If a person who comes to the gym has a clear goal - to build muscle mass, one well-designed training program is not enough. It is necessary to correctly approach the construction of the diet. The menu should be dominated by protein foods, since it is protein that is the main element necessary for building muscles.
The energy expended by a person, replenished by eating food, is directly proportional to physical activity. Strength training requires several times more energy than normal human activity. And if you reduce the diet, the body will begin to experience a lack of nutrients. This will negatively affect both well-being and the result of classes.
Follow a diet to increase muscle mass- this is not to starve, but, on the contrary, to consume more calories than the energy was expended. This fact should not be taken as the only condition for such nutrition. A muscle-building diet should be balanced, based on six basic principles:
Fractional nutrition
You need to eat a lot, but in small portions throughout the day. This contributes to the rapid assimilation of food in order to obtain energy, and not to accumulate body fat. Eating fractionally, the athlete gains muscle, not fat mass.
high calorie food
Each serving of food you eat should contain a lot of calories. The lower the energy value of food, the more often you have to eat. About 70% of the daily diet, compiled by the nutrition program, must be made up of high-calorie foods.
Slow fats and carbohydrates
From the menu you need to exclude fast carbohydrates and fats - sweet fruits, confectionery and flour products. They take a long time to digest, which leads to the buildup of body fat rather than energy. The body does not have time to spend most of the nutrients extracted from fast carbohydrates and fats to renew the expended energy, but sends it to “storage”, that is, to the fat depot.
Sufficient amount of water
A diet for muscle gain speeds up metabolism, introduces the body into a stressful situation, which can be avoided by observing the drinking regimen. You need to drink at least three liters of water per day. Failure to comply with this paragraph can lead to dehydration, expressed by a deterioration in well-being and a stop in the growth of muscle mass.
Diet
Portions eaten before 16.00 should make up the majority of the daily diet. At a later time in the diet, foods with fast carbohydrates and fats should be avoided.
sports diet
It implies mandatory intensive training. Otherwise, all the calories consumed will turn into fat, and not into lean muscle mass. On training days, you need to eat 2 hours before and after training. The additional intake of sports supplements contributes to the acceleration of the process of muscle growth.
Fats, proteins, carbohydrates: daily allowance
A balanced diet is the main condition for success in following a special diet for building muscle mass. This can be achieved by following the principle of the inverted pyramid, which determines the ratio of nutrients in the diet:
- carbohydrates - from 55 to 60%
- proteins - from 25 to 30%;
- fats - from 10 to 20%.
Compliance with this rule involves an accurate calculation of all substances consumed per day. This makes it possible to receive more calories than is expended during strength training. The excess goes into muscle mass.
To calculate the calorie content of the daily norm, it is enough to use the following formula: "athlete's weight" is multiplied by "30", plus "500" to the result. It should also be taken into account that the ratio of these elements is different for both men and women.
men
- Squirrels. Some amino acids are synthesized in the body, other compounds are replenished from the food consumed. And to ensure a sufficient amount of protein per day, you need to include protein-rich foods in your diet, such as meat, milk, fish. The need for a substance is calculated by multiplying its own body weight by two. If an athlete weighs 80 kilograms, then he needs 160 grams of protein per day.
- Fats. Should be reduced, but not completely eliminated. Without them, the body will not be able to function normally. The daily rate is determined by age. Men under 28 need 130-160, under 40 - 100-150 grams. At a more mature age, the amount is reduced to 70 g / day.
- Carbohydrates. There are simple and complex. The former are of no value to muscle mass, and the consumption of the latter per day should be at least 500 grams.
Women
- Squirrels. The lack of this element negatively affects the appearance of the fair sex. Deficiency leads to a deterioration in the condition of the skin, hair structure, and nail plate. Girls, unlike men, need to consume 1.5 grams of protein per 1 kilogram of their own weight.
- Fats. The need for this substance is also due to age. Up to 28, it is 86-116, up to 40 - 80-111, after 40 years it is reduced and amounts to 70 grams per day.
- Carbohydrates. To increase muscle mass, girls need to consume at least 400 grams of slow carbohydrates.
Absolutely any diet, including for increasing muscle mass, involves the inclusion in the diet of products that allow you to fully provide all the nutrients necessary to maintain normal life. For this purpose, athletes can use both regular food and special supplements.
