When most people hear Anabolic, they will most likely immediately think of Steroids. If we look at the true meaning of the word ‘Anabolic’ it is “The phase of metabolism in which simple substances are synthesized into the complex materials of living tissue”. Therefore Anabolic nutrition is basically how and when to eat effectively to build solid lean muscle.
Now I’m not saying that if you eat right it will have the same effect as steroids, and you probably won’t look like Jay Cutler in two months, but you will maximise your potential as much as humanly possible.
So as a natural physique model, bodybuilder or general gym goer, how can we eat effectively to optimise maximum strength gains and muscle growth?
Well our diets built up of macronutrients and micronutrients’, getting the balance of these is what we need to accomplish.
So lets talk Macronutrients. These are the main pillars of our diets and are broken down into Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats.
Protein
No matter what anyone says, as much as the other nutrients are important, protein is the most important when it comes to building and preserving muscle. After all our muscles are made up of protein, in fact proteins are a necessary part of every single living cell in our bodies.
Now don’t get me wrong Carbohydrates and Fats also play a big part and need to work together to grow.
When we digest our protein our body breaks it down it its simpler form of amino acids before entering our blood stream. We have 9 essential and 13 non-essential amino acids.
Amino acids have many functions including assisting in the functioning of our nervous system, enabling vitamins and minerals to perform efficiently, and to act as the building blocks of our muscles.
So if you are looking to build muscle you should be aiming to ingest 1 – 1.5 grams per pound of bodyweight in Protein. Some bodybuilder will ingest more than this but this is more than enough as a starting point.
Carbohydrates
Don’t let anyone fool you, Carbohydrates in its simplest form is sugar. Without boring you with ‘Jargon’ carbohydrates are broken down into two forms:
- Simple carbohydrates
- Complex carbohydrates
All carbohydrates are broken down into glucose before entering your blood stream creating what is otherwise known as ‘Blood-sugar’.
Blood sugar can affect the body in two ways. The first is stimulating your body to produce more insulin. Such a spike in insulin will cause what is otherwise known as ‘Protein Synthesis’, which is your body’s ability to absorb more amino acids into the muscles.
The other is when blood sugar is in abundance causing your body to produce less insulin, meaning your receptors will not assist in protein synthesis but will now convert excess carbohydrates into fat.
Glucose is also the body’s main source of energy, which is also known as Adenosine Tri-Phosphate (ATP). So, we have to manipulate both forms of carbohydrates to avoid fat gain and increase lean muscle growth.
Simple carbs such as sugar, jelly, fruit & most cereals are high on the ‘Glycaemic index’ and Complex carbs such as wheat pasta, wheat bread and sweet potatoes are low on the glycaemic index. The Glycaemic Index (GI) is a scale showing how quickly each type of food is broken down into glucose. High GI foods break down very quickly and low GI food break down slowly.
We can manipulate these by firstly eating high GI foods pre and post workout to spike our insulin levels to absorb protein and provide quick energy for our workouts.
Secondly eating low GI foods for breakfast and lunch to gives us slow releasing energy for when we are most active during the day.
It is also important to reduce the amount of Simple and Complex carbs in the evening / post workout to avoid our body storing it as fat.
Fats
Now this is quite a controversial area for most people trying to lose fat. Many think that to lose fat and lower cholesterol you must cut out fat.
Most don’t realise that fats also play a very important part in the muscle building process, but we need to make sure we are eating the good fats.
Bad fats come in the form of crisps; deep fried, and heavily processed foods. These are what cause bad cholesterol (LDL – low density lipoproteins).
Whereas healthy fat sources such as olive oil, flaxseed oil, nuts, and avocado’s increase good cholesterol (HDL – high density lipoproteins) and EFA (essential fatty acids) such as Vitamin F & D and also avoids blocked arteries.
Vitamin D is also known as a steroid hormone resulting in an increase in testosterone.
Micronutrients
These are built up of your Water Soluble vitamins, which include vitamin B and vitamin C. It also includes minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc and iron
These are all important for our immune system, bone growth, and the absorption of other minerals.
Sources of these micronutrients are:
- Leafy greens
- Citrus fruits
- Bananas
- Oily fish
- Lean red meat
Hydration
Many people who are lacking gains in the gym often forget about hydration. Yet it is just as important as all the others.
Now I’m not talking about sugar filled soft drink and alcohol. These do not hydrate you, and drinking 1 glass of water with a couple of meals a day will also not hydrate you.
You should be drinking more than 8 glasses of water per day. This will cleanse your body allowing it to transport all the nutrients we have spoken about around your body efficiently.
BUT remember too much of everything is bad, so don’t go overboard as drinking too much water can flush your body completely of the nutrients you need and will have an adverse effect on your gains.
Calories
I have left this till last, as ‘Calorie Counting’ is one of my Top 3 pet hates. Depending on your goal calculating your daily calories is important but don’t dwell on counting every calorie, instead focus on ensuring the correct amount of macronutrients.
If your looking to lose weight then you will need a calorie deficit of approximately 500 less than maintenance, and if your looking to increase your weight then you will need approximately 500 more than maintenance.
40% should come from protein, 40% from carbohydrates, and 20% from healthy fats.
- 1g carbs = 4 Kcal
- 1g protein = 4 Kcal
- 1g fat = 9 Kcal
Conclusion
So if you a looking to build a lean muscular physique, nutrition play’s a key part with Protein being at the top of the list.
The only way to do this is to realise that you have to make this a part of your lifestyle and your results begin in the kitchen so prepare your food and avoid eating fast food.
Finally, remember that a formula that works for someone else may not work for you, but if you follow these basic principles, listen to your body and make slight changes that work for you then you too can Unleash Your True Potential.
