“It’s all you bro!”

“Light weight! Light weight!”

Yea, we’ve all been there. The two dudes in their cut-off high school football shirts, screaming to squeeze out one more bench press or finish one final deadlift. That’s probably been you. I’ve been there, so I can’t judge either.

“One More!”

“It’s all you bro!”

“Light weight! Light weight!”

Yea, we’ve all been there. The two dudes in their cut-off high school football shirts, screaming to squeeze out one more bench press or finish one final deadlift. That’s probably been you. I’ve been there, so I can’t judge either.

While these characters may be the brunt of gym jokes, they do have something right. Rather than gliding along on the elliptical, or performing one-foot blindfolded Bosu curls, they are pushing their bodies to the max. Stimulation is the first step to improving performance and building a badass body. The second phase is equally vital: adaptation. With no adaptation no gains can be made, while too much stimulus will lead to overtraining.

Until this week you’ve been building power, adding slabs of muscle, and hitting personal records in the gym. Now, you’re fried. Progress has stalled. Warm-up sets feel like a piano on your back, and motivation is fading. In fact, you’d rather try a Tracey Anderson workout than lift another barbell. What gives?

How Adaptation Works

To address the problem we look to the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) by Hans Seyle to analyze how changes in performance actually happen. GAS states that the body goes through a specific set of responses (short term) and adaptations (longer term) after being exposed by an external stressor. The theory holds that the body goes through three stages, two that contribute to survival and a third that involves a failure to adapt to the stressor.

According to Practical Programming for Strength Training by Mark Rippetoe and Lon Kilgore, here are the stages of GAS and their relation to training:

To achieve performance gains, stress from training must be enough to disrupt homeostasis, but not too intense to overwhelm the body. Once sufficient stress is applied, recovery comes in to drive progress.

The Role of Recovery

Exercise causes muscular damage, joint stress, soreness, hormone disruption, and neural stress from which we must recover. Most trainees hit training hard and pass the novice phase quickly, but they neglect the fact that recovering from exercise is where gains are made. As athletes become more advanced, training programs must be analyzed and reprogrammed for maximal gains.

Enter the deload. A deload week is simply a back-off week. A week of lower volume, intensity, or both that becomes vital for training. Deload weeks provide ample time to recover from the stress of weeks prior, to repair joints and tendons, to allow hormone ratios to optimize, and to keep you mentally sharp. Basically, a deload rewards your efforts and makes you more awesome.

How to Deload

Deload frequency varies depending on the athlete, training age, goals, sports requirements, and number of workouts per week. Here is a sample micro-cycle with a built in deload. Volumes and intensities are for a compound exercise, such as a power clean and for the moderate-to-advanced athlete.

• Week 1: High Intensity/Low-Moderate Volume, 4×3, 85-92.5% 1RM
• Week 2: Moderate Intensity/Moderate-High Volume, 5×5, 75-85% 1RM
• Week 3: Very High Intensity/Low Volume, 4×3, then 2,2,1,
• 85-100% 1RM
• Week 4: Low Intensity/Low-Moderate Volume, 3×5, 50-60% 1RM

With more advanced athletes, I may flip weeks one and two, and three and four, for better performance benefits during the highest intensity workouts.

• Week 1: Moderate Intensity/Moderate-High Volume, 5×5, 75-85% 1RM
• Week 2: High Intensity/Low-Moderate Volume, 4×3, 85-92.5% 1RM
• Week 3: Low Intensity/Low-Moderate Volume, 3×5, 50-60% 1RM
• Week 4: Very High Intensity/Low Volume, 4×3, then 2,2,1, 85-100% 1RM

There is an inverse relationship between intensity (1RM) and the number of reps per set. Training in both manners, if you can even do it, is a recipe for overtraining. For this reason, varying intensity and volume through workouts is ideal to allow recovery and maximal effort.

On deload weeks, training is still performed in an effort to preserve the neuromuscular pathways of training without actually breaking down the body. This works well for form and speed work to preserve form and muscle mass. Cool, eh? That means yes, you can still do your glorious bench press or deadlifts on deload weeks, just not heavy.

How to Incorporate Deloading Into Training

Deload weeks are simple. Just back things off every few weeks of training. I recommend the three-on-one-off and five-on-one-off cycles for athletes. Work out on consistent days to maintain a schedule during the deload, as this also helps maintain focus.

