Welcome back.
Yesterday we talked about the Scrawny Mindset and how our thoughts and habits can determine what we’ll become.
Follow scrawny habits and you’ll always be scrawny. But follow Brawny habits, and you’ll be well on your way to building muscle and maybe even changing your life.
Today, we’re gonna give you your first Brawny habit to follow.
And that’s to make and eat The Ultimate Muscle Meal.
Let’s get to it.
When most guys think about about gaining muscle, the first thing that pops into their head is the training program or the workout they need to follow.
What kind of exercises should they do? How many days a week should they go to the gym? How much weight should they lift? And so on.
But the guys who put the gym before anything else are the ones who will most likely fail to gain muscle.
Now, working out is a very important component to building a Brawny body. And tomorrow we’ll be sure to go over the best way to build muscle in the gym and even hook you up with a free training program.
But working out is not THE most important step. Not even close.
The crucial component to gaining muscle is nutrition and the food you eat.
Now, we could go deep into the details of nutritional biochemistry and get really fancy. After all, our very own Dr. Berardi earned a PhD in this stuff.
But after making our own transformations and helping hundreds of other guys go from Scrawny to Brawny, we’ve learned that all that information and complex science actually gets in the way of building muscle.
We’re not here to wax philosophical about nutrient timing or the details of protein synthesis — we’re here to help you gain muscle. Starting now.
And the best way to do that is to keep things simple. That’s where the Ultimate Muscle Meal comes in.
But before we get into that, let’s quickly talk about why most guys are scrawny in the first place.
The simple answer?
They’re not eating nearly enough food to gain weight.
Let me repeat that: if you’re scrawny and struggle to build muscle, you’re not eating enough food.
Now this is the point where some guys will pipe up and say something like,
“Whoa, guys. Listen, you don’t understand. I eat a lot.”
Our response?
Well, that may be true — you may be eating what you consider to be “a lot”. But if your weight on the scale isn’t going up, you’re not eating enough.
And that’s the difference. A lot versus enough.
So what is enough food?
Well, using outcome-based decision making we know that “enough” food is the amount of food it takes to make the number on your bathroom scale go up.
So ask yourself this question:
“Am I eating enough food to make the scale go up a pound or two every week?”
If the answer is yes, then you should keep eating that amount of food.
But if the answer is no — which it most likely is — you need to eat more food.
See how simple that is?
Of course, there are other markers and results that matter including increased strength and bigger muscle measurements. But all that comes later.
Right now, your only focus should be on the scale and whether or not it’s going up.
OK, now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about the Ultimate Muscle Meal and its 5 components.
Number 1: Your ultimate muscle meal needs 2 Palms of Protein
Proteins are the building blocks of muscle and are found in foods like beef, chicken, pork, fish, eggs, and vegetarian sources like beans and fermented soy.
But why do we recommend 2 palms? Easy. Because no guy wants to count protein grams like a jack-ass. The palm of your hand is equal to about 30 grams of protein. So if you have two palms of beef, chicken, or a vegetarian option, you’ll have roughly 60 grams of protein in your muscle meal.
Number 2: Your ultimate muscle meal needs 3 fists of vegetables.
Vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. They help build strong bones and are a crucial part to the Ultimate Muscle Meal.
You can make a salad or choose from any veggie you want like tomatoes, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms and dozens more. And while they usually taste best raw, you can even use frozen or canned vegetables. No need for anything fancy.
Again, we like to keep things simple, which is why use another hand measurement.
So, make a fist and look at it. You need three fists’ worth of veggies for your Ultimate Muscle Meal.
Number 3: You need 1 fist of fruit, starch, or whole grains
Fruit, starches and whole grains are carbohydrates that help your body build muscle. Your meal should contain at least one fists’ worth.
You can choose any kind of fruit you want. Our favorites our fresh berries like strawberries and blueberries or citrus like oranges and grapefruit.
Now, starches and whole grains are high in calories, which is perfect for guys trying to gain muscle.
Our favorite choices are sweet potatoes, yams, and quinoa, though brown rice and regular white potatoes are an OK option, too.
As long as you have one fists’ worth, you’re good to go. (And if you’re having a sweet potato, just grab a medium-sized one.)
Number 4: You need one fourth cup of healthy fats
Our bodies use fat to build cell membranes, increase our natural testosterone levels, and absorb nutrients.
Plus, they’re just plain delicious.
But what kind should you eat?
We recommend eating any kind of nut or nut butter like peanuts, almonds, cashews, or pecans. You can also use coconut oil or olive oil or even eat an avocado or some pumpkin seeds.
As long as you’re getting 1/4 cup of healthy fats, you’re on track.
Number 5: 1 Big Glass of Water
Most of us walk around semi-dehydrated and don’t really notice it. But since water makes up about 70% of our body, it’s crucial to building muscle.
That’s why you need to drink at least one big glass of water with your Muscle Meal.
Let’s go through all that one more time.
Your ultimate muscle meal should include:
- 2 palms of protein
- 3 fists of vegetables
- 1 fist of fruit, starch, or whole grains
- 1/4 cup of healthy fats
- And a big glass of water
Now that you have your components, how do you actually make your Ultimate Muscle Meal?
On the right hand side of the page next to the video we included a document with our favorite Muscle Meal recipes that you can eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
They’re simple and easy to make, even if you don’t have a lot of experience in the kitchen. And they only take 10 minutes or less to cook.
Plus, we even included a few of our favorite muscle-building Super Shakes to help you gain muscle while you’re in between your main meals.
Again, you can find all of that in the document on the right side of the screen.
Now that you know that you need to eat more food, and have all the components of the Ultimate Muscle Meal, what should you do next?
We know your first instinct may be to try and completely overhaul your entire day and replace all of your meals.
But that would be a mistake.
In our Scrawny to Brawny coaching program, our guys start by focusing on one meal at a time and making it awesome.
After a couple weeks, they add another one. After a few more weeks, they add another one. And so on.
By the end of a couple of months, they’re truly eating big and building muscle like crazy.
But if we were to just give them a menu and have them completely recreate their nutrition and daily schedule right from the beginning, they’d likely fail.
But by focusing on one meal at a time, they make eating big a Brawny habit.
And as you know, as soon as it becomes a habit, you’re on the right track to building a Brawny body.
So that’s what we suggest you do.
Pick one meal — breakfast, lunch, or dinner — and eat your Ultimate Muscle Meal every day at that time.
Of course, you’re welcome to eat different variations of the Muscle Meal throughout the day, but the only one you absolutely must eat is the one you originally pick.
And after you’ve made that a habit and eating it every day, then you can add another meal.
All right, it’s time for you to hit the grocery store.
Go download the resources and get going.
And check back tomorrow, because we’re covering every guy’s favorite subject — working out to build muscle.
See you then.