Lesson No. 1 - Consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight daily

Protein provides amino acids, which are the building blocks of muscle protein. Although mainstream nutritional guidelines recommend less than half a gram of protein per pound of bodyweight for the average guy, research shows that athletes — especially those concerned with adding muscle mass and strength — need to roughly double that amount. Beginners should try to get in about 1.5 grams per pound per day for the first six months of training, since this is when your muscles will respond most rapidly. For the 180-pounder, this means 270 grams per day at the outset and a bare minimum of 180 grams daily thereafter.

Your protein choices should mainly animal proteins such as beef, chicken, dairy, eggs, fish and turkey. These are the most complete protein sources, meaning they provide your body with the essential amino acids it can’t manufacture on its own.

Lesson No. 2 - Get 20%–30% of daily calories from fat

Get this in your head: Fat is not your enemy, especially if you train seriously. Research shows that diets higher in fat (particularly monounsaturated and saturated) appear to maintain testosterone levels better than low-fat diets. Maintaining optimal test levels is paramount for building muscle mass and strength, and avoiding fat gain. And unlike the sedentary general population who are advised to reduce their saturated fat intake, 5%–10% of your fat calories should be from sat fat.

Choose red meats such as ground beef and steak for saturated fat (these also provide quality protein); avocados, flaxseed oil, mixed nuts, olives, olive oil and peanut butter for monounsaturated fats; and fatty fish (catfish, salmon, trout) and walnuts as good sources of essential omega-3 polyunsaturated fats.

Lesson No. 3 - Consume 20 calories per pound of bodyweight daily

To gain quality mass, you must stay in a positive calorie balance (taking in more calories than you burn). If you burn more calories than you consume, your body will go into conservation mode and won’t support new muscle growth.

Consuming 20 calories per pound means roughly 3,600 calories daily for a 180-pounder. At least 20% and up to 30% of these calories should come from protein, 40%–60% from carbohydrates and the rest from fat.

Lesson No. 4 -Consume the right amount of carbs for your goals

While protein is the most critical macronutrient for hypertrophy, carbs are a close second. They’re stored in your muscles as glycogen, keep them full and large, and fuel them during workouts. If you’re trying to seriously bulk up, consume 2–3 grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight, or 360–540 grams per day for the 180-pound man.

To maintain your size but fuel intense workouts and improve conditioning, take in 1–2 grams per pound. For fat loss, eat 0.5–1 gram of carbs per pound of bodyweight. For most meals, stick with slow-digesting carbs such as beans, fruit, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, vegetables and whole grains.

 

Lesson No. 5 - Eat the right carbs around workouts

As stated in Lesson No. 4, most meals should contain slower-burning carbs. This rule also pertains to your preworkout meal. Research shows that when athletes eat slower- digesting carbs, they not only have more energy and less fatigue during exercise but also burn more fat during training and experience less hunger throughout the day.

In the 30-minute preworkout window, eat slow carbs in the form of fruit, oatmeal or whole-grain bread along with your protein shake. The meal you have immediately postworkout, however, should consist mainly of fast-digesting carbs such as a plain bagel, baked potato, sports drink (Gatorade, Powerade, etc.) or white bread along with some protein. This will spike levels of the anabolic hormone insulin, which drives carbs into muscle cells to be stored as glycogen and used during your next workout. Insulin also helps amino acids get to muscles to build muscle protein. Normally, you want to keep insulin levels in check for a variety of health reasons, but immediately following a hard training session is one time when an insulin spike is desirable.

Lesson No. 6 - Drink a shake pre- and post workout

Protein shakes are often considered supplements, but we like to think of them as important meals to be consumed at critical times of day. While your diet should consist mostly of unprocessed, whole foods, a protein shake can sometimes be a better option. One such time is 30 minutes before your workout.

To prepare your muscles for the ensuing training session as well as get a head start on the muscle-recovery process, drink a shake with 20 grams of protein (either whey or a mix of whey and casein) along with about 40 grams of a slower-digesting carbohydrate (see Lesson No. 5). Then, in the 30-minute postworkout window, drink another 20–40 grams of liquid protein (mix in water for convenience) and 60–100 grams of faster-digesting carbs.

