Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Building muscle demands more than junk food

By Jon Cardozo

You're probably tired of hearing this, but it never hurts to repeat an important concept. If you're serious about building large amounts of muscle, you need to increase your calories in order to give the body the necessary raw materials.

It's actually pretty simple when you think about it. If you want to remain at your current weight, then you simply need to try to eat the same number of calories that you burn on any given day. There are many great calculators on the Internet that can help you determine how many calories you need.

Having said that, not just any calories will do. Don't think you can eat whatever you want and still gain large amounts of muscle. Unfortunately, you'll have to be more selective in your nutritional choices and may even have to give up some of your favorite foods.

Seriously though, did you really expect to be able to hang out at your local Baskin Robbins all day and still build muscle like crazy? Well, you need to make much healthier choices in order to get the proper food in your diet. In addition to protein, you need healthy sources of carbohydrates and fats.

Fried foods like those sold at many fast food restaurants are full of Trans fatty acids which will not only be worthless for your attempt to build muscle but will also raise your chances of getting heart disease or cancer down the road.

Sugar is another dangerous food for overall health and for muscle building. Why? Well, your body can only use so much at a time, and it can only store a small amount in the liver and the muscles. The third and most undesirable option is to convert the excess sugar into more body fat!

When you eat large amounts of sugar, the third outcome is inevitable. This is because your body cannot store very much glucose at one time, and you're unlikely to burn it all off if you are using high amounts of sugar.

Try to keep in mind the big picture and stick to the best foods possible. You're trying to maximize results, and not just get by with mediocre results. - 15438

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