Building Muscle? - The 7 Foods You Must Never Eat!

1. High Fat and High Carb Foods

Foods that are high in fat and carbs promote high blood pressure levels, increased fat storage, decreased carbohydrate conversion, and erratic insulin levels. So what types of foods can cause these problems? Well, for starters all fried foods, sugar glazed foods such as donuts, pasta's covered in sauces, most restaurant foods, and nearly all fast foods.

2. Fruit Juices And Sodas

Processed fruit juice is normally only 5% real juice and 95% sugar. Since when is that much sugar a good thing? And really, did you think we were going to endorse drinking sodas? These drinks pack a ton of calories without any health benefit whatsoever. It is better to fresh squeeze your own juices and drinks, or better yet, just stick to good-old-fashioned water.

3. Candy

Yeah, let's just jack our insulin levels up real bad. When your insulin levels spike you get hungry, and when you get hungry, you eat more calories than necessary... generally, processed foods which make you even hungrier. How about we just stay away from candy as much as possible?

4. Flavored Oatmeal

Now, this is one that is abused a lot. Everyone thinks because the word "oatmeal" is included that it is healthy... yeah right! It has so much sugar in, so there goes your insulin level yet again. It has a ton of salt which is great for your hypertension levels. Synthetic oils which are really a melted plastic... seriously, just heat up your vegetable oil and then let it cool on its own somewhere. The oil turns hard; do you really want that in your body?

5. White Breads, Bagels And Rice Cakes

Starches can be your worst enemy, because after processing and conversion the starch becomes sugar. If you haven't noticed, sugar is a really big problem when it comes to bodybuilding.

6. Breakfast Cereals

Alright, so now we are hitting you below the belt. Seriously, now I can't even eat cereal. Well, think about it like this. The cereals are a form of starch and sugar. The milk has a sugar base in it, and most likely you are sticking more sugar in it. The basic premise is that if you like eating it, it isn't healthy for you.

7. Alcohol

Alcohol has a ton of empty calories; therefore it just doesn't benefit you at all. Secondly, if you are body building, you need as much testosterone as possible and this just suppresses your production.

How Much Muscle Is Too Much Muscle?

Muscle, muscle, muscle, it's that magical body tissue that can make you stronger, it's the x-factor in creating a body that make women swoon. Muscle is what some of the best physiques in the world have, and what the "needs improvement" physiques covet. So many people yearn to know how to gain muscle fast. With magazines, websites, and other media touting these "to die for" physiques, it's hard not to get pulled in. But when I look at some of the professional bodybuilding magazines, I think that some of the guys I see are bigger than I'd ever want to even think about being. Looking at the classic pictures of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Frank Zane and some of the greats, I still admire the way they look! They're big, no doubt, but they still look human to me. Seeing the progression of the pro bodybuilder makes me wonder just how much muscle is too much muscle???

Different people have different ideas of how much muscle they want to pack onto their respective frames and that's perfectly okay. At the end of the day, you have to look in the mirror and be okay with what YOU see. To know how much muscle is too much, let's examine things from five different perspectives:
1) The Average Jane/ The Average Joe,
2) The Athlete,
3) The Bodybuilder,
4) The Significant Other, and
5) The Outside-Looking-Inn-ers.

THE AVERAGE JANE/ THE AVERAGE JOE

The Average Jane and Average Joe probably don't peruse the fitness magazine, Shangri-la that exists in most bookstores. They eat the average diet, and maybe are just looking to shape up a bit. They are pretty happy with the lives they have, and may have gotten a little out of shape for one reason or another. The female fitness model or mountain of muscle look may not be what they're striving for. Just slimming down a bit and toning up their existing muscle is the main goal.*

*There are cases where people change categories. Your body will change according to what you do and what you desire to do with it.

THE ATHLETE

The athlete may have genetic gifts that not everyone has...natural speed, height, or even fast-twitch muscle fibers. They know exactly what their gifts are and the build on those. They're not necessarily trying to become as big as a bodybuilder, but muscle matters. Every muscle fiber in their body has to be developed and tweaked to make them as effective as possible in their respective sport.

THE BODYBUILDER

To the bodybuilder or aspiring bodybuilder the bigger the muscle the better. Well, I guess you could break this down even further. The natural bodybuilder may want big muscles, but naturally, symmetrically. The non-natural pro goes for as big and symmetrical as possible by whatever means necessary (steroids, GH, etc.).

THE SIGNIFICANT OTHER

What does your wife/girlfriend think of your body? What does your husband/boyfriend think of your body? How this person views you may play a big role in how much muscle is too much. If your girlfriend finds big muscles sexy, you may train even harder to be more appealing to her. On the flip side, if a thin waistline and sexy, muscular legs turn your husband on, you may train to be more appealing to him.

