Intermediate:

1. Being or occurring at the middle place, stage, or degree or between extremes

2. One who has mastered the basics, but has yet to reach the full level of potential

3. One who is ready for more in depth training, still needing growth and refinement while refinement is the secondary concern

You’ve now mastered the five points from the probodybuilding.com training outline, your endurance and strength is up, you have gained lean muscle tissue, yet your gains and progress have begun to slow down or even stop. Your body fat may have increased slightly, but it is still in a very manageable place; you’re not overweight or “Fat” by any means, and again your gains have begun to slow dramatically. If this describes you, then you are ready for the probodybuilding.com “Intermediate Level” diet.

When comparing the beginner’s diet with the intermediate diet, the first things you’ll notice is the food is pretty much the same; it’s the amount of food that has changed. Protein will increase, you should be carrying more muscle mass; fats will increase a bit, but it will be the carbs that are the big difference. Your ratios of the 3 major nutrients will remain close to the same; in fact no matter how far you advance they should always remain close to the same.

There is no way to determine exactly if you are ready to follow this diet from our end at probodybuilding.com. You’re going to have to use your best judgment and if you’re really smart, the judgment from an approved probodybuilding.com trainer. It’s important to remember, everyone is different, and no one’s body has the exact same reaction to a certain diet. However, there are key principles that apply to everyone, nutrients do not change from person to person, a carb is a carb for you just as it is your training partner; but it’s the manner in which our body processes these nutrients that affect all of us differently. As everyone is different, there are key points to consider that can help you determine if you are in fact ready for the intermediate level diet.

Q: Have you gained a lot of excess body fat, are you gaining body fat rapidly on the beginner’s diet?

A: If so, this diet is not for you.

Q: Did you start the beginner’s diet at a relatively high body fat to begin with? By “High Body Fat” we are not necessarily talking about “fat” as it is described in every day society, but “Physique” fat. If so are you still “Physique” fat today?

A: If you are still over 15% body fat then this diet is not for you. Try to get yourself under 15%, let’s shoot for somewhere in the 12% range. If you continue on the beginner’s diet outline and continue to train hard and with consistency, then you will reach that goal. You may very well be chomping at the bit to move to the intermediate diet, but learn to be patient; it will pay off far greater for you in the long run.

Q: Are you relatively lean, have gains begun to slow down, are they becoming increasingly difficult?

A: If you are lean, 12% or under, if your progress has slowed down and the gains are becoming difficult, then this diet is for you.

*It’s that simple, if you can answer “NO” to the first two questions and “YES” to the last, and you have mastered the “5 Points” discussed in the beginner’s training outline, then you are in fact ready for the diet to follow.

***Note: This diet is designed assuming all things are perfect. Assuming that the individual who will use this diet is following all guidelines perfectly, is in perfect health, has had a positive genetic response to the beginner diet, and is not someone who suffers from some type of metabolism dysfunction. If the individual is someone who recently lost a lot of weight using the beginner diet from probodybuilding.com or any other diet, they should not jump immediately to this diet. They should hold their new weight for an extended amount of time; 12 weeks minimum. Otherwise, if this person does not, he will indeed gain a massive amount of body fat very quickly

