We already talked about Park Bench Bodybuilding – a sustainable, time efficient, training plan for maximizing hypertrophy and general body composition. Now I want to follow that program up with a brief nutritional chapter to do the same.
Nutrition and training go hand in hand. You can't maximize your results without both.
First, we must find out what our total energy expenditure is.
To do this, technology free, we could simply multiply our bodyweight by 14. For example, a 200 pounder would do 200 x 14 = 2,800 calories. If you're an active person, multiply your weight by 15 to get your maintenance calories figured out.
However, a more accurate way would be to go get a body composition at a place that offers DEXA scans, and part of your results will include "total energy expenditure." This will be more accurate because it will account for your gender, fat mass, and muscle mass – all of which effect our individual energy expenditure.
Total energy expenditure is how many calories your body currently burns. This number is your "maintenance" calories. If you want to maintain your current body weight, eat at maintenance.
From there, decide if you want to maintain weight, gain weight, or lose weight.
Because this is a Park Bench plan, and not a Bus Bench plan, we are going to add or reduce weight in a slow, sustainable, manageable fashion. And we will likely maintain better results long term from taking this more conservative approach.
Rather than losing 30 pounds in 30 days by not eating every other day, we will simply reduce calories by 300 (from our maintenance/total energy expenditure) per day.
So our 200 pound example would aim for 2,500 calories per day instead of 2,800 calories.
If you want to bulk up, we will just do the reverse – add 300 calories to your total energy expenditure per day. So our 200 pound example would aim to eat 3,100 calories per day.
Now keep in mind, as you gain/lose weight, and as your gain muscle, your energy expenditure will change. So it might be a good idea to recalculate, or retest, your total energy expenditure every 3-6 months.
Next up, macros.
The most important aspects of nutrition are as follows:
1. Hit your calorie goal
2. Hit your protein goals
3. Be consistent
That's the big 3.
People get all bogged down about fats and carbs, as if there's some magic number of each that will unlock all your dreams for a godly physique.
But carbs and fats are role players. The above 3 are your "big 3," that the franchise broke the bank to compile in their attempts to bring their city a championship ring.
But role players still matter.
How many carbs and fats you eat comes down to personal preference.
You should aim for at least 20% of your daily nutrition to come from fats. If you eat eggs, animal protein, and dairy, you'll have absolutely zero trouble hitting this minimum percentage.
More than 20% is absolutely fine. I generally get around 30% of my daily nutrition from fat sources, which are mostly found as secondary macro sources from my protein selections.
Carbs are important for energy, brain function, and performance. They also keep you happy. But don't use this as an excuse to eat brownies, cookies, and fruit loops. Choose clean carbohydrate sources – the ones that would make your parents proud. Things like rice, potatoes, fruits, veggies, oats, and even some bread are all fine sources.
Carbohydrates are also how most of us will get our fiber. I'm not a registered dietician, so don't take this as medical advice, but, most dieticians I've heard of recommend aiming for about 30 grams of fiber per day. Fruits and oats seem to be effective here, but most whole grains are also good sources of carbohydrates and fiber.
So, sadly, I can't give you an exact amount of calories for how many carbs and fats you consume. Just aim to eat at least 20% of your calories from nutritional fat, and eat carbs as you prefer and to fill in the rest of the calories left after your fats and protein are added up.
However, I CAN give you specific guidance on protein intake.
Studies have consistently shown that for optimal body composition gains, we should eat 0.7 grams (or more) of protein per pound of body weight. For our non-American friends, I believe that comes out to about 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight.
More is not necessarily better or worse, though protein is highly satiating, so prioritizing a higher protein intake may help you feel less hungry, and, in turn, consume less calories.
Sometimes people will just go for the age-old 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day because the math is MUCH easier, assuming you know how much you weigh. Personally, I have always leaned towards a goal of 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, but I don't beat myself up if I'm shy, so long as I get 0.7 grams of protein or more per pound of body weight.
If I consume less protein than that – that is, less than the minimal optimal recommendation – then I physically beat myself to a pulp. Because there is no time, nor any excuses, for me to not be an optimal machine. You may have a more forgiving relationship with yourself than I do, in which case, I guess that's okay, too.
So, the big takeaways from Park Bench Nutrition:
1. Find your maintenance calories
2. Add or subtract 300 calories if you want to change your bodyweight
3. Hit that calorie goal consistently. It will take months to really reap the rewards, but slow progress prevents excess fat or the loss of muscle, and is mentally + physically more sustainable.
4. Eat 0.7 grams, or more, of protein per pound of body weight. Prioritize protein.
5. Get at least 20% of your daily nutrition from fats
6. Fill in the rest of your calories with carbohydrates
7. Eat like an adult. This means eat your vegetables, eat your fruit, and eat foods that are relatively "clean" and good for you. Eat mostly foods that wouldn't disgust your doctor.
8. Be consistent.
Here's a sample day of eating, consumed by yours truly:
Shortly after waking: 1-2 cups of fat free Greek yogurt
Breakfast: 4 whole eggs, honey, mixed vegetables
Snacks: fruit, more Greek yogurt (usually 2 more throughout the day) and protein shake (my protein shake has whey, milk, and 2 raw eggs).
Lunch: protein oatmeal, which consists of oats, whey protein powder, honey, peanut butter (if cutting I mix the peanut butter). Sometimes I'll have a couple tuna or deli sandwiches instead.
Dinner: rice or potatoes, ground turkey or beef, vegetables.
Dessert: fruit. If I've got more calories or it's a special occasion, I'll have a proper dessert.
Now keep in mind, this is not 365 days per year. There are days I go out to eat. There are days I order pizza delivery. There are days where I eat nothing at all. This is just my go-to guide for ME.
Obviously, if you have some specific dietary restrictions (vegan, vegetarian, lacto-ovo vegetarian, celiac disease, dairy allergy, etc) your daily menu will look MUCH different than mine.
There's millions of other factors concerning nutrition and I'm sure 1 trillion questions I've failed to answer. But this is not a nutrition encyclopedia. This is a Park Bench Nutrition segment, where I'm simply laying out simple, sustainable nutrition protocols. You can go confuse yourself with more contrarian information simply by logging on to Instagram or YouTube.
I don't care how many meals you eat. Just aim to hit the 8 summary points on a consistent basis, and track your progress.
The point of these "Park Bench Fitness" tips is to provide simple, easy solutions to maximize your body composition and adopt a lifelong fitness lifestyle.
Next up, I'll touch on "Park Bench Cardio."
Comments