If like us, this season you are working towards gaining some serious mass yet stay lean, overall calorie count, protein count -and most importantly- carbohydrate count must not be overlooked. Without fuel to grow, strategic quality muscle gain is practically impossible.
Of course, as we grow and muscle gain plateaus, our diets will change and perhaps will then increase once again. Matt will monitor the progression and increase these figures approximately once every 6 weeks.
As a bodybuilder or even someone who just loves to train, it is easy to get stuck with the good old sweet potato, pasta, rice, beans, bagels, or any other easy and convenient sources of carbs, day in and day out.
However, when you are looking to mixing it up, keep some variety to your pallet, and keep boredom and cravings at bay, the daunting task close to mission impossible looms.
But here are some other sources of carbohydrates you might want to consider when your diet requires lean muscle building in a short and systematic time frame.
One of our recent favorites is corn tortillas. The average nutritional value per piece is: 52 calories, 11% fat, 82% carbs, and 7% protein. Not a bad choice! Fill it up with your protein of choice, be it beef, poultry or fish and you got yourself a treat.
Quinoa is a (somewhat unpalatable) pseudocereal with an average of 60% carbohydrate content and all essential amino acids intact and ready to roar through your system.
If you’re thinking what I’m thinking – regular consumption during the mass gain period – Quinoa was found in recent studies to promote muscle growth by increasing IGF-1 (Insulin-like growth factor 1) levels.
Barley is a cereal with an average of 77% carbohydrate content, containing 8 essential amino-acids. The trusted source –Wikipidia- informs us: According to a recent study, eating whole-grain barley can regulate blood sugar (i.e. reduce blood glucose response to a meal) for up to 10 hours after consumption). Do I need to say more?
Fruit is potentially the less obvious choice and one that bodybuilders often overlook. You tend to see a lot of carnivore bodybuilder’s that won’t take a second look at a fruit basket (no pun intended); however, fruit is up there on muscle building potential. So fear no more, and grab an apple with both hands and take a healthy bite. Fructose won’t do much damage.
So, how to gain mass?
- Aim to consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight
- Aim to consume 0.5 grams of fat per pound of body to keep testosterone levels high
- Aim to consume 1 to 2 gram of carbs per pound of body weight
- Aim to have overall calories around 300-500 above your total calorie requirements for the day (see online Harris-Benedict formula calculators to suggest your daily requirements)
- Increase your IGF-1 with the aid of quality and diverse protein sources, carbohydrates, milk and adequate supplementation
What Prozis Products can help you gain lean mass?
- Gaspari MyoFusion – containing muscle building protein
- Gaspari Real Mass – containing muscle building protein and carbs
- Gaspari GlycoFuse (coming soon to the UK) – a source of carbs
- Gaspari AminoLast – An intraworkout aid designed to keep you anabolic
- BCAA’s
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Whey protein hydrolysate
Please share with us your view on carbohydrates. Do you currently follow a certain diet? Are you combining various sources of carbs in your daily routine or do you prefer to stick to similar food items? Is variety really the spice of life?
