Tactical Fitness: The Elite Strength and Conditioning Program for Warrior Athletes and the Heroes of Tomorrow inluding Firefighters, Police, Military and Special Forces

Gaining and maintaining muscle during high-calorie-burn workouts is tough. It requires you to eat and eat big. But you also need to eat smart.

Weight gain is something that isn’t easy to do and you probably know this already. People who cannot gain weight usually have a high metabolism, which makes gaining so hard. The key to weight gain is to do everything big. You have to eat big and lift big, in order to get big. This is your new motto! A lot of people think weight lifting is the key to gaining weight. It is an extremely important part, but the other aspect that is just as important is your diet.

1. Calories in: Count how many calories you eat in a normal day. Don’t change anything, just eat like you normally would and count how many calories you consumed. This is extremely important, so try to be as exact as possible. Also, weigh yourself. If you are not gaining weight or losing weight, this number is your baseline caloric intake.

2. Eat big: Starting the day after you counted calories, eat 500 calories more than you normally do. For example, if on the day you counted calories, you ate 2,000 calories as your baseline then for the rest of the week, you would now eat 2,500 calories a day. Instead of eating 3 big meals a day or eating all day all the time, spread those calories out over 5 to 6 smaller meals. Eat one meal every 2 ½ to 3 hours. Remember, to get big, you have to eat big! Adding a good mix of carbohydrates, protein, and fats is the key to your gaining weight. Play with the percentages of each to see what works best for you. Some people gain weight better by adding more protein, while others see bigger gains by adding more carbs. Find what works best for you.

3. Get in the gym and lift! Weightlifting is another important step to gaining weight, so make sure you are doing it correctly.

4. Weigh Yourself: At the end of the week, weigh yourself. You’ll notice you are gaining after just one week! Now, don’t expect to see a 10-pound increase. Gaining any more than 1 or 2 pounds a week is unhealthy and means you are putting on way too much fat. Instead, aim for 1 or 2 pound gains at the end of the week. Does not sound like much? You can be gaining 5 to 8 pounds a month! So be patient.

5. Eat BIG—Again: Here is an important one. At some point, you will stop seeing weight gain. At this point, you will have to eat even more. So when you stop gaining for at least 2 weeks, it means it is time to start eating an extra 250 calories a day. Every time you see you haven’t gained weight for at least 2 weeks, add an extra 250 calories until you have reached your goal. Now, even more important, keep working out! Do not just eat to get big. Lift to get big, too!

Stay away from too much fat! Even though weight gain is your goal, you don’t want to be getting all your calories from fatty foods, thus gaining fat. Get rid of the chips and candy. No more fast food, and nothing fried. Stick to foods that are high in protein and good fat like tuna fish (and other seafood), chicken breast, turkey, ham, lean meats, fruits, and vegetables. Good fats from nuts and oils are also great options.

Drink water! Drink around a gallon a day, or more if you can. Yes, that is a lot of water, but it is water that will allow you to gain weight. Just make sure you sip it throughout the day, not consume several quarts during meals, which will take up space in your stomach.

Eat these in moderation if you are trying to lose weight, but add additional helpings if you are trying to boost your caloric intake to 2,500–3,000 calories or more per day in order to gain weight … even more if you are very active with your workouts.

When to eat and what to eat are constant questions that will affect your fitness and health goals as well as your weight loss desires. You may be wondering, “What should I eat and drink before, during, and after my workout?” The answer will vary depending on your goals, but understanding the ABD’s (After, Before, and During) of workout nutrition will help you reach your personal goals, whether you are a performance athlete or just want to lose some weight.

I was first introduced to the “ABD’s of Nutrition” concept at a Mid-Atlantic NSCA Regional conference given by Paul Moore, MS, RD, CSCS of Fitness4 Pros. I thought it was a brilliant way to discuss nutrition throughout the training cycle. This understanding of what foods and drinks work best for fat loss and healthy gains requires constant attention on your part, but the benefits are well worth the effort. Here are some suggestions that will help you figure out what to eat and when to eat; these decisions depend on your individual preferences and goals.

If you are trying to drop some unwanted pounds and get healthy, proper nutrition and a well arranged workout plan are vital to achieving your goals. You have to experiment with the types of exercise that will create a good caloric burn as well as find sources of lower calorie foods that work best for your energy level. Keep track of how you feel during workouts, whether they are higher intensity resistance training or lower intensity cardio, as these will typically measure if you are eating enough quality foods. If you have significant weight to lose (more than 40 pounds), try some non-impact cardio options like biking, elliptical gliders, swimming, aqua-jogging, or rowing and the like.

