6 Nutrition Guidelines to build Muscle

Do you want to build lean, sculpted muscle? What you do at the gym is important. And if you want to see that lean, sculpted muscle? You have to dial in your nutrition. Follow these nutrition guidelines to build muscle, feel stronger, look leaner and have more energy than ever before.

How many times have you fallen down the diet rabbit hole? You start to ask questions with grey answer: should you go paleo or vegetarian? To breakfast or not to breakfast? ITF or eat every 3-4 hours? Count macros or count calories?

Damn are there a lot of decisions to make.

Here’s what I believe works: simplicity. Have your ever heard of K.I.S.S. before?

No, not them. K.I.S.S…keep it simple and straightforward. It’s a Navy saying from the 60s. The idea is that to make “it” work, whatever “it” is, you have to keep it simple. The real world slows down for no one. You won’t always have the time/energy/resources to eat Paleo or count your macros. So keep the rules so simple and straightforward that you can (almost) achieve your goals without thinking about them.

These guidelines to build muscle and stay healthy are meant to be just that: simple and straightforward.

NUTRITION GUIDELINES TO BUILD MUSCLE

Bust through the grey area and ignore the jargon. Here are 6, simple guidelines to follow if your goal is to build strong, lean muscle.

Eat Breakfast

Breakfast, aka break the fast. You’ve just spent 8+ hours fasting (sleeping) and your body is running on empty. If your goal is to build muscle, you need to take breakfast seriously.

Start your day with a healthy, well-balanced meal that includes plenty of protein. Not only will breakfast fuel your morning and keep you full until lunchtime, it’ll set you up on the path of good food choices for the day. #momentum

Plus, eating breakfast in the morning can boost your metabolism. Fuel your workout, your brain and your energy levels by eating a well-balanced meal soon after you wake up.

What makes a good breakfast?

• Protein such as eggs and egg whites, Greek yogurt or cottage cheese.
• Complex, unprocessed carbohydrates like those found in oats and minimally processed whole grain and bran cereals (top a bowl with fresh fruit for a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals).
• Heart healthy fats from egg yolks, milk, avocado or grass fed butter.

Keep in mind, you’re not limited to traditional breakfast foods in the morning. If you’re not an egg person and you’d prefer chicken or fish, go for it!

Include Protein at Every Meal

Protein is made up of amino acids, the itty-bitty building blocks of muscle. It is no surprise then, that if you want to build lean muscle you have to eat protein. But protein’s role in your healthy body doesn’t stop at muscle building. Protein supports metabolic function, normal hormone activity, your immune system, energy levels (and the list goes on).

But why every meal? Couldn’t you just chug a massive protein shake and be done with it?

First of all, your digestive system wouldn’t thank you for consuming all of your daily protein needs in one chug. More importantly, research shows that the effectiveness of protein breakdown for muscle synthesis decreases once you consume more than 25-30 grams in a sitting. By spreading your protein intake out through the day – by consuming 20-30 grams 3-4 times a day – your body can more easily digest and deal with the nutrient AND you still have room for the ever important nutrients coming from veggies, fruits, complex carbs and healthy fats.

*Protein bonus: there is more to protein than it’s muscle repair and rebuild superpowers. Protein has a high thermic effect, which means your body has to work harder to break it down than other nutrients (read: more calories used to digest protein than say, a donut). Protein fills you up and keeps you feeling fuller, longer. Plus, protein is metabolically active. Replace an over-consumption of carbs or fats with protein and you’re well on your way to a better body composition.

Plan a Regular Eating Schedule

Your body is in constant work mode. Growing hair, digesting food, breathing, thinking, doing chores, making dinner, having sex – all of this activity takes energy. And then you throw in a few workouts a week because #goals, and the workload increases. That means you’re burning more calories, even at rest.

Eating at regular intervals benefits you in multiple ways:

• You’ll maintain a steady blood sugar which means decreasing that afternoon spike and crash of your energy and mood.
• Eating every 3-4 hours keeps your metabolic “flame” burning hot.
• You’ll better control cravings.
• You will be better able to make smart food choices because you’re never left in that “I’m starving, food me anything!” state.
• It helps your body recover, repair and rebuild post-workout.

Don’t Skimp on Post-Workout Carbs

Speaking of rebuilding post-workout…

Carbohydrates are a powerful nutrient that have a real-time effect on your energy levels Your body prefers carbohydrates for energy over fats or protein so if you’re heading to the gym on a regular basis then cutting carbs is not going to help your build lean, strong muscle.

You probably know that it’s a great idea to consume protein after your strength workout. What you might not know is that for your body to optimize post-workout protein, you have to also pair it with simple carbs.

Why? Simple (ha). When you workout hard two things happen. First, you create small tears in your muscles – this is where post-workout protein consumption becomes so important. But you also deplete energy stores and replenishing THAT is your body’s first priority. That is where post-workout carbohydrate consumption is so important.

The carbohydrates that you consume immediately after your workout get right to work replenishing your depleted energy stores. That leaves the protein you consume available to build and repair muscle. *Without that carbohydrate, your body first uses the protein to replenish it’s energy stores.

Eat Real, Unprocessed Foods

When you’re goal is to build muscle, consuming the right balance and quality of nutrients matters. That means that a) you have no room for junk calories and b) you want to choose real food over packaged or processed items.

Real food contains real nutrients. Apples, chicken, oats – these are foods that your body recognizes. It knows just what to do with them! Apple Jacks, processed deli meat, and soda on the other hand? Your body doesn’t readily recognize those things as food, and doesn’t know quite what to do with then.

Eat real food. Avoid the preservatives, added sugars and trans fats found in processed foods that have no place in your diet, muscle-building or not. Instead, choose the bulk of your food from lean protein sources, complex carbs, vegetables and heart healthy fats.

*The exception to this rule might be post-workout, when a protein shake made with a minimally processed whey protein isolate (and some simple carbs), is the best way to get a punch of nutrients into your system quickly.

Drink Water, Lots of It

Water, water, everywhere. H2O is involved in nearly every process that occurs in your body, including muscle synthesis. Drink water to prevent muscle breakdown and support muscle growth and repair. Water also prevents fatigue – a major buzz killer of great strength training workouts.

You lose water all day long and most of over estimate how much water we consume to start with. Stay hydrated by consuming at least 80 ounces of water each day. The more you sweat, the more water you need to consume.