Building More Muscle - Derek

Preparation for our contest is underway! My goal at this stage is simple : gain weight. As much muscle as possible of course, but I want to number on the scale to go up.

Routine wise, it was back to the total body heavy weight training. Being the creative person I am I tried to alter/improve on the previous routine and this is what I came up with.

There are 3 variables I employ with a weight gain routine such as this: Frequency, Volume, and Intensity.

• Frequency refers to how often you work a muscle group in a given week
• Volume refers to how many sets and reps you do for a muscle group per workout
• Intensity, in this case, refers to how much weight you use relative to the maximum amount of weight you are capable of using.

When training to gain weight, I increase the frequency of my training to nearly everyday for most muscle groups, and I follow a High intensity program (low volume and as much weight as possible). I increased the volume slightly for this routine compared to my last total body one

which improved my results, and caused problems I will mention below.

Traditional High Intensity programs follow low volume AND low frequency, but I have found my method to work very well for me. I also make the adjustment of training total body every workout rather than separating muscle groups because the more muscle you stimulate in a single workout, the greater your Growth Hormone and Testosterone release will be. (These are natural steroids your body makes in response to training).

WARNING: While this training has worked very well for me,

mixing High Intensity training with high frequency is a recipe for injury. The reason volume and frequency are normally kept low is to allow not only your muscles but your joints enough time to fully heal. I tend to recover quickly so I push the limit on these variables, and by the fifth week on this program tendinitis began to plague me in several joints.

The Lesson Here: If you want to gain muscle, a program like the one I've listed may work wonders for you. Just be careful and pay very close attention to your form and how your body feels. If anything hurts, back off. I would not recommend following a program like this for any more than 4 weeks at a time.

P.S. Eat your Beans & Greens!

Yellow Quinoa Dal + Teff Flatbread ("Roti") - Marcella

I love Indian food. Most of what you can get at restaurants is greasy or full of butter or cream, unfortunately. Not ALL Indian food is full of dairy - like other "ethnic" foods available in the U.S. what's available in the restaurants is what sells and American people love creamy and fatty food. These recipes are a little involved but make a lot of food.



Yellow Split Pea & Quinoa Dal (makes lots)

• 1 tsp oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp black mustard seeds
• 2 Tbsp minced ginger (you can buy prepared in a jar)
• 1 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 Tbsp ground coriander
• 1.5 cups yellow split peas
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 Tbsp raw sugar (optional)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste - it makes a whole lot, hence a lot of salt
  
• cayenne (optional)

Heat up oil in a big soup pot and saute onion for a few minutes. Add mustard seeds, saute about 1 minute. Add other ingredients up to split peas and saute another minute.

Add split peas, quinoa, and 6 cups water to the pot and bring to a boil. Add carrots. Bring to a boil again, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour til the peas are soft, stirring about every 10 minutes.

Season with the sugar, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne before serving. This makes about 6-8 big servings. We had ours with some spicy pickled vegetables (so so salty so we can only have a tablespoons' worth) and mango chutney from the Indian grocery, and the pretty healthy flatbread recipe below for scooping.

Skillet Flatbread

• 1 cup teff flour usually in the "natural foods" baking section
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup plain soy yogurt ( Silk makes a large container of this)

In a big bowl, mix the flours, salt, and baking soda. Whisk the yogurt and water separately, then add to dry mix. It should have a heavy cream consistency - add more water if necessary. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.

Spray a nonstick skillet with some cooking oil spray and heat to high. I really like electric skillets for this - and for making the omelets in a previous post. They seem to heat more evenly and sticking isn't a problem. Anyway:

Use 1/2 cup measure to scoop up the batter and plop in the center, spreading it into about an 8 inch round by tilting and swirling the pan. Cover and reduce to med-low and cook 1-2 minutes. Uncover, flip, and cook the other side about 2 minutes. Repeat as necessary til fully cooked - it should be golden. You can keep them warm as you make the rest by putting them in a loose foil wrap in a warm oven.

To eat with dal or anything you like, tear into pieces and scoop up the food. They're delicious.