Nutrition

6 strategies for improving insulin sensitivity

In this article, I will describe six strategies - five nutrients and one elegantly simple dietary strategy - that will help you improve your insulin sensitivity.

I believe in explaining to people why it makes sense to do something, rather than just telling them to do something. That's why I want to talk briefly about what it means to have good insulin sensitivity. This will "arm" you with the knowledge to help you make sensible nutritional decisions.

What exactly is insulin sensitivity?

What do bouncers and insulin have in common?

Bouncers and insulin do pretty much the same thing. Allow me to explain this in more detail.

The cells that make up your body are a lot like nightclubs - some welcome everyone with open arms, while others are quite exclusive and you have to know someone to get in.

When I was working as a bouncer in my college days, I quickly realized that one of the perks was the attention I got from some girls who knew I could get them and their friends into the club for free and without a long wait in line.

Since I obviously couldn't let everyone in without them having to pay, I had to make the tough decision of who to grant this VIP status to and who to tell that unfortunately I couldn't help them.

Our muscle cells are quite picky when it comes to who they let in. Nutrients circulating in the bloodstream can't just say "Hey, I'm going to swim into that muscle cell and see what's going on." No, that's not how muscles work.

To get into a muscle cell, it can really help if you can pull insulin to your side. If you can do this, then you can be pretty sure of gaining entry, as insulin is like the top bouncer in a club. If you're on a first-name basis with Insulin, then you're practically already inside.

Even though bouncers are notoriously callous, they have human feelings too. If you bump into a bouncer after his stripper girlfriend has just cheated on him, he's more likely to be less receptive to your desire to get in, making it harder to get into the club.

On the other hand, if you bump into him after his favorite team has just won the Super Bowl, he'll probably be friendlier and more likely to let you and your friends into the club without admission.

If you understand this bouncer analogy, then you will also understand the issue of insulin sensitivity. Sensitive bouncers let more people into the club. Sensitive insulin receptors let more nutrients (e.g. glucose, amino acids, creatine) into your muscle cells to keep the anabolic party going.

With this fundamental understanding, let's take a look at five ways to maximize your insulin sensitivity.

1 - Chromium

If you've been weight training for a few years and know your way around this area, chromium may seem a little old school at first, but just because something isn't new doesn't mean it isn't effective.

Chromium supplementation has been repeatedly shown to improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. This effect goes so far that in many people even type 2 diabetes can be cured (1). This is due to the fact that a chromium deficiency can lead to the development of type 2 diabetes.

Chromium is so linked to insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance that some nutritionists refer to chromium as the Glucose Tolerance Factor (GTF).

Doses between 200 and 600 mcg per day appear to be both safe and effective.

As with any mineral or trace element, taking too much can lead to problems. For this reason, you should never fall into the "more is better" mentality when it comes to supplementing with chromium or other minerals.

I tend to use a common sense approach when supplementing with chromium (and any other mineral or trace element) - if you haven't used it for a while, then you're more likely to be deficient. It then makes sense to fill this nutritional gap by taking it as a supplement - temporarily perhaps even at a dosage that is at the higher end of the scale.

After a few weeks of supplementation, you should then reduce the dosage so that it is at the lower end of the scale, as you are now only concerned with maintaining healthy levels.

You should also consider taking a break from supplementing chromium from time to time. I find that it works well to take such a break while on vacation. This also makes traveling a little easier and you can give your body a supplement break.

As far as the different forms of chromium are concerned, experts agree that although the widely used chromium picolinate is a viable form, the amino acid chelates of chromium, where chromium is bound to an amino acid, are the best form, as this amino acid binding promotes the absorption of chromium in the body.

2 - Vanadium

Vanadium is another old school mineral that plays an important role in optimizing glucose tolerance (2).

I remember when I first started taking vanadium in the nineties. Back then, there was a lot of hype about vanadium and its ability to create a massive, skin-bursting pump. I was extremely skeptical at first, but I have to admit that I was impressed by the effects.

Without having changed anything else, after a few days of supplementing with vanadyl sulphate in the gym I noticed a much better pump and my training partner, who was also playing guinea pig, was no different. It was as if my muscles were storing more glycogen.

When I later learned more about the underlying science, I realized that I was probably storing more muscle glycogen due to an improvement in my insulin sensitivity as a result of taking vanadium.

