Find out a training and nutrition program from the famous American nutritionist Lyle McDonald, which will help you lose weight and get in shape. Lyle MacDonald is known worldwide as a nutritionist and sports physiologist. His books can be safely called bestsellers. This person's training and nutrition programs have been used by people all over the world with excellent results. The principles proposed by him are workable, and they should be used by everyone who wants to achieve this goal. Today we will talk about the basic principles of building workouts and nutrition in bodybuilding Lyle McDonald.
Protein compounds and bodybuilding
MacDonald's best known work is The Protein Book. It is necessary to start acquaintance with the principles of nutrition with her. If the athlete consumes a sufficient amount of protein compounds, then the body is not deficient in BCAA or other amines. If you think that there is a sufficient amount of this nutrient in your diet, then there is no point in purchasing a sports food.
Depletion of the glycogen depot during training can increase the body's need for BCAA, and a high concentration of lactate requires high consumption of glutamine. However, building muscle does not require a specific amine profile. If the body is not deficient in these substances, then you will definitely grow.
Of course, this will also require a certain amount of energy. It should be noted that if there is an energy deficit, then the need for protein compounds increases. Skeletal muscles are constantly being destroyed and it is this catabolism that all athletes are afraid of. However, you do not need to do this, because a sufficient amount of protein compounds in the diet completely neutralizes all losses.
To prevent BCAA oxidation, it is only necessary to maintain the glycogen depot and consume a certain amount of carbohydrates during training. You must remember that the amino acid profile found in the blood has nothing to do with the protein compounds we use. Thanks to the liver, exactly those amines that the body needs at a given time enter the bloodstream. All unclaimed amino acid compounds will simply be oxidized.
If you are consuming enough protein, then you should not assume that one source of the nutrient is superior over another. For weight gain, the quantity of protein compounds is more important than their quality. However, the ideal option is a combination of animal and plant proteins. Do not exclude any of these types of protein compounds from your program.
However, if you compare the rate of assimilation of protein of plant and animal nature, you will agree that the difference of 10 or 15 percent is not decisive. Today, many people are guided by the indicator of the biological value of protein, but it is not so significant. Balancing nitrogen is not the most perfect method because it cannot tell exactly where the protein will be stored. A certain type of protein compounds can be used by the body to maintain the maximum rate of synthesis in one organ, but cannot do so in another.
When measuring the biological value of protein compounds, certain difficulties are possible. When an athlete consumes a large number of calories, then a positive nitrogen balance is observed in the body. If the biological value is measured during the period of using a low-calorie nutritional program, then the value will be completely different. It is possible to change the indicator of biological value and when consuming a large amount of proteins.
How does a person get fat?
More calories consumed than consumed
It is quite obvious that when you consume more energy than expended, the body begins to store fat. Today, more and more often you can hear the statement that the main principles of thermodynamics do not apply to people. This is fundamentally wrong. The main reason here lies in the fact that such claims do not come from the results of scientific research, but are based on people's conversations about their diet.
For example, in 1980, a survey of the US population was conducted and, based on its results, it was concluded that overweight people consume as many calories as thin people. However, there are a lot of studies proving the fact that a fat person always underestimates the number of calories they eat and overestimates their physical activity.
Only in the case when the diet of the participants in the experiment is controlled in the study, you can be sure of the results obtained. All such studies prove that the energy balance system works great. But if you trust the words of people, the results will be completely different. Note that Lyle McDonald's bodybuilding training and nutrition is based only on the results of controlled studies.
The energy metabolism of our body is a very complex mechanism, in which a large number of different substances are involved. The same cortisol at a chronically high level can significantly slow down the rate of metabolic processes. It should also be noted that in this situation, the principle of the distribution of nutrients by the body also changes significantly. Unfortunately, we cannot control all processes.
Nutrients consumed, oxidation and storage
The body stores all fat in special cells - adipocytes. Most of the adipose tissue is located under the skin. However, there is also the so-called visceral fat. It surrounds all internal organs and protects them from mechanical damage. However, there are two other "bad" places for storing fat - the pancreas and also the liver. Such fatty deposits are called ectopic.
