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Building muscle and gaining strength requires sufficient and consistent nutrition and fitness habits. No matter what your goals are, both what you eat and your activity level can be adjusted to help achieve those milestones. Building muscle, for instance, requires strategic shifts in both how you move your body and how you nourish it.<br><br>
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Building muscle and gaining strength requires sufficient and consistent nutrition and fitness habits. No matter what your goals are, both what you eat and your activity level can be adjusted to help achieve those milestones. Building muscle, for instance, requires strategic shifts in both how you move your body and how you nourish it.
Why Macronutrients Matter Though macronutrients are important, there are a few other things that go into muscle growth as well. "First and foremost, adequate calories are a priority for gaining muscle and fueling the resistance training sessions that help with building muscle," reports Erik Bustillo, registered dietitian and strength coach at train8nine in Miami, FL. "This and lifting weights/resistance training is the most important factor for building muscle
Protein Dietary protein is the most important macronutrient for building muscle—specifically the essential amino acids and an abundance of leucine.2 These particular amino acids stimulate protein synthesis, or building of new muscle, and prevent the body from using existing muscle as fuel during workouts.
It's totally doable to get your daily protein needs from whole foods, however, when trying to build muscle or participating in sports, supplements including protein powders, shakes, and bars are a convenient way to increase the amount of quality protein you're taking in each day.
Carbohydrates Carbs are important for energy during tough workouts. Without enough carbs you'll have a hard time getting the most out of your resistance training sessions. Specifically, fueling up with carbs before and after an intense sweat session can quickly replenish energy stores and promote even more muscle building potential.
Fats While dietary fats may not play a huge role in building muscle, they are important for maintaining hormonal function and a healthy immune system.
Healthy fats include more than just olive oil. There are a number of other sources, both for cooking and for eating, including: • Avocados • Dark chocolate • Ghee • Greek yogurt • Nuts and chia seeds • Olives • Whole eggs • Fish • Flaxseeds
How Do I Know How Much to Eat? Trendy diets can be appealing since they tend to promise quick results. The problem is, they're often not ideal for building muscle since most mainstream diets rely on a restricted number of calories. Since this goes against the science of nutrition and building muscle, you may find yourself quickly hitting a wall.
"How much one should eat is highly varied depending on the person, their goals, their energy output, and their respective preferences of foods," reports Bustillo. He recommends starting with a simple equation to determine calorie needs:
"There are more scientific approaches like getting a metabolic test done, but this is not very convenient and may be expensive. Starting with the 16-18 times bodyweight in pounds can help give a starting point; thereafter, monitor progress," notes Bustillo, who also emphasizes the following, "do not be afraid to eat a lot (it is needed for growth) and stay consistent with training and working out."
Whenever possible, consult with a qualified training coach and registered dietitian who can help you map out a workout plan and calorie needs to meet your goals, and work with you through the process.
