You may have heard that the best thing to do if you're trying to put on muscle is simply to train hard and to eat everything in sight. You'll definitely gain weight if you do this, and some of it will probably even be muscle. But if you want to gain muscle fast without getting fat you have to be a bit more careful.
In this article you'll learn the 3 things that you need the eat to maximize your muscle gains, and how much of each you should be consuming.
1. Protein Almost everyone knows by now that protein is essential if you're trying to put on weight (and also if you're trying to lose weight as a matter of fact). You've also probably heard that some proteins are better than others, for example that lean meats are a better choice than vegetables as a protein source.
This is true, but what you probably don't know is that some of the most hyped up sources of protein in bodybuilding are probably among the lowest in quality. This includes whey, casein. and soy proteins.
These proteins definitely aren't worthless, but some research suggests that eating lean meats, fish, and whole eggs will result in less of the amino acids being wasted. Amino acids are the nutrients that proteins are made of, and they are basically the primary building blocks of the body.
To make sure that you're getting the most out of your training, most experts now say you should eat at least your body weight in protein. So if you're 160 pounds you should be getting at least 160g of protein every day.
2. Carbs In order to keep your muscles full of energy you should get at least 150 g of carbohydrates everyday. If you don't do this the glycogen in your muscles (converted blood sugar) will become depleted and your training and muscle gains will suffer as a result.
Fruits are a good source of carbs, but try to keep carbs from fruits and sucrose to under 100g per day. If you're like most weightlifters you'll be eating a lot more than 150 g of carbs every day, so that means the majority of your carbs will be coming from starches such as rice and potatoes.
3. Fats and EFA Caps You need to be eating at a caloric surplus in order to gain weight, and some of that energy should come from fats. Olive oil is an excellent source of fat and it's a good idea to add to that a few fish oil capsules, since research has shown that they have many health benefits for everyone, including bodybuilders.
How do you know if you're eating enough? You should be gaining 3-5 pounds per month, and the amount of calories to create that energy surplus should be about equal to your body weight multiplied by 15.
Remember that some of that weight will always be fat, so you'll have to do some dieting from time to time to strip off the excess while maintaining the muscle.