***Intermediate Meal Plan***

Meal 1: -4 egg whites or liquid equivalent -5 whole Omega-3 eggs -1 cup of oatmeal Or: -40 grams whey isolate powder -2 tbsp natural peanut butter -1 cup of oatmeal Or: -20 grams whey isolate powder -1 cup liquid egg whites -2tbsp natural peanut butter -1 cup of oatmeal	When time is a factor first thing in the morning, simply mix in a shaker bottle your 40g of whey, 1tbsp of PB and your oats. Shake and drink. It may sound unappealing but you’ll find it’s not that bad. Many will choose to simply drink their egg whites for convenience. Sounds gross but they have no taste. Use actual egg whites, not egg product. Another good time saving factor is the 3rd option. Mix it all together in a protein shaker; add in one packet of Splenda shake and drink. Option one is best and carries the most fat but healthy fats KCL: 706-741, PT: 49-59, Carb: 59-60, Fat: 22-30
Meal 2: -40 grams whey isolate powder mixed in water -2tbsp of natural peanut butter Or: -6oz filet or lean beef -green vegetables or green salad	Peanut butter mixes easily with your whey. You do not have to do this but doing so is fine. How you cook your steak makes no difference. Grilled, baked or pan cooked with Pam is great. Green vegetables should not have added ingredients such as cheese or butter. KCL: 426-430, PT: 45-48, Carb: 5-10, Fat: 20-25
Meal 3: -8oz chicken breast, turkey or fish -1 cup rice -2oz almonds or cashews -green vegetables Or: -8oz chicken breast, turkey or fish -2 sweet potato -2oz almonds or cashews -green vegetables	Baking, grilling or boiling your chicken is the easiest. Cook enough to last you several days as well as the rice. Sweet potatoes can be cooked quickly in the microwave. Just poke a few holes in the skin with a knife or fork Choose “Normal” size sweet potatoes or one very large one. Brown rice is healthier but white is fine KCL: 784-868, PT: 57-60, Carb: 55-65, Fat: 25-28
Meal 4: -Same as meal 1	Mix it up to help with variety KCL: 706-741, PT: 49-59, Carb: 59-60, Fat: 22-30
Meal 5: -Same as meal 3	You should never add sugar to your Oats, Splenda is fine KCL: 784-868, PT: 57-60, Carb: 55-65, Fat: 25-28
Meal6: -8 egg whites or liquid equivalent -2 whole Omega-3 eggs Or: - 6oz filet or lean beef Or: -40 grams whey isolate mixed in water -2tbsp natural peanut butter	Last meal of the day, it should be eaten not too far off before bedtime. Being hungry before you go to bed is never any fun. There are no carbs in this meal since you don’t need them. You’ve already trained, you’ve already had your post workout shake KCL: KCL: 450-480, PT: 40-45, Carb: 0-10, Fat: 10-20
***Post Workout Shake*** -20 grams of whey isolate -30-40 grams of a fast acting carb such as: -Waxy Maze -Dextrose Powder -Banana’s	Drink this immediately after training, within 15-20 minutes after you have cooled down. This meal is not your last meal of the day, which is still meal 6. Place the post workout shake in right after you train, whenever that is. Have your next meal approximately 45-60 minutes after your shake. KCL: 240-280, PT: 20, Carb: 30-40, Fat: 0-2

Daily Totals:

Calories (KCL): 4096-4408

Protein (PT): 317-347

Carb: 263-310

Fat: 124-163

*Note: Diet does not take into account carbs from green vegetables. This will take your carb total over the amount listed but don’t let this worry you at all. Good news is, although on paper it looks very low in carbs, you will have more then enough energy to train. Further, you will be eating a substantial amount of “Good” fat to fuel your training more then adequately.

***VERY IMPORTANT***

Our number one goal is QUALITY, NOT QUANTITY. Because of this, it is imperative that we stay within approximately 15lbs of our contest weight; this does not include water loss weight. If you are not a competitor, you should still follow this rule; you will look better and you will feel better.

*If at any time you begin moving beyond this point, you need to examine your diet. Use the advice given in this diet guide, examine your cardio schedule, and seek out the advice of an approved probodybuilding.com trainer.

***IF AT ANY TIME YOU NEED TO LOSE BODY FAT AND YOU BEGIN TO STAGNATE, YOU WILL NEED TO BEGIN MOVING YOUR CARB AND FAT SOURCES AROUND.

-At this point alternate each meal, in one meal have foods that give you carb sources, but take away the fats, in the next meal take away the carb sources and keep in the fats.

-You may need to begin cycling your carb intake. Not in the manner in which you might do if you were dieting hard for competition, you’ll need to experiment with this, you are strongly advised to seek out the advice of an approved probodybuilding.com trainer.

-When we speak of “Carb Cycling” in this case, simply cut the carbs down one day and then go back to the normal amount the next. At times it may be wise to keep the carbs cut back 2 days in a row, use sound judgment; this is the kind of thing that cannot be written out in detail since it would greatly vary from person to person.

*Your daily caloric intake should be split into 3 sections that are adequately planned for utilizing Proteins, Carbs and Fats to the fullest extent possible. Protein being the bulk of your calories but this does not mean the other 2 nutrients are not of equal importance. Protein will make up 50% of your daily intake, while carbs will be at approximately 30% and fats will make up approximately the remaining 20%. Now this only refers to your actual food intake. Fat intake will in actuality be slightly higher than this due to the supplements you take, which will be discussed further into the diet outline.

***Notes on diet***

· If you train first thing in the morning, do not do so before eating your first meal of the day

· There is a post workout shake in your diet at this point, however if you notice that you are gaining to accumulate too much fat, this is the first thing that should go. If this happens, drop the post workout shake and simply stick with the 6 meal plan.

· If you have had to cut the post workout shake but are still gaining too much fat, start reducing carbs by way of cutting back your oats and rice. Cut back to 1/2cup per serving if needed.

· Meal order is unimportant, specific meals should be eaten at certain times, as said in bullet points above, however, the specific layout of the meal plan is not set in stone…make it fit your routine as best as possible.

· Try alternating between the meals in red and blue each day as much as possible

· Try your best not to drink shakes back to back. Try to limit it to no more then two shake meals per day. This is not a must but will aid you a great deal. However it will not always be possible due to time constraints, and that’s fine.

· For the last meal of the day there are 3 meal choices, again mix and match

***Notes on Food Types***

1. Eggs: eggs are one of the best sources of protein you can take in. With all foods, no matter how much protein the food has, the body can only actually use and process a limited amount from each food. Eggs however rank higher than almost any food we can ingest and process almost the entire amount of protein from the food. Omega-3 eggs have even more benefit for the bodybuilder, as well as for general health overall. Omega-3 eggs have Omega-3 fats in them, a huge building block to a well tuned physique; as well as an added bonus in helping to control cholesterol. If you can’t find Omega-3 eggs, which should be very rare, regular eggs will work fine.

2. Whey Protein: There are a million brands and types of whey proteins on the market today and it can be a difficult task to know which one is best.

Choose a protein powder that is of isolate form, not concentrate. Isolate protein absorbs more efficiently then concentrate.

Choose a protein powder that is very low in sugar, close to no sugar or even no sugar is what you want.

Choose a protein powder that is not full of saturated fat.

Choose a protein powder that is not high in cholesterol.

Once you have narrowed your search down to meet the above requirements, choose the protein powder that taste the best.

3. Peanut Butter: use only natural peanut butter. Your peanut butters ingredient list should read, “Peanuts and salt” that’s it. It should have no added sugar. A jar of Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter will have 2 grams of sugar listed on the back label for one serving of 2tbsp.

4. Beef: your choices of beef should be filet minion, top round sirloin, lean ground beef (4%-*% fat) in that order.

5. Chicken: make chicken breast your primary source of chicken. High in protein, low in unhealthy fats, a perfect bodybuilding food.

6. Green Vegetables: Broccoli, asparagus, spinach and green beans should be your main source of vegetables. Other vegetables can be acceptable and can be good for you, but the before mentioned should be your primary source. Vegetables such as corn, white potatoes, and tomatoes should be held to a very minimal consumption…there is no benefit for these in your diet at this stage.

7. Fish: choose fish such as flounder or cod, Salmon is also a great choice in place of beef.

8. Turkey: choose the white meat

9. Rice: Brown or white is fine. If you put on body fat easily stick with Brown. Both are very similar, however, brown rice is lower on the glycemic index. (see definition for glycemic index)

10. Sweet Potatoes & Oatmeal: simply excellent sources for your carbs, perfect foods for aiding in putting on muscle in your diet.

***Measuring Food***

1. Meats: measured raw, NOT cooked

2. Rice: measured cooked, NOT raw

3. Oats: measured raw, NOT cooked

4. Nuts, peanut butter: simply measured in a cup or tablespoon

***Cheat Meals***

· For most, one cheat meal per week is acceptable and recommended

· For those that have extremely fast metabolisms, 1 small cheat food or treat is acceptable, but limit the entire meal to once per week. You should already know if you have a very, very fast metabolism.

