Eat Right: Grow Faster

A Scientific Approach to Maximizing Food Absorption For Muscle Gains

My twin brother, Tony Prisk, recently came to me with a very common problem. He can’t seem to get his legs to grow. Now, being that we are twins and I was able to build legs to win an IFBB pro card [Dr. Prisk obtained his pro card by winning the welterweight division at the NPC Nationals,] I know that his legs can grow. So this leaves the question, why aren’t they growing? Is it his training? His recovery? His diet? His supplementation?
      I asked him about his training in the gym. He said he was doing all the mass movements like squatting heavy, leg press and deadlifts. He was utilizing mass-building techniques like drop sets, negatives and undulating volume. His form was spot on. He was getting enough sleep. He was getting enough rest between leg-training sessions. He was taking a myriad of GNC supplements that I sent him. It turns out that everything was right, except he wasn’t “eating to grow!”
 The Concept
      First, you have to determine just how many calories you actually need to maintain your weight with regards to total daily energy expenditure. Log your dietary intake for a couple of weeks, weigh yourself first thing in the morning twice a week and see if your bodyweight fluctuates. If it stays the same you need more calories to grow, if it decreases you need even more calories, and if it increases you’re on the right track, but may even then want to add more calories.
      Then you need to consider how active you are in the gym or on your job. One way to get a sense of this is to use a wearable calorie-counting device or phone app. Again, these aren’t very accurate so you will have to adjust as you go, but they give you a starting point. Add your extra calorie burn to your caloric needs and then add up to 500 calories. This will ensure you that you are never energy deficient. More calories will help with gaining weight, but you will run greater risk of storing fat.
      Second, you have to adjust your macronutrients (carbs, fats and protein) to meet your individual needs. All proteins, fats and carbs are not created equal.
 Not All Proteins Are Created Equal
      We all know that bodybuilders need more protein than the 0.8 grams per kilogram of bodyweight that the RDA recommends. The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) and American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) also agree with this, recommending nearly 1 gram per pound of bodyweight for strength-training athletes.1,2 However, some believe that this may still be insufficient for maximizing gains from heavy resistance training.3 In fact, I believe that counting the absolute number of all grams of protein may be a little misleading, because all proteins are not created equal.
      Once we have verified that we are getting the majority of our protein intake from complete proteins, we must also realize that all complete proteins are not created equal. Each protein has different ratios of the essential and non-essential amino acids. Some proteins such as the dairy proteins are particularly rich in the branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs; leucine, isoleucine, valine). It turns out that this difference in BCAA content is an important distinction.
      A recently published study has shown that when we consume protein in a skewed fashion (like most Americans) with the majority of our protein intake at dinner and much less at lunch and breakfast, we do not maximize our muscle growth potential.4 This study looked at the difference between eating ~10 grams, 15 grams and 65 grams of protein for breakfast, lunch and dinner, respectively, versus eating 30 grams for each meal. By increasing the protein content of the first two meals, it is theorized that a threshold was met whereby muscle protein synthesis was turned on at each meal.  
 Healthy and Unhealthy Fats
      There are essential fats that we can’t live without. Even though recent studies suggest that saturated fat may not be as evil as once thought, if you eat too much when trying to grow you will probably not be at your healthiest. That being said, restricting your cholesterol and saturated fat intake excessively can cause reductions in testosterone production, potentially hindering muscle growth.6 So, if you are not a “hormone supplemented” bodybuilder, extreme limitations of your fat intake can be detrimental to your goals. By maximizing the polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially the omega-3s from fish oils, you are more likely to see some health benefits from eating to grow. I would recommend keeping your fat content above 30 percent of your total daily calories and strictly avoid toxic and inflammatory trans fats. As for all of the macronutrients, getting the majority of your fat from whole (unprocessed) foods will help you to avoid unhealthy fats.
 Carbohydrates
      Carbohydrates stimulate the release of insulin, your body’s most anabolic hormone. By consuming more than adequate amounts of carbohydrates with each meal and around your training, you can maximize strength-training performance in the gym to attain the most adaptive responses for muscle growth. Carbohydrate-deficient diets can limit testosterone production8; whether this is significant enough to limit muscle accretion is not known. Regardless, low-carbohydrate diets can limit strength as glycogen fuels weight training.
      The American College of Sports Medicine recommends consuming 2.7 to 4.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound bodyweight per day.2 The amount required is very dependent on energy requirements after calculating your protein and fat needs. The more endurance or high-volume training you perform, the more carbohydrate you should consume. Additionally, 0.5 grams of carbohydrate per pound bodyweight will be more than enough in a post-workout meal to restore muscle glycogen stores. Again, whole foods such as yams, potatoes, rice, quinoa and others would be recommended over sugars.
      The data about the “anabolic window” has become muddied in recent years. There is data to support consuming protein and carbohydrate within an hour before or after your training. However, other studies have shown that if you are consuming adequate amounts of protein throughout the day the timing around the workout doesn’t matter.9 Essentially, if you are consuming your protein (and thus leucine) every three to four hours as we previously discussed, you will have some protein fairly close to the start of your training and after. Because the research is so muddied, I still recommend having half of a 40- to 50-gram whey +/- carbohydrate meal before and after your training when “eating to grow.”
 Vegetables
      Another, often under recognized, aspect of “eating to grow” is the importance of vegetables. Vegetables are not only important for their antioxidant vitamin, mineral and fiber content. Veggies, especially green leafy veggies, are rich in nitrates. Nitrates act as nitric oxide donors. This is just like the arginine- and citrulline-rich supplements used to boost your pump in the gym.
      Foods like spinach, celery and beets are rich in nitrates and boost nitric oxide. Researchers have found that beetroot juice supplementation results in better tolerance of the intense exercise and better metabolic handling of oxygen than beetroot juice that was depleted of nitrate.10 The subjects on the nitrate-rich beetroot juice took longer to fail at a high-intensity sprint than those on a placebo-nitrate depleted beetroot juice. With higher intensity training you can imagine this could provide greater potential for muscle growth stimulus. With the added antioxidants, you may even recover from that training faster. Do what your mama told ya: eat your veggies!
 Diet Essentials
 In summary, there are a few things you need to be certain your diet contains:             
      1. Whole food sources of quality proteins, fats, and carbohydrates
      2. 0.05 grams of leucine per kilogram bodyweight per meal
      3. Nitrate-rich veggies
 Dr. Victor Prisk is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon and IFBB professional bodybuilder in Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Prisk is an active member of the GNC Medical Advisory Board and creator of the “G.A.I.N. Plan.” He is an NCAA All-American gymnast, champion swing dancer and 2010 NPC Welterweight National Champion. For week-to-week updates on his app and books, check out his blog at www.YourGAINPlan.com and Twitter posts @victorprisk.

