Protein Intake - How Much?

How much protein do you need to maintain muscle and grow? Let me know your thoughts. For me, I was up to 200+ grams per day in October and have declined to 180+ now in January. I have progressively increased my strength and have increased body weight due to the calorie intake above my maintenance calories needed. Now for me at 180 lbs. that is around a gram per pound of body weight which is not enough due to many sources on the internet. I am going to try and increase the grams per day moving in the spring to see if I can continue to make strength and muscle gains. Please comment and let us know what is working for you.

Have a great day!

More on REST from Bodybuilding.com

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/10-best-tips-to-sleep-better.htm

Question to the Readers

What is your favorite post-workout meal?

Great Muscle Snack

Milk; 1 cup

Oats, 1 cup

Whey; 1 scoop

Peanut Butter; 2 tablespoons

Mix in a bowl. It has a similar taste as no-bake cookies.

Enjoy!

My Diet Components

182 lbs.

15% body fat

Daily diet components:

whole eggs

wheat bread

peanut butter

oats

chicken

cottage cheese with grapes

1% milk

whey powder

protein bars

Intense Training - Muay Thai

I had mentioned in previous posts that I had began Muay Thai training. Now let me tell you that this has been the best decision I have made in regards to mental and physical challenges. I have never experienced anything like it. It does go against the basic principal for us ectomorphs because of the cardio that is involved but at this point I have not decreased in weight since beginning the classes in the last 3 weeks. I train only 2 days per week which is plenty since I have to keep weightlifting in the mix. Also, my body just won't keep up if I don't rest it enough. I have been making sure that the calorie intake stays consistent and and up in the range that I have been consuming to bulk. I will keep you posted on how the weight and body fat changes as the training progresses.

Have a great workout!

Back In The Saddle

I am back at it after a week off. I have decided to try a de-load technique that I read about a few weeks ago. After about 6-8 weeks on a routine of 3 sets/7 reps back the weight down so that you can do 3 sets/10 reps. It doesn't seem like much of a change but the body felt good tonight after the lift. The extra reps created the pump I was looking for as well. Bottom-line you need to give yourself a break from going real heavy all the time. Us ectomorphs can't take the abuse week in and out without changing it up. To me, this has been the key to my growth. Don't stick with doing the same thing over and over!

Have a great night.

Physical Conditioning

I was looking for another physical challenge a couple of months ago so I decide to take martial arts for the conditioning and it does the job. There are parts of me that ache that I thought that I had at least challenged during weight lifting; I was wrong. If you need a challenge, above and beyond, try Muay Thai training and you will not be disappointed.

Rest Always

After an 8 week circuit and Thai training my body is telling me to rest. As I said in the previous post, rest has been key in my growth over the last few months. I have really gotten over the mental battle where the mind tells you that you can't break away from it for any amount of time. You can and it works. I even come back from the rest as strong or stronger than before and that alone is proof that you are not going to shrink away and lose all that you worked so hard for. I try and schedule a break after a 6-8 week circuit unless the body tells me differently.

Take the time and let the body grow and let's get BIG for spring!

Winter Success

I took some time off over the last month and didn't update my blog. I am back to say that I have had good success over the last couple of months towards my goals. I have been able to reach the 180 lb. goal by the end of the year and not put it all on the waist. That is a 13 lb. increase with only a 1/2" added to my waist! I really have to attribute it to 3 things; calorie surplus, intensity in the gym, and sleep. I have no magic bean that I took during this time to help so it is all natural. In the past I have never been able to put on this much weight and it all not sit on the gut. Don't get me wrong, my body fat has increased with the additional calories but nothing out of control that will impact my leaning down.

Now it is time to sit at that weight for a bit before leaning out. I will start the leaning process beginning in March by reducing the calorie intake by 500 calories per day. I will continue to reduce at 500 calories per day each month until the end of May. Again, all of this is relative to how the body reacts to everything.