However, I have to say that I never felt that almost immediate increase in my training pump again when I went back to supplementing with vanadium afterwards. Looking back, this makes sense and also explains why some people swore by vanadium while others didn't really feel anything.

If you have a vanadium deficiency - especially a severe deficiency - then you will most likely feel the positive effects of supplementation. If, on the other hand, you are not vanadium deficient - or at least not severely deficient - then you probably won't feel much - or anything at all.

I can say with a fair amount of certainty that when I first started taking vanadium, I suffered from a significant deficiency. When I compensated for this deficiency, I could literally feel the results of this.

Given the fact that I never took vanadium again for an extended period of time, it was unlikely that I would feel a significant effect - which is actually a good thing.

With many supplements, such as vitamin C or vitamin D, we know that they have benefits even if we can't formally feel them working. I believe this is also the case with vanadium.

Personally, I generally take 60 to 100 mcg of vanadium per day in the form of chelated vanadium. This dosage, combined with regular supplement breaks, seems to be conservative enough to prevent potential toxicity while still maintaining good insulin sensitivity.

3 - Cinnamon

If you're anything like me, the news that cinnamon has a fairly potent glucose-controlling effect (3) won't be particularly impressive. "Hmmm...that's quite nice" will be the kind of reaction to this that I'm talking about.

But imagine for a moment that you had just heard about a brand new supplement called CGM1029 that helps move nutrients preferentially into skeletal muscle and away from fat tissue.

That sounds more interesting!

Just because something is new and rare and sold by a pharmaceutical company doesn't mean we shouldn't find it exciting. But we also shouldn't let the "boring" nature of cinnamon prevent us from realizing its tremendous benefits.

While I wouldn't disagree with your logic if you decide to take cinnamon capsules, while I use good old cinnamon, I prefer the old-fashioned way - in my oatmeal and with other foods.

(Surprisingly, cinnamon tastes really good on a meatloaf. I know that sounds really weird, but don't dismiss this idea until you've tried it).

Since cinnamon is not a mineral, I don't think it's that important to cycle cinnamon. But I always lean towards moderation when in doubt.

4 - Alpha lipoic acid

Alpha lipoic acid, or ALA for short - not to be confused with the omega 3 fatty acid alpha linolenic acid - is a truly great nutrient.

ALA not only helps maintain (or improve) insulin sensitivity, but also acts as a potent antioxidant. It's no exaggeration to say that ALA is close to being a true supplement superhero.

However, if you look at studies on ALA (aka thioctic acid), you'll find that some of these studies point to a more neutral effect, while others seem to show amazing benefits. Well, as it turns out, there are two naturally occurring isomers (R-ALA and L-ALA), with the R isoimer appearing to be the more potent (4).

For this reason, if you want to supplement with ALA, make sure you use R-ALA

Note: As my scientific understanding of nutrition evolves, I am increasingly trying to harness nutrient synergies and use fewer single, isolated ingredients.

As with cinnamon, I don't worry too much about taking too much R-ALA or using it too frequently, but I still take breaks from it for caution's sake.

5 - Cyanidin 3-glucoside

If ALA is almost a supplement superhero, then cyanidin 3-glucoside is the real superstar.

And Cyanidin 3-glucoside (aka C3G) is as groundbreaking and innovative as a supplement ingredient can be - there's nothing old school about this ingredient!

Cyanidin 3-glucoside (cyanidin bound to glucose) is a specific anthocyanin that has powerful physiological effects. Anthocyanins give fruit and berries their strong dark color. Even if this property is anything but exciting for us, its physiological effects are all the more so.

First of all, C3G appears to have anti-carcinogenic properties (6). While avoiding cancer may not be one of your New Year's resolutions, I think you'll agree that anything that could help us stay healthy is a bonus.

And this is where things start to get really interesting - C3G has quite potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.

That alone would be a great health benefit, but C3G has anti-inflammatory effects on fat cells. This is great because inflamed fat cells tend to send the wrong signals, which unfortunately is terrible for your body composition.

By reducing inflammation and repairing the faulty signals, overall glucose tolerance (and insulin sensitivity) is dramatically improved.

I've been aware of the increasing amount of research supporting the positive effects of C3G for some time, but it's the feedback from users that really impresses me.

One guy I know who took C3G had his blood tested and his fasting blood sugar had dropped from 117 - which is considered pre-diabetic - to a normal and healthy fasting blood sugar of 77 after 6 weeks of taking C3G. That is amazing!

