Looking at nutrition, what we eat and consume can be broken down into 2 categories:

Macronutrients (which are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins), and Micronutrients (which are
vitamins and minerals). Carbohydrates and proteins offer 4 calories (usable energy) per gram,
and fats offer 9 calories of energy per gram. The majority of our energy that we use as humans
comes from the consumption of carbs and fats. Protein offers energy as well, but its primary use
in the body is to promote growth/restoration of damaged muscle tissue. The core of anyones diet
that wants to build muscle, get lean and in shape, or lose weight is through macro and
micronutrient consumption.

Carbohydrates

Carbs get talked about all the time in a bad manner, and many people say they are the enemy.
In a normal, sedentary, middle-aged or older adults world, that is true, carbs are bad. However,
for lifters, runners, athletes, meatheads, etc. carbs are what keep us going in terms of energy.
They are the main energy food. The problem a lot of people have is that they eat the wrong carbs
at the wrong time, which if you do that you have a better chance of gaining fat. Simply put, carbs
come in 2 forms: Simple and Complex. Simple carbs are either monosaccharides or
disaccharides, which further can be broken down into glucose (blood sugar), table sugar/honey,
galactose (found in milk) and fructose (found in fruits and veggies). Complex carbohydrates are
either starches or polysaccharides (the difference is the amount of glucose molecules, too
scientific for this conversation). Complex carbs are much more beneficial for people who
exercise, and the best sources of complex carbs are grains (wheat, rice, oats, corn, rye), legumes
(beans and peas), and root vegetables (potatoes, yams, carrots). Broccoli, apples, pears are also
good sources of complex carbs. The most important thing to remember about grains is that you
want to consume WHOLE GRAINS NOT refined grains. Refined grains such as white bread,
white rice, have all of the fiber, protein, vitamins/minerals stripped from them, not what you
want. Refined sugars can be High-fructose corn syrup, which is sugar made from the starch of
corn. DO NOT CONSUME ANYTHING with HFCS on the label. Soda has a lot of HFCS. Next
thing to know is about fiber, which is a type of carb that is non-processed. It keeps you feeling
full longer, and eating foods with fiber will have a great result on your digestive system health,
physique, and regularity. Beans, veggies, fruits, nuts, and breads and cereals all are good sources
of fiber. So the main reason why carbs are so important and why the right ones need to be
consumed is because they play a huge role once they enter the blood stream. When carbs are
consumed they enter the blood stream as blood sugar (aka, glucose) and maintaining normal
blood glucose levels is important for health and obtaining exercise results. Maintaining blood
glucose is done by hormones insulin and glucagon (both secreted by the pancreas). Insulin
lowers blood glucose, glucagon raises blood glucose. Insulin is an ANABOLIC hormone (good
thing for exercise, anabolic means building up) glucagon is a CATABOLIC hormone (bad thing
for exercise, catabolic means tear/break down). The reason why insulin helps to build muscle is
because when carbs are consumed, glucose levels rise up, but the levels of glucose need to be
controlled in the bloodstream. So, Insulin gets released and it essentially tells the new glucose
in the blood where to go, so it doesnt stay in the bloodstream (which is bad, can lead to
diabetes). So insulin sparks the muscle cells to take in the new glucose, which our muscles later
use for energy. Our muscular energy levels are based on the amount of glycogen (storage form of
glucose) that they have stored away. So basically, carbohydrates get consumed, insulin gets
released to help promote the storage of glucose in our muscles, which later is used as muscular
energy when we workout. Thats why carbs are very important. The reason why glucagon is
catabolic and not good for exercise is because when our glucose levels drop too low, glucagon
gets released and it turns amino acids (which make up proteins), already stored glycogen from
the muscles/liver, and anything else it can find and turns it into sugar so the glucose levels can
increase. We dont want to turn amino acids, proteins, and already stored glycogen (muscular
energy) into sugar, because now we have less amino acids and proteins to help us re-build
damaged muscle from working out. This is why regulation of insulin is important, and if youre
working out and lifting hard, carbs are so important. The next thing to know about carbs is which
kinds are the best to eat. Carbs are classified based on their GLYCEMIC INDEX, which is a
scale rating from 0-100. It basically measures how quickly carbs are converted to blood glucose.
So a high glycemic index carb is a carb that is ranked 70 or higher, a medium glycemic index
carb is a carb that is ranked 55-69, and a low glycemic index carb is a carb that is ranked 0-55.
Basically, lower glycemic index foods result in a slower insulin response and more stable blood
glucose levels (which is a good thing). If we eat a lot of high glycemic index carbs, our insulin
levels will be spiking all the time, which can cause the blood sugar to be stored as fat in the liver,
leading to significant, dangerous health problems. So you wanna be able to control insulin levels
through eating the right kind of carbs.

