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The Muscle & Strength Pyramid - Nutrition
Long gone are the days of strict meal plans and cookie-cutter dietary approaches. We know too much as an industry to stand for these “one plan fits all” food prescriptions. This book will reveal a set of guidelines, principles, and theories to create a framework for athletes with muscle and strength in mind.
Nutritional prioritization in accordance to goals
The structured order of importance is what makes this book different. Yes, many things matter, but WHEN do they matter? This is the question answered throughout this text to keep you from wasting time and energy with your nutritional efforts.
Science-based calculations for any strength athlete
Whether the athlete aims to get in shape for the bodybuilding stage, cut pounds for a weight class, or ensure that their nutrition is adequately supporting their muscle gaining efforts, we’ve got it covered.
Dietary philosophies for long-term adherence and success
We don’t’ believe in quick fixes. We believe in lifestyle….The detailed mindsets, tools, and methods described in this book will help you find the appropriate balance between adherence, consistency, and flexibility within your nutrition plan to set you up for continued progress throughout your athletic career.
Nutritional prioritization in accordance to goals
The structured order of importance is what makes this book different. Yes, many things matter, but WHEN do they matter? This is the question answered throughout this text to keep you from wasting time and energy with your nutritional efforts.
Science-based calculations for any strength athlete
Whether the athlete aims to get in shape for the bodybuilding stage, cut pounds for a weight class, or ensure that their nutrition is adequately supporting their muscle gaining efforts, we’ve got it covered.
Dietary philosophies for long-term adherence and success
We don’t’ believe in quick fixes. We believe in lifestyle….The detailed mindsets, tools, and methods described in this book will help you find the appropriate balance between adherence, consistency, and flexibility within your nutrition plan to set you up for continued progress throughout your athletic career.
126 pages, ebook
First published January 5, 2019
89 people are currently reading
1676 people want to read
About the author
Eric Helms
6 books44 followersEric is a coach, athlete, author, and educator. A trainer since the early 2000’s, he’s worked in the US Air force, commercial gyms, private training studios, medical fitness and strength and conditioning facilities. As a part of 3DMJ he coaches drug free strength and physique competitors at all levels. Eric has competed since the mid 2000’s in natural bodybuilding, unequipped powerlifting and dabbled in Olympic lifting. He earned pro status as a natural bodybuilder with the PNBA in 2011 and competes with the IPF at international level events as an unequipped powerlifter.
Eric has published multiple peer reviewed articles in exercise science and nutrition journals and writes for commercial fitness publications. He’s taught undergraduate and graduate level nutrition and exercise science and speaks internationally at academic and commercial conferences for fitness, nutrition and strength and conditioning. He has a BS in fitness and wellness, an MS in exercise science, a second masters in sports nutrition, a PhD in strength and conditioning, and is a research fellow for AUT at the Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand.
Eric has published multiple peer reviewed articles in exercise science and nutrition journals and writes for commercial fitness publications. He’s taught undergraduate and graduate level nutrition and exercise science and speaks internationally at academic and commercial conferences for fitness, nutrition and strength and conditioning. He has a BS in fitness and wellness, an MS in exercise science, a second masters in sports nutrition, a PhD in strength and conditioning, and is a research fellow for AUT at the Sports Performance Research Institute New Zealand.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
January 7, 2017
Very well written and easy to understand, even if you don't have a lot of experience counting calories and macros. I wish I've read this book when I first started my fitness journey, as it would've saved me a lot of time.
The best thing about this book is that at the end of each chapter there's a small table summarizing the most important ideas and suggestions.
You may want to check out Eric's other book on the topic of training before reading the one about nutrition. Some of the terms are explained in greater detail in the other book and just briefly mentioned in this one.
Note that if you're just looking for general info on nutrition, this may not be the book for you. The information presented is geared towards specific body recomposition and fitness goals. So unless you're interested in strength training, you won't benefit a lot from learning about protein timing or setting up your macronutrient ratio.
However, if you're already lifting weights and looking to understand how to take care good care of your body, stay healthy and hit your goals in terms of aesthetics - I highly recommend reading this book.
