$4.

95
presents

A GUIDE

compliments of

TO

LEAN
GAINS

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A GUIDE

p r e s e n t s

TO

LEAN GAINS

Chapter one

LEAN GAINS WORKOUT PLAN

Add lean muscle to your frame with this back-to-basics approach.

rom the late-night infomercial guru

to the chatty, grizzled gym veteran,
it seems that everyone has a gimmick
for getting ripped. There are thousands
of different opinions on the best way to
gain lean mass. So how does the lifter
who has muscle gains on his or her mind
zero in on the best approach?
Thankfully, there are a few absolute
truths that you can apply to induce the

belief is that challenging, high-rep sets

flush the muscles with blood and trigger
new growth. Another approach is bigweight lifts the theory behind this
is to-the-brink sets will build the most
muscle, even with very few reps. Theres
a middle ground, however, that works
for everyone if its done right.
As far as which exercises should
be used to build mass, some argue that

Aim for the optimum rep range for lean muscle growth no
fewer than eight and no more than 12 reps in any given set.
muscle growth you are looking for. We
spell out some of them here in a back-tobasics lean-mass-gain program. Here are
three rules that you should burn into your
memory if you want to add an appreciable
amount of new muscle quickly.

perform HEAVY LIFTS IN

THE EIGHT- to 12-REP RANGE

One approach to muscle growth is to

hit the weights with high volume the

the greater the variety, the greater the

stress placed on your musculature, the
greater your growth in the long run.
We subscribe to the philosophy that
you can always add variety with singlejoint moves, but if gaining mass is your
primary goal, you need to stick to basic
compound exercises like the bench press,
squat and deadlift. And forcing those
large muscle groups to work together
against progressively heavier resistance is

Muscle & Performance Presents A Guide to Lean Gains is printed in the U.S.A. 2014 by Active Interest Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is strictly prohibited. The information in A Guide to Lean Gains is for educational
purposes only. Its not intended to replace the advice or attention of health care professionals. Consult your physician before making
changes in your diet, supplement and/or exercise program. AIM, as publisher, does not endorse and makes no representation, warranty
or guarantee concerning the safety or effectiveness of the products discussed or illustrated in this magazine. The publisher expressly
disclaims any and all liability relating to the manufacture, sale and use of such products. MUSCLE & PERFORMANCE, 24900 Anza Dr.,
Unit E, Valencia, CA 91355 - Toll Free: (800) 423-2874

A Guide to Lean Gains

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Group Publisher
Cheryl Angelheart
Group Creative Director
Alexander Norouzi
Special Projects Editor
Vicki Baker
Muscle & Performance Editor-in-Chief
Jordana Brown
Group Advertising Director
Donna Diamond
Marketing Manager
Laureen OBrien
Copy Chief
Jeannine Santiago
Copy Editor
Gretchen Haas
Production Manager
John Bodine
Photography by
Lee LHGFX Photography
Contributors
Karen Ansel
Matthew Kadey
C.J. Logan
Jim Stoppani, Ph.D.
Eric Velazquez
Product and recipe photos courtesy of manufacturer.

muscleandperformancemag.com

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the best way to go.

And as for reps, the greatest gains
in muscle come via the most proven rep
range for muscle growth: eight to 12 reps.
This is the span that is most accepted as
one that elicits muscle growth.

move to PROGRESSIvely
heavier weights

If you have stopped growing, it means

that you have stopped challenging
your body. Sure, sometimes a break
is all thats needed to get back into
the growth zone, but more often than
not, you hit a plateau because of a
lack of creativity and ambition. Once
your body gets too accustomed to one

work to
FAILURE

One of the most misguided gym practices is

stopping a set at a certain number when you
clearly had more in the tank. Almost every
time you see a prescribed rep range, the
goal is to hit failure at that number. Failure
is the point at which you can no longer
perform reps with good form on your own.
So if 12 reps come easy to you and you
could have done 15 or 16, youre missing
out on a slew of anabolic benefits. Bump up
the weight so that you reach failure at 12.

THE GAin PLAN

With those three rules seared into your
brain, heres how youll be spending the next

After a month or so, progress to heavier weight loads in more

challenging rep schemes (still within the eight-to-12 window).
routine, you can say goodbye to gains.
The best way to avoid that is to build
progression into your plan. Dont allow
yourself to get too comfortable at one
weight and one rep scheme. Your body
will only change to the degree at which it
is stressed.