Next MD Issue - Sizzles with Dianna Dahlgren

I put sizzling hot Dianna Dahlgren on the cover this month because I wanted to get your attention! I think it worked! This month’s issue is packed with tons of information on getting ripped and building muscle. Getting ripped is the theme of this month’s issue of MD.

Ron Harris gives you the complete nutrition and fat loss plan to get sliced in “Get Ripped in 8 Weeks.” Nick Trumminello gives us the lowdown on why it’s best to focus on strength training and watch your diet instead of doing lots of cardio in “The Science Behind Strength Training for Fat Loss.”

Nothing says “ripped” quite like a shredded midsection. It’s one thing to lose body fat, but when you have a six-pack, you are telling the world you mean business. “Your Ultimate Ab program: 30 Days to Razor Abs” is your master plan to build and carve a midsection that will show the world what you’ve got.

Several of our science departments report on cutting-edge research about shedding body fat while maintaining muscle. Daniel Gwartney, M.D. examines “The Fat Incinerating Powers of Brown Fat” in his Fat Attack column. In Muscle Growth Update Michael J. Rudolph, Ph. D., MD’s Senior Science Editor, looks at “Controlling AMPK and mTOR for Maximal Muscle and Fat Loss.” And “Does Fasted Cardio Maximize Fat Loss?” is the topic of this month’s M.A.X. Muscle Plan by Brad Schoenfeld, Ph.D., CSCS, FNSCA. Dr. Gwartney gives readers “The Ultimate Get Ripped Anabolic Stack” in his Testosterone column. In Supplement Performance, Victor Prisk, M.D. talks about “Fat-Loss Supplements: What Works and What Doesn’t.”
Being big, strong and ripped is something that we truly believe in at MD. The magazine contains more cutting-edge science content on training, nutrition, fat loss, performance-enhancing drugs, bodybuilding science and muscle growth to complement the hardcore feature articles than ever before! We continue to deliver the best bodybuilding magazine in the industry with the best writers and industry experts, and are grateful for your continued support.
In last month’s issue of MD, Dan Solomon presented his findings after polling various industry experts and legends to see who they felt had the best arms of all time. The winner was Lee Priest, and in “How I Built the Best Arms of All Time” Ron Harris tells us how Lee built those massive Priest guns that exuded raw power, and were the epitome of freakish. Lee was outrageous and more so outspoken to a fault, which eventually tanked his pro bodybuilding career. But that shouldn’t negate what he accomplished as a bodybuilder.

