The adaptations that lead to the development of strength concern the nervous system. And, especially in bodybuilding, muscle hypertrophy since the expression of this conditional ability in bodybuilding is closely related to the transverse diameter of the muscle.
Muscular hypertrophy means an increased volume of muscles in intracellular fluid retention, glycogen, ATP-cp, myofibrils, enzymes, etc. Therefore, it is clear that with the objectives of “increase muscle,” it is necessary to increase the supply of nutrients and then maintain the newly acquired mass.
Before we go into the subject, let us make a brief statement. We will then talk about the calorie intake needed, defining it to be higher than the normal calorie quantity.
Not everyone agrees that it is necessary to exceed calories during this stage, as strength training is not as expensive as hypertrophy or metabolic. The endocrine and metabolic-cellular stimulus is also lower. Moreover, the protocol will mainly use phosphate groups as an energy substrate, making the dramatic increase in carbohydrates less sense.
However, specific strength training in bodybuilding indeed differs from pure strength training for significantly higher muscle tension. Therefore, the size of the calorie intake should be assessed on a case-by-case basis and according to the table.
How Much
How and how much increase in mass?
Consider that, in physiology, a kilogram of new muscle is normalized in about 5000 kcal.
Considering that it is impossible to increase muscle volume without taking even a percentage of fat and considering the due tolerances. It is nominally required a first caloric surplus compared to the maintenance of about 500 kcal on the usual daily caloric intake.
However, this cannot be provided in a ‘blank spot’ and usually requires a progression to allow a subjective metabolic ‘set’ to be understood. Not everyone responds in the same way. Those who do not have good “metabolic flexibility” tend to inefficiently use the extra calories they provide, increasing instead of increasing hypertrophy.
To acquire this capacity, it is necessary to:
- Exercise hard, even by varying protocols in terms of volume, density, and density (although not specific for hypertrophy);
- Do not prolong hypocaloric diets;
- Never change the balance between macronutrients – especially, never drastically reduce carbohydrates for long periods.
Translated into big bucks, if in caloric norms consumed about 2500 kcal/day. You will have to gradually increase to 3000 kcal/day – for example, adding 50 kcal/day every 1-2 days.
It is also possible to make a further increase until the end of the force cycle. However, we must constantly monitor the fat growth with the meter. If we overestimate it – and usually it is reduced efficiency of carbohydrate metabolism – means that we have “overestimated” ourselves. We can fix this by increasing the cardio — but it would be unlogical — or by correcting the table in a more metabolic workout. But it would no longer be a strength protocol — or anticipating the exercise phase for the mass, or trying a microcycle of definition, or reviewing the increase in calories.
For every 700 g of acquired muscle, a good progression sees an increase of up to 300 g of fat or less.
Nutritional Breakdown
How to share the diet for strength in bodybuilding
Returning to the total calorie to be taken, this will be a function of the various medical history. However, it will still have to be divided into 25-30% fat, protein between 1.4 and 1.8 g/kg, the remaining carbohydrates.
It is easy in the force and mass, especially for those with good metabolic flexibility, reaching 6-7 g/kg of the actual weight of carbohydrates.
On the protein issue, the world of bodybuilding is divided into two: those who keep them, even in strength and bulk, very high – because, indeed, hyper protein intake is more useful in anti-catabolism in definition rather than in bulk – and those who reduce them to the advantage of carbohydrate intake – keeping fats at no more than 25%.
It is recommended to ensure a good distribution of fat between saturated and unsaturated and to ensure the supply of essential and semi-essential oleic acid (omega 9), omega 3, and omega 6.
Supplements
Dietary health supplements for the strength of muscle building
It is controversial whether or not nerves are used during cycles of strength.
Clearly, the use of anorectic agents must be eliminated; that would contradict the need to take mass.
But nerves like caffeine or guarana, can they be helpful? The fact is controversial because, on the one hand, they allow to improve and not so little neuromuscular control and reflexes, on the other hand, can affect with growth. Let’s say they do some damage and a little take.
This is a phase that requires an adequate supply of nutrients. For some, it can be heavy and challenging digestion takes so many calories with food. For this reason, a suitable supplement is a powdered gainer, which you have to take before the routine. These mixtures already provide the correct supply of high biological value proteins, complex carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals; They serve as a replacement meal for the bodybuilder.
Another helpful supplement is creatine monohydrate, which you can take away from when you take the caffeine mentioned above. The effective dosage depends on the extent of lean mass, as it relates to muscle mass. Following the loading-discharge criterion, in the loading phase, maximum doses of up to 25 g / day can be reached in the unlikely event of a male subject with 100 kg of lean mass, and a minimum of 9 g / day in the case of a woman with 36 kg of lean mass. This phase would actually only last a week and would be followed by another three weeks in which simple maintenance of 1/3 of the load would be performed. All this should be repeated for the entire cycle of strength.
From the start, it is advisable for those approaching this supplement to perform a constant daily integration of approximately 3 g.
Other sources recommend meeting the load criterion (always one week) of 1 / 3000 on actual weight. The feeling is that this system tends to overestimate the need because an 85-kg subject should take as much as 28 g of creatine per day.
The creatine intake may be accompanied by 2-8 g / day taurine to maximize intracellular volume, but not everyone agrees on this.
Since creatine is given the ability to retain fluid (extracellular), we consider it normal to see itself “fogged” in front of the mirror. The important thing is not to confuse retention with excessive fat accumulation due to the high-calorie diet. It goes without saying that this product does not have the same result on all – in part because about one-third of the subjects fail to absorb it correctly in the intestine.
Another supplement that may be useful to minimize catabolism and maximize anabolism is branched amino acids; even then, not everyone agrees. Some even consider them useless, replacing them with the right essential pool to take during and at the end of the routine.
Doping
Doping for muscle strength: does it work?
A brief mention of doping is used by professionals at this stage. We will mention it for information and invite you to take it only as such – cultural information. As the practice is forbidden and harmful to health — those who commit crimes punishable by law and encourage their use.
However, since 2010 nandrolone has been on the list of drugs in various forms, so it is equated with any “heavy drug.”
In the force phase, dopamine agonist bodybuilders usually use medications such as testosterone. Dianabol, Anadrol, that is drugs that – in addition to anabolism – have an androgenic component. That allows you to achieve that “aggressiveness”. Therefore, control and neuromuscular capacity – required at this stage and aromatize-lead to fluid retention useful in lubricating tendons and joints.
They are less effective in this regard, so they discard the trenbolone from the hardcore (because they do not give retention), the nandrolones, the boldenone, and the methenolone stanozolol, oxandrolone, etc. (because of low androgens and low aromatization).
Mesterolone and drostanolone are also rejected because they do not aromatize or anabolic.
Doping is usually carried out for the entire duration of the specific strength cycle of bodybuilding (2-3 months) with the diamond course and then be interrupted for at least 2-3 months. But most of the time, alas, psychological addiction leads to not interrupting at all.