Anabolic Cooking: The Cookbook

Author: Dave Ruel
Price: $47
Return Policy: 60 Day Money Back Guarantee

Stop struggling with daily meal plans and recipes, Anabolic Cooking makes it fast and easy to create custom meal plans specifically for your goals. The program can be used for beginners and advanced bodybuilders.

Learn the simplicity of preparing healthy, muscle maximizing foods. Each recipe can be changed according to your taste. If you like chicken, try Mexican Chicken Breast or Italian Parmesan. Salmon Burger, Mediterranean Tilapia and Shrimp and Avocado Salad are a few of the other tasty treats included.

Now you can find the perfect selection and combination of foods to get the amount of protein and nutrients your body needs.

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Somanabolic Muscle Maximizer

Author: Kyle Leon
Price: $79
Return Policy: 60 Day Money Back Guarantee

Do you work out in the gym week after week and not see any results? Now you can learn exactly what is holding you back from gaining all the lean muscle and what you have been doing wrong.

In Muscle Maximer, you will learn exactly what to eat to maximize muscle gains. What you do in the gym is only a small portion of what is needed to gain muscle. The other important factor is diet, this is what most weight lifters overlook. Diet is the most important facet of bodybuilding, if you do not supply the right amount or correct type of nutrients, the muscle will simply not grow no matter how many hours you spend in the gym.

Now you can customize a diet plan made for your body and your needs. This easy to follow program will have you ready to go in no time. No more planning meals or calculating calories, this easy program does all the work for you, so you can concentrate on building more muscle.

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Muscle Gaining Secrets

Author: Jason Ferrugia
Price: $77
Return Policy: 60 Day Money Back Guarantee

Being teased as a skinny guy in high school, Jason decided to get educated about bodybuilding and started weight lifting. He soon packed on almost 100 pounds of muscle and learned the hard way that skinny guys need to train differently. He wrote Muscle Gaining Secrets to pass on these secrets so skinny guys around the world can transform their physique just like he did.

Muscle Gaining Secrets details the weight lifting routines, diet and exercises that skinny guys should be doing to build the most amount of muscle possible. Focusing on compound lifts helps to build multiple muscle groups at a faster pace, and Jason advocates training only three days a week.

Nutrition is covered describing the basic foods all bodybuilders need to eat to maximize muscle gains. No need to think about what to eat and when, follow the easy meal plans and you can’t go wrong.

Exercise plans for beginner, intermediate and advanced are also included. Detailed instructions including number of reps, number of sets, time to rest and type of exercises are all included.

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Tracking calories is essential when preparing for a bodybuilding competition diet. Whether you use a paper notebook, online diary or use an online calorie tracker, choose a system that is easy for you to input data and track your calorie counting.

There are many websites on the internet dedicated to tracking calories for one day or for one year. Below are a few that we feel best fit the needs of bodybuilding and figure competitors.

Keep in mind these points when tracking your calorie intake:

Calorie tracking is only as accurate as you make it! If you fail to track your foods, leave out snacks, or only half fill in the days then do not expect accurate results.

Do not feel obligated to track calories every day, especially if you eat the same meals on most days. Tracking just one or two days a week is fine if you are seeing results and not straying from your diet.

Look at the total number of calories per day when tracking calories. And look at the total amount of macronutrients, which are protein, fat and carbohydrates per day. The total amount is important, not the percentage of protein/fat/carbs per day. The body needs a certain amount of each macronutrient depending on your goals, body weight and lean body mass. The body does not care what percentage of macronutrients it is receiving.

If you need to change calories, or macronutrient amount, do not change them too quickly or too radically. Extreme changes in a diet can lead to uncontrollable cravings, appetite changes and declining energy levels. Change your diet gradually over a few days to a week or as long as necessary. Do not expect changes in the body to be visible for at least 4 weeks. The body does not change rapidly or overnight, so do not change your diet too frequently or you will never see the results you want.

Calorie Tracking Websites

CalorieCount
Includes recipe tool that accepts a list of foods and how many servings required and it calculates calories and macronutrients per serving.

CalorieKing
Includes plenty of commercial food products.

DailyBurn
Easy to use, accurate, wide range of foods.

NutritionData
Very accurate and detailed, includes a lot of natural foods

Nutridiary
Good, basic and accurate tool that allows you to create favorite meals for ease of logging. Can track exercise and water intake also.

In order to calculate how many macronutrients are required to reach a bodybuilding goal, you must first know the amount of total calories required. Please read the accompanying article on calculating amount of calories required before continuing with calculating macronutrient requirements.

Once how many calories are needed to reach a goal, the amounts of each macronutrient required is calculated.

