Chest Stretch #1
• Stand next to a doorframe. Raise elbow to shoulder height and rotate arm so that your hand is up (as if in a throwing position with elbow in line with your shoulder).
• Press your elbow against the doorframe and slowly and gently rotate your upper body away from your elbow. Feel the stretch across the front of your shoulder and chest.
• Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat for the other side.


Chest Stretch #2
• Stand with your arm out-stretched and hand pressed against a wall or support.
• Rotate your hips and feet away from your arm, to increase the stretch felt across the chest muscle. Hold that position for 20 seconds and then repeat for the other side.



Shoulder Stretch
• Raise your arm to shoulder height and bring your arm across the front of your body.
• If using your right arm, your right hand should rest at your left shoulder.
• Take your left arm and place it behind your right elbow. Slowly and gently apply pressure just above your right elbow to feel a stretch in the back of the right shoulder.
• Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat for the other side.

Psoas Stretch
• Kneel on your right knee and place your left foot 1-2 feet ahead of your right knee.
• You should be in a straight line (similar to the bottom position in a lunge).
• Slowly lean forward until you feel a moderate stretch in the hip flexor area (the front side of leg at the hip level)
• Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and then switch sides.



Hamstring Stretch
• Lie on your back with both legs flat. Slightly bend your right knee.
• Now raise your right leg straight up in the air and try to bring it back until it is perpendicular to the floor. Keep the other leg flat and straight on the ground.
• As you raise your leg, you will begin to feel a stretch in the hamstring.
• Bring the leg up until a moderate stretch is felt. Support the leg in that position by holding it up with your hands or a towel looped around your foot.
• Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and then switch sides.


Glute Stretch
• Lie on your back with both legs flat. Slightly bend your right knee.
• Raise your left leg straight up in the air.
• Slowly lower the left leg straight across the body while trying to keep your lower back pressed into the floor.
• Support the leg by looping a towel around your foot.
• You should feel the stretch over your hip and in your glute on your left side.
• Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat for the other side.




Quadriceps Stretch
• Lie on your right side.
• Bring your left ankle back to your butt and grasp it with your left hand.
• Keep the knee in line with the hip.
• The stretch will be in the front of your left leg (thigh).
• Hold for 30 seconds and then repeat for the other side.

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #5
Stability Ball Jackknife plus Pushup
• Brace your abs. Put your hands flat on the floor and rest your shins on the ball.
• With your arms straight and your back flat, your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.
• Keeping your back straight (don't round it), roll the ball as close to your chest as possible by contracting your abs and pulling it forward.
• Pause and then return the ball to the starting position by rolling it backward.
• Then do a push-up. That is one rep.




X-Body Mountain Climber
• Brace your abs. Start in the top of the push-up position.
• Keep your abs braced, pick one foot up off the floor, and slowly bring your knee up to your opposite shoulder. Do not let your hips sag.
• Keep your abs braced and slowly return your leg to the start position.
• Alternate sides until you complete all of the required repetitions.

Bulgarian Split Squat
• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Place the instep of one foot on a bench. Step forward with the other foot, taking a slightly larger than normal step.
• Contract your glutes, brace your abs and keep your spine in a neutral position.
• Lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the ground.
• Keep your upper body upright and your lower back flat.
• Push up to the upright position. Stay in a split-squat stance.
• Perform all reps for one leg and then switch.




Underhand Inverted Row
• Set a bar at hip height in the smith machine or squat rack.
• Lie underneath the bar and grab it with an underhand grip an inch or two wider than shoulder-width apart. Row yourself up the top position with your upper back and lats.
• Keep the abs braced and body in a straight line from toes (knees) to shoulders.
• Slowly return to the start position.

DB Split Squat
• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Step forward with your right leg, taking a slightly larger than normal step.
• Press the front of your back foot (left foot) into the ground and use it to help keep your balance. The left knee should also be bent.
• Contract your glutes, brace your abs and keep your spine in a neutral position.
• Lower your body until your right thigh is parallel to the ground.
• Keep your upper body upright and your lower back flat.
• Push up to the upright position, but don’t step back. Stay in a split-squat stance.
• Perform all reps for one leg and then switch.



