Nutrition Q&A, Part 5
By
Dr. Eric Serrano and Scott Mendelson
Question #1
I aim to increase lean muscle mass toward the end of the year, which
matches my diet of all out craziness due to the holidays. What can I do to
maximize muscle mass while minimizing or even preventing putting on a bunch of
body fat?
We have to answer this type of question about a dozen times every November,
and each year we learn new stuff. There are some proven strategies to accomplish
what you seek, and we agree that it’s smart to take advantage of larger food
intakes by gearing your training toward building lean body mass. Hormones always
must be taken into account, as they dictate success and failure. The amount of
food and/or calories play a role, but keep the eye on the prize by considering
hormone levels as well.
You can promote a highly anabolic hormonal status through a combination of
hard training, high nutrient intake, rest, and supplementation. Missing any of
these factors will put you on track to pack on the unwanted fat pounds.
Hungry muscles stimulated by hard training will suck up excess available raw
materials depriving fat cells from the materials they need to grow and multiply.
Build up muscles and starve fat cells
Our research indicates that amino loading with
100% MR and
Muscle Synthesis
around workouts and between meals leads to muscle accretion, which is the build
up of amino levels in the bloodstream. This increased availability of raw
materials combined with an uptake in anabolic hormones such as testosterone is a
powerful muscle growing and fat burning combination that ensures
excess food intake converts primarily to muscle, not body fat. Take advantage of
amino loading between meals and when you workout to accelerate your muscle
growth timetable.
Fill up fat cells with the right materials to shut down body fat
accumulation
Your fat cells are the storage warehouse for excess materials. Fill up this
space with good dietary fats and you can prevent accumulation of new body fat.
The body is very smart. Load it up with tons of good fats and it will suck them
up, filling cells rather quickly.
Alpha Omega was designed to provide all of the great benefits of Omega 3 while being engineered to maximize body composition improvements. Take 9–12 caps
per day along with good fat choices with meals and watch the waist on your pants
stay loose and your sleeves get tight with new increases in muscle! Loading up
on the right combination of essential fats can also improve insulin sensitivity,
making the body less likely to store body fat. The ratios and ingredients within
the Alpha Omega—including several proprietary elements exclusive to the
formula—weren’t chosen at random. For example, CLA, in the correct amounts, has
recently demonstrated the ability to increase metabolic rate and related fat
burning mechanisms.
I suggest that you pick certain weeks that you will have a much higher food
intake and coordinate this with more training volume to capitalize on the extra
raw materials and anabolic environment. Christmas offers great opportunities
because you have extra time off from work and the availability of vast, tasty
leftovers! Having more time to train isn’t the key here, but time to eat more
frequently and relax elevates your training capacity by lowering stress
hormones. It isn’t uncommon for some patients to see drops in body fat levels
during the holidays and when on vacation compared to the normal grind due to a
drop in stress levels.
Question #2
I like training heavy (2–4 reps typically), which has always worked well
to improve my strength and physique. In the past few months, I’ve been stuck in
regards to training, and I think that I’m losing some muscle. I thought
overtraining may be my problem, but my muscles aren’t even sore following
training. I’m doing four sessions per week at 55 minutes, which doesn’t seem
like too much. Most times I don’t feel very sharp but generally sluggish, and I
can’t figure out why because I’m sleeping eight hours.
Overtraining is one of the more common reasons behind plateaus or backslides
in progress. Your situation differs from the typical case, as your volume
doesn’t seem to be too high and you aren’t excessively sore. The source of your
overtraining problem is likely stemming from overtaxing the nervous system. You
mentioned staying in low rep ranges, which I gather means you’re using heavy
poundages. While the sets may not inflict as much “damage” on the muscles as
higher rep sets do, there is certainly a toll taken on the nervous system.
One of the great attributes to using a compensatory acceleration system is
the use of relatively low loads for low rep ranges so that speed can be
emphasized. In your case, being in the 85–95 percent of 1RM for every workout is
simply too much for your nervous system to handle, at least at this given time.
A change in training strategy is only one of the factors needed.
While overtraining is a major barrier to success, the training aspect is only
one element. Many trainees do a poor job in the recovery department, making
their training capacity very low and increasing the likelihood of overtraining.
Nutrition, supplementation, and rest play a vital role in the success equation.
Check out the
power fat loss plan and macronutrient cycling for powerlifters
articles on the EliteFTS.com site for powerful nutrition information.
Based on several years of research, amino loading with 100% MR and Muscle
Synthesis accelerate both muscular and neurological recovery. The more advanced
the athlete and the harder the training, the more important nervous system
recovery becomes. We currently work with numerous professional athletes in
multiple sports and collect detailed feedback in the areas of body composition
as well as performance. Within the first couple of weeks of amino loading
consistently, an overwhelming percentage of the athletes report they have a much
easier time getting into and maintaining their high performance “zone.” Feedback
includes improved hand-eye coordination, improved confidence, and decreased
pre-competition anxiety. I think you will experience beneficial changes very
quickly when you start the 100% MR and Muscle Synthesis pre- and post-training.
Improvements in performance and recovery will come first, and shortly
thereafter, your body composition will begin to improve.
Getting into and staying in the power “zone”
Strength athletes also have a “zone,” which in my experience is described as
heavy loads feeling light when training. The ability to make heavy loads move
quickly is a key to success and is a clear representation of the capabilities of
the nervous system. Amino loading provides a powerful energy source to support
repetitive bursts of peak power.
The lower your stress, the stronger you will be! We are well-equipped as
humans to deal with acute stressors such as an argument with a stranger. Longer
term or lingering stress from problems that just don’t go away are the ones that
have a negative effect on anabolic hormone levels. Keep this in mind within your
recovery picture. You should consider changing the training plan if stress is
going to be high during the training week.
Essential fats play a more important role in the recovery process than many
would think. Remember, the brain mass is made up of a high percentage of fats.
The right mix of essential fats such as the Alpha Omega can help with cellular
“fluidity,” which improves communication between cells.
Please send any questions to
Scott@infinityfitness.com.
Scott H. Mendelson, author of the e-book, 100% Fitness Solution, and
director of Infinity Fitness, is a highly regarded performance nutrition and
training specialist. In addition to his celebrity and executive clients, Scott
works daily with professional athletes from the NFL, NHL, MLB, and NCAA. He has
built an excellent reputation providing effective supplements, cutting-edge
information, customized programs, and unmatched service to thousands of clients
worldwide. Scott is the special assistant to Dr. Eric Serrano, MD, and helps
with the design of training and nutrition programs for Serrano’s family practice
patients in Columbus, Ohio.
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