12 weeks in the gym. In Month 1 (weeks

one to four), youll lay the foundation for
future gains. Select your 12-rep max for
your baseline working weight, and after
your first set of 12, rest no more than a
minute or two. Perform a second and third
set with that same weight, using a weight

Melissa Tofsruds Muscle Martini Gummies

Ingredients
Unflavored gelatin, 5 envelopes (6 envelopes for chewier texture)
cup cold water
4 scoops Muscle Martini
Directions
Mix gelatin with cold water till slushy. Microwave till melted.
Let cool and then stir in Muscle Martini.
Pour into silicone molds and refrigerate until mixture is set.
Serves 4.
Nutrition Facts (per serving):
calories 63, protein 9 g, carbs 7 g, fat 0.5 g

A Guide to Lean Gains

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Ready, Train, Repair, Repeat

A great workout starts even before you hit the gym, with nutrients that can enhance your experience.
And in the minutes following a hard training session, your body is primed to absorb and stock up on
key nutrients. The right supplements are key players in your quest for lean gains and a bigger, better
workout.
GATs Nitraflex preworkout formula contains ingredients that studies suggest help
boost strength, energy, intensity, vascularity and muscle pumps during training. In
one study, approved by an institutional review board, athletes who took Nitraflex
prior to training for two weeks increased their one-rep max on the bench press by
5 to 10 pounds, muscular endurance by 17 percent, training volume by 22 percent
and blood testosterone by 13 percent.
What you take after training is equally important if you want
to help your muscles recover faster. GATs JetMass cant be beaten for muscle
volumization, mass, strength or delicious taste. You wont get tired of the flavors
of this one-of-a-kind postworkout formula. The formula is driven by critical amino
acids (glutamine, arginine and the branched-chain amino acids),
as well as German creatine, Capros Indian gooseberry extract,
electrolytes, pH buffers and more.
Finally, you can satisfy your sweet tooth and help your muscles
recover faster with GATs sugar-free Muscle Martini. Its clinically tested blend of
essential amino acids is custom made for muscle tissue. This supplement offers the
added benefit of Spectra Total ORACFN, a specially formulated super antioxidant
designed to fight five distinct types of free radicals that can affect health.

with which youll be able to get at least 10

but no more than 12 reps on the second and
eight on the third.
In Month 2 (weeks five to eight), add
enough poundage so that you fail at 10
reps in your first set. After that, you should
feel noticeably fatigued. Your second
set should be another 10 reps. You will
probably need to drop the weight slightly
to achieve another 10 reps on each of the
next two sets. The key is to fail at 10 reps.
If you can do more, the weight is too light.
Finally, in Month 3 (weeks nine to
12), youll put your expanding muscles
to maximum use. The weight you use for
your eight-rep max will serve as your base.
After that, youll go for 10 and 12 reps. You
might be asking how its possible to get 10
or 12 reps using a weight that causes you
to fail at eight. The answer is you wont,

technically. When you get to eight on

your second set, youll rest for roughly 15
seconds, then do another two reps to get
to 10. On your third set, youll rest for 30
seconds before attempting an additional
four reps to get you to 12 reps. Its similar
to a rest-pause set.
Three more points to make note
of: 1. These conventions do not apply
to abs. You will train them twice per
week at a standard rep range for all
12 weeks. Because youre focused on
getting bigger, you just want to keep
your abs conditioned. 2. Dont neglect
cardio, which should follow your lifts.
See Chapter Two on incorporating highintensity interval training into your plan.
3. Any training and nutrition program is
only as good as the effort youre willing to
put into it.
muscleandperformancemag.com

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LEAN GAINS
PROGRAM
WEEKLY SPLIT

Day

Bodyparts Trained

1
2
3
4
5
6 and 7

Chest, triceps
Legs, calves, abs
Rest
Shoulders, traps
Back, biceps, abs
Rest

DAY 1: Chest and Triceps

Exercise
Incline Dumbbell Press

Chest

Flat-Bench Barbell Press

Incline Cable Flye

Weighted Dip

Triceps

Close-Grip Bench Press

Lying EZ-Bar Triceps Extension

Cable Pressdown

Month 1

Month 2

Month 3

Sets*

Reps

Reps

Reps

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8

10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10

8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12

*Does not include warm-up sets.

Month 1

Month 2

Month 3

Sets*

Reps

Reps

Reps

Calves

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8
12

10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10

8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12
8

Standing Calf Raise

10

10

10

Abs

DAY 2: Legs, Calves and Abs

Weighted Crunch
Hanging Leg Raise

1
4
4

8
12
to failure

10
12
to failure

12
12
to failure

Exercise
Barbell Squat

Legs

Romanian Deadlift

Leg Press

Leg Extension

Lying Leg Curl

*Does not include warm-up sets.

