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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Junk food won't build muscle

By Jon Cardozo

I'm sure you've heard it many times before: if you want to build muscle you must increase your calories. This is because the body needs to get materials to build muscle from your diet.

This simple formula is that you have to take in more calories than your body is currently using. If not, your body simply doesn't have the resources to add to your muscle mass.

However, if you want to gain muscle, that means you need to eat more calories than your body is using up in a day. Still, you can't simply eat whatever you want and expect to gain large amounts of muscle. There is a method to the madness.

I love fast food restaurants, especially McDonald's. But I have to be honest and state that this is not the healthiest food you could be eating. It depends on what exactly you eat why you're there, but for the most part fast food meals are pretty much junk food.

You have probably heard of the dangers of hydrogenated oils, or Trans fats. Well, these won't help you build muscle at all, and over time they actually increase your chances of heart disease. Sure, you can probably get away with a little bit, but you want to be careful. You want to be healthy and you're also trying to build muscle, so treat yourself like a world class athlete.

Sugar is another dangerous food for overall health and for muscle building. Why? Well, your body can only use so much at a time, and it can only store a small amount in the liver and the muscles. The third and most undesirable option is to convert the excess sugar into more body fat!

Because your body cannot store very much glucose, you will most likely end up with a nice chunk of extra body fat. This can make it a lot tougher to see those six packs.

You've probably heard that moderation is key, and it's unlikely that you will completely give up your favorite foods. However, try to focus on good foods like lean proteins and fruits and vegetables. Think of it as a bank account. The more deposits you make (or the more good food that you eat), the more likely is it you can get away with a withdrawal every once in awhile.

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