on Mondays and 8 sets on Thursdays, which will allow you to complete more repetitions with more weight.
Your sets should cover a lower repetition range of 3 to 6 repetitions as well as higher repetition ranges up to 15 to 20 repetitions to optimize hypertrophy and build strength (7).
Training to muscle failure should be avoided for most sets as it will not provide superior results, but may interfere with your recovery and subsequent training sessions (8).
Your program should include a combination of multi-joint exercises and isolation exercises to allow for strength development and a specific focus on the different muscle groups of the body.
The principle of progressive overload is crucial. Over time, you will need to do more work in the gym if you want more results. Ways to do this include more weight on the bar, more repetitions, shorter rests between sets, more sets, etc.

Step 2: The calorie intake

There are many methods for calculating your calorie intake, but I find the Harris-Benedict formula to be one of the most accurate formulas for the average exerciser with a reasonable body composition and an active lifestyle.

First, calculate your calorie burn at rest (BMR):

For men:

66 + (13.7 * weight in kilos) + (5 * height in centimeters) - (68 * age) = BMR

For women:

655 + (9.6 * weight in kilos) + (1.8 * height in centimeters) - (4.7 * age) = BMR

Once you have calculated your calorie expenditure at rest, depending on your lifestyle, use the multiplier below to calculate the amount of calories you need to maintain your current body weight:

Sedentary - BMR * 1.2
Lightly active - BMR * 1.375
Moderately active - BMR * 1.55
Very active - BMR * 1.725
Extremely active - BMR * 1.9

Before you use the factor 1.9, you should be aware that most people with an office job who are otherwise active fall into the second or third category. If you have a very physically demanding job, then you can use the fourth multiplier and monitor your body weight for a while.

The fifth multiplier is reserved for people with a ton of lean body mass who are extremely active (e.g. competitive athletes).

Once you've calculated your maintenance calorie amount, a good rule of thumb is to add 200 to 250 kcal to this value to ensure you're building muscle.

However, even though this is one of the most accurate methods, it only gives you a starting point, which means you will need to eat accordingly for a few weeks and adjust your calorie intake based on your progress.

If you are gaining weight too quickly, then reduce your calorie intake by 100 to 200 kcal. If you are not gaining weight, then increase your calorie intake by 100 to 200 kcal.

Step 3: Protein intake

There are many recommendations for protein intake, ranging from 1 to 6 to 8 grams per kilogram of body weight.

The vast majority of scientific studies agree that exercisers should consume 2 to 2.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight to optimize their training adaptations (9, 10, 11).

So if you weigh 85 kilos and are slowly building mass, you should aim for 170 to 210 grams of protein per day and not overthink it.

A lot of fitness experts also recommend controlling your carbohydrate intake. For the average exerciser, this is a bad idea. It just adds extra complexity to the whole fitness thing and can make some people neurotic.

As long as you're eating enough calories and protein, you shouldn't worry too much about the ratio of carbs to fat. Eat according to your calorie and protein needs, make sure you eat plenty of nutritious foods and you will consume enough carbohydrates and fat.

Consistency and adherence to your diet and training plan is what matters most - not whether you manage to eat exactly 315 grams on a given day.

It's also worth noting that you should enjoy the process and have the flexibility to eat out and have a social life. The period of mass gain is a great time to do this as you have more calories to work with.

On the other hand, if you are consistently trying to reach some arbitrary macronutrient levels, then you will be unhappy and unable to enjoy a meal out.

How to monitor your progress while building mass

So you've done your calculations and you're ready to start slowly building mass or you've been in a bulking phase for some time. In either case, you're probably wondering how you can monitor your progress.

1. track your training

The best indicator of muscle growth is the increase in your performance in the gym. Simply put, if you're getting progressively stronger in the gym and doing more work, you're probably building muscle mass.

If you did 6 reps with 95 kilos on the bench press last month and you do the same number of reps with 100 kilos this month, then your chest, triceps and shoulder muscles will have gotten a little bigger.

If, on the other hand, you have gained 5 kilos over the last 4 months, but you haven't really increased your training performance, then there is a good chance that you have mainly gained fat and have been too lax in your training.

To track your training sessions, you can use an app for your smartphone or a notebook. Write down your exercises, your training weights and your repetition numbers for each training session.

Also keep a record of other information you consider important - mixed grip on deadlifts, use of weightlifting belts and knee wraps on squats, not getting enough sleep the night before, etc.

Keep a record of your training sessions and compare them over time.

2. track your body weight

To monitor your weight, I recommend that you weigh yourself several times a week and write down your average weight. Weigh yourself in the morning on an empty stomach after you have been to the toilet and write down your weight.

At the end of the week, calculate your average weight (and make sure you weigh yourself at least three to four times a week) and compare it with the previous week.

As a more advanced exerciser, you should not gain more than 1 kilo per month.

3. track your visual appearance

Keep a record of how well your clothes fit and how you look. In addition, you should take pictures of yourself at least once a month and compare them.

Take these pictures under the same circumstances and in the same body positions and observe how your body changes over time (e.g. in the same room, in the same lighting conditions at the same time of day with the same body poses).

We see ourselves in the mirror every day, which can make it difficult to judge our progress. However, if you look at your body on a month to month basis, you will see changes in your muscle development and an increase in body fat.

4. track your body measurements

Similar to progress photos, you should measure and compare the circumferences of your key muscles once a month.

Using a tape measure, measure the circumference of your neck, shoulders, chest, arms, forearms, waist, thighs and calves and observe how these values change from month to month. Also observe how the values change in relation to each other.

If your arms, chest and legs are not growing much, but your waist circumference is increasing, there is a good chance that you need to eat less junk food and get your diet under control.

Are you building up too much fat during the bulking phase?

So you've been in a bulking phase for a few months and everything is going well. You're stronger, bulkier and happier. But you've also built up some fat around your midsection and you're wondering what you should do.

Using the four tracking methods described above, you should have a pretty good idea of roughly how much fat you've built up. You should be honest with yourself:

Have you really built up that much fat, or is the reason you miss your prized abs because you can only see rough outlines of them?

There is a big difference between these scenarios and too many exercisers turn back too quickly and sacrifice their growth phase because their biceps veins are a little less pronounced or their abs are no longer visible.

If you think you've built up a little too much fat, then do a mini definition phase:

Reduce your calorie intake by 1000 kcal for four weeks and continue training as before. As soon as you have reached a usable body fat percentage, gradually increase your calorie intake and start slowly building up mass again.

The bottom line on minimizing fat gain during the mass phase

Get rid of this "either look good or gain mass" mentality. You can (and should) build a lot of muscle while staying relatively lean and not having to sacrifice your appearance at any point in your quest for maximum muscle gain.

The old idea of a mass-building phase is slowly fading away, but there is still a lot of misleading advice out there.

I hope you now understand that mass building doesn't mean you have to look modest for 8 months of the year and that mass building isn't an excuse to let yourself go and build a ton of fat.

Not only will you have to diet longer after such a bulking phase, but you will also sacrifice your muscle building potential due to the negative effects on your calorie partitioning.

References:

Source: https://pumpsomeiron.com/slow-bulk-how-to-minimize-fat-gain-while-bulking/

Previous 1 … 13 14 15 16 17 … 74 Next

Das könnte dir ebenfalls gefallen View all

Jul 23, 2026

Sind Blackrolls überhaupt noch sinnvoll?

Jul 19, 2026

Warum kleine aktive Pausen im Bürojob sinnvoll sind

Jul 16, 2026

Wofür benötigt der Körper gesättigte Fettsäuren?