Schedule your deload weeks in advance and stick to the routine. When the time comes, have a plan of action. Focus on your important movement patterns combined with engaging low-intensity activities to provide a mental and physical break from training.

Considerations

I don’t suggest a week of complete rest, but rather a week of active recovery. Active recovery workouts are self-explanatory: low intensity activity performed to improve recovery. Submaximal work (<65%), mobility exercises, stretching, soft-tissue methods, and even light aerobic exercise apply here.

During a seven-day deload, aim for three or four complete rest days and three or four active recovery session. Listen to the body. That’s the whole point. If you feel stale after the warm up and main lift, it’s fine to pack it in, hit some light active recovery, and end the session.

Nutrition

Don’t start eating Pizza Hut and Taco Bell every night because your training is tapered back, but don’t eat like a bird either. A piss-poor diet does nothing for you unless you’re trying to grow a spare tire or fail at your goal. A lower training stimulus provides more recovery resources to the body, and by resources I mean the awesome nutrition program you’ve been following will boost your recovery. Remember, it’s repair time. It’s essential to provide the body with fuel to complete the repair. Recovery is not just the absence of training. Recovery is the combination of rest, nutrition, and care for your body.

Wrap Up

Deload weeks are a necessary component for looking good naked, maximizing performance, and long-term training. A focus on recovery will decrease incidence of injury, increased physical performance, and increase motivation for subsequent training. After a week in low gear, you will be primed and ready to shift training into overdrive for upcoming sessions and achieve maximum benefit.

References:

1. Rippetoe, Mark, and Lon Kilgore. Practical Programming for Strength Training. Wichita Falls TX : The Aasgaard Company; 2nd edition , 2009.

The post The Deload: The Path to Bigger, Faster and Stronger appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

As a skinny young man, my goal was to have a physique that resembled a superhero. I wanted that look. I had no idea how to achieve that goal but I was determined to find out how.

Enter Rest Pause Training

I have used many different training methodologies in my life. But the one I keep coming back to is rest pause training. The combination of relatively heavy weights and short rest periods does something special to your physique and performance. It makes you a beast.

There is no perfect training program in the world, but my goal with my rest pause program is to help you unleash the greatness that lies inside of you.

Father of Rest-Pause Training?

Trainees have been using rest pause principles for a long time in the fitness game. The greatest master of physique, the Iron Guru Vince Gironda advocated training in this fashion back in the 1950s.

“The combination of relatively heavy weights and short rest periods does something special to your physique and performance. It makes you a beast.”

Gironda’s most famous training program is 8×8. This is pure rest pause training. A trainee would perform 8 sets of 8 reps while utilizing a 15-30 second rest between sets. I have done 8×8, and let me tell you when you perform it correctly it is absolutely unrelenting. With a program that hard, there is no mystery to why Gironda produced great bodybuilders. In the early days of training, the only way for you to achieve a great physique was to put in John Henry-like work!

RP-21 Training System

Say you normally squat 225×5 for 4 sets, and then you rest 3 minutes between rounds. That is 12 minutes of rest and about 15-30 seconds of work per set. You are probably near 13-16 total minutes to complete those 20 reps.

But what if you did 235×3 for 7 sets (3×7=21) while resting only 1 minute between rounds? That is 6 minutes of rest plus about 10-15 seconds of work per set. This puts us at 8-10 minutes to complete those 21 reps while using a heavier load. You to get more done in less time. Do you think your legs would respond differently if you trained them in this fashion? I know they will.

I call this approach RP-21, for rest pause 21. This scheme allows you to keep the weight used moderately heavy. I have worked with many percentages and have found you benefit the most by using a weight at 70-80% of your estimated one-rep max.

My personal recommendation is to always start on the low end of the percentages. If you are not comfortable starting at 70%, you always have the option to start lower and build up from there. We are only chasing progress. Your pride must be left at home if you want to become great.

RP-21 Parameters

The opening sets and weight may not initially feel tough based on the weight you choose. The goal is to have a starting point to build on. As each week progresses, the weight will get heavier and the rest will feel like it is getting shorter.

“Without a challenge, you are wasting time in the gym. Your body requires and welcomes a new stimulus in order to grow stronger.”

You will be guaranteed to run into a wall of pain and doubt soon. It will sneak up on you like Clubber Lang did on Rocky in their first fight. But don’t worry – that wall is temporary and you will eventually leap over it.

