Halloween is over, Thanksgiving is approaching, and Christmas is on its way. People are usually excited when the holiday season comes about, but I get depressed. I know what's going to happen because it happens every year.
Midterm time sparks a two-month destruction of the body I have worked all year to create.
Not only am I up late studying, I'm eating pizza, hot pockets and Uni Mini's sandwiches at all hours of the night. I do cardio less often, because studying only allows time for either lifting or running, and any true weight lifter knows which one gets cut out.
So, eating more junk plus doing less cardio equals a fat Marcus and an unhappy Jackie (my girlfriend).
But I know that many of you out there don't constantly think about dieting and monitoring every calorie you ingest. In fact, some people out there actively try to overeat to gain muscle mass.
Those of you that are lucky enough to have this problem are called hard-gainers. Hard-gainers are stereotypically the "skinny" kids in high school.
I call them lucky because those of us that are easy-gainers, those that gain muscle mass very quickly, tend to hold a lot more body fat than the hard-gainers. In the eyes of the easy-gainer, the only thing that matters is body fat percentage.
We can gain all the muscle mass in the world, but when it comes to losing body fat, we're dead in the water. On the other hand, the hard-gainer thinks the most important thing is muscle mass. It's a never-ending debate.
Since I usually write for the easy-gainers out there, this week I will write for the lucky ones. The hard-gainer's job is easy: eat, eat, eat. The main problem of the hard-gainer is that they just don't eat enough.
Your caloric intake should be proportional to the difficulty you have putting on weight. It is not uncommon for a hard-gainer to consume 4,000 to 5,000 calories a day. I used to lift with a "skinny" friend in high school that was eating up to 8,000 calories a day!
Of course, it's not that easy. The quality of food you eat is also important. This week, I will give a few tried-and-true methods for increasing appetite in order to build more muscle.
First of all, throw Dr. Atkins out the window. Starchy carbs are the hard-gainer's best friend. They're an easy way to pack on calories during the day.
Everyone can carry bagels or pieces of bread around campus. In addition, the carbs are stored as glycogen in the muscle tissue. The glycogen helps drive water and nutrients into the muscle cell, enhancing muscle growth.
Drink a lot of calories. Calories from liquids are usually the downfall of most dieters, but for the hard-gainer these calories are a blessing in disguise. Fruit juices contain concentrated calories and simple carbs. Drinking some fruit juice before a large meal can quickly raise and subsequently drop blood sugar levels, stimulating the appetite.
Lose the fiber. Fiber has great qualities for the dieter. Fiber provides a "full" feeling and promotes digestion. Unfortunately, these qualities are devastating for the hard-gainer's appetite.
Eat more at night. Large meals at night help to spike insulin levels before sleep. The spike will not only drive the food into muscle stores, but it will also increase the metabolic rate. You will fall asleep with a full stomach and wake up surprisingly hungry.
Add artificial sweeteners to your food. Most people think of no-calorie sweeteners as diet aids to sweeten foods and control calories. However, researchers have found that these sweeteners spike insulin levels, one of the most potent influences on appetite. So even though the sweeteners have no calories, the body "sees" them as sweet.
Lastly, spice up your appetite. Some herbs and spices, particularly bitter flavors, cause the release of saliva and other digestive juices, which can speed digestion to trigger hunger.
These diet tips are a sure way for any easy-gainer to gain five percent body fat, but for the hard-gainer these methods can gradually increase appetite and slow metabolism.
Eat up this holiday season and enjoy the "off season" of bodybuilding. Remember to watch your waistline and monitor your cholesterol levels; you'll be 250 pounds in no time.
