Question: Hey Matt, congratulations on keeping your gains. It has been a while since I saw you on bodybuilding.com BodySpace, and I have to say that I am really impressed how you have maintained your physique. That shows great will power, man. You da man!!!
I am in the process of going back to the gym, I was having some good gains and working out with a great routine and schedule until 2014. I have never been big or muscular, but I was definitely looking and feeling better. Then, I moved 3 times, got 2 different jobs, and had 2 kids. This has been insane, mainly because I am now 48. I am a little concerned because my energy level and muscle mass had gone in the trash can. I am weighing 160lb at 5ft 8in, all due to a combination of poor diet, no exercise and on top of of that I can feel my low testosterone levels.
My question after all that background is, I want to transform my body and become muscular and fit before I turn 50, I have read your blog and there is a lot of good info to gain muscle after 40, thanks for that. But I struggle a lot with meals mainly because I really don't eat a lot.
I saw your recent diet had a lot of supplements and very few meals, but I am assuming that was because you wanted to reduce fat, what would be your best diet advice to gain muscle in my case? I appreciate in advance any comment. Again, congratulations and may God bless you greatly!!
Answer: Thank you for your kind words! I really appreciate it.
You are right, when I'm cutting calories to get lean I rely heavily on protein powders because they offer a lot of protein with a minimum of calories. So, during my cut down phase I was getting anywhere from 75 to 125 grams of protein from powders each day. I prefer not to rely that much on protein powders most of the time. When I am maintaining or gaining weight, I usually limit my daily protein from powders to 50 grams (25 grams in my first meal shake and 25 grams in my workout shake). The rest of my daily protein comes from whole food sources.
You are actually very lucky to be someone who doesn't eat a lot. It's true that it will make gaining muscle a little harder for you. But believe me, it totally beats being someone who tends to overeat, like me!
Just a quick note on lifting before we get to my eating recommendations. I think you already know your way around a gym and you know how to lift weights to make gains. But just to be clear for anyone else reading this, to gain muscle you must lift weights with intensity! And you must strive to progressively do more weight and reps over time. This means pushing yourself to failure using a variety of techniques. If you need ideas in that area, see my article on Going to Failure. Us older guys also need to balance intensity with wisdom, so for some ideas on how to spare your body while still stressing your muscles, check out this post.
Daily Goals:
Just to reiterate, you are 160 lb man of average height and average build (pretty much just like me).
OK, assuming you are putting in the work at the gym, here is my advice for what to do to help you gain muscle.
Here are your daily goals:
Drink 1.5 gallons of water (includes water in protein shakes, tea, and coffee)
Consume 160 grams of protein total (includes protein in the following bullet)
Consume 25-50 grams of whey protein during or immediately after lifting weights
Consume 5 grams of Creatine immediately after lifting weights (non-lifting days too)
Consume 2500 calories (this is a starting point and may need to increase)
Get as much quality sleep as you can fit in your schedule
Follow Intermittent Fasting eating schedule, if possible*
* This one is optional. There are muscle building benefits from Intermittent Fasting that can help you. However, if you can't get all your daily calories in an 8 or 10 hour window, then don't worry about it and just focus on the other daily goals.
If you are having trouble hitting your daily calorie and protein goals, here is a trick I used back when I was obsessed with gaining muscle. Make a protein shake before bed and put maybe 2 or 3 ice cubes in to keep it fresh. Put the shake by your bed and set an alarm for the middle of the night. If you are like me and wake up during the night to go to the bathroom, then you can skip the alarm and just assume you will be up anyway. Drink the shake and then go back to sleep. If doing this protein shake routine messes with your sleep, then it's better to skip it and find another way to hit your calorie and protein goals. Good sleep is more important.
Ideally, your 2500 calories would consist of a variety of whole foods (with protein, vegetables, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats and oils). I will provide a list of suggested food choices at the end of this post.
I'm not going to specify how many calories should come from each group of macro-nutrients (protein, carbs, and fats). It may be something to try in the future, but I want to keep things as simple as possible right now.
Unfortunately, since you tend to not eat a lot you will need to keep track of what you eat to be sure you are hitting your goals. You don't have to literally write down everything you put in your mouth. You can if that works for you. But you do need to keep a tally of your protein intake each day and know roughly what your overall calories are each day.
Measuring Progress:
In order to know whether your plan is working, I suggest tracking just a few things. As with your eating plan, I want to keep it simple.
