Greater strength and endurance can be achieved through physical training, but a diet must always accompany this procedure to increase muscle mass.
Thus, following a diet to increase muscle mass is essential because only physical training cannot achieve the goal. Carbohydrates, as a source of energy for muscle tissue, are also necessary to increase the working capacity of muscles in anaerobic conditions.
The important thing in a diet to increase muscle mass is to ensure the body has the necessary proteins, carbohydrates, fats and calories. Not just any nutrition plan will give the results sought by men and women who want to increase their muscle mass, so taking into account specific information is essential.
Table of Contents
What is the Diet to increase muscle mass?
Muscle mass is the volume of total body tissue corresponding to skeletal muscle, performing different body movements and maintaining posture.
Chicken, turkey, tuna, egg white, legumes, nuts, pasta, bread and whole-grain rice should be part of the Diet to increase muscle mass. But how? Preparing them boiled, baked, steamed, in papillote or grilled is another of the most frequently asked questions.
Next, we will complete the necessary information to carry out an eating plan to gain muscle mass by consuming more calories than are burned. Those extra calories will be the essential fuel for the muscle to grow.
How to do the Diet to increase muscle mass
There are different diets to increase muscle mass according to the training time and the phase (volume, definition, maintenance) of bodybuilding you want to perform. Therefore, there is no single formula to implement this type of Diet, but it is necessary to adapt it to the particular needs and training schedules of each one.
In this type of Diet, it is necessary to distribute the meals throughout the day, a good trick that helps to achieve a constant flow of nutrients in the muscle tissues. Still, adding foods that are naturally denser in calories is also important because this, success is assured.
To follow a diet to increase muscle mass, it is necessary to have constancy because there is an adaptation period that, once overcome, allows you to continue with the nutritional plan and check the changes daily in the mirror.
What to eat on the Diet to increase muscle mass
The correct way to implement a diet to increase muscle mass is to implement an eating plan whose objective will be to help generate muscle tissue while minimizing the risk of accumulating fat.
The most reliable plan to gain muscle mass will always be adapted to each person and made based on weight, sex, age and level of physical activity. In addition, the distribution must be correct, considering the caloric and nutritional requirements.
Before commenting on what to eat on a diet to increase muscle mass, it is necessary to design a comprehensive plan that includes adequate physical training to produce “micro-tears” and rest correctly because only in this way are cortisol levels lowered and the growth of muscle tissues.
Suppose you want an increase in muscle mass without using supplements and without accumulating body fat. In that case, it is essential to clarify that the Diet will make you gain weight gradually and slowly. Therefore patients should be part of the plan.
The caloric increase must be done slowly so as not to store body fat. Therefore, it will be critical to include a correct macronutrient distribution, and consume quality fats such as olive or avocado oil and daily proteins ranging between 1.8 to 2.5 grams per kilo of weight.
Consuming carbohydrates, which have the essential characteristic of being converted into energy faster than fats, will also be necessary. The recommended carbohydrates are:
- Fruits and vegetables.
- Tubers
- Nuts.
- Rice (only when it is difficult to reach a caloric surplus).
Distribution of macronutrients in the Diet to gain muscle mass
Making an appropriate distribution of the macronutrients is essential in any diet to gain muscle; otherwise, there is a risk of not making the muscles grow and accumulate fat.
Depending on the type of metabolism, the distribution of macronutrients will be different:
Metabolism boards
A slow metabolism is generally prone to storing fat, and therefore, the balance will be in consuming:
- Protein: 3 grams for every kilo of body weight.
- Fat: 1 gram for every kilo of body weight.
- Carbohydrates: complete the rest of the calories.
fast metabolisms
This metabolism generally loses fat faster, and therefore, the proportions will be:
- Protein: 2.7 grams per kilo of body weight.
- Fat: 0.8 grams per kilo of body weight.
- Carbohydrates: They complete the rest of the calories.
Balanced metabolisms
These are naturally athletic bodies that need the following proportions:
- Protein: 2.7 grams per kilo of body weight.
- Fat: 0.9 grams per kilo of body weight.
- Carbohydrates: They complete the rest of the calories.
Note: During the rest days in training, you can reduce carbohydrates and thus stimulate the use of fats and burn them more quickly.
Diet foods to increase muscle mass
A diet’s correct caloric intake will be essential to increase muscle mass. Therefore, each day, you should consume between 300 and 500 calories.
Foods to include in the Diet to increase muscle mass
- Eggs: A source of high-quality protein, the egg also contains vitamins.
- Oats: It is recommended to include oatmeal for breakfast as it contains high biological value protein, fat, potassium, calcium, sodium and vitamins of group B.
- Chicken breast: This food provides 30 grams of protein per 100 grams. It is consumed in addition to containing 120 calories.
- Red meat: Contains protein and a high index of natural creatine.
- Tuna: Provides proteins, Omega 3 and is metabolized efficiently.
- Nuts: The best ones to increase muscle mass are walnuts, sunflower seeds, and almonds.
- Sweet potato: Excellent food to gain muscle mass; it is a carbohydrate with a low glycemic index of slow absorption.
- Brown rice: This cooked food provides the body with three grams of fibre and seven grams of protein for each cup.
- Fruits and vegetables: Source of antioxidants, both fruits and vegetables provide the body with nutrients such as vitamins E and C and beta-carotene.
