Did you know that the best diet to build muscle involves fueling your body for optimal performance? Read on to learn why.
Diet to Build Muscle | Eat Your Way to Better Performance
1. Begin by Eating More
You need to create a stable base before slowly removing a specific amount of food in your diet. This means you must first increase your food consumption gradually.
The strategy for fat loss is to consistently eat more for 3 to 4 weeks to create a wiggle room to be able to remove food in your diet. Expect to gain some weight in the process, although it will be mostly muscle glycogen and water. Ease off the carbs and you’ll begin to notice yourself losing weight as well as body fat.
2. Eat All Kinds of Healthy Food
Feed your body to perform. Food contents like water and fiber have a direct effect on your desire to eat more. It affects your appetite, and it’s easier to lose fat and keep a calorie deficit when you feel full.
Your primary meal should be composed of fibrous veggies like kale, lettuce, asparagus, and broccoli. Fish, chicken, beef, and eggs are great sources of protein. Include some healthy sources of fat as well like walnuts, olives, salmon, and avocado.
3. Protein Is Very Important
Taking a substantial amount of protein is vital when you’re in a calorie deficit. We all know that protein is essential for a muscle building diet plan to keep us lean. However, protein is also useful in burning calories.
The easiest way to track your protein intake is by consuming at least a gram per pound of body weight. It’s as easy as eating 160 grams of protein if you have a body weight of 160 lbs. A lot of times you have to be strategic in getting the amount of protein your body needs. Like you may need to have a protein shake if you can’t get enough protein in the food you eat.
4. Consume Most of Your Carbs During Workouts
How do carbohydrates help in muscle building? Traditional knowledge tells us to lessen our intake of carbohydrates to maintain a lean muscle meal plan. Contrary to that, carbohydrates are essential for us to perform well in the gym.
Our body tissues need carbs to function, and they provide an immediate energy source for our workouts. With that said, it’s advisable to consume your carbs before or during exercise routines. Foods that are good sources of carbs include yogurt, brown rice, fruits, veggies, whole-wheat bread etc.
5. Utilize Your Calorie-Intake in Training
Maintaining a calorie deficit doesn’t always apply to the entire muscle-building program. At some point, stress from your diet combined with stress from your workouts can be too much for your body to handle. There are times when you need to keep your calories at a certain level to give you the energy to regain strength from grueling workouts. Regular training will keep you lean if your concern is how to mobilize fat.
6. Don’t Worry About Putting On a Bit of Body Fat
It’s a lot harder to gain muscle than lose fat. People who have a fair amount of knowledge about how the body works worry less about gaining fat. If you’re aiming to work on certain parts of your body, such as your glutes and quads, you need to increase your training capacity. This is difficult to achieve when you’re in a calorie deficit, so don’t be too worried about gaining a little fat.
Extra Tips
Lift Weights Regularly
Weight training and protein consumption go hand in hand to keep your muscle mass and maintain a lean physique. What exercises must you engage in? The conventional 3 sets of 10 reps for each exercise (bench press, squats, rows, bicep curls, deadlift etc.) is good enough to maintain your hard-earned muscles. For strength, you may want to do heavier sets or research on various lifting techniques.
Starving Takes Away Your Focus
Hunger is one of the worst distractions you can have in your day. It’s difficult to concentrate on an empty stomach, let alone perform weight training in this condition. Perform well and maintain your focus by keeping your body fueled.
Begin with a Solid Foundation
Gunning for six-pack abs? First, you need to worry about gaining a significant amount of muscle mass. No matter how hard you diet and remove every bit of body-fat, you won’t get near your desired physique by starving yourself. Eat and train to perform. Go into a bulking diet if need be. You’ll look better when you feel better in your workouts.
Looking for muscle-building leg exercises? Try this explosive routine from Evertrain:
To see real results, don’t fall into the trap of limiting yourself to a certain diet. With a solid plan and a sound commitment to yourself, you can achieve your goals in the weight room and enjoy your meals at the same time. Remember, the best diet to build muscle isn’t just about losing weight, burning fats, and building muscle. You must always have the eat to perform mindset!
Do you have some ideas on diet to build muscle? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
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