The best thing about this book is that at the end of each chapter there's a small table summarizing the most important ideas and suggestions.
You may want to check out Eric's other book on the topic of training before reading the one about nutrition. Some of the terms are explained in greater detail in the other book and just briefly mentioned in this one.
Note that if you're just looking for general info on nutrition, this may not be the book for you. The information presented is geared towards specific body recomposition and fitness goals. So unless you're interested in strength training, you won't benefit a lot from learning about protein timing or setting up your macronutrient ratio.
However, if you're already lifting weights and looking to understand how to take care good care of your body, stay healthy and hit your goals in terms of aesthetics - I highly recommend reading this book.
October 25, 2024
Solo me ha llevado 4 meses y medio leérmelo jajaja… Es que lo he ido leyendo por temporadas, evidentemente.
Me ha gustado mucho, está muy bien escrito, se entiende todo perfectamente, tengas o no nociones del tema. Si te interesa el body building, es un must.
Me ha gustado mucho, está muy bien escrito, se entiende todo perfectamente, tengas o no nociones del tema. Si te interesa el body building, es un must.
May 30, 2017
The M&S Nutrition Pyramid is the perfect guide to help you achieve your body composition goals. It explains what concepts to focus on, from most to least important.
The Pyramid is five levels:
1. Energy balance
2. Macronutrients
3. Micronutrients
4. Nutrient Timing and Frequency
5. Supplementation
Each section explains the concept's role in nutrition and provides simple rules to implement. For optimal performance, an athlete should master each concept in order before moving on to the next.
The book is written extremely well. It's easy to read - using simple language to explain complex topics. It's succinct - having enough detail to understand but not too much as to overwhelm. Finally, it's logical - anticipating readers' questions and answering them.
The Pyramid is five levels:
1. Energy balance
2. Macronutrients
3. Micronutrients
4. Nutrient Timing and Frequency
5. Supplementation
Each section explains the concept's role in nutrition and provides simple rules to implement. For optimal performance, an athlete should master each concept in order before moving on to the next.
The book is written extremely well. It's easy to read - using simple language to explain complex topics. It's succinct - having enough detail to understand but not too much as to overwhelm. Finally, it's logical - anticipating readers' questions and answering them.
October 19, 2019
I had been lifting weights for almost a year and my progress stalled. I tried perfecting technique, using creatine and whatnot but the answer was in that book and the answer: eat right. 80% of the results comes from eating right and I completely disregarded it to my peril.
The book helped fixing that.
Using their top to bottom approach in terms of importance you will set a calorie budget, set your macros (carbs, fat, protein) goals for different needs (bulking or losing weight), know how much protein to eat before/after a workout and understand that supplements are far from being important.
Every statement is supported by scientific evidence but also easy to chew and understand.
I highly recommend to anyone in any sport, especially in weightlifting.
The book helped fixing that.
Using their top to bottom approach in terms of importance you will set a calorie budget, set your macros (carbs, fat, protein) goals for different needs (bulking or losing weight), know how much protein to eat before/after a workout and understand that supplements are far from being important.
Every statement is supported by scientific evidence but also easy to chew and understand.
I highly recommend to anyone in any sport, especially in weightlifting.
May 3, 2020
Un gran libro para tener de referencia a nivel personal y profesional. Grandes y contrastadas experiencias e información. Un top en la nutrición deportiva. Enhorabuena !
September 8, 2018
Short concise book, no bullshit, direct to the point and with great great great recommendations for any dieter that's looking to have long term results.
This is easily the top 3 books that Iv'e read in nutrition, ever. One thing that made me add additional points, as opposed to, for example Tom Venuto's "Burn the fat feed the muscle" is that, this book doesn't spend one entire chapter talking about the author's accomplishments and accolades, he starts right of the first page talking about nutrition, about the importance of each part of the pyramid he designed, then he starts talking about each part of the pyramid with examples so you can adjust the examples to your own and apply them on you. This value is insane, you are talking about a pro natural bodybuilder who coaches other natural bodybuilders and powerlifters, someone who has a PhD in exercise science and programming workouts for muscle mass, and he is creating a valuable book where he lays down his strategies for coaching other athletes. This might as well be his personal notebook to go and check for notes when deciding how to help an athlete what to change in his nutrition to keep improving.
