How To Clean Bulk: Build Muscle With Minimal Fat

Some argue that the traditional bulking-cutting cycle is the most effective, while others say that it's best to gain muscle without building fat in the first place.

So the main question is, "Should I bulk and then cut, or just build lean muscle??

The answer to this lies in your diet, so let's look at some basic nutrition factors to see how what you eat affects your ability to gain muscle.

It sound pretty cliche but that's because it is absolutely true: what you eat and the amount of food you eat every day directly impacts your ability to build muscle. And yes I said FOOD not just PROTEIN! Unlike many people believe, just because you take in huge amounts of protein doesn't mean you are maximizing muscle growth.

So how does food play such an important role in building muscle?

Well, your body burns a certain amount of energy every day, which is measured in calories. Naturally, the body gets this energy mainly from the food you eat, and the fat you store.

If you're feeding your body less energy that it burns, then you are in a "calorie deficit", which results in weight loss and fat burning. The thing is, this also means that your ability to create muscle is greatly reduced.

This is why you really can't build muscle AND lose fat at the same time (unless you are under the influence of certain drugs).

What does this mean for you?

It means that if you're serious about bulking then you literally need to OVER-eat. In other words you need to "eat big to get big".

This comes with limits of course, one of the most common myths out there is that you can just eat whatever you want when you're bulking. This will make you bulk all right, although probably not in the way you want to.

Okay so you don't want to under-eat, but you want to avoid over-overeating too, so what's the right amount?

Here's an easy rule of thumb for how much food you should eat to maximize your muscle growth: Eat 10% more calories than you burn every day.

By maintaining this small "calorie surplus," you ensure that your body's ability to synthesize muscle proteins can work at full capacity, and you minimize fat storage.

It goes without saying that these calories should come from healthy whole foods with natural sources of carbs, protein and vitamins and minimal fat. Okay... maybe one cheat meal per week or so but remember this is a CLEAN bulk!

Here a good rule of thumb in terms of expectations: Ideally you want to tweak your diet until you are gaining between.5 - 1.5 pounds of weight per week.

If you're gaining more than 2 pounds per week for any more than your first 2 - 3 weeks of weightlifting, then you're eating too much (you're gaining too much fat).

If you're gaining less than 1 pound per week and you still haven't gained your first 20 pounds of muscle, then you should be eating a bit more.

So, there you go that's how you bulk properly-you eat the right amount of food which enables your body to put on pounds of muscle, while minimizing its ability to store fat.

Now the question is, when should I stop bulking and focus on cutting?

The answer to this is quite simple and it depends on your body fat percentage.

Guys, if you're over 15% body fat or girls if you're over 25% then you should cut fat.

Why this number?

Well, there's the visual factor (once you get above 15%, you start looking "fat" - abs completely disappear, muscles look like big blobs, etc.), but there's more.

The reality is, the fatter you are, the easier it is to get fatter and stay fat, which significantly gets in the way of building muscle.

As body fat levels rise its ability to burn fat decreases, and the likelihood of storing carbohydrate as fat increases.

So if you were considering "dirty" bulking just know that the excessive weight gain during a "dirty" or "dreamer bulk" impairs muscle growth and makes undoing the weight gain even harder.

That being said:

Guys, if you're between 10 - 12% body fat and girls between 20 - 22% and need to put on size, then you should bulk.


For more great articles on how to gain serious muscle visit: http://www.themotivateme.com/gainseriousmass/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Victor_E._Garcia/2036740

Ideal Ways to Build Muscle

When you go on a fitness journey, you need to set goals. Whether it be losing weight, building muscle, or maintaining the progress you have made; setting and maintaining your goals will be your cornerstone of success. Me personally, I started my fitness journey about 4 years ago. My original goal was to lose weight, and I achieved that goal but I realized building muscle would suit me better. I had researched through many articles, forums, and medical publications in effective ways to build muscle.

Adjust Your Training

Depending on how you work out, will help determine what you are aiming to do to your body. If you are aiming to lose weight a more cardio oriented workout schedule would be helpful, but at the same time do not be afraid to lift weights. Now for building muscle, lifting weights is probably one of your best bets. You can also do body weight exercises as well, such as pushups, pull ups, and sit ups. When you lift weights, especially if you are just starting do not go beyond your means, preventing injury is your greatest priority.