If your goal is to burn fat, your workout should get you into a fat burning zone by the time you are finished exercising for the day. The arrangement of your workout should be calisthenics or weights first followed by steady, aerobic cardio of your choice. Basically, go hard during the first half of your workout and burn your blood sugar (anaerobic activity burns glycogen) as your prime energy source first. This can take about 15 to 20 minutes of intense workouts, depending on the amount of food you have eaten before the workout of the day. Once you are feeling burned out from that section of anaerobic activity, it is time to go aerobic and get into fat burning mode. The best time to burn fat is immediately after waking, before having any food.

After Workout: Here is how you can stay in fat burning mode a little longer after your workout. If you delay eating carbs immediately after your workout for another 30 to 60 minutes, you will actually still be using fat as your primary energy source. Throughout the next several hours of the day your metabolism will be higher, thus burning more calories than if you had not exercised that morning. After a while, you will need to eat good carbohydrates (such as fruits and veggies) and a protein serving to recover from the workout. Limit the carbs in a day and try to eliminate sugar. Find what carbohydrates and proteins work best for you and your energy requirements for the day. Supplements also tend to come into play during the post-workout nutrition game. I am personally not into supplementing on a daily basis other than taking some omega-3 and omega-6 capsules and some multivitamins that are rich in all the B vitamins. For a quick fix and in replacement of food in a pinch, I will take some whey protein powder in milk. You still need to prepare for the next workout session by eating something, even though you are trying to lose weight.

Before Workout: If you are working out to lose weight and get healthier, depending on your workout intensity, you may not need to have a pre-workout meal. If your goal is to get into fat burning mode, eating fewer carbs prior to your workout will decrease the amount of time and effort required to get into that fat burning/low glycogen mode. If you like to work out immediately after you wake up, you are at your lowest in blood sugar for the day, which is the ideal time to take a short burst of intense exercise, then follow it with what I call “conversational pace cardio. If you can talk and be a little winded, you are in a prime fat burning zone.

During Workout: Unless you are working out for extended periods of time to get used to 8 to 10 hours of training at Special Operations School, food intake during normal hour-long (or shorter) workouts is not needed. Just drink water to stay hydrated. If you are sweating profusely while working out, you should follow your workout with a serving or two of electrolytes to replace what you lost while sweating.

Protein: Meats, fish, chicken, eggs, nuts (such as almonds), beans, milk, milkshakes with additional whey protein powder (optional), and peanut butter. I personally eat boiled eggs and salads in between meals during snack time, or I will have a few servings with a main course of meat or fish for a good balance of plant and animal protein.

Carbohydrates: Multigrain breads and pastas, brown rice, cereals, vegetables (such as romaine lettuce, broccoli, asparagus, and carrots), and fruits (such as tomatoes, strawberries, apples, berries, oranges, grapes, and bananas) make great carbohydrates for energy. Stay away from white breads, pastas, and rice, and any flour-baked products. Sugar is your killer—eliminate sugar drinks and replace them with water and unsweetened drinks.

Fats: Fish, nuts, olive oils, and omega-3 fortified products. Typically, I get most of these fats from nuts and fish, but I also supplement with the omega 3 fatty acids most important to longevity and healthy recovery.

Anyone who works out will need to hydrate during workouts to stay cool and avoid over-heating and dehydration, especially during excessively sweaty workouts. You also need to add electrolytes (such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium). Foods rich in many of these elements are essential to your recovery from significant loss of water and electrolytes. I have found that if I can wring out my shirt after a workout, I will add more of these “salts” into my post-exercise diet. Some people prefer drinking sports drinks, but stay away from the extra sugars and electrolytes unless you are sweating. Sports drinks with sodium, potassium, and carbohydrates (sugar) are a safe bet for hydration during hard sweaty exercise, but if you are not sweating profusely, there is little need for these sports drinks during exercise (unless you are in a desert environment where you will not sweat because of rapid evaporation). Bananas and water are sufficient in most cases. Here are some ideas for hydration:

After Workouts: One of my favorite post exercise snacks is a can of chicken noodle soup, as it is loaded with potassium, sodium, carbs, and protein. In fact, it has about 3 to 4 times the potassium of a banana and about 5 to 6 times the potassium of Gatorade. If you are not sweating much and are not in an arid environment, water will be enough to hydrate you after your workout.

Before Workouts: Do not drink too much if you are doing significant running as the bouncing will potentially cause cramping.

During Workouts: Sip water or a carbohydrate/electrolyte mix every 10 to 15 minutes to maintain high intensity performance training.

A ballpark equation for daily consumption of liquids for a highly active person is: 50 to 75% body weight in pounds = ounces per day of water you should consume.

Finding the right mix of carbohydrates, protein, fats, electrolytes, and water all depend on your age, sex, weight, activity level, and personal goals. Any day you have a killer good workout or test scores and feel great afterward, make a note of everything you did that day. Very often, you will arrive at the formula that works best for you and your fitness performance goals.

NUTRITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS