Eating Properly to Get Big
Eating Properly to Get Big
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How many times have you heard someone say “I know what to eat and I have my diet dialed in but just cant seem to gain”. Heard it a thousand times. Eating to pack on good muscular development requires a commitment that starts long before we hit the gym. We train to stimulate our muscles but we get big with eating properly to meet the demand and by getting the proper rest. If you’re getting up to an alarm clock, chances are you’re not getting enough rest. You gotta get your rest to grow quality muscle. That’s easier said than done with today’s hectic lifestyles but you have to think it through and make time to get your rest whether it’s a solid night’s sleep or q nap during the day. That’s all I’m gonna say on rest as that’s another post in itself.
Long story short – I was a skinny guy who started weight training to add some muscle to my frame. Once I started competing, I realized I needed to add more mass. I reached a point where I was eating tuna from a can and I was stuck at 228. I was really breaking my onions in the gym and just couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t gaining and my joints were flaring up on me big time. In short, my body fat percentage was too low. With the advice of a world class power lifter, I dropped the canned tuna and started eating well balanced meals. Well balanced meaning beef, foul or fish with vegetables and bread, a full amino profile. My weight shot to 268 and I was stronger than ever, I felt better and I wasn’t fat. I looked like an anatomical chart. My veins stood out like a garden hose across the hood of a car. What I learned was - My body was trying to grow all along but I just wasn’t feeding it properly and I wasn’t feeding it enough.
No one likes to hear the word DIET because it always means sacrifice i.e. you gotta make changes, give up something you like and nobody wants to hear that. BBers don’t diet. I’ve seen guys eat stuff that would make a billy goat puke. Our “Nourishment Program” is an integral part of our commitment to the sport and to our bodies. Remember, BBing is a life long investment. You don’t ever have to worry about being cut from the team because of an age requirement. The only time we back down on the calories is when we have competitions coming up or summer is coming and we don’t want to look like a “pig in a blanket” when wearing a speedo. “Portion control” is key in today’s dietary intake. Everywhere you look, we see super sizes. You don’t need a super size meal. Save half for your next feeding.
Its impossible to choke down 7000 calories a day eating sound clean food so we supplement this with protein and carb shakes. That’s ok so long as the majority of our nourishment comes from FOOD, not a shake. Don’t get me wrong, you can have a very nourishing meal from a blender and it’s less hassle than preparing a meal and the cleanup. I hate the cleanup part. And yes, you can hit the junk food but limit this as it will affect your energy levels in the gym the next day.
Training your system to accept nourishment every 2.5–3 hours is no small feat in itself. When you’re not accustomed to processing food this often, your first instinct is “I’m not hungry” but you need to eat anyway. Eat small, eat something, eat anything but eat to get yourself on the schedule. You must program the body to process the nourishment and be ready for the next feeding. When your system has adjusted, you will feel hungry at the 2 hour mark. Your system will tell you it’s time to feed again. If you’re busy and tend to forget, get yourself a $10 digital watch that you can set to go “beep” every hour. If you’re on the go whether stuck in a cubicle or in the car, carry an igloo cooler with your meals and/or snacks prepared in advance. Know what you’re eating and about how many protein, carbs and fat grams and calories you’re taking in. Keep a log book of how many meals, how many calories and grams you’re taking in over the course of the day. From this, you’ll be able to fine tune your grocery list and know what and when to buy in bulk. When your system adjusts to the new feeding cycle, your metabolism will increase as well. You’ll burn more calories and feel more energetic.
A sample of my meal plan looks something like this –
7:00am – protein and carb shake to feed a starving body
9:00am – breakfast
11:00am – workout
12:30pm – protein and carb shake post workout to replenish the body
1:30pm – lunch
3:30pm – second lunch (leftovers from the 1st lunch)
6:00pm – dinner
8:30pm – second dinner (leftovers from 1st dinner)
10:30pm – protein and carb shake before bed
This is 5 nourishing food meals and 3 protein and carb shakes per day. When preparing for a competition, I cut back on the portion size and calories not the # of meals. I carb load on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. You need to carb load to fuel the grueling workouts or you’ll run out of gas before week’s end..
Now this just touches on the subject of proper nourishment timing. It goes a lot deeper but you’ll get the jest of what I’m trying to convey here. You can trim or rearrange this schedule to meet your caloric needs. I’m sure others will have something to add to this and I welcome you all to post your personal findings.
