Quote:
Originally Posted by Peg 
How do you maintain your bodyfat% and muscle mass? |
This man works with Jay Cutler.
Chris Aceto's Instruction Book for Bodybuilding Championship Bodybuilding
Page 194 section Staying Lean
I will summarise:
Muscle builds the metabolism, more muscle, more calories required.
Fat is dormant, the more fat you carry, the more difficult it becomes to lose fat and the harder it is to build muscle.
Muscle and fat act as a see-saw.
Both have receptors for insulin, insulin is a double edged sword.
It can store and divert the calories eaten towards both muscle and fat.
Lot of muscle, little fat, ratio of receptor sites for insulin are more favourable towards muscle.
When calories are consumed and insulin released, the calories will have a greater affinity for muscle.
Therefore the greater muscle mass you begin to carry, the greater likelihood that what you eat will be funneled towards building more muscle as long as body fat levels fall within the 12% range for men and 17% range for women.
This is sometimes referred to as 'repartioning'.
Once body fat levels are out of control, the repartioning effect to favour muscle building wanes, leaving the foods you eat more likely to begin to favour fat storage.
A person who is fat and eats a 700 calorie meal will release more insulin than the person who is lean and muscular. The fat person will more easily store fat.
This is the good news. It may take some effort to get to these body fat percentages, but once you are there, as long as you are sensible, easy to maintain.
However, don't become complacent as I did and think your body is then 'bomb-proof' cause it is not.
Healthy diet and training are a lifestyle, not just to a means to an end. It gets easier, but that doesn't mean you can stop.
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