Stability Ball Leg Curl
• Lie on your back with the soles of your feet on a medium-sized Stability Ball.
• Brace your abs, and contract your glutes (butt muscles) as if you were squeezing something between your cheeks. Bridge your hips up by contracting your glutes.
• Keep your abs braced and contract your hamstrings and slowly curl the ball back towards your hips while keeping your hips bridged.
• Pause and slowly return the ball to the start position while keeping the hips bridged.

DB Row
• Rest the left hand and left knee on a flat bench, lean over and keep the back flat.
• Hold the dumbbell in the right hand in full extension and slowly row it up to the lower abdomen.
• Keep the low back tensed in a neutral position and the elbow tight to the side.
• Do NOT round your lower back.


Decline Push-up
• Keep the abs braced and body in a straight line from toes to shoulders.
• Place the hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Elevate your feet onto stairs or a bench.
• Slowly lower yourself down until you are 2 inches off the ground.
• Push through your chest, shoulders and triceps to return to the start position.
• Keep your body in a straight line at all times.

Elevated Pushups
• Keep the abs braced and body in a straight line from knees to shoulders.
• Place the left hand on the floor and the right hand elevated 4-6 inches on an aerobic step. Hands are slightly wider than shoulder width apart (normal pushup width).
• Slowly lower yourself down until you are 2 inches off the ground.
• Push through your chest, shoulders and triceps to return to the start position.
• Keep your body in a straight line at all times.
• Perform all repetitions in this manner and then switch to do all repetitions with the other arm elevated. Keep your abs braced.




Jumping Jacks
• Stand on the balls of your feet with your feet shoulder width-apart and arms by side.
• Jump your feet out to your sides and raise your hands overhead at the same time.
• This is a combination warm-up and ab exercise that can also be used for circuits.

Stick-up
• Stand with your back against a wall. Your feet should be 6 inches away from the wall and your butt, upper back, and head should all be in contact with the wall at all times in the exercise.
• Stick your hands up overhead. Try to keep your shoulders, elbows, and wrists in contact with the wall at all times.
• Slide your arms down the wall and tuck your elbows into your sides. This should bring your shoulder blades down and together. You should feel a strong contraction in the muscles between your shoulder blades as well as the shoulder muscles.
• From the bottom position, try to slowly slide your arms up until they are straight and in a "stick-em up" position. Again, try to keep everything in contact with the wall.
• Try to improve your range of motion in this exercise each week.
• The goal is to improve shoulder mobility and postural control.


Touchdown Forward Lunge
• Raise your hands up over your head. Keep your arms straight and palms forward.
• Pull your shoulder blades together. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Step forward with one leg, taking a slightly larger than normal step.
• Keep the ball of your other foot on the ground and use it to help keep your balance.
• The back knee must also be bent and lowers to 1-inch from the ground.
• Lower your body until your front thigh is parallel to the ground.
• Keep your upper body upright and your low back flat.
• Push with your front leg to return to the starting position.

T-Pushup
• Keep the abs braced and body in a straight line from toes to shoulders.
• Place the hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Slowly lower yourself down until you are 2 inches off the ground.
• Push off to return to the start position.
• As you come up, rotate to one side and point that arm towards the ceiling.
• Alternate sides with each rep.




Pull-up
• Grasp the bar with an overhand, wide grip.
• Pull yourself up.

Disclaimer:
You must have a Certified Personal Trainer (CPT) or Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) provide you with instruction on correct form for all exercises.
Dumbbell Squat
• Stand with your feet just greater than shoulder-width apart.
• Start the movement at the hip joint. Push your hips backward and “sit back into a chair”. Make your hips go back as far as possible.
• Squat as deep as possible, but keep your low back tensed in a neutral position.
• Push with your glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps to return to the start position.
• For the dumbbell squat, hold a dumbbell in each hand on the outside of your legs.
• Do NOT round your lower back. I am not letting my back round in the photo.
DB Chest Press
• Hold the dumbbells above your chest with your palms turned toward your feet.
• Lower the dumbbells to chest level. Press the dumbbells straight up above the chest.

