The Best Diet for Maximum Muscle Growth (ft. Dr. Eric Helms)

[@awreckingball]

1. Diet Sustainability: Choose a diet you can maintain long-term. 2. Energy Balance: Adjust calories for muscle gain or fat loss. 3. Weight Change Rates: Lose 0.5-1% body weight/week; gain 1-2% body weight/month (beginners) or 0.5-1% body weight/month (non-beginners). 4. Calorie Tracking: Track intake for 2-4 weeks; adjust calories for goals. 5. Macronutrients: 1.6g protein/kg body weight/day, 40-60g fat/day minimum, 3g carbs/kg body weight/day. 6. Diet Flexibility: Meet macronutrient minimums; adjust carbs/fats as needed. 7. Micronutrients/Fiber: Prioritize diverse, unprocessed foods; 20g fiber/day minimum. 8. Food Quality: Less processed foods aid in calorie control. 9. Meal Timing: Pre-workout carbs help performance; 3 protein meals/day suffice. 10. Protein Before Bed: Casein timing isn’t crucial; overall protein intake matters more.

[@Just2Ddude]

thank u boss

[@abhiishere1]

My man... Saved me 23 mins. On a run, will watch the video later for sure. Adding to watch later.

[@kaiserfakinaway5909]

Thanks for this buddy!!

[@kkqd0784]

This series with Eric is by far the best educational videos I have seen - thanks to you both, much appreciated and keep it going : - )

[@thefreedomproject4777]

The thing with eating carbs, is that I can never eat enough to feel satiated, when i am on a Keto/Carnivore i am full all the time and dont even need to track macros and calories to be in a caloric deficit.

[@biggreasygaming4898]

I feel this I've never done keto but If I have any carbs in the morning at all I m hungry all day . I can put down 3000 cals of clean food easy . All it takes is some oats or an orange with my eggs and it's all over .

[@BlackBullKnight]

Choccy milk

[@ticktockbam]

yes 😋

[@Maurdekye]

the sam sulek diet 😋

[@thatcoolrock1707]

Choccy milk

[@BlackBullKnight]

Chalk milk

[@TravisHowrish-v2c]

Enjoy your diabetes

[@gerym341]

Thank you for this extremely informative conversation

[@GadgetyMV]

Excellent coverage. A note on fat, I have salmon frequently; a 200g serving contains almost 37g of protein, supplying nearly 3g of leucine, 1.8g of creatine, 24g of fat, containing omega-3, of which 1g EPA, 2.6g DHA. Almonds are great, too. They contain not only 52% fat, but also 20g of protein per 100g, supplying 1.5g of leucine, and even more glutamine, and arginine. They also contain sleep inducing melatonin, and the outer skin contains powerful anti-oxidants. Great to take in the evening as a snack. Another alternative would be walnuts.

[@ZxAMobile]

Nice, all that mumbo jumbo typing and forgot to realize salmon is extremely high in heavy metals. Yeah, no thank you.

[@GadgetyMV]

@@ZxAMobile I share your concern. Used to take krill based supplements just because they were purified and filtered. This farmed salmon is tested and is far, far below any reference levels for heavy metals, dioxins, antibiotics or pesticides.

[@davorzdralo8000]

​@@ZxAMobilemate, 99% of the salmon these days comes from a farm, not the ocean 😂

[@ZxAMobile]

@@davorzdralo8000 wrong

[@davorzdralo8000]

@@ZxAMobile is that you, Donald?

[@carlosgael6292]

You already had my admiration. But that blue LeCreuset cup earned my respect, you are a man with taste

[@DumptruckFrye]

When I am cutting, tuna and berries are lifesavers.

[@morbidcorpse5954]

And Greek Yogurt

[@Antonio_Serdar]

I go with beef/rice and burgers, just no sweets and I lose weight

[@DumptruckFrye]

@@Antonio_Serdar Gonna get my bro card suspended, but I don't really dig beef. When I was cutting, I was getting something like 200P, 60F, 200C, mostly by eating chicken/tuna/yogurt/protein shakes as my protein sources, and making high protein low calorie ice cream every night to help me feel somewhat normal.

[@Antonio_Serdar]

@@DumptruckFrye Sounds good man, I hate fish so tuna is a no go for me

[@TheYangoable]

Man I love the vids with Milo and Eric together, keep up the great work.