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DAY 3: Rest
DAY 4: Shoulders and Traps
Exercise

Shoulders

Seated Barbell Press

EZ-Bar Upright Row

Dumbbell Lateral Raise

Bent-Over Lateral Raise

Traps

Dumbbell Shrug

Smith Behind-the-Back Shrug

Month 1

Month 2

Month 3

Sets*

Reps

Reps

Reps

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8

10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10

8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12

*Does not include warm-up sets.

DAY 5: Back, Biceps and Abs

Exercise
Deadlift

Back

Bent-Over Barbell Row

Seated Cable Row

T-Bar Row

Decline Barbell Pullover

Biceps

Standing Barbell Curl

Incline Dumbbell Curl

Abs

Hammer Curl
Weighted Crunch
Hanging Leg Raise

Month 1

Month 2

Month 3

Sets*

Reps

Reps

Reps

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
4
4

12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8
12
10
8
12
to failure

10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
12
to failure

8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12
8
10
12
12
to failure

*Does not include warm-up sets.

DAY 6 and 7: Rest

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CHAPTER TWO

CARDIO STRATEGY FOR LEAN GAINS

Combine lifting with high-intensity interval training to get
leaner and fitter faster.

ne nagging question you may have

is, When do I fit cardio in? Do
it prior to lifting and you may zap your
strength and undermine your training
session. After training, your strength is
spent and your cardio will probably end
up being a halfhearted 30 minutes on a
treadmill. Skip cardio altogether? Sounds
tempting, but its not exactly the best way
to achieve a ripped six-pack.
How about none of the above?
Instead, do your cardio during your
lifting session via cardioacceleration
a high-intensity interval training
technique that will help you burn tons
of body fat without tacking any extra
time onto your workout or sacrificing
any results in the process. Youll get
bigger, stronger, leaner and more
cardiovascularly fit by way of this ultraefficient method.

LEAN IN
Cardioacceleration calls for some type of
aerobic exercise during your rest periods
between every lifting set in an otherwise
typical weight-training workout. For
example, lets say youre doing three sets
of incline dumbbell presses. Youll do
your reps of presses, then do a cardio
move for 30 seconds to a minute, then
go right back to another set of presses.
Youll repeat this for all exercises and sets
in the training session. In essence, your
rest periods become 30- to 60-second
cardio intervals.
10

As for what constitutes an aerobic

or cardiovascular exercise, it can be any
number of things. Old-school activities
like jumping jacks, jumping rope and
running in place work well because they
can be done alongside a weight station
at any time, whereas going over to a
treadmill or elliptical between sets is
typically an inefficient use of time unless
youre training at home in a small space.
(See Cardio Catalog on Page 12 for
more suggestions.)
Thats pretty much it. The time you
used to spend standing around waiting
for your next set becomes another half
a minute or minute of cardio you dont
have to do after your workout or in a
separate session. As a result, a lifting
workout that was pretty good at burning
calories and body fat in the first place
is transformed into a hybrid of strength
training and high-intensity interval
cardio a productive combination that
will take your lean gains to another level.

BURN IT UP
If cardioacceleration sounds tough,
thats because it is. It produces a workout
devoid of dedicated rest periods. When
its performed correctly, what little
rest youll get will come from the few
seconds it takes you to transition from
a lifting exercise to a cardio move and
vice versa. However, this constant pace is
indeed sustainable for an entire workout
because the strength-training move

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Burn It Up Even More!

To show off the lean gains you make, you also need to strip away any lingering layers of fat. You can
do so by increasing your metabolic rate by interspersing weight training with cardio.
Another approach is via thermogenic (literally, the birth of heat) supplements that
combine ingredients that aid fat loss through a variety of mechanisms.
GATs Jetfuel Superburn is a clinically researched cutting and hardening catalyst
that combines nutraceuticals in a precise blend with a state-of-the-art rapid delivery
system. Youll feel it revving up your fat-burning engines within a few minutes of
taking the first serving. Its ideal for use before cardio and when dieting, and it will
help you burn fat faster than ever before.

and aerobic activity

are complementary in
the sense that theyre
calling on different
muscles and different
energy systems. The
muscles being targeted
on a bench press (the
pecs) are different from
those working during a
bout of jumping jacks
or running in place (the
legs, mainly). When
youre benching, the
legs are getting a rest;
when youre running
in place, the pecs
are recovering. Even
though youre adding
extra work to the
training session, your
heart rate is elevated
during the cardio, so
more blood will flow
to your muscles to
deliver the oxygen and
nutrients they need
to keep contracting
through the lifting.
And with increased
blood flow will come

