Tips for long-term muscle growth

The trick to maintain long-term muscle growth and lower body fat levels is to alternately adopt two different diet plans, one is to specifically increase muscle mass, and the other is to maintain muscle mass while reducing body fat.

　　No single diet plan can perfectly achieve "kill two birds with one stone". Professional bodybuilders know that the best way to increase muscle mass and maintain lower body fat levels is to eat differently in non-season and before the game.

　　As we all know, to increase muscle mass, you must provide the body with a large amount of carbohydrates and protein, carbohydrates are used to provide energy, and protein is used to "build" muscle mass. When you increase calorie intake during the enlargement phase, body fat growth is a natural by-product. Similarly, when you reduce calorie intake during the fat loss phase, you will also "lose" some muscles.

　　　　If you grow 12 pounds of muscle during the muscle building stage and lose 4 pounds during the fat loss stage, you still grow 8 pounds of high-quality muscle. And those who only train muscle building year after year cannot ensure that the growing muscle is of high quality.

　　　　Before determining the different diet plans for the muscle building stage and fat loss stage, you need to first determine your average daily calorie needs. The method is to record the calories intake for 5 consecutive days, calculate the total calories, and then divide them by 5.

　　After deriving the average daily calorie requirement, determine the daily calorie intake in the muscle-growing stage and fat-reducing stage according to the following ratios, the muscle-growing stage increases by 10~5% compared with the daily average calorie requirement, and the fat-reducing stage decreases by 10~15% compared with the daily average calorie requirement.

　　　　　Depending on the purpose of the training, you can put any stage in front. If you value both stages equally, start with the muscle building stage. The ideal approach is to adopt a muscle building plan for 4 months, followed by a fat loss plan for 2 months, and cycle twice a year.

　　　Of course, you can also use different arrangements. If one day you suddenly find that you are losing the clarity of your abdominal muscle lines, you can immediately change to the weight loss stage. Some people lose weight faster than others, maybe 6 weeks is enough, while others find that they need to take a diet for 12 weeks.

　　　　If your goal is to sustain muscle growth rather than to participate in bodybuilding competitions, you should return to the muscle growth stage after reaching and maintaining an ideal low body fat level for 1 to 12 weeks, otherwise it will have a negative impact on muscle growth.

　　　The following are the details of two different diet plans.

　　　　■Muscle-building diet plan

　　　First meal: breakfast

　　　　As there is no food supply overnight, the body urgently needs calories, especially carbohydrates, to provide energy for the first few hours of work. Complex carbohydrates "burn" very slowly and can provide energy for a long time is a better choice.

　　　　Of course, you also need to consume protein to maintain a continuous flow of amino acids in the blood, which helps prevent muscle catabolic. This meal should provide about 50 grams of protein.

　　　　Second meal: morning snacks

　　　About 3 hours after breakfast is the time to eat again. This is one of the smaller meals of the day, just to get the body energy supply and maintain a continuous flow of hydrogen acids in the blood for the rest of the morning.

　　　　　　Hydrogen acids come from protein. The protein for this meal can be chicken breast or high protein powder. You can also consume some carbohydrates, such as fruits. Fruits are also good sources of cellulose, which is usually lacking in the diet of most bodybuilders.

　　　　The third meal: lunch

　　　　The focus of lunch is on protein, which also includes complex carbohydrates and vegetables. Protein foods such as beef and salmon are the best choices for the muscle building stage because they can provide extra calories (fat) in addition to protein. The fat contained in salmon and other fish are healthy fats.

　　　As for carbohydrates, you can choose any complex carbohydrates you want to eat, such as potatoes, rice and pasta.

　　　　Fourth meal: Before training

　　　　Same as snacks in the morning, the main purpose of this meal is to ensure a continuous flow of amino acids in the blood. It should be consumed at least an hour before training. During the muscle building phase, you can choose a high-protein drink with some carbohydrates.

　　　　Fifth meal: After training and dinner

　　　This meal consists of two parts, first of all, the drinks consumed within 30 minutes of training. Whether you are trying to increase muscle mass or reduce body fat, you should consume simple carbohydrates to supplement the sugar reserves consumed during training. The ideal way is to consume protein and carbohydrates at a ratio of 1:2. Intake of 25 to 30 grams of protein is ideal, because you must ensure that the gram of amino acids rebuild the muscles, and you cannot slow down the absorption rate of simple carbohydrates due to excessive protein intake.

　　　The second part of this meal is consumed about an hour after a snack. It consists of solid foods and should include a complex carbohydrate (such as rice, potatoes) and high-quality protein (such as steak); and eat a lot of vegetables.

　　　　Sixth meal: late-night snack

　　　The most important part of this meal is protein, which ensures that the body is provided with amino acids when sleeping. If you want to eat, you can also consume a small amount of carbohydrates. Of course, most bodybuilders always avoid carbohydrates completely at night because they are more likely to convert into fat during rest.

　　■ Fat-loss diet plan

　　　First meal: breakfast

　　　　Although the goal of this stage is to reduce body fat, sufficient complex carbohydrates and proteins are still needed to provide energy and avoid muscle catabolic. This meal should provide complex carbohydrates, such as oatmeal. Rice and pasta. Protein comes from egg white.

　　　　This meal has less calories than the muscle-building stage; the reduction in calories is to remove fruits, and the reduction in fat is to remove egg yolks, but there is no need to worry about using 1 to 2 egg yolks to provide healthy fats and trace elements.

　　　This allows you to consume the protein you need to maintain muscle mass while reducing calories, and you will start burning fat instead of using carbohydrates as energy.

　　　　Second meal: morning snacks

　　　　The fat loss phase must keep the calorie intake low while ensuring sufficient protein. This meal should be 100% protein, such as a can of raw marlin, some low-fat meat or high-protein drinks.

　　　　The third meal: lunch

　　　　　Protein such as chicken breast or turkey breast is a better choice during the fat reduction stage. Similarly, the goal is not to avoid fat, but to avoid intake of calories that exceed the required fat. By eating lean meat, it will naturally reduce fat intake.

　　　　　　Rice is an ideal carbohydrate choice when you try to reduce body fat. During the fat loss stage, you should also consume as many vegetables as possible, which are low in calories and can provide cellulose, vitamins and trace elements.

　　　　Fourth meal: Before training

　　　　Same as snacks in the morning, the main purpose of this meal is to maintain a continuous supply of amino acids in the blood. During the fat loss stage, stick to high-protein beverages and avoid excess calories from carbohydrates. This meal should be consumed at least one hour before training.

　　　　Fifth meal: After training and dinner

　　　Same as muscle growth stage, this meal includes two parts. After training, whether you want to increase muscle mass or reduce body fat, you need to consume simple carbohydrates to supplement the sugar reserves consumed during training. The best choice is a beverage containing 1:2 protein and carbohydrates. Intake of 25 to 30 grams of protein is the ideal, because you only need enough amino acids to rebuild your muscles. Intake too much will affect the rate of carbohydrates absorption.

　　　After about an hour, arrange a large meal. Dinners during the fat-loss phase should include smaller amounts of carbohydrates, except for vegetables. The ideal choice for dinner is a large amount of beef, chicken and fish; a bowl of vegetables. It is important not to consume compound carbohydrates in this meal, because reducing carbohydrates at this time helps the body burn fat.

　　　　Sixth meal: late-night snack

　　　The purpose of this meal is the same as the first stage, which is to provide the body with amino acids while sleeping, which is crucial for maintaining muscle mass during calories.

I believe that as long as you stick to the principles, it is not difficult to make your muscles grow in the long term.