Charles Poliquin Diet Plan

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Strengthtraining coach Charles R. Poliquin recently put together a sample breakfast plan for athletes on his website Strength Sensei, laying out what top competitors should eat in the morning to get the body going. Poliquin has worked with athletes in the NFL and NHL and both summer and winter Olympians, including NHL bruiser Chris Pronger and 2004 Olympic gold medalists Dwight Phillips (long jump) and Adam Nelson (shotput). According to Poliquin, a good breakfast means stuffing your face with meat and topping it off with a handful of nuts.

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," Poliquin writes. "What you eat for breakfast sets up your entire neurotransmitter production for the day. This is particularly important if attention span and concentration are crucial for your performance like in combat sports such as wrestling and judo."

Poliquin's menu for peak performance is pretty formulaic, if you're hungry for a giant portion of meat and some nuts to go with it. It includes: one or two buffalo patties and a handful of macadamia nuts on Monday; a large venison steak and cashews on Tuesday; one to two turkey burgers and almonds on Wednesday; a couple ground beef patties and Brazil nuts on Thursday; one to two chicken breasts and hazelnuts on Friday; and eight to ten gluten-free chicken sausages and a handful of pistachios on Saturday.

"The meat and nuts breakfast raises both dopamine and acetyl-choline, the two most important neurotransmitters for focus and drive," Poliquin writes. "The meat allows for a slow and steady rise in blood sugar. The nuts provide a great source of healthy smart fats that allows the blood sugar to remain stable for an extended period of time."

Sunday, presumably, is a day off, but don't even think about ruining all your hard work with pancakes or some garbage. As Poliquin says, "It goes without saying that you DO NOT ADD ANYTHING TO [the diet] in terms of food or beverage. Tea, coffee or herbal infusions are permissible, milk and juice or other liquids are not allowed."

this is the exact diet i am on right now, (which i got from poliquin) and it is very effective. the carb sources come only from greens, but the caloric intake is still somewhat high so i dont really notice any lethargy. also, the fish oils are mandatory. i take 2 every meal (16 total a day) along with either provolone cheese or cashews each meal for fats. for cutting, this diet is the best ive ever done b/c i have lost plenty of bf and i have gained a lot of muscle since ive been on it. be sure to carb up once every 5-7 days though. i go really high carbs (not a cheat day every time) every sunday. my buddy is on the same exact diet, has been for a year, and it has been nothing but anabolic for him as well.

Can anyone explain how such a diet can be so anabolic? I mean with this low carb approach, I dont see much of any insulin spike for glycogen synthesis other than on the carb up day. Also I would like to read that article if it is posted on a website or somewhere else. Holla back if anyone knows please. Peasssssssstttt in da EEaassssssstttt

Just like with losing fat, muscle gain starts with getting the right amount of calories each day. Other factors like protein intake, food quality, and nutrient timing are also important, and may be the difference between adding fat versus muscle. Here is everything you need to figure out exactly how much to eat to put on maximal muscle.

The gold standard for gaining muscle is to increase calories so that you achieve a lasting energy surplus over a set period of time. Pairing extra calories with the right training program is the most potent anabolic stimulus available to you besides using illegal steroids.

Common recommendations are to increase calories by 20 percent over current daily intake, or to eat 20 calories per pound of bodyweight. But these guidelines may overshoot the ideal calorie surplus and lead to unnecessary fat gain, especially if they are employed over the long term.

For instance, overweight women doing resistance training for 24 weeks while dieting lost 2.2 percent of body mass while increasing cross sectional area of the quadriceps muscle by 7 cm (5). A 4-week study took recreationally active, overweight young men, put them on a serious diet that reduced calories by 40 percent and enrolled them in a 6-day a week training program. They had a high protein intake of 2.4 g/kg. Results showed that they lost 4.8 kg and gained 1.2 kg of muscle (6).

Consuming sufficient high-quality protein is the holy grail for maximizing muscle gains. The body is constantly in a fluctuating state of muscle loss and gain, which means that the more often you trigger protein synthesis, it is a good thing.

Eating protein is one way to stimulate protein synthesis. The other is by lifting weights, which is why putting the two together is the best way to optimize body composition. Although lower protein intakes are required when you are in a calorie surplus than a calorie deficit, you still need more than the U.S. RDA recommendation of 0.8 g/kg.