Great book, but it's maybe not for complete beginners just looking to dive into learning how to eat correctly, if you have been lifting for 6 months or a year and you want to improve your body composition though and you have general notions of how to count macros and calories, dive right in.
This is easily the top 3 books that Iv'e read in nutrition, ever. One thing that made me add additional points, as opposed to, for example Tom Venuto's "Burn the fat feed the muscle" is that, this book doesn't spend one entire chapter talking about the author's accomplishments and accolades, he starts right of the first page talking about nutrition, about the importance of each part of the pyramid he designed, then he starts talking about each part of the pyramid with examples so you can adjust the examples to your own and apply them on you. This value is insane, you are talking about a pro natural bodybuilder who coaches other natural bodybuilders and powerlifters, someone who has a PhD in exercise science and programming workouts for muscle mass, and he is creating a valuable book where he lays down his strategies for coaching other athletes. This might as well be his personal notebook to go and check for notes when deciding how to help an athlete what to change in his nutrition to keep improving.
Great book, but it's maybe not for complete beginners just looking to dive into learning how to eat correctly, if you have been lifting for 6 months or a year and you want to improve your body composition though and you have general notions of how to count macros and calories, dive right in.
March 31, 2019
EDIT: This review is for the 2nd edition of the eBook released on 2019.
This is an excellent book with concise advice on the nutrition essentials for those looking to understand whats behind many fad diets and nutritional advice we commonly hear on the internet. The Pyramid abstraction is a great model to prioritize the knowledge and allow the reader to concentrate as much as they can before moving to the next layers by following the studies references in the book.
This is an excellent book with concise advice on the nutrition essentials for those looking to understand whats behind many fad diets and nutritional advice we commonly hear on the internet. The Pyramid abstraction is a great model to prioritize the knowledge and allow the reader to concentrate as much as they can before moving to the next layers by following the studies references in the book.
March 20, 2016
While a lot of the info was known to me already, some ideas I had established in my head were challenged. I appreciate how straight up it was written and that he didn't label certain ideas as objectively wrong. Most interesting to me was that he kind of supports the anabolic window, kind of.
September 23, 2020
Si quieres aprender la base de la Nutricion tanto de salud como de rendimiento, este es el libro
September 20, 2024
5 stars - absolute bible on the topic
As a newbie in nutrition, I've always had a lot of confusion about the multivariate landscape of nutrition. Calories are important, cholesterol is important, don't neglect your omega 3's, check your iron levels... All this info doesn't to answer the basic question of, "exactly what am I supposed to put in my body?" 2 years ago I joined a fitness Facebook group and asked candidly, "why are proteins important?"
Eric Helms succeeds in teaching both the novice and the expert at the same time, a very impressive feat. As a novice, here is what I got from reading the book (I skimmed through the last chapters as they were too advanced for me):
1. On tracking (weight, macros, ...): if you're the OCD type, tracking could cause more stress than benefits and it may be better not to track yourself at all! After all, if you are sensitive to your body, you will develop a feel to "know" what is right for you. However, tracking can be valuable to evaluate your baseline and make adjustments. You might consider tracking yourself for a 2 week period, get the information, then move on without further tracking.
2. Weight tracking allows you to evaluate if your diet is well balanced. Calorie surplus = weight gain, calorie deficit = weight loss. By knowing how many calories are stored per ounce of fat, you can calculate how to adjust your calorie intake accordingly. Your weight will fluctuate daily, therefore you should focus on weekly averages and see how these vary from week to week.
3. Calories is the baseline of nutrition. Before obsessing on macros, micros, supplements, get your calories right. Exactly "how" you reach your daily calories doesn't matter; however, you will quickly find out that dead calories (pure sugar candies, processed foods, ...) have less nutritional value than healthier produce. Also: forget about exclusion diets that take away your favorite foods; focus on an inclusion diet where you include more of the healthier foods in your daily intake. If you can balance them within your daily calories, the occasional candy or pizza are perfectly harmless.