Canons of Cardioacceleration
Make the most of your cardioacceleration workouts and
maximize the fat-burning effects by following these tips.
Constant motion is required. Go directly from your strength
move to your cardio with no rest. If youre not in great shape,
keep the cardio intensity low for example, jog in place
instead of doing burpees. If even that is too much to sustain
for an entire workout, start by doing cardioacceleration for
only a certain portion of your workout (e.g., the first or
last four exercises) and gradually progress from there to
where you can do it for an entire hourlong training session.
Do cardio intervals for half a minute up to a minute.
Any shorter than 30 seconds and you likely wont recover
adequately for your next lifting set; going for longer than 60
seconds will slow the back-and-forth pace of the workout
and decrease intensity.
Vary your cardio. Dont stick to just one aerobic exercise in
a workout. Do as many as you like. Pick a different cardio
move for each lift you do, or even switch back and forth
between, say, jumping jacks and burpees for the sets of a
single exercise.
Take the gym layout into account. To minimize transition
time between lifting and cardio, perform non-machine
aerobic moves that can be done next to the bench or
cable station at which youre training. But if your gym, for
example, happens to have a dip station adjacent to a rowing
machine, that will make for a great pairing during an upperbody workout.
Plan ahead. Dont just say, Ill figure it out as I go. If you
do that, youll find yourself standing around for 30 seconds
after a set of cable pressdowns, trying to decide what
aerobic move you want to do next.
muscleandperformancemag.com

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Sweet Potato Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

Ingredients
1 small sweet potato or yam (about 1 cup mashed)
cup smooth peanut butter
1 egg, whisked
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 scoop peanut butter Supertein
18 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Poke holes in sweet potato and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until
completely soft. Let cool. Reduce heat to 350 degrees.
Peel skin off sweet potato, then mash in medium bowl.
Add peanut butter, egg, honey and vanilla, and mix well.
Add protein powder, cinnamon and salt, and mix well.
Use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop out batter and place on a parchment paperlined
baking sheet. Recipe yields about 12 cookies.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cooked through. Do not overcook.
Cool on rack.
Serves 6.
Nutrition Facts (per serving):
calories 190, protein 10 g, carbs 12 g, fat 12 g

a better pump, so you shouldnt have to

lighten the weights on your big lifts.
Is doing cardio in numerous 30- to
60-second chunks as effective as doing a
dedicated 20- to 30-minute session apart
from lifting? Absolutely, if not more so.
In a true cardioacceleration workout,
theres no substantial rest time during

the training session. This will keep

the heart rate elevated to some extent
throughout, while it also moves up and
down constantly in typical HIIT fashion
to keep your body in a constant state of
flux in other words, a constant state of
fat burning.

Cardio Catalog
Use any and all of these aerobic exercises as part of your lean-gains workouts:
Battling Ropes

Jumping Jacks

Lateral Bound

Side-to-Side Shuffle

Bench Step-Up

Jumping Rope

Lateral Box Jump

Skipping in Place

Box Jump

Jump Squat

Lunge Jump

Speed Skater

Elliptical*

Kettlebell Swing

Mountain Climber

Squat Jump

Heavy-Bag Work

Knee Tuck Jump

Running in Place

*Machine cardio exercises often arent conducive to quick transitioning, but at some gyms,
cardio equipment is conveniently located near lifting stations.
12

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Photo by Robert Reiff

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muscleandperformancemag.com

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CHAPTER THREE

NUTRITION FOR LEAN GAINS

You cant lift like the king of the jungle and expect to put on size if you
dont eat big pack on lean mass by following these basic rules.

e often forget that adding quality

size takes just as much dedication
as stripping away fat. Its vital to have
a game plan that lets you meet all your
caloric and macronutrient needs during
the lean-mass-building phase of your
training program. But how many calories
should you wolf down? Should you avoid
fat? How about daily protein needs
do you have to chow down on enough
steaks to feed an army?
Let us help you cut through the
confusion. If youre looking to make
serious gains in lean muscle mass, here

then try cycling carbs. See rule No. 3 for

a description on how to do that.
Go For It: Aim to take in approximately
16 to 18 calories per pound of bodyweight
each day (for a 180-pound guy, that
amounts to roughly 2,880 to 3,240
calories a day).

