Best way to build muscle

Archive for the ‘Diet’ Category

Protein provides our body with the essential building blocks to add additional muscle, without it we would not be able to build new muscle. For this very reason, every weight lifter should understand the importance of protein and making sure they have a protein rich diet.

It can be easier said than done though and a lot of people struggle to reach their daily protein intake. Generally speaking I would recommend to people to eat one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. For most people this is an optimal amount and should give you all you need to build optimal muscle.

A good idea is to split your meals out throughout the day and try to break it down into at least four meals. The more meals you can split it down to the less protein you need to consume for each one! Let’s say that you weight one hundred and eighty pounds, if you eat four meals a day that’s forty five grams of protein for each meal, this is a decent amount.

Now, let’s say instead we split this down to five meals a day, that’s only thirty six grams per meal, a more manageable amount! The next thing to consider is what foods to eat to get the protein we need. Typically protein is rich in meats, fish, dairy, eggs and some nuts.

Meat, fish and eggs should be a staple part of your protein consumption. The meal itself doesn’t have to be anything gourmet. For example you could have a chicken breast sandwich on whole meal bread with a piece of fruit and yoghurt. Usually that will give you over thirty grams of protein.

Another idea would be to have three eggs on some toast with a glass of milk after; again this would be over thirty grams of protein and could be considered another one of your meals for the day. As you can see there are many variations of meals that you can have to get your protein intake for each one. Basing your meal around a kind of meat will make it easier to get that much needed protein and build more muscle.

If you’re in a rush then protein powders are ideal to get your protein intake for one of your meals nice and quick. You can create a great muscle building protein shake with just a few simple ingredients. It doesn’t have to be complicated; protein powder, oats and milk would be fine (if you can stomach the taste!) and remember you’re here to build muscle, not worry about the taste

So to sum things up – For optimal muscle building then your body needs protein. Directly after your workout is a great time to consume protein and carbs. If you can split your meals down to around five  a day then you’re making it a lot easier and don’t have to worry about eating huge quantities of meat each time!