***Foods to be Avoided***

1. Milk of any type: all milk contains massive amounts of sugar, regardless if Whole, Skim or in between, it contains the same amount of sugar

2. Processed foods: most processed foods contain large amounts of sugar and often lack the nutrients you need

3. Soda: any soda that is sugar free, i.e. Diet Coke is fine, if it is not diet or sugar free, then do not drink it.

4. Fast Food: this should be a no brainer. Fast foods are loaded with sugar, all the bad fats that simply make you fat. What’s even worse, is they are packed full of calories but many of these calories are the wrong types. Fast food is more often than not made up of so much sugar and saturated fat that the bulk of your calories in those meals come from those two physique building enemies

5. Excess Cheese: a little cheese here and there while is not going to be the end of the world, but there is not a lot of benefit from eating cheese if you’re following a proper diet; proper meaning, gaining lean muscle with as little fat as possible. Don’t go overboard, don’t do as some and cover everything you eat in cheese. The less you eat, the better you’ll do.

6. Excess Condiments: condiments are things that cause many bodybuilders to consume more calories per day then they should be. Many condiments are riddled with sugar and this is a major downfall to many diets. See list of “Acceptable Condiments.”

7. Bread: bread for many is one of the best or rather favorite things for many to eat. For a true hard gainer bread may have a place in a diet, in a real pinch at times it may be slightly necessary, but it should be avoided as much as possible. As a part of a regular diet, eating bread is one of the surest fire ways to add excess body fat.

8. Cereal: this has no place in a bodybuilder’s diet. Even the healthy cereals are in loaded with empty calories; in fact, the so called “healthy cereals” are often packed full of more empty calories and more sugar then the so called “Kiddy” cereals.

***Acceptable Condiments***

1. Mustard: calorie free, eat all you want

2. Vinegar: all you want

3. Any spice such as pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, etc.

4. Low carb Ketchup: Ketchup itself has not place in your diet, but a little low carb ketchup which has 1g of sugar per serving will be acceptable.

5. Low Carb Buffalo Sauce: this can be a great addition to your chicken, a low carb buffalo sauce should have no sugar added and only 1 carb per serving.

***Condiments or Additives to be Avoided***

1. Regular Ketchup

2. Barbeque Sauce

3. Regular Salad Dressings. See list of approved salad dressings

4. Creamers

5. Any sauce with sugar or abundant carbs. If the sauce has more than 1 gram of sugar, avoid it.

***Approved Salad Dressings***

1. Oil & Vinegar

2. Sugar free Italian, Balsamic or Greek

***Protein Bars***

*As a rule, protein bars and other so called bodybuilding snacks or meal replacements should be avoided as much as possible. Most of these items will have more sugar in them then a regular candy bar. True, they may indeed be packed full of protein but the sugar far outweighs the benefit.

-If you are bulking and if you find yourself in a jam and there is no other option, choose a protein bar that has the least amount of sugar. This should be a very limited occurrence, because if you are serious about your diet, you will plan out and make arrangements for to ensure you’re getting the proper foods.

***Hard Gainers***

-If you are in fact a true hard gainer, some adjustments may need to be made.

· The first change would be adding in an extra meal or two. Choose meals that are similar to the ones in the outline.

· Your next option would be adding in more carbs per serving, start by adding an extra ¼ cup of rice or oats to your meals that have these foods.

· The 3^rd and final option, after you have tried both of the other two methods, adding in more meals or adding extra carbs to all your meals, now it’s time to do both. Less then 5% of you will fall into this category.

· If you follow the above outline for 8 weeks and are still not gaining, continue to add in more meals and more carbs. At this stage there is no sample Hard Gainers diet, this diet should make anyone grow, it doesn’t matter who you are.

***The Diet Outline itself***

The above diet outline will help you make the progress you desire, however, be it as this is a guided plan, there are substitutions that are acceptable. When it comes to the meats and protein sources, what you have read above should be followed fairly closely. There are instances when other meats are acceptable, i.e. things like beef tenderloin can be great, but foods like this are never a staple.

-If you desire other carb sourced foods, and this is the big one where many people want change, always examine the glycemic index. You should make your choices from foods that are lower on the glycemic index. If you want to sub one carb source food that is on your diet outline with another, gauge the glycemic index to make your choices. See the discussion on “Glycemic Index” below.

-Fats, these will be harder to substitute then carbs. Fats are a very important aspect to the diet, but keep in mind that as great and as important as fats are, most of the best ones have been mentioned in the diet outline already. Foods loaded with saturated fat are not acceptable. Foods that have fats that lack the connecting piece of the puzzle when it comes to “healthy” fats are not acceptable.

