Muscle building diet made easy.
In order to build massive amounts of muscle and completely transform your body, you need to go to the gym. Everyone knows this. What most people know much less about is the proper way to feed your body so it has the fuel to grow. Muscle building diets are an integral part of gaining muscle.
So what makes an eating plan good for building muscle?
Protein
When most people decide they want to build muscle, they hit the gym and work out intensely and then wonder why they aren’t getting any bigger. In some cases, their muscles might even get smaller! The reason for this is because of insufficient protein in their diet. When you work out, you create tiny microtears in your muscle fiber that are then repaired by the protein that you obtain from your diet. So, by having too little protein in your muscle building diet, you are dooming yourself to failure.
How Much Protein to Eat?
When building muscle, the generally accepted rule is that you should have at least 1 gram of protein per kilogram of bodyweight. In pounds, that means you need to have 1 gram of protein per 2 pounds of bodyweight.
Not Enough Calories
You’re trying to build muscle. So why are you not eating MORE food? When people try to lose weight, the main goal is to burn more calories than you intake. When you’re trying to gain muscle mass, you need to be eating MORE calories than you burn.
What happens if this rule is not followed? All of your hard training has no effect, and you may even lose muscle mass. By eating less than you should, your body is forced to break down some muscle tissues in your body to use as fuel. So feed your body well and you’ll be on your way to sculpting the muscles of your dreams.
What Kinds of Foods
While the types of foods you can and should eat when on a muscle building diet plan can vary, there are some universally accepted guidelines that most people should follow:
- Lean sources of protein – chicken, turkey, lean beef
- Good fats – nuts, fish, shellfish
- Colorful vegetables – spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, squash
There are also a few types of food that men looking to build muscle should avoid. The most important group to avoid are the high glycemic index carbohydrates. These include any carbohydrate that is broken down quickly by your body. Common examples include sugary breakfast cereals, pastries, candies, and white versions of bread and rice. These types of calories have few benefits and many downsides when it comes to a muscle building diet.