Here are examples of common foods that are High Glycemic Index:

Boiled potato, baked potato, pancakes, pretzels, scones, doughnuts, muffins, coke, white rice,
white bread, oreos, ice cream, snickers, bagels, cheerios, corn flakes, popcorn, Gatorade.

So the main thing to understand is that these foods will cause spikes in insulin release. The
conception is that no one should want insulin spikes because if they occur too often bad things
can happen. However, for weight lifters, athletes, and anyone who works out a lot, we NEED
insulin spikes. The stress that we put on our bodies (muscles, especially) when we workout
causes DEPLETION or emptying of our energy stores, which is primarily glycogen in muscle
tissues and cells. One of the main energy systems (there are 3 total) that we use when we work
out is called the Glycolytic energy system. So we flat out need glucose in order to workout.
When muscular energy gets depleted, our blood glucose levels are low, were gassed out,
exhausted, tired, after a hard workout. We need to REPLENISH our lost glycogen levels
through insulin release. So we HAVE to consume carbs! After a workout, anything goes, we
need to spike our insulin, we need that blood glucose level to rise so our insulin can cause our
muscles to take in the blood sugar and store it for energy. Otherwise, if we dont, glucagon will
start turning all sorts of stuff (amino acids, protein, shit we need to build muscle) into sugar in
order to naturally get our levels back up. We do not want that, ever. So things that are good to
consume after a workout are bagels, bread (whole wheat, rye, never white), Gatorade, powerade,
popcorn, pretzels, even cookies are fine to eat after working out hard. I eat cliff bars, power bars,
and any kind of meal replacement bar that has a good amount of carbs in it. Cliff bars have 42
grams of carbs, they have healthy fats, good fiber, and 9-10 grams of protein. I would
recommend those to anyone. Plus theyre relatively inexpensive and are portable. Bottom line,
you need to consume after a workout and even later on in the day because your levels are all
depleted and all over the place, you gotta get that shit back up to normal and give your muscle
tissue energy to store.

Looking at LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX CARBS, Examples are:

Wheat bread, rye bread, pumpernickel bread, whole grain bread, bran cereal, (honey bunches of
oats, special K, good cereals, not cocoa puffs and lucky charms), beans (kidney beans, black
beans, pinto beans, any kind of beans pretty much), oatmeal, peanuts, cashews, almonds,
peaches, grapes, bananas, apples, greek yogurt, milk, chocolate milk, pasta (preferably whole
wheat pasta, but regular pasta is fine too).

So these are the types of carbs that will slowly increase insulin levels, these carbs digest slowly
in the blood stream and do not cause spiking in insulin. These are the types of carbs that you
should eat in the morning, mid-late morning, afternoon, at night, pretty much all time, except
around your workouts. Now when you eat carbs, a good note to remember is that you want to
combine carbs with good proteins and fats which will lower glycemic index of a carb. So if
youre going to be eating a high glycemic index carb for dinner (such as a baked potato), youll
obviously be eating it with some sort of meat, vegetable, so it wont do too much damage in
terms of an insulin spike. And I am not a by the book eater, I eat clean, but I dont freak out if I
have something at the wrong time sometimes. Everyone responds to carbs differently, so one
food may cause a spike in blood glucose for you, but not for me.

So looking at carbs and exercise, the purpose of carbs is obviously to maintain muscle glycogen,
liver glycogen, and blood glucose, pretty much went through all that. A good note to make (and
for knowledge) is that during intense exercise, glucagon (the evil hormone) levels increase
naturally, insulin levels decrease naturally, epinephrine (or adrenaline) increases naturally, and
cortisol (another evil hormone which is extremely catabolic, it actually breaks down protein
and releases amino acids into the blood) also increases naturally. No magic pill, supplement,
food is going to change those facts, it is what it is but you got to know how it all works, what
hormones rise, what hormones goes down. Consuming carbs will offset cortisol, which is what
we want, big time.

