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Making mass gains while staying cut is a lot better for you.
I’m not sure where this myth came from that you have
to bulk up in the off-season to gain muscle size and then
diet severely prior to a competition in order to get in contest
shape. Its origins lie in the dustbin of history. And that’s
exactly where this so-called scientific technique belongs.
Modern bodybuilding science recognizes that major swings in
caloric intake and bodyfat composition are not only not going
to help you, but they can actually be harmful to your long-term
health and muscle mass development.
The body thrives on continuity. It yearns for a balanced,
sustainable lifestyle that will provide it with the things
it needs at the times and in the amounts that it needs them.
Constant changes in food intake, sleep, activity patterns
and even stress levels can throw it off-guard and slow muscle
growth. This doesn’t mean that you have to do the exact
same thing every day, which would get boring fairly quickly.
Rather, you need to think long-term about your bodybuilding
goals and fashion an activity regimen that will stimulate
your body to produce the best gains that it has to offer.
There’s no question that staying cut year-round requires
sacrifice; however, the way I see it, it’s actually
less total sacrifice than what you’d make if you engaged
in excesses most of the year and then paid dearly for them
in the precontest period. You need to look for the greatest
balance in total sacrifice and avoid the counterproductive
roller coaster of traditional yo-yo diets. After all, the
real competition, in a sense, is life. So why not look your
best all the time instead of just around contest time? Not
only is it possible to do this, but also your body will actually
respond better to this reasonable approach to training and
nutrition.
You get the best results when you work with your body, not
when you try to force it into growth through macrochanges
in your daily regimen. Your body can be your friend. Coax
it gently into growth, and it will deliver everything you
want and then some.
While many bodybuilders tend to eat too much in the off-season
(however they justify it), there are also many who are afraid
to eat enough. Their fear of getting fat is so great that
they deprive their bodies of the nutrients they need for solid
muscle growth. They may not eat enough protein or carbohydrates,
and as a result their sports performances are nowhere near
their potentials.
To make sure that you’re getting what your body needs.
Favor a diet that’s moderately high in protein (up to
one gram a day per pound of lean body mass) and reasonably
low in fat (but not fat free). Since your body always needs
adequate levels of the essential amino acids and essential
fatty acids, you should follow these guidelines year round
and limit your precontest changes to carbohydrate intake only.
There are many positive benefits to taking in a level of carbohydrates
that meets but does not exceed your needs. Since you’re
eating enough carbs, your muscles will have the highest possible
amount of stored glycogen and will look full and pumped. They’ll
be stronger too, so you can force out that extra rep or go
up on the amount of weight you lift.
Adequate carbohydrate intake will also make your veins stand
out, giving you that vigorous, athletic look that is so desirable.
Take in too few carbs, and your veins will be flat. Take in
too many, and the excess will be stored as fat that will eventually
cover your veins. Athletes who stay cut year-round learn to
tell whether they need carbs just by noting whether their
veins are full or not. Try it. If your veins go flat, it’s
time to eat some healthy food. If they start permanently disappearing,
however, then you’re overdoing it a bit in the carbohydrate
department and it’s time to cut back.
If you’re constantly on some major yo-yo diet, you’ll
never be able to fine-tune your body the way a person who’s
always cut can. So learn to find the right level of interaction
between your food intake and your exercise regimen. As a general
rule, it’s best to eat a bit more and do aerobics than
to try to achieve a shredded physique through diet alone.
That’s good advice year-round, not just when you’re
preparing for a contest. Sure, it will take some experimentation
to determine the exact amount of carbohydrates you need for
your metabolism and activity patterns, but experimentation
is a requirement for progress. Don’t be afraid of making
mistakes, because everyone makes them. Learn from your experiments,
and build on this knowledge to achieve your goals. The confidence
you gain from your successes will boost your workout intensity
and push you to year-round muscle gains.
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