How to Grow (and Keep!) Muscle Mass with Quality Food and Myoplex Protein

First off, studies show that if you want to gain muscle, you need to eat at least 1g of protein per pound of lean body mass every day - even on non-workout days! Most people don't even come close to this number, so start tracking your protein intake.

Now, where do you get all of that protein? First and foremost, food is king. Here are some ideas:

Beef, Chicken, Turkey, Fresh Fish, Eggs, Canned Tuna, Canned Salmon, Cottage Cheese, Milk, Nuts, and finally, Protein Shakes to put you over the edge.

It takes a lot of work to make this all day, so it's good to cook and grill your food in batches on an off-day, such as Sunday, then save it in the fridge for easy re-heating.

There's no way around it. You can take all of the multivitamins in the world, but you are still not getting all of the nutrients and phytonutrients your body (and muscles) need to grow and be healthy.

Here are some ideas of colorful veggies that you can cook up in natural oils to make delicious: eggplant, squash, romaine lettuce, spinach, asparagus, avocado, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, onions (green, white, and red are all great), celery, peppers (any color), string beans, zucchini, and carrots.

Mix them up, find ways to make them tasty (such as using olive oil and hot sauces/spices in a pan), and consider making monster salads with spinach, a few choice vegetables, and some grilled chicken or fish to add to your protein.

We hate to say it, but you MUST eat colorful vegetables - and we're not talking about corn, which is an unhealthy, sugary grain, not a vegetable.

Fat has been criticized for years, but these zero-fat, high-carb diets of the 90s have NOT worked. Saturated fat has been bastardized, but new research is showing that the old studies were nothing but lies and propaganda. NATURAL, saturated fats, such as those from beef, chicken, salmon, avocados, and coconuts are healthy and required for your bodies. We also recommend natural fat sources such as from olives and nuts (almonds, pecans, and walnuts).

However, you must stay away from the deadly fake fats that have been causing so much heart disease over the past 50 years.

DO NOT eat the following:
- Corn Oil
- Vegetable Oil
- Soybean Oil
- Canola Oil
- Margarine

"Foods" (or shall we say, "Food Products") that contain these are highly processed and are not natural. Our bodies are not used to them, and they contain high amounts of polyunsaturated omega-6 fats - the true killers, as new studies are showing. Avoid them at all costs, and do your cooking with the natural fats listed above!

Weight-train 3-4 times per week, cardio can be added as long as one day is devoted completely to rest. Your body will need to repair itself.

Don't spend more than an hour in the gym, and lift challenging weights somewhere in the 3-10 repetition range. Doing lifts using compound exercises (bench press, squats, pullups, deadlifts -- use perfect form!) and free weights helps best.

You can research around for more detailed plans as you get into it more. Hypertrophy-Specific Training (HST) works incredibly well, as it doesn't get boring, doesn't give its users symptoms of overtraining, and is based upon a lot of science for growing muscle.

Other good ideas are a 5x5 workout plan, or working out with CrossFit exercises.

It's obvious that you're not going to gain weight (or muscle) if you're not eating more than you expel.

Start tracking your calories and find your maintenance calorie number... this is the number of calories you eat each day (while getting your protein number as mentioned above) but don't gain or lose weight. Once you have that number, add about 500 calories to that to start gaining weight.

If you're gaining too much fat, then drop the carbs and increase the natural fats and protein - or perhaps consider only going 250 calories above maintenance and adjust from there.

Don't give up, work hard, know your body, EAT REAL FOOD, and you'll be well on your way!