Heres some guidelines for restoring muscle glycogen stores: Timing of carbs, less than 2
hours is ideal to get them in after a workout. Eat 1 gram of carb per kilogram of bodyweight each
hour for 1-2 hours. So I weigh 205 pounds (roughly 100 kilograms) that means I should eat 100
grams of carbs during the first and second hour after I work out. Again, if I eat a cliff bar, some
pretzels, protein shake, and drink a Gatorade during the first hour, thats around 100 grams,
pretty easy. High glycemic index carbs increase the rate of glycogen synthesis (good thing) so eat
them after a workout. Taking in carbs after workouts causes greater uptake of amino acids
(which build proteins) and itll actually reduce muscle protein breakdown (which we dont
want).

Strength and Power athletes, who primarily perform resistance training only, should consume 5-6
grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of bodyweight per day.

Endurance athletes and runners should consume 8-10 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of
bodyweight per day while training.

Grocery List for Grains:

- Oatmeal
- Brown Rice
- Quinoa
- Rye, Pumpernickel, Whole grain, Whole wheat, almond bread

Grocery List for Veggies:

- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Brussel Sprouts
- Carrots
- Cabboge
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Lettuce
- Kale
- Spinach
- Eggplant
- Spinach
- Tomato
- Potatoes (Sweet, Red, Regular)
- Beets

Protein

Obviously protein is important for re-building damaged muscle tissue. It formulates enzymes
(which are chemical proteins that help form chemical reactions, important for muscle
contractions). The thing that makes proteins unique in terms of the other nutrients is that it
contains a lot of nitrogen (most proteins are 16% nitrogen). This is important because having a
positive nitrogen balance (which will happen when you increase your protein intake daily) will
result in muscle mass gains almost automatically.

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, there are 20 amino acids used by the body to
make various proteins. There are either ESSENTIAL or NONESSENTIAL amino acids.
Nonessential amino acids are ones that our body makes sufficient amounts of naturally, so they
arent necessary to consume much of through diet as compared to essential amino acids.
Essential amino acids are amino acids that we need to get through our diet because our bodies do
not make sufficient amounts of them naturally. Examples are isoleucine, leucine, lysine, valine,
tryptophan, and a couple others. The most important ones are called the BRANCHED CHAIN
AMINO ACIDS. There are only 3 BCAAs, those are valine, isoleucine, and leucine. These are
the most important amino acids especially with exercise because they can be used as a fuel
during working out and their usage will spare your muscle glycogen (muscular energy) from
being used. The most important BCAA is leucine and the content of leucine in a protein is often a
determinant of the quality of the protein source. Leucine is so important because of its impact on
the mTOR pathway in muscle, which is primarily responsible for protein synthesis (the building
of protein). When looking for BCAAs and protein sources to buy, look for a high leucine
content, a good value per serving is 2-3 grams of leucine.

Animal and plant proteins: protein quality of a food is based on digestibility, and the ability for it
to provide essential (the ones we need through diet) amino acids in adequate amounts. Basically,
short and sweet, animal products have higher protein qualities than plant proteins. Proteins are
scored on a scale (like carbs are) but the scale is from 0 to 1 based on quality. The two most
popular and beneficial proteins are Whey and Casein proteins. When cows are milked, their
milk contains both whey and casein, together they basically make up milk. If you were to boil
milk or separate it, it would be separated into whey and casein. So these two are the highest
quality proteins you can get. Since milk is both whey and casein (its 80% casein, though), I
would tell you to start drinking milk if you dont already. I drink chocolate milk almost every
night with dinner, and theres honestly no better source of high quality protein then milk. its great
post workout too if you dont have protein powder (some people think its even better for the
body then protein powder) because it has carbs, healthy fats, protein, calcium, vitamins, all good
stuff, theres more in it then just standard powder. There is a big difference to know between
whey and casein proteins. Whey protein is a fast digesting protein and Casein digests more
slowly. Taking whey protein right after a workout will work better because itll get digested
quicker and synchronize with the working muscles faster, and muscle repair will happen quicker.
Evidence has shown that consuming protein before bed increases muscle mass and strength.
When you go to look at supplements some will say Whey Protein Isolate or Whey Protein
Concentrate. Whey Protein Concentrate is 30-90% whey protein. Whey Protein Isolate is 90-
100% whey protein. Basically, you have a greater chance of consuming more whey protein if
you take Whey Isolate, Looking at the other best sources of high quality protein, eggs, soy, beef,
nuts (any kind), and beans (any kind) are the other best sources. So these are the best sources to
go by and what you should really try and eat to get protein down. There are obviously a lot of
other products and things you can eat that have good amounts of protein per serving in them, but
these are the ones with the highest quality scoring from research.