THE OUTSIDE-LOOKING-INN-ERS

What do you want people to say about you when they see you? "Wow, you look amazing?" or "Jesus Christ, you're a beast!" or "Damn! Your body is so sexy." Sometimes outer voices can create internal pressure to change your body. Deciding on how much is too much can sometimes be influenced by those around you.

Personally, I have no desire to look like an IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding) pro. I totally respect the hard work that bodybuilders put into their craft, day in and day out. However, I just don't see myself being able to maintain that much muscle when I'm 65 or older. How many 75 year-old Jay Cutlers do you know? Personally I try to strive for the healthy, fit, male, underwear model look. They are great examples of buff but not over the top buff.

How much muscle is too much muscle for you?

How Long Does It Take For a Muscle to Grow?

Finally a straight forward ideal fitness system training program that helps you maintain a commitment to a realistic attainable fitness workout that allows you to find an effective, long lasting way to keep your mind and willpower in check.

I was working out at our community center gym in my hometown awhile back and I notice this younger man was watching me go through my weight lifting routine and I could tell he wanted to ask me something so I said to him "whats on your mind"? He explained to me that he was curious about my workout routine and noticed that I seemed to be doing thing in a specific order (which I was) and wanted to know if he could follow me and do my exact routine in which I replied "please do".

The next day he showed up and proceeded to go through my daily workout routine with me, asking questions from time to time about why I did things a certain way. I explained to him that I work out 5-6 days a week taking a day off as needed during my workout week. I explained to him that I lift weights Monday, Wednesday and Friday and that I do cardio in between and on the weekends.

Looking at my 3 day a week ideal fitness systems muscle building program my routine looks like this: Monday I work 3 different muscle groups, the pectorals (chest) the triceps and the deltoids (shoulders). When working these groups of muscles there will be some overlaping of certain muscles such as the deltoids and triceps because those muscles will be assisting in the pushing motions involving your pectoral work.

It only makes sense since these muscles are being used to also train your triceps and shoulders. I would train the chest, then the shoulders followed by your triceps which is the smaller of the 3 muscle groups and most believe that it will benefit you the most in that order.

Looking ahead to my Wednesday workout I once again run into the overlapping of certain muscle groups. When working out your back which consists of the latissimus dorsi and the biceps, you will be doing several pulling movements that also will activate the biceps so naturally we will work the biceps on the same day as our back workout.

Friday is my favorite workout day because it is leg day. I read somewhere that most workout warriors call this day "DLD", dreaded leg day! For me it can't come soon enough, the focus and attention to detail cannot be overlooked when working legs. You need to maintain your focus when doing your legs because it can be so taxing on the entire body. I prefer to take 2 days off after my leg workouts and I usually get a cardio workout or a serious day of stretching in because your muscles need at least one day to recuperation.

Leg day can consist of several different types of workouts for your legs but generally my legs day consists of training the calves, the back leg muscle mainly the hamstrings and finally the front leg muscles the quadriceps. Don't overlook your legs workout because it is needed as much as any other part of your body.

Each individual person has certain reasons for exploring into a fitness program and some of the examples are to loose weight, strengthening muscles and improve their health. However, there are many, many other fundamentals that need to be addressed by everyone before starting a fitness program.

If you follow this program and stick with it and never give up you will see increased muscle mass within 21 days. Every individuals body is different, we all grow at a different pace, stick with your routine and stay focused and you will see results in as little as 21 days.

Avoid These 5 Beginner Mistakes To Get Abs Fast

Lately I've noticed a lot of beginners make the same common mistakes. These mistakes are keeping them from achieving maximum success with their Fitness Program, because they are so vital to their success with getting six pack abs.

Now I don't want you making the same mistakes so I just want to dive right in and get you on the right track to six pack abs by helping you avoid these "beginner" mistakes. These are also mistakes I personally made when I first started working out, trying to achieve a toned stomach, so I know all the little tricks to avoiding them properly.

These are 5 beginner mistakes and I chose them because they are very much overlooked by most people, including myself. Of course, you're told to avoid making mistakes like working out with bad form, or working the same muscle everyday, but the things I'm going to cover really aren't stressed enough so I want to emphasize them.

You're probably wondering, "What exactly are these mistakes I can avoid, I want to know!" Well, you're about to know, because we're jumping right in now.

#1 Overloading On Food To Build Muscle

Many, many, many, many...MANY people make this mistake all the time. If they're a fairly skinny individual (like myself) and they're looking to build mass muscle fast, they somehow feel like the only way to do this is to overload on food and stuff their bodies with protein.

