How To Eat When Building Muscle

If you know how to eat when building muscle, you will know what to put into your body to give yourself the nutrients and energy to complete your workouts as well as to recover when your strength training is done for the day. You’ll also know how often you should eat and how big your portions should be.

1. Protein, protein, protein. Protein is the thing to eat when building muscle. Make sure you have lean protein with every meal. This includes fish, turkey, lean chicken, egg whites and nonfat dairy products.
2. Meal frequency. To allow your body to deplete its fat stores and keep it from depleting your lean muscle tissue, you must eat five to six meals a day. One meal every three hours is a good guideline to follow because this is the average amount of time the body takes to digest a meal. If you wait much longer, your body will start consuming lean muscle, which will negate your hard work.
3. Up your caloric intake. If you’re going to work out several times a week, you need to give your body sufficient fuel to stop your body from consuming lean muscle. A good guide is the twelve-fourteen-sixteen principle. Multiply your current weight by fourteen to get the number of calories to maintain your weight; multiply by sixteen to gain weight; multiply by twelve for the number of calories to safely lose weight and keep your calorie levels at a healthy level.
4. Don’t forget carbs. You might have heard that you should cut out carbs, but it’s not true. It’s not a safe way to eat when building muscle. Sure, you can reduce your carb intake and it’s recommended that you eat more protein than carbs, but do not cut carbs out completely.
5. No processed carbs. White bread, white rice, white pasta, ice cream, candy bars and soda are some of the worst things you can put in your body. They’re processed and have very little nutrients to benefit you, especially when building muscle.
6. Whole grain carbs. Whole grain carbs, on the other hand, are high in fiber and contain the “right” kind of carbs for your body. Whole grain bread, whole grain pasta, brown rice, potatoes and oatmeal are just some of the good carbs you should eat when building muscle.
7. Max out your cheat meals. This means no more than one or two per week. Any more than this would be counterproductive to the heavy lifting you’re doing in the gym.
8. Limit alcohol consumption. Alcohol is nothing but empty carbs. It’s okay to have a drink or two when out with friends. Just remember to monitor your intake and cut yourself off after one or two drinks.
9. Cut out non-diet soda. If you like soda and hate the thought of giving it up, switch to diet. It may taste funny at first, but after your body recovers from drinking so much sugar, the diet soda will taste fine.
10. Protein powder. Consider buying protein powder from your local health food or supplement store. Generic brands don’t cost that much and a protein drink is a great thing to eat when building muscle. Mix up one to two scoops in eight ounces of water within 30 to 60 minutes after your workout. It will help you recover faster and can also count as a meal if you pair it with some whole grain carbs. If you want your drink a little thicker, mix it in a blender with a few ice cubes.

How to eat when building muscle means keeping strict watch over everything you consume, from the big meals to the snacks and drinks in-between. Follow these steps and you are guaranteed to build muscle mass and strength.