Hey all,
The first dietary change I’m going to have you make is to EAT MORE…but for our purposes, we’ll focus on when to eat more of what.
Hopefully by this time you’re 1 or 2 workouts into the program. I generally have my clients jump in and wait a session or two before they begin to play with their nutrition, as the workout itself can be quite a change, and eating outside of your comfort zone may leave you feeling less than yourself. Nevertheless, the change we’re going to make this week is extremely powerful, and extremely simple to implement. I don’t want you to cut anything out yet, and I don’t want you to throw all the sugar in your house out…yet.
The science of rapid body transformation requires the right kind of fuel AT THE RIGHT TIME. Most people focus on eating healthy. This is a great long term policy, but it won’t shred your body in record time. When your car is running on empty, its not a good time to fill it with vegetables. In high intensity resistance training, glycogen, the energy produced from carbohydrates and stored in muscles is depleted. Muscles are furthermore broken down and subject to catabolism, an overall breaking down of the body. Most people don’t see fitness training as what it really is…breaking down the body.
It’s a gift of nature that when our bodies are broken down (in a structured way), they are rebuilt when we’re at rest in a way that overcompensates for the stress. With proper fuel we can supercharge this adaptation with results on par with injecting anabolic steroids. With improper fuel the damage done during training can endure and result in a loss of lean muscle mass, a lower metabolic rate, and a diminished ability to utilize stored body fat. So what is the fuel that does all this most efficiently? CARBS
Carbohydrates are the single best fuel for your body. Carbs come in the form of pasta, bread, oatmeal, and its important to acknowledge this, vegetables and fruit. Some of these foods effect your blood sugar (and therefore insulin) level considerably, and some don’t. Most diets would have you stick to low glycemic carbs (those that don’t raise blood sugar or insulin levels). And in general, this is a good policy. After you finish training however, your body is most optimally fed with simple carbohydrates, and ideally high glycemic ones. An apple is comprised of simple carbohydrates, but is still low glycemic. Pasta, white bread, pineapple, cakes and cookies all constitute high glycemic carbohydrates. They will all raise insulin levels, and usher in the most powerful anabolic growth and fat burning effect your body is capable of.
To maximize this super hormone post training you need to eat high glycemic carbs within an hour of training (along with a bit of protein), and the sooner the better. It doesn’t matter if you’re hungry or not. You need to do it. If you’re looking to build muscle, do it until you physically cannot put another bite in your mouth…and then keep going. If you’re looking to tone up and burn fat, eat until you’re content, don’t stuff yourself. Follow this post workout meal with another meal about 2 hours later comprised mostly of protein and veggies. These two meals together will quicken recovery and aid growth, and will be primarily responsible for the rapid adaptations to come.
To recap the benefits of elevating insulin levels post workout:
- increases protein synthesis
- increases amino acid (protein) transport into the muscle cells
- reduces protein break down (which is what occurs during training)
If you incorporate this primary change, you’ll notice rapid gains in strength as well as a stronger metabolism in general. You should be noticing ‘the hunger’ within a few days, which is the first indication of effective training, eating, and a heightened metabolic rate. In the next nutrition video we’ll discuss how to eliminate the negative effects of this hormone through carbohydrate cycling, in order to maximize adaptation, and reduce body fat. Feel free to leave comments or questions below, I’m sure they’ll be of help to others.
Watch other videos from the Rapid Body Transformation Program archive.
