GAINING LEAN MUSCLE

Bulking up: It’s a scary thought for many guys at the gym because it seems like there’s always a string attached. Everyone wants to add lean mass, but—and it’s a big but—a lot of us don’t like the idea of gaining bodyfat, even as little as a couple of pounds, which is the norm with most mass-gaining meal plans. Seriously, what’s the point of gaining 20 or 30 pounds if a good portion of that is fat? If you can’t see the muscle you’ve added, is it even worth having? In this case, we say no, which is why we provide you with the tools you need to add muscle while maintaining, not increasing, your current level of bodyfat.
The Question: How do I bulk up without adding unwanted pounds of fat?
The Answer: By being careful, precise and paying close attention to food timing
SMART GROWTH
Building muscle requires an increase in calories; that is, to gain weight you must eat more calories than you burn each day. But if you go overboard and eat too much, you’ll kick-start the fat-storing process. So the key is to eat just enough to facilitate the muscle-gaining process but not so much that you’ll add fat along with it.
One way to do this is by controlling portion sizes at mealtime. For most meals (not including postworkout), aim to get 40-60 grams of protein and 40-80 grams of carbs, depending on your size; bigger guys weighing more than, say, 225 pounds will shoot for the higher end. The meal plan on the following pages gives a guide to particular food portions that will get you to these gram targets. Dietary fat should be as low as possible, except for healthy fats (from nuts, olive oil, fatty fish), which can amount to 5-10 grams per meal.
THE TIME IS KEY
Timing of meals is the other key to maintaining a healthy weight, while bulking up. When you eat is not only compatible with mass gains but also plays a key role in controlling body fat levels. If you are trying to gain mass unique quality, increase the size of your meals at breakfast and after training. These are the two times of day when the muscles crave more calories and nutrients-at breakfast because you are nutritionally exhausted after a night of sleep, and after training because the stressed muscles are in dire need of replacement to launch the recovery process. Providing the body with what you can put into use during these windows facilitates optimal growth and keeps body fat levels down.
In summary, the intelligent growth-sans-muscle body fat depends on the manipulation of calorie intake. Yes, you have to eat more to gain mass, but when you eat more you can determine whether you gain fat or muscle. If you stick to a great breakfast and a substantial meal after training and evenly divide your other meals in smaller portions, you can increase the total caloric intake, ensuring that those extra calories go to the muscles when needed.