Without a challenge (increasing load or reps, shorter rest times, etc.), you are wasting time in the gym. Your body requires and welcomes a new stimulus in order to grow stronger.

For example, let’s look at Barry Bench:

• Barry goes to the gym every week and does 135lbs/185lbs/225lbs for 8 reps on the bench press.
• The rest of his session has no flow as it takes Barry two hours to train chest with eight different moves.
• In between his ten-minute rest periods he loves to tell others that he is “bulking.”
• He never challenges himself.

Can you guess what happens to Barry’s physique?  Barry ends up with a chest that has seen no growth since Arnold won his last Mr. Olympia.

To avoid being like Barry, I suggest a 2.5-10lb increase each week based on the movement. For major lower body movements a 5-10lb increase is standard. The typical increase in a major upper body movement a 2.5-5lb.

If you fail – you’re doing the squat and your total rep number is 15 for that day -you will simply try to improve on that the next week. If you cannot reach 21 reps at a certain weight within three workouts, you will sub out that move for a different one that targets the same muscles.

Regardless of what happens each week, you must be consistently accountable. RP-21 is built on accountability. Without it you cannot progress.

Frequency

You will perform the RP-21 base scheme as:

• 2 days on
• 1 day off
• 2 days on
• 2 days off

There will be two lower-body training days and two upper-body training days. Your main exercise of the day will use the RP-21 scheme.

Recommended RP-21 Movements:

• Squat Variations: Barbell Hack Squat, Full Squat, Front Squat
• Deadlift Variations: Conventional, Sumo, Romanian
• Bench Press Variations: Flat, Incline, Dumbbell, Close Grip
• Overhead Press Variations: Standing, Seated, Push
• Pull Ups Variations: Pulls, Chins, Hammer
• Cleans: Hang, Power
• Dips
• Hip Thrusts

Note: In time you will need a weight belt for chins and dips if you are not already there at the moment.

Watch the video below and read on to learn about the nuts and bolts of the program:

6×5 Sets

While you will begin every session by doing 21 reps of an exercise (7×3), after that you will switch to a 6×5 scheme. The 6×5 sets are muscle incinerators as they are also performed with a moderate load and a 30-second rest between sets. The 6×5 sets are where you earn your conditioning, character, and toughness.

“The load being used should be moderate or you will have zero chance to complete the series.”

I remember the first time I used the barbell hip thrust with 6×5. I overestimated my strength and underestimated my own scheme. By set three, the pump was deep and beyond unbearable. When set six was over, I struggled to stand. But when I looked in the mirror, I saw a Minotaur! The pump was serious!

The load being used should be moderate or you will have zero chance to complete the series. Once you reach 30 reps in a given move, then the next time you perform the move you will progress by adding slightly more weight.

A Sample RP-21 Program

You will need to have an idea what your max is in each exercise so that you know where your starting point will be on week one. If the weight you chose winds up being too heavy or light, then you can make adjustments.

A sample mesocycle follows. This should be run for at least three weeks before deloading if needed.

Day 1-Lower Body

• Barbell Hack Squat 7×3
• Barbell Hip Thrust 6×5
• Glute Ham Raise 6×5
• Seated Calf Raise 6×5

Day 2-Upper Body

• Chin Ups 7×3
• Dips 6×5
• One Arm Rows 6×5
• Skullcrusher 6×5
• Barbell Curl 6×5
• Conditioning – Track Sprints, Bodyweight Complexes, etc.

Day 3-OFF

Day 4-Lower Body

• Barbell Full Squat 7×3
• RDL 6×5
• Dumbbell Walking Lunges 6×5
• Weighted Burpees 6×5
• Standing Calf Raise 6×5

Day 5-Upper Body

• Overhead Press 7×3
• Pull Ups 6×5
• Gironda Neck Press 6×5
• Preacher Curl 6×5
• Dumbbell Flat Tight Press (elbows tucked in) 6×5

Day 6-Conditoning

• Hill Sprints, Bodyweight Complexes, etc.

Day 7-OFF

Deload

Deloads are very individual. I have experimented with numerous deload schemes to find what works for me. You can deload when you feel it is necessary for your body.

Nutrition

People make nutrition seem harder than learning rocket science. Your nutrition simply needs to match your goal. The easiest way to do this is too match up your macronutrients with what you are trying to accomplish.

