Quick thing: before I get to the article, I just wanted to give you a quick heads up that TODAY is your last chance to pick up a copy of Jason Maxwell's "Decembulk" program that does EXACTLY what I'm talking about here...using holiday eating to build muscle.

His training approach is right on target...it's very similar to how I would plan it myself in a program designed with this goal in mind (adding mass without cutting into family time over the holidays).

Check it out here.

---

You know you're going to do it.

You know you WANT to do it. It's what makes the holidays the holidays. What is it?

Eating piles of holiday food.

So this article is not about how to minimize holiday weight gain. That topic is no fun at all...

What I'm talking about here is how to use your increased holiday eating to your ADVANTAGE in your training. It's very easy to take the joy out of the holidays by restricting yourself too much.

I propose something different. Rather than forcing yourself to eat plain potatoes and dry turkey when your whole family is sitting down to a big holiday dinner, join in. I'm going to tell you how to make it work for you, not against you.

#1 - Don't worry about it

If you're the type who feels guilty when you eat foods that aren't the greatest for you, set that aside. This is going to be a positive, guilt-free experience.

#2 - Reduce your calories BEFORE your big meals

By reducing your caloric intake before the big meals, it's much more likely that your body will use those excess calories to rebuild depleted stores rather than add to the ones that are already there. Intermittent fasting is a good option here...i.e. making room.

#3 - Do a hard, heavy workout before mealtime

Immediately after a hard workout, your body is desperate for raw materials to rebuild with. This effect lasts for about 3 to 4 hours. During this time, your body is primed for muscle growth. By doing your workout just before a big holiday dinner, all that food is going to go towards helping your body rebuild and recover from the workout. Very little, if any, of the excess calories you eat will be stored as fat under these conditions.

#4 - Try to focus on foods with some nutritional value

Feel free to load your plate with turkey and mashed potatoes. These foods have a great deal of nutritional value to a trainer. Don't hold back on them.

#5 - Increase your training volume

What this basically means is do more sets for each muscle group. You may have to decrease your rest periods or perhaps increase the number of training sessions you do in order to increase the volume but doing more sets (at least temporarily) will give your metabolism a kick-start. It will be especially effective if you're doing a fairly low volume training program before switching. Your body will be desperate for food to rebuild with and a big holiday meal is just what the doctor ordered.

#6 - Schedule another heavy workout for the day after a big holiday meal

After loading yourself up with carbs, fat and protein, your body is a nutrient-filled growth machine. Take advantage of your loading by doing another high-volume, heavy workout the day after.

#7 - Take all the leftovers people are willing to give you

Stick to the more nutritious foods when you do this, such as meat, potatoes and vegetables. It beats cooking big meals for yourself for the next three days.

#8 - If you bring home desserts, save them for post-workout meals

Like I mentioned before, your body is primed for growth after a workout. Most desserts are filled with sugar. After a workout, your body will suck up this sugar just like any other carb and not store it as fat.

#9 - Eat your protein first

There's going to plenty of high-carb foods flying around...don't hold back on those. Just make sure you prioritize the protein, THEN knock yourself out with the mashed potatoes.

---

Bottom line, this is the time to take advantage of all the great food and big meals you're going to eat this time of year.

And if you'd like to use a program specifically DESIGNED for this purpose, I highly recommend Jason Maxwell's "Decembulk" program (today is the last day it's being offered).