Ok, great, so you have finally decided that you are going to do something about your skinny physique and try and pack on some muscle mass. Whether it is because you want to look lean and trim for your holidays or you have just seen another ‘Rocky’ film or you just wish to make a bigger impact on the sports field. So obviously you know that you are going to have to get in to the pumping iron game. However you may not be aware of what you are supposed to be eating for muscle building nutrition. This mini muscle building nutrition guide will give you enough knowledge to install an effective muscle building diet.
Firstly to build muscle eat more often. Try eating 5-7 small meals per day. This is because your body is going to be needing extra calories in order for it to have supplies to actually build muscle mass with. If you don’t get enough calories then you cannot build muscle. 5-6 small meal each day will mean that you can consume enough calories without eating too much at any one meal.
Secondly, cutting out or severly reducing the amount of junk food in your diet is a must. Go hands up, we are all guilty of having the odd meal of junk food and it is these which need to be replaced with quailty muscle building nutrition.
Thirdly, you will be needing to drink much more water than previously. take a water bottle around with you and leave one in your car too. nearly all of the bodies reactions need H2O to some extent and of course it is required for muscle building reactions too.
Fourthly, try to divide each meal up into portions of the following amounts of protein, carbohydrtates and fats. Attempt to split your meals in to seperate amounts of 50% carbohydrate, 30% protein with the rest to come from fats.
Fifthly, you will need to educate yourself as to the kinds of foods that you should be eating. Here is a start to illustrate what some of the best muscle building foods are:
For protein: turkey, chicken, fish and shellfish, eggs, red meats, dairy products. These are terrific sources of quality protein so include them in your daily meals as often as possible. However caution is advised as these foods are high in saturated fat so it would be sensible to mix them with the following foods that supply protein but with a great deal less fat: Egg whites, Lean meats like poultry and fish, Non-fat or low-fat milk and dairy products (skim milk and cottage cheese are terrific foods), turkey breast, lean cuts of red meat and skinless chicken breast.
For carbohydrates and sustained energy release: bread, bagel, pasta cereals, brown rice, oatmeal, and potatoes. For short term energy to be consumed near your workouts try fruits such as apple, raisins, orange, grapes, bananas and sports drinks.
Don’t worry about the fat portion of your meal that will take care of itself from the other foods naturally. Also ensure that you are eating lots of healthy fresh green vegetables that are rammed full of minerals and vitamins. If you have spare cash for supplements then shoot for a decent multi-vitamin, whey protein, essential fatty acids and possibly creatine.
Finally a word on timing of your meals. To build muscle eat within one hour of finishing your workout, before bed and immediately on rising. These are critical times if you want to ensure muscle growth. You will be in a great place to start making good muscle gains if you follow the above guidelines.
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