Eric Babcock

Issued: 2014-12-11
 NUTRITION GUIDE

BEN PAKULSKI PRESENTS…

MI40-X
NUTRITION
GUIDE

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Eric Babcock SMQXQX3E

 NUTRITION GUIDE

LEGAL DISCLAIMER

The information presented in this work is by no way intended as medical advice or as a

substitute for medical counseling. The information should be used in conjunction with the
guidance and care of your physician. Consult your physician before beginning this program as
you would with any exercise and nutrition program. If you choose not to obtain the consent
of your physician and/or work with your physician throughout the duration of your time using
the recommendations in the program, you are agreeing to accept full responsibility for your
actions.

By continuing with the program you recognize that despite all precautions on the part of
Pakulski Fitness International, there are risks of injury or illness which can occur because of
your use of the aforementioned information and you expressly assume such risks and waive,
relinquish and release any claim which you may have against Pakulski Fitness International, or
its affiliates as a result of any future physical injury or illness incurred in connection with, or as
a result of, the use or misuse of the program.

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 NUTRITION GUIDE

WELCOME TO THE
MI40-X NUTRITION GUIDE
The MI40-X nutrition program is based around optimizing each of the six phases of the
MI40-X workout program.

Each phase is distinctly different and therefore may require some different manipulations of
nutrient timing to optimize both performance and growth. Its a good idea to dive into this
document and read it all. Perhaps a note pad and pen will be a good idea so you can start
planning the exact protocol for YOU.

This is an advanced nutrition program for people looking to take theirphysique to the next
level. This protocol was based on being a follow up to the Original MI40-Educational Workout
System. Some of the concepts in this document are complex.

For basics in nutrition and supplementation, please consult the original MI40 Nutrition
manual and supplement manual.

The MI40-X nutrition protocols are based on science and focus

on optimizing every little detail to maximize growth both in
the short term, and, unlike most mass protocols before it, in
the long-term as well. Telling someone to eat indiscriminate
amounts of carbs and sugar will certainly increase mass gain,
but without mindfulness of the timing and amounts of these
nutrients, long term mass gain will result in fat accumulation
and insulin resistance.

MI40-X achieves its goal by first and foremost ensuring that

nutrition around the workout is specific to the goal of the
workout. People often fail to recognize the drastic differences
in the body’s requirement for strength versus hypertrophy
workouts. This will all be spelled out in this document.

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 NUTRITION GUIDE

Whether that particular workout or phase of workouts is based on addressing strength, power,
or hypertrophy dictates exactly how you should be eating pre and post-workout, in many
cases for hours surrounding each session as well.

Basing any diet plan strictly on muscle gain, in the short term, can sometimes lead to
longer term setbacks given that these phases are typically high in carbohydrates which can
sometimes lead to a diminished effectiveness of carbohydrate usage.

If pure hypertrophy and growth are your goal, AND you regularly maintain sub-10% body-
fat male / 16% female (your abs remain defined year round with relative ease), then you’re
likely very highly responsive to insulin. This means you can likely handle a greater amount
of carbs on a regular basis without having to worry a great deal about insulin resistant fat
accumulation, at least in the short term. Be mindful of the fact that insulin resistance is a
cumulative thing that may occur after years of being able to “eat what you want”.

In “ectomorphs”, like the ones mentioned above, carbohydrate intake can and should be
higher when the main goal is muscle gain.

Carbohydrates have a muscle sparing effect and, when ingested on a regular basis, can aid
in the accumulation of new muscle tissue by inhibiting amino acid breakdown. The simple
way to understand it is that the liver carries a great deal of glycogen; if those glycogen stores
are low and you haven’t consumed any new nutrients, whether it be in the form of aminos
or carbs, the body will start to pull amino acids from muscle tissue for conversion into
useable energy in the form of glycogen. Depleting muscle amino acid stores is directly and
immediately correlated to muscle breakdown and tissue loss. No bueno!

Timing of carbohydrates can be seen as less important for people who walk around at
naturally low bodyfat levels. These people have a greater ability to maintain a high level of
insulin sensitivity while consuming regularly higher amounts of carbohydrates. This may be
your “IIFYM” crowd.

One of the main considerations with regard to timing of carbohydrate intake has to do with
optimizing workout performance, especially around strength and power type workouts.

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 NUTRITION GUIDE

These workouts require your body, as well as your mind, to be primed for maximum output.

Carbohydrate consumption directly effects the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain.

Serotonin has a relaxation or calming effect on the brain. Logic tells us that this isn’t optimal
for someone who goes to the gym intending to knock out some crazy heavy workouts and set
new PRs, however it’s never really beneficial for people trying to get fired-up prior to engaging
in the craziest hypertrophy workouts ever designed! Thus, although many people can get
away with it, avoiding high glycemic carbs is often a good idea pre-workout.

Please Note: Avoiding carbs pre-workout MAY be a good idea for some people, though keep
in mind that this can be largely individual from person to person. Don’t be afraid to try it for a
week or two and judge the results for yourself.

Remember, anything out of the ordinary will push you outside your comfort zone for the first
few days and some people may disregard this theory without giving it a good run. From my
experience, almost 90% of people improve their performance by removing carbs from their
pre-workout meal.

When do I eat carbs?

Basing most of your carbohydrate intake around (during and after) your workout has been
shown to maximize performance in people looking to really get the most out of their training.
Sure, there are scientific studies that suggest it doesn’t matter when you eat your nutrients,
but these are nearly all based on people who are sedentary or barely trained.

Highly trained individuals who want to excel are really forced to maximize nutrient timing and
utilization after training so they can get back in there the next day, or often sooner.

What if I’m fat?

The most common cause of obesity and excess fat accumulation is excessive carbohydrate
intake. For those people looking to build muscle, many suggest just switching to “clean” foods
while still eating a large amount. I’ll tell you from experience that this will not work. Someone
who is holding a large amount of fat will almost always need to use a relatively low carb
approach, at least for a short period of time, in order to reset their body’s ability to effectively
utilize carbohydrates or (“insulin sensitivity”).
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Carb Cycling
Carb and calorie cycling are already built into the MI40-X diet program nutrition protocols.
We cycle nutrients, carbs and calories based on the demand of the program at that moment
and that week. For any individuals looking to ensure they don’t accumulate additional fat,
additional carb cycling can be implemented for fat loss. While both the intensity and density
of the workouts in the program should (and will) facilitate rapid fat loss, some people aren’t
able to work hard enough to make that happen (despite their belief to the contrary). In these
cases, dropping carbs out of a meal or two on arm days or non-training days is the first place
to make an adjustment.

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 NUTRITION GUIDE

NUTRITION DETAILS
CARBS WITH BREAKFAST?
There are almost always no carbs with
breakfast in this program. This is for
multiple reasons. First thing in the
morning your body is running primarily
on fat for fuel, ingesting carbs stops
the breakdown of fat. So saving carbs
for later allows you to stay leaner while
packing on muscle. You will rarely see
carbs with breakfast in this program
for multiple reasons. First thing in the
morning your body is running primarily on
fat for fuel, and ingesting carbs stops the breakdown of fat.

Secondly a high fat, high protein breakfast has been shown to improve focus and mental
drive, both of which you will need over the next 40 days of training. If you’re always naturally
very lean and have a hard time gaining weight at all, eating some carbs for breakfast is
definitely not a bad idea, but as we know, this is likely to be a very small percentage of the
population. The rest of us are better suited to avoiding carbs for breakfast. Save carbs for later
in the day in order to stay leaner while still packing on muscle. This may seem atypical and
take some time to get used to, but once the habit is created, it becomes second nature and
the benefits are out of this world.

If you want to know a little about the science of nutrient timing and why a low carb breakfast
is ideal, look at Dr Wilsons video and take a look at “metabolic flexibility”.

CARBS PRE WORKOUT?

Pre-workout carbs are varied in this program based on the goal of the training. The nervous
system uses carbs for fuel very well so you will see them in the power phase, but during phases
where we want a greater growth hormone response there will not be carbs pre workout as any
increase in insulin will blunt growth hormone release.
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Why Follow the Nutrition Plan?

The MI40-X nutrition program is broken-up to maximize the results of each phase of training.
The macronutrient spacing and total calories are adjusted for the training system and total
volume of training during each phase. Getting huge hypertrophy gains is not simply about
eating more, it’s about eating more of the right things at the right time. Anything else is just
added fat gain.

To briefly address the IIFYM crew and followers out there, as I (Ben) addressed in my youtube
video on the matter, it certainly works for some people depending on their goals. For people
looking to make the most of their time, and achieve great physiques, or at least great results
for their physique, it simply makes no sense.

There are two gender specific templates for each phase: one for those with a body fat
percentage equal to or less than 12% for males / 20% for females, plus one for those above
12% for males / 20% for females. To estimate your total calories and macros for each meal
enter your height, weight and age into the diet template that corresponds to your bodyfat
when starting each phase. Each phase has a macronutrient breakdown to match the training
system for that phase. You will enter your current stats into the appropriate calculator at the
start of each phase to get your new calorie and macronutrient breakdown.

Understand that body-fat % and metabolic calculations are a scientific estimate and can not
account for every variable in your body’s biology that makes you unique.