Yes, you need good amounts of protein to develop mass muscle fast, but don't "overload" and surprise your body with 9,000 grams of protein after 15 years of a consistent diet of 50 grams of protein a day.

Yes, I might have exaggerated there but you get the point. This only will develop unwanted fat for you and you'll go from "skinny" to "skinny with a lot of fat hanging off your belt." Don't make this mistake, but slowly moderate your intake of protein and carbs.

Don't feel like you have a time limit to gain muscle fast so you have to stuff yourself with lots of food to get muscle. No. The world isn't going to swallow you up if you don't get "ripped" within a month, so moderate your food intake and you'll be on your way to healthy muscle-building and perfect abs.

#2 Not Compiling A Workout Plan Or Schedule

This is especially for me, as I'm not perfect, and I'm still struggling with this. Yes, it can be super hard to compile a perfectly structured workout plan or schedule because of a number of reasons.

One, it takes lots of time.

Two, there's not enough time in the day to compose one.

And three, you don't have motivation to get it done.

Whatever your reason may be, you have to compose a workout plan if you want to succeed. When you do this you just have much more motivation to workout because you know exactly what's expected of you for that day and you know that it'll be worth it.

When you don't have a workout schedule, it's hard to stay motivated and get off your butt to do it because it seems pointless when you don't have a set workout for the day.

Why?

For me personally, I just feel like I'm all over the place, working different muscles, so it seems dumb to workout without a set program I can follow.

Yes, I know that's a dumb excuse, but I'm actually working to get my perfect workout schedule done.

#3 Not Writing Out Your Goals Beforehand

Again, I'm completely guilty of this but I DO plan on fixing this, to actually have a set of goals to motivate me to work harder later down the road.

Now why are goals so important? Your specific goals are what's going to push you to work harder and develop six pack abs, or whatever it is you're aiming to reach.

Without goals it seems pointless to do any workouts because you have no idea where you're wanting to be in X amount of days and what you want to achieve. However, when you do establish goals, you know exactly what you want, and you know how long and what it takes to get there.

It's that extra "push" to get you off the couch and into the gym when you think of where you'll be once you achieve your goals. It's an amazing psychological benefit to establish goals, because it truly works in helping you achieve what you want.

#4 Going Into Your Fitness Program Alone

Just because YOU have a specific set of goals and a set workout plan doesn't mean you need to go in this alone. I felt exactly like this because I wanted to do things exactly how I wanted without anyone's help.

I was an idiot for doing this, and now I ONLY workout with my buddy and never without him. It's just such a different atmosphere when you have someone to workout with, and your results dramatically increase as well.

I also consider him to be my accountability partner because he makes sure I work out and eat right since he really cares about me getting success with my Fitness Plan.

*Key Tip: Find someone you know cares about helping you*

I do the same thing for him, but I feel like I require him more than he needs me, as I get so lazy and unmotivated to workout half the time. So, remember go out and find a workout buddy if you want awesome workout results.

#5 Not Stretching Before Workouts

Stretching is huge for anyone looking to get six pack abs, lose weight, develop muscle fast, or all three combined. There is no reason you shouldn't stretch because people who don't stretch are either too prideful to take advice that looks like it sucks, or they're arrogant and think they know everything.

I was both of these and still sometimes am. However, I've learned to take advice because someone once told me this little tip, and it dramatically improved my performance during workouts and gave me an extra "boost" in my results.

Stretching before and after workouts is crucial because you develop more muscle and can workout longer when you warm up your muscles and cool them down after workouts. My advice is for you to stretch for a good 10 minutes before and after workouts so you don't injure yourself and so you receive faster, powerful results.

What Are the Potential Negatives With Whey Protein?

There seems to be little debate as to the benefits of whey protein. It helps in building muscle, protects the body against illnesses such as blood pressure and cancer, helps in battling degenerative illnesses, is used by expecting mothers for their child's development, and can help promote weight loss. Certainly this is an impressive list of positive uses of the product for many people. But with all health benefits of whey protein and what it has going for it, are there any dangers inherent with a product that can be so influential on the human body?

The four areas of major concern by most health experts are:

1. Potential for osteoporosis. Though never been proven, it is known that the consumption of high levels of protein may lead to an imbalance of minerals in the bones. This could have an effect on bone mineral density, eventually causing osteoporosis.

2. Kidney function. Many experts caution there is a risk to the kidneys with the protein, but this, as well, is somewhat circumstantial. High protein diets stress the kidneys, which has the responsibility of flushing wastes. Those who are on these high protein diets for a long period of time are at a greater risk for kidney stones and in severe cases kidney failure. Again, the link between deteriorating kidneys and long-term whey protein use is not conclusive, but to be safe people using the protein or for that matter on any high-protein diet might want to consume in moderation.