Lesson No. 7 - Eat every 2–3 hours

Eating throughout the day helps you both gain mass and stay lean by ensuring there’s a steady supply of energy and amino acids fueling your muscles. The key is to keep every meal about the same size. If you pig out with a 1,200-calorie lunch, you’ll be less likely to eat 2–3 hours later and could gain the wrong kind of weight, since excess calories are often stored as bodyfat. Aim for at least six meals per day and up to eight, which for the 180-pounder would mean roughly 500–600 calories per meal.

Lesson No. 8 - Eat before bedtime

When you sleep, you essentially fast for 7–9 hours. With no food available, the body turns to your muscle fibers for amino acids, which isn’t a good thing for the guy looking to get bigger and leaner. The answer isn’t to sleep less but rather eat the proper foods right before bed.

Slow-digesting proteins and healthy fats are your best bet because they help slow digestion and provide a steady supply of amino acids, thereby minimizing the body’s tendency to break down muscle. Casein, the major protein in milk, is a good option — either from a protein shake or cottage cheese. Before bed every night, consume 30–40 grams of casein protein in a shake (look for micellar casein) or 1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese plus 2–3 tablespoons of flaxseed oil or peanut butter, or 2 ounces of mixed nuts.

Lesson No. 9 - Add 5–10 grams of BCAAs to your protein shakes

Branched-chain amino acids include isoleucine, leucine and valine. While leucine is the MVP for instigating muscle growth, all three work as a team to provide more energy, strength and muscle size, and even curtail fat gain. BCAAs boost energy levels during workouts because they’re used directly by muscles for energy and they prevent the brain from recognizing fatigue.

Research shows that BCAAs also lower cortisol levels during workouts. Since cortisol is a catabolic hormone that promotes muscle breakdown and inhibits testosterone’s anabolic effects on muscle, reducing it is just one more way to encourage hypertrophy. Go with 5–10 grams in your pre- and post workout shakes. Also consider taking 5–10 grams with your first and last meals of the day.

Lesson No. 10 - Add 2–5 grams of creatine to your pre- and post workout shakes

One of the most effective supplements you can purchase is creatine. Many scientists, doctors and nutritionists agree that creatine works very well for most athletes, regardless of age, gender or race. Hundreds of studies show that creatine is not only highly effective but also completely safe. Taking it can help you gain up to 10 pounds of lean muscle and boost your strength in the gym by 10% in just a few weeks with zero side effects.

Do You Eat What's Best for a Healthy Heart?

Chocolate is bad for your heart. No, it's good. Wine is unhealthy. No, it's healthy. Pack your plate with protein and cut back on bread to lose weight. No...

With all the mixed messages about "good" and "bad" foods in the media, it's not surprising that many people just give up trying to figure out what they should eat. If you're confused, you're not alone.

"Our research has shown that the No. 1 thing people are confused about when it comes to heart health is what the best diet is," says preventive cardiologist Lori Mosca, MD, founder of Columbia University Medical Center's Preventive Cardiology Program and author of Heart to Heart: A Personal Plan for Creating a Heart-Healthy Family. "Every week there's a conflicting research study or a new book that refutes last year's book."

Forget the competing headlines -- the best way to eat heart healthy is to follow national guidelines from organizations like the American Heart Association. "These are established by experts who monitor research, and are not focused on the latest fads and trends. It's actually much simpler than people realize," Mosca says.

5 Simple Steps to a Heart Healthy Diet

Ready to step up to a diet rich in the healthy nutrients your heart craves? The experts recommend staring here:

• Eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fiber.
• Eat fish at least twice a week.
• Limit how much saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol you eat. Only 30% of your daily calories should come from fat, with very little of that from saturated fats.
• Select fat-free, 1% fat, and low-fat dairy products.
• Cut back on foods containing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils to reduce trans fat in your diet.
• Limit your salt intake.