***Glycemic Index***

The glycemic index (GI) measures the effects of carbohydrates on blood glucose levels. The faster the carb breaks down the faster it will release glucose into the bloodstream; the foods that do this the fastest are labeled high GI foods. The slower the release of glucose, the lower the food will rank on the GI.

-Foods that are lower on the GI will typically have higher health benefits such as keeping insulin levels under control, and preventing type-2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.

-Foods low on the GI will have a ranking of 55 or lower on the GI

-Foods that are Medium GI foods will have a ranking of 56-69 on the GI

-Foods that are High foods will have a ranking of 70-99 on the GI

-The ranking of 100 on the GI is pure sugar.

Below is a chart to show how some foods rank on the GI.

***Supplements***

*Omega-3 Fish Oil: 3000mg every day, split into 3 doses, taken with food

*Coral Calcium: 100mg-1500mg every day, taken with food

*Potassium: 99mg every day, taken with food

*Juice Plus+: 2 garden blend in the morning, 2 orchard blend at night, both taken with food

*Omega-3 Fish Oil: an unsaturated fatty acid essential for good health. -Benefits: reduce risk of coronary heart disease, increase blood circulation, therefore decreasing circulatory problems. -Reduce blood pressure -Reduce blood triglyceride levels therefore reducing heart attack risk -Reduce flair up of arthritis or its onset -Improve cholesterol levels -Stronger immune system -Works as an anti-inflammatory * Coral Calcium: a very important mineral for your overall health. -Keeps bones strong and healthy -Helps maintain good oral health (teeth) -Aides in muscular contraction -Deficiency can lead to blood clotting, rickets and osteoporosis

* Potassium: Important mineral for electrolyte balance in the body. Granted, the green vegetables you are eating in your diet provide potassium, as well as the Juice Plus+ that is strongly recommended, however, it is easy to fall below what your body adequately needs due to the hard training. Potassium deficiency coupled with hard training can often lead to some serious muscle cramping. -Maintain electrolyte balance -Decrease risk of hypertension * Juice Plus+: is whole food based nutrition, including juice powder concentrates from 17 different fruits, vegetables and grains. Each ingredient is specially selected to provide a broad range of nutritional benefits. As a physique athlete it is easy to not get as many of the nutrients you need from fruits and vegetables; Juice Plus+ will take care of this completely. - Juice Plus delivers key phytonutrients that are absorbed by the body - Reduces markers of oxidative stress. - Positively impacts several key indicators of cardiovascular wellness. - Helps support a healthy immune system and protect DNA. *Cannot be bought in stores: to order Juice Plus+ go to: https://www.juiceplus.com/nsa/pages/Home.soa?site=je86726

*You can take other supplements if you like, as but try to stay away from anything that has added sugar in it. A lot of supplements do, and as someone looking to build a great body, sugar is one of the number one enemies. That said, the supplements above, along with the diet you’ll be following is all you really need to get the job done. What’s more, you’ll be keeping your pocket book fuller if you spend less on supplements and rely on food as the bulk of your daily intake.

***When to Advance to a More Advanced Diet***

-It’s going to be an even harder task determining if you are truly ready to move from the intermediate diet then it was compared to moving from the beginner’s diet to the intermediate diet. The truth is, most who read these outlines will never be ready to move to the advanced diet. Most do not have the genetics; most will simply get very fat if they move to the advanced diet.

-There may be a time when you need to add in more food to this diet, you may find that you need more food then this diet provides but still less then the advanced diet. Still, most have and never will have any business moving to the advanced diet.

-If you do fall into the majority, if you are one of the ones who should not advance to the advanced diet, do not view it as a failing, you can only control how your body reacts to a certain extent. At this point your goal will be continually refining what you’ve already learned to make it fit even better for your body type.

-At this point there is a chance you spend part of the year seriously trying to gain muscle, which is what the above diet is for, you spend the other part of the year trying to lose the excess body fat and basically trying to “Rip Up.”Because of this, each time you diet, and then return to this diet once your fat loss dieting period ends, this diet will again help you gain muscle.

***-For those that have begun to struggle gaining muscle on this diet; you have followed all the procedures laid out to help remedy this, but they are no longer working. You are the few who are candidates for the advanced level diet. This does not mean you will be bigger or stronger then those who have to stay at the intermediate level diet; the intermediate level diet does not mean the individual himself is “Intermediate” it simply means you require more food to grow…that’s it.