It is therefore important that you are able to adjust your program on your own if needed. Your
results should match your goals. If you’re not growing, eat more. You should be gaining solid
muscle with minimal fat gain. If overall mass is your goal, a little fat gain is fine. We can lose
that later. If you’re getting too fat too fast, back up on the calories.

Very lean people will likely need to increase their total calories, particularly if they are hard
gainers. The simple way to achieve this is to increase the bodyweight you enter into the
nutrition calculator. Try an increase of 5-10% in bodyweight to start. This will raise all the
macronutrients in the proper ratios for better muscle gain. I never suggest simply increasing
calories from ONE macronutrient group. A balance is always best.

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Conversely if you feel you are over-eating and gaining too much body-fat, try decreasing by
the weight you entered by 10% or decreasing carbs or fat content later in the day. Males who
are on the opposite side of the spectrum (18% b/f+) may find calories too high (this includes
females as women naturally carry larger amounts of bodyfat than men) therefore enter a
weight closer to lean body mass. Lean body mass = weight x (100% - your body fat %). So
for a person that is 250lbs and 20% bodyfat, would use 250 lbs x (100-20)= 200 lbs lean
mass.

You should give yourself 5-7 days on a set nutrition plan before evaluating and, if needed,
adjusting your calories using the above method. For Phase 6: Please note that most weight
gains will come the week after this phase, during the super-compensation period (i.e. Phase 7:
Post-MI40X completion).

How do I calculate body-fat%?

There are many ways to estimate your body-fat conveniently.

Here is a quick visual guide:

MEN’s Body-Fat Percentages

WOMEN’s Body-Fat Percentages

Calipers can be a very accurate method if used correctly (there are great calculation systems
available online but you will need your own calipers).

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Bio-impedance scales (another easily obtainable option) use an electrical signal to estimate
lean vs fat mass, but can be sensitive to hydration, and not accurate in over/under muscled
individuals. The commercial Tanita scales that some gyms have are more accurate than in
home scales.

Vegetables?
Non-starchy vegetables are considered free foods, you do not need to calculate how many
carbs or calories are in your broccoli. It is recommended that you consume 1-3 servings of non-
starchy vegetables with each solid food meal. Vegetables are great sources of minerals and
antioxidants which help you utilize carbohydrates and recover from intense training. Don’t
let veggie consumption be a limiting factor in your gains. If you have trouble eating them,
supplement with additional green drinks, but just realize that you’ll be missing out on the
fiber content by doing so. To compensate for this, try to add in plenty of other fiber-rich foods
(lentils are a great choice).

Phase 1 & 2 Loading (Replete) Days

Phase I & 2 have loading days at the end of the phase. Consider these as “FREE” days, in
which you can eat foods off the diet. For best results, most / all of these added calories
should come from increased carbohydrates:

-- On day 7 (end of phase 1)

Males: aim to take in 1000 calories more than on your training days
Females: 600 kcals extra

-- On day 14 (end of phase 2)

Males: take in 750 calories more than on your training days
Females: 450 kcals extra

-- On day 15
Males: consume 250 calories more than on training days
Females: 150 calories extra

Remember, you’re only as good as the carbs you USE, so increased carb intake is only
beneficial with increased uptake. See the supplement section below for suggestions to
increase utilization.
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Off Days Phases 3-5

On non-training days, if you are in the under 12% group divide the post workout meal into two
meals and take out the PWO shake. You can still eat the pre workout meal. If you are in the
13% and up group, skip all the workout nutrition and eat 2 extra anytime meals for that day.

Phase 7 Super-Compensation
After completing the overreaching phase 6, your body will be depleted, but primed for growth.
It is important that you fuel it with everything it needs to take full advantage of the hard work
you have done over the the last 40 days. The outline of the diet is essentially the same as
your de-load phase because we want recovery. Don’t be afraid to have a 1-2 free meals for the
next week during this phase but also make sure you are getting in plenty of quality protein,
still taking your supplements, eating veggies, and alkalizing. It’s harder to overeat during
super-compensation, but its easy to limit your results by not fueling your body with quality
nutrition as well.

What if I mess up?

There is no such thing as doing something wrong in this program, or any fitness endeavor.
This is not your job, this is your hobby and passion. If you happen to miss a meal, get sick,
have a cheat meal, or have a few drinks with friends, it’s not the end of the world. Get back
on track as soon as you can and you’ll still get incredible results. This program is designed for
OPTIMAL, but even if you were to do it right 60% of the time, it will be much better than any
other program you will come across.

NOTE: This document is based on advanced nutritional science and years of application.
The protocols set forth are based around concepts known to be effective when used
in a range of subjects. Please be sure to consult a physician before using any of the
protocols as these are suggested protocols based on experience and science, not on the
FDA guidelines. The product suggestions are companies known to be reputable and high
quality but are not the only option. Use what fits your goals and your budget.

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