4. Once you get a hang of your calories, macronutrients are the next step (carbs, fats, proteins). These macros are metabolized into calories, so every calorie you burn comes from one of these 3 sources. Proteins are essential building blocks and should be the foundation of your diet. Fats have essential metabolic functions too, make them ~25-35% of your daily calorie intake. Carbs are "pure energy" and should be calculated as the top layer of your diet: add them up to reach your daily calorie threshold.
5. Once your diet is balanced in macros, micronutrients are the next step (minerals & vitamins).
Additional fun facts:
* Don't obsess about fads like one meal per day or 5 micro-meals throughout your day. 3 meals a day is perfectly fine.
* How much water should you drink? If your urine has a yellow tint (from light yellow to dark brown), you're not drinking enough water. If your urine comes out clear, you're good.
* Fibres have zero nutritional or metabolic value but they help with cleaning your guts. Make sure to include some (mostly through vegetables) in your diet.
I will get back to this book for another study.
As a newbie in nutrition, I've always had a lot of confusion about the multivariate landscape of nutrition. Calories are important, cholesterol is important, don't neglect your omega 3's, check your iron levels... All this info doesn't to answer the basic question of, "exactly what am I supposed to put in my body?" 2 years ago I joined a fitness Facebook group and asked candidly, "why are proteins important?"
Eric Helms succeeds in teaching both the novice and the expert at the same time, a very impressive feat. As a novice, here is what I got from reading the book (I skimmed through the last chapters as they were too advanced for me):
1. On tracking (weight, macros, ...): if you're the OCD type, tracking could cause more stress than benefits and it may be better not to track yourself at all! After all, if you are sensitive to your body, you will develop a feel to "know" what is right for you. However, tracking can be valuable to evaluate your baseline and make adjustments. You might consider tracking yourself for a 2 week period, get the information, then move on without further tracking.
2. Weight tracking allows you to evaluate if your diet is well balanced. Calorie surplus = weight gain, calorie deficit = weight loss. By knowing how many calories are stored per ounce of fat, you can calculate how to adjust your calorie intake accordingly. Your weight will fluctuate daily, therefore you should focus on weekly averages and see how these vary from week to week.
3. Calories is the baseline of nutrition. Before obsessing on macros, micros, supplements, get your calories right. Exactly "how" you reach your daily calories doesn't matter; however, you will quickly find out that dead calories (pure sugar candies, processed foods, ...) have less nutritional value than healthier produce. Also: forget about exclusion diets that take away your favorite foods; focus on an inclusion diet where you include more of the healthier foods in your daily intake. If you can balance them within your daily calories, the occasional candy or pizza are perfectly harmless.
4. Once you get a hang of your calories, macronutrients are the next step (carbs, fats, proteins). These macros are metabolized into calories, so every calorie you burn comes from one of these 3 sources. Proteins are essential building blocks and should be the foundation of your diet. Fats have essential metabolic functions too, make them ~25-35% of your daily calorie intake. Carbs are "pure energy" and should be calculated as the top layer of your diet: add them up to reach your daily calorie threshold.
5. Once your diet is balanced in macros, micronutrients are the next step (minerals & vitamins).
Additional fun facts:
* Don't obsess about fads like one meal per day or 5 micro-meals throughout your day. 3 meals a day is perfectly fine.
* How much water should you drink? If your urine has a yellow tint (from light yellow to dark brown), you're not drinking enough water. If your urine comes out clear, you're good.
* Fibres have zero nutritional or metabolic value but they help with cleaning your guts. Make sure to include some (mostly through vegetables) in your diet.
I will get back to this book for another study.
October 26, 2018
Provides a very fair overview of the nutrition for all beginners and experts. It will help you no matter if you know a lot about nutrition, you sure will learn something from Eric. It divides the 5 hierarchies of nutrition into cutting or bulking phases(using the broad term, Eric goes in details). A good read for someone who just wants to start new in nutrition or even for someone competing in bodybuilding or maybe even powerlifting!
