5 Daily Nutritional Habits To Maximize Your Muscle-to-Fat Ratio

Has this ever happened to you? You are on a beach and it seems that at every turn, freakishly ripped people surround you. The guys look like they would be a good candidate for the next World Fitness Model Champion, and you swear you have seen a few of the gals on previous covers of Oxygen Magazine.

You think to yourself, “What the hell are these people doing that I am not?!”

Easy, they follow five “simple” rules. I say “simple” in quotations because if they were really that simple, everybody would have perfect physiques with the ideal muscle-to-fat ratio.

If you are TRULY motivated and dedicated to MAXIMIZE your muscle-to-fat ratio, listen up. The five daily nutritional habits below will help you build a jaw dropping physique. Next time you are at the beach, you will have the other guys (and gals) wondering, “What the hell is he doing that I am not?!”

1. One Gram of Protein Per Pound of Bodyweight

You might think habit is pretty straightforward. You eat protein, your muscle. Easy right? Well the truth might actually shock you…

Most people do not get ENOUGH protein, the protein is not from QUALITY sources or the protein sources are not being ROTATED, and it is not being combined with other macronutrients at the right time in the right or in the right quantities. 

A)     You need at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day. For a 200lb guy, that would be 200 grams of protein. It sounds like a lot but if you divide it over six meals, which is just over 30 grams of protein per meal.

SIX MEALS? That’s right. Six.

You must constantly infuse your body with that much protein every three hours to stimulate protein synthesis and create an anabolic environment for the body.

B)     Your body is only as strong as its’ weakest amino acid. A diet that only includes one or two protein sources will limit your muscle-to-fat ratio. This is because the body craves a wide range of amino acids for proper function. Not only that, but consuming very few protein sources may create food allergies.

I recommend eating protein from several sources throughout the day. Ideally, never more than two of the same protein sources in a given day. If you are really ambitious, make it a different protein source at each meal. Good sources of protein could include but are not limited to: white fish, salmon, beef, eggs and egg whites, chicken, turkey, bison, turkey, and whey protein.

C)    Combining your protein sources with the correct macronutrient may be the BIGGEST mistake I see people making. This could make or break your efforts in creating a lean and muscle body!

For example, consuming protein and carbohydrates IMMEDIATELY post workout preps your body to start protein synthesis and replenish glycogen stores. In fact, a ratio of 3:1 or as high as 4:1 in terms of carbohydrates to protein has been shown to increase the rate of protein synthesis by 70%!

Not only that, but having carbohydrates post workout diminishes the effect of stress hormones like cortisol, and saves your muscle from protein breakdown.

2. Veggies with EVERY meal

I have already mentioned you should have six meals a day. With those meals you should have 1-2 cups of vegetables- preferably GREEN vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, spinach, kale, green beans, etc.

Not only are these foods extremely low in caloric value, they are jam packed with nutrients – vitamins, minerals, antioxidants.

Vegetables (especially greens) are high in nitric oxide to aid in the delivery of oxygen to working muscles to help your performance in the gym.

And if that wasn’t enough, eating vegetables with every meal has been shown to alkalize your body. By alkalizing your body, you are creating an anabolic environment for muscle growth and fat burning.

3. One “freebie” meal a day

Really? YES, REALLY!

“Cheat” or “re-feed” meals have their place in the process of maximizing muscle-to-fat ratio in the body. The goal here is to refuel the body and stimulate metabolism.

Ideally, try to make these meals ones that are high in carbohydrates and protein but low in fat. A 2:1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein is ideal, and GO BIG or GO HOME!

By refueling your body you will be optimizing your hormone levels that tell your body you are full, helps in muscle protein synthesis and recovery, and it switches your metabolism from one of starvation to one of fat-burning.

Anybody want a heaping plate of pasta and meatballs right now?

4. Carbohydrates at the right TIME in the right QUANTITIES

The general public and fitness enthusiasts have become fanatical when it comes to the consumption of carbohydrates. More specifically, they believe that low or no carbohydrate diets are the only way to go when you want to maximize the muscle-to-fat ratio. WRONG!

I am here to tell you it is absolutely acceptable to eat carbohydrates, but you have to EARN THEM. This is another make or break habit.

I recommend one gram of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight. But timing is extremely important.

If at all possible, the following intake for your carbohydrates is idea:

A)     Three hours before a workout: This helps optimize growth hormone release AND increased serotonin levels to help you burn-fat (growth hormone), build muscle (growth hormone), and “feel good, respectively (serotonin).  As well, three hours allows for enough time for the nutrients to get into the muscles for work.

