Nutrition is an important part of building muscle. The right diet and bodybuilding workouts can help you get the best results. But, it can take a lot of work to know the best diet for maximum muscle growth.
A well-balanced diet that includes carbohydrates and fats and a consistent fitness routine will help you grow muscles quickly.
Read on to discover 8 building muscle diet tips to help you bulk up.
#1 Add More Protein
Amino acids are molecules that combine to form proteins. The body uses these building blocks to break down food, grow, repair body tissue, and perform many other important bodily functions. Some amino acids are produced by our bodies. The others must be ingested through our food.
The amino acids we need to get from our food are called the essential amino acids. There are nine essential amino acids: histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.
When your body removes proteins faster than it adds them, you lose muscle mass. According to studies, as you age, you lose about 3-8% of your muscle mass per decade after age 30, with a faster rate of decline past the age of 60. If you want to counter this process, you need to increase the rate of protein deposition while making sure to minimize how fast protein is broken down.
Adding more protein to your diet can help with this. The traditional recommendation for protein is ½ gram per pound of body weight for a typical person. For a person building muscle, you should increase this amount to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. However, athletes may need to take in around 1.5 grams of protein per pound per day to increase muscle mass and strength.
Best Types of Protein
You should eat lean meats such as chicken, turkey, eggs, fish, and beef, but there are several plant-based proteins that you can add to your diet, as well. Soybeans, legumes, edamame, quinoa, tofu, and nuts are also good sources of protein. You can also get your daily protein from dairy such as yogurt, cottage cheese, and nonfat milk.
Testosterone and growth hormones affect the availability of amino acids in your body. Age-related muscle loss can make it harder for muscle protein synthesis.
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#2 Don't Shy Away From Carbs
Carbs get a bad rap for being unhealthy, but they are important macronutrients your body uses to produce energy. When you eat food with carbohydrates, your body breaks it down into a substance called glucose that travels in your bloodstream.
Then, the pancreas secretes a hormone called insulin which your body uses to move glucose from the bloodstream into the individual cells. This is how energy is produced.
In your muscles, carbs are stored as glycogen that keeps your muscles full and large. They also provide you with the energy you need while strength training. Without this energy, your body feels sluggish and you have trouble concentrating. You need carbs to keep up your energy during and after workouts.
Simple v's Complex Carbs
There are two types of carbohydrates: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are what you will find in sugar, honey, candy, soda, and white wheat grains. Your body burns through these quickly, and eating them in excess can lead to weight gain and extra fat stores in your body. Drinking sugary drinks such as sodas and eating foods with excess added sugars can cause the wrong kind of bulking.
Complex carbohydrates are more dense in nutrients and take longer for your body to break down. They are also higher in fiber, making them more filling. These complex carbs are found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, sweet potatoes, and whole grains.
Eating more complex carbs is a muscle-building nutrition tip that can also help with your overall health. People who eat more complex carbs and limit their simple carb intake tend to have better cardiovascular health.
When you are building muscle, consume about 2-3 grams of carbs per pound of body weight per day. It is important to eat a high-carb meal right after working out to aid in muscle recovery.
#3 Fat Is Important
Dietary fat is important for protecting cell membranes. Fats also help you to absorb important vitamins for the body such as Vitamins A, D, E, and K. It's also important for muscle movement and inflammatory response, which is essential for repairing tissue after an intense workout. If you are trying to achieve weight loss, many people immediately cut dietary fat from their diets, but it's more about the types of fat you consume.
Fat can also help maintain hormone levels, such as testosterone production. Low-fat diets can actually make it harder for you to gain muscle. Men who consume a low-fat diet have an average of 63% less testosterone, according to a study by the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. However, the type of fat you consume is also important to your overall health.
Healthy V's Unhealthy Fats
Saturated fats are not recommended. These are any fats that are solid at room temperature. Examples include bacon grease, coconut oil, cheese, and butter. Saturated fats at the atomic level are a chain of carbon atoms that hold hydrogen atoms. A saturated fat has as many hydrogen atoms as possible. There are links to a diet with lots of saturated fats to higher cholesterol, artery blockages, and heart disease.
Unsaturated fat is the healthiest type of fat. It is found in many plant-based foods, plant-based oils, and fatty fish (which also provide Omega-3 fatty acids). Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are popular for people looking for a diet for muscle growth. MCTs include coconut and palm oil. These are prized for their fat-burning and energy benefits.
