# IRON MANS' "Bulking Diet"



## IRON MAN (Feb 17, 2006)

*FINDING YOUR BASAL METABOLIC RATE*


For an example lets use a 147 lb "Natural Trainer" who has a 12% body fat and is very lightly active.


(Step 1): (Convert bodyweight from lbs to kilos).

Example: Male 146 lbs divided by 2.2 = 66.4

(Step 2). (Calculate male or female equation) to be used in final calculation of BMR: Men:1.0 x bodyweight (kg) x 24. Women: 0.9 x bodyweight (kg) x 24. 

Example: Male, 146 lbs = 66.4-kg x 24 = 1594


(Step 3). (Determine lean factor) based on gender and bodyfat percentages. 

Lean factor Men Body fat% Multiplier
1 10-14 1.0 
2 15-20 .95
3 21-28 .90
4 over 28 .85 
Lean factor Women Body fat% Multiplier 
1 14-18 1.0 
2 19-28 .95 
3 29-38 .90 
4 over 38 .85

Example: Male , 146 lbs, 12% bodyfat
lean factor:1; multiplier 1.0



(Step 4): (Calculate BMR)

To determine your BMR, multiply the number obtained in step "2" by your lean factor multiplier. 1594 x 1.0 = 1594 (BMR = 2073)


(Step 5): (Determine daily activity multiplier)

Now that we have your BMR we can determine your daily caloric expenditure b y factoring in your daily activity. 

( AVERAGE DAILY ACTIVITY LEVELS)

1.30 = VERY LIGHT-(very little walking or other activities).
1.55 = LIGHT-(Mostly sitting around with some walking).
1.65 = MODERATE-(cycling or weight training 1-2 hours per day with some walking through out the day).
1.80 = HEAVY-(manual labor such as ditch digging and 2-4 hours of weight training)
2.00 = VERY HEAVY-(A combination of moderate and heavy activity 
for 8 hours or more plus 2-4 hours of intense training per day).


Example: Male, 146 lbs, 12& body fat,moderate; multiplier = 1.65

(Step 6). (Calculate daily caloric expenditure)



BMR X multiplier = 1594 x 1.65 = 2630
Total daily caloric expendicture = 2630


Total daily calorie expenditure (2630)+ additional calories needed on weight training/cardio days to maintain. Inorder to gain weight add TCE-2630 + lean mass weight-258=2888 calories need on workout days to gain weight. 

NOTE: On non-training days the (multiplier is 1.30). 1.30 x 1594 equals 2072 cals to maintain weight on non-training days. If you decide to do the 15 minutes of cardio on non-workout days add 200 additional calories to 2072 For 30 minutes of cardio add 400  additional calories to maintain weight. 




I would like to start out with my diets suggestion by saying you've got to condition yourself to ignore the scales for gauging your off season progress because they can "NEVER" distinquish between fat, muscle, and water. What I'm trying to say is body weight doesn't mean "EVERYTHING". How you look in the mirror "DOES"!!! Using a bodyfat measuring instrument is always needed in conjunction with the scales if you want to get real with yourself and see how much weight is truly muscle and not just added fat and/or water weight.

Next I would suggest you ignore all these new so-called "Secret Mass Gaining Diet's" popping up everywhere. Jumping around from one diet to the next is a sure fire way to not succeed in adding more mass to your frame. You've got to stick with your plan long term if you expect to get the best possible results for your bodies potential. 

 Long term studies have proven that "Zig-Zag" diet plans works better than any other method out there for gaining lean muscle mass. "Zig-Zagging" your calorie intake allows periodic BMR-(Basal Metabolic Rate) adjustments to take place. Then it's easier to begin gaining muscular body weight again-and again. If you simply try going up, up, up, in weight your "BMR" never has a chance to adjust, and weight gain becomes harder and harder, until you eventually give up on gaining that extra weight you so desperately wanted.

*Editors Note:*The easiest ZIG-ZAG diet plan to monitor is the 3 day stagger. Your goal will be to gain 1-2 pounds per week. A 250 calories increase is a great starting point but sometimes the 250c baseline needed to be adjusted if weight gains were not followed in the 1-2 lbs per week range. For e.g.; (Week1) Day #1-3000cals, Day #2-3225cals, Day #3500cals, and repeat for Days #4-6. Day 7-3750cals. (Week 2) Day#1-3750cals, Day#2-4000cals, Day#3-4225cals, and repeat #4-6. Day 7 of week 2 4225 cals and so on until muscular weight gains goals were met. At that point the calories stagger point could remain the same until a desired change in goals.    


