Muscle Building Diet Breakdown

When it comes to building muscle what you eat is just as important as when you eat it.

Remember in order to build muscle FAST you need to consume extra calories FAST.

Since it takes 3500 EXTRA calories to gain 1lb of new muscle mass your goal should be consuming 3500 EXTRA as fast as possible.

So think about it, If you can consume 500 extra calories a day that's 3500 calories in 1 week , it's simple math.

But the real goal is to consume these extra calories without the excess fat gain. Believe it or not, but since fat gain goes hand in hand with building muscle.

Why?

it's pretty simple, In order to build muscle you need to consume excess calories, well that's the same environment fat gains thrive in.

So to help you pack on the most muscle but the least amount of fat, here's a run down of what you should eat and when you should eat it to get the best results possible.

Sample Muscle Building Diet Breakdown

Meal 1: Breakfast [7am] For Jimmy breakfast is typically his largest meal of the day and it might be your largest meal of the day as well.

So for this meal you’re going to have a high amount of protein, you’re going to really need your simply sugars to get your body going for the day, you’re also going to need to your complex sugars to keep it going. And that’s basically it for your breakfast.

Meal 2: Post Workout [9:30am] This “meal” is just going to be a workout shake. This is when you definitely want to take Whey Protein, because it hits your muscles faster than any other type of protein. (This’ll be discussed more in the supplements section)

Meal 3: 1hr after your workout [12pm] For this meal you’re going to want to load up on your complex carbs at this time, again a good amount of protein and also a good amount of fatty acids, this should be a pretty well balanced meal, this is typically my largest meal of the day.

Meal 4: Weight Gainer shake[2:30pm] This is an ideal time to be consuming your weight gainer shake (if you choose to use one) because it’s in the middle of the day while you’re still active which means less calories that turn into fat.

If you don’t want to use a weight gainer for this meal, then you should look to consume another well balanced meal high in complex carbs, protein and Essential Fatty Acids.

Meal 5: Cutting the carbs [5pm] For Meal 5, you want to start cutting your carbs a little bit.

Because even though we’re not on a cutting diet [trying to lose body fat] personally I don’t like to be ingesting a lot of carbs during the evening hours because I’m primarily just sitting around not doing much, which can lead to unnecessary fat gains if you ingest too many carbs during this time.

This is probably the last meal where you have a good amount of carbs.

Meal 6: Large snack without the carbs [7pm] This can be something like a salad, a steak, maybe some All Natural Organic Peanut butter [not the Jif’s and Skippy’s] the real stuff.

This meal should primarily consist of protein and EFA’s.

Meal 7: 45 min before bed [9pm] This meal could be something like a casein protein shake.

Why casein?

Because casein protein is kind of like soy protein, in essence it’s a slow digesting protein. And what that does, is it prevents your body from eating away at itself while you’re sleeping and without nutrients for the next 8 hours while you’re resting.

I hope this quick muscle building diet breakdown helps you because nutrition is very very very important.

And when you know how to consume massive amounts of calories without all the excess fat gains will be able to build a lot of pure lean muscle mass and ultimately change your physique that much quicker.

If you're struggling to cook muscle building meals (as in you don't really have a clue) and you want some "quick" and easy recipes for some pretty tasty meals that'll SPARK your Muscle Gains I highly recommend you checkout Anabolic Cooking

Click Here to learn how to make quick and easy muscle building meals

Train hard,

Rich

Top Food to Build Muscle And Gain Weight

One of the biggest problems guys face when it comes to building muscle and gaining weight is nutrition.

If you don't know what foods and nutrients you need to build muscle then good luck because you have a long and hard road ahead of you.

So to make sure you don't make the same mistakes I made, here is a down and dirty guide to what foods you need, why it's important and whens the best time to consume it.

Proper Nutrition is Just As If Not MORE Important Than Exercising

Why?

Because think of your body like a house. You can’t build that house bigger and stronger without the bricks right?

And guess what the “bricks” are when it comes building muscle, CALORIES. And if you’re a naturally skinny guy like myself, then you’re going to have to consume A LOT of extra calories in order to build muscle and build it fast.

So let me break it down for you…

It takes approximately 3500 EXTRA calories to build 1 lb of new body mass.

And I say body mass because it ultimately depends on your genetics and where those extra calories come from that decide how much of those extra calories is converted to muscle and how much is converted to fat.

For example if most of your extra calories come from fats and bad carbs “like chips and soda” you’ll gain mostly fat. But if they came from protein and good carbs “like tuna and whole wheat bread” you’ll mostly gain muscle.

It doesn’t matter how hard you train, if you cannot provide your body with these extra calories on a daily basis (with the right combination of carbs, protein and fats) your body will struggle to build muscle.

The faster you consume 3500 EXTRA calories the faster you'll see muscle gains.

So your goal should be consuming the following foods so you can consume 3500 EXTRA calories as FAST AS POSSIBLE.

Let's do some math, if you consume 500 EXTRA calories each day, in 7 days you would have consumed 3500 EXTRA calories.

So here’s a quick guide into the important food groups and nutritents you need to build muscle. I go more indepth in my 30 Day Build Muscle Challenge, but this should get you going.

Carbs - The main fuel source for your body. Your body breaks down carbs for energy

Fast Acting Carbs (Simple Sugars)

- provides almost immediate energy to your body when it need to.

Impact on muscle gains: In order to build muscle, you need to workout your muscles. but if they do not have enough energy to go through your workouts your results will suffer. That’s where these carbs come in.

