PRO BODYBUILDERS TALKING ABOUT NUTRITION.....

PART 1


PART 2

HOW MUCH PROTEIN DO YOU NEED TO BUILD MUSCLE???

Here's an easy formula to help you determine how much protein to take to build new muscle. There's a VERY basic way that bodybuilders / power-lifters used to use to determine how much protein their bodies required, but it was not very accurate and could be dangerous if they took extremely high levels of protein.


The old formula was to simply multiply your body-weight (in pounds) by 2. They said this was the number of grams of protein you'd require.

The accurate way to determine protein requirements is to use this formula:

Multiply your total body weight by your body-fat %.
Subtract the number of pounds of body-fat from total body-weight.
This number is your total Lean Body Mass (LBM)
Multiply LBM (x) 1.818
This is the exact protein requirement of your body for your total LBM.

Example: I'm a 240 pound bodybuilder, currently at approximately 15% body-fat.

240 pounds (x) 15% (=) 36 pounds of body-fat.
240 pounds (-) 36 pounds
LBM (=) 204 pounds
204 (x) 1.818
Daily Protein Requirement (=) 370.872 grams.

Now in contrast, if I had used the old method and multiplied my body-weight (x) 2, here's what it would have looked like:

240 pounds (x) 2 (=) 480grams of protein per day. As you can see, that is way too much protein and could side effects like kidney problems.

It is typically very difficult to get enough protein since our diets are typically carbohydrate based, but natural protein sources like chicken, fish, meat, beans etc. can be a good base.

There are a lot of varieties of protein supplements that work very well, TROJAN'S OWN WHEY PROTEIN IS A GREAT SOURCE.

DAVE PALUMBO'S FAT LOSS PRE-CONTEST DIET....

Doing your first show this year, or maybe your 2nd??
Have a ponder over this....

I eat 8 times per day (50g protein, 20g fat, 30g carbs per meal).

Pre-contest, I cut the carbs back to 15 grams per meal, and I up the fat to 30g per meal.

Sources of protein include: chicken, fish, lean red meat, whole eggs, and whey protein.

Sources of fat include: olive oil, cashew nuts, almonds, all natural peanut butter, egg yolks, and salmon.

I've actually designed a protein shake called, PALUMBO'S ANBOLIC ELIXIR. It includes a unique protein blend consisting of whey and egg protein complexes with a rich variety of essential fats.

In recent times, my weight gain in the off-season has been minimal. I usually go up to 280lbs (the heaviest) and then, for a contest, I come down to 265lbs. Back in the late 1990's, I used to blow up to a relatively lean 315lbs; however, it was just too uncomfortable.

When dieting using my HIGH PROTEIN/ MODERATE FAT/ LOW CARB approach, my post workout shake would consist of 50g whey, 30g fat (coming from all natural peanut butter), very low carbs (just whats in the PB). Remember, the brain is not using carbs when in a state of ketosis so carb intake (even after the workout) is unnecessary.

OFFSEASON, my post workout shake consists of 50g whey with 50g Vitargo (i just started using this high molecular weight carbohydrate supplement. It's fantastic. It empties from the stomach faster than dextrose yet causes no bloating)

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On my recommended high protein/moderate fat/low low card diet, your muscle glycogen levels are very low, however, they never get depleted since the only activity that requires glucose (carbs) is WEIGHT TRAINING. And since you probably only require 50g carbs per workout, you'll have no problems since that's just about the amount you'll be taking in per day (from indirect sources-- nuts, peanutbutter, whole eggs, ect). Also, you'll be having a cheat meal once per week which will act to reload glycogen stores.