[@jasonhynes1080]

As a long time fan of Dr Helms, discovering this series and your channel has been great. Thank you both for all the content. I would like to push back slightly on the idea that carbs pre-workout improve performance. Tim Noakes (2024) has a handful of studies looking at low carb high fat diets and athletic performance in low-fat (keto) adapted athletes. Their findings were that when the athlete was keto-adapted, it made no difference what they ate or whether they ate at all pre-workout. Anecdotally, it took me almost 6 mos of strict carnivore to fully see this adaption but I can confidently say after a year I was pound-for-pound the strongest I’d ever been, I made noticeable gains for the first time in the better part of a decade, and I’d never been so effortlessly lean. Though it was nearly impossible to gain weight so I’m back on carbs now during bulking phases.

[@davorzdralo8000]

Yeah, when you're fat adapted you're gonna perform poorly no matter what you eat pre workout.

[@emiliojoserangelgonzalez8542]

As always… beautiful crossover 🦾🫒

[@FitDadMD]

“You don’t have to go out of your Whey to consume Casein instead” 😂

[@heartcooksbrainn]

A video on different meals that hit or get close to these recommendations would be great! Especially meals that can be easily prepared without much effort, like in a pressure cooker, etc.

[@ZxAMobile]

There are no different meals, you either eat what I say or it’s not good.

[@enmorot]

Great stuff as always when Eric is on! Well done, both of you!

[@pneudmatic]

Great information but I especially like the cut aways emphasizing the key points. Great work.

[@Temetnosce77]

Excellent video, well put together. Thank you Dr

[@kimmoffat6429]

Outstanding video. Very clear and well presented. Bravo

[@Gus-Moose]

1.6 g protein per kg bodyweight. A number we heard quite often BUT what bodyfat levels are we talking about! Is it lean body mass or a more normal 12-15%? What about if someone that's 30+%?

[@davorzdralo8000]

That number is already so overblown that you're safe in any case.

[@der_Gurkenrick]

i would even go as far as 1.6g/KG of fat free / lean mass. Estimate your bf% and use a calculator.

[@Yupppi]

Strength and nutrition pyramid TM. Watching this at 1 am eating a snack, protein shake, dinner because I spent all night in my thoughts and studying. And having slept poorly lately. Helms saying you might sleep poorly for eating too late. I can be a case study for that.

[@robin5088]

11:02 Has he really said peanut butter? 😂😂

[@raven-19x]

Nicely presented video! 👍

[@johhh2356]

I only recently realized how much low testosterone can affect motivation and progress. I found some great tips in a book that really helped me get moving and start working on myself. The book is called ‘You Are Stronger Than You Think’ by Borlest, and it truly opened my eyes in many ways. I’m now on my journey to becoming a better version of myself thanks to it

[@davorzdralo8000]

Is that you, mister Borlest? 😅

[@NotBrye]

Best Diet Moderate/Low Calorie > High Protein + Fiber/Bulk Texture > Soft, Crispy, etc Flavors > sweet, salty, spicy, etc Basically a diet that fills in things that you're accustomed to have on a consistent basis.

[@12496k]

Ty!

[@JSmooove98]

Good stuff

[@johnsavage4786]

100% Carnivour never eat carbs. I eat beef and eggs and use fats as my energy source butter,ghee,tallow. To get cut up adjust fats down and protein up. Not used carbs for 10 years and in great shape and still gaining.

[@stevelegg9901]

🙄

[@SeckouDaWinner]

Wish you had your content on Apple podcast, would’ve been more convenient.

[@M1keDaly]

The research involving processed foods vs. non processed foods. I've read that labels on packaged foods are allowed to be up to 20% off. Do you think that could have contributed to the results?

[@douglasauruss]

13:28 built-in perfect 500 calorie surplus or deficit based on eating more processed vs less processed foods :)

[@kobemop]

I prefer a little more aggressive bulks (nothing crazy) because eventually you stall out on the weight gain anyway.

[@_george.g]

Surprised Helms is still stating pre-workout carbs increase performance despite his recent preprint that concluded that carb content in an isocaloric meal had no effect on performance. Did y'all discuss this? Any thoughts?

