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In this day and age of high tech this and that, the basic foundation of good nutrition has been lost in the maze.

This article is not another scientific you must eat ’x’ amount of protein, on a full moon on a Thursday night, standing on one leg! My purpose with this plan is to concentrate on the food we eat. I am going to make this very simple, but don’t be put off by the simplicity of this article. It is muscle building stuff that many of my gym members and myself follow with great results.

Not enough food
One of the biggest mistakes many bodybuilders make is they don’t take in enough food for energy expended. What people fail to realise is that the body not only needs food (energy) to complete an awesome workout, but also energy that is required to replenish energy expended and to rebuild tissue broken down during exercise. Muscle cannot be built on air, just like you cannot build a house without bricks and mortar!

You must be in a positive calorie balance with your nutrient intake in order to gain new muscle tissue. Making sure you are is very simple and only takes a few minutes a day.

The food log
Buy a calorie counter and note pad and simply keep track of everything you eat and drink in a day. Do this at first for around seven days, weighing yourself at the beginning and end of the seven days. If at the end of the seven days you have not gained or lost weight, the days total calories you have been eating is maintaining your bodyweight. If you are happy with your condition, i.e. just about carrying the right amount of body fat, we shall set about gaining some muscle.

Simply increase your calories by around 300 per day from a good food source. Make sure you eat that amount everyday without fail and this will help you gain around one-and-a-half lbs a month. This is an ideal amount to gain, as it will be nearly all muscle. We don’t want to gain fat, anybody can do that.

If at the end of the month, weighing yourself at the same time, same conditions, you have not gained a pound, then the following month add another 100 calories of so per day, until you are gaining a good pound a month. In three months with over three pound a month. In three months with over three pounds of muscle more on your frame, you will look a lot different. If you don’t believe me, go and buy 3lb of steak from the butcher’s and standing in front of a mirror, put a steak on each shoulder or on your chest and then you will see what I mean!

If before starting the food log, you feel you need to lose a few pounds of body fat, well just reverse the situation. Find your maintenance level and reduce by around 300 or so calories a day and do some aerobics two or three times a week for around 20 minutes. This will drop around 1/2lb a week of pure fat without losing muscle. When you get up to a body fat level that pleases you add the calories up until it maintains your weight then increase very slowly like the first example 300 calories or so, then if you are not gaining a pound a month, add another 100 calories or so until you are gaining good muscle tissue.
This is without a doubt the best way of gaining muscle tissue, it is very simple and takes all the guesswork out and takes but a few minutes a day to write your calories for the day. One point I must stress though is muscle has to be stimulated with hard work, otherwise there will be no growth.

Foods to eat
I am constantly asked ‘what are the best foods to eat?’ In many years of trial and error, trying every combination of protein, carbs and fats. I have settled on again a very simple eating program, that after 15 years of training is giving me maximum results, in gains of a pound of muscle a month. I do look physically different. The diet I follow is what I have called, ‘something from every food group diet’, i.e. breads, meats, fish, dairy products, veg, nuts, fruit, eggs and cereals. I try to eat these foods every day, this way I leave nothing to chance, I get all the micro nutrients and vitamins I need, to gain healthy muscle tissue.

Points
1. Unless you are trying to lose bodyfat, don’t worry about fat too much, but don’t go overboard on it either, eating burgers and the like. You do need a healthy balance of fats to allow hormone production and for the assimilation of many vitamins and minerals. You will gain a healthy amount from eggs (full) nuts and seeds, meats and dairy products.

2. Try to eat 55-60% of your total calories from carbohydrates. Cereals, potatoes, rice, vegetables, breads and fruit. This will give you fullness in the muscle and plenty of energy. It will also leave protein free for doing what it does best, and that is building and maintaining muscle tissue.

3. Eat a meal every 3 hours. This will allow for best digestion and protein absorption. Giving your body small amounts often will keep a steady constant supply. Eating every 3 hours will is also good for keeping your metabolism stoked.

4. If you find you are underweight and struggle to eat the calories needed, a good weight gain drink can be used, taken in-between meals of after, instead of a cup of tea or coffee. This will boost up the calories of each meal. The best one I can recommend is Maximuscle Progain. This is high I carbs and of medium protein, so it does not overload your system with too much protein if you want add it to your meal.

5. Supplements are good but only when combined with good food. Good food is the number one priority.

What I eat on a typical day. This is just to give you a point of reference. After competing in December 1997, it took my body until around September 1998 to settle down, back to where I was before dieting for the shows. I then set myself up a 3500 calories a day at a bodyfat level I was happy with. The first month I gained 1/4 lb pound so I upped my calories to 3700, then I gained a pound the following month, then I stuck the month thereafter, so I increased my calories to 3800 and still didn’t gain. I think this was because my metabolism was getting back to normal. At the time of writing this article, February 1999 I am now on 4000 calories a day. This is perfect a pound a month without fail.

The pounds I have gained have been pure muscle, as I have a bodyfat test done each month and my bodyfat percentage has reduced slightly with the gain coming from muscle tissue.

These examples have been taken from my diary. I have left the calories, protein and carb detail out to simply show the foods eaten.

Friday 22nd January
7:30 Breakfast: Eggs, museli and milk

10:30 Mid-morning: Rice, corn and chicken

1:30 Lunch: Progain, bagel and glass of milk

4:30 Mid-afternoon: Rice, corn, chicken and fruit

7:00 Evening meal: Bagel and progain

10:30 Supper: Eggs, toast and yoghurt

11:30 Bedtime: Milk and honey (warm)

Friday 5th February
8:00 Breakfast: Oats, with milk and raisins.

10:00 Mid morning: Toast and Progain

1:00 Lunch: Museli and cottage cheese mixed together

4:00 Mid afternoon: Progain and fruit

7:00 Evening: Fish, salad with cheese and potato

10:30 Supper: Eggs, bagel and yoghurt.

As you can see, these are very basic eating plans. I change foods around each day and eat everything in its best possible state. For example, I always choose free-range eggs, goat’s milk, organic breads, cereals, cheese and yoghurts.

I hop you find this article of some use in your own quest for gaining muscle, you don’t have to be a scientist to be a good body builder. Simply train with unwavering intensity, using the heaviest weight you can in good form, and discipline yourself to a regular and sensible dietary plans outlined here. Till the next time, take care, train hard and eat well!