FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

DO YOU CHARGE EXTRA FOR COACHING, NUTRITIONAL GUIDANCE, AND A DIET PLAN?

I do 1:1 offer online consultations for a monthly fee if you require extra guidance. With this monthly fee, you get two sessions a month with me. Suppose you're looking to accelerate your results and find weak points to work on. In that case, during these sessions we discuss your current training plan, nutrition, sleep, etc., to enhance and bulletproof your lifestyle for optimal effectiveness both in and out of the gym.

WHAT TYPES OF HOME FITNESS EQUIPMENT DO YOU RECOMMEND?

There is a large variety of workout equipment out there today. I highly recommend that you look at our Workout Equipment page (Coming Soon) on this site to see my recommendations based on how much you want to invest in a home gym setup.

HOW MANY MEALS SHOULD I EAT TO GAIN MUSCLE?

Eating six smaller meals a day rather than 3-4 larger meals is great for those serious about adding muscle. Frequent eating spread throughout your day encourages the body to store greater amounts of carbohydrates within muscles. This fuel reserve is known as muscle glycogen which promotes mass gain by energizing muscles, giving them the fuel they need to recover. Eating six or so times daily provides your muscles with a constant supply of glycogen. Eating this way also makes it easier to hit your calorie and protein numbers for the day without feeling like you have to stuff yourself at every meal.

Eating more often also provides a nearly nonstop influx of nutrients and protein. Muscles use amino acids to repair damage caused by hard training. You must get the 9 essential amino acids from foods as your body does not produce them. The result: Muscles grow larger. Amino acids also help manufacture important hormones that regulate growth and support the immune system. A strong immune system plays a vital role in recovery from a hard workout.

WHAT FOOD SHOULD I AVOID EATING?

To gain muscle you will need to eat specific foods and avoid other foods to give your body the best fuel to grow with.

Foods to avoid will be pre-packaged foods, highly processed foods, fast food, candy, and fried foods.

These foods will not be productive in gaining weight in a healthy manner. You want to gain clean muscle and avoid "Dirty Bulking" to maintain your overall health while on your muscle-gaining journey.

WHAT FOOD SHOULD I EAT THEN?

When you are eating to gain muscle you must think of the food that you eat as fuel. You wouldn't put standard gasoline in a high-performance sports car. So, the same goes for your body, to start performing at a high level you will need to put in the best fuel to your body.

This food will include red meats, poultry, fish, fresh veggies and fruits, a solid protein powder, nuts, seeds, whole-wheat grains, and ancient grains like quinoa.

Eating a diet consisting of these foods and cooking at home for most of your meals will provide you with the fuel that you need to put on muscle like you're Hercules himself.

CAN I HAVE A CHEAT DAY AND STILL SEE GAINZ?

You can absolutely have a cheat day here and there while on your muscle-building journey. In fact, you don't want to switch your diet over to pure restricted and 'healthy' eating all at once as this is a recipe for disaster. You need to be able to stick to a healthy diet and sustain it for a lifetime, this requires a gradual change in the right direction.

Start to slowly eat healthier meals more consistently and learn to cook at home instead of ordering out or getting fast food. Once you have started to have almost all of your meals be healthy choices then start to allow yourself a cheat MEAL instead of a cheat day every now and again.

I prefer the method of having a cheat meal instead of a cheat day as it allows you to still eat the foods you love, while still getting in all the healthy nutritional foods you need for your body to grow. I find this to be the most sustainable approach that most trainers and dieticians overlook.

Just don't go overboard and start slipping on your overall healthy diet now that you've gotten this far into changing your diet around to gain healthy weight.

HOW MUCH PROTEIN SHOULD I BE EATING A DAY?

For optimal muscle growth, there is a lot of information out there on the internet about protein intake. You will see anywhere from 0.5 to 1.5 grams per pound of body weight as recommended daily protein intake.

I like to recommend that someone wanting to gain muscle or lose weight eats anywhere from 0.8 to 1.2 grams per pound of bodyweight a day. I have found that this recommendation makes it flexible and effective to gain muscle while not feeling like you have to stuff yourself all day long to hit your goals.

You can use a protein shake twice a day to help get to your protein intake goal if you are behind on your protein from food on any given day.

DO I NEED TO HAVE A PROTEIN SHAKE DIRECTLY AFTER WORKING OUT?

While it is not necessary to drink a shake right after working out, I believe it is quite beneficial to do this. You will want protein and carbs in your body after a workout to help you recover.

Having a protein shake right after a workout once you get home and then having a small meal with carbs about an hour after your workout should set you up for success in muscle growth.

DO I NEED TO EAT BEFORE WORKING OUT?

I highly recommend that you make sure you have eaten before your workout. Some people like to work out while being fasted. However, I have found that it feels better to work out after eating. This seems to be the case for most people I speak with about this subject.

Eating about 2 hours before a workout is a great way to ensure you have the energy to put in a great workout that will help propel your results.

Eating a meal consisting of a 1:2 ratio between protein and carbs. Something like ground turkey and brown rice would be a great meal to hit this ratio and give you the fuel you need for your workout.