If there's one area of the muscle growth process where most trainees fail miserably, it's in their diet.
They go to the gym, train their asses off, and then completely neglect to provide their bodies with the proper nutrients needed to actually build new muscle. One of the biggest myths in the bodybuilding and fitness industry is that "as long as you exercise, it doesn't really matter what you eat."
They go to the gym, train their asses off, and then completely neglect to provide their bodies with the proper nutrients needed to actually build new muscle. One of the biggest myths in the bodybuilding and fitness industry is that "as long as you exercise, it doesn't really matter what you eat."
Nothing could be farther from the truth!
Nutrition is an absolutely vital part of the muscle-building process, and most top experts consider nutrition to be even more important than what we accomplish in the gym.
You train hard and break down your muscle fibers by lifting weights, but without the proper materials needed to facilitate recovery, muscle growth will be next to impossible.
You train hard and break down your muscle fibers by lifting weights, but without the proper materials needed to facilitate recovery, muscle growth will be next to impossible.
Most people highly underestimate the nutritional side of building muscle and have no idea just how badly it's hurting their progress. Actually, it's not really a matter of hurting their progress;
if you fail to eat properly, you WILL NOT make progress. Period.
if you fail to eat properly, you WILL NOT make progress. Period.
You absolutely must provide your body with the proper amounts of high quality protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals and water throughout the day, or you can kiss your gains goodbye.
The most important thing to realize when it comes to building muscle is this...
In order to build muscle, you must consume more calories than you burn!
This is the most basic rule you can implement, and building muscle will be physiologically impossible if you do not follow it. In order to build muscle, your calories in MUST exceed your calories out.
Now, this does not mean that you can gorge yourself on chips, pop and ice cream in order to load up on calories. Not all calories are created equally, and you must consume the right types of calories in order to gain lean, muscular body weight.
There are 3 major food groups that you should be obtaining the bulk of your calories from...
ProteinThis is by far the most important muscle-building nutrient because it is responsible for the growth and repair of damaged muscle tissue. Every meal that you eat should contain some high quality protein.
To achieve optimal gains in muscle mass and strength you should try to consume anywhere from 1-2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight daily.
So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be eating 150-300 grams of protein every single day. You must also make sure to consume the right types of protein, from high quality sources such as...
So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be eating 150-300 grams of protein every single day. You must also make sure to consume the right types of protein, from high quality sources such as...
| - Poultry - Lean Red Meat - Fish - Eggs | - Skim Milk - Nuts/All Natural Peanut Butter - Cottage Cheese - Whey |
Protein intake is critical to monitor. If you aren't eating enough protein, your body will be physically unable to build new muscle tissue.
CarbohydratesCarbohydrates are used as an energy source for the muscles and brain. They also aid in the absorption of protein. All carbohydrates are eventually broken down into their simplest form: glucose.
Rather than choosing your carbohydrates based on the traditional view of "simple" or "complex", you should instead pay attention to:
1) Where they place on the glycemic index.
The GI ranks how fast the sugars are absorbed in the bloodstream. As a general guideline, stick to carbohydrates that are on the lower end of the glycemic index (with a ranking under 55) as they will provide your body with a steady stream of energy and will prevent large fluctuations in blood sugar levels (which ultimately leads to fat storage).
2) Whether they are natural or refined.
Rather than choosing your carbohydrates based on the traditional view of "simple" or "complex", you should instead pay attention to:
1) Where they place on the glycemic index.
The GI ranks how fast the sugars are absorbed in the bloodstream. As a general guideline, stick to carbohydrates that are on the lower end of the glycemic index (with a ranking under 55) as they will provide your body with a steady stream of energy and will prevent large fluctuations in blood sugar levels (which ultimately leads to fat storage).
2) Whether they are natural or refined.
Refined carbohydrates are foods where the high fiber bits (the bran and germ) have been removed from the grain. White rice, white bread, sugary cereals and any item made from white flour are all examples of refined carbohydrates. These sources of carbohydrates are very simplistic in structure, low in nutritional value and raise blood sugar levels quickly and sharply.
Natural carbohydrates are simply those which have not been modified and still contain the whole grain, including the bran and germ. These sources are high in fiber, take longer to digest, are more nutritious, will keep you feeling full for longer, and have a negligible effect on blood sugar levels when consumed as part of a balanced meal.
Some great natural carbohydrate sources to include in your muscle building diet include oatmeal, potatos, brown rice, whole grain breads, whole grain cereals, yams, barely and fresh fruit.
FatsIf you want to maximize your muscle gains, do NOT be afraid of fats! Not all fats are created equally, and the unsaturated form is actually beneficial to overall health. Consuming an adequate amount of unsaturated fat each day will accelerate your lean muscle gains while also minimizing the rate at which you store body fat.
Unsaturated fats play many important roles in the muscle-growth process (such as boosting testosterone levels and improving the energy production of cells) and should not be overlooked.
Some good sources of unsaturated fat are flaxseed oil, extra virgin olive oil, sunflower oil, walnuts, all-natural peanut butter, cold water fish and avocados. A bit of saturated fat is okay, just don't go overboard.
Meal Frequency One of the biggest muscle-building nutrition mistakes that you could possibly make would be to follow the traditional method of "3 square meals a day". This just isn't an effective approach for maximizing your lean muscle gains.
Instead, you should focus on eating smaller meals more frequently throughout the day. The most effective way to achieve this is by consuming 5-7 small meals daily, spaced out every 2-3 hours. This will keep your body in an anabolic, muscle-building state at all times and will also keep your fat burning metabolism raised.
Here's an example of what a solid day of nutrition would look like for a person trying to gain muscular body weight...
Meal 1 - 7:30am - Whey protein shake, 1 bowl of oatmeal, 1 tbsp flaxseed oil
Meal 2 - 10:30am - 3 Whole Eggs, 1 cup of hash browns, 1 cup orange juice
Meal 3 - 1:30pm - 6 oz. chicken breast, 1/2 cup of brown rice
Meal 4 - 4:30pm - Meal replacement shake, 1 apple, handful of peanuts
Meal 5 - 7:00pm - 6oz. lean beef, 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1/2 cup green beans
Meal 6 - 10:00pm - Whey protein shake, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 tbsp. olive oil
Meal 2 - 10:30am - 3 Whole Eggs, 1 cup of hash browns, 1 cup orange juice
Meal 3 - 1:30pm - 6 oz. chicken breast, 1/2 cup of brown rice
Meal 4 - 4:30pm - Meal replacement shake, 1 apple, handful of peanuts
Meal 5 - 7:00pm - 6oz. lean beef, 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1/2 cup green beans
Meal 6 - 10:00pm - Whey protein shake, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 1 tbsp. olive oil
Do NOT overlook the nutritional side of building muscle!
If you pay close attention to when and what you eat you will make muscular gains far beyond anything you previously imagined.
1 comment:
Natural whey protein is absolutely essential with our workout plan.
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