A few weeks after Lee Priest won the arm race, MD’s panel of industry legends and experts reconvened to answer the question, “Who Has the Best Legs of All Time?” Eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney had this to say “As far as I’m concerned, there were only two bodybuilders that possessed the greatest legs of all time. Tom Platz and Paul DeMayo. The rest is eeny, meeny, miny, moe.” The results of Dan Solomon’s special report is in this month.

In the 80’s, when he was in his competitive prime, Tom Platz was the most popular bodybuilder in the world. He was hailed as the uncrowned Mr. Olympia and the People’s Champion. In this month’s MD, Tom Platz is voted to have the best legs of all time, of any bodybuilder who ever stepped on a stage. In “Tom Platz: the Pride and the Passion,” an exclusive interview with Peter McGough the most inspirational bodybuilder ever talks about his unique time and place in the sport.

The rest of the book is packed to the binder as usual – making MD your one-stop, most authoritative source for optimizing muscular development with the latest cutting-edge research on training, nutrition, fat loss, performance-enhancing drugs, muscle growth and bodybuilding science – and exclusive information from the industry experts, insiders and bodybuilding legends who make it all happen. See you next month!

                             The Guns of Justin Compton

Follow His Strategy for Optimum Arm Gains

A Thinking Man’s Bodybuilder
     I deal with a lot of pro bodybuilders in my job. All of them have gifted genetics, and they all work hard to capitalize on those gifts. But I would be lying if I told you they all put an equal amount of thought into their training. Justin Compton falls into this category of thinkers. At 26, he’s wise and mature beyond his years and doesn’t rely on his genetics or other factors to coast on. Justin knows that in the ferociously competitive world of pro bodybuilding, that’s just not enough. A sensational winner of last year’s Europa Show of Champions, he bypassed the 2014 Olympia to concentrate on the Arnold Classic this coming March 7th. Judging by his recent pics he’ll cause major damage. Which proves he’s a planner who gets things right. He’s the type of bodybuilder who you can actually learn a thing or two from, because he’s on his own quest for knowledge.
Justin’s Favorite Arm Moves
     We asked Justin to run us through a gauntlet of his favorite and most effective arm exercises, giving us tips and tricks he’s discovered to make each one work best. Take some cues from this young champion, and put at least some thought into everything you do in the gym. You may or may not ever have 22-inch guns like he does, but you can be sure you’ll be making the absolute most out of what you do have.
BICEPS
Seated Alternate Dumbbell Curls
     “On these, I like to slow down the negative and really control it. On any type of curl, I focus on keeping my elbows back. Once they start to come forward, the delts begin taking over. It looks like my form is off here and I am leaning into the working arm, but that’s because I need to clear my quads. If your quads aren’t quite as big as mine, you shouldn’t need to do that. I will use 45s or 50s as my top weight on these.”

EZ-Bar Curls
     “I will stop the rep at the very top and flex my biceps, and again lower for a slow negative. I find that if you let the weight come down too fast, that lends itself to a fast rebound out of the bottom. Before you know it, you’re swinging the weight up and your biceps aren’t getting the work.”

Straight Barbell Curls
     “A lot of guys complain that curling with a straight bar kills their wrists. I was experiencing some wrist pain on it myself, until I tried using a wider grip on the bar. With an EZ-bar, my grip is always closer in and my hands are angled. If my hands are straight, they need to be further apart.”
Preacher Curls
     “I love this exercise! Since I usually use an EZ-curl bar, my grip is pretty narrow. I don’t worry about using a lot of weight. With a lighter weight, I can lower the bar until my arms are almost completely straight and I get a full stretch. That would not be safe to do with a heavy weight.”
One-Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls
     “One-arm curls with the arm braced are excellent. I will either do it with a dumbbell, the machine version, or even bring the preacher bench over to a cable unit and use that to curl with. Whatever variation I choose, my hand is fully supinated the whole time. I angle my body away from the bench a little bit. That’s so I can get my arm in the proper position. I’m not the most flexible guy, so if I sat facing straight into the bench, my range of motion would be limited.”