3. Allergic reactions. If you are lactose intolerant, whey protein may create problems. The standard lactose percent is well above the ranges that can be tolerated by the majority of people who are lactose intolerance. Anything below 2% can be tolerated well by most people suffering from intolerance. People who are lactose intolerant will have to opt for whey protein isolate, which has less than 1% lactose. As a comparison to whey protein, fluid milks are in the neighborhood of 5% lactose, and lactose-reduced milk about 1.5%. The higher the fat content, the lower the lactose content.

4. Liver damage. There is evidence that whey protein can have a positive influence with people with liver disease or liver damage due to hepatitis, as it will increase glutathione levels. Glutathione plays an important role in our antioxidant defense system, and people with liver disease due to hepatitis tend to have low levels. It is important to note, however, that whey protein will probably not reverse the damage or cure the disease. It would be a mistake to stop taking prescribed medications when using the protein, and taking excessive amounts could lead to problems.

There are many viable uses for whey protein, and building muscle programs usually top the list. Trying to find cautionary tales on the reasons not to use it were, quite frankly, not easy to find. On our website we always try to perform due diligence on any of the products that are sold as beneficial to our health, and almost always there is something that will beg for caution. With this product it seems to be overuse, as there is definitely a point where the product can do damage to certain organs. This of course holds true to virtually anything, and as long as it is used in moderation whey protein will be quite beneficial.

Want A Bigger Back? Here Are The Best Back Exercises To Get It

Both men AND women that are into fitness, desire to have a great looking back. There's nothing that completes your look better than having that "V" shape. I'm here to tell you, that you can definitely attain a bigger, stronger back, and get yourself started toward that "V" shape look! All you need are a few killer back exercises, patience, and consistency! So without wasting anymore time, let's dive into the back exercises.

This exercise MUST be included. To be honest with you,there really is no choice in the matter! Not only is this exercise great for building your back, but it's also great for your core, as well as your quads and calves.

The exercise that I'm referring to is the dead lift. The dead lift takes care of almost everything when it comes to your back. When I say "everything," I mean the upper, mid, and even some of the lower part of your back. This is really great for your lats as well, which will help give you those "wings!" It is VERY important to do dead lifts with proper form. Using proper form will allow you do use more weight, and well, it's just the safe thing to do. It is best to do dead lifts at your local gym. Grab a barbell, lay it on the ground where there is room, then start putting on weight that you think you'll be able to do for about 8-10 reps. When you grab the bar, make sure your hands are a little more than shoulder width apart. Your feet should be shoulder width apart. Bend at the knees to pick up the bar. As you're rising, the bar should be close to your shins. Keep your head looking up toward the ceiling, this will force your body to keep your back aligned. Breathing is key, so take a deep breath, then breath outward as you are picking up the weight. Flex and squeeze your back at the end of each rep. Using wrist straps is a great thing to do while doing dead lifts. Using wrist straps will exponentially increase your grip strength.

Cable Pull Downs are also a must! This exercise will work your lats more than anything else when it comes to your back. You'll be isolating your "wings." You will easily be able to spot a cable pull down machine at the gym. There are many different bars and grips that you could attach to the cable, Get the longest bar that is available, then attach it to the cable. Using the longest bar is important, because you will want to use the widest grip possible to maximize your results. If you have wrist straps, make sure to use them. Using wrist straps while doing cable pull downs will take the pressure off of your biceps, and will allow you to isolate your lats as much as possible. Lock yourself into the cable pull down machine, and pull down while focusing on your lats. Choose a weight that you will be able to do for about 8-10 reps.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Cable Row exercise. Doing this exercise will help you to build a thicker back. You will be isolating the middle part of your back. Just like with the cable pull downs, you could use many different bar and grip attachments with this exercise. Grab the smallest grip that you can find. The grip that I'm talking about has 2 handles on them. Sit down on the cable rowing machine, and pull back to the lower part of your stomach. Make sure to flex and squeeze at the end of each rep. When you pull back, don't go all the way back. You don't want to be laying down on the bench at the end of each rep!

Everything that I've mentioned above are the "big 3" for your back! These are definitely the best back exercises to do in order to get a bigger, thicker, and meaner looking back! Add these exercises to your routine for about 6-8 weeks, and watch your cobra back grow!

What to Eat Before an Intense Workout - Pre Workout Meal Nutrition

Getting the best possible meal in you before an intense workout is of vital importance when it comes to lifting the most weights and stimulating the most muscle mass. It is what will push you through the workout and give you all the protein, nutrients and energy your body needs to successfully perform at its best.

