7 Nutrition Tips For Building Muscle

Why do you workout? If you want to build lean muscle? Do you want to get stronger? The benefits of strength training go beyond the obvious physical factors. But if you are at the gym to build muscle, you have to support that goal in the kitchen as well. The 10 nutrition tips below will help you realize your strength training goals and find more results than you ever have before.

Why is Strength Training so Important?

Obviously, strength training builds strength. But there’s more to it than that. Strength training improves coordination and balance. It strengthens connective tissue and tendons, making you less likely to get injured. It enhances your metabolic rate, improves self-esteem, improves body composition, decreases blood pressure, improves mood…

The best part is, anyone can practice strength training. Body building has long been a man’s sport or something you did as an athlete. Now, more and more women are picking up weights and heading to the gym with the goal of getting stronger. That’s AMAZING.

To see the results of your efforts, here are seven nutrition factors to pay attention to in the kitchen.

Nutrition Tips For Building Muscle

Eat a pre-workout meal or snack.

What you eat pre-workout can make a big difference on your energy level and performance during your workout. The most important nutrients in your pre-workout meal: protein and carbs. Protein helps build and repair muscle, carbs provide the fuel you need to workout and recover. Fats aren’t as important in this meal.

If you eat 2-3 hours before your workout, have a normal, balanced meal including protein, carbs and fat.

If you eat within an hour of working out, a smoothie with protein powder, a banana and almond milk will digest quickly and provide you with the nutrients you need.

Post-workout nutrition.

The goals of your post-workout meal or snack is to help you recover, rehydrate, refuel and build.

Your best bet is to drink a protein smoothie with some fast-digesting carbs. The carbs get to immediate work refueling your depleted glycogen stores in your muscle cells, which allows the protein to get to work repairing and building.

Workout Nutrition by Body Type <<

Eat enough protein at each meal.

Protein is crucial for getting strength training results. If you’re really looking for results, aim for .8-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. In other words, eat 1 serving of protein that is the size of the palm of your hand at least 4-5 times a day.

Eat high-quality protein.

The above being said, quality matters. Sure, sausage links from McDonald’s contain protein. But are they a quality choice? I’ll just let that hang there…

Your best bets for high-quality, lean protein include:

• Poultry: chicken, turkey
• Fish and Shellfish: tuna, salmon, shrimp
• Meat and Game Meat: bison, beef, lean pork
• Eggs and egg whites
• High-quality protein

Fill your plate with whole, unprocessed foods.

Whole, unprocessed foods are as close to their natural state as we can get them. They contain their original nutrients and nothing else. Compare strawberries to a strawberry Nutrigrain bar. The former doesn’t require an ingredient list or a nutrition panel. The latter requires a nutrition panel and ingredient list to inform you of the added sugar, sodium, colors, preservatives and calories required to keep them shelf-stable. *P.s. I don’t have a vendetta against Nutrigrain bars, just using it as an example.

Stay hydrated.

Of any of these nutrition tips for building muscle, this is the easiest to accomplish. A good starting point is to drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of water. Key phrase: starting point. If you are hitting the gym hard to build muscle, you’re probably sweating more than your average Jane. You’ll need more to stay hydrated.

Drinking plenty of water not only keeps your body hydrated and focused, it keeps you feeling fuller and it takes the place of otherwise calorie-heavy or sugar-heavy beverages. Keep a water bottle full and nearby through out the day.

Keep a food journal.

A food journal is a wonderful tool to help you take your strength training to the next level. Whether you keep a notebook or log online, tracking your food and water intake will help you pinpoint where the gaps are, and where the triggers are.

The gaps: the holes in your diet that, when filled, will help you thrive. You might be surprised to find that you actually aren’t getting enough protein, or your not hitting your vegetable goals.

The triggers: what foods or experience trigger not-so-healthy snacking sessions? For most people, these are salty or sweet snacks that are easily crushable. For most people, this is that between-lunch-and-dinner window where boredom sets in.