How to Calculate Amount of Protein Needed

Most studies suggest that in the face of adequate calories and carbohydrates, the following protein intakes are sufficient:

STRENGTH training – 1.2 to 1.6g per KG bodyweight (about .6 / pound)

ENDURANCE training – 1.4 to 1.8g per KG bodyweight (about .8 / pound)

ADOLESCENT in training – 1.8 to 2.2g per KG bodyweight (about 1g / pound)

But protein intake becomes more important when total number of calories or carbohydrates has been lowered.

Protein should be calculated based on the amount of lean body mass, but can be calculated with only the total body if needed.

If body fat is known, use 1.25-1.5g per LEAN weight
If body fat percentage is unknown, but is average, use 1-1.25g per pound weight.

If you are very lean or if you are on a low calorie diet then protein becomes more important so stay toward the higher levels:

Body fat known, lower calorie intake = 1.33-2 x pounds lean mass
Average body fat, lower calorie intake = 1.25-1.5 x pound total mass

If you are very overweight or very inactive and not on a low calorie diet, stay towards the lower end of the level:

Protein = approximately 1 x total weight (can go down to 1 x LEAN MASS).

How to Calculate Amount of Fats Needed

During short periods of dieting, the body can suffice with very low levels of dietary fat, but overall the body needs fat to maintain general health, satiety, and sanity.

If one is average or lean: 1 – 2g fat/ kg body weight [between 0.45 - 1g total weight/ pounds]

If one is overweight or has a high percentage of body fat: 1-2g fat/ LEAN weight [between 0.45 - 1g LEAN weight/ pounds]

If following a low calorie diet, dietary fat levels can go down further but not less than 0.35g/ pound.

How to Calculate Amount of Carbohydrates Needed

This macronutrient is very important for highly active people, athletes or those trying to gain body mass. Carbohydrate intake aids with workout intensity, health, and satiety. However there are no specific requirements.

For athletes, calculate:
moderately active: 4.5 – 6.5 g/ kg (about 2 – 3g/ pound)
highly active: 6.5 – 9 g/ kg (about 3 – 4g/ pound)

For less active individuals, calculate it from the calories left over from fats and protein:
carbohydrate calories = Total calorie needs – ([protein grams as above x 4] + [fat grams as above x 9])]
carbohydrates in grams = above total/ 4

After all calculations are performed, the final result should give the total amount of each macronutrient required depending on one’s goals. Of course, feel free to adjust these numbers if a goal is not being reached due to diet. These numbers are given as an estimate only.

To begin calculating calories required and macronutrients required, it is necessary to learn a few basic terms.

BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate): This is the amount of calories you need to consume to maintain your bodyweight if you were comatose and did no physical movement during the day.

NEAT (Non-Exercise Associated Thermogenesis): The calorie requirements added by your daily activity that is NOT exercise related, such as walking, talking, shopping, working, washing, ironing, cooking, etc. This is also called incidental exercise.

EAT (Exercise Associated Thermogenesis): The calorie requirements associated with planned exercise. Unless one is performing extreme exercise, such as two hours a day or more, these calories will not have a large effect on your daily calorie requirements.

TEF (Thermogenic Effect of Feedng): The calorie expenditure associated with eating, meal frequency does not affect number of calories consumed. Rather, it is a percent of total calories consumed on a daily basis. It varies according to macronutrient content and amount of fiber. For most omnivore diets, it is estimated at 15% of total calories. Protein is a little higher, around 25%, carbohydrates are variable, between 5% – 25%, and fats are low, around 5%. In summary, the more protein, carbohydrates and fiber is consumed, the higher the TEF.

TEE (Total Energy Expenditure): The total calories you require which is the sum of all of the above (BMR + NEAT + EAT + TEF).

Basal Calorie Requirements

There are many factors that affect one’s maintenance calorie requirements:

• Age and sex – Males generally need more calories than females at any age.
• Total weight and lean mass – More lean mass requires more calories
• Physiological status – If one is sick, injured, pregnant, or going through a growth period.
• Hormones – Thyroid hormone levels and growth hormone levels
• Exercise level – The more activity is performed the more calories are needed.
• Daily activity level – The more activity performed the more calories are needed.
• Diet – Amount and ratios of macronutrient intake.

How to Estimate Calorie Requirements

The simplest and cheapest method of estimating needs is to base one’s intake on a standard calories per unit of weight, usually kilograms.

Typically:
26 to 30 kcals/kg/day for normal, healthy individuals with sedentary lifestyles doing little physical activity [12.0-14 kcal/pound]

31 to 37 kcal/kg/day for those involved in light to moderate activity 3-5 x a week with moderately active lifestyles [14-16 kcal/ pound]

38 to 40 kcals/kg/day for those involved in vigorous activity and highly active jobs [16-18 kcal/ pound].