Grocery list for Best Proteins:

- Eggs 100% organic

- Egg whites
- Ground beef
- Chicken
- Turkey (ground)
- Halibut
- Lamb
- Cod
- Tilapia
- Pork
- Salmon
- Tuna
- Shrimp

GUIDELINES For Protein Consumption: I go based on my weight. So I weigh 205-210

pounds (94-95 kilograms) usually on a day to day basis. I like to get 1.4-1.7 grams of protein per
kilogram of body weight daily, which ends up being anywhere from 130-160 grams of protein.
That may seem like a lot (and it is to some degree) but once you start eating the right things it
wont be so hard to get to day in day out. Right after you work out, scientific evidence has shown
that you just need 20-25 grams of protein to maximize protein synthesis (the building up of
protein molecules). Strength and Power athletes should consume 1.4 to 1.7 grams of protein per
kilogram of body weight daily. Endurance athletes and runners should consume 1.0 to 1.6 grams
of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.

Guidelines for Losing Weight and Still Building Muscle: Being in a caloric deficit can make it
hard to maintain muscle mass and even try to build it if your goal is to lose fat mass. You want to
restrict you caloric intake by 500 calories per day and increase your protein intake to 1.8 to 2.7
grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. The higher level of protein intake will cause
increased satiety (feeling full) because protein has a large thermogenic effect on food (it takes
significant energy for our body to digest protein).

Guidelines for Gaining Weight: Increase caloric intake by 500 calories and consume 1.5 to 2.0
grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. The more calories you are consuming may make it
hard to consume more protein because it causes you to feel full for longer periods of time.

Fats

Believe it or not, fats are good in the right amounts. Fats are split up into different types. One
kind is lipids, which are triglycerides, cholesterol, and phospholipids. Triglycerides are by far the
most abundant fat in our bodies. They can be split up into the most common types of fats,
saturated or unsaturated. Basically, saturated fats are solid at room temperature, and they are
much worse to consume compared to unsaturated. Unsaturated fats (broken down into
monounsaturated and polyunsaturated (not a big difference between the two) ) are liquid at room
temperature and are essentially oils. Animal fats are also saturated. Unsaturated fats examples
are olive oil, canola oil, soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil. These are the fats that you need to
consume whether on your salad, baked potato or pasta at night, or when your cooking eggs,
chicken, or anything in a pan. The other type of fat is Trans Fat. Trans fats are hydrogenated oils
that are synthetically processed, they convert a liquid oil to a solid fat, absolutely horrible for
you. But this is used in several processed foods and its used for frying foods, again, horrible. If
any label has Hydrogenated oils, partially hydrogenated oils, or trans fats, put it back. Why are
they so bad? They raise LDL-C or bad cholesterol and lower HDL-C or good cholesterol.

Foods that contain Trans Fats are: doughnuts, fries, onion rings, cakes, pies, muffins, biscuits,
pancake mixes, cookies, Crisco, cheesecake, icing, chips, frozen dinners.

The most important fats for consumption are Omega-3 and Omega-6 unsaturated fats. The main
ingredient in these fats is linoleic acid. There are dietary supplements called CLAs (stands for
conjugated linoleic acid) that you can take that are called fat burners but they really arent
justified or FDA approved. L-Carnitine is an amino acid compound thats stored in muscles that
helps to utilize fats during exercise. You can get it from beef and pork through diet, but many
people supplement with it as well. Basically just increases fat oxidation, or the rate at which your
body uses and burns fats. But it hasnt been scientifically proven to do this, like a lot of other
supplements. A lot of Omegas are found in fish, fish oils, and they have numerous health
benefits. The best way to get these omegas is through oils, green leafy veggies, and seafood.
Fish oil consumption has been shown to increase blood flow and oxygen delivery along with
making red blood cell membranes less thick, which equals easier blood flow. And it reduced
inflammation and improves immune system health.

