Old School Muscle Building Secrets To Add Serious Mass

There are numerous reasons why individuals decide to spend their time at the gym. For some, this is because of health-related reasons and efforts to lead a healthier lifestyle. For others, this is connected with attaining the perfect physique, building muscle mass and increasing their strength. Either way, we can all benefit from the advice and professional guidance from those who already went through all the ups and downs of bodybuilding.

In an effort to maximize their results, some are turning to proven old-school bodybuilding  techniques. What is interesting about these techniques is the fact that they were only built on experience. Back then in the first era of bodybuilding there weren’t strong scientific evidences on how different nutrition and supplements affect our bodies or how protein, carbs, and fat affect our muscle. This is why experience and results were the only things that mattered, and for most people those are the only things that should matter today as well.

The golden era of bodybuilders produced names like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dave Draper, and Larry Scott, among numerous other popular names. However, not many know the name of the trainer who provided a path for them to build their astonishing physiques. This man was Vince Gironda, also known as the Iron Guru. His methods of training and dieting are once again becoming highly popular, primarily because they are easy to follow and produce visible results.

Simply flawless.

Vince’s Weight-Gaining Diet

Arnold Schwarzenegger was among those who heavily promoted Vince’s diets back in the 60s. The staples of his recommendations consisted of mainly steak, raw eggs, and protein powder mixed with whole cream. His diets were popular and followed well into the 80s as well, when a bodybuilder named Eddie Giuliani, who actually worked at Vince’s gym, became a true example of the Iron Guru’s dietary guidelines can do. Even though Eddie was in his fifties, he still had a ripped six-pack that would make everyone envious.

Vince Gironda was known for saying that nutrition is 85% of bodybuilding, as well as that without a proper nutrition plan, any bodybuilder will have a very hard time reaching his goals. For gains he  recommended eating six smaller meals per day, about one every three hours. There were also some minor variations in his different diets, were eating three main meals with snacks in between was recommended.

In other words, his weight gain diet for growing mass, advocated constant supply of nutrients to the muscles. It is important not to overeat on a single meal, but instead to spread out your meals evenly. In addition, the plan included a great deal of broiled meats and thick stews, as well as lots of vegetables.

Here is the original weight gain plan for three main meals:

Breakfast:

• 4-8oz. liver, chops, steak, hamburger, brains, kidney, or fish;
• 4-6 eggs or 4oz. natural cheese;
• 1 glass of certified raw milk, half & half, or raw cream;
• 2 slices of rye or whole-wheat toast with sweet butter.

Lunch:

• Eggs (no limit);
• Meat (any kind, no limit);
• 8 oz. cottage cheese;
• Raw vegetable salad;
• Fruit.

Dinner:

• Same as lunch (choose different foods);
• Yoghurt;
• Fruit.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Oh, the simplicity.

As you can see it is not only a simple diet but also a healthy one. When some guys think of gaining mass they think they can indulge in anything they want or just drink gainer shakes full of dextrose, but when it comes to food and bodybuilding, quality always win.

There is lots of meat in this diet for good reason. Meat such as beef contains the best protein amino acid ratios for building muscle and plenty of CLA fatty acids. CLA has been proven to help you minimize fat gains and boost testosterone, making beef the best type of meat for gains. Grass-fed beef contains double the CLA of grain-fed beef. If you are short on cash there is also effective CLA supplements that can make it easy to get those CLA fatty acids without buying expensive grass-fed beef. However always remember, eat the best to grow the best.

Hormone Precursor Shake

In-between meals and supplementation is also a key part of Vince’s weight-gain diets. This is where the Iron Guru’s Hormone Precursor Shake can be of great help. It is designed to help you keep your system in positive nitrogen balance, which is of high importance if you’re looking to build muscle mass. Its also high in saturated fats and cholesterol to keep you in an anabolic state and keep  hormone production high. Here is the original recipe:

• 12oz. half & half;
• 12 raw eggs;
• 1/3 cup milk-and-egg protein powder;
• 1 banana.

As you can see from the recipe, this shake requires you to drink up to 12 raw eggs, multiple times per day. Vince used this shake up to three times per day in-between meals, as well as numerous popular bodybuilders who followed this diets. It is the perfect shake for putting on mass since it is dense in nutrition and easy to consume.

Eggs have been an important part of any bodybuilder’s diet for a long time now, and there is a good reason for this. They are one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, as well as an amazing and cheap way to provide your body the nutrients it needs after workouts for recovery.