For those involved in HEAVY training (eg: athletes) – the demand is even greater:

41 to 50 kcals/kg/day for those involved in moderate to heavy training (for example: 15-20 hrs/ week training) [18.5-22 kcal/ pound]

50 or above kcals/kg/day for those involved in heavy to extreme training [> 22 kcal/ pound]

A number of more complex formulas which calculate BMR can also be used which is then multiplied by an ‘activity variable’ to give TEE.

To calculate BMR:

The most accurate formula for those who are relatively lean and have a good understanding of their body fat percentage is:

BMR = 370 + (21.6 x LBM)
Where LBM = [total weight (kg) x (100 - bodyfat %)]/100

To convert to a total expenditure requirement, multiply the result from the above equations by an Activity Factor:

1.2 = Sedentary (Little or no exercise and desk job)
1.3-1.4 = Lightly Active (Light exercise or sports 1-3 days a week)
1.5-1.6 = Moderately Active (Moderate exercise or sports 3-5 days a week)
1.7-1.8 = Very Active (Hard exercise or sports 6-7 days a week)
1.9-2.0 = Extremely Active (Hard daily exercise or sports and physical job)

These activity factors generally include your lifestyle and work habits as well as your exercise in and out of the gym and a TEF of 15%, which is an average omnivore diet.

So How Accurate Is Calorie Calculating?

Although it can give a good estimated figure, it is still an estimate. Unfortunately most people OVERESTIMATE their activity factor, and UNDERESTIMATE their body fat. As a result they eat too much.

It is recommended to monitor one’s weight and measurements for 2-4 weeks. If one’s weight and measurements are stable, then it is very likely one has found their maintenance intake.

Recalculate Calories Needed Based on Goals

You will then need to decrease or increase calorie intakes based on the goal of losing weight or gaining weight.

The best approach is to calculate calories needed as a percentage of your maintenance calories.

to ADD weight: ADD 10-20% calories to your total from above
to LOSE weight: SUBTRACT 10-20% calories from your total from above

Now monitor your results and adjust as required.

Some females prefer to not build large amounts of lean muscle and prefer to compete in a bikini competition. Bikini competitions are judged more on body composition, balance, shape, and overall physical appearance including skin complexion, tone, poise and overall presentation. Most women can easily prepare for a bikini competition by doing basic weightlifting and cardio workouts and following a basic competition diet.

Extreme musculature or leanness is not encouraged and may disqualify the competitor from a bikini competition. This allows much more leeway in a competition diet compared to a fitness or bodybuilding competition diet.

A basic bikini competition diet would follow this meal standard:

4 oz protein
8 oz – 16oz vegetables
8 oz carbohydrates
4 oz fruit (morning meals only)

Protein foods would include: egg whites, chicken breast, lean turkey, very lean beef, water-packed tuna, low-fat fish, and non-fat dairy.

Vegetables can include any green vegetable with limited amounts of corn, carrots, cauliflower, or other non-green vegetables.

Carbohydrates include oatmeal, brown rice, or sweet potato.

Minimal amounts of non-saturated fat are included, such as natural peanut butter, olive oil, avocado and almonds.

Dairy products should not be eaten more than one serving a day, and cut completely the final week of the diet.

Below are some examples of bikini competition diets:

Meal 1: 8 oz oatmeal with 4 oz fruit, 5 egg whites with spinach or other vegetables
Meal 2: Whey protein shake
Meal 3: Chicken or fish with vegetables and sweet potatoes
Meal 4: Chicken and vegetables
Meal 5: Chicken or fish salad with vegetables
Meal 6: Cottage cheese or protein shake (only if hungry)

Meal 1: 4 egg whites, 4 oz oatmeal, 1 tablespoon peanut butter
Meal 2: 5 oz chicken, 4 oz brown rice, 4 oz vegetables
Meal 3: Half of banana, 10 almonds
Meal 4: Repeat Meal 2
Meal 5: Whey protein shake
Meal 6: Casein protein shake

Most bikini competitors choose to eat the same foods on a daily basis to keep the meal plan simple and easy to follow. You can choose to have a cheat meal once a week in the early stages of your bikini competition diet, but they are discouraged in the final 4-6 weeks before the bikini competition.

You work hard in the gym all year lifting weights to build muscle and gain strength. Then in the weeks prior to a fitness or figure competition you follow a strict diet and rigorous cardio exercise schedule to slim down and show off that hard-earned muscle. You don’t want to have it ruined with excessive gas, bloating and water retention. So how does a figure or fitness competitor eliminate gas and bloating?

