How to grow muscle faster with good nutrition
Caleb Lee
Nutrition is AT LEAST as important as any exercise regime in a good bodybuilding program.
Although good nutrition is important just to be healthy, it's especially important for bodybuilders because you need the proper nutrients in order to grow new muscle and get the body you want.
Today I'm going to give you a few pointers on getting the right balance of foods that your growing muscle needs.
The first step is to change your eating patterns -- the size and frequency of your feedings. Instead of 2-3 big meals, you're going to eat more meals more frequently throughout the day (but the portions will be smaller).
The idea of this is to increase your metabolism. This will help you burn fat - in fact after four hours or so without food, your body switches into catabolic mode, where you begin to accumulate fat; a holdover from the days of being hunter/gatherers who literally didn't know where their next meal was coming from.
Instead, eat about every three hours (4-6 smaller meals a day).
What should I be eating?
Great Question. When building muscle, BALANCE is the key to nutrition. You want carbs, protein and fat in every meal.
You want to strive to get all three in a ratio of roughly 40% of carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat. When you get all three at once it helps your body make the most of each element... and... fights energy crashes by giving you sustained fuel for energy.
"Don't calories matter?"
Yes, calories do count, but here is how you should pattern your caloric intake: You want low calories (about 2,000 for men and 1,200 for women) for 2 weeks followed by higher calories for 2 weeks (about 2,500 for men and 1,500 for women).
Doing your calorie intake like this will help you lose fat and build lean muscle mass -- just what every bodybuilder desires. (You should send these numbers upwards somewhat if you are doing energy intensive training such as running.)
OK, so what specifically are good things to eat while building muscle?
The key is variety and balance -- again. While I don't have enough room here to go into an entire nutrition plan, You'll want both simple and complex carbohydrates -- here's a few ideas:
Complex Carbs: Oatmeal, sweet potatoes, rice, broccoli, spinach Simple Carbs: Fruit is your best bet for simple carbs; whatever fruit you like is fine here.
Go for these Proteins: Eggs, skinless turkey or chicken, tuna, very lean beef.
Fats: Stick with the healthy oils such as olive oil, canola oil, fish oils, and flaxseed oil, also natural peanut butter is a good source of protein/fat.
Last, and this is important, water - you NEED plenty of water to keep your system adequately hydrated and flushed of toxins.
Following the above tips will get you started on your way to a healthy diet for building lean muscle mass.
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