Why is it recommended that one should eat mostly protein & carb meals when on an androgen like Mag10? Does it have to do with maximizing muscle glycogen? Also, if I am trying to “bulk” (without taking Mag10 or worrying about fat gain) should I consume mostly P&C meals and keep fat to a minumum?
I know essential fatty acids are vital but I sometimes find myself not getting my daily doses of flax seed and fish oil due to the number protein and carb meals I consume. On cutting phases I substitute P&F meals for some P&C so I usually have no problem getting my flax and fish oil in.
I guess it comes down to, How important are fats during bulking. Should I substitute flax and fish oil for carbs or just add them in addition to a couple of carb meals. Any thoughts?
It is recommended that you eat more carbs on an androgen because androgens usually increase insulin sensitivity. Also, good fats(monos,fish oil,etc.) help maximize one’s natural testosterone. Fats will not help raise T above what a androngen will. Carbs also mean more insulin which means more growth(lean mass) if your insulin sensitivity is good. Hope this makes some sense.
If you can’t fit in all your fats in your P+F meals, then just up the fats in what P+F meals you have. At the minimum, you should be getting at least 2 P+F meals.
Gashman, go ahead and get your EFAs and your EPA/DHA, whether you’re on Mag-10 or not. Other than that, try to keep your fat as low as possible. Your EFAs don’t need to be spread out. They can be taken in, in one P+F meal. The rest of your meals should be P+C.
Why? P+C is more conducive to putting on slabs of muscle. The reason for keeping fat low is because carb intake should be high when on a PH. High carb intake results in high levels of insulin. Insulin will store everything in sight. Not a bad thing if it’s shoving glycogen into your muscles, but definitely not good if it’s shoving the fat you’ve eaten with your meals into adipose tissue.
I have went both routes while on Mag 10. The first time I upped the kcals and stuck with my regular breakdown of P+C and P+F meals. I made good gains in a 2 week cycle. Around 12lbs lbm, but I gained some BF also.
This last cycle I went with a diet that was as low on fat as possible, with exception of my fish oils, and high in carbs. Very high in carbs, 800g a day on training days. Anyhow, while the muscle gains were about exactly the same, I was able to keep the fat gains to a minimum.
My suggestion would be to take in your fish oils with your bed time meal. This is dependent on the time of your training of course. But the fats will help to slow the digestion of your bedtime meal to stop that night time catabolism.
Another option is to take them in the middle of the night. For myself while on a prohormone I premix a shake befor I go to bed and when I wake up to take a leak I slam it down. Have some caps ready to go down with it and you got your EFA’s right there.
Thanks for the replies. I usually train around 5PM so I’ll just take my fish or flax with my last meal before I go to sleep. I may try to do it in the middle of the night w/ a protein shake.
Do you think by increasing my overall intake of essential fatty acids that I’ll see an improvement in my body composition(increase in lean muscle or decrease in fat mass)? Any word on on Biotests EFA supplement?