Everybody wants to look like Sylvestre Stallone or Arnold Shwezeggerneger - massive, well chiseled and sharp like razor! We all tried atleast once in a lifetime to achieve physique like that or atleast something close. Now, many of the people will complain that they take anabolics (steroids), pop some pills(steroids again) and eat a giant spending hours of day in the gym to get that structure they flaunt! Well, I don’t know about the steroid part but yes, they work hard and spend quality amount of time to achieve the body many of us dream about.
Also, they are very disciplined about their nutrition, about their meals, and daily routine of eating window and exercise pattern. So what is the formula for building muscle? How much meals one should eat in a day to bulk up? Does calorie count matter? Most important query – “I just want to gain mass on my upper and lower limbs and not on abdomen.” So, here I'll try to explain one by one the answer to each such question. Formula for muscle building is nothing but right nutrition with proper workout routine and of course, discipline to continue both forever.
Ideally, you should have 6-8 meals for building good amount of muscle mass divided equally with proper calculation of carbs, fats and protein. Calorie count matters a lot be it muscle gain or fat-loss. When you start gaining, you will gain some amount of fat initially, and not just pure muscle gain. It is similar to the logic that when you opt for fat-loss, you lose some amount of muscle mass too! Basic formula for muscle gain many will suggest will be having 1:2 ratio for endomorphs, 1:3 for mesomorphs and 1:5 for ectomorphs. So 1:2 means 1gm of protein 2gms of carbs per kg.
But, does this really help? Well, it does to a good extent. I suggest to get your Basel Metabolic Rate(BMR) checked. BMR means how much calories does your body burn at rest. Though we are resting our internal organs work from the day we are born till death. They require calories too! So whatever your BMR is, you need to eat as much as your body is burning plus 400-500 calories more to gain weight. Simultaneously, look from where your calories coming from. For example, an apple has 26-27 calories and banana has the same amount. But apple is slow absorbing compared to banana as apples have pectin(fleshy part) it is soluble fiber and cellulose(skin) it is insoluble fiber. Hence, apple won’t quickly breakdown and get stored in your adipose tissue making fat instead of fit. You must eat combination of fast and slow or moderate and slow absorbing carbohydrates along with protein rich food to achieve your muscle gain goal.
Make sure you eat small frequent meals which don’t leave you bloated or leave you with upset stomach. Add 400-500calories to your total calorie count. For e.g. if your Basel Metabolic Rate is 1500 so add 400-500 calories viz., 1500+500= 2000 calories per day. You can increase the protein and decrease the carbohydrate but the total calorie intake should meet the requirements. You can also follow diet called as gluconeogenesis where you eat high amount of protein, moderate amount of healthy fats and low carbs. Make sure to load healthy calories and not just eat high calorific junk food to increase your calorie intake or meet the calorie goal. It will only lead to health issues, metabolic issues and much more. Hit each muscle twice so enough muscle breakdown occurs.
About The Author
Anthony Cardoz is a certified Personal Trainer from K11 Academy of Fitness Sciences. He has experience of 3 years in the fitness industry. He is a fitness freelancer writer at b..
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