Even though as strength athletes we are primarily interested in better insulin sensitivity for reasons of improving body composition, let's not forget that the same things that can help prevent or treat type II diabetes will typically help improve body composition as well. This is the reason that many of the nutritional strategies that help type 2 diabetics also work for bodybuilders and figure athletes.

6 - Carbohydrate management

An often overlooked strategy for improving insulin sensitivity is to manipulate your carbohydrate intake.

Bombarding your body with loads of carbohydrates - and especially high-glycemic carbohydrates - day in and day out can desensitize your body to carbohydrates. And this happens by reducing insulin sensitivity.

Going back to our bouncer analogy, if you want to improve your insulin sensitivity, eating large amounts of high-glycemic carbohydrates on a regular basis is about the same as sleeping with the bouncer's girlfriend and expecting him to let you into the club for free - it's not going to happen!

Therefore, even if your goal is to build muscle, you should consider incorporating phases of a low-carb diet. This is a strategy that I have used myself with great success and has proven to be so successful that it has become a regular part of my diet planning.

I am a big fan of cyclical eating strategies for many reasons - I refer to this as cyclical macronutrient intake. One of the reasons for this is that a low-carb diet can make your body more sensitive to carbohydrates again (5). If you then eat more carbohydrates again, your body is more likely to store these carbohydrates as muscle glycogen instead of putting them into your fat stores.

Even if you don't use cyclical macronutrient intake, you should at least aim to eat reasonable amounts of lower GI carbohydrates at all your meals, with the post-workout meal being a possible exception. This will reduce your average daily insulin spike and over time help to improve or at least maintain your insulin sensitivity.

Bonus training tip

The focus of this article is on dietary strategies to improve insulin sensitivity, but there is also a training tip worth sharing.

I don't know if this tip has been validated by scientific research, but I firmly believe that high-volume, glycogen depleting exercise can improve insulin sensitivity over time. Let me explain.

We know through scientific research that high volume training can increase glycogen storage capacity. So let's say you can normally store 350 grams of muscle glycogen (which is a realistic value).

After a few weeks of high volume training that depletes your glycogen reserves, your muscles will develop a better ability to store glycogen - perhaps 400 grams of glucose in the form of glycogen.

This adaptation makes sense as it better prepares your body to get through the next high-volume training stimulus. It also makes sense that our bodies will simultaneously develop a better ability to use glucose (carbohydrates) by improving insulin sensitivity.

And since scientific research has shown that resistance training improves insulin sensitivity, it's not far-fetched to think that higher-volume training might provide more of these benefits.

While I am definitely a fan of high-intensity, low-volume training programs, I doubt that they will improve your insulin sensitivity as much as they could.

For this reason, I recommend occasionally incorporating some high-volume training into your training program to a reasonable extent. For example, you can stick to sets of 10 to 20 reps and do four to five sets of four to five exercises per muscle group.

Yes, that's a lot of volume, but that's what's necessary to adequately deplete your muscle glycogen stores and prepare for the subsequent increase in glycogen storage. As long as you don't perform many of these sets to muscle failure, you should be able to avoid overtraining as long as you don't use this strategy for more than 8 weeks in a row.

I suspect that if you increase your training volume to around 20 sets per muscle group and make sure to consume adequate amounts of carbohydrates, you will find that after a few weeks your muscles will feel fuller and more pumped up without any increase in body fat.

And this effect will be even more pronounced if you have been training at a low volume.

Final words

Optimizing insulin sensitivity is definitely something worth looking into. Better insulin sensitivity will not only help you look better, but will also benefit your health.

Controlling the type and amount of carbohydrates you consume is just common sense health advice, but whether you choose to sprinkle in an insulin friendly supplement here and there is entirely up to you.

Whatever you decide to do, I hope the information in this article has helped you and you now have the knowledge you need to put some steps into action and start improving your insulin sensitivity.

References

1. Diabetes & Metabolism. 2000, 26, 22-27
2. J Clin Endo & Metabolism. 2001 Mar;86(3):1410-1717
3. Diabetes, Obesity, & Metabolism. Dec 2009; Vol11, issue 12, 1100-1113
4. AJP - Endo July 1, 1997 vol. 273 no. 1 E185-E191
5. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004 Apr;23(2):177-84
6. J Biol Chem. 2006 Jun 23;281(25):17359-68. epub 2006 Apr 17.

