Growing muscles? You need to eat.
The internet is full of information, isn’t it?
While it is full of a lot of information, sifting through the information is time consuming, confusing, and a pain in the ass.
When women come to me to grow their glutes (because I worked VERY hard on mine and it physically shows), they always ask me about food. They want to know how much they should or shouldn’t be eating. The challenge I face in this conversation is talking to women who have to lose fat but also want to build muscle. They often eat 1,200-1,500 calories per day, which isn’t even close to their maintenance calories needed. On top of that, they talk about having no appetite in the morning, MAYBE eating lunch in the afternoon, and then eating something at night. They get overwhelmed with what to eat at how much to eat.
So, I work hard to make it easier for these ladies to achieve their growth goals. This is how we have utilized the tools I have to help them with their growth.
#1 - We talk about the workouts
When we talk about the workouts, we discuss what we want to work on as well as how we will tailor the workouts for the month. This is extremely helpful because it isn’t us winging it each session, but strategically planning what we need to do, how much we can do, and how this work is appropriate/necessary for the growth that is needed.
#2 - We talk about protein
I know… it’s all over the damn internet how important protein is. However, research shows us the importance of protein consumption for muscle growth and satiety. When I have a client eating 50-70g of protein per day, knowing she will need more, we don’t throw in 100g more right away. Instead, we add 10-15g per week to the protein total we calculate. As long as we hit our protein and calories for the day, we can manipulate carbs and fats within that.
But first, we really do start with making sure we go from, for example, 60g of protein to 75g the next week. That’s easily hit with eating a yogurt for an afternoon snack! (I like easy, in case you didn’t know). Then, when we hit that everyday for at least a week, we add 10-15g more to that, which means a little more protein with breakfast/lunch/dinner. I recommend my clients add 5g more to each meal so it isn’t so daunting. We SLOWLY do this until we get to the desired daily protein goal and then we go from there.
#3 - We discuss stress and sleep
People suck at stress management and healthy sleep. If you know me, sleep has been a serious struggle for me. It has improved, but I continue to work on improving this area.
Our day to day consists of instant messaging, instant emailing, picking up the phones, running from place to place with little travel time in between, caring for others… the list goes on. Having some stress is healthy, but when we are constantly stressed, and then fueling that stress with constant stimulation and we don’t add down time, we do ourselves a disservice.
My clients and I talk about both things they like to do with screens and without screens. We talk about doing both things daily but prioritizing non-screen activities first. This seems to be a good way to reduce stress.
Utilizing the calendar is another way to get tasks done REALISTICALLY. We can’t fit everything into one day, but we can look at a week long calendar and see where to plug in and execute tasks or to do’s. This way, you don’t overbook yourself or stretch yourself too thin.
#4 - We come to an understanding there may be some weight gain due to lean muscle gain
Okay, when you want to GAIN MUSCLE, you can gain weight. It isn’t because you’re getting fatter… it is because you are actively working on muscle growth with eating in a CALORIC SURPLUS and LIFITNG HEAVY SHIT. If you want to lift heavy shit, you need to eat more calories.
This doesn’t mean you eat 1,000 more calories per day. It’s much less, about 200-300 calories more per day for a specific period of time. This will help with muscle growth. You can gain fat in the process, but not as much as you believe.
If your maintenance calories are 1,800 per day, I have a client aim for 2,000 to 2,100 per day. Just like adding protein, we add a little bit each day. This is as easy as eating 10g extra of protein each day for a total of 40 calories. We do this daily, and then the following week, we add 40-50 calories more.
#5 - We celebrate every win along the way.
I will celebrate EVERYTHING from the text, “I ate my afternoon snack and it helped me so much!” to “I drank another glass of water more than I’ve been drinking!” A win is a win, no matter the size. The small consistent wins will help you reach your goal faster than only aiming for the main goal. We need building block goals along the way to growth. If that means we celebrate adding 10 lb to our hip thrusts, you bet your ass we are celebrating. And if we actually hit our protein goals daily for five days straight, and that’s the longest streak so far, we are celebrating!!!
One thing you need to realize is this: WE DO NOT IMPLEMENT ALL OF THIS AT ONE TIME. We decide what is the best thing to focus on (which is usually working out) and after a little time, we add the next step. Then, after some time, we add another step. Then, after even more time, we add another step. We need to MASTER the steps before we try to do more and more and more. If we try to do it all at once, we will stop in four days.
Let’s avoid that entirely and take it a moment at a time.
If you are looking into one-on-one coaching, email me COACH and we will set up a consultation call to discuss yourself, your goals, and what I can do to help you. <3
— Ashley
9/1/24