Best time to consume: immediately before, during and immediately after your workouts to provide quick energy when your muscles need it most

Foods high in “Fast” Acting Carbs

  • Apples
  • Berries
  • Bananas
  • Oranges

Slow acting carbs (Complex Carbs)

- provides a constant release of energy to your body throughout the day.

Impact on muscle gains: once your muscles are depleted of its energy (due to your workouts) it needs to replenish its energy stores for the next workout.

Best time to consume -pretty much any time, you're not working out.

List of “Slow” / Complex Carb Souces”

  • Oatmeal and non-sugary cereals
  • Whole-grain breads
  • Brown Rice
  • Beans
  • Potatoes

Protein - Used to build, maintain and repair muscle.

Types Of Protein - Whey, Casein, Soy, Egg… (many)

Whey Protein

- a fast acting, easily digested protein. Provides a surge of amino acids (protein) to the muscles very quickly.

Impact on muscle gains: during your workout sessions your muscles demand for protein dramatically increases and to avoid any unnecessary muscle breakdown whey protein is needed

Best Time to consume: immediately before, during and immediately after your workouts to provide protein when your muscles need it most .

Best Whey Protein sources: Supplements

Casein, Soy, Egg, Lean beef, chicken protein

- provides a steady release of protein that your body and muscles can use throughout the day.

Impact on muscle gains: helps repair the damaged muscle tissue and helps build new muscle

Best Time to consume: any time throughout the day when you're not working out.

Foods High in Casein, Soy, Egg, type protein

  • Grilled Chicken and Turkey
  • Egg Whites
  • Tuna and other fish
  • Milk and other low-fat dairy products
  • Lean Beef

Essential Fatty Acids - Used to help increase metabolism, used in Testosterone Synthesis

Types - Mono and Poly Unsaturated Fats

Impact on muscle gains: Helps produce Testerone “Big daddy muscle building Hormone”, increases metabolism, helps decrease inflammation.

Best time to consume: During the day time (not within 2 hours of your workout)

List of Foods High in Essential Fatty Acids

  • Peanuts
  • Almonds
  • Virgin Olive
  • Sunflower Oil
  • Tuna Fish

This is by no means an exhaustive list of the foods you should eat, but it's definitely a start in the right direction of the things you should be eating in order to build muscle and gain weight with the least amount of fat.

If you need help figuring out how to prepare meals that's filled with all of these muscle building nutrients, and actually taste good and easy to create then I highly recommend you check out my 30 Day Build Muscle Challenge Training Program, that comes with one of the easiest and simplest diet plans designed to help you gain 10 lbs of muscle FAST.

Leave a comment below and let me know what is your favorite muscle building food or any simple recipes you like to make, or if you have a question about anything I just discussed in today's post.

Train hard,

Rich

5 Motivational Tips You Need To Know to Build Muscle

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Creative Commons License photo credit: jontunn

So now that you’ve learned about nutritional principles and weight-lifting strategies, there’s just one more tool you need to equip yourself with before hitting the gym and reaching those fitness goals that you’ve only dreamed of before… and that’s motivation.

Now I’ve always believed that motivation is a mindset and that people who weren’t motivated were just weak minded and willed… turns out motivation and motivational tools can be taught and they’re just about the easiest thing to learn!

So whether you’re struggling just to get into the gym in the morning or you’re seeking that extra mental push to put you over the top and get that one last rep, or your diet is taking its toll, here are the top 5 motivational tools I use when I feel my mental game slipping:

Motivational Tip #1: Set Definitive Goals

Do you know why most people fail to achieve their New Year’s Resolutions to “lose weight” or “gain muscle” or “get healthy”?

Because those goals are so broad that people often don’t know where to start… and then they get discouraged before they’ve even lifted a finger.

Half the battle is in setting your goal. Instead of saying “gain muscle”, you should be saying, “I want to gain 20 pounds in the next 6 months and keep my body fat the same”.

Instead of saying I want to get healthy, maybe say, “I want to be able to run an 8 minute mile” or “I want to train for a 5K marathon 2 months from now”.

Motivational Tip #2: Set Short and Reachable Goals:

Now that we’ve established a clear goal for ourselves, we can further refine and better outlook by breaking that goal down further into a bunch of sub-goals.

So instead of saying “I want to gain 20 pounds in the next 6 months and keep my body fat the same”, tell yourself, “I’m gonna gain 5 pounds of muscle this month”.

We’re all driven by success and its success that fuels us. Setting achievable goals isn’t cheating. It’s being smart by allowing yourself to achieve a larger goal in stages!

Motivational Tip #3: Get a Workout Partner

And make sure that partner has similar goals to you. There have been number of mornings when I haven’t wanted to get out of bed or it seemed hard to do the last rep on every set.

But having a workout partner makes me get up because I have a responsibility to them… and it’s that same workout partner that helps me eek out those last one or two excruciating reps.

Motivational Tip #4: Keep Things Fresh

One of the best motivational killers is getting into a routine.

If you’re in the gym every day and you’re doing the same workout week after tiresome week, things are going to start getting boring… and when they do, that’s when motivation levels drop and people quick.

Change up your workout every week and do get a new scheme every 2 or 3 months. It’ll give you and your body something new to tackle which will help keep you going as well!

Motivational Tip #5: Take a Break

Here’s a secret that I’m sure a huge number of fledgling gym rats don’t know… your muscles don’t grow while you’re working out… they grow WHILE YOU’RE RESTING.

So take a week off to recharge both your body and your mind every 2.5 to 3 months.

It’ll give you an appreciation for the extra time you have and at the same time it’ll allow your body to grow and recover from the pounding you’ve given it!

Until Next Time,

Jim