There are 3 main macronutrients: proteins, carbohydrates and fats. You must consume a combination of these for the most effective pre workout meal

Protein

Protein is by far the most important of the three, if you can only have one eat protein before your workout. The protein will give you muscles the building blocks they will need once you start to break down you muscle mass in the gym.

The best protein to eat would be sources that are of the highest quality and will be absorbed quickly by your muscles for the fastest repair and growth. The highest quality and fastest digesting protein is whey protein, closely followed by eggs. Either have a protein shake and mix in the other two macro nutrients or have some scrambled eggs before the workout.

Carbohydrates

Your body will need some carbs to refuel the loss of glucose during the workout. Eat a moderate amount before to make sure your glycogen stores are at a sufficient level. You muscles will be using the glucose as energy for you lift as they need a fast source of energy they can use straight away.

Eat some kind of fruit for the best results, the glucose will be absorbed quickly and an added bonus is that you will get some vital nutrients from the high vitamin and mineral content fruit. Eating some fruit with vitamin c can help to increase you nitric oxide levels too.

Fats

Fats will provide your body will the calories and energy it needs to get through the workout. The fats will also increase you anabolic hormone levels to further increase muscle growth. They will help focus you mind and give you a constant flow of sustained energy throughout the workout, avoiding any sugar crashes. Your mind will be focused and ready for the intense workout.

Aim to eat a small to moderate size meal or shake, with an even amount of each of the macro nutrients above. Eat it 30-60 minutes before your workout to allow for digestion but still let your body be absorbing the nutrients when you are training. Combine this pre workout meal with an intense muscle building workout to see optimal muscle gains.

2 Types of Amino Acid to Improve Your Muscle Repair

While most amino acids are more commonly known to act as neurotransmitter precursors (chemical substances that transmit messages from one nerve to the other) which can:

• improve mood,
• improve performance,
• and improve cognitive function,
• significantly improve muscle repair, regrowth and recovery as well.

Research shows that when you train at an intensity above 90% of your maximum heart rate, or close to exhaustion, your oxygen usage sky rockets, in turn, causes an increase in the accumulation of lactic acid in the muscles, which in the case of turning your body alkaline reserves to pull from bones and other mineral dense sources. Not to mention the muscle tissue is torn and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels in muscles become exhausted.

Amino acid Glutamine

The good news is the amino acid glutamine has been proven to help boost the body's immune system and help keep your training on track. In addition to playing a vital role in cell volume and transfer of nitrogen, it has also been shown to help the immune system and helps the body recover.

In fact, research at the Conway Institute for Biomolecular and Biomedical Research at University College of Dublin has found glutamine immune stimulant properties were so impressive, it was used to treat patients with inflammatory diseases such as infection and injury. Experts recommend around 5 grams a day should greatly help support a healthy immune system during periods of heavy training.

Glutamine 250 g is also available at some online stores regards the optimal recovery and growth after your workout. This is basically when your muscles are particularly receptive to nutrients from the blood flow to the exercised muscles remains high and muscle glycogen levels are depleted, so that your muscles have a "sponge as" the quality that absorb nutrients you give it. The solution to optimize the recovery and growth in this case could include eating a small meal composed of protein with both simple and complex carbohydrates.

However, a high protein meal will not put significant levels of amino acids in the blood until a couple of hours after you eat, especially if the blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract was decreased by a hard training session. The solution may be in the form of amino acids because they do not require digestion.

The term "free form" means just that: they are free of chemical bonds with other molecules and so move quickly through the stomach and into the small intestine, where they are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream.

By 1990, the national team of Bulgarian weightlifting began trials to determine if free-form amino acids were a boost to muscular growth. The work was so successful that part of the study was replicated on the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center. Since then, top bodybuilders and power lifters around the world today, including Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates and "Mr. Powerlifting" Ed Coan, have benefited from this new research.

Amino acid Leucine

The next most effective amino acid for recovery is leucine since research shows the higher levels of leucine in your bloodstream, the more synthesis of muscle protein you get (i.e. more repair and regrowth your muscles).

In fact, experts believe adding just a few grams of leucine to your post workout recovery meal/shake can increase the synthesis of protein by 50-70%.

The Dangers of Steroid Use in Fitness Training

The Dangers of Steroid Use in Fitness Training are huge. Anyone involved in fitness training or bodybuilding needs to be well educated and aware of the dangers surrounding the use of steroids. Steroids are often seen as a fast track to increased muscle mass and strength. While anabolic steroids can build muscle quickly, they come with massive risks that far outweigh their benefits.

Steroids are Never the Answer

Some people want shortcuts to reach fitness and peak physical condition. When results aren't coming quickly, steroids can be a tempting option. Before you even think about using steroids to build muscle, consider the dangers and long term effects.