From Clay Hyght

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/supplements/6-strategies-for-improved-insulin-sensitivity

A brief summary:

1. those who are overweight and most inactive would benefit from a strict Paleo diet, which would help them with satiety and weight loss.
2. what is best for sedentary people is not necessarily what is best for strength athletes. Strict Paleo diets avoid foods that enable fit people to perform at their best and build muscle.
3. training nutrition supplements are not Paleo, but ignoring the modern science of supplements will limit your gains in strength and hypertrophy.

The origins of Paleo

It's not a diet - they say. It's the natural way of eating - the natural way of eating that humans have genetically adapted to. There is no end date - you never stop eating Paleo. You live this way of eating, you internalize it, and you eat bacon while watching your waistline shrink. The premise? Our genes have barely changed since the Paleolithic era. Therefore, for optimal health and body composition, we should follow a pre-agricultural diet - a diet free of grains, most dairy products, potatoes, sugar and, of course, the modern abominations that pass for food today. In short, you should eat like a caveman. There are dozens of variations of the Paleo diet today, most of which stem from the ideas of gastroenterologist Walter L. Voegtlin in the 1970s. Some variations of the Paleo diet are very strict and do not even allow nuts, quinoa, starchy foods and non-organic meat.

Other variations are less strict and allow sweet potatoes and even grains like rice and quinoa, raw milk, some supplements and dark chocolate. If you consider yourself someone who eats a healthy diet, there's a good chance you're unintentionally following some variation of the Paleo diet. You avoid processed foods and fill up on meat, vegetables and the occasional fruit. Before Paleo, old school bodybuilders, wrestlers and martial artists who needed to lose weight referred to this as abstaining from starches.

Since 2009, I've done several variations of Paleo - rigid and loose versions - although I did this unofficially as a teen bodybuilder before it became a big thing. I've learned the pros and cons of a strict Paleo diet. And as a nutrition coach, I've seen the good, the bad and the ugly. Let's go into more detail here.

The good

There's no doubt about one thing - if North America followed even a loose form of Paleo, we wouldn't have an obesity problem. We would be a leaner and healthier society, less dependent on prescription drugs and Photoshop.

Paleo and its variations have taught us to challenge conventional wisdom coming from many doctors, nutritionists and official health experts. And even though conventional wisdom has told us to avoid dietary cholesterol and eat plenty of whole grain breads and heart-healthy grains, Paleo has taught overweight people that these behaviors are exactly what made them fat. From Paleo, we've learned that the best way to cure serious ailments like type 2 diabetes is to swap our pasta, bread and all our junk food for things that come straight from nature: Vegetables, meat, seeds, eggs, fruit and maybe some full-fat dairy.

The emphasis on whole foods has helped a large number of people give up the junk that has kept them trapped in the vicious cycle of self-sabotage. Paleo has raised the consciousness of the masses, given them a push towards their fitness goals and has given the government's dietary guidelines a much-needed kick in the pants. Paleo dietary protocols have also exposed a major flaw in low-fat and vegetarian diets: the need for saturated animal fats and dietary cholesterol. Paleo's emphasis on meat and animal products has taught many misinformed people that they will suffer in the absence of these foods.

Meat and animal fats help us produce the hormones that give us a robust sex drive, make us emotionally stable and happy, help us build muscle, and help fight disease and maintain an active metabolism. There are many testimonials on the internet from vegetarians who have turned to a Paleo diet. From their reports, we learn that a diet consisting of bread, fruit and soy will not only make you "skinny fat" (thin, but still flabby), but will also promote constipation, depression, impotence, lethargy and make it impossible to build significant amounts of muscle and strength.

No matter what form of Paleo the average overweight person adopts, it will almost certainly be an improvement over their previous diet. A nation of people following a Paleo diet would mean less disease, a longer lifespan and lower healthcare costs. I recommend a Paleo-like diet to my overweight clients. The goal of these clients, of course, is simply to no longer be overweight.

The bad

Eating a full Paleo diet is inadequate for one segment of the population: our segment - strength athletes and other athletes.

Here's why: our workouts and body development goals require more than what's allowed on Paleo - more carbohydrates, advanced training nutrition and fast-digesting protein. We don't just get away with eating processed foods - we thrive on them.

