What to eat to gain muscle mass

What should you eat if your goal is to gain muscle mass

You're thin and you're fed up. You want to gain muscle mass.

Or maybe you're not that thin, but those muscles insist on not growing.

Are you eating the right way to gain muscle?

This article is aimed at anyone who does weight training, or is thinking about starting, with the simple goal of gaining muscle mass.

Attention, the objective is to gain muscle, lean mass and not fat, so it is advisable to follow some rules.

What rules are these?

Let's start with the main rule, address the most important foods and also clarify some common doubts related to this topic.

Gain muscle mass, the essential

As we wrote in the article about what to eat to lose fat, the big difference between eating to gain muscle mass and eating to lose fat is not the food, but the quantities.

You can use exactly the same foods, regardless of the objective, you always need to change the quantities, in this case more.

Now, of course there are foods that fit better into a diet to gain muscle mass, higher calorie foods are welcome.

First of all, as you may have already been told, you will have to eat a lot, but this must be controlled and not excessive, especially for those who find it easy to gain fat.

See article: How to gain muscle mass (not fat).

Gaining weight is easy, you just need to eat A LOT, but gaining lean mass is a little different.

You will need to follow a diet hypercaloric. 

In other words, you will have to consume more calories than you burn, and this is mandatory.

This is what you will find in all diets to gain muscle mass, except the ones that don't work.

Lots of proteins, lots of carbohydrates and also some fats.

You're going to need all these macronutrients to grow those muscles.

Don't forget, it's MANDATORY If you ingest more calories than you burn, without this there is no bucket of protein that can save you.

If you don't know how many calories you need, see This article.

Oh, and don't think about gaining fat to turn into muscle.

Unless you are a magician, it is impossible to transform fat into muscle.

Foods to use

Now that you know the number one rule for gaining muscle, let's move on to the title of this article.

What should you eat to gain muscle mass?

You must consume quality sources of protein, complex carbohydrates and fats.

Here is a good list of foods to gain muscle mass.

Proteins

• Chicken
• Peru
• Red meat
• Any fish
• Tuna cans
• Eggs
• Low-fat fresh cheese
• Quark cheese
• Protein powder

Carbohydrates

• Oat
• Rice
• Pasta
• Bread
• Sweet potato
• Bean

Fats

• Dry fruits
• Oil
• Peanut butter
• Almond Butter
• Fish oil
• *Red meat, fatty fish and egg yolks are significant sources of fat

Can I only eat this?!

For those who read the article about what to eat to lose fat, you're probably scratching your head right now.

The recommended foods don't change much, in fact, apart from the inclusion of red meat and any fish, the rest is practically the same.

Remember what you read above.

?You can use exactly the same foods, regardless of the objective, you always need to change the quantities, in this case to more.?

First, what matters (again) are quantities.

Secondly, these are the recommended foods to serve as the basis for your diet, which does not mean that they should be the only foods you use daily.

Again, these are sources of quality protein, complex carbohydrates and essential fats.

Now, besides adding red meat and fatty fish, don't you change anything else?

You can change if you want.

Consistency

On a diet to gain muscle mass, you have much more freedom to include foods that are theoretically less recommended, and taking into account that The most important thing to get good results is consistency, take this into account when planning your diet.

If you don't like oats, and you think you won't be able to eat oats every day for a snack, include another source of carbohydrates.

Do you hate turkey meat?

You don't need to eat it, use another source of protein.

From the list above, which foods do you like and which foods do you hate?

Try to include as many foods as possible on the list, but the ones you hate, you hate. Don't use them.

There are no mandatory or irreplaceable foods.

The ideal will always be to build your diet, as we explain in this article. 

For those who do not intend to do so, using these foods as a base, in good quantities, is already a great advantage compared to those who do not pay any attention to their diet.

Use a source of protein at every meal, combine it with a source of carbohydrates and/or fats, and eat several meals throughout the day this way.

Don't forget to include vegetables in your diet, they are essential, and to drink at least 1.5L of water daily.

How many times should I eat a day?

There is no exact number and you don't need to eat 7 or 8 meals a day to avoid catabolism.

Worry more about reaching the macronutrient values you need daily than about how many meals you eat.

As a rule, eating every 3/4 hours is a good standard.

Now, if you can only eat 4 meals a day for professional reasons, that's not why you'll stop progressing, you'll simply have to eat bigger meals.

What should I eat before and after training? And before bed?

You find the answer to what you should eat before and after training in this article, as for what to eat before bed, see here.

What supplements should I use?

As for supplements, There is no supplement that will have a DRASTIC effect on your results.

That being said, some of them can provide significant help, and be an added value, such as protein powder and the creatine.

If you want to know more about supplements to gain muscle mass, you can find here several suggestions.

Two (very) common problems

Gain weight too quickly

In the first week you gain 2kg, in the second another 2, in the third month 3 and at the end of the month you have gained a total of 10kg.

Congratulations, you just gained a lot of fat!

It is impossible to gain 10kg of lean mass per month, and gaining weight too quickly is not a sign of good results.

It's a sign of extra calories.

Don't forget, the more fat mass you gain, the more time you will spend eliminating it on the treadmill and in the kitchen.

To help you, see the article How to gain muscle mass (not fat).

Always be the same

The scale doesn't go up, the arms don't grow, the chest doesn't increase and the fat percentage doesn't change.

What is up?

You're always the same.

Increase calories.

If you were in excess calories there would be changes, even if they were just increases in fat.

If your problem is not being able to eat more, you have here some tips that can help you.

Attention, if you look the same after just one week of training, this does not apply to you.

These are just two very common mistakes, but you will find many more in the article I don't have results at the gym, what now?

Bodybuilding training

Finally, despite the topic being what to eat, it was impossible not to address training when the objective is to gain muscle mass.

Unlike when talking about fat loss, where it is possible to do it without training, It is impossible to make significant gains in lean mass without training.

Furthermore, the perfect diet is useless if your training is poor.

Without stimulation, the muscle does not grow.

Set a good training plan and follow it consistently.

Choose good exercises, put on weights and try to increase loads regularly with good technique.

See our complete section of training articles here.

The better the training and your commitment, the better the results of your diet. And vice versa.

What to eat to gain muscle mass, the conclusion

Follow a high-calorie diet with a good amount of proteins, but also carbohydrates and fats.

Furthermore, don't limit yourself to eating chicken and sweet potatoes just because they are called clean foods.

You can and should vary your food choices, as long as they fit your daily macronutrient values.

We advise you to see This article to better understand how to build a diet in a simple and effective way.

Finally, don't forget that the secret lies in consistency day after day, month after month. Be patient and think long term.

Oh, and don't forget to train all muscle groups.

Yes, the legs are also part of the body.

If you have any questions, just use the comments area below.