Anabolic steroids are synthetic testosterone. Injecting or ingesting anabolic steroids can result in rapid increases in muscle mass, strength, and overall stamina. It sounds enticing, but there are reasons why you don't want to be putting these artificial hormones in to your body.

The non-prescribed use of anabolic steroids in the United States is illegal. Because of this, you are open to risk of criminal prosecution, but there's also the fact that the source of any purchased drugs may be unknown, and users may even be purchasing veterinary use steroids.

Steroids result in psychological and behavioral problems. Firstly, steroids are addictive. The psychological dependence arises from the 'reward' in that users feel stronger and more energetic. Even users who plan to use steroids as a short term boost will develop a dependency as they are unable to maintain their strength and muscle growth after cessation of use. During withdrawal the drop in hormone levels will result in depression. Steroid use can also result in increased irritability and a change in temperament, most often meaning increased aggression in users.

The scariest thing about steroids is what they will do to your body. Steroids can increase liver function which can eventually lead to damage and even liver failure. Blood pressure and bad cholesterol rises with steroid use, which will cause cardiac problems. The boost in testosterone will eventually inhibit natural testosterone production, resulting in hormone imbalances. All of these problems can continue long after steroid use has ended. There are also external changes for users. Thinning hair, testicular shrinkage, and oily skin are common problems resulting from steroid use.

The use of steroids can lead to lifelong problems even after a relatively short period of use. Yes, steroids build muscle, but is it worth the damage done to your body? No.

Avoid the use of steroids at all costs. Natural muscle growth through strength training and the right diet is more sustainable, rewarding, and infinitely safer than the use of anabolic steroids.

Diets For Abs - Are You Eating Right?

Flaunting a flat and toned midriff has more to do than simply make you look great in your beach suit. Trimming the fat around the midsection can also help improve your health and keep chronic ailments such as cardiovascular problems at bay.

We've seen many struggling to get the six pack they've always desired to have. It takes more than hard work and exercise to get your 6-pack abs to really pop. It involves strategizing and sticking with the right diets for abs. After all, if you exercise regularly and don't watch what you put into your mouth at every meal, success will always remain elusive. In this short article we've broken down diets for abs not by the foods you should eat and avoid, but according to macro and micro-nutrients you should include in your diet.

Protein

When aiming for the six pack abs look, your daily intake of protein must be high. Protein has triple benefits. It accelerates the metabolic rate, prevents the loss of lean muscle mass and keeps you from feeling hungry. Found in lean meat, pulses, dairy and legumes, proteins should make up 30% of your total calorie intake for the day.

Carbohydrates

Whether or not to include carbohydrates in diets for abs has been a widely discussed topic. It must be had in controlled quantities. Reducing your intake of carbohydrates will prompt the body to burn body fat to provide energy. It also reduces water retention in the body creating for a leaner appearance. However, going too low on the carbohydrates can also have adverse affects on your six pack abs look. In the absence of sufficient carbohydrates, the energy levels drop drastically and intensify food cravings. It will also cause the resting metabolic rate to plummet.

Eating carbohydrates at the right time is also important. Carbohydrates must be eaten after an intense workout. Complex carbohydrates after an intense workout help the muscles recover and refuel them.

Fat

When it comes to getting ripped and getting the six pack abs, you need to watch your intake of dietary fat. 3-5 grams of fat is all you need to take in a diet for abs. Also, this fat should be obtained from healthy sources such as fatty fish, avocados, olive oils, nuts and flaxseeds.

Diets for Abs - Strategizing and Planning

In addition to eating the right foods in the right proportions, it is necessary to eat in the right manner. The following factors will influence how easily the six pack abs come to you.

• Start by determining the right calorie intake. It should match your body weight. If you eat too much you will put on weight making it more difficult to notice the abdominal muscles. Also, eating less than the body's actual requirement will reduce muscle mass.
• Eat minimum six meals every day. Breaking up the total calorie intake for the day into smaller meals allows for faster digestion. It also keeps the metabolic rate from dropping or getting sluggish.
• You should also drink a good amount of clear fluid on a daily basis. Avoid drinking alcohol. Instead, you can increase your intake of smoothies. Smoothies made of natural ingredients are nutritious and filling.
• Time your meals and stick with the schedule.
• When following diets for abs, you can reserve one day as the cheat day. Doing so helps you control food cravings and also helps you follow your diet sincerely for the rest of the week.

Diet Plan: Daily Calorie, Protein, Fat & Carb Intake and Sources

Whether you want to lose weight, build muscle or improve any aspect of your body or health, setting up your entire diet plan correctly is an absolute requirement for reaching any of these types of goals.