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ESSENTIAL POLYUNSATURATES:
Omega-3 Fish Oil pills 1000mg 3x per day
Evening Primrose Oil (Omega-6) 1300mg 2x per day

NON ESSENTIAL but HEART HEALTHY
Macadamia Nut oil (Omega-9 monosaturates) 2-3 ablespoons per day

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Meal 1 6 whole Omega-3 eggs
Meal 2 8oz chicken with 1/2 cup raw almonds
Meal 3 50g whey with 2 tablespoons all natural peanutbutter
Meal 4 8oz salmon with 1 cup asparagus with 1 tablespoon macadamia nut oil
Meal 5 50 g whey with 2 tablespoon PB
Meal 6 6 whole eggs

This is typically how i start off most clients diets.........then there's modifications along the way and I have to cater it according to how hte client looks.

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CARDIO should be performed at a low intensity (under 120bpm heartrate). This will ensure that you use FAT as a fuelsource since as your heartrate increase, carbohydrates begin to become the preferred fuel of choice for the body. When on a low carb diet, you're body will break down muscle and turn that into carbs. Remember, Fat CANNOT be changed into carbs. Therefore, for bodybuilding, the rule of cardio should be LONG DURATION, LOW INTENSITY

CARDIO:
I walk on the tredmill at 100bpm (the most) for 30 min (although I hardly ever do cardio). Forge the incline, forget going super fast. Just walk 30 min-90 min (I increase cardio as people get closer to competition) at a leasurely pace.

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Virgin Coconut Oil is a MEDIUM CHAIN SATURATE FAT. Because it's not a long chain fatty acid, it avoids digestion, processing, and the need for a carrier molecule (L-carnitine) to get into the mitochondria to be burned for energy (oxidized). Becuase of this, Coconut oil (and all medium chain fats) have been called the FATLESS FAT. From a health standpoint, its a great immune system stimulator (lots of AIDS patients are now using it for its antiviral properties). We must remember, however, that Coconut Oil is not an essential fat and, in my estimation, is useless when dieting. What it's good for as supplemental calories and fats while on a MASS BUILDING program. I used to put one teaspoon in my morning Oatmeal. Give's it some moisture and a nice coconut taste. I wouldn't advise cooking with it however. Stick with the heart healthy monounsaturated fat, MACADAMIA NUT OIL.

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EGG YOLKS:
If you use the OMEGA-3 EGGS that I recommend, you can eat as many whole eggs as you like since most of the saturated fat has been replaced with Heart Healthy Omega-3 Fats.

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I recommend 8-10 meals for OFFSEASON MASS BUILDING. 6 meals for pre-contest dieting. There's no need for more than 6 meals when dieting. I only have TONEY FREEMAN eating 6 meals and he's huge!

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DIET FOR NATURALS:
Everything stays exactly the same. The same principles apply to the body whether on drugs or not. High protein, moderate fat, low carb is the ideal environment for optimal fat burning/muscle preservation.

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WHEY PROTEIN:
Cheap whey protein that tastes good probably has a higher percentage of lactose (milk sugar) in it. I'm lactose intolerant. If i used that whey protein, I would be in the bathroom all night long-- not a pretty sight! My SPECIES BRAND of Whey will be out in the next month or so (I hope). I'm working on a PURE WHEY ISOLATE (no lactose) that actually tastes good. Once I have the formula perfected, I'll release it! For now, you can try the REEVES ULTRA WHEY that i sell on my websit (Dave Palumbo- The Official Website of"Jumbo Palumbo"). It's one of the best low lactose WHEY PROTEINS i've ever tasted.

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MACADAMIA NUT BUTTER still contains the carbs (unlike pure macadamia nut oil). That is fine if you want to use it in place of all natural peanutbutter (it's actually healthier). When you purchase an all natural PB and you notice that the oil has separated from the rest of the PB, make sure you mix it up before using the stuff. Don't pour off the oil or else you're losing all the good fats.

