How many times have you seen a keen gym rat dive into a BIG MAC, stuff his mouth full of fries, then mumble as you look in him in confusion: “Don’t worry, I’m bulking..”
It’s such a common excuse – and one with ZERO merit when it comes to getting big.
There’s the common myth that one can eat ANYTHING when they are bulking and it will assist in growing muscle. Now sure, your diet can be more relaxed when mass is the goal, but CLEAN eating when you’re bulking is just as important as clean eating when it’s time to get lean!
You don’t need anymore extra body fat to trim come summer or show time then you’ll have already – believe me.
Following my last article – you’ve already identified your somatype, be it a ECTOMORPH, ENDOMORPH or MESOMORPH.
If you’re an ECTOMORPH, yes, you can get away with a bit more junk then an ENDO or MESO.
But there’s a magical number that all men and women of ALL somatypes need to know. This is important regardless of what your goal is.
It’s the equivalent of the DA VINCI code to TOM HANKS!
I’m talking about your BASAL METABOLIC RATE or BMR.
That is the amount of calories your body burns off each day AT REST. This is WITHOUT factoring in calories burnt when running and/or lifting weights.
Below is the formula for MEN and WOMEN:
Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 X wt in kg) + (5 X ht in cm) – (6.8 X age in years)
Women: BMR = 655 + (9.6 X wt in kg) + (1.8 X ht in cm) – (4.7 X age in years)
BULKING – ECTOMORPHS
Believe it or not – you CAN gain weight.
Now that you’re familiar with your BMR – you want to exceed this amount by at least 200 calories. You want to aim for a 300-500 surplus eventually if you can manage.
Let’s say you burn off 2100 a day at rest. Ask yourself honestly – are you REALLY consuming at least 2600 calories a day – factoring in your weight training? and doing it CONSISTENTLY?
There’s no use doing it one day of the week – dropping off the next, then going on a huge bender and not being able to eat or train properly for days.
That will get you no where.
If you CONSISTENTLY eat enough food every two or three hours as an ECTOMORPH, and eat the RIGHT foods, then putting on weight is guaranteed.
As that goose in TITANIC said when asked about whether or not the ship would sink: “It is a mathematical certainty.”
On WEIGHT TRAINING DAYS – you will burn off around 200-300 calories during an hour of training. So the guy who burns off 2100 a day – will add the 300 to make 2400.
That is your final BMR.
WHAT/WHEN TO EAT
You must make sure you are getting food into your system at LEAST ever two or three hours.
ALL your macronutrients (fat, carbohydrates and protein) need to be covered in each meal for the majority of the day. You’ll need to work out your percentage to equate to 55 percent carbs, 35 percent protein and 10 percent fats.
That’s a great starting point. Adjust from here depending on your results. Keep in mind that FATS are the most calorie dense foods.
There’s four calories in every gram of PROTEIN and CARBOHYDRATES – but nine for every gram of fat. Keep that in mind.
CARBOHYDRATES
For your carbohydrates, you want to be aiming for wholemeal types during the day, but some faster carbs BEFORE and AFTER training, like DEXTROSE.
ECTOMORPH’S are NOT insulin sensitive, therefore a strong spike via a fast acting carbohydrate such as DEXTROSE is paramount.
DEXTROSE is also known as GLUCOSE, which is what our foods are eventually broken down into for our primary source of energy. DEXTROSE is rapidly absorbed and can be used for energy quickly.
The other benefit is that it’s very calorie dense – great news for your ECTOMORPHS who will soon be greeting new mass.
Because it’s pure carbohydrates – it’s gram for gram here. So 30 grams will give you (give or take a few grams) 30 grams!
Aim for 40 grams in the morning, 20 pre workout and 60 post workout. That will certainly kick you off to a GREAT start.
WHOLEMEAL CARBOHYDRATES
For the rest of your meals – you want to be consuming the WHOLEMEAL type of carbohydrates. I’m talking about brown rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, ezekiel bread, and green vegetables.
These have a positive effect on insulin levels and will keep our energy levels consistent, so that when it’s time to throw the iron around – you’re ready to go!
TIP: if you reach a plateau – I’d experiment with consuming some oats before bed for the ECTOMORPH – to ensure growth is enhanced throughout the night.
PROTEIN
The most important macronutrient when it comes to growing muscle. Protein synthesis cannot occur without protein!
Protein synthesis is the process whereby your body uses amino acids and enzymes to repair and build your muscle tissue.
Aim for at least one to one and a half grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. Aim for red meat, chicken, fish (salmon especially) egg whites, kangaroo, and turkey.
FATS
Another underrated macronutrient that cops a very bad rap. The majority of the world still doesn’t understand that eating fat doesn’t make you fat.
Now the fats you want plenty of are HEALTHY FATS. The Omega 3’s and 6’s along with the POLYUNSATURATED FATS and MONOUNSATURATED fats. All of these fats will help you recover, are great for your joints, and speed up recovery time. And as mentioned above – they are very calorie dense. A vital ally to the ECTOMORPH seeking fresh mass.
The fats you want to avoid are TRANS fats. Ignore them like the talkative social types in the gym. They will provide NO benefit to you what-so-ever. You’ll find TRANS fats in things like cake and ice-cream.
TRANS fats lead to things like cancer, diabetes and clogged arteries. Enough said.
Then there’s SATURATED fats that are fine in moderation. SATURATED fats are in your red meats and dairy products. SATURATED FATS increase TESTOSTERONE, a powerful muscle building hormone that you can’t be without, but remember the key word here: Moderation.
BULKING – ENDOMORPHS
ENDOMORPH’S have to really focus on their bulking.