The problem is, between your daily calorie, protein, fat and carb intake and the food sources you’re getting these nutrients from, diet and nutrition tends to be the area people screw up the most. In fact, our diet plan is often the area we barely even care about in the first place.

I hear it all the time. People tell me all about their workout routines and what exercises and muscle groups they train on what days and how much weight they lift for how many sets and reps and blah blah blah, but when I ask them about their diet plan, the answer is usually “it’s okay” or “I think it’s pretty good.”

In reality however it’s often terrible, and it’s the #1 reason you’re not losing fat or building muscle or getting the results you want. The truth is, if your diet plan isn’t set up the way it needs to be for your goal to be reached, then your goal WILL NOT be reached. Simple as that.

So, how should you eat to support your goal? How do you figure out what your daily calorie, protein, fat and carb intake needs to be and what food sources those nutrients should and should not come from? How do you set up your ideal diet plan?

Here now is a free guide that contains all of those answers. Let’s begin…

Daily Calorie Intake

Above everything else in your diet plan, your daily calorie intake is by far the most important part of it. As you will see, protein, fat and carbs definitely matter as well, but nothing influences your ability to lose weight, gain weight, build muscle or do anything similar as much as calories do.

This is because everything we eat and drink (besides obvious calorie-free items like water) contains calories, and everything we do (exercise, getting dressed, breathing, digesting food, etc.) burns calories. The difference between how many calories we consume and how many calories we burn is the most important factor in every diet plan. Here’s why…

How do you use calories to control your weight?

The way the human body works is pretty simple. There is a certain number of calories that your body requires every day in order for it to maintain your current weight. We call this your “daily calorie maintenance level.” It’s the amount of calories your body requires each day in order to do EVERYTHING it needs to do.

Now, if your diet plan is made up of more, less or the same amount of calories as your maintenance level, 1 of 3 things will always happen…

If you eat MORE calories than your maintenance level, you will gain weight. This is a requirement for building muscle.

If you eat LESS calories than your maintenance level, you will lose weight. This is a requirement for losing fat.

If you eat the SAME amount of calories as your maintenance level, your weight will stay the same. This is a requirement for maintaining your current weight.
And these are really the most important things you need to know about your daily calorie intake and just creating a proper diet plan in general. These 3 simple facts are what most of the population fail to learn, understand, or just pay attention to, and it’s the #1 reason why their body isn’t doing what they want it to do.

How do you estimate your maintenance level?

The first step in figuring out what your daily calorie intake needs to be is estimating what your maintenance level is. There are quite a few ways to do this, but the easiest is to multiply your current body weight in pounds by 14 and 17. Somewhere between those 2 amounts will usually be your maintenance level.

People who are less active, or people who think they have a slower metabolism should use the lower end of their range. People who are more active, or people who think they have a faster metabolism should use the higher end of their range. People who are unsure should just pick a number in the middle.

Another way to estimate your daily calorie maintenance level is with calculator google it 'calories calculator'

How do you adjust your daily calorie intake for your goal?

Now that you have a good estimate of what your maintenance level is, it’s time to adjust it for your specific goal. Here’s how…

If you want to lose weight, SUBTRACT about 500 calories from your estimated maintenance level and start eating this amount each day.

If you want to build muscle or gain weight, ADD about 300-500 calories to your estimated maintenance level and start eating this amount each day.

If you want to maintain your current weight, don’t make any adjustments. Just eat your maintenance level amount each day.

To ensure your daily calorie intake is indeed what it should be, all you need to do is weigh yourself about once per week first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything, and monitor if your weight is moving in the right direction at the ideal rate.

For losing weight, 1-2lbs lost per week is usually perfect. For gaining weight or building muscle, 0.5-1lb gained per week is usually perfect. So, if that’s happening, you’re perfect. Continue eating this daily calorie intake from that point on.

But if it’s not, then you just need to adjust up or down in small 250 calorie increments until it is. Yup, just that simple.

Now that your daily calorie intake is set up, it’s time to set up the protein, fat and carbs that will supply these calories.

Daily Protein Intake

The next most important part of your diet plan is your daily protein intake. Why? I will explain in my next post about the high protein diet, protein is the building block of muscle, it plays a huge role in controlling your hunger and keeping you satisfied, and, if weight loss is your goal, it’s the dietary key to ensuring that the weight you lose is fat and not muscle.

These benefits are the reason why protein supplements are so damn popular and you’ll never hear anyone recommend a low protein diet. The question is, what does your daily protein intake need to be to get all of these benefits?

What is your ideal daily protein intake?

Most people looking to improve their body should usually be eating between 0.8-1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight, with an even 1 gram of protein per pound being the most common recommendation.