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Remember, the diet I suggest has all its components in place for a reason. I constantly get questions of whether a person could follow my diet suggestions and use a bit less fat and one or two small carb meals. The truth is, any diet works if there's a logical plan behind it and if you stick to it. If you add some carbs to my diet and take away some fat, it will no longer be my diet. You're changing the conditions and becaues of that, you won't get the same consistent results I get with my clients. If you add carbs, you'll never get your brain into KETOSIS. If your brain isn't in ketosis, it will constantly be searching for CARBS to use as energy. In the absence of carbs, it will turn muscle into carbs. You'll be moody, hungry, and you'll have energy fluctuations all day long. When in ketosis, your brain is using FATS for energy, so carbs become irrelevant to the brain. Energy levels are stable, moods are stable, and hunger is really a non issue. Also, when carbs are eliminated, so is the FAT STORING hormone INSULIN. NO INSULIN, no FAT STORAGE possible. If you have INSULIN release (because you're eating SOME carbs), you'll have a hormonal drive to store fat that you'll be combatting. Once again, If you change the diet, it doesn't work as effectively. Then, you're just left with the same diet that everyone else does. Hope that helps!

When you're trying to add mass, you need PROTEIN, and ESSENTIAL FATS to build muscle.......and you need CARBS to be the FUEL SOURCE to make all this happen. When dieting, we're using FAT for the fuel source; that's why it's hard to grow. Remember, the formula never changes. PROTEIN + FAT = MUSCLE. CARBS - GASOLINE

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Carbohydrates cause insulin release which, while being a fat storage hormone, is also an anabolic hormone that helps drive carbs and amino acids into the muscle cell where they are then used for building muscle. Offseason, you NEED insulin to build muscle. Precontest, we're just trying to preserver muscle while maximizing fat loses.

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If you're followin my high protein, moderate fat, no carb diet...........THEN, you CAN NOT take in 50g of VITARGO (even after you train).........PERIOD!

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EVENING PRIMROSE OIL:
Contains high quantities of the GOOD essential Omega-6 fat, Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA). This is the only O-6 fat that lowers inflammation, lowers blood pressure, and lowers cholesterol. It also happens to be a great liver detoxifer and it's great for PMS women. It's also needed for the proper repair of muscle cells (the cell membrane).

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NO CARB DIET:
When you diet on no carbs, you're brain goes into a state of ketosis whereby it no longer requires glucose for energy. This means your brain will never be at a loss for fuel. This makes for more stable blood sugar levels-- less tiredness, less moodiness, and less irritability. Also, insulin levels will be very low (insulin is a fat storage hormone) and GH levels will be very high. Another thing to consider is that on this diet your body will be receiving adequate levels of good essential fats that it requires on a daily basis. Fats help repair damaged muscle tissue and are necessary for the synthesis of key hormones.

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POST WORKOUT:
(1) Pre-contest: No carbs, No vitargo, No sugar period! Stick with your whey and all natural peanutbutter shake

(2) Offseason: Whey and Vitargo pre-workout. Whey, Vitargo, tablespoon of Macadamia Nut Oil (I love this combo) post-workout.

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PALUMBO DIET:
Watch the FAT FREE cheeses since they all have CARBS..........Remember, carbs, not fat, are the enemy while dieting.

CHEAT MEAL: You should have ONE MEAL per week where you eat what you want. If you have a psychotic appetite, try to limit you cheat meal to about 500g carbs the most (remember, that's the MOST)..........As it gets closer to a show, many times I have to cut out the cheat meal to help the bodybuilder suck out that last bit of stubborn fat.

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MY CHEAT MEAL:
For years, I always went to the all you can eat sushi buffet for my cheat meal. Sometimes i finished that off with a non-fat yogurt (ice cream). Nowadays, I'm completely lactose intollerant so no yogurt. I do still go to the sushi buffet. In 2002, I went to the Italian restaurant with my friend DAVE WATSON who i helped for the Nationals that year. We ate everything in site (including a canoli). We both placed 2nd that year (DAVE W in the Heavyweight; Me in the Super HW, behind my man TONY FREEMAN).

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As for NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS for NATURAL BODYBUILDERS, I suggest the JUICE PLUS, EVENING PRIMROSE OIL (1300mg 2x per day), OMEGA-3 FISH OIL (2000-3000mg per day), 1500mg Coral Calcium per day, and 2000mg MSM 2x per day. Also, make sure to take a fiber supplement (Sugar-free metamucil is good) 2x per day and my non-stimulant based fat burners are excellent: Lipolyze (1 pill 3-5x per day with meals) AND Somalyze (3 pills with your last meal before bed).

