The Anabolic Diet Copyright Notice Published by: Muscle Monsters LLC Copyright 2015 All material in this guide is, unless otherwise stated, the property of Alain Gonzalez and Muscle Monsters LLC. Copyright and other intellectual property laws protect these materials. Reproduction or retransmission of the materials, in whole or in part, in any manner, without the prior written consent of the copyright holder, is a violation of copyright law. 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 2
Legal Disclaimer Warning: All the information presented in Bony to Brawny" is for educational and resource purposes only. It is not a substitute for or in addition to any advice given to you by your physician or health care provider. Consult your physician before making any changes to your lifestyle, diet, or exercise habits. You are solely responsible for the way information in Bony to Brawny" is perceived and utilized and so, you do so at your own risk. In no way will Alain Gonzalez or any persons associated with Bony to Brawny be held responsible for any injuries or problems that may occur due to the use of this book or the advice contained within. Personal Disclaimer We are not doctors, nor do we possess a degree in nutrition. The advice we give is based on years of practical application, dealing with the needs of our own health and physiques as well as the needs of others. Any recommendations we may make to you regarding diet, including, supplements and herbal or nutritional treatments must be discussed between you and your doctor/s. Muscle-Building Disclaimer Required Legal Disclaimer: Due to recent laws from the FTC, it is required that all companies identify what a typical result is. The truth is that most people never do anything when it comes to trying building muscle. They might buy a million products, including this one, but never do anything with the information they have in hand. The testimonials that you saw were of people who took action, followed a healthy lifestyle, exercised, and ate a balanced nutritional diet. If you want results like them, you should do this too. 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 3
Table of Contents Eat Your Way Big... 5 Step #1 Achieve a Positive Energy Balance... 8 Step #2 Distribute Your Macros... 10 Step #3 Ensure Overall Health... 12 Step #4 Schedule Your Meals*... 14 Step #5 Choose Your Supplements*... 19 Jump on The Gain Train!... 21 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 4
Eat Your Way Big As a hardgainer or a naturally skinny guy that finds it impossible to gain any mass, the key to growing is knowing not only how much to eat but, what to eat as well. I know sometimes we feel like we are eating a lot and it would be impossible to increase that amount, but I guarantee you it is not enough and it will be easier to increase calories than you think. If you are going to gain muscle mass it is impossible to do so without the calorie intake in the right macronutrient distribution. Anything else comes secondary. Here s what I mean Let s say you wanted to become a successful financial investor but unfortunately you have no money to invest. On the other hand, you do have access to a very successful financial investor who is ready and willing to teach you the ins and outs. What would you ask him/her? I ll tell you what most people would ask What are the best types of businesses to invest in? How do I know when I have a winner? What are things to look out for when making an investment? Perhaps you re a little more educated than I am in the field. Maybe you would ask different (better) questions about how to become a successful investor. But my point remains You re putting the cart before the horse. 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 5
You ve racked up all of this knowledge and have all the tools necessary to become a successful investor. But you re missing one thing. Money You need money and you have no clue how you re going to go about earning enough money to invest. So would it (or would it not) make more sense to first ask questions like How much money will I need to start? What kind of saving strategies did you use to put together enough money to invest? You get the idea. The same thing happens when I get an email from a subscriber who wants to know what s the best supplement for gaining size? or how many meals should I eat if I want to build muscle? before they even know how much protein they should be consuming per day. And although I do think those are fair questions, 9 times out of 10, they re being asked much too early. Too much time is spent google searching best post workout meal and not enough time is spent learning about the role of food in general. So here s what I want to do with The Anabolic Diet. I want not only to teach you about nutrition, but I want to give you everything necessary for you to become successful with this program, period. No more guess work and no more wondering if your nutrition is dialed in. 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 6
From now on it ll be 100% in your control whether or not you pack on more mass. How does that sound? Look at the chart below: Now tell me What do you want to know in regards to nutrition? Is it about energy balance? Or is it about the best supplement for gym performance? So if your goal is to build muscle mass as fast as possible and nutrition is the one thing holding you back, then fear not. Once you read and implement these steps, you ll never have to doubt your nutrition again. 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 7
Step #1 Achieve a Positive Energy Balance Energy Balance: is defined by the laws of thermodynamics and dictates whether weight is lost, gained, or remains the same. Energy In: Food calories taken into the body through food and drink. Energy Out: Calories being used in the body for our daily energy requirements. If your goal is to put on lean muscle tissue, the only way to ensure that you are providing our body with enough nutrients to perform, recover, and grow, is to eat in a positive energy balance or caloric surplus. This simply means that we should consume more (energy in) calories than we burn (energy out). In order to ensure that we are in a positive energy balance, we must first determine our maintenance level. Being in a caloric maintenance level simply means that we are expending just as much energy as we are consuming and thus maintaining the same bodyweight. Once we can determine our maintenance level, creating a caloric surplus then becomes extremely simple. If you are a male with a healthy metabolism who exercises regularly then the numbers 16-18 are a great place to start and will be spot on for most people. But don t get caught up in the math right now, eh? That s what the Anabolic Diet Calculator is for. Where does this number (16-18) come from? Resting Metabolic Rate Thermic Effect of Activity Thermic Effect of Food 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 8
Calculating your maintenance calories Bodyweight (in lbs) x 16 = Starting Caloric Intake Example: 170 lbs x 16 = 2,720 Use this weight tracking strategy to determine whether the starting caloric intake puts you in a surplus, at maintenance, or in a deficit. Weight Tracking 1. Weigh yourself every single morning (under the same circumstances) for 1 week. 2. At the end of the week, calculate the average weigh-in (for that week). 3. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for another week. 4. Subtract week one s average weight from week two s average weight. 5. Determine if you are in a surplus, at maintenance, or in a deficit. 6. Then adjust accordingly. Surplus: If your average weigh-in has increased by at least 0.25lbs, then you are in a caloric surplus and should make no changes to your diet or meal plan. Maintenance: If your average weigh-in has remained the same, then you are at maintenance and should either move up to the next highest meal plan or increase your carbohydrate intake by 25g. Deficit: If your average weigh-in has decreased, then you are in a caloric deficit and should increase your carbohydrate intake by 25-50g or move up to the next highest meal plan. Continue to weigh-in every morning and get an average weigh-in every week. Doing this will allow you to keep track of whether or not you are making progress with your current meal plan or nutrition intake. 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 9
Step #2 Distribute Your Macros Now although energy balance is the main focus when attempting to pack on mass, the sources in which create this positive energy balance are what will determine performance and body composition (the type of weight gained). What are macronutrients: Nutrients that the body uses in relatively large amounts - proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. This is as opposed to micronutrients, which the body requires in smaller amounts, such as vitamins and minerals. If you ignore macronutrient breakdown and focus only on energy balance you will, more than likely Not synthesize enough protein to build muscle Not recover efficiently from the training stimulus Not perform with enough power to stimulate new growth Now although there are a number of ways to distribute your macronutrients, I ll give you my recommendation. Protein: 0.8-1.2 x Bodyweight = Protein in grams Fats: 0.25-0.5 x Bodyweight = Fats in grams Carbs: 2-3 x Bodyweight = Carbohydrates in grams. For example: 170 lbs 170 lbs x 1 = 170g of Protein 170 lbs x 0.4 = 68g of Fats 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 10
170 lbs x 2 = 340g of Carbohydrates Macronutrient Ratio: 170P/68F/340C Note: There are plenty of ways to distribute the macronutrients and they are all effective. I urge that you do not get too caught up in which formula to use as they will all provide a solid starting point. In fact, instead of wasting time calculating the perfect caloric intake and macronutrient distribution, use the Anabolic Diet Calculator to take care of that for you. Where do I get my calories from? Carbohydrates Protein Fats Oatmeal Wheat bread Whole grain pasta Potatoes Brown rice Fruits Vegetables Sweet Potatoes Chicken breast Red meat Egg whites Whey Turkey (Ground, sliced, burgers) Cottage cheese Fish Milk (2%, 1%, or soy) Beans Olive oil Peanut butter Almonds Flax seed oil Avocado Salmon Almonds Mixed Nuts 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 11