"*HOW TO INCREASE BODYWEIGHT*"


On "gear" the body has a higher metabolism, increased apeptite and is screaming out for tons of protein. When training as a natural bodybuilder the added boost in the growth process ( increased protein synthesis) from AAS will not apply so less protein will be needed.  


Generally speaking a natural bodybuilders protein intake will only need to be about half of those using anabolic agents. A 200 lb natural trainer may get by with 150- 300 grams of protein where as a drug user will need closer to 300-500 grams. Natural trainers are only capable of absorbing so much protein. Excess intake of protein will be used as fuel not to add more muscle mass but eating more protein keep your leaner if you have a problem in that area. 

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(Increasing body weight requires that (natural trainers) add "2-4 calories" per pound of lean bodyweight to their normal daily caloric intake for 4-5 days each week)-(including training days). It's best to spread these calories out into 4-6 meals per day.  For e.g: let's say you have a 200-pound "natural" bodybuilder who is around 12% body fat and wants to add weight. They should add around 350 calories per day to his or her diet. (Bodybuilders who are "chemically enhanced" may need to add "3" calories" per day, totalling 510-700 extra calories each day). On the remaining 2-3 days each week ( including off days), one should reduce their calorie intake by "2-4" calories depending on whether or not they are natural trainers. 


NOTE: Caloric intake will need to be adjusted upwards monthly to in regards to your new caloric needs because of an increase in muscle mass. *To be more specific ENDOMORPH'S generally need to increase calories by 2 for each pound of lean muscle mass. MESOMORPHS need around 3 calories and ECTOMORPHS shall require about 4 calorie increase per pound of lean mass when trying to gain bulk. I usually recommend that alll body types start out with increasing caloric intake in increments of 2 to find out were their bodies respond best. If the desired results are happening within 2 weeks add another calorie. After a month 4 cals per pound of lean body mass can be added if need be.   * 

"HOW TO STAY THE SAME BODYWEIGHT BUT GAIN MUSCLE" 

For 4 days each week on non-training days, reduce caloric intake by 2-4 calories per-pound of lean bodyweight and increase it by 2-4 calories per-pound of bodyweight on the 3 days you train xdepending on your Somatotype. Adjust calories in an upward direction each month. 

Any "Bulking Phase" will results in adding bodyfat to your frame without the use of large quantities of (Growth Hormone). I realize that's probably not what some want to hear but it's true none the less. Many Competitive Bodybuilders use 10 ius of GH or more each day. These individuals actually get leaner as their weight accends. Some can eat just about anything they desire while others have to be some what stricter but the amount of body fat gained while bulking with GH will be minimal at best in comparison to those not adding GH to their AAS regimine. 

How can one gain maximal muscle size with or without the use of GH and AAS? Any straight forward PRO Bodybuildier will tell you there are no miraculous diet plans out there other than ("ZIG-ZAGGING" your "CALORIC"
 intake.) 

*(PROTEIN REQUIREMENTS)*

You will never make significant gains in muscle mass without the ingestion of the needed "Nutrients" and "Calories" to support new growth. Lean tissue is made mostly from??? PROTEIN!!! Your PTOR (PROTEIN TURN OVER RATE) will be the determining factor as to how much protein you will need on an individual basis for your bodyweight. If your on AAS and/or GH/SLIN, your protein needs will be increased because drugs that are anabolic in nature increase protein synthesis. PTOR for those using anabolic aids can be somewhat determined by multiplying your bodyweight x 1.818 shown in grams. Up to 2.5 grams or more will be needed in some cases. So what would consist of a  minimum protein requirement for a 225 lb "Chemically Enhanced Bodybuilder"? 225x1.818= around 409 grams of protein daily . A "Natural Bodybuilder" will have a slower (PTOR)- Protein Turnover Rate and may generally get by with 0.8-1.5 gram of protein per lb of lean muscle mass depending on their genetics. You must keep nutrient ratios balanced as calories increase if your goal is to add lean muscular weight. Gaining added body weight with calories in the form of extra carbs or fats will results in a serious bodyfat increase in most cases. More protein used as fuel equals less insulin spike which equals a much "Leaner Physique". Also keep in mind there is no exact figure for daily protein requirements.

 To recap: If you add weight to your frame by increasing carbs and fats you will get FAT. The protein recommendations in this diet thread are guide lines "ONLY" and nothing more. How much protein your body needs is something you will have to experiment with and anyone who wants to charge you money to tell you any different is after your wallet!!!  You can't be eating 100 grams of carbs-dextrose post workout on top of other carb meals and expect to gain "LEAN" muscle mass if your carb sensitive. 