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meal 1 6 whole omega-3 eggs
meal 2 8oz of chicken with half cup raw almonds
meal 3 50g whey with 2 tblsp all natural peanut butter
meal 4 8oz of salmon with 1 cup asparagus with 1 tblsp macadamia nut oil.
meal 5 50g whey with 2 tblsp of peanut butter
meal 6 6 whole omega-3 eggs.

The Facts about Carbs

Have you ever eaten a meal, or slammed a carbohydrate drink before you trained, to find yourself feeling lethargic mid-way through your workout?

Well if you do, chances are you are experiencing a slight condition known as Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Increased insulin levels in the blood can attribute to low blood sugar, which often occur after the consumption of certain carbohydrates.

Let me use the habit of an average trainer or bodybuilder drinking a sugar-filled fizzy drink or high-glucose carbohydrate drink before a 2-hour work out, and the effect it has on the body. What usually happens is that most people during the middle of the day, or when they are feeling tired, grab a quick coke (or Carb drink for body builders) in the attempt to get that "Pick me up" that they need.

Sugar Rush vs. Sugar Crash

In actuality it harms them. After the soda or carbohydrate drink is ingested by itself, it rushes the body with an ample supply of carbohydrates.
Your body recognizes this surge of sugar and releases the hormone insulin to regulate blood sugar levels in the blood. So for a short while the person feels the sugar rush, or "High", that will shortly be followed by a sugar crash. The hormone insulin is then released by the pancreas into the blood. One of the main jobs of insulin is to take the high amount of glucose in the blood and shuttle it out of your blood into the liver, muscle, and then into fat storage. As a result, insulin will bring the blood sugar levels way down resulting in low blood sugar.

This crash in blood sugar is the reason for having the feelings of lethargy, mood swings, and increased hunger. The same thing happens to those consuming these high sugar carbohydrate drinks before a workout thinking they will receive a large boost in energy for their training session.

Insulin secretion and blood sugar levels all depend on the type carbohydrates you consume. Some carbohydrates are introduced quicker into the blood stream than others. The quicker a carbohydrate is released into blood stream, the higher the levels of blood sugar and insulin in the body. This leads to the rapid mood swings followed by decreased energy.

Simple vs. Complex

People have been terming different carbohydrates simple and complex. "Simple", being the carbs that hit the system faster than "Complex", which enters the system more slowly. The introduction of the Glycemic Index has proven to be beneficial in knowing the rates at which certain carbohydrates are released into the blood stream. The Glycemic index is a measure of how quickly a particular carbohydrate is formed into glucose and enters the body. The Glycemic Index has shown certain carbs known to be "Complex" actually absorb quicker than some carbs known to be "Simple".

The Glycemic Index (or GI) was originally brought about for those people who had Diabetes, but can be useful to many athletes looking for sustained energy and better recuperation. The GI is determined by feeding different carbohydrate foods to people in portions of 50g of available carbohydrates. The blood sugar levels are then monitored over the next three hours and plotted onto a response curve.

The curve is then made into a percent of the averages of the individual responses to obtain the GI for that particular carbohydrate. The more glucose that reaches the blood in the first three hours, the higher the GI for that carbohydrate. Thus, we can now group carbohydrates into "High Glycemic" and "Low Glycemic".