Along with food that is useful for an athlete gaining muscle mass, there is one that needs to be excluded from the diet. It does not bring any benefit to the body, it is deposited in the fat layer. The list of prohibited foods includes the following food groups:
- fatty meats, sausages and frankfurters, ham;
- industrial food products containing dyes, flavor enhancers, preservatives and other chemical additives;
- any kind of spread, natural butter, mayonnaise, margarine;
- sweet pastries, sweets, cakes and so on;
- salted, pickled, smoked food.
Protein Sources
Protein-rich foods to increase muscle mass include:
- Chicken or turkey fillet. You need to consume from 150 to 200 grams of this dietary meat per day.
- Dairy products with a low percentage of fat content. It can be yogurt and milk.
- Cottage cheese and egg whites. The first, along with protein, also contains valuable trace elements. Eggs, for obvious reasons, become a source of protein only without the yolk.
- Sea fish. Salmon, tuna and so on contain the most important omega acids for humans.
- Cereal crops. Wheat should be consumed sprouted, and whole grain bread, raw or roasted sunflower seeds. You can eat lentils and buckwheat.
Carbohydrate rich foods
Allows you to get the energy required for training. The amount of carbohydrates is reduced only for the purpose of losing weight. People who are gaining muscle mass, on the contrary, need to include the following carbohydrate sources in their diet:
- brown rice containing more carbohydrates than white;
- unsweetened fruits by reducing the consumption of grapes, pears, bananas;
- vegetables, including herbs and garlic;
- pasta made from durum wheat;
- cereals.
Sources of Fat
The optimal need for fats is compensated by the use of:
- brazil and walnuts;
- hazelnuts, almonds, cashews;
- applesauce marshmallows;
- mackerel.
Designed specifically for naturally thin ectomorphs. Assumes six meals a day. Portions should be small so as not to overeat and not feel hungry. The result of such nutrition can be seen after a month.
Diet plan to increase muscle mass
| Day | meal | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 | Oatmeal, nuts, apple. | Potatoes, chicken fillet, vegetables. | Curd and banana. | Fish, rice, vegetables. | Tuna with vegetable salad. | Fruit salad. |
| 2 | Orange, nuts, buckwheat porridge with honey and milk. | Boiled pasta, baked veal, vegetables. | Whole grain bread, kefir. | Cottage cheese with honey, kiwi. | Baked mackerel, vegetable salad. | |
| 3 | Oatmeal, banana, apple, nuts. | Potatoes, lean veal, vegetables. | Black bread, scrambled eggs, apple. | Smoothies made from milk and fruits. | Turkey fillet, rice, | Jam, cottage cheese. |
| 4 | Rice porridge with milk, nuts, apple. | Vegetable soup, veal. | Whole grain bread, kefir. | Fruit salad. | Turkey fillet, baked potatoes. | Vegetable salad. |
| 5 | Chicken fillet, scrambled eggs, vegetables. | Potato, lean veal, banana. | Apple, cottage cheese with jam. | Fruit smoothie. | Chicken fillet with vegetable stew. | Strawberries, yogurt, peanut butter. |
| 6 | Nuts, banana, oatmeal. | Chicken fillet, potatoes, vegetables. | Kefir, whole grain bread. | Kiwi, cottage cheese with honey. | Baked mackerel, buckwheat porridge, vegetable salad. | Fruit salad. |
| 7 | Chicken fillet, scrambled eggs, vegetables | Veal, vegetable salad, apple. | Banana, cottage cheese with jam. | Fruit smoothie. | Chicken fillet, rice, vegetables. | Vegetable salad. |
Sports nutrition with a diet
A complex schedule or lifestyle does not always allow you to eat up to six times a day. And if such a problem exists, various supplements can come to the rescue to fill the “gaps” in nutrition.
Such sports nutrition includes:
Gainers
Protein powders
Protein supplement involved in the process of building muscle mass. It does not interfere with the gainer, it is consumed an hour before training.
Creatine
Retains water in muscle tissue. Drink forty minutes before physical activity.
Be sure to take care of a sufficient amount of vitamins. They not only increase the digestibility of nutrients, but are also the prevention of malfunctions in the intestines.
Drying the body with an increase in muscle mass
In order not only to increase the volume of muscles, but also to dry out, the diet is tightened. All sources of fast carbohydrates are excluded from the diet. No cakes, muffins, sweets or sugary foods.
You need to eat not six, but from seven to nine times. This will prevent the accumulation of fat mass. It is highly recommended to use vegetable fats instead of animals.