One way to make sure that your diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, and fiber, and low in saturated fats, is to divide your plate at each meal: half vegetables, 1/4 high-quality protein (like legumes -- terrific sources of protein and great for a healthy heart!), and 1/4 for fish or a very lean meat.

And remember, you should get your nutrients from foods themselves, the antioxidants and other heart-healthy goodies found in foods like blueberries, beans, and artichokes don't pack the same punch when they're not in food form.

And avoid fad diets, advises Mosca. "Almost every one may result in short-term weight loss but leave you weighing even more a year later, and preventing weight gain is one of the best ways to prevent developing heart disease risk factors."

Is Your Exercise Routine Really Helping You Have a Healthy Heart?

It's easy to get discouraged about exercise: It's hard to fit into a busy lifestyle. The people at the gym look like they spend hours there. You haven't run a mile since college. But no excuses -- like eating right, getting the exercise your heart needs is easier than it looks.

If you're not overweight, all you need to maintain a heart healthy lifestyle is 30 minutes of moderate physical activity five or more times a week. And you don't have to do it all at once -- 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening are just fine.

"Getting that amount of exercise has substantial benefits for your heart," says Mosca. Just how much is hard to quantify, but research shows that being physically inactive is a major risk factor for developing coronary artery disease.

And exercise is the gift that keeps on giving. That's because regular, moderate exercise also helps:

• Control blood pressure
• Prevent diabetes
• Maintain healthy cholesterol levels

If you need to lose weight, it's going to take a little more effort. "For weight management, we want low to moderate intensity activities for 60 minutes per day," says Mosca. "The only way to really lose weight is to decrease calories in and increase calories out, and what works best is a modest approach to both. If you just reduce your caloric intake, for example, your body slows its metabolism to compensate."

Exactly what kind of exercise you do is less important than simply doing it in the first place. One way to make sure you don't skip it: Structure family time around physical activity.

For example, Mosca, her husband, and son have found a track team they can all participate in, and they often hang out at their local swim club. Your local YMCA is often a great place to start in finding opportunities for your family to get heart-healthy exercise together.

Do You Know Your Other Heart Health Risk Factors?

A heart-healthy lifestyle is about more than just diet and exercise. The single most dangerous thing you can do to your heart is to smoke. Just by itself, cigarette smoking increases your risk of heart disease, but it also worsens other factors that contribute to heart disease:

• It increases blood pressure
• It increases the tendency of blood to clot
• It decreases levels of HDL -- the good cholesterol

If you smoke a pack a day, you have more than twice the risk of a heart attack than someone who doesn't smoke.

"Every cigarette you cut back matters," says Mosca. "The goal is always complete cessation, but even eliminating one cigarette a day can make a difference. Start there, and then try to keep going until you've quit altogether."

A big plus: It doesn't take long for your body -- and your heart in particular -- to reap the health benefits of quitting. Twenty minutes after your last cigarette, your heart rate and blood pressure drop. Two weeks to three months later, your circulation and lung function improve. Just one year after quitting, your excess risk of coronary heart disease is just half that of a smoker's.

You may have other risk factors for heart disease that are not on your radar. Mosca calls anxiety, anger, depression, and social isolation "silent epidemics" that are very prevalent, commonly missed, and potentially dangerous for your heart.

"Depression, for example, is very common, and it's very strongly linked to heart disease," she says. "If you or someone you love is depressed or harboring a lot of anger, or seems isolated, encourage them to seek help. There are many methods to help you deal with these risk factors."

A Healthy Heart: What's Up Your Family Tree?

There are some risk factors for heart disease that you can't control, and family history is one of them. If a close relative, like a mother, father, sister, or brother had a heart attack or died of heart disease -- especially at a young age -- then the health of your heart may be at greater risk as well.

"Families can share a predisposition to heart disease both because they have shared genes and a shared lifestyle," says Mosca. You get half your genes from mom and half your genes from dad -- but you probably also get your eating and exercise habits from them, too.

