Diets for Building Muscle
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Building muscle does not only involve pushing yourself to the maximum physical potential. You also have to consider things that do not include sweating and lifting weights; things such as good amount of rest, water, and of course, proper diet. When talking about muscle, diets for building muscle are as equally important as the training itself. This means when you work out for the hope of bodybuilding, you should never commit the mistake of eating the wrong variety of food and supplement. You have to strictly follow some diets for building muscle that’ll guarantee a more favorable muscle growth result.
Diets for building muscle are very much distinct from the usual foods we eat. A lot of energy and water is lost as you sweat and work your body out in maximum level that’s why a diet that is comprised of all the necessary nutrients and minerals are desperately needed in order to both replenish what the body loses and at the same time supply the vital needs of nutrients for muscle growth.
Adding more calories and protein in your diet is good. Calories are needed because they are always broken down as you sweat but be careful though because doing so without a consistent workout routine may lead to excess and dull weight accumulation. Another vital element is protein. Do not ever forget to put on some protein in your diet or perhaps settle for protein supplements. The reason why you need protein is that the same is the primary food of the muscle. The rationale is simple, if there is no protein, then there’s no muscle. Plus, ingesting lots of protein also leads to gaining additional glutamine, which in turn is also an essential contributor in muscle growth. And finally, don’t forget water since it comprises the majority part of our body. Every time you work out, a huge amount of water is lost so it’s wise to replace it by drinking as much as you can.
Helpful Muscle Building Foods
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You want to build muscle and you do workouts for hours of your day. For months you seem to be quite confident you’re on the right track. But then after a lot of effort, your enthusiasm drains because you see you are getting nowhere. So you change routines, again and again. But few look away from the gym and to the foods that they eat. But for the muscle builder in you, there is a need to eat the right muscle building foods.
Don’t get used to eating without even knowing what they’re intended for. In order to build muscle successfully, muscle building foods are a must. But first let’s look at the overall base requirements:
First, don’t expect to add some muscle if you aren’t consuming enough protein. Protein is the building block of muscle tissue so you only have the chance to build muscles if you actually feed them with the right foundations. Don’t miss out on this because it is very vital to your success.
Carbohydrates on the other hand is just as vital as protein since the energy the body needs when sweating and working out comes mainly from foods rich in complex carbohydrates. If you consume too little you will not have the energy to really push and make your muscles work – they will be tired before you even start!
More importantly however, is the body’s need for its most important component, which is water. With water, the body is secured from getting dehydrated since most of the liquid content in the body is flushed out through sweat when having consistent hard workouts. This may seem like a small point but we are more than 65% water and the lack of hydration will stop nutrients from going to the right places and once again stunt growth.
On top of these three keys there is the need for muscle building foods that are likewise comprised of essential vitamins and supplement that aid in muscle growth. Stuff like glutamine and creatine help put essential muscles in fast pace growth. But just as importantly is a balance of vegetables and the superfoods!
Finally, to achieve success in muscle growth you need to intake the key muscle building foods like protein and carbohydrates but coupled with other quality foods and a good consistent workout. That’s basically the perfect combination for muscle success.
Soy Protein Shake
The Soy Protein Shake has grown in popularity over the last couple of years due to its incredible properties for both weight loss and muscle building. Basically soy is low-fat, low-carbohydrate, low GI and high in protein. It is essentially a super food that is used by a wide array of people for different reasons:
As a healthy substitute - mainly used in a milk type form, soy is often used for those that are lactose intolerant and also for those wanting a meat alternative.
Weight loss – The low GI attributes have helped the consumer to avoid sugar spikes and to feel fuller for longer. More importantly, studies have also shown that soy increases metabolism and actually works to deplete your fat stores.
Muscle Building – a soy protein shake added to a body builders diet will provide a huge protein intake that will help to repair muscles after a workout, and the low fat and carbohydrates stops the muscle from being hidden by fat store.
Soy protein can be taken in numerous forms that are derived from the original soy bean. However my favourite is to add soy milk to a protein shake for a double punch, or alternatively to buy soy protein shake mix in of itself.
Give it a try and you won’t regret it.
Muscle Building Foods
The most common approach to muscle growth is to simply start weight training. Many of us hit the gym with a vengeance but then feel despondent when we barely tip the scales. The reason is because muscle building exercises and nutrition go hand in hand. Trying to do one without the other is virtually pointless as your muscles need the right muscle building foods to grow and develop. If you do not eat enough, or enough of the right foods then your muscles will be starved and instead of growing will just eat away the muscles you are trying to build!
Here are my top muscle building tips for diet:
Eat regularly
It may sound like a basic principle, but in order for your muscles to grow then they need the right nutrition and they need a lot of it. Ideally you will eat every 3-4 hours as this will keep your metabolism high to burn fat, while also providing the protein and carbohydrates that you need to repair your muscles.
Drink Plenty of Water
Our bodies consist mainly of water and as such it operates most efficiently when we are fully hydrated. When training I recommend drinking 8-10 glasses of water a day. This may seem steep but is very important. The easiest way to do this is to carry a water bottle with you. If it is there you will naturally drink it throughout the day and the ten glasses will be a cinch.
Combine Foods
Of all the best muscle building foods protein is king. It provides the bulding blocks of muscle repair. However what is often neglected is that carbohydrates are the vessels that get the protein to where it is needed most. Taking protein by itself will be beneficial, but for true success then you want to combine the two – particularly straight after a training session.
Eat quality muscle building foods
Some of my friends have started body building and seen it as a free pass to eat whatever they want. Yes, they are feeding their muscles and they will often add weight faster then everyone else, but at the same time they were packing on the fat so all definition went out the door. So while you can eat a LOT more food you will want to make sure it is the right types. My pick of the bunch are below:
Lean Protein
This includes all types such as chicken and fish. I also recommend the use of whey protein powder as it is a perfectly balanced source of protein that provides much of what your body needs.
Milk
Milk is packed with protein and vitamins and is an excellent additive to a protein shake. Yes, there are fats by go the skimmed version and you will get the best combination of lean power.
Seeds and Nuts
These are a super food as pack a punch of vitamins, minerals and protein in a snack size portion. These are perfect for people on the go. They also provide good fats that your body needs. Remember fat is not your enemy.
Eggs
Probably the number one whole food for a muscle building diet, eggs provide a killer portion of protein in every shell. These do however include a lot of cholesterol which can be good for testosterone production but only in suitable amounts. As such the best way forward is to consume egg whites with only a few full eggs.
Good Fats
Contradictory to popular belief, fat is actually good for you. The key is to eat the right type of natural fats that are found in many fish, olive oil, nuts and avocados.