• To gain muscle size with RP-21 you will need to increase your total calories and increase your carbohydrate consumption.
• To lose fat with RP-21 you need to decrease your calories and lower your carbohydrate consumption. The best way to do this would be to cycle your carbohydrates.

Conditioning

One or two days of conditioning per week while on this plan is a great idea. True conditioning is often overlooked or performed in lame fashion (see “cardio” machines.) Sprints (track, grass, or hill) and bodyweight conditioning are my two preferred ways to increase your athleticism while eviscerating body fat.

Whichever one you choose make sure it is brief, intense, and to the point. Leave the two-hour treadmill sessions to the Chloe Cardio in the “cardio” section.

Conclusion

Training schemes give the game rules and structure. Make rest pause training part of your yearly training split to reach new levels of strength, performance, and confidence.

More Like This:

• 10 Strength Training Principles That Will Make All the Difference
• Rest Between Sets: How Much Do You Need?
• The 7 Sneakiest Rest Strategies in CrossFit
• New on Breaking Muscle Today

Photos 1, 2, 3, and 5 courtesy of Shutterstock.

Photo 4 by ablight, via Wikimedia Commons.

The post Build Athleticism and a Superhero Body With Rest Pause Training appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

“To maximize the squat you need the mobility to reach proper position and the stability to control movement through the intended range of motion.”

Squats are lifting royalty for curing chicken leg syndrome’ and building high-performance muscle mass. Squats develop total-body strength, stimulate tons of total body muscle growth, and improve athleticism. Yep, the squat reigns king among bang-for-your buck exercises.

“To maximize the squat you need the mobility to reach proper position and the stability to control movement through the intended range of motion.”

Problem is, most lifters have the mobility of a cast-iron skillet and lack the ability to squat safely and effectively. To maximize the squat you need the mobility to reach proper position and the stability to control movement through the intended range of motion.

It’s time to maximize your squat potential through improving technique, mobility, and execution. With these ten tips you’ll take your squat performance to new levels.

1. Train for Maximum Strength

Despite the fact you need to train heavy to build maximum strength, people often neglect heavy weights.

Yes, training with submaximal loads will spare your joints and nervous system to a degree, but even to maximize submaximal training you need a base of absolute strength.

Training at 60% 1RM for speed is much more effective when your 1RM is 1.5 to two-times your bodyweight.

Heavy lifting is generally defined as 85+% maximum effort for multiple sets of one to five reps. But it’s best to avoid missing lifts. Missing lifts consistently zaps your nervous system, engrains poor technique, and wrecks your confidence.

Hit the reps you know you’ll make and save yourself for the occasional max-out attempts.

RELATED: The Art of Heavy Lifting Without Overtraining

2. Train Submaximal Reps for Power

Strength-speed and speed-strength are synonymous with power. They produce a sky-high power output compared with longer-duration, lower-velocity maximum strength exercises.

“Compare a tractor-trailer and a Ferrari. It’s great to have a ton of horsepower, but for high performance, it’s best to generate horsepower rapidly.”

For breaking lifting plateaus or achieving more weight-room transfer from athletes, power development is key. Compare a tractor-trailer and a Ferrari.

It’s great to have a ton of horsepower, but for high performance, it’s best to generate horsepower rapidly. Remember: Power= Work/Time

Most research shows that maximum power is achieved through moving moderate loads at high velocity with loads of 40-60% of your 1RM.

Depending on the athlete, there will be differences within this range and some experimentation will be needed to find what’s best.

For a big squat, speed squats are ideal for power development and technical practice.

These can be used as long as a decent base of absolute strength is present and technique isn’t an issue.

RELATED: The Expression of Strength, Part 2 – Speed Strength

3. Train Speed and Speed-Strength

Speed-strength works the lower-load, higher-velocity component of the force velocity curve to train explosive power.

Once again, the greater your base of absolute strength, the easier it will be to express explosive strength. For most lifters, keep the emphasis on explosive jumps that match the biomechanics of the squat closest, i.e. jump squats.

There are tons of variations that address speed of movement, landing mechanics, and power without too much risk.

Your best choices are broad jumps, vertical jumps, and box jumps to increase your rate of force development and explode through sticking points.

Stick to single-response jumps and ensure sound landing mechanics before moving to multi-response jumps.