- Low-fat milk and cheeses: They contain little fat and provide the body with different essential nutrients for muscle mass growth.
- Yogurt: It should be included in the Diet for muscle growth as it helps increase the benign bacteria found in the digestive tract, promoting the digestion of proteins.
- Soy Protein: A food is known for its excellent properties that allow it to substitute red meat and all kinds of legumes.
- Quinoa: A novel food that provides 14 grams of protein per 100 grams and essential amino acids.
- Whey protein: A supplement that quickly provides the body with enough protein.
- Healthy fats: They are essential in producing growth hormones and testosterone, which are responsible for increasing muscle and strength. Healthy fats are “polyunsaturated and monounsaturated” in fish such as salmon and green leafy vegetables, nuts, avocados, and olive oil.
Variants of the Diet to increase muscle mass
There are different variants of the Diet to increase muscle mass, and this particularity is because each plan must adapt to the physical training schedules. Still, they are also different in the case of men and women.
Let’s see then the different Diets to increase muscle mass according to the training schedule:
The diet increases muscle mass – morning workout
They are designed for those who do their physical training in the middle of the morning. The Diet seeks to optimize the results to the maximum, and its basic principle is to eat at least five daily meals, three main ones and two auxiliary snacks.
Organize the time, have breakfast 10 minutes after getting up, and have lunch at noon and dinner between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
Two snacks should be taken between the main meals, one in the middle of the morning and the other in the afternoon. In addition, an additional snack should be added 20 minutes after performing the exercises for muscle growth and can be a banana or low-fat yogurt.
Example of a diet to gain muscle mass (morning training)
Breakfast
- Two whole eggs, white and yolk, plus three additional whites.
- Four slices of whole wheat bread spread with low-fat cheese and tomato.
- One fruit or a glass of natural fruit juice.
Mid-morning and snack
- One cup of cereal with banana and skim milk, one serving of grilled chicken, and 1 cup of oatmeal.
Lunch
- One serving of fish or chicken.
- 300 grams of brown rice
- One serving of salad.
- One fruit or natural fruit juice.
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- One serving of chicken, meat or fish
- One serving (300 g) of legumes with rice
- One banana
- One glass of skim milk
After training
Wait 20 minutes and eat one whole banana and a handful of almonds.
Note: In addition to meals, it is necessary to consume a good amount of water to keep the body well hydrated, at least one and a half litres of water per day, not only before, during and after exercising but throughout the day.
The diet increases muscle mass training – at night.
And for those who train at night, the Diet to gain muscle mass differs slightly from those who exercise in the morning.
It continues to be made up of breakfast, lunch and dinner and two meals or snacks, one at mid-morning and the other at snack time, eliminating the banana and almonds after 20 minutes of finishing the physical exercise.
Example of a diet to gain muscle mass (night training)
Breakfast
- Eighty grams of oatmeal with skimmed milk.
- One glass of orange juice
Mid-morning and snack
- 100 grs. Whole wheat pasta.
- 100 grs. Of roasted chicken breast.
Lunch
- Three hundred grams of cooked potato.
- Two hundred grams of octopus with a drizzle of olive oil and paprika.
- One slice of watermelon.
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- Salad of: lettuce, tomato, onion, natural tuna and natural corn, lined with olive oil and vinegar.
- Fifty grams whole wheat pasta.
- One boiled egg.
- One apple.
Diet recipes to increase muscle mass
Egg tortilla
Ideal for breakfast, this whole egg whites omelette is very easy to prepare.
Ingredients
- Two whole eggs.
- 3 Egg whites.
- Olive oil
Preparation
In a bowl, place the eggs and whites, beat everything for a couple of minutes and place in a hot pan that will have previously been brushed with olive oil.
When the eggs have set a little, turn the omelette, cook for a minute and serve.
Pre-workout and post-workout shake
A delicious fruit smoothie to gain muscle mass. Taking this shake before going to the gym and just after finishing the training is recommended. It recovers the wear generated during physical exercise and gives the body the necessary proteins to help the muscle reconstitute itself.
Ingredients
- 250 ml of milk.
- 100 ml of ricotta.
- One banana.
- Eighty grams of fresh oatmeal.
Preparation
Place all the ingredients in the blender glass and beat for 2 minutes.
Serve the shake immediately to take advantage of all its benefits.
Conclusion on the Diet to increase muscle mass
Through the development of this article, we have seen that gaining muscle mass is relatively simple if a physical training routine is correctly combined with an excellent balanced diet.
Of course, Diet will not be enough to gain muscle mass and physical exercise, but a lot of personal commitment is added to all this and, if necessary, the support of a coach who is a constant guide.
Sources and References:
- Spanish Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics
Protein needs of athletes and dietary-nutritional guidelines for muscle mass gain
- Dialnet Journals Theses Congresses
Orthorexia and vigour
- Notes. Sports Medicine
Sports performance: muscle glycogen and protein consumption
My name is Ellie Lauderdale, MD and I am USA based professional Nutritionist .
I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and board certified specialist in sports dietetics who is trained in integrative medicine. I have worked with hundreds of clients, from those suffering with chronic disease to professional and olympian athletes. My goal is to help optimize you from the inside so that you can feel, perform, and look your best on the outside.