Hammer Curls
     “Hammer curls are something I do at least half the time. If I am using dumbbells, I curl up and across the body to target the brachialis better. If I am using a rope cable attachment, I prefer doing them as part of a superset rather than on their own. I find that going from some type of dumbbell curl to a rope hammer curl works perfectly.”

Double Cable Curls
     “I actually do this exercise three different ways, sometimes all in the same set. I will curl from dead center between the cables for about eight reps, and then take a step backward so it’s more like hitting the actual front double biceps pose for another eight reps. I feel the short head of the biceps activated more that way. Then, I will take a step forward of dead center, and it’s very similar to the rear double biceps pose. The long head of the biceps has to work harder in that position, which is the head you see in the back shots.”

TRICEPS
Rope Pushdowns
     “Every triceps workout starts with some type of cable pushdown before moving on to any type of free-weight movement. That’s a tip I got from John Meadows (outstanding NPC competitor), who told me it was just a smart tactic if I wanted to be able to train at his age – mid 40s -- without excruciating elbow pain. Warm up those elbows! Sometimes I use a rope, other times a V-bar, a straight bar or a cambered bar. The reps on the first couple of sets will be at least 12.”

One-Arm Rope Pushdowns
     “Very often I stay right there at the cable station and do a single-arm pushdown. On these, I like to squeeze my triceps for a full second at the end of each rep. Most times I do use a rope, which allows me to twist my hand and palm all the way away from my body for the most complete contraction possible.”
Overhead Rope Extensions
     “I always do some type of overhead extension movement to hit the long head of the tri’s in the stretch position. Typically I will use a barbell or a dumbbell, but there are times I will do the same exercise with a cable, my back to the stack and leaning away.”

Seated Overhead EZ-Bar Extensions
     “I love the EZ-bar version of this, but I don’t do it most of the time since I train alone. It’s a lot of work to get the bar up into the start position to begin, then get it back down once you’re fatigued. And since I use 180-200 pounds, no way am I doing that on my own! Instead, I usually do the movement with one hand and a dumbbell. I use a 60 or a 70 at most. That’s not so heavy compared to IFBB Pro Robert Burneika. I saw him use a 110 once! I get a good stretch, but I’m careful not to let it stretch too far. If you do that, you’re straining both your elbow tendon and potentially your rotator cuffs too.”

Dips
     “In my training, I prefer using a machine. The reason for that is that I get the best feeling in the tri’s when I pause and flex them for a second at the end of the rep and then control the negative for a three-count. That’s very difficult to do with standard bar dips or even a bench dip.”

Nothing Left to Chance
     Many bodybuilders, even those at the pro level, more or less make up their workouts as they go along every time. Not so with Justin, which didn’t surprise me to learn. He actually designs each workout ahead of time and types it up on his phone to refer to. “It just makes sense to me that being precise and having a solid plan to follow when training is really the most important aspect of bodybuilding along with nutrition,” he says. It’s this type of dedication and extra level of preparation that I feel is already setting Justin apart from many of his peers, and will continue to serve him well in the coming years. For how he does in this year’s Arnold Classic keep clicking on to musculardevelopment.com
Justin’s Offseason Training Split to Hit Arms Twice Weekly
Sunday:             Chest and triceps
Monday:             Back and biceps
Tuesday:            Shoulders and hamstrings
Wednesday:      Chest and triceps
Thursday:          Back and biceps
Friday:              Quads and hams
Saturday:           OFF
Justin’s Arm Workout
Biceps
One-Arm Machine Preacher Curls            3 x 12, 12, 8-10 each arm*
Barbell Curls                                           3 x 12-15, 12-15, 8-10+
Incline Dumbbell Curl                               3 x 12-15, 10-12, 8-10
superset with
Rope Hammer Curls                                3 x 15-20, 12-15, 10-12
*One-second flex at top of each rep.
+Lift at regular speed, and lower each rep for three seconds.
Triceps
Cable Pushdowns                                               3 x 12-15, 12, 8-10*
One-Arm Rope Pushdowns                                 3 x 12-15, 12, 8-10*
Machine Dips                                                    3 x 10-15+
Overhead Extensions, Dumbbell or EZ-Bar           3 x 12-15, 10-12, 8-10
superset (optional) with
Reverse-Grip Skull-Crushers                              3 x 12-15, 10-12, 8-10
*One-second flex at completion of each rep.
+Lift at regular speed, and lower each rep for three seconds.