Now we will only talk about subcutaneous fat deposits. The creation of fat stores or their utilization depends on such a thing as fat balance. Actually, this is true for any substance, not just fat. Based on the foregoing, it can be argued that lipogenesis is possible only in a situation when the amount of utilized fat is less than the stored one. You must understand that the utilization or oxidation of adipocytes, as well as lipogenesis, proceed throughout the day under the influence of various processes.
So, it's time to study the basic principles of Lyle McDonald's nutrition program in bodybuilding, we will consider training separately:
- Excessive amounts of fat in food leads to an increase in adipose stores.
- Eating a lot of carbohydrates and protein compounds slows down the oxidation of fatty acids.
Separately, it should be said that, according to Lyle, carbohydrates can only be converted into fats in excess. For example, consuming more than 900 grams of a nutrient throughout the day, the body definitely converts some of the substances into fats.
Lyle McDonald training program
The basic principle of Lyle McDonald's training, we have already talked about nutrition, is the progression of loads. You should know him, because Joe Weider talked about him all the time. McDonald associates most of the problems of skinny builders with insufficient loads in the hall.
According to Lyle, muscle hypertrophy is possible only if the strength parameters are increased, and each muscle group must be worked out twice during the week. Any other training regimens that use less volume can only be effective for athletic chemists. From our point of view, this approach is completely justified for straight people, but McDonald's recommendations should be perceived as a one-year training cycle, and not as a specific program.
Here are the basic principles of organizing a workout in bodybuilding Lyle McDonald, about nutrition below:
- If you train naturally, then you need to work on increasing strength parameters. It is impossible to progress without a periodic increase in the weight of the weights.
- Each muscle group should be worked out at least twice during the week.
- Novice bodybuilders who train naturally should do circuit training twice a week.
- The soreness will be less pronounced if you exercise more often, but use less volume.
- The natural formula for success in bodybuilding is a combination of hard work, time and regularity.
Lyle doesn’t come up with new ideas when it comes to nutrition for athletes. He is sure that if an athlete consumes a sufficient amount of calories, then for growth he has only to train correctly. MacDonald does not see much sense in a sports diet for fitness lovers, with the exception of creatine.
This substance is almost impossible to obtain from food in sufficient quantities. MacDonald does not offer any secret formula. To progress, an athlete needs to properly organize their meals and train hard. Now let's take a look at Lyle's recommended training program.
1st lesson
- Squats - from 3 to 4 sets of 6-8 repetitions each.
- Romanian cravings - from 3 to 4 sets of 6-8 repetitions each.
- Leg press - 2 to 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions each.
- Lying Leg Curls - 2 to 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions each.
- Donkey movement - from 3 to 4 sets of 6-8 repetitions each.
- Seated Calf Raises - 2 to 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions each.
- Hanging leg curls - 2 to 3 sets with the maximum number of repetitions.
2nd lesson
- Bench press - from 3 to 4 sets of 6-8 repetitions each.
- Tilt rod rods - from 3 to 4 sets of 6-8 repetitions each.
- Benches at an angle - 2 to 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions each.
- Upper block rods - 2 to 3 sets of 10-12 repetitions each.
- Extension of arms on the block - from 1 to 2 sets of 10-12 repetitions each.
- Bicep curls - from 1 to 2 sets of 10-12 repetitions each.
You need to do four sessions during the week. It must be remembered that Lyle McDonald's training system assumes weekly periodization according to the following scheme:
- 1st week - work with a weight of weights of 85 percent of the worker at failure.
- 2nd week - work with a weight of weights of 90 percent of the worker.
- 3rd week - work with shells, the weight of which is 95 percent of the worker.
- 4th week - the weight of weights is used equal to 100 percent of the worker.
Over the next two or three weeks, it is necessary to increase the working weight and go back to the beginning of the cycle. Since the McDonald system involves training to fail, it makes sense to use the "pyramid" principle. So it will be much easier for you to achieve what you want in the last set.
More about the weight loss program from Lyle MacDonald in the following video:
