LyricalFit

 

 

Today’s article is for the ectomorphs in the audience.

Specifically, it’s for the ectomorphs who want to look a little less like Michael Cera and a little more like 1970s bodybuilding legend Frank Zane….or maybe somewhere in between.

And I’m here to tell you that it can be done.

It isn’t going to be easy…but it can be done.

So, let’s get started…

First off, let’s discuss why you are so darn skinny in the first place.

Answer: Genetics + Lifestyle

Genetics

When it comes to your genetics, you’re kind of stuck.

There is nothing we can do about your genetic inheritance….unless you are willing to submit to some freaky stem cell operation being performed by former East German scientists.

So, let’s just drop the subject of genetics and move onto lifestyle.

Lifestyle

Ectomorphs never like hearing this, but when it comes to “bulking up”….success depends entirely on:

1. stimulating muscle growth &
2. eating like a pig.

That’s it.

That’s the big secret.

So, why is it that every single skinny client that I have ever had has sworn that they:

1. work out harder than anyone in their gym &
2. eat like a pig.

…and they still can’t gain any muscle.

The Answer?

They lie to themselves.

Like most of my obese clients, they think that they are doing all of the right things.

But, after a week or two of tracking their workouts & their food intake, it becomes clear that they need to:

1. stop doing so many cardio workouts, bicep curls, crunches &
2. start eating like a pig

Let’s start with the workouts

Check out some of my workouts on my page for specific bodyparts. I believe in hitting one bodypart a day or even 2 throughout the day.

Now, on to the food

First off…we determine how many calories you need to eat per day.

Start by determining your Lean Body Mass.

• Hop onto a bathroom scale that measures body-fat percentage along with your weight.
• Record both numbers
• Multiply your weight by your BF % (150 lbs. x 9% = 13.5 lbs.)
• 13.5 is your body-fat in lbs.
• Subtract your body-fat weight from your total weight (150 – 13.5 = 136.5 lbs.)
• 136.5 is your Lean Body Mass

Now, if your body-fat % is 10% or lower

• Multiply your LBM by 17 to calculate your Maintenance Calories
• Using our example, our test-skinny would need to eat (136.5 x 17) 2320.5 calories every day just to maintain their current level of buffness.

If your body-fat % is between 10% – 15%

• Multiply your LBM by 16 to calculate your Maintenance Calories

If your body-fat % is between 15% – 18%

• Multiply your LBM by 15 to calculate your Maintenance Calories

If your body-fat % is between 18% – 21%

• Multiply your LBM by 14 to calculate your Maintenance Calories

If your body-fat % is above 21%

• Multiply your LBM by 13 to calculate your Maintenance Calories

And now that you have determined your Maintenance Caloric Needs, if you want to gain muscle, you need to take it up a notch.

I recommend increasing your daily caloric intake by between 500 – 1000 calories.

That would mean that our test-skinny would need to eat between 2820.5 – 3320.5 calories per day.

And that’s a lot of food.

Here’s how you do it:

• Commit to a minimum of 2 weeks of non-stop big eating
• Set an alarm to remind you to eat at least 5 meals per day
• Write everything down – a food log is essential
• Chug a minimum of 2 meal replacement shakes per day – Muscle Milk & Monster Milk are 2 of my favorites
• Carry high calorie snacks with you everywhere – nuts, seeds, granola
• Post workout – drink a shake & eat additional carbs (fruit for the Paleos & grains {bread, rice} for everybody else)
• Eat a protein/carb meal right before bed – meal replacement shake, cottage cheese, meat & potatoes, ham sandwich, etc…
• And always, always, always…make sure you hit your caloric target

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http://healthybliss.net/links/recommended-links/

Recommended Links for a healthier you!

You’re eating healthier than ever, but your muscles feel flabby, your energy is sapped and your jeans feel increasingly snug, particularly in the belly, hips and rear.

The sad truth: Metabolic rate (the number of calories we burn in a day) plummets as we age, decreasing about 1 percent each year after we hit 30. But research shows there are things you can do to help combat metabolic slowdown.

“When our metabolisms slow down isn’t just age-related,” explains Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. “Body composition, which is determined by genetics, diet and activity, also plays a major role.”

Read on for five ways to keep your fat-burning furnace humming.

1. Build muscle.

Building more lean muscle is one of the most effective ways to boost your metabolic rate. Lean muscle places a higher caloric demand on your body and therefore requires more fuel to function. Increasing your lean muscle mass through weight lifting and resistance training will elevate your metabolic rate as your body will need to compensate to meet this increased need for functional energy.

2. Eat more often

Bodybuilders have long known that eating smaller meals more frequently, spaced out at intervals of 2-3 hours, is a proven way to keep your metabolic rate elevated, which directly impacts your ability to burn more calories. Make sure that the meals you’re eating are high in protein and complex carbohydrates, with moderate to low levels of fat

3. Train Harder

Intense weight training is another very effective way to spike your metabolic rate and burn more calories. Training principles such as supersets involve performing two or more complimentary exercises back-to-back, with little to no rest in between (see chart). By supersetting your exercises and keeping your rest time to a minimum, your heart rate – and metabolism – will be gunning at full throttle.

4. Eat more protein

Besides being one of the most important macronutrients to help bodybuilders build muscle, protein requires more digestive energy to process than either carbohydrates or fat and burns more calories as a result. It also doesn’t cause dramatic spikes in insulin and blood sugar, which often lead to cravings and weight gain.

5. Use interval training

Interval training is a method of cardiovascular training that involves short bursts of intense activity, followed by longer bouts of moderate to low-intensity activity done at 2:1 intervals (e.g. sprinting for 30 seconds, followed by a light jog for 60 seconds). This method of training will not only help you burn more calories, but has been shown to elevate the resting metabolic rate as well! Interval training can be done with any type of cardio exercise (biking, rowing, etc.), but is most commonly performed with running.