Bigger Leaner Stronger

by Michael Matthews

  Eckerson JM, Stout JR, Moore GA, et al. Effect of Creatine Phosphate Supplementation on Anaerobic Working Capacity and Body Weight After Two and Six Days of Loading in Men and Women. J Strength Cond Res. 2005;19(4):756. doi:10.1519/R-16924.1.

  Bassit RA, Pinheiro CH da J, Vitzel KF, Sproesser AJ, Silveira LR, Curi R. Effect of short-term creatine supplementation on markers of skeletal muscle damage after strenuous contractile activity. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2010;108(5):945-955. doi:10.1007/s00421-009-1305-1.

  Groeneveld GJ, Beijer C, Veldink JH, Kalmijn S, Wokke JHJ, van den Berg LH. Few Adverse Effects of Long-Term Creatine Supplementation in a Placebo-Controlled Trial. Int J Sports Med. 2005;26(4):307-313. doi:10.1055/s-2004-817917.

  Darrabie MD, Arciniegas AJL, Mishra R, Bowles DE, Jacobs DO, Santacruz L. AMPK and substrate availability regulate creatine transport in cultured cardiomyocytes. Am J Physiol Metab. 2011;300(5):E870-E876. doi:10.1152/ajpendo.00554.2010; Guzun R, Timohhina N, Tepp K, et al. Systems bioenergetics of creatine kinase networks: physiological roles of creatine and phosphocreatine in regulation of cardiac cell function. Amino Acids. 2011;40(5):1333-1348. doi:10.1007/s00726-011-0854-x.

  Safdar A, Yardley NJ, Snow R, Melov S, Tarnopolsky MA. Global and targeted gene expression and protein content in skeletal muscle of young men following short-term creatine monohydrate supplementation. Physiol Genomics. 2008;32(2):219-228. doi:10.1152/physiolgenomics.00157.2007.

  Parise G, Mihic S, MacLennan D, Yarasheski KE, Tarnopolsky MA. Effects of acute creatine monohydrate supplementation on leucine kinetics and mixed-muscle protein synthesis. J Appl Physiol. 2001;91(3):1041-1047. doi:10.1152/jappl.2001.91.3.1041; Safdar A, Yardley NJ, Snow R, Melov S, Tarnopolsky MA. Global and targeted gene expression and protein content in skeletal muscle of young men following short-term creatine monohydrate supplementation. Physiol Genomics. 2008;32(2):219-228. doi:10.1152/physiolgenomics.00157.2007.

  Tang F-C, Chan C-C, Kuo P-L. Contribution of creatine to protein homeostasis in athletes after endurance and sprint running. Eur J Nutr. 2014;53(1):61-71. doi:10.1007/s00394-013-0498-6.

  Ament W, Verkerke GJ. Exercise and fatigue. Sports Med. 2009;39(5):389-422.

  Hoffman JR, Landau G, Stout JR, et al. β-Alanine ingestion increases muscle carnosine content and combat specific performance in soldiers. Amino Acids. 2015;47(3):627-636. doi:10.1007/s00726-014-1896-7.

  Hobson RM, Saunders B, Ball G, Harris RC, Sale C. Effects of β-alanine supplementation on exercise performance: a meta-analysis. Amino Acids. 2012;43(1):25-37. doi:10.1007/s00726-011-1200-z.

  Smith AE, Walter AA, Graef JL, et al. Effects of β-alanine supplementation and high-intensity interval training on endurance performance and body composition in men; a double-blind trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2009;6(1):5. doi:10.1186/1550-2783-6-5; Walter AA, Smith AE, Kendall KL, Stout JR, Cramer JT. Six Weeks of High-Intensity Interval Training With and Without β-Alanine Supplementation for Improving Cardiovascular Fitness in Women. J Strength Cond Res. 2010;24(5):1199-1207. doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181d82f8b.

  Pérez-Guisado J, Jakeman PM. Citrulline Malate Enhances Athletic Anaerobic Performance and Relieves Muscle Soreness. J Strength Cond Res. 2010;24(5):1215-1222. doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181cb28e0.