Scientists recommend a minimum of 1.6 g/kg for maximal muscle gains for recreational trainees. For more serious trainees, such as competitive athletes or trained body builders, 1.7 g/kg was identified as the baseline protein intake to sustain muscle and offset protein breakdown when in energy balance, whereas maximal muscle building occurs at 2.2 g/kg (6).

Stored carbohydrates fuel muscle contractions and allow for the highest rates of ATP energy production during intense exercise. Carbs also improve hormone balance for a faster recovery. When carbs are consumed, insulin is elevated, leading to a rapid decrease in the stress hormone cortisol and a more anabolic environment. In addition, the increase in insulin helps suppress inflammatory products that you produce during training.

Adequate fat intake from a variety of sources is critical for packing on muscle. Not only does fat provide ample calories to help you reach your surplus goal, it provides the fat-soluble vitamins that play a vital role in immunity and your ability to pack on mass. Fat is also necessary for hormone synthesis and low-fat diets are linked with decreased testosterone.

Therefore, fat intake should not go below 15 to 20 percent of calories, even when cutting. Fat should come from a variety of sources, including saturated animal fats and monounsaturated fats from seeds, nuts, and other plant foods like olives and avocados. A small intake of polyunsaturated fats is ideal, particularly the omega-3 fats from fish oil, because they have been shown to increase muscle mass in adults of all ages, including the elderly who have a harder time putting on muscle (4).

Aligning food intake with when energy is being expended is a key strategy for maximizing muscle: Taking a protein/carbohydrate/creatine supplement immediately before and after strength training resulted in greater muscle and strength gains than when the same supplement is ingested away from training (4).

The rate at which you can gain muscle depends on how much muscle you've already gained and how effectively you are applying the right nutrition and training aspects. Beginners can expect to gain muscle much faster, sometimes as much as 1 percent of body weight per week. Advanced lifters in contrast may only gain a pound or two of muscle each year.

The current recommendation is to eat in a surplus of 360 to 480 calories daily. If you are an endomorph and gain fat easily, opt for the lower end of the range. For mesomorphs and ectomorphs who tend to be leaner, the higher end of the range may be most anabolic.

Charles Poliquin is a world leader in Strength and Conditioning. He has trained many gold medal-winning athletes and he is a pioneer in physique enhancement. The stronger your immune system, the easier it is to gain muscle and lose fat. The more insulin you produce, the faster you age. The best predictor of lifespan is muscle mass and strength.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids from pharmaceutical grade fish oils are the most valuable supplement you can take. The subject should take 15g/day for two weeks if deficient, then reduce the dosage to 5g/day indefinitely after that. Fish oils will help burn fat and prevent fat gain. They improve serotonin levels (mood), make it easier to move nutrients in and out of cell walls, reduce joint inflammation, decrease the amount of sugar your body will absorb, improves blood pressure and decrease insulin output when taken with a meal.

If you are carrying excess body fat you should not consume carbs post-workout. The best post-workout drink for a 200lb overweight man is Whey Isolate 60g + Glutamine 20-80g + Glycine 20g. This will replenish glycogen while preventing fat gain. Licorice Root Cream can be rubbed on the abdominal as it will aid in burning fat from the stomach.

Adaptogens such as Red Korean Ginseng can help you recuperate from stress and tough workouts. Rhodiola Rosea is a very powerful adaptogen; take it when you need energy. It is a Cortisol Modulator, meaning that if your cortisol is too low it will help you raise it and if too high, it will help you lower it. Take only 1 tab per day, as it is very potent. Stevia is a natural sweetener and a great adrenal recovery aid. Cold Fx is also a surprisingly good product. It is good for adrenaline glands, fat loss, decreasing insulin output, and regenerates the pancreas.

As for estrogen, DIM is a strong anti-estrogen that specifically targets the bad estrogens caused by phytoestrogens in our environment. R-ALA is anabolic and promotes fat burning, only the R for is good, the S form of ALA is counterproductive. It is an anti-oxidant that also promotes glucose transport into muscle cells. As well it increases the metabolic rate and decreases insulin output.

Acetyl-L-Carnitine is a healthy stimulant; it also improves memory and is anti-aging for the brain. It too increases insulin sensitivity. Charles recommends that one uses a good multi-vitamin when attempting to lose fat as fat loss releases toxins that are stored in your fat and your body will need all the vitamins and minerals it can get to fight these toxins.

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