Eating for Mass and Size

Eating to gain size and mass is a juggling act between several important nutritional states. Energy balance, or calories in and out, is only one concept. You also need to focus on the acute effects of what you eat on hormones, metabolism and energy storage.

The goal of eating to grow muscle mass is to maximize the muscle gain to fat gain ratio. The worst case eating scenario for someone with these goals is to have high blood levels of carbs, fats and insulin at the same time.

Chronic levels of insulin are harmful to fat loss because they increase the transport of fat into fat cells. If you always have high insulin and high blood fats, your muscles will slow their intake of insulin and excess fat and carbs will end up in your fat cells.

Before you decide to completely remove insulin from your diet, remember that it can also be a very anabolic compound. It's responsible for the carb and amino acid delivery that muscles need for growth and recovery. Different types of nutrient combinations will produce different actions on insulin.

HERE ARE SOME MEAL COMBINATIONS TO AVOID:

* Meals containing many fats and carbohydrates. This is the typical western meal. This is the worst possible scenario for an unwanted insulin surge.

*Meals high in carbs alone. Because the liver converts excess carbs into fat, your blood profile will look like you just at a high fat meal when in reality you ate carbs. High carb meals easily promote high blood levels of fat, carbs and insulin too.

COMBINATION MEALS TO EMBRACE:

*Eatings protein with your carbs promotes the type of insulin release you need to build muscle. If you eat some protein with each meal you will remain in a more anabolic state all day long. This meal combination is especially effective as a post workout meal, but you should try to eat some protein with each meal.

*Eat meals containing protein and fat, but minimal carbs. Although it's desirable to remain anabolic and create an insulin spike a few times a day, as well as during the post workout meal, most of your meals should not involve a lot of carbs. This was discussed in relation to insulin spikes and prevention of fat burning. Protein, healthy fats and lower carbs release energy and amino acids without causing great lipolysis thus preventing insulin spikes. Also, after meals with higher fat and lower carbs the body shifts to greater fat burning as an energy source versus carbs. Basically, you'll be burning fat for fuel and storing carbs in the muscles as glycogen.

INNDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES:

* To keep blood sugar levels normal and fat loss optimal it is usually recommended that most people eat six smaller meals about 2-3 hour apart. For training purposes split three meals into protein and carb meals and three into protein and healthy fat meals. You will have to experiment a little with the exact amounts of carbs, protein and fats to get your best ratios.

*There are many factors that can govern your response to these nutrients including insulin and glucose tolerance. Insulin sensitivity seems to be the most relevant factor regarding how the body handles carbs. If you are extremely sensitive, even small amounts of carbs will give small surges of insulin which will act anabolically to create muscle growth. Those with lower insulin sensitivity can eat large amounts of carbs with insulin levels well beyond the anabolic state and into the fat promoting state.

Here's a pop quiz:

A. Most people succeed in their workouts well enough to grow in size, but often fall short with their nutritional efforts.

B. Most people follow proper nutritional plans for growth, but they don't train hard enough to grow.

Many of you may lean towards B, but A has proven more true than B. What you eat can double your success at growing size and mass in the weightroom. It's all about knowing the physiological effects nutrients such as carbs, proteins and fats have on hormones, metabolism and energy storage mechanisms of your body.

Dr Lanny Schaffer is an Exercise Physiologist and the President of The International Fitness Academy. For more cutting edge fitness writing go to http://www.aerobics-exercise-coach.com