  Bendahan D, Mattei JP, Ghattas B, Confort-Gouny S, Le Guern ME, Cozzone PJ. Citrulline/malate promotes aerobic energy production in human exercising muscle. Br J Sports Med. 2002;36(4):282-289.

  Curis E, Crenn P, Cynober L. Citrulline and the gut. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2007;10(5):620-626. doi:10.1097/MCO.0b013e32829fb38d.

  Paddon-Jones D, Børsheim E, Wolfe RR. Potential ergogenic effects of arginine and creatine supplementation. J Nutr. 2004;134(10 Suppl):2888S-2894S; discussion 2895S.

  Bescós R, Sureda A, Tur JA, Pons A. The Effect of Nitric-Oxide-Related Supplements on Human Performance. Sport Med. 2012;42(2):99-117. doi:10.2165/11596860-000000000-00000; Orozco-Gutiérrez JJ, Castillo-Martínez L, Orea-Tejeda A, et al. Effect of L-arginine or L-citrulline oral supplementation on blood pressure and right ventricular function in heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction. Cardiol J. 2010;17(6):612-618; Cormio L, De Siati M, Lorusso F, et al. Oral L-Citrulline Supplementation Improves Erection Hardness in Men With Mild Erectile Dysfunction. Urology. 2011;77(1):119-122. doi:10.1016/j.urology.2010.08.028.

  Wu JL, Wu QP, Huang JM, Chen R, Cai M, Tan JB. Effects of L-malate on physical stamina and activities of enzymes related to the malate-aspartate shuttle in liver of mice. Physiol Res. 2007;56(2):213-220.

  Tang X, Liu J, Dong W, et al. The Cardioprotective Effects of Citric Acid and L-Malic Acid on Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury. Evidence-Based Complement Altern Med. 2013;2013:1-11. doi:10.1155/2013/820695.

  Part 7

  The Bigger Leaner Stronger Program

  27

  You Paint by the Numbers, Your Body Does the Rest

  Giving up on our long-term goals for immediate gratification, my friends, is procrastination.

  —DAN ARIELY

  Are you ready for an exact, step-by-step program for eating, exercising, and supplementing that will add lean muscle and melt away handfuls of unwanted fat?

  Are you ready to enter a new phase in your personal fitness journey and finally build your best body ever?

  And are you ready to do it faster and more enjoyably than you ever thought possible?

  If so, I’m excited to officially welcome you to my Bigger Leaner Stronger program!

  I’m so glad you’re here because by the end of this part of this book, you’re going to have the complete road map to building a stronger and more powerful body, and you’re going to be ready to put rubber on the road.

  Specifically, you’re going to get dietary, exercise, recovery, and supplementation guidelines and instructions, as well as foolproof, premade plans and templates you can use to get started right away.

  And then, just a few weeks from now, when you start seeing real improvements in how you look, feel, and perform, you’re going to realize that the search is finally over.

  That you’ve finally found the answers to your most pressing health and fitness questions. And that you finally understand exactly how to achieve the health and fitness outcomes you desire most.

  Imagine how good you’re going to feel when you no longer have to fret about your weight or reflection in the mirror.

  Imagine how good you’re going to feel when your partner, friends, family, and colleagues are constantly complimenting you on your new, muscular body.

  Imagine how good you’re going to feel when you can go to bed every night knowing that you’re getting a little stronger, leaner, and healthier every single day.

  And imagine how good you’re going to feel knowing that you’re setting yourself up for a longer life filled with more energy, youthfulness, self-esteem, intimacy, and wellness instead of a shorter one marked by pain, dysfunction, self-doubt, distance, and disease.

  That doesn’t mean the process isn’t going to take time, however.

  We live in the Age of Impatience. People want four-hour workweeks, six-minute abs, and 30-second meals. I’m sorry, but you can’t lose 20 pounds of fat in 20 days or reshape your butt or flatten your belly in a week.

  Transforming your body composition is a rewarding process, but it’s probably going to feel slow to you. Many guys find they need to lose anywhere from 10 to 15 percent body fat and gain 20 to 30 pounds of muscle to have the bodies they really want. That can take a couple of years.