[@RhoMancer]

What are protein intake recommendations based on FFMI? Every time someone makes a recommendation on protein, they say it's more accurate to use FFMI, but that the one based on body weight is easier to use. Every time I try to google the recommendation based on FFMI, I can't find it

[@TheGreektrojan]

Use target/goal bodyweight. Easy to use and actually skews your protein slightly higher since most people underestimate how lean lean is. You need less protein on a bulk so using current weight is fine/target weight is insurance.

[@robin5088]

Any literature there showing benefits of more than 2g carbs/kg BW/d? I remember a video of Menno showing that 2g carbs/kg BW/d should already be sufficient, especially of you surround your workout with some carbs.

[@tntcheats]

TL;DW: chicken alfredo pizza for every meal, because it has a perfect complement of proteins, fats and carbs

[@andrewmoonbeam321]

With Lucky Charms on

[@ezrafriend]

I’m curious about eating before bed disrupting natural growth, hormone secretion

[@AwesomeSauceShow]

Why do I get a Gandalf and Frodo at the table, vibe?

[@khe8969]

does it matter when it comes to chicken beef or fish for protein? is it a myth that certain meats produce more muscles bc it has more nutrients?

[@saintpauli470]

I really like your content, but the clickbait thumbnails are getting out of hand.

[@竹-e9p]

Does 1.6kg/kg body weight protein intake hold for fat loss as well? Is there a benefit in muscle retention by taking more protein than 1.6?

[@davorzdralo8000]

No, 1.6 is already a massive overkill, there is no point going any higher. But there is also no need to avoid it if you like high protein foods.

[@WeighedWilson]

If 1gram of fat is 9 calories (kcal), 1 pound (454 grams) of fat would be 4086 calories, not 3500. 16.7% difference. Is the fat burning process inefficient to the point that we only get 3500 calories of energy from 4086 calories of fat?

[@jeremysommerfeldt101]

One pound of body fat is equal to 454 grams. Body fat tissue is about 87% fat, so one pound of body fat contains around 395 grams of pure fat

[@timmian85]

nothing wrong with going bald because the whey is stronger than advertised. Its just good value.

[@momomohrege260]

Hang on: the Meta-regression by Morten Shows that 1.6g/kg/day maximizes muscle growth,but then you say,that you have to set your protein intake with at least that same amount? Which is it?

[@oilers48]

Can you do plant based bodybuilding diet thank you

[@jarrongardiner3848]

So he's saying carbs before working out is basically a placebo effect lol

[@davorzdralo8000]

It's a placebo effect if you are full of energy. If you are low, you're gonna get fucked if you don't eat anything.

[@1922johnboy]

Nice❤😊

[@MyCronoz]

Dr Milo Wolf wasnt 0.5g/kg the minimum fat intake you needed? now it seems like theres other recommendations

[@richardmiddleton7770]

According to the studies, to build muscle, you need these three things and in this order of importance: The stimulus, protein, calories. Don't complicate it. KISS.

[@davorzdralo8000]

You need all of those, period. There is no order of importance, they are all necessary.

[@BTTREdits]

Where to get supplements with steroids inside? Makes things easier (asking for a friend).

[@Jacksonnnnnnnnnnnnn]

Roadkill & beer to wash it down. 69 sets of abs before work

[@kevinburke9940]

0:53 my life story. It’s a shame, I lost out on decades of progress. Oh, well.

[@ephraim1995]

3 g of carbs per kg of body weight is not much. Im eating 7g of carb per kg and still not gaining

[@TheGreektrojan]

Thats the 'minimum' to ensure you are fueling hypertrophy training. Most people won't be able to hit a surplus using these minimums, they exist just to make sure you have all your bases covered.

[@robertthompson5501]

How do EAA fit into the scheme of nutrition. Ref: Dr. Robert Wolfe. 🏊🏻🏋‍♂️🧨🦊

[@thebunz7]

Count your macros and done

[@Hunt4Hypertrophy]

This is f-ing weird…. I watched the training pyramid and nutrition pyramid over 10 years ago. Writing on a white board. Shout out the Mt Rushmore Eric Helms!

[@robertauclair2278]

Listen to these guys if you want to tain for decades and still be a dyel.

[@joshuahernandez9257]

Gaining muscle in a slight deficit with 18% body fat?

[@Camfilox]

I’m gaining muscle in a 500 calorie deficit and I’ve been training for less than 2 years, it all depends on how good your training is

[@joshuahernandez9257]

@@Camfilox shit bro send me your split how’s your volume ? 😭

[@TheGreektrojan]

Depends on your training and genetics. People can lose fat on a surplus under similar conditions. There isn't a formula to it, just a small deficit/surplus and push your training as hard as sustainable.

[@XAUCADTrader]

Can someone do a study on whether fat mass calories can be used to fuel hypertrophy? So us fat people can keep lifting while in deficit without feeling futility? (Well, I guess preservation is a value in of itself)

[@davorzdralo8000]

There are a million studies on this, it's called recomposition, and yes, you can. Every fat person who starts training will be gaining muscle while losing fat for quite a while.

[@XAUCADTrader]

@@davorzdralo8000 what about us fat people who are super strong and muscular but have been training for awhile =(

[@davorzdralo8000]

@@XAUCADTrader when I say for quite a while, I mean 2-3 years easily. Unless you are literally a strongman level of strong + fat, nothing to be concerned about. And if you are, then you should probably just cut down because you will have a tone of muscle underneath already. And yeah, you need to loft during a cut to preserve your existing muscle even if you don't gain new.

[@XAUCADTrader]

@@davorzdralo8000 I trained from 2003-2011 on 5x5, bench 360 lbs, deadlift 405 lbs, squat 375 lbs natural. Got injured, restarted in 2019, but COVID after, so I'm on a 2-year streak from 2022, at 250 lbs bench, and too crippled for the other lifts lol. Right now 215 lbs, 5'7 =/, 23-25% bodyfat. I've always had trouble losing fat, but gaining strength/muscle is easy. Also, muscle memory can disappear over time I found lol. Don't think I'll stop working out again unless injured, again...Cutting sucks though, going hypocaloric screws up your cognitive performance (I usually crunch precise numbers for a living). I'd rather be an ectomorphic type than an endo.

[@davorzdralo8000]

@@XAUCADTrader I'm a programmer, so I'm quite aware of how much even slight hunger fucks with my focus. That's why I don't really cut, I'm barely in a deficit, like 0-200 kcal on average. Not saying it's the best way, but it works for me, it keeps me functioning normally and still losing weight reliably.

[@TheHybrid350]

great

[@lukeharris2622]

✝️💪

[@DeePat-gd5so]

I have listened to both Eric and Milo in the past. Whenever Eric's take will disagree with Milo, Milo cuts away and gives his take. This is NOT how you interview someone. I value Eric's opinions much more than Milos. Milo ruined this interview with his cutaways

[@apocalypse487]

This was more of a documentary style. I would have preferred Eric answer these questions.

[@griffinz6493]

When do u think this happens in the video? genuinely asking. Every cut was milo explaining further in depth into what Eric was talking about previously, not disagreeing. he didn't interrupt him it was cut bcs that was the end of what the main point Eric was making. this shortens the video without cutting out meaningful info. Nowhere does milo disagree with Eric here, only explains concepts like protein per bodyweight that Eric didn't mention fully because he was talking generally and about alot of things. Both Eric and Milo are knowledgeable and respectable people, and if what you say is the case, Eric would have said something long ago in their relationship.

[@DeePat-gd5so]

@@griffinz6493 they have different methods on how to calculate the deficit. They have different recommendations on how to calculate protein targets. Milo is supposed to ask Eric questions. Thats how you conduct an interview. Eric, how should people calculate their deficit? Eric, how should people calculate their protein goal? You notice how Milo asked about goal fat and carb but not protein? Its because Eric is a lot more nuanced on this topic and Milo is more rigid. How do I know? Because I have watched Eric answer the protein question when, wait for it, the interviewer asked him.

[@griffinz6493]

@@DeePat-gd5so If Milo is genuinely, purposefully misrepresenting info that Eric stated to explain it his own way without acknowledging Eric's full points, then that is fair, I agree with you. I just don't know or believe Milo would do that purposefully, and Eric I assume would be part of the video process and would call Milo out on this if he did, as they are decent friends. And as far as I know, Eric shares the same protein calculation belief as Milo? They cite the same literature and both say 1.6+ grams protein/kg bw is optimal for muscle-protein synthesis, however, Eric is just more lenient with the notion that the average person shouldn't be obsessed with reaching it so much, because you can still build muscle regardless just less optimally. This style of video is more of a documentary/podcast rather than a proper interview which is fine because it wasn't titled as an Interview. I still personally see nothing wrong with the video, and I respect both men.