They absorb quicker than long-chain triglycerides, giving people a quicker energy boost and less stored body fat. However, there have not been enough studies to know for sure if MCTs help with muscle growth. MCTs may also cause cramping, gas, bloating, and diarrhea if consumed in excess.
The recommendation is for you to eat fat for about 20-30% of your total daily calories for muscle gain. The best foods for providing these additional healthy fats are salmon, avocado, olive oil, eggs, Greek yogurt, nuts, dark chocolate, ghee, and flaxseed.
#4 Keep Track of Your Calories
It is important to also keep track of how many calories you eat each day as you grow muscle. The typical calculation for how many calories you should include in your nutrition for muscle growth is to take your body weight and multiply it by 16.
This is the low end of your calorie consumption. Then, multiply your body weight by 18 for the upper end. Eating lots of calories will help you build muscle mass. This is a starting point. Everyone's body is different. It may be beneficial for you to seek out a registered dietitian or nutritionist for more specific calorie needs. You'll want to pair a healthy diet with resistance training.
A personal trainer can help you meet the physical activity requirements for building muscles based on your body composition. They can build a workout plan to help you maximize each training session.
#5 Frequent Meals Are Key
When you are thinking about nutrition for muscle gain, you need to eat more frequently. Eating every 2-3 hours will keep your energy levels up and will help you gain more mass while maintaining lean muscle. You should aim for around 6-8 meals a day.
Each meal should be approximately the same size. This way you are ready to eat again in a couple of hours. If you overindulge at certain meals, it may lead to excess stored body fat. To calculate how many calories you should eat per meal, determine the minimum number of calories you are supposed to eat per day and divide that number by 6.
Do the same with your maximum calorie intake number to get your range of calories per meal.
#6 Supplement Your Diet
You can meet your daily needs with muscle-building foods such as animal proteins and other whole foods with high protein. But, sometimes it's difficult to get the right amount of protein you need to build muscle just from your diet. Protein powders are one way you can supplement your diet to get the right protein intake you need each day.
These powders are available at most health stores and supermarkets. There is a large variety of protein powders. You can get protein powders in different flavors or that have different protein sources, such as whey protein, casein, or soy.
You can add this dietary protein supplement to your foods and drinks to help you build muscle quicker without having to eat as many protein-rich foods. Protein shakes are a popular way to use this supplement daily. Some people suggest that drinking a protein shake right before an intense workout can help increase protein synthesis after exercise.
When choosing a protein powder, be sure to get one with a high-quality protein. Research the brand and make sure that you are getting a supplement that is made by a reputable company.
#7 Use Creatine
Creatine is a natural energy source that creates a steady energy supply in your muscles. Most creatine is found in protein-rich foods such as red meat, seafood, and animal milk. Your body also produces some creatine in your liver, kidneys, and pancreas. Creatine supports your muscles during physical activity but it also helps your heart, brain, and tissues.
Many people take creatine to support muscle growth, but the studies on how effective this is are mixed. Creatine supplements are for everyone. People with diabetes, kidney or liver disease, who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or who have bipolar disorder should avoid creatine supplements. However, it is important to talk to a healthcare provider before starting any supplement.
Many professional athletes take creatine supplements to speed up muscle recovery, increase anabolic hormones, and boose water content in muscle cells. However, each body is unique, and you should determine whether or not this supplement is beneficial to you based on your own needs.
#8 Stay Consistent
One of the most important tips for muscle-building nutrition is to stay consistent. The more you commit to a routine, the more successful you will be. When you choose a muscle-building routine both for diet and exercise, the more you support those habits, the more results you will see.
There are several ways you can encourage yourself to stay consistent. You can create a weekly meal plan, avoid skipping meals, keep your food pantry stocked with protein and carb-rich snacks, have a friend that keeps you accountable, and prepare make-ahead meals such as baked chicken breast, brown rice, and vegetables for quick meals on days you don't feel like cooking.
Also, it is important to maintain a routine for your workout that you can maintain long-term. A full 8-10 hours of sleep will also aid in muscle building and recovery. It is also important to vary your exercise routine. You need to train heavily, but also build in time for recovery and slower, less intense workouts. This will give your muscles a chance to heal between workouts.
Conclusion
The right nutrition for muscle gain involves adding lots of protein to your diet and balancing complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. People who are muscle-building should increase their number of calories per day and eat smaller, more frequent meals.
There are also supplements you can consider adding to your diet while building muscle. Overall, the most important nutritional tip for building muscle is to make sure you remain consistent. A good routine will help you to build muscle mass that will stick around.
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