"If you have a family history of heart disease, it's important that you have yourself checked out," says Mosca.

You may find, for example, that you have high cholesterol and it needs to be managed with medication. On the flip side, you may be greatly reassured to find out that Dad's heart attack probably had to do with smoking and being overweight, and you don't share those risk factors. Either way, you can do something about your risk: genetics is not destiny.

The most important thing to understand about a healthy heart is that many of the factors that put you at risk for risk," says Mosca. "You can do that through a heart-healthy lifestyle."

Source: WebMD

The Proper Diet for Weight Gaining and Stimulating Muscle Mass:

Be sure that you are eating a healthy weight gain diet according to the estimated calculations.

Fruits 
Fruits are not only enriched with calories but also contain much phytochemicals and vitamins which help in improving the body gain weight fast. Banana and avocado are the most popular high calorie foods. And the other equally enriched fruits with calories are strawberries, apple, cherries, pineapple etc. You can also drink fruit juices enriched with calories and all the essential nutrients, instead of drinking harmful- carbonated and sweetened sodas.

Whole grains
It is necessary for you to eat at least three servings of cereals and grains in order to weight gain muscle in a healthier way. Oatmeal, brown bread, sprouted grains and brown rice are few examples of whole grain foods which are rich in proteins, fiber, and all essential nutrients.

Vegetables 
Vegetables are loaded with carbohydrates in the best quality that enables weight gaining easier. French beans, carrots, beets, broccoli, cabbage and starchy vegetables such as sweet potato, potato, corn and much more.

Milk 
Milk is considered the complete food since it contains plenty of calories, calcium, minerals, vitamins and proteins. You can mix weight gaining powder and make delicious shakes and drink them every day.

Fish and meat
You should eat adequate amount of Fish and meat are rich source of protein and consists plenty of calories that helps in gaining weight and muscle. Eggs are also considered the best source of fats and good cholesterol.

You need to follow a well balanced healthy weight gaining diet in order to have an excellent immune system, a healthy metabolism, nourished and tight skin and an overall healthy body

Effective Weight Gaining Exercises:

Bench press
The ultimate exercise that helps in building the upper body mass strengthens the muscles and helps in weight gaining is the bench press exercise. It is advised to have proper guidance with a physical trainer while doing this exercise. They will teach you to follow the best technique. It enables you to gain weight fast and attain big chest but you should be very cautious to do them in a safe manner. Initially start with light weight and you can slowly increase to heavier ones. Your thumb should be used with perfect command while lifting weights.

Deadlifts 
Deadlifts that are performed in a very effective manner produces dramatic results in the weight gain muscle. Beware that your backs are not rounded while doing deadlifts since if it is performed in wrong way it increases the risk of your spinal disk being injured. The deadlifts helps to gain weight and muscle in your forearms, back and legs.

Squat 
The squat is considered as the topper in the weight gaining and body building exercises. Each and every groups of muscle are developed and worked out while you are doing this king exercise. This amazing exercise program focuses mainly on the weight gain muscle in the hams, the legs, hams, quads, glutes, and the arms. Your weight gaining training program is considered to be incomplete without the addition of squat in your workouts.

How to gain weight quickly with the weight gain pills?

Following are the three weight gaining supplements that can work wonders in gaining weight and muscle.

ZMA
Victor Conte is the person who has developed the ZMA supplement and it helps in the process of increasing the muscle strength and anabolic hormones level in a considerable way. This is the best supplement for weight gaining for men who are skinny and in immense need of some body muscle mass.

Creatine
Creatine is the natural acid that occurs in foods like tuna and beef that supplies plenty of energy to your muscles. The creative monohydrate supplement produces more strength and weight gain muscle. It helps in muscle recovery after the work out exercise and helps in the building lean body mass.

Glutamine
Glutamine is a non essential amino acid and helps in boosting your energy levels and increases your immune system considerably. Glutamine is converted in to glucose which minimizes the breakdown of the muscle tissues improving the protein metabolism.

These are the few supplements which benefits by increasing the muscle mass and the fastest way to gain weight.