Low Glycemic Carbohydrates

Here is a preferred list of some of the foods that are "Low Glycemic", and are recommended for sustained energy levels (slower absorption, lowered insulin response):

Nuts
Legumes
Fructose (Basic sugar found in fruits)
Pasta (Boiled 5 min.)
Dairy ( Ice cream, skim milk, whole milk, yogurt)
Fruits (ONLY-plums, peaches, apples, oranges, pears, grapes, grapefruit)(contains fructose)
Rice (polished), or brown
Sweet potato
Oats
All-bran
Most Vegetables ( exceptions- carrots, corn, root vegetables)

Low GI foods can benefit your health and athletic performance. Being that low GI foods are assimilated at a slower rate, they supply a steadier supply of energy. Lower GI foods alleviate hunger, leading to a more controlled appetite. Selecting lower GI carbohydrates will prevent mood swings.
Lower GI foods can also result in higher muscle glycogen levels (storing more carbs in the muscle), and less chance of storing the extra glucose as fat. You see elevated insulin levels can turn on your fat storing mechanisms.

So, if you are dieting low GI foods are the way to go. If you are going to eat before training, you should pick low glycemic carbohydrates. Low glycemic foods will prevent any premature lowering of blood glucose levels before training, which can lead to fatigue. I don't know about you, but I need to be 100% for every workout, so I can't afford to experience low blood sugar in the middle of my workout causing early fatigue.

High Glycemic Carbohydrates

Here is a list of some of the foods that are "High Glycemic"(quickly absorbed, high insulin response):

Sugars (from high to low: Maltose, Glucose, Sucrose)
Honey
Puffed cereals (white rice, wheat, corn, rice cakes)YES! RICE CAKES
Potatoes ( regular russet, instant, mashed)
Sweets
Breads (especially white bread)
Instant products ( instant: rice, oatmeal, wheat, grits)
Carrots, corn, peas
Flaked cereals (corn flakes, etc.)
Corn chips

Surprise! Most of these carbohydrates are used in copious amounts for low fat diets, but in reality, people might be limiting their performance and fat burning effects. Research has shown that high glycemic carbohydrates before training should not be practiced as much as you see people do today. It can lead to lower blood glucose prior to training. This will lead to a quicker depletion of muscle glycogen and fatigue as a result. High glycemic carbohydrates before training can also hamper fat release from fat cells. Thus, not getting the complete fat burning effects from your hard workouts.

With your newfound knowledge of the GI, high glycemic foods can benefit your training just as well. You must however know the right times to ingest them so you can use them to your advantage involving performance and recovery. There are certain situations and times where you can use elevated insulin levels in your favor for positive effects. Like I mentioned earlier one of the roles of insulin is to drive nutrients, especially carbohydrates, out of the blood and into the liver, muscles, and any excess glucose into adipose tissue (fat).

So, using high GI foods after training can benefit you greatly. Consuming high GI carbs within the first 15 minutes to 2 hours after training can give you a big head start on replenishing depleted glycogen levels in the muscle. After training you want the insulin levels to rise causing the proteins, carbs, and other nutrients to be shuttled into the starving muscles. Higher GI foods are suggested for this recovery purpose because of the spike in insulin they cause. Absorption of supplements such as creatine, glutamine, and anti-oxidants can be enhanced if taken with a high glycemic drink (carb drink, juices).

Factors That Raise The GI Of Foods

PROCESSING: The GI's of carbohydrates can rise due to the processing of certain foods. Any carbohydrates that are puffed, made instant, or gelatinized, will have a much higher GI than if they weren't processed. An example is a rice cake. That has a glycemic index almost as high as glucose, about as high of a GI as you can get! Can you believe that, and for all this time people have been swallowing bags of rice cakes not knowing they are recognized by the body as worse than table sugar.

FOOD PREPERATION: The way foods are cooked and prepared can influence the GI. Pasta that is cooked for a long time will have a higher GI than that boiled for five min. The overcooking of certain carbs breaks up the starches and rises the GI. Potatoes that are microwaved have a higher GI than those that are baked. Baked potatoes have a higher GI than those that are boiled. So boil your potatoes for a less spike in insulin.

Factors That Can Lower GI Of Foods

REMEMBER: Low glycemic foods are absorbed at a slower rate than high glycemic. Combining carbohydrates with certain other foods can slow the gastric emptying of the stomach and absorption of foods lowering the total GI of foods substantially. The factors shown below will show you how you can eat your potatoes (or cake) and other high glycemic foods with other foods, and not have an illicit rise in insulin.