  This is why fitness isn’t for the weak-minded and weak-willed. You can’t slide by on BS. Your body doesn’t care about your excuses or justifications. The only way to undo skipped workouts is to put your butt in the gym and do th
e work. The only way to overcome screwy dieting is to stop screwing up.

  If you’re going to successfully engineer your lifestyle to help you achieve your biggest goals and dreams, you must learn to love the process and embrace the struggle. If you can do that, then there’s nothing that can stop you.

  That’s what awaits you on Bigger Leaner Stronger. That’s what I want for you. That’s why you need to keep reading.

  28

  The Bigger Leaner Stronger Diet Plan

  To begin is easy, to persist is an art.

  —GERMAN PROVERB

  What’s the easiest way to learn to ride a bike?

  Training wheels, right?

  Then, once you’ve built up enough confidence and skill, you can ditch the stabilizers and ride freely.

  This is also the best way to learn how to eat and train. You start slow and simple with clear instructions, and once you’ve logged enough meals and workouts, you can add more moving parts without losing control.

  This chapter is going to give you one of those training wheels in the form of simple dietary guidelines that’ll help you put everything you’ve learned into practice, as well as done-for-you meal plans that’ll save you the time and trouble of creating your own.

  Then, in the next chapter, we’re going to bolt on the other training wheel (for working out).

  Let’s start with answering the first question that determines how to set up your diet:

  Should You Cut or Lean Bulk First?

  If you’re currently unhappy with your body fat percentage and just want to get lean before worrying about gaining significant amounts of muscle definition, you want to cut first.

  There’s no reason to get fatter (which will happen when you lean bulk properly) just to gain some muscle if that’s not your primary concern right now. Start with what’s going to keep you most motivated.

  Similarly, if you’re very overweight, you also want to cut first. This is the healthiest and smartest choice, even if your long-term goal involves gaining a fair amount of muscle mass.

  If you’re thin and want to focus most on gaining muscle size and strength, you want to lean bulk first.

  And if you’re in the middle—if your body fat is in a normal range and you like the idea of having abs but also want more muscle definition—whether you should cut or lean bulk first is dictated by your body fat percentage.

  Not sure what your body fat percentage is? Go to www.biggerleanerstronger.com/bodyfat to find out.

  If you’re 15 percent body fat or higher, I recommend you start by cutting down to 10 percent for several reasons:

  You’ll be happier with how you look.We don’t have to be ripped year-round, but at least half of the reason why we stick to meal plans and bust our butts in the gym every day is to look good.

  Once you get above 15 percent body fat, you’re probably going to start feeling overweight, and this can make it harder to stick to your diet and training plans. At some point, you’ll start wondering why you’re working so hard to look like that.

  By never letting your body fat percentage go too high, however, you’ll find it easier to stay motivated.

  You’ll have an easier time cutting.Generally speaking, the longer you remain in a calorie deficit, the more likely you are to struggle with muscle loss, hunger, cravings, and the other unwanted side effects of dieting.

  Thus, when you allow yourself to gain too much fat, you set yourself up for longer, more difficult cuts. If you always keep your body fat at reasonable levels, however, your cuts will be shorter and more manageable, both physically and psychologically.

  You’ll gain more muscle and less fat when you lean bulk.As body fat levels rise, insulin sensitivity drops, which hinders muscle protein synthesis and promotes fat gain.1

  Finally, if your body fat percentage is somewhere between 10 and 15 percent, you should choose to cut or lean bulk based on what’s most appealing and motivating to you.

  How Long Should You Cut and Lean Bulk?

  Once you know where to start with your diet, the next question is how long you should continue for before changing course.

  There’s no pat answer as to how long you should cut or lean bulk because it depends entirely on how quickly you lose and gain body fat while cutting and lean bulking.

  A good rule of thumb is this: your cut phases should end when you’re around 8 to 10 percent body fat (unless you have a special reason to get leaner, don’t bother because it’s not sustainable for most people), and your lean bulk phases should end when you’re around 15 to 17 percent body fat (go any further and you’ll regret it once it comes time to cut).

  Thus, when cutting, you should generally go for as long as it takes to get to at least 10 percent body fat (unless you want to end sooner for whatever reason), and when lean bulking, for as long as it takes to get to 15 to 17 percent body fat (again, unless you want to end sooner).