Workout #1 – Superset plus Burpees
• Use a weight that would normally allow you to do 10 reps in the DB Chest Press.
• The first round of the superset should be a warm-up. Do only half the recommended number of repetitions in the first superset.
• After completing 3 supersets, do 3 rounds of Burpees or Jumping Jacks. In each round, do Burpees or Jumping Jacks for 30 seconds straight and then rest 30 seconds.
1A) DB Squat (12 reps)
• No rest.
1B) DB Chest Press (8 reps)
• Rest 30 seconds and then repeat 2 more times before moving on to Burpees.
2) Burpees or Jumping Jacks (30 seconds)
• Rest 30 seconds and then repeat 2 more times.
Workout #2 – Bodyweight Circuit
• Perform each exercise one after the other with no rest between exercises.
• Rest 30 seconds before repeating the circuit.
• Try to complete 3 rounds of the circuit.

• Use the first round as a warm-up, and perform half the recommended number of repetitions for each exercise.
1A) Y-Squat (15 reps)
1B) T-Pushup (6 reps per side)
1C) Pull-up or Stick-up (10 reps)
1D) Touchdown Forward Lunge (10 reps per side)
1E) Elevated Pushups (10 reps per side)
1F) Jumping Jacks (50 reps)

Workout #3 – DB-BW Supersets
• Go through each superset 3 times.
• The first superset should be a warm-up doing only 50% of the recommended reps.
• Do not rest within supersets. Rest 30 seconds after each superset.
1A) DB Row (8 reps per side)
• No rest
1B) Decline Pushup (15 repetitions)
• Rest 30 seconds before repeating the superset 2 more times.
2A) DB Split Squat (8 reps per side)
• No rest
2B) Stability Ball Leg Curl (15 repetitions)
• Rest 30 seconds before repeating the superset 2 more times.
Workout #4 – Intervals
• Warm-up for 3 minutes.
• Work for 30 seconds at a hard pace (at a subjective 8/10 level of intensity).
• Follow that with “active rest” for 60 seconds by exercising at a slow pace (at a subjective 3/10 level of intensity).
• Repeat for 3 intervals.
• Finish with 3 minutes of a cool-down at a 4/10 level of intensity.
Workout #5 – Bodyweight Circuit
• Perform each exercise one after the other with no rest between exercises.
• Rest 30 seconds before repeating the circuit.
• Try to complete 3 rounds of the circuit.
• Use the first round as a warm-up, and perform half the recommended number of repetitions for each exercise.
1A) Bulgarian Split Squat (12 reps per side)
1B) Underhand Inverted Row or Stick-up (12 reps)
1C) Stability Ball Jackknife plus Push-up (12 reps)
1D) Stability Ball Leg Curl (12 reps)
1E) X-Body Mountain Climbers (12 reps per side)

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #1

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #1-1

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #2

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #2-1

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #2-2

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #3

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #3-1

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #5

Exercise Descriptions – Workout #5-1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: See your physician before starting any exercise or nutrition program. You must have a complete physical examination if you are sedentary, if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes, if you are overweight, or if you are over 30 years old. Please discuss all nutritional changes with your physician or a registered dietician.
• Perform this program for 4 weeks then switch to another  workout.
• Do up to five 10-minute workouts per week.
• Pairs of exercises (i.e. 1A & 1B) constitute “Supersets”.
• Two or more exercises constitute a circuit (1A-1D or 1A-1F).
• Use a controlled pace for each traditional exercise, but move explosively for Burpees and Jumping Jacks.
• Don’t train to failure in the DB exercises. You should be able to do 1 more rep at the end of each set. You can train to failure in the BW exercises.
• Finish each workout with stretching for the tight muscle groups only if desired.
• Warm-ups are built-into the 10-minute workouts.

It is very important for all of us to train conservatively and not overdo things.
 1) Don't do any exercise that you aren't sure how to do. Always get personal instruction from a certified trainer.
2) Don't do anything that hurts or "doesn't feel right". There are plenty of alternative exercises for every movement. Just ask us on
3) Whenever you start a NEW program, use lighter weights than normal, and only 1 set per exercise. You must expect extra soreness when starting a new program just because of the new exercises, so don't try to set world records in a new program right away.
 4) If you need extra recovery within the workout or between workouts, don't hesitate to take it. Safety first. 5) Use a spotter if you are training with heavy weights. If you train alone at home, follow my recommendations in the manual and do NOT train to failure.
6) Check your ego at the gym door and start with the easier alternative exercises if appropriate, even if you have exercised in the past. The new exercises, and new style of movements will cause muscle soreness even from workouts you think "look easy".

 7) Do NOT do interval training more than 4 times per week. Even pro athletes don't play hard everyday, so why should we?
8) Never skip a warm-up. Use the general bodyweight warm-ups and the specific warm-up sets in each TT workout.
9) If you want to start TT but think you have an injury, get medical attention and have a professional therapist rehabilitate your injury before starting an exercise program. 10)
Check with your doctor before starting any new exercise or diet program. All together now, "Safety first!" Bonus
11) If you decide to use running as your form of interval training, make sure you have good running shoes, always do an extra thorough warm-up, and choose a safe running surface (grass or trails rather than pavement/concrete). If you use a treadmill, please operate it safely.

You can have the most effective workout schedule possible, the most intelligent diet approach available and the most intimate understanding of muscle growth from every possible angle, but without the inner drive and motivation to succeed you will get nowhere, and very fast.
Just as the famous saying goes…
“Knowing is NOT enough. You must APPLY!”
Those who make the greatest gains in muscular size and strength are the ones who are able to continually and systematically implement the proper techniques on a consistent basis.
Building muscle is a result of the cumulative effect of small steps.
Sure, performing 1 extra rep on your bench press will not make a huge difference to your overall results, and neither will consuming a single meal. However, over the long haul, all of those extra reps you perform and all of those single meals you consume will decide your overall success.

If you work hard and complete all of your muscle-building tasks in a consistent fashion, all of those individual steps will equate to massive gains in overall size and strength.
It is those who are willing to persevere that will succeed.
It is those who are willing to rise above laziness that will end up with the most impressive results.
I mean let's face it, everyone wants to be strong and muscular. If this is the case, why isn't everyone strong and muscular? It's because only certain people have the proper drive and motivation that it takes to get there.
Do you have what it takes?

If you really think that pills, powders and drink mixes are going to build your body for you, you’re in for a huge disappointment! It continues to amaze me how much value and emphasis the majority of trainees place on “the latest breakthrough pill”.
Everyone is always asking me…
“What’s the best creatine out there?”
“How much weight can I gain from this whey protein supplement?”
“I have $200 a month to spend on supplements… what should I buy?”
Stop the madness!
A supplement is just that… a supplement.
It is there to supplement your diet by filling in the missing gaps and by providing you with greater amounts of specific nutrients that will slightly speed up your progress. Supplements are NOT there to do the work for you and will only play a small role in your overall success in the gym.
Stop falling for the multi-million dollar ads that talk about the latest “revolutionary discovery” that will allow you to build 25 pounds of muscle while you lie on the couch.
As advanced as we’ve become as a society, the basic rules of hard work and dedication still apply. If you want to change your physique, then hard training in the gym and a consistent diet plan is the only true way to get there.

Now, this doesn’t mean that I’m AGAINST the use of supplements; I’m merely against the over-use and over-emphasis of supplements. There are a few good, solid, effective products out there that I do recommend, but only as a small part of your overall approach.
My 5 “recommended” supplements include…
1) Protein supplements (whey protein, meal replacements, weight gainers and the occasional protein bar) 2) Creatine 3) Glutamine 4) Multivitamins 5) Essential Fatty Acids I’m not going to talk about all of the specific benefits of each product in this report, but if you’re looking to accelerate your progress in the gym and achieve the best results possible, then those are the only 5 products that I would truly recommend.
I’m a big believer in the basics, and the plain fact is that most trainees are way more concerned with their supplement programs than they really need to be. It’s only natural, I mean, who wouldn’t want to pound back a couple of “orange-flavoured creatine cocktails” and watch their biceps explode through their sleeves?
Unfortunately it just doesn’t work this way. If something sounds too good to be true, then it usually is.
Hard training and a consistent diet is your only ticket to long-term success!

This is one of the most common and most deadly mistakes that almost all beginners run into. They naturally assume that the more overall work they perform in the gym, the greater their results will be.
Heck, when I was a beginner myself I thought the same thing.
Who can blame us for thinking that?
In almost all aspects of life this basic logic holds true. If you want to perform well on a school test, you need to maximize your studying time. If you want to improve your skills in a specific sport, you need to practice as much as possible.
When it comes to training for muscular size and strength, you can take this basic logic and toss it right out the window, down the street and around the corner!
The key thing to realize is that your muscles will NOT grow larger and stronger if they are stressed beyond the point of recovery. Remember, training with weights is merely an activity that sets the wheels in motion; it “sparks” the muscle growth process and “tells” your body to start building new muscle tissue… But the actual growth process takes place away from the gym while you’re eating and resting.
If you disturb the recovery process, your muscles cannot rebuild themselves.
Overtraining is your number one enemy! Your goal in the gym is to perform the minimum amount of work necessary in order to yield an adaptive response from the body, and not a THING more.
You can avoid overtraining in the following ways…

1) Limit the number of sets that you perform during each workout – You should perform a total of 5-7 sets for large muscle groups (chest, back and thighs) and 2-4 total sets for small muscle groups (shoulders, biceps, triceps, calves and abs). And remember, this is total sets per WORKOUT, not per exercise.
 2) Limit the amount of time spent in the gym – Each workout should not last for any more than 1 hour. This time frame comes into play beginning with your first muscle-building set and ends with your final muscle-building set.
3) Limit your training frequency for each muscle group – Each specific muscle group should only be directly stimulated once per week in order to allow for full recovery time. If you’ve been following the “more is better” mentality then you may find it hard to let go of, but believe me, as long as you train hard, you do NOT need to train often or with very many sets and exercises.
In fact, performing too much work in the gym may actually cause your muscles to become smaller and weaker.

If you think that building muscle is going to be a walk in the park and that you can simply enter the gym, “go through the motions” and then go home, you are sadly mistaken.
The reality is that if you want to experience any appreciable gains in muscle size and strength, you’re going to have to be prepared to train hard. This is one of the key factors separating those who make modest gains from those who make outstanding gains.
Most people just plain don’t train hard enough!
As soon as the exercise starts to get difficult their spotter jumps in and begins needlessly assisting them, or they simply put the weight down altogether.
BIG mistake!
The gym is a war zone, and if you want to be victorious, you must be willing to endure the battle.
Intense weightlifting is perceived as a threat to your survival, and the body responds to this by increasing the size and strength of the muscles to battle against the threat. Therefore, in order to see the most dramatic response in size and strength, you must push your body as hard as you safely can.
This can be achieved by performing all sets in the gym to the point of concentric muscular failure…
Concentric Muscular Failure: The point at which no further positive repetitions can be performed using proper form despite your greatest efforts.

This is very challenging and will require a lot of mental toughness on your part. I’m not going to sit here and feed you a pack of lies by saying that training for muscle size is an easy task. It’s not!
Some argue that training to failure is not necessary in order for muscle growth to occur, and the truth is that they are absolutely correct.
You could never train to failure and over time you would still see gains in muscle mass and strength. The only true requirement for muscle growth to occur is progression.
However, (and that’s a big however) if you’re like 99% of the population, then you want to experience those gains as quickly and efficiently as you possibly can. While training to failure isn’t necessary for growth to occur, it IS necessary if you want maximum growth to occur in the shortest period of time possible.

This muscle-building technique should form the underlying basis for your entire workout plan. When it comes to structuring a proper approach in the gym, this is the most important overall factor, bar none.
Everyone is so obsessed with all of the specific principles in the gym (such as exercise selection, rep ranges, which days to spend in the gym, how many sets to perform etc.) that they fail to see the big picture.
Regardless of what type of approach you are taking in the gym, the underlying factor for success is progression.
Our bodies build muscle because of an adaptive response to the environment. When you go to the gym, you break down your muscle fibers by training with weights. Your body senses this as a potential threat to its survival and will react accordingly by rebuilding the damaged fibers larger and stronger in order to protect against any possible future threat.
Therefore, in order to make continual gains in muscle size and strength, you must focus on progressing in the gym from week to week in order to consistently increase the stress level.
Progression can take 2 main forms:
a) Increasing the amount of weight lifted on a specific exercise
. b) Increasing the number of reps performed with a given weight on a given exercise.
If you’re able to improve on at least one of the above factors each week in the gym, your body will be given continual incentive to grow larger and stronger.