So why fats are important for people who work out. In muscles, fatty acids can be used as a
significant source of energy or combine with glycerol to form intramuscular triglycerides.
Lipoproteins can come in 4 types, but its basically a combination of triglycerides, cholesterol,
phospholipids, and protein. Like I said earlier, LDL cholesterol is bad because LDL ( stands for
low-density lipoproteins) help deposit cholesterol into blood vessel walls (basically, not good).
HDL cholesterol or high density lipoproteins remove cholesterol from vessel walls (basically,
very good thing). Saturated fats increase LDL-C (BAD) so avoid fats that are solid at room
temperature. Also avoid bacon, taylor ham, sausage. Getting back to working out and fats, two
supplements work at this level, they are carnitine and MCFA (found in coconut oil). These help
fatty acid oxidation (or the burning, or usage of) in muscles. When you are exercising at a low
intensity level, you are primarily using fat as a fuel for exercise. Whereas during weight lifting
and high intense exercise, youre primarily using carbs. Everyones fat burning zone is different,
you cant really control it. Consuming carbs right before working out isnt the best idea (like
within 15 minutes of starting to workout) because your bodys ability to burn fat will decrease
with an insulin spike (which is what happens when carbs are consumed). Fat will then be
mobilized and instead of being broken down metabolically. But healthy fats should be 20-35 %
of your total calorie intake for the day. If your trying to just strictly lose weight, I would go more
towards a higher fat %, very high protein %, and very low carbohydrate %. But if you wanna
build lean muscle I would go with a high protein % (40% of total calorie intake), moderate-high
carb % (30-35% of total calorie intake), and low-moderate fat intake (20-25% calorie intake).
Since you really wont be using fat as a primary energy source when youre working out, your
gonna need more carbs in your diet because again, thats your main energy source and what will
restore muscular energy levels after you crush a workout. The bottom line with fats is that
exercise is the greatest stimulator of fat breakdown (known as lipolysis) and oxidation (burning)
thats out there.

Grocery List for Fats and Oils:

- Olive oil
- Avocado (Ive replaced butter, cheese, or any of those type products with avocado, its
the best type of solid fat you can by, highly recommend using it on a lot of things)
- Coconut oil
- Coconut milk
- MCT oil
- Canola Oil
- Sunflower Oil

Grocery List for Nuts and Seeds: These are the best snacks to have:

- Almonds
- Cashews
- Peanuts (lightly salted)
- Hazelnuts
- Pecans
- Pistachios
- Walnuts
- Sunflower seeds

Grocery List for Fruits:

- Apples
- Oranges
- Bananas (loaded with potassium and fiber, minimal calories too, will prevent cramping
during workouts, I eat about 2 per day, best fruit to have )
- Blue berries
- Grapefruit
- Grapes
- Kiwi
 - Lemon/Lime
- Mango
- Peaches
- Pears
- Pineapple
- Pomegranate
- Watermelon
- Strawberries

Supplements

Protein: Whey and Casein types of protein powder, theres a big difference between the two.
Whey protein is a fast digesting protein and Casein digests more slowly. taking whey protein
right after a workout will work better because itll get digested quicker and synchronize with the
working muscles faster, and repair will happen quicker. If you want to buy a Casein powder
thats fine too (along with whey) and what I used to do is drink the Casein before you go to bed
because it takes multiple hours to digest. Evidence has actually shown that consuming protein
before bed increases muscle mass and strength. When you go to look at supplements some will
say Whey Protein Isolate or Whey Protein Concentrate. Whey Protein Concentrate is 30-90%
whey protein. Whey Protein Isolate is 90-100% whey protein. Basically, you have a greater
chance of consuming more Whey protein if you take Whey Isolate. Post Workout supplement
should have a 3:1 or 4:1 carbohydrate to protein ratio, meaning more carbs then protein.

BCAAs: Consume them during your workout and after your workout as well. You can even
drink them throughout the day. Nonessential amino acids were not necessary to stimulate muscle
protein synthesis; rather, only the presence of essential amino acids is needed. Study done where
1 group took in 40 grams of mixed amino acids (nonessential and essential), 1 group took in 40
grams of just essential amino acids, and 1 group was placebo. No difference between amino acid
groups. Non-essential amino acids are not needed to stimulate muscle protein synthesis.

When essential amino acids plus sugar (6 g EAA and 36 g sugar) was consumed 30 minutes
before resistance training, the acute (3 hours post exercise) anabolic response was 158% greater
than when the EAA and sugar supplement were consumed post training. A person who consumed
EAA before or after (or both) every resistance training session over a period of weeks would
experience greater changes in muscle mass than with training only.

