Building muscle requires a balance of calories and some physical activities. It means that you must take in more essential calories than you burn. You need roughly 2,800 calories to build a pound of muscle, largely to support protein turnover, which can be elevated with training. However, be careful with your food choices as too many calories may also cause fat deposition.
Protein for Building Muscle Mass
Most dieticians suggest that consuming lean protein every day or before a workout session can improve your muscle mass. Protein is an essential nutrient for a healthy diet. Proteins are made up of amino acids that help build and repair muscles and bones and to make hormones and enzymes. However, it’s not all about protein but also about eating meals and calorific expenditure along with a healthy, balanced diet that will help you to build muscle.
Tips to Build Muscle Mass
- Do not skip your breakfast. Eating healthy meals first thing in the morning gives an immediate burst of energy and helps you to stay full until your next meal or snack. Start your day with a healthy breakfast containing essential nutrients for muscle-building activities.
- Eat every three hours. You can eat low healthy meals every three hours but avoid stuffing yourself with processed foods and unhealthy fats. Keeping your food intake up can curb your hunger because eating smaller meals more often versus a few big meals will decrease your stomach size.
- Prioritize protein with each meal. You need protein to build and maintain muscle. You can eat at least 200 grams of protein per day from whole protein sources. Prioritize protein as it boosts muscle building and suppresses your appetite. Some sources of whole protein are red meat, pork, lamb, turkey, and chicken breast.
- Eat minimal carbs. Carbohydrates are permissible after a workout session. It provides additional energy but limits them to prevent fat deposition. Post-workout carb sources such as quinoa, brown rice, bread, potatoes, oats, and whole grains.
- Stay Hydrated. Strength training causes water loss through sweating which can impair muscle recovery. Drinking water prevents dehydration but also hunger since an empty stomach can make you think you’re hungry.
- Load more fruits and vegetables. With every meal, ensure to have a portion of fiber-rich foods to maintain your satiety. Fruits and vegetables also provide essential nutrients for functioning and other biological functions.
- Eat healthy fats. Healthy fats improve fat loss and health as they digest slowly. Make sure you balance your fat intake, eat healthy fats with every meal and avoid artificial trans fats and margarine.
- Train heavy. Training heavy, safely, and efficiently, has many benefits. It challenges the muscles not only concentrically but eccentrically. If done right, the stimulus of heavyweight going down with control and going back up will cause greater muscle tear and rebuild.
Muscle Building Products
Building Muscle is not a magical moment that happens in a snap. It needs time, energy, and discipline. Muscles will grow slowly. So you need to know first what its basics are. Here are protein-based drinks for a successful muscle-building: