Young athletes gather around!

The weather is warming, school’s almost out, and the time is now.

This is the season to build muscle.

Look to at your teammates: to the left; to the right. Many need the same thing. One typically stands out with bulging biceps and zero fat. You ask him what he’s doing.

Depending on the individual, you get a range of amateur advice that may do you more harm than good:

  • I take creatine
  • I lift heavy and do the same workout I’ve been doing for the past twelve months
  • I eat a bunch of rice before I train
  • Muscle milk is the answer, etc.

The truthful answer is: “I was born like this; or, I’m pharmaceutically enhanced and, therefore, a cheater.”

The reality is that building useful muscle for the vast majority is fairly technical.

Training the right way is a big part of the battle with highly individualized solutions, solutions too technical to cover in a blog.

However, we can provide some clear nutritional guidelines.

First, let’s make a few generalized statements:

  • You have to be healthy to add muscle and expect to keep it—no easy shortcuts
  • You can’t be overweight (have a high body fat percentage) and expect to add usable muscle

Assuming that some of our readers are a little on the chunky side, you must first lose that junk.

Here’s how you do it (we assume your training protocols are exceptional and you’re training hard—really hard):

  • Cut out carbs completely with the following two exceptions
  • Add sugar to a post-workout shake. We recommend the following two:
  • An alternative solution is to add fruit juice to your shake
  • Include gluten-free carbs in your first meal after your workout
  • Ensure you’re eating enough fats before training

Get down to 10 – 12% body fat, and then proceed to the next step—building lean muscle! 

Now that you have a two-pack, you’re right where I want you: in a position to easily change your body composition. Here are some simple tips to build muscle when you’re lean:

  • Add a bunch of carbs to your dinner—only gluten-free carbs
  • Continue eating carbs in your first meal after training
  • Take 5,000 mg of branch chain amino acids in the morning, during your workout, and at night before bed
  • Be sure to take a B Complex vitamin whenever taking BCAA’s

These are all general guidelines.

No matter what, they will aid in improving your sports performance as a young athlete.

There are many healthier, long-lasting approaches to building lean muscle. If you’re interested in finding out more, give us a call at 949-722-7070 or email [email protected].

Here’s a great video on the same topic as well

And remember, it’s your health—man up!