RELATED: How to Box Jump, Vertical Jump, and Broad Jump Correctly

4. Squat Twice Per Week

Multiple squatting sessions per week maximizes technical and neuromuscular efficiency through training at variable intensities.

Squatting twice per week allows you to focus on one heavy and one speed session. Separate these sessions by 48-72 hours for full recovery.

“Targeting the squat pattern with multiple sessions per week while addressing the force-velocity spectrum leads to greater gains in power, strength, and explosiveness.”

I like to combine a speed-strength method before squatting, followed by maximum strength (85-95+%) on the first squat day.

On the second day, I’ll emphasize a pure speed movement with a submaximal strength-speed squat (40-75%). Targeting the squat pattern with multiple sessions per week while addressing the force-velocity spectrum leads to greater gains in power, strength, and explosiveness.

RELATED: 6 Tips for Getting Stronger While Staying Free From Injury

5. Train Your Squat Depth

Yes, building a big squat is great and should improve multiple performance parameters. But the key word is “should.”

Too many coaches and athletes sell out for big totals in the “big three” and being hardcore with ass-to-grass (ATG) squats no matter what.

While ATG will earn you props on the interwebz, it doesn’t mean anything if you’re risking injury to the lumbar spine. If you squat to depth without a tuck – keep going.

But if you can’t maintain position due to lack of core control or bony hip anatomy, don’t force a deep squat.

RELATED: 4 Reasons You’re Not Getting Deep Enough in Your Squats

6. Cycle in Front Squats

Yes, back squats take the title as the King Builder, but front squats offer a plethora of benefits:

• Increased core integrity, allowing greater depth without compromised spinal position and, thus, greater relative muscle activation at lighter weights compared to the back squat.
• Similar muscle activation of the back squat without as much joint compression and shear stress due to using less weight.
• Increased strength requirements of the thoracic extendors to hold position – a bonus for desk jockeys with kyphotic posture.

RELATED: Front Squat Versus Back Squat: Which One Is Best for You?

7. Spread the Floor

Allowing the knees to buckle in, known as valgus collapse, is a great way to reinforce poor mechanics and set you up for a knee injury.

For most people, allowing the knees to buckle engrains dangerous technique, especially if it leads to uncontrolled valgus collapse during sport or recreation activities.

“Allowing the knees to buckle in, known as valgus collapse, is a great way to reinforce poor mechanics and set you up for a knee injury.”

Prevent valgus collapse by spreading the floor and pushing the knees out during the squat. This emphasizes hip and posterior chain development and will skyrocket your squat numbers.

RELATED: Moderating the Knees In Versus Knees Out Squat Debate

8. Train the Pause

If you’re squatting to depth, you need to be stable in the bottom position. Train the pause by using submaximal loads and squatting to maximum depth while maintaining trunk integrity (this means no butt-wink).

Unless you’re training for a big total and need to hit certain depth, the risk versus reward probably isn’t worth a rock-bottom squat under load in the presence of butt-wink.

RELATED: Get Stronger and Stay Honest With Pause Reps

9. Bend the Bar

Don’t be lazy with the bar. Get your Hulk on and try to bend it around your body.

If you’re not actively applying force to the bar, the bar will act on you – jumping off or burying you in failure.

“If you’re not actively applying force to the bar, the bar will act on you.”

Drive your elbows down and back to engage the lats, provide a larger shelf for the barbell, and create additionally stability in the trunk.

Solomonow, et al concluded that over 200 muscles are activated during squat performance. Use them all to maximize your squat performance.

Additionally, you’ll prevent the bar from jumping off your back during explosive squats, improving rep quality and decreasing injury risk.

You don’t want to be that chump who loses a barbell behind your back during training anyway.

RELATED: Why Athletes Need to Understand the Concept of Torque

10. Rack at the Correct Height

We’ve all seen it: a rack set-up too high, a calf-raise walkout followed by the poor sap nearly cracking his skull when re-racking.

Besides inappropriate barbell loading, improper rack set-up is the best way to get injured.

Set the rack up with the barbell set between nipple and shoulder height, low enough to allow you to squat to weight out and easily re-rack, as well.

RELATED: How to Squat More Without Getting Stronger

Summary

The squat is a technical movement and squatting appropriately for your body type and goals is imperative to long-term success. Optimize your technique first, and then start piling on plates.

Take these tips into consideration and you’ll be squatting big weights without pain for years to come.