The perfect rep range for building muscle is from at least 8 to 12 reps and at least 3 to 4 sets of the exercise, with a moderately heavy weight. On the last 2-3 reps of each set per exercise you should struggle a little. Now you ask "Why this rep range?" well this rep range is ideal for hypertrophy. Hypertrophy is when you specifically train a muscle to grow. When you lift the weight repeatedly, you pump blood into muscle constricting it and making it grow. Also do not keep doing the same things, if you do your body can hit a plateau and not grow anymore. Changing your training and confusing your body can actually make it perform even better.

Change Your Diet

Your diet is probably your most important part when it comes to building muscle. A lot of it comes down to calories in versus calories out. If you are wanting to gain size, you need to be on a caloric surplus diet, and if you are aiming to lose weight you put yourself on a caloric deficit. There is a difference in what kind calories you put in your body though. Your calories could be considered "empty" meaning that they have no nutritional value. You can eat candy full of calories but that won't help you build muscle, it's just sugar which can actually make you gain unhealthy fat. What I consider one of your biggest allies when building muscle is protein. Protein is primarily found in meats and is the biggest supplement to your training in building muscle. Generally beef would have some of the highest protein content but it can also have some of the higher fat contents as well. Most people stick with chicken because it averages about 24 grams of protein per 8 ounces, and is generally the leanest type of meat to eat.

Supplements do help but you shouldn't full rely on them to change your body completely. What I consider a good supplement to add to your diet is creatine. Creatine can be used to help increase size and strength. It can found naturally in foods but not enough, so that's why sometimes it is good to add that into your diet. Whey protein is also good to add as well, whey protein is extracted primarily from dairy products such as milk and is a purer form of just protein. In essence the more protein in your diet the more muscle you build.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Joshua_Kennedy/2217959

The 8 Foods That Build Muscle and Maximize Your Body-Building Efforts

Once you have committed to a health and fitness regimen you need to know the best foods to include in your diet. For those who just want to lose a few pounds the answer is simple enough, you can reach your goal by eating healthy foods, eliminating most sugars and fats and reducing your daily calorie count.

If you want to build bulk and develop stronger muscles for your body then you will have to target eight foods that offer your body some other factors besides just some reduced calories. It is going to be easy to add lean muscle to your frame once you understand why these 8 select foods are so important.

Essential 8 Foods for Maximizing Muscular Development


Eggs
Legumes
Nuts
Kale
Spinach
Fish Oil
Seafood
Bran Brown Rice Quinoa



Power Up with Protein for Maximum Muscles

Protein is one of the most important "building blocks" necessary for the development of powerful body muscles. You should choose foods that contain large amounts of protein to help you acquire larger muscle mass.

These include foods such as eggs and legumes.

The protein in an egg is divided between the yolk and the egg white.
Most serious body builders will eat all of an egg, while those who need to lose a few pounds will concentrate on eating just the egg white.

Nuts are another important source of protein, vitamins and minerals. If you want to build body muscle naturally then add peanut butter, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pecans and pistachio nuts to your diet.

*You can also include healthy lean meat choices such as turkey, beef, chicken and pork. These are the kinds of foods that will all give your body the protein that it needs to create stronger muscles. One interesting point to remember is that your body eliminates excess protein instead of storing it for future use.

Leafy Greens

Eat large amounts of leafy green veggies such as kale and spinach. These vegetables will contribute iron, essential vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. For healthy, strong muscle tissue you should include several servings of these leafy greens in your daily diet.

Fish Oil - Fresh Seafood

Fish oil, seafood and some choice fresh water fish can help you boost your protein intake. You will also give you body a supply of important Omega3-fatty acids that promote a stronger cardiovascular system. Look for wild salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, shrimp and "oily fish" when you are developing a muscle-building dietary plan.

Whole Grains Offer a Healthy Explosion of Work-out Energy

You should also be adding whole grain food products to your diet. Bran, brown rice and quinoa can provide you with sources of long-lasting energy without overloading your system with sugars, starches and unnecessary carbohydrates.

