Monday, March 25, 2013

Eating to Build Muscle in an Overall Bodybuilding Program

By Harley Radowski


Bodybuilding routines must include eating to build muscle as a component of an overall bodybuilding program. Working up a sweat in the gym and concentrating on all your muscle groups in order to build muscle mass is fine, but you are only going half way if you do not also eat foods that build muscle.

Lifting weights in the gym forced your muscles to work, but guess what? Working your muscles uses considerable energy, and energy is supplied by your food. Correct nutrition also helps heal muscle injury that often occurs while you are working out. You may not even know you have caused injury to your muscles, but your body knows, and your body needs fuel from food that helps build muscle in order to repair that muscle.

A diet that is low in fat goes without saying with any serious bodybuilder. Even if you do not carry extra flab or fat, it is important to keep it that way. And if you do have some fat you want to get rid of, eating foods that build muscle in the form of low fat food is important. But what about protein? Is it important or not? You bet it is. Protein provides the building blocks to build that muscle. What types of protein are best? Chicken, eggs, steak (with the fat cut off), fish, cheese (especially cottage cheese), and nuts are all great sources of protein.

Finding out how much protein to eat when you are interested in building muscle fast is actually not difficult. First, you will need to find out your lean body mass weight in kilos, and then you simply multiply that figure by 2.75 to determine your daily protein requirement. Calculating your lean body mass uses some complex formulae, so ask a professional at the gym if you do not already have this figure.

Carbohydrates, in moderation, are also essential when finding foods that build muscle. Do not eat too much, though, unless you choose high fiber carbohydrates (which are the healthiest ones anyway), and then you can indulge in much larger amounts. Good high fiber carbohydrates include rice, potatoes (yes, potatoes - just do not add butter!), oatmeal and bananas.

Reducing fat in your diet is also important when considering what foods build muscle mass. I said earlier that protein is essential for the best muscle building nutrition. The problem is that many protein sources are also high in fat. The key, therefore, is to eating plenty of proteins that are low in fat. That way you get the benefit of the protein, and you reduce your fat intake at the same time. So cut all the fat off your meat, and the skin off your chicken, and drink low fat milk instead of the full fat variety.

You may argue that drinking has no effect on what to eat to build muscle. But you would be wrong. Hydration is critical to general health and wellbeing. Even more so when you are working to build muscle mass.

Two litres of water a day is what most experts recommend to maintain optimal health. To drink that amount, you need to drink up to 12 glasses of water a day, which is quite a lot. So start early in the day, and space your water consumption out throughout the day.

Regular bodybuilding workouts are also essential to maximise the effects of good bodybuilding diets. It is all very well knowing what to eat to build muscle, but if you do not combine this great new diet by building muscle mass with weight lifting exercises or other bodybuilding routines, you will not be able to build muscle fast. So do both - eat foods that build muscle, and undertake bodybuilding workouts, and you will end up with a body you will be proud of.




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