Australian Men\'s Fitness - 09.2019

WARM UP RIGHT

To perform better and avoid
injury, you need to warm up. Do
light sets of the first two moves
of each session, starting with
a high-rep, low-weight set to
get your muscles moving. Then
with each set, up the weight and
reduce the reps until you get to
your starting work-set weight.

Carbs

nYou certainly don’t

need to ditch carbs

completely to build

a better body. Indeed,

eating the right carbs

at the right time will

help your body build

lean mass faster.

Focusyourdietary

efforts on avoiding

sugar and limiting

your consumption

of fast-release carbs

like processed white

bread and pasta,

which have been

stripped of many of

their nutrients and

much of their fibre.

Choose slow-release

carbs instead, such

as sweet potatoes

and brown rice.

Protein

nYou need to eat

more protein from

red and white meat,

fish and eggs to build

lean muscle mass

quickly and

effectively. Lifting

weights causes

microscopic tears in

your muscles, and it’s

the consumption of

protein that repairs

thisdamageand

rebuilds your

muscles bigger and

stronger. Aim for

at least a fist-sized

portion of high-

quality lean protein

at every single meal.

A protein shake is

fine after workouts,

but don’t rely on

supplements.

Vegetables

nA wide variety of

vegetables should

makeuparoundhalf

of your plate at both

lunchanddinnerto

provide your body

with all the vitamins,

minerals and other

nutrients it needs to

look and perform at

its best. Eat a wide

varietyofdifferent-

coloured veg to give

your body the range

of nutrients it needs

afterhardtraining,

as well as fibre to

keep you feeling

fuller for longer and

stabilise blood sugar

levels so you won’t

be tempted by sweet,

sugary snacks.

Alcohol

nTo gain the max

amount of muscle

while also shedding

as much fat as

possible, you should

seriously consider

cutting out alcohol

for the duration of

thisfour-weekplan.

Booze is high in

calories you don’t

need, and too much

booze will kill your

motivation to hit the

gym hard and eat

well. Your best bet

is to stick to water,

green tea and black

coffee to stay

hydrated and load

up on antioxidants

that will help you

recover faster from

tough training.

What you eat is as important as how you work out if you want a bigger

and stronger body. Follow these four rules to accelerate your gains.

Fuel your bigger arms

and chest ambition

with these simple tips

5

Bright idea

Fill your plate

with colourful

veg and plenty

of lean protein.

SEPTEMBER 2019 MEN’S FITNESS 113