We would all love to know our body fat percentage and our lean mass on any given day, but those are not easy or cheap to measure reliably. You could also keep track of all your different measurements (biceps, chest, calf, quad, etc...), but that is more information than you need to bother with. If you want to do it and it doesn't cause you added stress, then go for it. I took all kinds of measurements during my transformation, but it really isn't necessary.
There are just three things I want you to do:
Weigh yourself weekly (same time of day and under same conditions)
Measure your waist weekly (same time of day and under same conditions)
Keep a workout journal
Your weight will let you know if you are gaining mass. Your waist measurement will indicate if you are gaining too much fat. Your workout journal will show if you are gaining strength, which is an indication of increased muscle mass.
On top of those three concrete measurements, you can also do the 'eye test' and the 'feel test.' How do you look in the mirror and how are you feeling? Do your muscles look bigger? Do you feel stronger? Do you feel like you're making progress toward your goals?
These subjective tests are often not reliable in the short term. How you look in the mirror and how you feel will fluctuate daily, and usually not in a good way! So, don't make any major decisions based on these and don't get discouraged either! Stick to your plan and keep grinding away!
However, if you don't see a difference in the mirror and you don't feel stronger from one month to the next, then something could be wrong with either the plan or your execution of it.
Check your measurements from above. Does your workout journal say you're getting stronger? Are you gaining weight while keeping you waist the same? If so, then just keep going.
If not, then it might be time to make adjustments. Maybe you need more calories? Maybe you need to change your workouts? Maybe you need to lift with more intensity? Maybe you need more rest days?
Example Meals:
Everyone is different. You may not like the foods in my meals. You may be lactose intolerant. You will need to find your own go-to foods and meals. If some of these work for you, that's great.
However, please don't choke these down thinking they are the key to achieving your goals. You just need to hit the protein and calorie targets mentioned above. It pretty much doesn't matter how you get there.
Baked sweet potato with cottage cheese
Scrambled eggs with broccoli and cauliflower
Rice and vegetables with chicken (or any meat)
Salmon salad or tuna salad on a bed of spinach
Kidney beans with chicken and rice
Steak with baked potato and vegetables
Grocery List:
Here are some ideas for things to buy when you go shopping. You DO NOT need to buy everything on these lists! They are just ideas to choose from.
Protein Sources:
Eggs
Chicken
Turkey
Beef
Lamb
Salmon
Tuna
Other Fish and Seafood
Whey Powder
Casein Powder
Additional Protein Sources (Not recommended while trying to lose fat, but OK for gaining muscle)
Cottage Cheese
Kidney Beans
Greek Yogurt
Pork
Lentils
Quinoa
Chickpeas
Vegetables:
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Spinach
Brussels Sprouts
Asparagus
Celery
Carrots
Cabbage
Bell Peppers
Artichokes
Beets
Lettuce
Bok Choy
Kale
Leeks
Mustard Greens
Onions
Parsnips Green Beans
Zucchini
Turnips
Squash
Cucumbers
Herbs & Spices:
Black Pepper
Red Pepper
Rosemary
Paprika
Oregano
Parsley
Sage
Sea Salt
Thyme
Cilantro
Mint
Chives
Basil
Nuts & Seeds:
Almonds
Cashews
Walnuts
Macadamia Nuts
Pine Nuts
Flax Seeds
Chia Seeds
Hemp Seeds
Pumpkin Seeds
Sunflower Seeds
Carbohydrates:
Brown Rice
Long Grain Rice
Sweet Potatoes
Potatoes
Quinoa
Lentils
Chickpeas
Oils:
Olive Oil
Almond Oil
Sesame Oil
Walnut Oil
Coconut Oil
These are just some ideas. If you have any questions about specific foods or anything else, please don't hesitate to ask.
I didn't list Fruits because I'm not a big fan of fruit. Well, I like eating it, but most fruit is too high in sugar. However, for you it would probably be OK since you're trying to gain weight. Just make sure you're hitting your daily protein goal before you waste calories on fruit.
You said you were 48, so you should have between 1 and 2 years to reach your goal of getting more muscular and healthy before 50. That is totally achievable! I really hope you try, and keep trying! You will have setbacks along the way, but the sooner you get started the more time you will have to deal with the inevitable problems that come. Now, get out there and do something awesome for yourself!
I hope this is helpful. Please feel free to ask any additional questions in the comments section below.
I wish you all the best! Please let me know how you are doing along the way as you work toward your goal.
Commentaires