Step #3 Ensure Overall Health Steps 1 and 2 are responsible for about 95% of your fitness results (in terms of nutrition) and should come first and foremost. However, with step 3 we are ensuring overall health. I am a huge believer that a healthier body is a more efficient body. And thus ensuring you re consuming enough vitamins, minerals, and fiber does play a role in your ability to build muscle optimally. What is fiber? Fiber: The indigestible portion of food derived from plants and waste of animals that eat dietary fiber. What does this mean to you? Well, probably nothing at all. The only thing you should be concerned with is the amount of fiber you take in on a daily basis. Calculating Daily Fiber Intake Like the macronutrients we discussed before, there is a very simple formula you can use in order to calculate the amount of daily fiber that is required for you. As a general rule of thumb, we should be consuming about 10-15 grams of fiber for every 1000 calories. Note: Fiber intake is also calculated in the Anabolic Diet Calculator. Daily Calories / 1000 = a (x) 15 = Daily Fiber Intake 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 12
For Example: 2,270 / 1000 = 2.27 x 15 = 34g of fiber per day What are micronutrients? Micronutrients: Vitamins and minerals that are essential in minute amounts for the proper growth and metabolism of a living organism. Similar to everything else we have discussed in this article, there is a very basic strategy for ensuring you re getting enough vitamins and minerals in your diet. As of now you should know exactly how many servings of fruits and veggies you ll need in order to ensure your vitamin and minerals for the day. You should also know exactly how many grams of fiber you should be consuming daily based on your intake. The only thing left is finding out what foods we can consume in order to achieve these numbers. 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 13
Step #4 Schedule Your Meals* So here's the deal... In the past we were led to believe that if we wanted to build muscle, we HAD to: Eat 6 meals per day Chug a protein shake 15 minutes after training And eat ONLY the "cleanest" foods Over the years, the science of nutrition has evolved and so have our stances on the topic. But although we KNOW that we don't NEED 6 meals per day, and we don't NEED to chug protein shakes...and we KNOW that a flexible diet will produce better long-term results. We still have one question... Does Meal Frequency Matter? Or more commonly asked as "how many meals per day should I eat for muscle gains?" Some say it doesn't matter. They say it can be 1 meal or it can be 10 meals and it's all the same. Others are still stuck in the past and are "certain" that 6 meals is the way to go. The logic behind the first group is that the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) is the same for someone eating 2000kcals in 1 sitting or in 10 sittings... This is 100% accurate. The logic behind the second group is, all the pros eat 6 meals per day and it works. 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 14
Which is (for the most part) also true. But we are missing one HUGE piece to the puzzle. What about more frequently elevated protein synthesis? Studies have shown that consuming 20 grams of protein 4x per day with 3 hours in between meals produced the greatest elevations in protein synthesis. It worked better than 8 meals with 10 grams of protein per and it worked better than 2 meals with 40 grams of protein per. So does meal frequency actually matter? Yes a little. "How Many Meals per Day to Maximize Muscle Mass?" My suggestion would be 3-5 meals per day, with 3 hours in between sittings, and at least 20 grams of protein per meal. Things to consider If you are extremely busy and cannot manage to eat every 2-3 hours then don t. If you need structure and must follow a schedule, then create one that fits perfectly in your day. If you like structure and must follow a schedule but are limited on time, then precook your meals. If you have the luxury of cooking and consuming as you see fit from day to day, then do so. If you require a meal plan, then create one. 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 15
Meal Timing Pre-Workout Nutrition: Most (including myself) have once said that consuming adequate carbs prior to an intense workout is best for optimal performance and muscle preservation. However, while in a growth phase, most individuals are equipped with sufficient energy and protein to both perform and preserve muscle mass without having to consume any carbs or protein prior to a workout. On the other hand, most trainees cannot function 100% in the gym without having a preworkout meal. Either way, this is totally optional. What I recommend is, consider your schedule and consider how you feel with or without one (pre-workout meal). Post-Workout Nutrition: Most (including myself) have also talked about the post workout anabolic window. This theory suggests that one must consume adequate amounts of protein and fast acting carbs in order to avoid a catabolic state immediately following our workout. The truth is, staying fasted more than 15-30 minutes following your workout has no negative effects as long as you are consistently meeting your nutrient requirements. Now, this is not to say that it is a bad idea to consume a meal following your workout (which I still recommend you do), it simply suggests that there is no need to speed through traffic on your way home from the gym to beat the window. Another point I would like to make is concerning the immediate carb intake. In the past we were told that an intense workout session would completely deplete us of glycogen and therefore feed from your protein or muscle tissue in order to produce more energy. 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 16
However, recent research has shown that following an intense anaerobic training session we are nowhere near complete glycogen depletion. In fact, the amount of glycogen used from an hour or two of heavy lifting is quite minimal. Should you consume a pre workout meal or shake? If you have the time and feel more primed in the gym, then yes. If you prefer to train fasted, then do so. Just make sure you get a nice meal in shortly thereafter. Should you consume a post workout meal or shake? 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 17
Absolutely. But don't worry about filling it with simple sugars and chugging it immediately after. If you had a pre-workout meal, you have a good 3-4 hours before you MUST* get your post workout protein in. If you fasted, then that window is much smaller. Aim to get it in within an hour or so. Simple enough? 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 18
Step #5 Choose Your Supplements* Let me start off by saying that this is the last step for a reason. It has little importance in comparison to the first 4 steps and in a nut shell, unlike the first 3 levels, is not necessary. However, this is not to say that the supplements I am going to mention are not beneficial simply they are not a necessity. I also would like to mention that none of these supplements will matter much if you are not following the first 3 steps along with a practical training program. Health and Recovery EFA (EDA/PHA): Although our diet can essentially provide enough EFAs, in a lot of cases it is hard to be 100% sure. Essential fatty acids serve as an anti-inflammatory and do a great deal in terms of effective recovery. Not to mention a number of other misc. benefits such as overall skin health, disease prevention, etc. (2-3grams per day) Performance Creatine Monohydrate: When it comes to performance, there is no other supplement that has been more researched or proven to work. Creatine monohydrate ensures 100% saturation of the muscle tissue and has been shown to increase strength, muscle fullness, and power output. (5grams per day) Beta Alanine: The muscle endurance version of creatine monohydrate (in a sense). As a bodybuilder who trains both for strength and/or hypertrophy (anaerobic exercise) can always benefit from increased muscle endurance. (3grams per day) Conditional Supplements Calcium: This is something to consider if you are lactose intolerant and/or are avoiding the foods that typically make up one s calcium intake (dairy). (1gram per day) 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 19
Caffeine: This is a safe, tried and true, healthy choice for a pre-workout stimulant. However, like any other stimulant, the more consistently you take it, the less effective it becomes. This is probably a good idea to take only on days where you need that extra push to get you into the gym. (200-400mg) BCAA: Not needed if your protein intake is where it needs to be but can be beneficial for trainees who are glycogen depleted and have a high intensity session lined up. (10 preworkout) 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 20
Jump on The Gain Train! At this point you should know exactly how many calories you should be consuming and in what macronutrient ratio. This is the biggest factor in whether or not your build muscle. Although tracking the macronutrient intake will typically take care of step 3, it s good to ensure you re meeting your vitamins, minerals, and fiber for overall health. What s the point of being jacked and tan if you feel like shit, right? You should also have an idea of how many meals you re going to be consuming based on what your life (schedule) allows. After all, the best diet is the one we can adhere to. Lastly, you should have an idea of what supplements (if any) you think will give you an edge. If you can afford it, buy it. If not, then don t. It s that simple. 2015 Muscle Monsters LLC All Rights Reserved www.musclemonsters.com Page 21