Nutrition is huge for your fitness journey, and these muscle-building diet tips will go a long way while you’re bulking up!
A lot of people don’t realize this, but resistance training is just one small piece of the puzzle when you’re hoping to build muscle strength and mass. Nutrition also is essential for allowing your muscles the ability to grow and repair themselves, and proper dieting also makes it easier to train harder—and ultimately achieve your fitness journey’s results.
Let’s talk more about muscle-building diet tips, including:
- The key fundamentals of a muscle-building diet
- How you can support your energy levels while bulking
- How nutritional supplements support muscle mass
- Diet tips for muscle gain
The Key Fundamentals Of A Muscle-Building Diet
Although there’s a lot that fitness enthusiasts need to keep in mind while preparing a muscle-building diet, the following are some of the key elements that you’ll need to keep in mind:
1. Ample Protein Intake
Your muscle tissues are inevitably going to experience frequent microtears while undergoing a strength training routine, and protein is an essential part of your body’s recovery process while you’re naturally building new muscle tissue.
Our advice is to aim for at least 0.7 grams of protein in correlation to your body weight (in pounds) per day. That would mean that a person who weighs 150 pounds would need to consume a minimum of 105 grams of protein on a daily basis. Here’s an easy equation to help you calculate this protein intake:
(0.7 X Your Body Weight In Lbs.) = Daily Protein Intake (Grams)
You should also try to incorporate complete proteins into your diet, which include all essential amino acids.
2. Maintaining A Caloric Surplus
In order to gain muscle, you’ll need to maintain a caloric surplus. This means that you’ll need to consume more calories than you burn each day.
Caloric surpluses require that you eat more calories than your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). If you’re moderately or very active each day during your fitness routine, the odds are that you’re going to need to eat upwards of 2,000+ calories per day.
However, everyone is different when it comes to maintaining a caloric surplus and our nutrition coaches are always available when you need specific calorie calculations for your unique bulking diet!
3. Carbs Are Your Energy Source
Carbs are also crucial for your body’s muscle recovery and repair, and carbs are also a main energy source for healthy diets. Carbs are going to fuel your resistance workouts and strength training routine while you’re slowly but surely increasing muscle mass.
It’s important to remember how your body turns carbs into glucose, and this is a huge reason why carb intake prior to workouts can go a long way to help you train longer. And as you consistently train longer and harder, you’ll more quickly see results.
Try to prioritize healthy carbs from food sources like whole grains, veggies, fruits and dairy to ensure that your body has the energy it needs to push a little harder at the gym!
Macronutrients Are Essential For Muscle-Building Diets
Macronutrients include things like carbs, protein and fats—which are the three major nutrition sources for bodily energy.
A lot of people on diets will focus on avoiding or limiting certain foods; however, we believe that it’s much better to prioritize your macronutrient intake and orient your entire diet around eating the necessary amounts of carbs, protein and fats for muscle mass growth.
A great muscle gain diet plan includes about 25% protein, 25% fat, and 50% carbs. By counting your macro intake, you can also maintain your energy levels while bulking—and ultimately increase the efficiency of your fitness journey!
Supporting Your Energy Levels While Bulking
Everyone has different energy levels, so it’s normal to be confused about how much nutrients your body needs to be properly fueled while undergoing a muscle-building diet.
Our advice is to start out by asking yourself the following questions:
- Are you feeling ready for your next gym session? It’s important to listen to your body while you’re building muscle mass, and this includes noticing the signs that it’s time to eat more (or take a day off).
- Are you consistently struggling with your recovery or feeling sore? Although it’s normal to feel sore after working out, it’s another story when your soreness seems constant and it’s causing you to fall behind on your progress. In this scenario, it might be time to reassess your training plan or diet.
- Are you making progress in your workout sessions? Increasing reps or weights, or simply being able to train longer, are encouraging signs that your body is getting the nutrients it needs during a rigorous muscle-building routine.
What Are The Best Foods For A Muscle-Building Diet?
There are a lot of foods that you’ll need to keep in mind for your muscle-building diet, so we’ve organized specific foods based upon the below categories:
- Carbs: Brown rice, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, quinoa, apples, potatoes, broccoli, bananas, carrots
- Lean Proteins: Turkey, chicken, eggs, fish, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt
- Plant-Based Proteins: Lentils, tofu, chickpeas, tempeh, black beans
- Protein Powders: Casein, whey, other plant-based blends
Nutritional Supplements Support Your Bulking Diet
Although food is essential for bulking, it’s common for people to need some extra help through nutritional supplements while they’re aiming toward fitness goals.
The most effective nutritional supplements for building muscle mass include creatine monohydrate and protein powder.
Protein powder of course goes a long way to ensure that your body is obtaining an adequate amount of daily protein, and creatine is an effective supplement that supports your strength, power, and overall workout intensity.
How Often You Should Eat During A Muscle-Building Diet
Timing is another key element of your muscle-building diet that goes on top of simply eating nutrient-rich foods. There are several factors that impact how often you should eat while bulking up, including:
- Meal Frequency: Aim for eating a protein source around every 2-4 hours throughout the course of each day.
- Meal Distribution: Aim for about 30-40 grams of protein per meal, which can include your post-workout drinks.
- Timing Your Carbs: Try to eat carbs before and after your workout sessions to boost your gym performance and catalyze your recovery.
Our Nutrition Coaches Are Here To Support Your Muscle-Building Diet & Fitness Journey!
Regardless of where you’re currently at in your fitness journey, the best muscle-building diet routine helps you to feel energized and excited about your next workout session.
Here at Rising Legends, we support our clients with a wide range of dieting strategies—and our nutrition coaches will customize a bulking diet that’s specifically tailored to you and your body’s unique needs.
And just remember that muscle mass increases don’t simply happen overnight, so be patient and maintain your consistency while you’re building muscle strength.
We look forward to seeing you at the gym!