Protein
intake is absolutely crucial for building muscle
mass. It is what muscle tissue is made of. So
how can you possibly gain muscle by eating NO
protein?
To
help answer this question, we need to first look
at a training technique known as carbohydrate
or carb-loading. Carb-loading is used primarily
by endurance athletes to increase glycogen stores
in the muscles beyond what the body will normally
store. This increased fuel storage equals greater
endurance. This phenomenon is known as "supercompensation"
and it is very well documented.
The
basic technique for carb-loading involves first
eliminating carbs from the diet for several days
while continuing to train hard. Training is then
reduced and the athlete eats large amounts of
carbs, in effect "loading" the muscles
with glycogen (stored carbohydrates). Since the
body has been deprived of carbs, it reacts to
the extra carbs by greedily holding onto every
last one it can. This technique can result in
glycogen stores up to 1 1/2 times greater than
normal.
But
what does carb-loading have to do with eating
no protein and gaining muscle? Everything.
In
the context of supercompensation, imagine the
result if you were to remove protein from your
diet for a day. Just like with carb-loading, your
body will react by greedily holding onto every
last bit of protein it can. But here's the major
difference: when accompanied by appropriate training,
unlike with carb-loading where the extra carbs
are burnt for fuel, you can convince your body
to hang onto that extra protein permanently. How
does this happen? By using it to build muscle,
which is the primary storehouse of protein in
your body.
How To Do Zero Protein:
Note:
before I tell you exactly how to do it, please
keep in mind that I am not a medical doctor or
nutritionist. This information is for educational
purposes only and you should always consult your
physician before making any major changes to your
diet.
The technique consists of 3 phases: lead-up, protein
deprivation, and supercompensation. These phases
work synergistically to produce the conditions
for very quick muscle gain.
In
a nutshell, the lead-up phase consists of your
training and diet for the several days before
the protein deprivation day. The protein deprivation
day is simply a day without protein. The supercompensation
phase is the nutrition and training techniques
you will use to maximize the rebound off the protein
deprivation day.
I first
encountered this technique a number of years ago
in the writings of Leo Costa Jr. of Optimum Training
Systems. He originated this theory after noting
that farmers in Bulgaria would rotate protein
in and out of the diets of their livestock to
improve the amount and quality of the meat in
the animals. He applied this technique to humans
and weight training with amazing results!
Phase 1 - The Lead Up
There
are several ways you can go about leading up to
your protein deprivation day.
The
first way is to continue with your regular diet
and training right up until the day you do the
protein deprivation technique. Take it relatively
easy on your training - work hard but don't push
yourself. Take a full day (or two) off training
the day before you do the protein starvation day
to make sure you're fully rested.
The
second method involves temporarily restricting
your carb intake before the protein deprivation
day. (It is important to check with your doctor
before restricting carbs in your diet, especially
if you've never done it before.)
Basically,
during the 3 days leading up to your protein deprivation
day, you will keep your carb intake to around
30 to 50 grams per day (don't change anything
else in your diet, just reduce your carb intake).
Restricting
your carbs will deplete your body's glycogen stores,
forcing it to rely more on fat and protein for
energy. Remember the example I used in the beginning
of the article about carb- loading? In the supercompensation
phase, you will see how restricting then reloading
your carbs, when properly combined with protein
deprivation, can really shock your body into new
muscle growth.
Phase 2 - The Protein Deprivation
Day
This
is the day that will set up the supercompensation,
muscle-building phase. Essentially, you will be
eating only fruit today - nothing else. You will
be completely eliminating protein (and fat, incidentally)
from your diet. What are the results of this?
Your body uses up its protein stores and, just
like in carb-loading, this creates an urgent need
in your body to store the missing nutrient when
it gets it again.
Eat
as much fruit as you want on this day - apples,
oranges, strawberries, bananas, whatever. You
don't need to limit your intake at all. As long
as you keep eating fruit, your body will use up
its protein stores (known as the free amino acid
pool) and set up the supercompensation phase.
Also, eating only fruit for a day is very cleansing
to your body. You may even find this day helps
your digestive system function better.
As
far as training goes, you have several options:
1.
You can take a day off training. Depending on
how your body reacts to protein deprivation, you
may not feel like training at all. This is fine.
You'll still get the effect of the protein deprivation,
just not as strongly as if you were training.
2.
Do a normal workout. Train the way you regularly
train, treating the day as just another day in
your exercise routine. Working out will help to
increase the effect of the protein deprivation
day by creating an even more urgent need in your
body to hold onto protein.
3.
Break it down hard. To maximize the supercompensation
effect of the protein deprivation day, train for
maximum muscle breakdown. Use heavy, basic exercises
and really push yourself, e.g. use exercises such
as squats or deadlifts, bench press, bent-over
rows, shoulder presses, barbell curls and dips.
Training like this on a protein deprivation day
will send your body into a panic. It will really
be ready to suck up that protein!
Be very careful when training on the all-fruit
day for the first time. You may not have as much
strength as you normally would. Be sure to eat
a lot of fruit or drink fruit juice immediately
after you've completed your workout. It is also
important to drink a lot of water on this day
as your body will be flushing out a lot of toxic
byproducts from the system.
Phase 3 - Supercompensation
This
is the phase you've been waiting for. You've just
finished depriving your body of protein for an
entire day and it's ready to start sucking it
up.
The
first day is the most important day. Start your
day with a protein shake (if you have that available)
immediately upon waking. Every meal you eat today
should be very high protein. To maximize the effect
of the protein deprivation day, you should try
to eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of
bodyweight MINIMUM (i.e. if you weigh 200 pounds,
eat 200 grams of protein). If you can eat more,
do it.
Continue
eating very high protein meals for the next 3
to 5 days. Your body is in the process of reloading
with protein and you want to make sure you give
it as much as you possibly can (just like with
carb-loading). Your body will be supercompensating
for the protein deprivation day by grabbing and
holding onto a lot more of this protein than it
normally would.
Now
you must train to consolidate into muscle the
extra protein your body is holding on to. For
best results, you will need to train hard and
heavy. Utilize basic exercises such as squats,
deadlifts, bench presses, etc. for sets of 6 to
8 reps. Because of the protein deprivation and
supercompensation effect, your body will be looking
to hold onto a lot more protein, i.e. muscle mass,
than usual.
Now,
remember in Phase 1 where I described a restricted
carb version of the lead-in phase? Here's where
it really shows its power. Not only are you doing
a protein-load in the third phase, you will also
be doing a carb-load! What does that mean for
you? It means even greater muscle growth.
When
you eat carbs, your body secretes the hormone
insulin. Insulin is the body's major storage hormone.
It helps the body store carbs. It helps the body
store fat. But, most importantly for us, it also
helps the body store protein. By restricting carbs
for a few days, you sensitize your body to carbs
and insulin.
Here's
why this is important: you've just eliminated
protein from your diet for a day and your body
is ready to suck up every last bit of protein
it can. Now you can also flood it with carbs (and
insulin) which your body is now more sensitive
to because of your previous carb restriction.
The result: your muscles take up even more protein,
which means you can gain even more muscle very
quickly!
Conclusion:
It's
truly amazing what an incredible effect purposefully
restricting or removing a major nutrient such
as protein (or carbs) can do for muscle growth.
Your body is greedy. It doesn't like to be deprived.
By taking something away, you can fool your body
into holding onto a whole lot more of it when
you bring it back.
With
the techniques described in this article, you
can add pounds of new muscle to your body in a
very short period of time.
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