[@DeePat-gd5so]

@@griffinz6493 did you know that the study that Milo cites, Eric was part of the study? Eric was one of the investigators on the actual study. And Eric says 1) the study was not done on participants who were cutting 2) the 1.6 number was the average in a 95 percent confidence interval where the upper limit of the confidence interval was above 2grams of protein per kg per day. I am guessing you didnt know that very very important information. If Milo asked Eric and put Erics response (not Milos take on the study Eric worked on) you probably would have gotten this info. Eric recommends above 1.6 if you are cutting to retain muscle mass or recomping He also has a different recommendation if you are signficiantly overweight going with centimeters of height to calculate goal protein

[@gokukakarot1855]

For the algorithm

[@yoboiskinnyp9026]

Not Prime🙄21:40

[@krusade2158]

Eggs?

[@DarthNoshitam]

I actually clicked on this video to hear Eric talk about the topic, NOT to hear Milo talk about it with interspersed clips of Eric as citations...

[@Shyheimz]

Tissue?

[@Eris_Mourn]

Why are you watching Milo's channel then? I think you might need to go find a different channel

[@totallyraw1313]

Peanut butter is a good source of fat? Really?

[@seattlegrrlie]

Damn, this is exactly how I've been telling people for 15+ years. Set your protein, eat enough fat, cycle your carbs based on your energy budget. If you don't eat enough protein and fat, you'll just keep eating until you do

[@promo130]

Tren , dnp and clen😊

[@Flahtort]

Not big fan of new format where you comment on top of other person. Would rather listen them uninterrupted and then you in classical dialog form.

[@Antonio_Serdar]

Bro being shredded as a natural is NOT a good look, it looks super weak

[@mjordan5382]

You gain mass specificly by eating mass not calories at all because the definition of calories are heat

[@ernestivan6848]

I hate that I’m googling gram to kg conversion to lbs. Is it that hard to just say it in lbs too? Like, pls

[@pineapplethief4418]

Sorry about that, but the rest of the world uses normal metric system, especially in EU, especially in science. Keep googling

[@MaxIQ77]

Too many ads. Unwatchable.. Unsubscribed...

[@seattlegrrlie]

KZbin Premium, dude. I saw zero ads

[@connorsaxton2920]

2 views in 1 minute, bro fell off

[@ВладВлад-ц8о8д]

Antiwolf diet😂

[@TravisHowrish-v2c]

Why does Milo always sound like he has a plugged nose ? Dude got that Miley Cyrus voice.

[@huhwhatomg]

90% of this was complete garbage neither of you know anything about nutrition.

[@rickycarfan54]

why you guys like so much to repeat every single time that you are doctors?!? it really seems like you think you are some gods just because you have a phd 🤷‍♂️ is it really such a big deal? i would understand being a great, successfull and globally elogiated doctor.. but just achieving the title of doctor is not something you should brag so much!!!

[@jorgenb7608]

It´s a form of authority, yes, but it is a useful piece of information for the listener, sort of "you can trust these guys". They are researchers. The do have skills set to conduct research and to critically analyze all the emperical literature that is coming up in this domain. They are also able to convey all that information in a comprhensive and systematic manner with practical implications. Not many people can do that. However, most of it boils down that gym bros already know, (maybe 10-20% could be new knowldge that debunks old myths). Researchers simply lke models, frameworks, emperical data, etc. to systematically represent all that knowledge that already exists among practisioners.

[@danieloost1629]

I fully agree, its beyond pathetic. Throughout my life I have seen multiple cases where individuals would choose to leave out their credentials at all in their communication. No ego.

[@fps079]

It does mean that they have contribute original thought to a subject. It does matter,especially if taken seriously, as these folks seem to.

[@pineapplethief4418]

Never move to Germany

[@rickycarfan54]

@@pineapplethief4418why? 😄

[@JVCKPOT]

That balding hair thinning screams natty 😹

[@kobemop]

A considerable chunk of men are balding and Eric is like over 40 years old.

[@Nick-gg6tg]

You really just called peanut butter a good fat source.. you lost all credibility, period.