Day 1 of the 5 Day Hypertrophy Bootcamp, East Greenwich, Rhode Island!

Instructors:
Charles Poliquin
Ben Pakulski
Derek Woodske
Ryan Fanley

Welcome to my daily report of the 2012 Hypertrophy Bootcamp!  Here’s how we were greeted:

“Over the next five days you’re going to learn FIFTEEN (15) hypertrophy methods.  Each day we’ll train three times and each time we train you’ll learn one new method. After the next five days you need to take five complete days off.  No deload day or “active recovery”. Nothing. The next five days you’ll each gain 5-7 pounds of muscle. Any questions so far?”

Yesterday I shared the rules and protocols behind my muscle building diet and today we’re going to show you the muscle building foods with a sample meal plan.  Be sure to read yesterday’s blog post before this one.  Don’t worry about the portion sizes of the meals, which are details provided in the muscle building diet post. Instead, understand the logic behind each decision.

Meal 1: The Meat & Nuts Breakfast (Protein + Fats + Veggies) 

8 oz of buffalo patties + 2 whole organic eggs + spinach and tomatoes + 1 oz of mixed nuts.

The logic: The single best dietary tip I learned in 2011 to optimize leanness, energy and concentration is rotating different meats and nuts for breakfast.  This foods combination is excellent for controlling blood sugar levels via the meat and nuts combination. Everyone I’ve spoken to reports improved mental focus and energy instead of the typical high carb breakfast.  Rotate your meats and nuts every few days.  Turkey, chicken, venison, buffalo, ground beef, sirloin or wild game are great. Rotate your nut sources from almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts and brazil nuts.  I add two whole organic eggs and veggies and hot sauce for taste.  This breakfast takes less than five minutes to prepare and has become one of my staples for managing leanness and work productivity.                     

How To Customize Your Own Muscle Building Diet
By Vince Del Monte

Before customizing your own muscle building diet, your general goal should be to gain a half-pound to two pounds of muscle each week.  That is two to four pounds of muscle each month. To accomplish this weight increase, you will need to gradually consume an extra 500-1000 quality calories a day above your basal metabolic rate and exercise exertion requirements.  These additional calories will promote faster muscle growth.

The average hard-training individual will need to consume at least 10 calories per pound of body weight just to meet their daily basal metabolic requirements.  These same individuals need to take in an additional 7 calories per pound of body weight to meet any daily activity need that requires movement and focused exercise such as weight training and cardio.  For example, an individual who weighs 180 pounds, who is moderately active throughout his regular life, and who weight trains intensely and consistently, will need to consume approximately 3,600 calories to add quality muscle to his body (180lbs x 17 = 3,060).

Many bodybuilders will do well with a macronutrient calorie breakdown of 40 percent complete complex carbs, 30 percent protein, and 30 percent fats. Keep in mind, this example is intended to be a guideline because your body has a unique set of dietary responses.  Others may find a different ratio works better for them.  It’s strongly suggested that you use your body and the mirror as your main guidelines – if you’re not pleased with how you feel or what you see in the mirror each week, minor adjustments to your nutrient ratio and serving size are acceptable until you find what works best for your body.

To encourage muscle growth, strength gains, and recovery, you need to ingest sufficient amounts of high-quality protein along with enough complex carbs to fuel heavy, and intense, training sessions. Strive to consume at least 1.0 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight and 1.5 to 2.0 grams of carbs per pound of body weight for a baseline.  Pay attention to how your body responds to the ratio of protein and carbs you are eating – depending on your body’s insulin sensitivity, metabolism, and body fat levels, your needs will vary but start with at least 1 gram of protein and 1.5 grams of carbs per pound of body weight, and add 25% each week if you’re not growing.  Your dietary fat intake should account for 0.5 grams of fat per pound of body weight.

There are 4 calories in every gram of carbs and protein, and 9 calories in every gram of fat, so an individual who weighs 180 pounds will consume 180 grams of protein per day (180 x 4 = 720 calories), 270 grams of carbs per day (270 x 4 = 1,080 calories) and 90 grams of fat per day (90 x 9 = 810 calories).  In total, that’s 2,610 calories to gain quality muscle mass without unwanted body fat. So, how do we make up the missing 400 calories? (Remember, our daily calorie guideline is body weight multiplied by 17).

The answer:  One “Freebie Meal” a day, which I’ll explain in a moment.

Every time I talk about gaining muscle without fat at a rapid rate, my Inbox gets slammed with criticism like this:

“Gaining 12 lbs of muscle in 21 days is IMPOSSIBLE!” 

  “You can’t even make those kind of gains on steroids!

  “Do you think I’m going to fall for this marketing hype?!”

Ah, the Internet. How far we haven’t come!

Below is a QnA article I did for a fellow skeptic to clarify a number of his intelligent questions about Lee Hayward and I’s 21 Day Fast Mass Building System.

It’ll clarify all the misinterpretations of the claims and show you how over 6,000 users were extremely happy they opened their eyes to a new approach to building muscle.

Question: What is your definition of “muscle”?

Answer: FAT FREE MASS. The human body can manufacture (under optimal training, nutrition, supplements and recovery) anywhere from .25 to 1.0 pounds of dry muscle tissue a week. So we’re talking 2 to 4 pounds per month and this can be higher or lower based on the individual.

Understand, when you increase muscle size (Dry Muscle), you’ll also be able to increase glycogen AND water storage in those new muscles.  More muscle equals more water and glycogen.  This is all considered FAT FREE MASS and it’s weight that will make you look awesome.

So when we say you can gain “12 pounds of muscle”, we’re NOT referring to 12 pounds of dry muscle, we’re referring to 12 pounds of dry muscle AND glycogen AND water.  Fat free mass!

Question: So the premise of the 21-Day Fast Mass Building is to increase FAT FREE MASS (also known as “lean body mass”)?

Answer: Correct! That’s the problem, everyone perceives “muscle” as something different. You hear “rock-solid muscle”, “ripped muscle”, “lean muscle mass”, “lean body mass”, “shredded muscle” and when we reference muscle, it’s “fat free mass”.

The Top 40 Things I Learned In 2011 – By Vince Del Monte

For the past few years I’ve been compiling a top things I learned list and it’s that time of year.  Just like last year I broke up my top forty list into four categories that I’m extremely passionate about and they all start with the letter M: muscle, manhood, marriage and money. Lots of personal reflection that I’m sure will resonate home.

Looking forward to your comments afterwards… which one stood out to you?  What did you learn in 2011?

Top 10 Things I Learned About Muscle (& Fat Loss):

1. It is possible to build lean muscle mass while in a caloric deficit.  My preparation for the WBFF World Championships proved it. Optimization of your hormones via training, nutrition, supplementation & recovery is the key. In short, if every variable of your approach is PERFECT, be prepared to surprise yourself. 

2. It’s almost impossible “to lose muscle mass” until you reach the 4-6% body fat range.  Don’t get caught up in fear-based marketing. The only time you can lose muscle is when you’re body is demanding more energy than your body can supply. Avoid “extremes” and you’ll be fine.