References:

1. Solomonow, M., et al. “The Synergistic Action of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament and Thigh Muscles in Maintaining Joint Stability.” Am J Sports Med. 1987 May-Jun;15(3):207-13. Accessed November 18, 2014.

Photo 1 courtesy of Strength Education.

Photos 2 & 3 courtesy of CrossFit Impulse.

The post 10 Killer Tips to Boost Your Squat appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Gaining muscle requires a caloric surplus, potentially covering those shredded abs, so it’s time to ditch the old standby of bulking with unrestricted diets. There’s a better way. By maximizing the anabolic power of insulin with carb cycling, it’s possible to shred fat and build muscle simultaneously.

Once you’ve got your nutrition dialed, check out Part Two: The Lifting Program.

What is Insulin?

Insulin is an extremely anabolic hormone that will make or break your physique. Too little and you’re doomed to flat muscles, poor recovery, and pre-shrinking your affliction t-shirts. Too much and you’ll resemble the Michelin Man and suffer from myriad health problems.

Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas, an organ located behind the stomach. The pancreas contains clusters of cells called islets. Beta cells within the islets store and release insulin into the blood. Insulin plays a major role in metabolism. The digestive tract breaks down carbohydrates into glucose, but its with the help of insulin that cells are able to absorb glucose and use it for energy.⁵

Insulin-producing beta cells, in green, on a mouse pancreas islet. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

Insulin regulates nutrient entry into muscle cells. When insulin is seldom elevated, then muscle growth related benefits won’t occur. A higher carbohydrate intake when your body is increasingly sensitive, such as post-workout, promotes carbohydrates to initiate tissue repair and set the stage for muscle growth. Conversely, when the body is not sensitive to carbs and you’re crushing the pasta buffet, excess carbohydrates will be stored, building some brand-new layers of blubber on your waistline. Through proper timing and fluctuations, carbohydrates will be under your control, allowing the body to strip rolls of fat and build slabs of muscle.¹

Fuel Use During Exercise

Muscle tissue glucose uptake is stimulated by insulin, which triggers the migration of glucose and amino acids to muscle cells, promoting protein synthesis. Muscle contractions increase the facilitated diffusion of glucose into muscle cells even further, promoting greater insulin sensitivity. Simply, when glucose is present in the blood the body will utilize it as an energy source over stored fuel – an ideal recipe for building muscle mass.

Conversely, when carbohydrates aren’t readily available and fat or protein is the primary source, higher levels of the hormone glucagon combined with lower levels of blood carbohydrate can lead to a higher rate of fat burning.² Through manipulating your source of readily available fuel, different energy substrates can be used as fuel for exercise.

Carb Cycling

Carb cycling uses the manipulation of insulin to burn fat and maximize lean muscle gains. In this case two separate days of eating will be utilized: high-carb days and low-carb days. Resistance training days are high-carb days, providing additional fuel to maximize the anabolic response and muscular recovery. Recovery and conditioning days are low-carb to shred stored body fat and increase insulin sensitivity, both of which improve nutrient utilization on high-carb days.

Caloric Needs

Body type and activity level are used to determine your caloric need and macronutrient requirements. Yes, conquer your fear of math. It’s time for the numbers. Being an intelligent Breaking Muscle reader it’s safe to assume you’re at least moderately active. If you’re not, then stop making excuses and go exercise. Using The Essentials of Sport and Exercise Nutrition by John Berardi and Ryan Andrews, moderately active individuals are quantified as performing three to four workouts per week.³ These individuals should multiply their bodyweight in pounds by eighteen to twenty to get a caloric range.

Example 1:

A 160-lb. male would be: 160×18 = 2880; 160×20 = 3200

The caloric range would be 2,880-3,200 kcals per day.

Example 2:

A 185-lb. male would be 185×20= 3,700; 185×22= 4070 kcals per day.

The caloric range would be 3,700-4,070 kcals per day.

More active? No sweat, for very active individuals (five to seven workouts per week) ramp up the calculations and multiply bodyweight in pounds by twenty to 22 to get the caloric range.³

The Breakdown

Calories provide the full gas tank, but the proper macronutrient breakdown provides premium quality to hasten your mass gains. To best determine caloric needs an analysis of your somatotype (body type) is beneficial. Although you’re not solely one somatotype, having a solid idea provides valuable insight to characteristics such as carbohydrate tolerance, metabolic rate, and even physical activity preference.