The first goal is to get the competition diet in check. A figure or fitness competitor should be following some sort of low-carbohydrate diet, or a carb cycling diet to keep carbohydrate intake low. Excessive carbohydrates often lead to bloating and water retention. When carbohydrates are stored as glycogen or stored body fat, the carbohydrate molecule also takes with it three water molecules. So for every one part of stored carbohydrate, the body is storing three times that amount as water!

A good example of a carb cycling diet is one day of high carbohydrates followed by two days of low carbohydrate. Do not do weight training on the low carb days; the lack of carbohydrates will hinder muscle growth and repair and will further weaken the muscles making them appear flat. Do cardiovascular exercise only such as running, speed walking, elliptical machine, rowing machine or kickboxing.

Eliminate processed, refined and simple sugars from a competition diet. Eat only complex carbohydrates that are slow to digest and more likely to be burned off as energy than stored as body fat. Complex carbohydrates include brown rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta and green vegetables. Eliminate breads and baked goods. The yeast found in these products can cause bloating and digestive upset. Some people are sensitive to wheat products even if they do not think they are. Eliminate wheat from a competition diet if you feel you may be sensitive, or having a hard time losing water weight and bloat.

Other food items to watch out for are sodium obviously. Salt and sodium are notorious for causing bloating and water retention. Eliminate all salt and sodium from the competition diet at least one week prior to the figure or fitness competition.

Eliminate dairy products from your competition diet. Almost 20% of the population has a food sensitivity towards dairy products or is lactose intolerant. Dairy products are mucus forming, prompting your digestive system to secrete excessive amounts of mucus along your small and large intestines. Not only does this inflammation cause gas and bloating, it also restricts nutrient absorption and can lead to malnutrition.

The majority of a competition diet should consist of lean protein and steamed green vegetables. Avoid corn, carrots, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower; these vegetables can cause gas and bloating. Avoid diet soda, carbonated beverages and chewing gum; these can also lead to gas and bloating.

Asparagus is well known for its diuretic properties. Eat this green vegetable once or twice a day prior to a competition to help flush excess water from the body.

Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Drinking water does not lead to bloating and water retention. Water helps to flush excess water and toxins that have been released from the body’s tissues. Do not get dehydrated; this does lead to water retention. Water intake should not be restricted until a few days prior to a fitness or figure competition depending on your competition diet.

If the body still appears bloated, supplements may be taken for further gas and bloating reduction. Many of the well-known diuretics contain caffeine or herbs. If you are sensitive to caffeine, avoid taking these in the evening or prior to bedtime.

Avoid calcium supplements or antacids that contain carbonate or bicarbonate as these can be known to cause gas.

Activated charcoal may aid in gas and bloating reduction prior to a fitness or figure competition by absorbing gas causing particulates and eliminating them from the body.

Some people find relief from gas and bloating with a probiotic taken once or twice a day before meals. These friendly bacteria can help keep the unfavorable bacteria from over producing and causing bloating. Acidophilus is a popular probiotic, and is fairly inexpensive.

The most difficult aspect of a bodybuilding competition is the competition diet. A workout may last one or two hours but a competition diet is in effect 24 hours a day. Willpower is mandatory if you intend to be successful at a bodybuilding competition.

The ultimate goal of a competition diet is to lose the maximum amount of body fat while maintaining the maximum amount of lean muscle mass. However some muscle loss is to be expected during this process. The ratio is typically 1 pound of muscle lost with every 3 pounds of body fat lost.

Most bodybuilders begin a competition diet 8 to 12 weeks out from the competition show date. Some experienced bodybuilders will find 4 to 6 weeks to be sufficient because they know how their body is going to react to the competition diet or certain competition diet changes.

It is important that progress is monitored daily, especially in the final weeks before the bodybuilding competition show. If body fat is not being shed at an acceptable rate then cardio exercise needs to be increased. If possible, it is best to do cardiovascular exercise first thing in the morning. It is a personal preference if early morning cardio is done with an empty stomach or after eating a small snack to avoid low blood sugar levels and fatigue. However, it is best to let the competition diet do the cutting and not excessive cardio exercise.

Many bodybuilding competitors experiment with varying diet regimens and changes during the last week of the competition diet. Some examples such as fat loading, carbohydrate loading, sodium loading and sodium depletion are all tricks of the trade. Each is intended to increase muscle density and fullness and maximum vascularity while maintaining a very low body fat percentage. This is known as “peaking.”

