GOAL: The goal of this program is to attain the maximum amount of muscle and strength gain with minimum fat accumulation.
Protein will account for approximately forty percent of your nutritional intake.
Best sources of protein for building quality muscle during the gaining phases are: lean beef, whole eggs, cottage cheese, chicken, turkey, lean pork, fish, and egg whites. The best protein supplements are Ultra Size or Ultimate Muscle Protein, and Muscle Provider.
Mass amino acid tablets and Ultra 40 liver extract are invaluable to make sure that you utilize the protein you eat and they provide additional amino acids you need to build muscle.
Complex carbohydrates will make up thirty-fifty percent of your nutritional intake. The leaner you already are, the higher your complex carbs can be.
Best sources of carbohydrate for the gaining phases are oatmeal, rice, baked or boiled potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams, and all variations of beans. You can occasionally include peas, corn and whole grain products in moderation. Fruits that qualify as complex carbs for the gaining phase are apples, pears, and pineapple.
Low carb vegetables include salads, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, green beans and just about any other green or yellow vegetable. Low carb fruits are blueberries, cantaloupe, grapefruit, peaches, and strawberries. (You can add a small amount of low carb fruit to any of your protein shakes while on this program.)
Dietary fats should make up twenty-thirty percent of your caloric intake. Best sources are olive oil, coconut oil, flax oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, almond butter, almonds, walnuts, and heavy cream. During the hardening phases you should reduce saturated fats and take an essential fatty acid supplement like Beverly’s EFA Gold or a fish oil supplement.
You can eat all of the following as much as you like during the gaining and hardening phases: Sugar free gum, Crystal Light, diet soda, coffee, tea, sugar-free Jell-O, Splenda, Equal, seasonings, mustard, vinegar, hot sauce, salt and pepper.
Remember that this program is designed to add maximum muscular size while minimizing fat accumulation so it’s not a time to eat whatever you want, whenever you want it, but planned free meals at specific intervals can be beneficial – mentally, metabolically, and physically. Plan to have one free meal on the last day weeks #4, 8, and 11.
A free meal lasts sixty minutes and consists of whatever you’d like to eat in that amount.
Make sure that you drink plenty of water. Everyone should drink at least 64 ounces each day. This is important to improve your health, help you to gain muscular weight (muscles are nearly seventy percent water by volume), and help flush out harmful toxins (and fat).
Other acceptable beverages are unsweetened tea and coffee, as well as diet drinks like Crystal Light and diet sodas.
If you gain fat fairly easily limit the amount of milk you drink. If you are a hard gainer, and eat just about anything without adding fat then you might try mixing your Ultimate Muscle Protein and Mass Maker shakes with milk.
Regular fruit juice is another area you must be careful about. Both milk and juice have large amounts of naturally occurring sugar; and although they may be good foods, they may also result in fat accumulation.
Remember you can adjust portions or add or decrease a meal as needed to average a one-half to two pound weight increase each week.