How to Use Insulin to Build Muscle

1. Do a short carbohydrate depletion. Eliminate as many carbohydrates as possible during the day. Fiber, fruits and vegetables are fine, but no sugar or starches. The only exceptions to this rule are meals after a workout (protein shakes) and dinner. If you deprive yourself of carbohydrates, insulin sensitivity increases for a time. This will help you build more muscle. After a workout, have 50 to 100 g of carbohydrates and 30 to 60 g of protein within 2 hours. Sip on the shake, don't drink it all at once.

2. Do a 1- to 3-day carbohydrate depletion. This method uses a little longer carbohydrate depletion. It not only increases your insulin sensitivity for the next time you have carbs but also helps deplete your body of more stored sugar. For 1 to 3 days, eat as few carbs as possible, no more than 50 g per day (not including fiber). Keep your calories high, eating lots of protein, meat and dairy. After 1 to 3 days, finish off with a good workout to burn as much sugar as possible out of your body, then have a protein shake with 100 g of carbs. At this point, eat as many carbohydrates as you can during the next 24 hours. Also, keep your protein intake high for those 24 hours, but cut back on your fat intake.

3. Do a 1- to 2-week carbohydrate depletion. This is a little more extreme and more difficult to do. The same rules as above apply: 50 g of carbs per day (not including fiber). However, with this method you want to try to consume at least 2 g of protein for every pound of body weight. So, if you weigh 175 lb., you need to eat 350 g of protein ever day. This will help your body build muscle and will help you lean up too. Eat as much of your protein from food as possible; try to have no more than 1 protein shake, 2 at most, per day. Come off this 1- to 2-week diet the same way as above, but you can continue to consume extra carbohydrates for 2 to 3 days instead of just 1. Be careful, though. If you go too long on the high-carb diet, you will likely have a spillover effect and start storing some of it as fat. Two days is plenty, then go back on a moderate carb diet for 2 weeks before trying again.