April 12, 2025
Muito bom para quem necessita de aprofundar os conhecimentos e até mesmo para quem quer fazer mudanças nos seus hábitos. Livro recheado de referências e estudos que ajudam a comprovar um método eficiente de lidar com a nutrição.
O que mais prezo no livro, foi a visão equilibrada que foi realçada no final do livro, ajudando a ver que não é necessário sacrificar a felicidade, nem a relação com os outros para levar uma vida saudável.
O que mais prezo no livro, foi a visão equilibrada que foi realçada no final do livro, ajudando a ver que não é necessário sacrificar a felicidade, nem a relação com os outros para levar uma vida saudável.
March 18, 2017
What a great book on not only how to dial in your nutrition and support performance but also how to also maintain meaningful relationships along the way. Some days are harder than others and this book was an easy read, well written and extremely knowledgeable. Many great recommendations within the book with resources cited and websites for other educations support.
September 30, 2021
This book opens my mind in terms of nutrition. Eric Helms explain in details the sum up of how to lose weight with a good range with scientific base until some myths about sports nutrition. Is a book with a lot of references in each chapter, and very didactic. I really recommend this book for everyone and even nutritionist, physical educators and of course, for lovers of sports nutrition.
November 4, 2024
Le pongo un 3,5. Creo que es inferior al libro de entrenamiento (de los mismos escritores).
Se utilizan muchos más argumentos de experiencia personal, aunque también hay muchas referencia bibliográficas sobre datos y protocolos.
Está muy dirigido al culturismo, por lo que lo noté en general poco aplicable a la nutrición general de deportistas.
Se utilizan muchos más argumentos de experiencia personal, aunque también hay muchas referencia bibliográficas sobre datos y protocolos.
Está muy dirigido al culturismo, por lo que lo noté en general poco aplicable a la nutrición general de deportistas.
May 24, 2025
A clearly communicated, evidence-based approach to diet and nutrition. While the contest prep sections weren’t directly relevant to me, they were still interesting and informative. I especially appreciated the attention given to the mental health aspects of eating—like practicing mindfulness and building a positive relationship with food.
July 28, 2017
good, actionable information. I like that the author makes it clear all the time that it is not a cookie-cutter approach. Rather, these are guidelines for nutrition (and mindset) that could be useful for a majority of trainees.
February 29, 2020
I’m not a competitive muscle builder but I love term ‘lifestyle builder’. This book was great for me as a person who is trying to find ways to develop and maintain a long term, sustainable healthy lifestyle.
April 14, 2020
The single best book I've read on nutrition and dieting for strength training. A must-read for anybody interested in moving past fad diets and gaining a more complete understanding. I'll be coming back to this book as a reference in the future.
May 10, 2020
Same as with the training book, I'd say this book has a bit too much information and the most important bits are not highlighted enough among all edge cases and reflections. However, it's professional, well structured and has everything that's needed inside.
June 26, 2022
Good book, it explains very well the basics and not-so-basic fitness knowledge. I'm glad I read it, but I skipped over the parts where it explains in detail what to do if you're competing. I also missed more tips on how to configure a meal plan, although I know the author doesn't believe in those.
March 30, 2025
Punchy book summarizing diet research. Mostly things I knew but found interesting:
- Most people get enough protein, gaining mass is mostly about eating enough calories
- An aim of about 1 lb / weak is a reasonable gaining goal
- Most people get enough protein, gaining mass is mostly about eating enough calories
- An aim of about 1 lb / weak is a reasonable gaining goal
July 15, 2025
Muy buena lectura, no le doy un 5 solo porque un 20% o más habla de personas que están en algún tipo de entrenamiento de culturismo, deportistas de élite o parecidos. Pero es un libro super recomendable para establecer las bases de la nutrición.
July 13, 2018
Great book.
November 3, 2018
Great book for every professional nutritionist that cares about his athletes.
June 17, 2023
This book helped me optimise my diet and I am very grateful for it
November 26, 2023
Started on a plane, somewhere between Berlin and Barcelona, on November the 21st - Finished on a train between Torino and Venezia, on November the 26th
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2024
Para inicial es bastante completo
July 21, 2024
Good intro with lots of information about nutrition for bodybuilding
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews