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