Peak condition can only be maintained for a very short period of time, from one day to several days at the most; therefore it is critical that peak condition be reached ideally during the morning of the bodybuilding competition, this is when the pre-judging phase takes place. Any miscalculations and the body may peak the day before or the day after the competition.

This is a sample competition diet of the week prior to a competition, with the event taking place on Saturday.

Monday
Food: A minimum of 6 small meals. All meals contain protein from a variety of sources. Complex, high fiber carbohydrates until mid-afternoon, protein only from mid-afternoon to bedtime. Try to eat every 2 hours.

Water: 1 to 2 gallons of sodium free water.

Supplement: 5 grams of L-Glutamine 4 times daily.

Tuesday Same as above.

Wednesday
Food: Same as Monday however carbohydrates should be reduced slightly. Absolutely no refined flour, rice, sugar, etc. Good sources of carbs are yams (no butter), carrots, leafy green lettuce and similar vegetables.

Water: Take in up to 3 gallons of water.

Supplement: Potassium tablet 4 times daily. 5 grams of L-Glutamine 4 times daily.

Thursday
Food: Same as Wednesday however sodium should be cut dramatically. Read labels, nearly everything contains sodium. Do your shopping in advance to be ready for this time. To be sure of low sodium I will boil chicken breast in distilled water at this time and use no condiments containing salt.

Water: Try to take in 2 gallons.

Supplement: Potassium tablet 4 times daily. 5 grams of L-Glutamine 4 times daily.

Friday
Food: Same as Thursday with extra careful attention to sodium. Keep this as low as possible.

Water: Reduce water to ½ gallon taken between morning and 6:00 PM. Sip sparingly and only as needed from 6:00 PM on.

Supplement: Potassium tablet 4 times daily. 5 grams of L-Glutamine 4 times daily.

Saturday
Food: Very small meals only. No sodium. Many competitors will take raw honey and natural peanut butter back stage with them for quick energy and muscle fullness.

Water: Small sips only as needed. At this point the body should be dropping water very rapidly.

The abdominals should be defined, allover muscular definition and vascularity should be high. Reaching this peak level is a delicate balance; do not try anything new at this point to alter the body’s appearance.

When preparing for a fitness competition, a minimum of 12-14 weeks needs to be allowed before the show to get ready. Most fitness competitors begin the fitness competition diet about 13 weeks before the show, so that around two weeks before the show, the physique is where it needs to be. The final two weeks should be focused on resting the body and tightening up the fitness routine.

Before starting a fitness competition diet, it is advisable to have a cheat meal day or two, eating the majority of your favorite foods. Do not overeat or overdo it. It is just a time to enjoy delicious food because over the next 12-14 weeks, a strict fitness competition diet will be in place.

Up until about six weeks prior to a fitness competition, a cheat meal is allowed once a week. However for the last six weeks, no cheat meals should be eaten.

It is important to have significant others, friends and family in your life that support you and your choice to compete in a fitness competition. They can help you stay on track with your competition diet, whether you are at home or out at a restaurant.

Below is a typical fitness competition diet meal plan.

Breakfast: 3 egg whites, ¼ cup of oatmeal, 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
1 multi-vitamin and 1 digestive enzyme

Mid-Morning Snack: ¼ cup of oatmeal with a scoop of low carb protein shake
5gm of L-Glutamine

Lunch: 1 cup of vegetables, 4 oz of lean protein, and ¾ cup of brown rice
1 500mg of vitamin C, 1 digestive enzyme, and 1 serving of EFA’s (Smart Blend)

Mid-Afternoon Snack: 4 oz of lean protein and a 5 oz baked potato without the skin
5 gm of L-Glutamine

Dinner: 4 oz of lean protein, ½ cup of kidney beans, medium salad
1 vitamin C, 1 digestive enzyme, and 1 serving of EFA’s

Evening Snack: 1 scoop of low carbohydrate protein and 1 cup of strawberries

Supplements pay an important role in a fitness competition diet. Recommended daily supplements include a multi-vitamin, digestive enzymes to support digestion and alleviate gas and bloating, L-Glutamine for essential protein synthesis and optimal recovery, Ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) to support immune system, and EFAs which may be depleted while eating a fitness competition diet.

Also advised is one serving of BCAAs (branch chain amino acids) pre and post workout, and before retiring to bed on weight lifting days only. BCAAs maximize recovery following intense training while helping to reduce unwanted body fat and increase lean muscle mass and muscle strength. BCAA’s and low carbohydrate protein shakes should be aspartame and sugar free. Sugar alternatives include Stevia, acesulfame potassium (Ace K) and Splenda.

Food preparation for a fitness competition diet is time consuming. It is recommended that all meals are prepared ahead of time, usually one week in advance.