Balance your Meals with other Healthy Food Choices

Your body will still need a regular supply of carbohydrates, healthy fats, fruits and veggies. While these do not contribute directly to the building of muscle tissue these food groups will still contribute essential elements that your body requires. All of these components are necessary to meet the nutritional demands of a rigorous muscle-building regimen.

When you want to eat foods to build muscle tissue do not overlook the nutritional value of tomatoes, potatoes, corn and beans. These are all foods that contain little fat, few calories and still deliver a potent punch of healthy vitamins and minerals that will help you develop larger, stronger muscles.

Olive oil, butter, cheese and yogurt should also be considered for inclusion in your muscle-building diet. These are food items that promote better health and vitality. You can also use these food choices to provide your body with some much needed energy before and after those weight-lifting routines.

Summary

Once you have determined which are your favorite foods that build muscle you can structure healthy meals each day of the week. Then you will be able to get the most out of those amazing work-outs and impress others with your rapid muscle development.

For more info for muscle building tips please visit: www.fitnessmx.com


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Michael_JJ/2113853

How to Build Muscle Mass - 5 Essential Steps

While working out and getting bigger seems like a great idea too many, it can be hard to know where to start and how to build muscle mass. Everyone seems to have their own set of rules as to what works and what doesn't. Be that as it may, there are a few basic ideas which have become excepted in the world of bodybuilding. The five steps below on how to build muscles mass should provide just the information you need top get started down that path.

Step 1 - Maintaining a Caloric Surplus

Your body needs energy to produce a significant amount of muscle after a workout. That energy comes from calories. Unfortunately, there's no way around that. To maximize your body's ability to build muscle, you should be taking in more calories than your body is able to expend on a daily basis. This doesn't mean you should eat as much as you can; a 500 calorie surplus is no more effective than a 100 calorie surplus. There are many calorie calculators available online, such as the ones at CalorieKing.com and Calculator.net. One should aim for 100 to 200 calories higher than their body needs (even after factoring in the calories burned while working out) to make sure their body has what it needs to build muscle.

Step 2 - Getting all the Macronutrients

While our bodies need calories to build muscle, that doesn't mean it is advisable to get those calories through any means possible. Most of those calories should be coming from protein, carbohydrates and fat. These are referred to as macronutrients. Without them, your body won't be able to keep up with your workout routine. The amount of each varies per person, but as far as protein goes, everyone should be eating at least 1.5 grams per pound of body weight.

Step 3 - Never Go Into a Catabolic State

A catabolic state is when your body has no fuel (food) in it's system and begins to feed on it's fat and muscle. This is how weight loss works. But we don't want to lose weight, we want to gain it. Protein shakes are especially effective when it comes to preventing catabolic states. Gulping down a whey protein shake first thing in the morning is a great way to instantly put fuel in your body until breakfast time. Also, it is advisable to fill up on protein-rich foods before bed so as not to let your body starve in the middle of the night. Things like chicken and cottage cheese are perfect for this.

Step 4 - Workout to Build Muscle, Not Strength

Powerlifting and bodybuilding are two very different things. A quick Google-search of the world's strongest men might astound you. Professional powerlifters workout for the sole purpose of gaining strength as opposed to muscle mass and their bodies show it. Whether you gain mass or muscle depends on your workout regime. The basic idea is that more reps equals more mass. If you can bench press 150 pounds for only 3 reps, then maybe you should lift something a little lighter. Your muscles shouldn't fail until 8 to 12 reps in. And as far as sets go, 2 to 3 sets of each workout has shown to be the most beneficial for gaining mass.

Step 5 - Don't Overtrain

When first starting out, the rush and excitement from lifting can make it difficult to stay away from the gym. However, it is important to give each muscle group at least one day's rest between workouts. Failing to do so won't only hinder your progress, but you can actually lose muscle from working out to much. Many bodybuilders find it beneficial to workout a different muscle group each session. This way they can still go to the gym every day without overtraining.

As said earlier, everyone has their own ideas as to what works best for gaining muscle mass. However, the above steps are fairly accepted and universal throughout the world of body building. It can be hard learning how to build muscle mass, but these steps are the first, and probably most important, ones to take. Happy lifting.


By Michael J

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