The best way to monitor the proper amount of calories you are getting is by controlling portion sizes at mealtime. For most meals (not including postworkout), aim to get 30-50 grams of protein and 30-70 grams of carbs, depending on your size; bigger guys weighing more than, say, 225 pounds will shoot for the higher end. Dietary fat should be as low as possible, except for healthy fats (from nuts, olive oil, fatty fish), which can amount to 5-10 grams per meal.
Remember in article @1 meal timing is the other key to staying lean while bulking up. When you eat it should support mass gains, but also plays a pivotal role in controlling bodyfat levels. If you?re trying to gain only quality mass, increase the size of your meals at breakfast and after training. These are the two times of day when muscles crave more calories and nutrients ? at breakfast because you?re nutritionally depleted after a night?s sleep, and postworkout because the stressed muscles are in need of replenishment. This really helps to start the recovery process.
In short, smart growth muscle vs bodyfat ? is all about manipulating calorie intake. Yes, you have to eat more to gain mass, but when you eat more can determine whether you?ll gain fat or muscle. If you stick to a large breakfast and a substantial post-training meal and evenly divide your other meals into smaller portions, you can boost your total caloric intake, ensuring that those extra calories go to the muscles when they need them.
Another consideration: how to eat on days you don?t train. Muscles require rest days to grow, but you shouldn?t scarf down the quantity of carbohydrates you do on training days since the demand for carbs can fall considerably when you?re inactive. This is where people often get into trouble ? they continue to maintain a high-carb intake on days they don?t hit the iron and aren?t burning through a lot of carbohydrates. The end result will be a rise in unwanted bodyfat, especially around the lower back and midsection.
The basics of our lean-mass meal plan sums everything up. As far as portion size goes, the diet delivers a roughly equal amount of protein and carbs for most meals. You?ll eat six times per day to supply your body with critical nutrients, especially aminos, for driving muscle growth, and meal timing focuses around workouts and time of day. On training days, you get to eat more carbs overall (almost 2 grams per pound of bodyweight) and your postworkout meal is loaded with them. Try this at another time of day and it could lead to fat gain; here it will spur muscle growth.
I hope this helps- Part 3 tomorrow.