Paleo works so well for the average person because the average person's goal is to not be sick or fat. The average person doesn't go to the gym day after day to prepare to step on stage, compete in athletic events, set personal bests, or walk around with visible veins on their biceps. These are not the goals of the average person. These are our goals. We don't have average goals and we are not average people - so why would we follow a diet that is best suited for such people? If proven workout nutrition supplements are banned from your diet, then you either need to rethink your diet for the benefit of your sport or body development, or stick with that diet and realize you're going to lose. Your competition has a head start if they are using a targeted, non-Paleo training diet. They will recover faster, train harder, build more muscle and even lose fat faster than you. Can you train without a targeted training diet? Sure you can. But you won't achieve as much as you could with additional training nutrition. Going back in time is a handicap if you are an athlete. You will go back in time with your diet to stay within the boundaries of your ironclad dietary rules.

Saying that we should eat the same as our ancestors is the same as saying that we should deprive ourselves of thousands of years of scientific progress. Certainly not all dietary advances have been good for us. Nachos aren't going to help us earn a Pro Card, but other advances have been pretty darn good. If we were to forgo those, then we would be missing out. A training session with weights fueled by kale smoothies and coconut oil isn't going to help you train harder. Training in a fasted state, as recommended by many Paleo followers, will not give you an edge.

If you follow the Paleo guidelines, you will not recover as quickly as if you use a training diet specifically designed for the training period. Can unprocessed plant and animal foods meet all our needs as athletes? Not if we want to achieve optimal muscle gains, perform at our best and take our bodies from "not fat" to "absolutely phenomenal".

And training nutrition isn't the only thing that's off limits. If you're a strict Paleo follower, then legumes, potatoes and grains (even wheat-free grains) are also off limits. If you put beans and oatmeal in the same category as chocolate bars, then you should relax and take a deep breath. Where do many Paleo diets get their carbohydrates from? Primarily from fruit, honey and starchy vegetables such as parsnips and pumpkin. But since no one has the time to prepare a squash and take it with them for after a workout, fruit and honey become a commonly used carbohydrate component. But neither are optimal for post-workout recovery.

Fruit and honey are not inherently bad, but even staunch Paleo advocates recommend minimizing consumption of these foods because fructose is difficult for much of the population to digest.

Swapping all your starches for high-fructose foods can bring nasty side effects like bloating, a bloated feeling, cramping, constipation, diarrhea, weight gain and even a non-alcoholic fatty liver. These are the side effects of excessive fructose consumption and yet rice is strictly forbidden? And if your nutrition guru insists that bee vomit is food but protein powder is not, then maybe you need a new guide.

Do you think eating an apple on leg day will help you speed up your recovery and build muscle tissue? Do you think yam has any of the anabolic effects of di- and tripeptides and specialized carbohydrates? Do you think that all this will help you to complete your next training session at an even higher intensity?

Maybe you really think so, but maybe you're just not training as hard as you think. Unless you have amazing genetics, most of your transformation workouts will require more than meat, fruit and vegetables.

The ugly

We like boundaries and structure. We want to hear someone tell us "Don't eat that." Because then we have security. Clear guidelines give us a sense of control because then we know what to eat and what to avoid. But if a fit person feels guilty about giving in to bean temptation, then there's a problem here - and the problem isn't the beans. Rather, it's about becoming hyper-restrictive and taking a sometimes useful strategy too far. Paleo can get ugly with its limits - especially when those limits cause you to freak out about things that have never caused problems. If you eliminate something from your diet for an extended period of time and don't notice any benefits and then add it back into your diet and don't notice any problems, then you don't need to worry about that food. Especially if you are already fit.

I place legumes in this category because I remember once buying a bag of Lima beans and feeling guilty about it. I had suppressed my cravings for these beans because a voice in my head had told me "Will the lectins in these beans prevent you from burning fat?"

At the time, I was on an ironclad Paleo diet, consuming no processed foods, no exercise nutrition, no potatoes, no rice and no beans. In addition to this, I couldn't exercise at high intensity in the gym. Did Paleo help me look or feel better? No, but it has made me good at eating according to the Paleo rules. Can you see where this is going? Sacrificing athleticism to maintain a diet that only maintains your ego, but not your muscle mass.

Paleo has also popularized intermittent fasting, which in itself is not a bad thing for certain people - especially if it's not used consistently. But for those who follow Paleo rigidly, chronic fasting often becomes a way to fight cravings for foods that aren't allowed on Paleo. Being so obsessed with the purity of your food that you regret dietary sins borders on an eating disorder. This can be a tricky situation for those who already have issues with disordered eating. The ugly side of Paleo comes out when instinctive common sense is replaced by fanaticism. This fanaticism is where Paleo becomes a fad diet or quasi-religious dogma.

