Okay. Good information, Cold Hearted. And I can see that you have a great work ethic, and actually, your diet’s got a lot of things going for it. There are some areas of opportunity, however. (grin) Let me see how persuasive I am.
The trick is to do all of what is necessary to achieve a goal, but no more. Let’s use working out as an example. Up to a certain point, you are creating an anabolic environment and a stimulus for growth. Beyond that point, the negatives start to outweigh the positives. Cortisol is rising because blood sugar is dropping. The muscle you have is being chewed up/broken down to provide amino acids that can be converted to glucose to feed the brain. That’s why I asked about what you were doing for PWO nutrition.
So, here’s your first homework assignment. Read the article, “Solving the PostWorkout Puzzle” by John Berardi. It’s a two-parter, I think, but well worth the read. Life altering, even.
Additionally, and this is going to be an act of faith, I want you to try one of the bulking programs here on T-Mag that focus on compound multi-joint exercises. There isn’t a more efficient exercise than squats. It works something like 200 muscles in the body, and if you do it at a challenging enough weight (3-5x10 @ 60% of your 1RM or 10x3-5 @ 80% of your 1RM), it will give your CNS a kick in the butt that you’ll never forget! (grin) I know of what I speak. Check out Chad Waterbury’s ABBH (Anti-BodyBuilding Hypertrophy) program.
Don’t get me wrong. You’re definitely hardcore, obviously a serious lifter. I like your choice of exercises. Just trust me on this one. Do the research.
Back to ABBH, the best thing about the program is that you will experience strength gains as well as hypertrophy. See my response to roc in another post. Plenty of time for recovery and only 3.5 days a week in the gym (i.e., every other day). If you give it a go (three weeks), I promise you won’t be complaining about the weight being too light or the reps/sets too low.
Now, with all that extra time you have on your hands, (grin), you have time to start and keep a food log, right? You know you gotta do it if you’re young, a hard gainer and/or trying to push past your genetic potential. People who are serious about achieving their goals track their progress in all areas.
Meal timing is perfect. Are you getting a meal/shake in the middle of the night when you wake up to hit the restroom? That would be the perfect place to add some of the EFAs you need.
Okay. Since I brought it up, let’s talk about EFAs (Essential Fatty Acids). This is another subject that bears research on your part, as it is a HUGE area of opportunity. There are health benefits, cognitive/mental benefits, anti-inflammatory benefits, not to mention performance (stamina and endurance) benefits.
Read the chapter in Barry Sears’ book, “The Omega Zone” on athletes. It is the single-most important supp I take. Besides, at 135 calories per tablespoon, it will help you jack up your calories. You should be taking in about 5 tablespoons per day of Udo’s Choice, flaxseed oil or fish oil. If you’re not into the “oil thing,” you can also get some of these good fats from raw nuts like walnuts and almonds.
Even though the general consensus is to limit (or not do any) cardio when bulking, I’d still recommend two High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) sessions per week to increase the capillary network of your cardiovascular system. Better delivery of nutrients when you’re working out and better removal of waste products like lactic acid. HIIT is also a searchable topic on T-Mag and T-Forums. It has been discussed extensively.
What you’re doing currently on leg day is excellent. Great for recovery. Just read up on HIIT for me.
As far as carbs go, I’m going to start by recommending that you get in an equal number of grams of carbs per day. But you won’t be able to stuff 350-360 grams of green veggies down your gullet. And the fiber needs to be subtracted from total carbs, which makes hitting your total even harder.
So you need to start drawing upon your starchier carbs; white rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, pasta. Don’t neglect your green veggies, but the starchier carbs are going to be necessary to eat the volume of carbs required to put on size.
Okay. Those are my initial thoughts. It’s going to involve some homework initially and some follow-through eventually, but it will yield results if applied consistently.
Questions? (grin)
Anyone else want to make a recommandation re their favorite bulking program?