  Then, when you’ve cut to around 10 percent body fat, you’re ready to lean bulk, and when you’ve lean bulked to no more than 17 percent body fat, you’re ready to cut. Rinse, repeat, and reap the amazing and transformative benefits.

  When you get settled into this rhythm of moving between cut and lean bulk phases, you’ll probably find that your cuts last 10 to 14 weeks and your lean bulks 12 to 16 weeks.

  This is how you get the physique you really want. You simply repeat the process of lean bulking to add muscle and cutting to remove fat until you’re thrilled with what you see at 8 to 10 percent body fat.

  Then, most guys like to enter a maintenance phase where they make slow muscle and strength gains without any noticeable change in body fat percentage.

  Five Tips for Better Cuts

  Eat plenty of nutritious foods.As you know, no foods cause weight gain or loss, but some foods are more conducive to weight gain or loss than others.

  Generally speaking, foods that are “good” for weight loss are relatively low in calories but high in volume and fiber (and thus are filling).2

  This is one of the reasons why most fruits and vegetables are so helpful when cutting. They add a significant amount of volume and fiber but not calories to meals, helping you stay fuller longer.

  Take diet breaks if needed.A diet break is different than “cheating”—it’s a planned break from dieting, and it can last anywhere from a day to a couple of weeks.

  Why would you want to do that?

  Research shows that when cutting, scheduling periods of planned and controlled increased calorie intake can help you lose fat faster and better maintain your muscle mass and metabolic rate.3

  It works by giving your body a chance to reverse some of the negative physiological and psychological adaptations that occur while dieting.

  In other words, a diet break gives your body a chance to enjoy an increase in energy intake and your mind a chance to relax and stop stressing about food.

  You don’t have to take diet breaks if you don’t want or feel the need to, but if you do, here’s how to do it right:

  When on a break, increase your daily calorie intake to your approximate total daily energy expenditure by increasing your carbohydrate intake.

  If you have a high body fat percentage that requires you to diet for more than three months to reach your goal, you can plan a one-week break every six to eight weeks.

  If you need less than three months to reach your goal, then you can probably just suck it up and get it done without any breaks.

  If you want to include one in your cut, however, you can take a one-week break anywhere between the sixth and eighth weeks.

  If you’re lean and working to get really lean, you can take a one-week break every four to eight weeks.

  If at any point during a cut, you’re feeling especially tired, worn out, or just plain sick of cutting, take a one-week break and then get back to it.

  Keep in mind that you will gain weight during yo
ur diet breaks mostly due to the increased carbohydrate intake, but this doesn’t mean you’re gaining fat. You’re simply holding more water and glycogen in your muscles and liver.

  Drink plenty of water.The amount of water you drink isn’t going to make or break your fat loss efforts, but drinking enough can help.4 Research shows that increasing water intake is an effective way to increase fullness, which helps you fight off hunger and stick to your diet.5

  You may have heard that increasing your water intake can speed up your metabolism as well. Some studies do suggest that drinking water can increase basal metabolic rate because the body has to heat it up to its internal temperature, but at least one study has found no such effects.6

  So, how much water should you drink?

  The National Academy of Medicine recommends drinking between 0.75 and 1 gallon of water per day for adult men and women.7

  You’re going to be exercising regularly, however, and this increases the amount of water your body needs. Specifically, you want to replace all water lost through sweating.8

  The amount of water lost through exercise can range anywhere from 0.75 to 2 liters per hour depending on intensity and climate and how much you sweat. Ironically, as your fitness improves, your body will lose more sweat during exercise.9

  Therefore, start with a baseline water intake of about 0.75 to 1 gallon per day, and add 1 to 1.5 liters per hour of exercise, plus a bit more for additional sweating, and you’ll be good.

  The easiest way to do this is to keep a bottle with you during the day and never allow yourself to go thirsty for too long.

  Get enough sleep.A large amount of fat loss occurs while you sleep for two reasons:

  Your body burns quite a few calories while you sleep.A 160-pound person burns about 70 calories per hour while asleep, and much of it comes from body fat.