BCAAs are the ones responsible for increasing muscle protein synthesis. Leucine is the key one
because of the Akt/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway. Leucine has now become
thought of as rate limiting factor in terms of maximizing muscle protein synthesis. Study with
subjects taking 3.5g of leucine or 1.87 g during cycling execise. Muscle protein synthesis was
33% greater during the 3 hour assessment period post workout.
Stimulus activation of muscle specific genes (induced via lifting) increase in mTOR
pathway/ protein synthesis (enhanced by leucine intake) hypertrophic response (synergy
between resistance exercise and leucine ingestion)

Arginine is an Essential amino acid and is required for synthesis of protein and creatine, and its
metabolism results in the production of nitric oxide. Elevates nitric oxide levels, increase muscle
blood flow, and improve exercise performance which leads to Vasodilation, which is widening of
blood vessels so blood can flow through the arties and to the rest of the tissues much easier. This
is important during intense exercise when oxygen needs to travel in the blood stream and get
delivered to working muscle tissue.

Beta Alanine: Nonessential amino acid that is common in many foods we eat such as chicken. In
muscle cells it is the rate limiting substrate for carnosine synthesis. 4 weeks of supplementing
beta alanine (4-6 g per day) resulted in a mean increase of 64% in skeletal muscle beta alanine
concentrations. Carnosine is found in fast twitch skeletal muscle and is estimated to contribute
up to 40% of the skeletal muscle buffering capacity of hydrogen produced during intense
exercise. So increasing skeletal muscle carnosine levels through chronic training or beta alanine
supplementation would improve MBC and improve anaerobic performance

L-Carnitine is synthesized from amino acids lysine and methionine and is responsible for the
transport of fatty acids from the cytosol into the mitochondria to be oxidized for energy helps
with lipolysis and it may enhance recovery from exercise. Up to 3 g of daily carnitine
supplementation appears to be well tolerated

Creatine: is a nitrogenous organic compound that is synthesized naturally in the body (liver) and
helps to supply energy to all cells in the body. 98% of creatine is stored within skeletal muscle in
its free form (40%) or its phosphorylated form (60%). Creatine phosphate has an essential role in
energy metabolism as a substrate for the formation of ATP by rephosphorylating ADP, especially
during short-duration, high intensity exercise. ATP is what allows our muscles to contract and is
the most important energy producing substance in our body. What we do in the weight room
(lifting, running, jumping) relies on having Creatine stores. So if you supplement with it, it
WILL help you get bigger, faster, and stronger. As Creating Phosphate stores become depleted,
ability to perform exercise at high intensity levels declines. During 6 second bout of max
exercise, CP levels within the muscle are reduced 35% to 57% from resting levels. As duration
increases to 30 seconds, CP levels in muscle are reduced 64-80% further. If muscle CP
concentrations can be maintained, ability to sustain high intensity exercise would be improved.
Typical regimen involves loading dose of 20 to 25 g daily for five days, or 0.3 g/kg body mass,
followed by maintenance dose of 2 g per day. Reaching muscle creatine concentration will take
longer (but will still occur) without loading protocol (about 30 days vs 5 days). The benefits
include increase strength, power, lean body mass and decreases in fat mass
6 Steps for Success in Athlete Nutrition

1. Water- water controls cortisol levels, which like I said earlier, is bad for building muscle.
Cortisol is a stress hormone that can cause weight gain and limit the ability to build
muscle (all talked about up top). Drink 1 gallon a day, at least. Mix in some green tea,
Gatorade (after workouts), milk,
2. Calories- no ones builds up their bodies by cutting off calories, its stupid. You wanna
grow, feed your damn body!
3. Protein- = muscle growth, strength, repair, its essential obviously. It should take up 45-
50% of your diet. The more protein you eat, the longer it takes for your body to digest it,
which is a GOOD thing. Protein requires more of your bodies energy to digest and
process. Whey protein especially improves immune system function too. When in doubt,
eat protein.
4. Carbs- carbs are your friend too when it comes to building muscle. Cant ignore them.
Theyre critical. Pretty much wrote 5 pages on them up top.
5. Omega-3s- help break down fat (lipolysis). Definitely recommend taking fish oil
supplement. Helps to reduce inflammation caused by intense training. Also increases
serotonin levels (makes you feel happy) which can have a big effect on mood and control
of carb cravings. Lubricates joints, which will help with your knee pain.
6. Supplements- supplements should be used as an insurance guide. Theyre called
supplements because theyre supposed to supplement your diet; they shouldnt consume
your diet and all of your calories.