*Note:* If your gaining weight but it's not lean muscle mass then it means your carb sensitive. In that case you'll need a diet closer to a ratio of 60% protein, 20% carbs, and 20% fats. 

 For gaining mass at my age-"40" or maintenace I use around 60% Proteins-20% carbs and 20% fats on non-training days-(4 days out of 7). I increase my carbs by ZIG-ZAGGING them upwards 3 times a week on workout days. This provides energy and aids in boosting my metabolism-thyroid without too much fat gain. Workout days look something like this: Proteins 40%, carbs 40%, and fats 20%. Being heavier means I do not need to be rushing between sets and I do not need alot of carbs this way. Once the body quickly uses up the carbs my body has to use some of the protein and fat for energy. Keeping the carbs low helps me avoid insulin spikes, thus keeping my bodyfat levels down while adding more muscular weight. The bulk of your diet should consist of (tuna, steak, protein shakes, eggs, chicken, cottage cheese, and such) you can gradually add in more carbs-fats and see how it affects both your fat and muscle mass. Being in good condition while gaining size is the key and if your already overly fat you need to replace equal amounts of carbohydrates with protein calories gram for gram. If I need more fuel I'll add healthy fats such as olive oil but in my younger days I needed more carbs. Get the picture??? 

Note: Carbs bloat many bodybuilders and if your not on a GH and Slin those large amounts of carbs will be shuttle towards fat. Everyone reacts differently and I cannot say what yours or anyone elses levels are with 100% ACCURACY because YOU as an individual must EXPERIMENT with several diff erent percentages. Any "Personal Trainer" who takes money from you to tell you otherwise is after your wallet. The 1-2.5 grams of protein per pound of body weight is only a GUIDELINE!!! 

*Note: It's best to eat protein over the top and slowly reduce the protein calories and replace some of them with fats-carbs bit by bit until you eventually reach the point that will allow you to put on size while reducing fat accumulation. No workout program in the world can make up for the wrong diet!!! The IRON MAN "HIT" program is as good as it gets but without the proper protein-calorie requirements your going to get extremely frustrated and qive up!!!  Some think that a routine and/or a steroid regimine will magically turn all the calories they eat into lean mass. When the reality sits in that this is not the case these individuals make desperate attmepts by changing training routines, drugs, etc, when the problem was their diet all along.  *





NOTE: If too little protein is consumed, your PTOR needs will not be met. This will put your body into a state of catabolism-"losing lean muscle tissue". Using a mixture of both fast and slow digesting protein sources is optimal, but one should keep the faster acting versions-(WHEY PROTEIN POWDER) to a lesser by using them post workout and at night along with some slower digesting proteins as your going to bed. Slower digesting proteins like (CASEIN PROTEIN POWDER) and real food should make up 75% of your protein needs. 50-80% of your total dietary intake should come from protein dependent upon your "Somatotype and age".

Next is Carbohydrates.They are the bodies main energy source when working in an anaerobic fashion. The low glycemic version that burn at a slow rate are best because they provide a more steady energy source with less spike in insulin. Oat fiber, brown rice, various vegetable, and maltodextrin 20 are great sources of slow burning carbs. Faster burning carbs are also needed but should be kept to a miminum and used as part of your post workout meal for the most part. Carbohydrates should make up 20-40% of daily calories dependent upon your "Somatotype and age".


The last category is Fats. EFA are the most important source of fats but some saturated fats are needed as well. Keep saturated fats to a minimum. Fats should make up about 10-30% of the diet dependent upon your "Somatotype."

 Keep things simple when trying to gain mass. "Mesomorphs" -(can generally get by with ingesting more carbs along with their protein). "Ectomorphs"- (will need usually need more fats and carbs along with their protein). "Endomorphs"-( will needs lesser amounts of both carbs and fats along with their protein intake.)


*Editors Note: Don't be pming me with some  sob story claiming the IRON MAN "HIT" program is NOT working for you if your out ingesting carbs by way of drinking beer or eating pizza like theres no tommorrow. My program is not going to work if you don't get your diet down to a T. AND IN FACT I might encourange you to pay Money to some of the other popular personal trainers so you can find out first hand- "the results on their program will be no better when using same diet"!! * 






Once homeostasis is reached, the ZIG-ZAG diet is the best diet plan to follow inorder to add those extra pounds of muscle mass to your frame. 


____________________________ Why settle for being a man when you can be an "IRONMAN". 

www.ironmaglabs.com


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