There are many bodybuilders, fitness enthusiasts, and other
weight trainers that train their hearts out on the gym floor, but there
are few that combine that hard training with sound muscle-building
nutrition. There is an unfortunate amount of misinformation and snake
oil out there about the best ways to eat and supplement for gaining
muscle, as well. Here is the true, best diet for building muscle mass:
Get Your Protein First
The full spectrum of nutrients is vital to building muscle, but the best diet for building muscle will place the focus on protein. The amino acids that make up proteins are the building blocks for new muscle tissue, the essential components which your body must have to increase size.
The best sources of protein are complete sources, meaning that they contain all 20 amino acids. These sources include all meats, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy. Soy products are okay, but men especially should avoid them because of their estrogen content. Also, do not count the protein grams from grains or other incomplete sources towards your daily total.
For the best diet for building muscle, multiply your bodyweight by 2 to get the number of protein grams you should eat per day. For example, a 200 pound person should eat 400 grams of protein per day. This is a lot of food to eat, but it will pay serious dividends towards your muscle gains.
Focus on Carbs for Breakfast and Around Training
Many people seem to go to the extreme with carbs. They either think you should eat lots of carbs, all the time, or they think you should almost never eat them. As is often the case, a more moderated, planned approach is the best.
Your body uses carbs best at two times of the day. The first is the morning. At this time, your body is most likely to store carbohydrates as glycogen (basically energy within your muscles), and not as body fat. Eat your oatmeal, or whatever other carb source you favor for breakfast with your protein.
The other optimal time to eat carbs is before and after training. Before training, you are about to use whatever energy you put into your body, making it less likely to sit and be stored as fat. After training, your muscles are primed to take in carbohydrates and proteins and use them for recovery and muscle building. This is a good time to drink some sugars, such as Gatorade, and use fast-acting proteins like whey.
Make sure your carbs come from quality sources such as oatmeal, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and rice. Not all starches are created equal.
Eat Your Fats Later in the Day
You should NOT avoid fat, though many supposed "diet gurus" will tell you otherwise. Fat is essential for proper hormonal functions, muscle recovery, and growth. Focus on eating your fats later in the day, when your body is not as optimized for carbs. The best diet for building muscle will have a balance between these nutrients.
Make sure your fats come from quality sources, just like your carbs. The best sources of fat are nuts, oils (especially olive oil), fatty fish (like salmon), and some saturated fat from beef. You should be careful about eating too much saturated fat, but you need a little bit, especially for testosterone production.
Supplement Wisely
Most supplements out there are completely bogus. You should pretty much steer clear of supplements that have in-your-face advertisements about the "enormous pump" that they give you, or the "steroid-like gains" they have in store. These are usually nothing but expensive garbage.
The supplements you should use are whey protein, amino acids, and fish oils. Whey protein helps you get in your daily protein requirements without eating so much meat, amino acids aid in muscle recovery, and fish oils are good for heart health and inflamed joints.
Any good diet for building muscle will be focused on food, not supplements. No matter what you buy for supplementation, make sure your first priority is solid, whole food.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_P._Adams
The full spectrum of nutrients is vital to building muscle, but the best diet for building muscle will place the focus on protein. The amino acids that make up proteins are the building blocks for new muscle tissue, the essential components which your body must have to increase size.
The best sources of protein are complete sources, meaning that they contain all 20 amino acids. These sources include all meats, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy. Soy products are okay, but men especially should avoid them because of their estrogen content. Also, do not count the protein grams from grains or other incomplete sources towards your daily total.
For the best diet for building muscle, multiply your bodyweight by 2 to get the number of protein grams you should eat per day. For example, a 200 pound person should eat 400 grams of protein per day. This is a lot of food to eat, but it will pay serious dividends towards your muscle gains.
Focus on Carbs for Breakfast and Around Training
Many people seem to go to the extreme with carbs. They either think you should eat lots of carbs, all the time, or they think you should almost never eat them. As is often the case, a more moderated, planned approach is the best.
Your body uses carbs best at two times of the day. The first is the morning. At this time, your body is most likely to store carbohydrates as glycogen (basically energy within your muscles), and not as body fat. Eat your oatmeal, or whatever other carb source you favor for breakfast with your protein.
The other optimal time to eat carbs is before and after training. Before training, you are about to use whatever energy you put into your body, making it less likely to sit and be stored as fat. After training, your muscles are primed to take in carbohydrates and proteins and use them for recovery and muscle building. This is a good time to drink some sugars, such as Gatorade, and use fast-acting proteins like whey.
Make sure your carbs come from quality sources such as oatmeal, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and rice. Not all starches are created equal.
Eat Your Fats Later in the Day
You should NOT avoid fat, though many supposed "diet gurus" will tell you otherwise. Fat is essential for proper hormonal functions, muscle recovery, and growth. Focus on eating your fats later in the day, when your body is not as optimized for carbs. The best diet for building muscle will have a balance between these nutrients.
Make sure your fats come from quality sources, just like your carbs. The best sources of fat are nuts, oils (especially olive oil), fatty fish (like salmon), and some saturated fat from beef. You should be careful about eating too much saturated fat, but you need a little bit, especially for testosterone production.
Supplement Wisely
Most supplements out there are completely bogus. You should pretty much steer clear of supplements that have in-your-face advertisements about the "enormous pump" that they give you, or the "steroid-like gains" they have in store. These are usually nothing but expensive garbage.
The supplements you should use are whey protein, amino acids, and fish oils. Whey protein helps you get in your daily protein requirements without eating so much meat, amino acids aid in muscle recovery, and fish oils are good for heart health and inflamed joints.
Any good diet for building muscle will be focused on food, not supplements. No matter what you buy for supplementation, make sure your first priority is solid, whole food.