If you are fat, then Paleo will improve your health, but if your goals include building muscle mass, then Paleo is not the way to go. Since breaking away from Paleo, I've traded a fanaticism about whole foods for common sense, bigger biceps and, ironically, a leaner body. People who train hard several days a week need simple, easily digestible carbohydrates (and not just at training time) combined with scientifically designed supplements.

Potatoes, beans, rice and workout nutrition drinks didn't make America fat. These are not foods to eat in uncontrolled quantities. And if they improve your performance, give you more energy and satisfy you at mealtime, then they're not just permissible foods you can eat without harm, they're essential foods.

Kick a caveman's butt

Paleo undoubtedly works for junk food-addicted, overweight, sedentary people. But these people didn't get fat by eating oatmeal and beans either. A Paleo plan would help these people, but so would simply giving up all the tasty junk food and fast food. If these people need the initial strictness, then a Paleo diet can lay the foundation for never eating such nutritional junk again.

For those with bodybuilding or weight training goals, Paleo often throws out the cave baby with the cave bathwater. Too few carbohydrates from sources like rice, oatmeal, buckwheat, potatoes and legumes will hinder your hypertrophy and performance goals. Neglecting training nutrition and other beneficial supplements is tantamount to not making optimal gains because your great-great-great-grandfather didn't have access to these supplements.

Yes, eat your meat, veggies and whole eggs. Yes, avoid the junk carbohydrates and wannabe foods that you find on the supermarket shelves today. But don't ignore the foods and supplements that will help you build muscle and perform better than any caveman.

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/paleo-the-good-bad-and-the-ugly
By Dani Shugart

Classic mass building

The first thing that comes to mind when I think of a mass-building phase is a 340-pound off-season Ronnie Coleman or a picture of Lee Priest looking so massive that it seems unreal. While these examples are certainly the extreme, they represent the basic idea: get as massive as possible in the shortest time possible. Mass gain is not something that is meant to make you look beautiful or give you the ideal beach body (although many skinny guys would look healthier if they gained a few pounds of fat along with the muscle). A bulking phase is designed to allow you to build muscle along with an acceptable amount of fat that can be shed during a subsequent definition phase. For some people, a bulking phase is actually fun because they can eat the foods they wouldn't normally consume. In addition, the anabolic hormone response that the excessive calories help you achieve may well make you feel more assertive, more attracted to women (is that possible?), more confident and improve your general wellbeing. Apart from this, this is one of the training cycles during which you will see quick results in terms of the weights you can move and your appearance in the mirror.

On the other hand, there are people who hate mass gain. This is the group that feels no appetite at all, those who think that choking down large amounts of food is as painful as watching Lindsay Lohan wasting away. Even the thought of more food makes them uncomfortable and they use any excuse to avoid eating. Sure, they work out hard and that only makes the situation worse because they don't get the results they deserve from their time and effort on the iron.

It is these desperate souls that I can offer redemption to. Through trial and error, I've found a number of tips that will help you build muscle at a faster rate. The days of mass-building terror are over.

Warning

Before you put these tips into practice, we need to go over a few basic rules so we're sure we're talking about the same thing. The following is not about health and fitness. This article will not help you lose weight for the next family party or improve your 5000 meter time. You won't read about the "miracles" of soy or how to lower your serum cholesterol levels. This article is simply about getting muscular. Many of you won't like what you read, but the fact is that these tips work. For that reason, I'm not going to apologize for anything.

However, I should at least mention that these tips are not for everyone. They are tailored for those who have a hard time building weight (typically ectomorphic strength athletes) and who have very little appetite. Furthermore, these tips are not intended to get you to make a permanent change in your life, but are merely tips for an 8 week phase during which you break the traditional rules and build mass. Lastly, these are guidelines and not an all-encompassing personalized nutrition plan.

1 - Focus on your diet and not your training

I don't know why most of us tend to focus on our training and not our diet during the mass building phase. This is the biggest and most common mistake you can make during the bulking phase. Let's face it, most skinny guys are beginners. And if you're new to training with weights, then you don't need that much stimulus for muscle growth. You could use a horribly bad training program to start with (and who among us hasn't) and it would still work in terms of muscle growth. We've seen this time and time again in studies: the initial muscle growth during a new training program is greater than if that program has been used for some time. This suggests that even a sub-optimal training program will work in the beginning.

Another reason that training doesn't play such a big role in building mass is the intensity factor. I know from experience that skinny guys, and especially beginners, often almost kill themselves in the weight room. Even though they may not be using the best program, their sheer desire to build muscle will make them break through pain barriers that would make a normal man cry.

My own beginner's training log

When I first started my "bench press and biceps" training program, I trained three days a week with the same program. I performed eight sets of bench presses and curls to muscle failure. In addition to this, I performed a descending set after each set and used supersets with flying movements and dumbbell curls. I was so overtrained that I hated every minute of these workouts, but my obsession made me push through them anyway. Sadly, the 1500 kcal I was eating per day wasn't doing much to support my muscle growth and I didn't build a pound of muscle all summer. The real tragedy is that I thought the reason for the lack of progress was inadequate training intensity.

This brings us to the most important reason to focus on nutrition, which is the sheer amount of time and effort required for this aspect of hypertrophy. Any idiot can kill themselves in the gym for an hour a day, but it takes real focus and dedication to meet your nutritional needs every few hours of every single day.

Add to this the fact that you will probably have to force yourself to eat and it becomes clear that your focus needs to be on nutrition.

2 - Forget what you know about traditional bodybuilding nutrition

Traditionally speaking, bodybuilders practically live on chicken breast, egg whites and oatmeal. Even though these "clean" foods are great for health, they are not for building weight. They may have their place in a mass-building program, but if you're sticking strictly to a "clean" diet while building mass, you're not using them to their full potential.

Remember that this phase is called the mass building phase for a reason. You should be increasing your calorie intake during this phase in an attempt to stimulate an anabolic response and maximize muscle growth. Of course, this doesn't mean that you should only eat cheeseburgers and cake, but if you can use these foods to achieve your goal of bulking up quickly, then you should consume them.

Although ultra high fat diet plans are great, these are more appropriate for a steroid cycle than for a food induced bulking phase. You can achieve a better muscle to fat ratio with your newly built body mass by combining traditional bodybuilding foods with a higher calorie intake. It's worth noting that eating saturated fats is associated with higher testosterone levels and is also great for calorie intake. It's easier to eat foods that contain saturated fats as they generally taste better - a bonus for those of us who don't have an appetite but still want to try and achieve a calorie surplus.

3 - Consume liquid calories

This is a common tip for mass building, but I would take it a step further by saying that you should consume at least half of your meals in liquid form. And no, pre- and post-workout drinks don't count here, as they simply replace what you lose during training. Liquid meals are perfect for mass building because they are generally high in calorie density (assuming you prepare them accordingly) and take less time to digest and absorb. This means you'll be ready for your next meal quicker, which equates to a higher calorie intake. The addition of sugar can improve the taste of these meals, making them easier to consume when eating is the last thing you want to do.

This also prevents all the excuses people use for not eating. Both the time needed to prepare and the time needed to consume these meals is very short, so you can drink them on the go! One tip is to prepare these drinks in advance. This way, the drinks are ready when you want them (and no, you don't have to worry about the protein breaking down). Preparing a drink like this couldn't be easier, so even those who are lazy about their diet will have no excuses to avoid eating. And after two liquid meals in a row, even people who generally have no appetite will crave a solid meal.

4 - Minimize the consumption of fruit and vegetables

Wow, is this really a tip? Do you feel like you're getting cancer just by reading this sentence?

Fruit and vegetables are perfect when it comes to reducing calories as they are very filling and provide very little energy. However, if you are having trouble meeting your calorie needs, fruit and vegetable consumption can be temporarily minimized without serious health consequences.

Although I can hear the people who are going to get very upset about this, keep in mind that ignoring the "10 servings a day" rule for a few months won't give you cancer. To reiterate - we're talking about a mass-building phase here, not a permanent lifestyle. In addition, micronutrient requirements can also be met over a short period of time with the help of supplements such as superfoods and through the fruit juices that will provide you with calories. I think the real danger of this tip is that people might think that this is a long-term change to their diet, which of course is unnecessary and ultimately harmful. Since most of eating is about habits and reducing fruit and vegetable consumption is not a habit we want to maintain, it is crucial that you are aware of this fact. It is also important to understand that this tip, if used over a short period of time, is not harmful and can help you achieve your mass gain goals. To reiterate, this tip is only intended to be used in the event that you are unable to meet your current calorie needs. It should be used for a maximum of two months in conjunction with appropriate supplementation.

5 - The 80 gram casein protocol

Most people would shudder at the idea of consuming 80 grams in one go, but after tip #4 this should no longer be a problem. The most common questions (or rather statements) about consuming that much protein have something to do with the supposed problem of digesting or absorbing that amount of protein. Sadly, the myth that you can only utilize 30 grams of protein per meal is as persistent as the myth that muscle turns into fat.

We should worry less about digestion and absorption as the limiting factor in the amount of protein we can convert into muscle is oxidation, or how much protein we burn rather than use. This means that there is no limit to the amount of protein we can digest or absorb. The oxidation of amino acids is a function of the concentration of amino acids in our bloodstream. The more amino acids in the bloodstream, the greater the likelihood that they will be burned. The blood concentration of amino acids is determined by the amount of protein we consume and the release rate of amino acids. The faster the amino acids enter the bloodstream, the more likely they are to be burned. This is the reason why we do not consume 60 grams of free amino acids at once. The "predigested" amino acids enter our bloodstream so quickly that most of them would be burned and therefore wasted.

Casein: preventing oxidation

At the other end of the speed spectrum is casein. We know that this protein is great when consumed right before going to bed, as it will ensure a slow release of amino acids into our bloodstream throughout the night. This is important because, contrary to popular belief, sleep is the most catabolic time for our bodies. Why? Because we are fasting. Our body needs to start breaking down muscle to meet its energy and amino acid needs.

In a normal situation, consuming 40 grams of casein before going to bed is an excellent way to minimize this catabolism. However, when we want to build mass, we're not just trying to minimize catabolism - we're trying to stay in an anabolic state for as long as possible.

That's why 80 grams of casein (and micellar casein in particular) before bed is the perfect supplement for your mass-building phase. The amino acids it contains are released into the bloodstream slowly enough to avoid oxidation, while the higher dosage will help maintain an anabolic state throughout the night.

6 - It's not over until it's over

Even when the 8 week bulking phase is over, you still can't stop. I know you want to start losing fat right after the bulking phase so you can show the world your new muscles, but this is the worst thing you can do. Just as a strength athlete goes through a weaning phase (post-cycle therapy) after using anabolic steroids, a sufficient amount of time must pass after a bulking phase before you can move on to a definition phase. You need to allow your body to get used to the new amount of muscle mass before you start playing around with a low calorie intake.

Think about it. Our bodies are designed to resist change and will only adapt when necessary. If you've just gained 10 pounds of muscle in two months, this represents a significant deviation from your body's set point. This means that your body would be happy to shed the costly and energy inefficient muscle mass that you have worked so hard to gain. To prevent this regression to the original set point, you need to give your body a chance to get used to the new amount of muscle mass. This can be achieved by eating a diet to maintain your weight with your full share of fruit and vegetables. Keep the training weights in the heavy range, but be more mindful of possible overtraining. You will no longer be in the anabolic state you were in during your bulking phase and will therefore likely be more prone to overtraining. Slow down your training if you feel it's necessary and don't worry too much about suddenly losing weight - it's not like after a steroid use cycle.

Don't forget that because of your newly built muscle mass, your maintenance calorie intake will be higher than before.

4 Frequently Asked Questions

1 - Will I gain fat if I follow these tips?

I hope so. That's why we're talking about a bulking phase and not a careful build-up of lean muscle mass.

2 - Why would we want to build fat?

If you build up a little fat slowly, this means that you are in an optimal anabolic state for muscle growth. If you are building fat too quickly, then you need to analyze what you are doing and make adjustments accordingly. Not to mention, most skinny guys can afford to build some fat.

3 - Why don't we build lean body mass exclusively?

From personal experience and experience with clients, it is easier and quicker to build a good amount of muscle through a classic mass building phase and then do a definition phase. If you try to build muscle without fat, you will achieve less.

4 - What about supplements?

This is the first thing beginners ask, which is because they don't understand how muscles grow. Once they understand that it takes a tremendous amount of energy to build muscle, they realize that supplements are meant to be the icing on the cake and not the cause of building muscle.

As mentioned earlier, a good micellar protein and good pre- and post-workout supplements are an excellent addition.

Conclusion

These tips are examples of what you can do to support weight gain. If you use them in conjunction with your training and nutrition program, you will easily gain at least one pound per week. Stay focused, train hard and don't forget why it's called the bulking phase!