If you neglect these factors and enter the gym without a concrete plan in mind, you’ll be ignoring the very foundation of the entire muscle growth process, and your gains will surely stagnate.
Your goal is to always be getting better from week to week!
In order to keep track of your progress and to make sure that you’re seeing continued improvement, I’d highly suggest making use of a workout logbook.
You should write down the date, the muscles you’re training, all of the exercises that you performed, the weight that you lifted and the number of reps you were able to execute.
The next time you enter the gym, sit down for a minute before your workout and review those numbers. Your goal is to now improve upon all of those figures by either using slightly more weight or performing an additional rep or two.

Water is an absolutely critical component to the muscle-building process and to overall body health in general. Failing to keep yourself properly hydrated throughout the day will have a negative impact on literally every single process within your entire body!
Most people know that they should be drinking "plenty" of water every day, but how many actually do?
If you really paid close attention to your water intake you'd probably be surprised at how little you actually consume.
What makes proper water intake so amazingly important?
Well for starters, it’s the most abundant element in your body. It is ranked only 2nd to oxygen as being essential to life.
Your body can survive for weeks without food, but without water you'd be dead in just a few days.
Roughly 80% of your body is made up of water; the brain is 85% water and lean muscle tissue is 70% water.
Research has shown that being even slightly dehydrated can decrease strength and physical performance significantly. In fact, merely a 3-4% drop in your body's water levels will lead to a 10-20% decrease in muscle contractions.

Not only will water increase your strength, but it also plays a large role in preventing injuries in the gym. Highly intensive training over a long period of time can put unwanted stress on your joints and connective tissue, and water helps to fight against this stress by lubricating the joints and forming a protective "cushion" around them.
So, just how much water is enough?
To find out how many ounces of water you should be consuming every day, multiply your bodyweight by 0.6. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be consuming around 90 ounces of water every day.
150 x 0.6 = 90
I know it sounds like a lot, but if you plan your day out properly it shouldn't be a problem. Keep a water bottle with you at all times and sip from it periodically. Keep water in the places where you spend most of your time: in your car, at work, on your nightstand etc.
Another good method to ensure that you drink enough water is to pre-fill a few 16 ounce bottles at the beginning of the day. This way you can have a visual representation of where your water consumption is at any point in the day.
For the first few days you'll probably find yourself running to the bathroom quite frequently, but your body will soon adapt to the increased water volume and this will no longer be a problem.

We’ve just established that in order to build muscle, you’ll need to always ensure that your caloric intake exceeds your caloric expenditure. That’s all fine and dandy, but it really only tells us half of the story.
Sit down and feast on big macs, ice cream cones and potato chips and your caloric intake would easily exceed your caloric expenditure… but do you think this would be an intelligent approach to building muscle?
Of course not. You need to realize this…
All calories are NOT created equally!
The raw number of calories that you consume determines whether you’ll lose weight, maintain your weight or gain weight… but it is the type of calories that will determine what kind of bodyweight is lost or gained (lean muscle mass, fat, water etc.)
Your obvious goal is to build lean muscle mass while keeping body fat gains at a minimum, and therefore you’ll need to focus on consuming the right types of calories from the proper food sources.
The 3 main food groups that you should be concerned with are…
1) High Quality Protein – Protein builds and repairs muscle tissue and is the most important nutrient for those trying to increase their lean mass. Stick to high quality, easily absorbed sources such as lean red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, skim milk, cottage cheese, peanuts/natural peanut butter and whey.

2) High Fiber, Low Glycemic Carbohydrates – Carbohydrates aid in the absorption of protein, provide your muscles and brain with energy throughout the day and also help to maintain an optimal hormonal environment within the body.
Stick to slow-release, low-glycemic sources that will provide you with a steady stream of sugars throughout the day such as oatmeal, yams, certain fruits, brown rice and whole wheat products. 3) Healthy, Unsaturated Fats – Not all fats will make you fat, and essential fatty acids fit that profile. EFA’s are highly beneficial to the muscle growth process by increasing testosterone levels, improving the metabolism and volumizing the muscle cells. Some good sources of EFA’s include fatty fish, nuts, seeds, avocados and liquids like flaxseed and olive oil. These 3 food groups should make up the bulk of your diet, and should be spread out over the course of about 5-7 small meals daily. It may seem like a lot of work at first, but over time you’ll get used to it.