B)     Thirty minutes INTO the workout: This can be accomplished with a carbohydrate powder. The idea here is that you will spike your insulin to prevent muscle catabolism, increase protein synthesis, and blunt the effects of cortisol (a stress hormone).

C)    One and four hours after a workout: Here, use whole foods and slow-digesting carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, etc. Your body has a significantly improved ability to use nutrients during this time. Take advantage! This will ultimately help build lean muscle and shed fat.

5. Fish oils

One of the most underutilized supplements out there is fish oil. I know that is boring. You wanted to hear about the magic pill that cuts 5% of your body fat in 5 days.

Well, I am here to tell you that this “boring” supplement is a game changer when it comes to your muscle-to-fat ratio. And there are two major benefits to take fish-oils daily:

A)     Reducing inflammation. This helps with the reduction of delayed onset muscle soreness from training.

B)     Improving insulin sensitivity. In doing to, you will be using glucose in the best possible way - shuttled it into muscle for use instead of stored it in fat. This is so pivotal in the battle to gain muscle while losing fat.

You can take fish oils evenly throughout the day with your meals. An ideal fish oil intake is one gram of fish oil per gram of body fat. That means if you have 25% body fat, you will be taking 25 grams of fish oil spaced out through the day.

Conclusion

Whelp, there it is- five of the absolute best nutritional habits to maximize your muscle-to-fat ratio. What you do with this information is up to you.

You can store is as just another “one of those tips” or you can TAKE ACTION and implement these habits TODAY so next time you are on the beach, everybody is wondering what the hell you are doing to get your physique looking so damn good!

An Under-Appreciated Muscle Building Supplement

If you’re serious about your muscle building program, you probably already know that having the right muscle building supplement in your diet is just as important as the physical training aspect. Obviously, your diet is always critical, but not just as a matter of controlling your caloric intake.

Perhaps even more important is achieving and maintaining the proper chemistry in your system, to counteract the natural acidity created by your physical training. Read on for an explanation of how to take best advantage of dietary supplements to get buff.

What is this magic muscle building supplement?

There are a number of supplements that are well-suited for various training programs, many of which are great additions and have their place in a muscle building program. But the best all-around supplement is so simple and so effective that if you’re not making good use of it, you’re really missing the boat!

Greens. That’s right… plain old, unglamorous greens! They may not sport flashy names like creatine, beta-alanine, arginine or glutamine, but greens are tough to beat when it comes to effectiveness in helping you keep an ideal muscle building balance in your system.

What’s the big deal with greens in my diet?

There are several reasons why greens need to be a part of your dietary regimen if you’re on a muscle building campaign. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and in some cases, Omega-3 fats. That alone is enough reason to ensure your diet includes hefty portions of greens each day, even if you’re not engaged in rigorous training.

But if you’re on an aggressive muscle building program, there are other even more important reasons to “eat your greens”. When you work out, your body undergoes catabolic changes, which leaves your system in an acidic state. This contributes to aggravated inflammation, so neutralizing that acidity is very important. In fact, just neutralizing it isn’t enough… you need to force your system into an alkaline state in order to maximize the benefits of your workout.

That’s why it’s always a great idea to follow a strenuous training session with a big green salad. Your body is at its most acidic right after your workout, and inflammation is already taking hold. Pushing your system into an alkaline state is important to help build muscle and burn fat, and the antioxidants present in many greens will help combat that inflammation.

The vitamin-rich nature of many greens makes them a very effective supplement for other reasons, too. Greens contain very little carbohydrate, and what little is there digests very slowly. That equates to very little impact on your blood glucose level, so the carbohydrate count can be considered negligible.

Many greens are also loaded with vitamin K, a fat-soluble vitamin that helps regulate blood clotting, may be a key regulator of inflammation (including chronic inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis), reduces calcium in arterial plaques, may help prevent diabetes and helps protect bones from osteoporosis.
The phytonutrients present in many greens make a number of contributions, too. They act as anti-inflammatory agents, antioxidants, anti-virals, anti-bacterials and aid in the repair of cellular damage.
In short, they’re nature’s own wonder-drug for those of us that are working to burn fat and build muscle.

So how should I get my greens intake?

You can get these benefits by making yourself a big fresh salad of greens, by cooking them or via various supplement powders. Cooking is fine, as long as you make good use of the nutrients that are shed during the cooking process. The water used to boil greens will be flooded with vitamins and minerals, so don’t just pour that down the drain!

Powders, of course, are convenient, especially when you’re pressed for time. And they can be added to protein drinks or flavored to meet your tastes. But a fresh salad is pretty quick to mix up, too, and can be might tasty. And greens drinks needn’t be muddy, greenish concoctions with little to offer the palate. In fact, there are several greens drinks on the market that are pleasant and flavorful, while giving you a superdose of probiotics (those are the good bacteria that we all need to have in our systems).

One of the ways that antioxidants play such an important role is that they help stabilize free radicals in our systems. Free radicals can overload our immune system, making us more vulnerable to illness and slowing our tissues’ recovery from our workouts.

Antioxidants can donate an electron to the free radical molecules, stabilizing them and neutralizing their negative impact on our system, including inflammation caused by our workout and aggravated by the free radicals.

Are there any risks to supplementing greens in my diet?

While natural greens have a lot to offer, it isn’t always a simple matter of stopping by the local market to stock up. The produce in most large markets comes from large commercial producers. If the soil in which they were grown isn’t badly depleted, then it will often have been augmented by artificial means.

That means chemicals may be present in the produce you buy, and in many instances, the plants may be genetically engineered for a higher yield. What the effects of those unnatural additives could be on your body is anyone’s guess. But it’s certainly safe to assume they’re not nearly as healthy for you as they are for the plants.

Most areas have at least one decent organic market, which is often the best way to know that you’re not buying veggies pumped full of chemicals. Failing that, you can try a local farmer’s market. Those greens may or may not be organic, though, so just ask… the smaller operations often will be organic.

If you purchase powder supplements, this usually isn’t an issue, as most supplement manufacturers use organic produce in their products. Either way, though, you’re better off knowing what you’re putting into your system.

How can I make my own greens shake?

If you’re not a big fan of salads and don’t want to buy powdered greens supplement, you can make some very tasty shakes and get much of the same benefit. For instance, here’s a simple base recipe:

• 2 cups organic chopped fresh greens such as spinach or kale, thick stems removed
• 1 mango, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup original or unsweetened rice-milk
• 1 banana
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons organic soy protein powder
• Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

Of course, you can get inventive and experiment with other fruits for different flavors. Berries are always a good choice and you can get a wide variety of tastes with them. Finely ground nuts make a tasty addition, as well.

The important thing is, however you decide to take them, don’t forget how important your greens are to your muscle building training. Neither your physical training nor your diet can get you where you want to be, without the other.

8 Steps to a Muscle-Building Diet

Everyone talks about calories. Whether the goal is to lose weight or gain muscle, everyone wants to know that magic number. The truth is that everyone’s caloric needs are different. The exact amount has to do with existing body weight and activity level. If you’re an average person, you need to consume 10 calories for every pound of body weight just to maintain your existing weight. Gradually increasing that by an additional 500-1000 calories a day will help with weight gain. In fact, an additional 7 calories per pound are required to be able to perform intense weight training exercises and cardio. So, for example, a 170 pound individual would need to consume 2,890 calories a day in order to be able to build quality muscle (170 x 17 = 2890).

The percentage of where these calories are coming from is equally important. Bodybuilders do well with a 40/30/30 ratio, 40% complete complex carbs, 30% protein and 30 % fats. This, of course, is a guideline. Listen to your body; everyone has different dietary responses. Your metabolism, body fat levels and insulin sensitivity will all factor in on how your body responds. If you are not seeing results or aren’t happy with how you feel, make adjustments until you arrive at a ratio that works for you.

Ideally, when attempting to build muscle, your overall goal should be to gain anywhere from half a pound to two pounds of muscle each week. Adding extra calories, above your normal intake, will promote faster results. There is, however, a right way and a wrong way to do this. The tips below can help you in your muscle building diet regime.

1.  Start your day off right with an organic greens supplement. Infusing your body with vitamins and minerals as well as phytonutrients, amino acids, alkaline salts and chlorophyll is a great way to wake up. Not only will you be neutralizing acid but you will be ensuring that your cells are able to thrive in a healthy environment.
2.  Create a rhythm to your meals by eating five, calorie-rich meals at regular intervals throughout the day. Be sure to include healthy, whole foods as well as one muscle-building, protein shake each day. The extra calories may initially seem excessive, but are necessary to aid muscle growth.
3. In addition to eating at regular intervals, be sure to space your carbs out throughout the day as well. In fact, consuming carbs before training, during training, 1 hour after training and 4 hours after training is ideal. The key is to only give your body carbs when needed for intense activity. 
4.  In addition, to spacing your carbs out at key points throughout the day it is equally important to vary the source of your carbs. Consuming strictly potatoes at every meal does not help your body perform at its peak and may cause food allergies. For the best results, alternate between potatoes, yams, brown rice, Ezekiel bread, oatmeal, beans and small amounts of fruit. If you are substituting a shake for a meal, the best solution would be a carb powder like Vitargo or Karbolyn, which are the top two choices on the market currently. Gatorade can substitute in a pinch. 
5.  Proteins are an important part of any muscle-building diet. They help our bodies boost both digestion and absorption. Be sure to vary your protein sources, selecting from quality options like buffalo, sirloin, poultry, salmon and eggs. If you are substituting a protein shake, hydrolyzed protein is the top powder supplement. 
6.  Don’t forget your veggies. They taste good and they’re good for you. Adding a least 1 cup of vegetables to your plate at every meal helps with digestion, absorption and controlling blood sugar levels. 
7.  Like everything else, change up the sources of your fat at every meal. Eating a variety of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats is good for you. There are many great sources to use that are healthy and taste great.  Try nuts and seeds (walnuts, pecans, cashews or almonds as well as pumpkin and sunflower seeds), nut butters, coconut oil and olive oil. 
8. Drinking a shake 30 minutes into your workout not only keeps you hydrated but also helps to reduce the effect of cortisol being released into your bloodstream and to encourage muscle growth. Be sure to include 30-50 grams of carb powder, 5-10 grams of glutamine, 5-10 grams of branch chain amino acids, and 3-5 grams of creatine for a powerful boost.

Just to give you a better understanding of what these tips mean in terms of real food, here is a sample daily meal plan for a person weighing 200 pounds who is interested in gaining muscle. Of course, you can adjust this according to your needs, personal tastes and budget.

Sample Meals:

Meal 1
8 oz of extra lean beef

3 whole eggs
1 cup of veggies

2 ounces of mixed nuts

Meal 2 (Pre-Workout)
8 oz of white fish 

2 cups pasta (preferable whole wheat)
1 cup of tomato sauce
1 cup of veggies

Meal 3/ Workout Shake (Begin Sipping During Workout)
80 grams of carb powder + Glutamine, Creatine, BCAA
15 minutes later – 40 grams of isolate protein

Meal 4 (1 Hour Post Workout)
12 oz of chicken 

12 oz of sweet potato
2 cups of veggies

Meal 5 (4 Hours Post Workout)
8 oz of turkey

2 cups of broccoli

1 cup of egg whites

2 cups of brown rice
1 slice of low-fat cheese
1 cup of veggies 

Meal 6:
10 oz steak or salmon
1 cup of veggies

2 oz avocado

The “Freebie” Meal

Everyone gets busy. It happens to the best of us. Work.Family obligations.The alarm clock. I’ve designed this diet plan to allow room for a “Freebie” meal, which is basically anything you want, even a burger and fries. The goal is to hit your calories for the day and move on. Don’t let little hurdles get in the way.

The best way that I have found to follow a diet plan like this is to keep a food log. Use a notebook; make an excel spreadsheet, whatever works for you. Keep track of your calories and break it down by how many grams of protein, carbs and fats you are ingesting. By logging your daily intake, you have a better picture of your journey, where you have been and where you are headed. If you do not feel on pace to hit your goals, you can look over your notes and easily make changes. See where you went wrong or what worked in the past. 

Building muscle is a goal that you can accomplish. The above tips can help you reach that goal. And, just for inspiration:

“An athlete who tells you the training is always easy and always fun simply hasn't been there. Goals can be elusive, which makes the difficult journey all the more rewarding.” (Alberto Salazar)

The Great Protein Debate – Powder vs. Real Deal

Let’s start by saying that for general nutrition, real food wins hands down. At one point in time, society thought that engineered, altered and enhanced were good, healthy words. We now know that nothing man-made tops Mother Nature. Whole foods should make up the majority of your diet, whether you are eating to build muscle, lose fat or just because it tastes good. In fact, I like to say,

“If you want to look solid and feel solid, your diet should consist of solid foods.”

In today’s go-go-go world, however, lifestyle sometimes dictates different choices throughout the day. It is tough to prepare an entire steak dinner when you barely had enough time to squeeze in a workout. In fact, most days it’s tough to fit it all in. That said, there are pros and cons to using protein powders and to using whole foods.

The Pros of the Powder
Believe it or not, even though I firmly believe in whole foods, there are several pros to using protein powder. 

1. Convenience. We are all busy. Once we factor in work, a social life and working out, there is little time left in the day. Taking the time to prepare protein rich foods several times a day is not always possible. In fact, body-builders require up to 7 meals a day. Quality, protein-dense foods like fish, lean meats and eggs just are not available via vending machine or offered at the local drive-thru (pink slime, anyone?). Having the option to use a few scoops of protein powder in an on-the-go shake is a great time-saving trick for anyone when time is tight.
2. Dieter’s Compliance. When losing weight, calories need to be cut. Unfortunately, cutting calories sometimes leads to cutting down grams of protein when, in fact, protein is needed to maintain muscle mass, manage appetite, control blood sugars and provide a feeling of fullness. Protein powders can accomplish all these duties while keeping the overall caloric intake lower.
3. Absorption Rate. Whereas whole foods are great for nutrition, it takes time for our bodies to break them down and be able to absorb them. Protein powder, on the other hand, is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and put to work. This is especially helpful post-workout, when protein synthesis and glycogen re-synthesis have increased rates.
4. Drinkable. That may seem like an obvious statement, but, when adding calories to your diet in order to bulk up, sometimes physically eating that much whole food is not possible. Skinny guys with smaller appetites have difficulty consuming the necessary calories when they are still full from the last meal. In fact, even body-builders know that it can be easier to drink the extra calories than to chew them. Plus, you can add a variety of foods to your shake to change the flavor and up the caloric content.

The Real Deal
Whole foods like red meat, dairy, eggs, poultry and fish are crammed full of Mother Nature’s goodness. They are filled with awesome nutrients like vitamins, amino acids, essential fatty acids and saturated fat. There are so many reasons why whole foods are superior to man-made powders. The two most important ones are:

1. Processed. We have all seen enough in-depth reports, nightly news stories and YouTube videos to know to be wary of processed foods. The truth is that no man-made product can come close to reproducing the high quality nutrients that come from whole foods. The nutrients are either damaged during processing, unnaturally fortified or just plain synthetic. Your body simply cannot optimize the nutrients available in a powder the way it can in whole foods.
2. Variety. I am a huge proponent of food rotation. Not only does it help with boredom, but it is essential in avoiding food allergies. Many athletes develop allergies, from mild to severe, due to their constant consumption of the same protein sources. In fact, rotating protein sources is key to promoting optimal heath and building lean muscle. It is difficult to rotate your protein sources when they are in powder form. With whole foods, however, it is much easier to change from fish to chicken to beef and back again.

An Important Note
Not all food is created equal. Our primary goal is usually to eat healthy, to consume enough calories to gain lean muscle and to optimize the calories that we do eat. Stop. Back up. We need to recognize that where our food came from is becoming increasingly important. Food that appears to be whole, to be healthy, to be nutritious can be less nutritionally dense and sometimes even toxic. If your budget allows it, find sources for whole foods that are free of exposure to pollution, chemicals, pesticides, growth hormones and other harmful toxins. You are working so hard to grow a solid body; it does not need to become needlessly polluted.

See For Yourself
If you still don’t believe that you need to limit your reliance on protein powders and consume the majority of your calories from whole foods, test it out for yourself. For one month, try consuming 1 protein shake and five whole food meals. Drink the shake immediately after your workout. Do not change anything else about your routine or your day. At the end of that month, take your measurements. For the next month, eat just three whole food meals a day and drink three protein shakes. Do not change anything else about your routine or diet.

Take your measurements again. Measure your calves, legs, waist, shoulders, chest and arms with a tape measure and measure your body fat with calipers. You may be surprised at the results, but you will know the importance of relying on whole foods for the majority of your calories first-hand. In addition, pay close attention to the other signals your body gives you over the month. Sleep quality, performance at the gym, speed of recovery after your workout and overall energy levels are all important. Pay attention to how your body reacts with more whole food meals as well as with the additional powder substitutes.

The key take away from this is that the more whole foods you can eat, the better. Protein powder is convenient. There is no denying that. A shake can be made on the go, with little effort and can fit into just about everyone’s busy schedule. The calories are easy to control, whether you need to bulk up or slim down and the protein itself is easily absorbed post-workout. Whole foods, however, are nutrient-rich and good for you. Processing not only destroys many of these nutrients, but may also add unnecessary chemicals and toxins. The human body has survived for thousands of years on whole foods. The phrase “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” comes to mind.