Optimize Your
Protein Intake

The building blocks of muscle are found

in the amino acids in protein. Aim for
1.2 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of

Use a digital scale to accurately determine the sizes of

servings. Also, keep a food journal, logging your daily food
intake, and use an online tool such as NutritionData.com
to track calories and macronutrients precisely.
are seven of the most crucial nutrition
tips that will help you achieve explosive
growth.

Fuel Your Body With the

Right Number of Calories

Without question, you must eat big

to get big. You have to provide your
body with the necessary energy to fuel
growth and create a caloric surplus. And
because muscle is very metabolically
active tissue, it needs plenty of calories
to keep it growing. Keep an eye on your
physique. If youre gaining too much fat,
16

bodyweight as part of your lean-massgain plan. For a 180-pound guy, that

means 216 to 270 grams of protein daily.
If youre training intensely, go for the
upper end of this range to help offset
any muscular breakdown. Varying your
protein sources throughout the day helps
ensure you get a good balance of the
necessary amino acids to fuel growth.
Go For It: Good choices for sources of
protein include poultry, grass-fed beef,
eggs, venison, bison, fish and protein
powders.

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Forget Going
Carb-Free

Carbs provide a valuable source of

calories for building a bigger physique.
Remember, if you dont have enough
glycogen in your tank, you wont have the
energy to train hard, so quality carbs are
necessary to fuel intense workouts.
On average, lean gains are achieved
by taking in a moderate amount of
carbs about 1 gram of carbohydrates
per pound of bodyweight, or 180 grams
for a 180-pound guy. But to be sure that
you wont gain fat, try cycling carbs by
dividing up your weekly intake so that
three days are moderate-carb days (1 gram
per pound of bodyweight) and four days
are lower-carb days ( gram per pound).
Adjust this number based on how your
physique is responding. If youre not
gaining enough muscle, then do four days
of moderate carbs (1 gram per pound) and
three days of higher carbs (2 grams per
pound of bodyweight).
Go For It: The best options for most
meals are slow-digesting carbohydrates

like sweet potatoes, unsweetened

oatmeal, quinoa, sprouted bread,
whole-grain pastas and brown rice. Fastdigesting whole-food carbohydrates like
white potatoes, refined pasta and white
rice are best reserved for after workouts.

Think of Fat
as Phat

More calorically dense than protein or

carbohydrates, fat is a surefire way to
help meet your caloric needs. Its also
necessary to keep testosterone levels
elevated, which makes it easier to pack
on muscle. Roughly 7 to 10 percent of
total calories should come from saturated
fat, a main testosterone booster; 10
to 15 percent from monounsaturated
fats; and 10 percent of calories from
polyunsaturated fats. Shoot for 0.5 to 0.7
grams of fat per pound of bodyweight
(90 to 126 grams for a 180-pound
person). The only off-limits fats are
physique-busting trans fats, found in
some fried, baked and packaged foods.
Go For It: Saturated fat is found in beef,

Raw Protein Chocolate Squares

Ingredients
cup coconut oil
cup almond butter
cup cocoa powder or raw cacao
cup rich chocolate Supertein
Directions
Mix ingredients to form soft dough.
Press evenly into shallow dish (will look like brownies)
and put in freezer to set.
Cut into 12 pieces. Store in freezer.
Serves 12.
Nutrition Facts (per serving):
calories 170, protein 5 g, carbs 6 g, fat 16 g

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Well-Rounded Protein

Protein blends, as the name suggests, come from more than one type of protein. The main sources
are whey, egg, casein and soy. But protein powders also can be derived from rice, hemp and even
goat milk. Blends are typically more versatile than powders that come from one protein source and
are generally absorbed over a longer period of time than whey alone. If your goal is
building lean muscle, focus on the amino acids in your protein blend because they
promote muscle building and strength gains yet wont inhibit fat burning.
One superblend that is high in bioavailable proteins and free-form amino acids
is Supertein by GAT. This super-tasting protein powder builds super-lean muscle.
Each serving delivers a precise blend of best-of-breed proteins and amino acids,
including branched-chain amino acids and glutamine. The Supertein formula also
contains conjugated linoleic acid and inulin for support of digestion and fat-burning
metabolism.

coconut and dairy; monounsaturated fat

comes from sources like avocadoes, nuts,
seeds, olive oil and peanut butter; fatty
fish like salmon, flaxseed and walnuts
provide polyunsaturated fats.