PROTEIN: When protein is added to a meal it lowers the GI because it has to be liquefied in the stomach before it is released into the intestines for absorption.

FIBER: This is a great one! A reason to eat your vegetables and beans. Fiber is a complex structure that takes a long time for the body to break down and absorb. Some fiber is indigestible by the body. Soluble fiber found in oats & grains, fruits, and gums are ideal. As they dissolve they gel up in the stomach and slow down gastric absorption.

FATS: Any time you add fats to a meal it will lower the GI. Fats also slow gastric emptying and slows the absorption of food. This explains why ice cream has such a low GI rating. It might have 30-40g of sugar in it but the high level of milk fat and little bit of protein make it low glycemic. (But just to play it safe, stay away from the ice cream!)

COMBINING CARBS: You can also lower the total GI of a meal by combining high glycemic carbs with low glycemic carbs. For example if you ate mashed potatoes (High GI) and then ate around the same amount of broccoli (Low GI), the total GI of the meal would be much lower than if you just ate the potatoes.

Summary

I admit a lot of this can be mind boggling at times. Don't get frustrated with memorizing all the different factors and science associated with the GI and its' effects on insulin and blood sugar. There is some simple things that you can remember and do to ensure yourself you are getting low glycemic meals.


First, to stabilize blood sugar levels, eat smaller more frequent balanced meals. Each carbohydrate in your meals must be combined with a quality protein source and some sort of vegetables.

Second, you should not have a diet too low in fat. The whole craze over high fat, high protein diets are to decrease spikes in insulin and to lower the GI index of foods and meals.

Third, you should purposely use mainly high glycemic carbs after you train. A carb drink with a scoop or two of a low fat protein powder will work wonders right after you train.

Finally, I would combine supplements like creatine, 10 grams of glutamine, and a good anti-oxidant with the post-workout drink. This will give you a big jump-start to recovery and glycogen replenishment.

So go out there, TRAIN HARD, TRAIN SMART, and use the Glycemic Index to your advantage to more energy, a leaner physique, and increased recovery!

Chris Zaino

Pre-Contest Diet Plan

If you're thinkning of doing your first show, you may already have been dieting for a week or two... or you are about to start.

Here's an example you may want to take a look at;

Meal 1: 60-100g Oats - 10 Eggs whites - 1 Sci Mentor Simplex sachet

Meal 2: 1 1 Si Mentor Simplex Sachet 8 oz. chicken breast 1 cup basmati rice

Meal 3: 12 oz. turkey breast Large salad 1 large sweet potato

Meal 4: 1 Sci Mentor Simplex Sachet 1 cup basmati rice

Meal 5: 8 oz. chicken breast a large potato Steamed vegetables

Meal 6: 15 egg white omlette.

Meal 7: 2 scoops whey protein

(Sci Mentor Sachets avaialble from Trojan)

If you find you are ever ahead of schedule with your dieting, you should add more complex carbs in the first three meals. If that doesn't do the job, decrease your cardio by ten to fifteen minutes. If its the other way around, then increase your cardio first. If this doesn't get you back on track, decrease your carbs.

As for sodium loading/depleting or carbohydrate loading/depleting - Both methods work. Try sodium loading on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for a Sunday afternoon pre-judging. Then cut your sodium to around 400 mg for Friday and Saturday. Sunday afternoon eat some sodium to keep your electrolyte balance, but don't drink any water

Carb deplete on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday taking in 100-125 g. per day. On Friday eat 500g, Saturday eat 400g and then drop to 250g on Sunday. You should find that using these two methods together allow you to stay full and dry at the same time. Unfortunately you have to try all scenarios to know how your body will react. Everyone's different, so trial and error is going to be your best method for most things.

More sample Diet to come.

Check out Jay Cutler's Mass Building Meals

All of the products mentioned are available from Trojan Nutrition, call or drop in to see us to get the best prices around on Muscletech Supplements!