Example 1:

A 160-lb. male with an ectomorph body type consumes 2,880-3,200 kcals per day. Using 3,000 kcals per day the macronutrient breakdown would be as follows.

Protein: 3,000 x.25 = 750 kcal % 4 kcals/gram = 188 g Protein

Carbs: 3,000 x.55 = 1650 kcal % 4 kcals/gram = 412 g Carbs

Fat: 3,000 x.20 = 600 kcal % 9 kcals/gram = 67 g Fat

Example 2:

A 185-lb. male with a mesomorphic body type consumes 3,700 -4070 kcals per day. Using 3,900 kcals per day the macronutrient breakdown would be as follows.

Protein: 3,900 x.3 = 1170 kcals % 4 kcals/gram = 292 g Protein

Carbs: 3,900 x.4 =1560 kcals % 4 kcals/gram = 390 g Carbs

Fat: 3,900 x .3 = 1,170 kcals % 9/kcals/gram = 130 g Fat

Low-Carb Day

On low-carb days take 75% of the suggested carbohydrate intake to calculate needs. This number is highly variable based on carb tolerance. If you’re over 15% body fat, make this number 50% and calculate needs.

Example 2:

A 185-lb man would taper down carbs by 25% on low-carb days. High-carbohydrate days use 390 grams of carbs per day. Multiply that 390 x.75 to find the low-carb amount of 293 grams of carbs per day.

Nutrient Timing

Nutrient timing is based on the ideas that certain nutrients are maximized during various times of the day. For example, carbohydrate tolerance is higher after exercise because muscle contractions increase the facilitated diffusion of glucose into muscle cells, increasing uptake. At no other time during the course of the day can nutrition have such a profound impact on physique development and recovery as the body is ready to shift to an anabolic state with proper nutrition. Through fluctuating carbohydrate intake you can maximize the post-workout hypersensitivity to insulin and add slabs of muscle, while preventing excessive fat gain by keeping carbs low on off-days.

Considerations

“Help, I can make faces with my rapidly growing belly!”

Don’t sweat it. I’ve got a solution. Drop your carbs by another 25% on low-carbohydrate days. Consider adding some additional HIIT or finishers after two or three workouts per week.

“Dude, the scale isn’t budging. In fact, I’m losing weight!“

First, take bi-weekly measurements such as seven-site skinfolds and circumference measurements to track body composition. It’s possible you are losing weight in the form of water and fat, but still gaining muscle. Second, add an extra 200 calories to the diet. This can be as simple as a protein shake with a tablespoon of olive oil for healthy fats and protein. Considering tapering conditioning work and track your calories for a few days.

Wrap Up

“The two conditions for muscle growth are metabolic sensitivity and nutrient optimization. The first condition is satisfied in the post exercise interval because your muscles are ready to begin the recovery process. For nutrient optimization you must consume the nutrients necessary to drive recovery (4).” – John Ivy, Ph.D and Robert Portman Ph.D.⁴

The wrong foods at the wrong time will sabotage your efforts in the gym and be detrimental to your waistline. Stop wasting your hard training. Your body is primed for massive muscle gain and fat loss with this dietary protocol. Through intelligently programming your diet and disciplined eating you’ll add slabs of muscle – without a side of love handles.

Continue to Part Two: The Lifting Program

References:

1. Andrews, R. “All About Nutrient Timing.” Precision Nutrition . Precision Nutrition Inc.. Web. Accessed 11 Nov 2013

2. Berardi, J. , and Ryan Andrews. “The Essentials of Sport and Exercise Nutrition.” 2nd. Toronto : Precision Nutrition Inc., 2012. 115. Print.

3. Berardi, J. , and Ryan Andrews. “The Essentials of Sport and Exercise Nutrition.” 2nd. Toronto : Precision Nutrition Inc., 2012. 358-361. Print.

4. Ivy, Ph.D., J., & Portman, Ph.D., R. (2004). “Nutrient timing.” Laguna Beach : Basic Health Publications Inc.,2004. 48-51. Print.

5. United States Department of Health and Human Services. “Insulin Resistance and Prediabetes.” Bethesda, MD: , 2013. Web.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post Ultimate Guide for Lean Gains, Part 1: Carb Cycling appeared first on Breaking Muscle.