Most people should use their current body weight when doing this calculation (so a 180lb person would eat 180 grams of protein per day), but people who are truly obese should use their goal body weight instead (so a 300lb person trying to get down to 200lbs would eat about 200 grams of protein per day).

What are the best sources of protein?

Some common high quality sources of protein include…

Chicken
Turkey
Fish
Meat
Eggs/Egg Whites
Milk
Protein Supplements

Daily Fat Intake

After your daily calorie and protein intake, your daily fat intake is the next part of your diet plan that needs to be set up. There are primarily 4 different types of fat (trans, saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), and each has a significantly different effect on the human body. My next post about Good Fats vs Bad Fats explains this in detail.

The short version is that trans fat should be avoided completely, saturated fat should typically be limited to no more than 1/3 of your total daily fat intake, and monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats should comprise the majority of it.

A definite extra emphasis should be placed on getting enough of a specific polyunsaturated fatty acid… the omega-3. My next post about Omega-3 Fish Oil Supplements explains why it’s so important.

What is your ideal daily fat intake?

In most cases, somewhere between 20-30% of your total daily calorie intake should come from fat, with an even 25% often being just right for most people.

So, just figure out what 25% of your total daily calorie intake is, and then divide that amount by 9 (because 1g of fat contains 9 calories) to figure out how many grams you’d need to eat per day. I’ll show you a full example of how to do this in a minute.

What are the best sources of fat?

Some common high quality sources of fat include…

Fish
Fish Oil Supplements (highly recommended)
Nuts
Olive Oil
Avocados
Daily Carb Intake

With calories, protein and fat all set up, the last part of your diet that needs to be figured out is your daily carb intake. The reason we left carbs for last is because out of the 3 macronutrients that supply our daily calories (protein, fat and carbs), carbs are the least important.

Another post in pipeline about how many grams of carbs you should eat per day will explain, carbs are extremely useful and a sufficient amount should definitely be eaten. However, protein and fat are the only macronutrients that are truly essential to the human body and MUST be present in our diet plan in order to live and function. Carbs aren’t, although we definitely live and function much better when we eat them.

Here’s why this is important…

What is your ideal daily carb intake?

Simply put, your ideal daily carb intake is whatever is left over to meet your daily calorie intake after your daily protein and fat intakes have been factored in. That might sound confusing, but it’s not.

Remember the daily calorie intake you calculated before? Subtract calories from protein and calories from fat from that amount. Whatever amount of calories are still left over, those calories will come from carbs.

Here’s a step-by-step example…

Let’s pretend you calculated that you need to eat 2000 calories per day to lose weight or build muscle or whatever your goal is.
Next let’s pretend you figured out that you need to eat 150 grams of protein per day. Since 1 gram of protein contains 4 calories, that means 600 of this example person’s daily calories will come from protein.

Next, since 25% of your calories should come from fat, this example person can calculate that 500 of their 2000 daily calories will come from fat (2000 x 0.25 = 500). To figure out how many grams of fat that would be, they’d just divide 500 by 9 (since there’s 9 calories per gram of fat) and get about 55 grams of fat per day.

So that’s 600 calories from protein plus 500 calories from fat which gives this person 1100 calories accounted for so far (600 + 500 = 1100).

Now they’d just subtract 1100 from their 2000 total and get 900 left over calories. Since 1 gram of carbs contains 4 calories, this example person can see that they should eat 225 grams of carbs per day (900 divided by 4 = 225).

You’d just repeat this same process using your actual daily calorie, protein, fat and carb intake instead of the example amounts I just used.

What are the best sources of carbs?

Some common high quality sources of carbs include…

Vegetables
Fruits
Oatmeal
Brown Rice
Beans
Potatoes
Whole Grains
Organizing Your Diet Plan

Now that you know how many calories and grams of protein, fat and carbs to eat per day and which foods they should usually come from, you’re probably wondering how it should all be put together and organized.

You know, like what times should you eat, how many meals should you eat, and how big or small should each meal be? Well, I can explain all of those answers in just 3 simple words: it doesn’t matter.

Everything you’ve heard about a certain type of diet organization being beneficial for losing weight or building muscle is either a lie, a myth, or complete crap. Ignore it all. My post about why eating 5-6 small meals per day is BS and why eating after 7 pm at night is fine explain why.

So, the real answer to every question you have about how to best put your diet plan together is this…

Eat the right total amount of calories, protein, fat and carbs each day, get them from mostly higher quality sources, eat a proper post workout meal, and then do EVERYTHING else in your diet in whatever way is most enjoyable and convenient for you. Whatever is most likely to cause you to consistently get the important stuff right… that’s what you should do.

I’ve now calculated your daily calorie, protein, fat and carb intake and set up the most important aspects of your new diet plan.

By :Juraj Krajcik