You guys are really prone to high body fat – as we’ve touched on – and being part Endomorph myself, I’d recommend to consume fast absorbing carbohydrates as LITTLE as possible. If it’s a cheat meal or your own birthday cake – go ahead! But otherwise – forget about it.
Also – keep CARBOHYDRATES confined to BREAKFAST on NON-training days – and bump up your fats to spill over your BMR by 100 calories or less.
CARBOHYDRATES
ENDOMORPH’S are very insulin sensitive and something like DEXTROSE at anytime is NOT recommended. WHOLEMEAL carbohydrates are always the preferred option here.
WHY?
ENDOMORPH’S will always have to secrete MORE insulin to ferry a particular amount of glucose to the cells. What’s so bad about this? Well, whilst this is all occurring – the bodies ability to burn fat SWITCHES OFF.
That’s why after consuming carbohydrates, an ENDOMORPH’S ability to torch fat will be turned off for longer then an ECTOMORPHS or an MESOMORPHS.
It’s a lot HARDER for an ENDOMORPH to keep body fat at bay whilst bulking up. That’s why fast absorbing carbs aren’t recommended.
BUT DON’T WE NEED FAST CARBS AFTER TRAINING? I’VE ALWAYS BEEN TOLD THAT?
It’s a great bodybuilding myth (when talking about endomorphs).
Chances are the person who told you that is selling DEXTROSE! It’s an old BRO SCIENCE/wives tale that has survived amongst locker rooms in gyms worldwide.
YES – elevated insulin levels post workout does enhance protein synthesis – but the good news is – an ENDOMORPH doesn’t need to launch them into stars to make this happen.
There’s an enzyme in your body called HEXOKINASE that’s found in skeletal muscle, which allows muscles to suck up glucose from the blood even when blood glucose levels are low. SO you don’t need HUGE amounts of insulin to uptake glucose.
But it gets better.
There’s also a particular process in which GLUCOSE is transported in your body, called GLUT-4 (Glucose transporter type 4).
These transporters lay UNDER your muscle and fat cells in the absence of insulin. But ingest some carbohydrates – and secrete some insulin – and the GLUT-4 transporter pops up to the cell’s surface, opening the door for GLUCOSE to enter the cell.
But guess what?
Weight training has been shown to boost GLUT-4 – IN THE ABSENCE OF INSULIN!
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
This means that you DO NOT have to jack insulin levels up AFTER training, in order for your muscles to uptake glucose!
You’ll be well on your way to replenishing muscle glycogen and increasing protein synthesis – without smashing fast absorbing carbohydrates like DEXTROSE – or eating a box of donuts and thinking you have a legitimate excuse.
But we must keep in mind that GLUT-4 transporters are on FAT cells too. So what we want to do is increase the storage of glucose in muscle cells – and decrease it in fat cells. How? By smashing some LOW GI (WHOLEMEAL) carbohydrates!
Get my drift?
Now for an ECTOMORPH – jacking up insulin levels is fine – because it DOES increase protein synthesis and a little bit of body fat for the gains in muscle are unavoidable.
But for the ENDOMORPH – not as much carbohydrates are required.
Shoot for 60 grams of WHOLEMEAL carbohydrates after training.
For more information on WHOLEMEAL CARBS and LOW and HIGH GI – visit my video on this topic on my YOUTUBE channel FIT’N’FLEXED here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCyhUG-UHEA
SO WHEN SHOULD AN ENDOMORPH EAT CARBOHYDRATES?
I’d recommend eating them only at BREAKFAST, PRE-WORKOUT (two hours before) and POST workout (within 30 minutes)
On the days you are not training, have some at breakfast and leave it at that. Pump in the mid morning meal if you must – but cap it at 20 grams.
ENDOMORPH’S EATING PLAN
I’d recommend starting with around 50 percent protein, 25 percent carbs and 25 percent fats for an ENDOMORPH. Give this a go and adjust accordingly. Remember – like I said in part one: Everyone is different.
Keep tabs on your results and adjust accordingly.
BULKING – MESOMORPHS
Probably the best body type when it comes to bodybuilding – you guy are very lucky.
The MESOMORPH is most similar to the ENDOMORPH, and there are a lot of similarities between bulking diets for BOTH somatypes.
The MESOMORPH has high testosterone levels naturally – so therefore fats don’t need to be as high. I’d recommend starting on 50 percent protein, 35 percent carbs and 15 percent fats to start.
POSTWORKOUT
The same rule applies here for the ENDOMORPH as it does for the MESOMORPH. Consume only WHOLEMEAL (complex) carbohydrates after training. This will decrease the chances of storing body fat.
CARBOHYDRATES
The MESOMORPH can get away with a few more carbs throughout the day though – as one is not as insulin sensitive as the ENDOMORPH. BREAKFAST is a must, as is PRE-WORKOUT (wholemeal carbs two hours before training) and post workout as outlined above.
Make sure carbohydrates are limited only to breakfast and midmorning – and fats are increased to spill over your BMR by a minimum of 200 calories.
TUCK IN THE NAPKIN – AND GET READY TO EAT!
This will be a great start for ALL bodytypes.
But remember – it merely is just a START. Keep tabs on your progress, and adjust your diet accordingly. If you feel you’re gaining too much body fat – then back off slightly.
But remember – it’s not about BODY FAT – it’s about lean mean MUSCLE. Have a weekly cheat meal – but don’t go too over board.
It’ll only make things harder for when it comes to shredding up to reveal your newfound muscle mass!
NEXT WEEK – GETTING LEAN FOR YOUR BODY TYPE.
Happy Lifting!
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