Add Protein and

Calories with Shakes

18

A Guide to Lean Gains

Liquid calories from protein shakes are

especially useful as a way to get clean
calories. One or two extra shakes (in
addition to the all-important morning,
preworkout and postworkout shakes)
can add 500 to 600 calories to your daily
diet and go a long way in helping you
add lean mass.

GAT Booklet.indd 18

Go For It: Beef up shakes by adding

nut butters, Greek yogurt, flaxseed oil
or whole nuts.

Avoid
Junk Food

Just because your goal is to get big

doesnt mean you can shovel in copious
calories from junk food. Too many
poor dietary choices will blow up
your physique. Make whole foods the
backbone of your mass-gaining diet, and
allow yourself one or two cheat meals
per week to help keep your motivation
up. Try to avoid a whole cheat day,
because this can tax your body, replace

7/9/14 2:03 PM

mass gains with fat gains and require a

few days to recover.
Go For It: Building a cheat meal into
your program a cheeseburger (bun
included), a couple slices of pizza, pasta
with chicken or shrimp should help
curb your cravings for worse fare.

Dont Ignore
Late-Night Snacks

When trying to put on mass, a latenight bite to eat can help. Common diet

Meal plan
Eating to add lean muscle mass doesnt
always require going to the extreme.
This approach will help you add size the
sensible way. To add lean mass without
packing on extra fat in the process,
you need plenty of clean protein,
which provides the building blocks
of growth, and high-quality complex
carbohydrates, which recharge energy
stores. You also want plenty of vitamins
and minerals, especially calcium
(critical for muscle contraction) and

Peanut Butter Cup Meal-Replacement Shake

Ingredients
1 scoop rich chocolate Supertein
1 scoop peanut butter Supertein
1 tablespoon peanut butter
2 cups almond milk
1 handful ice
Directions
Blend all ingredients until smooth.
Pour into large glass and enjoy.
Serves 1.
Nutrition Facts (per serving):
calories 536, protein 52 g, carbs 36 g, fat 21 g

advice is to avoid eating after dinner,

but the opposite is the case here. A
combination of slow-digesting protein
and healthy fats will provide a steady
supply of amino acids to your muscles
to slow catabolism and accelerate
anabolism as you snooze.
Go For It: The best choice for a snack
before bedtime is the slow-digesting
protein casein, found in cottage cheese
or casein protein powder, and the
healthy fats found in seeds or nuts.

vitamin D, both of which help torch fat.

This meal plan, designed for a
180-pound male who wants to put
on size, delivers a steady stream of
all those raw materials. To adjust
total calories for your build, multiply
your weight by 16 or 18, depending
on whether youre slight or medium
(or 20 if youre larger). Multiply your
weight in pounds by 1.2 to 1.5 to
determine your daily requirement for
protein in grams.

muscleandperformancemag.com

GAT Booklet.indd 19

19

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2
(midmorning)

1
(breakfast)

Meal

Food/Supplement

Calories

Protein

Carbs

Fat

2 whole-grain waffles

154

29

1 tablespoon peanut butter

95

20 grams whey protein mixed in water

85

20

1 multivitamin

3 hard-boiled eggs

216

19

14

2 string cheese sticks (light)

100

12

500 milligrams calcium citrate

1,000 IU vitamin D-3

3
(lunch)

Open-face tuna sandwich:

6 ounces tuna (in water)

180

39

1 tablespoon light mayonnaise

35

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

15

4 tomato slices

14

cup spinach leaves

1 slice whole-wheat bread

70

14

5
(postworkout)

4
(preworkout)

5 grams BCAAs

2 cups sliced strawberries

106

26

1 scoop protein blend mixed in water

180

30

3 grams arginine
5 grams creatine

20 gummy bears (fast carbs)

136

31

1 scoop protein blend mixed in water

180

30

12

5 grams glutamine

5 grams BCAAs

Turkey burger:
6 ounces ground turkey (7 percent lean)

240

33

2 ounces reduced-fat cheddar cheese

120

12

6
(dinner)

2 tomato slices
1 red onion slice

15

1 whole-wheat hamburger bun

114

22

1 tablespoon light mayonnaise

1 cup steamed asparagus

1 cup salad greens

10

cup grape tomatoes

13

cup garbanzo beans

50

1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar

240

28

2 tablespoons olive oil

7
(before
bed)

0
4

Side salad:

Probiotic supplement

1 cup cottage cheese (2 percent)

204

32

cup almonds

206

18

267

195

123

500 milligrams calcium citrate

TOTALS
20

35
40

2,863

A Guide to Lean Gains

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