Raw Eggs – The Anabolic Superfood

If you are looking for a quality and easily attainable source of protein, look no further than adding eggs to your diet. They are an excellent source of vitamins A, B, E, and D. In addition, they also contain riboflavin, folate, iron, phosphorus, and essential amino-acids. Since they also pack plenty  zinc and cholesterol, they can help increase your testosterone levels.

If it worked for Rocky, it must work, period.

It is also important to highlight that you should know where your calories come from. When it comes to eggs, they provide calories that come from protein with an optimal amino acid balance as well as from natural cholesterol. Cholesterol is the building block of steroid hormones such as testosterone. It has been proven time and time again that dietary cholesterol does not cause cardiovascular disease or heart disease, don’t believe the hype!

Raw eggs are anabolic in nature because of the natural Cholesterol they contain. However, there are plenty of more foods with beneficial anabolic properties and plant sterols which can help increase your hormone levels. It is always best to focus on these types of foods and foods that are dense in calories for maximum gains.

The Healthiest Calorie-Dense Foods for Gains

Aside from eggs, there is also plenty of other calorie-dense foods that can make it easier to build mass. It is important to know that fat is your friend when it comes to weight gain, and you shouldn’t be afraid to add it to your meals. Fat is more calorie-dense than carbs, this means that you can fit in more calories without overeating and feeling uncomfortably full. On the other hand, carbs can help you during recovery and for performance since they are needed to refuel muscle glycogen, but that’s about the only time carbs are really needed. For hard gainers we recommend rather focusing on healthy fats and carb up before or after workouts.

Here are some healthy choices when it comes to healthy fats:

• Olive oil should be one of your go-to sources of healthy fats. It is high in monounsaturated fat, which has several health benefits such as maintaining healthy cholesterol levels and lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease. It is also an easy way to get extra calories in by adding a few tablespoons of it to your salads.
• Avocado offers fiber, vitamins C and K, potassium, and many other beneficial nutrients. It’s interesting to note that only one half of an avocado packs an stunning 15 grams of monounsaturated fat. Also, despite being a fruit, avocados have almost no sugar (only 0.2 grams per one half).
• You also probably know that dark chocolate is good for you. Thanks to its nutrients and antioxidants, dark chocolate can lower your blood pressure and control blood sugar. Dark Chocolate is high in saturated fat and calories so great for gains, but the key takeaway with chocolate is that it contains plenty of Epicatechin. Epicatechin is one of the few substances that has been shown to effectively inhibit follistatin, which will increase muscle. Adding dark chocolate to your whole cream protein shakes is not only the ultimate snack for muscle growth, but also tastes amazing.

• Almond butter can be a good way to ingest healthy fats and is very dense in calories. One serving size of 2 tablespoons has about 4 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and 18 grams of fat. There is also plenty of iron, magnesium, and vitamin E. Almond butter is easy to use as a dip, spread or even mix into protein shakes. We suggest mixing some chocolate in it and use as a tasty dip.
• There are also numerous other foods that make it easy to get those extra calories, nutrients, and healthy fats in. Some of them are: cheese, bacon, oat meal, white rice, sweet potatoes, coconut oil, coconut milk, and Greek yoghurt. Focus on foods like these and it will be easy to hit your calorie targets for maximum gains.

Liver Tablets – The Ultimate Old-School Supplement

There are many good supplements to use for muscle growth, however sometimes the most simple ones can be the most effective. The Iron Guru was well-known for recommending liver tablets, which were very popular during the golden era of bodybuilding.

Some of the most famous names in bodybuilding were known to take large amounts of liver tablets in-between meals, to help them with stamina and strength. If you’re worried about your energy levels and recovery, liver tablets should be an essential part of your supplementation.

They are packed with high quality protein, iron, and vitamin B12. Furthermore, they also contain cytochrome P-450, which is a protein enzyme that is proven to catalyze steroid production and detoxification.

Since liver is one of the healthiest foods out there, it is no wonder why liver tablets are so beneficial. In fact, there are numerous studies that showed the benefits of liver, which is beating most fruits and vegetables in terms of nutrition.

Conclusion

Aside from a proper workout plan, you also need to keep an eye on your nutrition if you’re looking to build lots of muscle mass. Building muscle and new tissue requires building material, which should always come in a form of healthy foods.

Try to choose calorie-dense foods and keep a close track of how many calories you consume, a surplus is always needed in order to build lots of muscle. There are numerous smartphone apps to help you with this, such as MyFitnessPal, among numerous others.

By adopting proven old-school routines and nutrition advice, you can build a physique that you can be proud of. After all, you just need to remember the amazing physique of the past which were built on these diets. The classic look of big arms, wide shoulders, wide chests and backs tapering down to small waists and manly thighs will never go out of style.

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