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 even that thin, but those muscles insist on not growing.

Are you eating right to gain muscle?

This article is intended for anyone who does weight training, or is thinking of starting, with the simple objective of?gaining muscle mass.

Attention, the goal 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 clarify some common doubts related to this topic.

Gain muscle mass, the essential

As we wrote in the article on what to eat to lose fat, the big difference between a diet to gain muscle mass, and one to lose fat, is not the food, but the amounts.

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

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

First of all, as you may have already said, you will have to eat a lot, but this much must be controlled and not excessive, especially for those who are easily able to gain fat.

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

Gaining weight is easy, just eating 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 expend, and this is mandatory.

It's what you'll find in all diets for muscle mass gain, except those that don't work.

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

You'll need all these macronutrients to grow those muscles.

Don't forget, it is MANDATORY you eat more calories than you spend, without this there is no bucket of protein to 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're a magician, it's impossible to turn fat into muscle.

Food to use

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

What should you eat to gain muscle mass?

You should 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
• Lean 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 meats, 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 are probably scratching your head now.

The recommended foods do not change much, in fact, apart from the inclusion of red meats and any fish, the rest is practically the same.

Remember what you read above.

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

First, what matters (again) are the quantities.

Second, these are the recommended foods to base your diet on, which doesn't mean they should be the only foods you use on a daily basis.

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

Now, in addition to adding red meats and fatty fish, don't you change anything else?

You can change, if you want.

Consistency

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

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

Do you hate turkey meat?

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

In the list above, what foods do you like and which ones do you hate?

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

There are no mandatory or irreplaceable foods.

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

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

It uses a source of protein in every meal, combines it with one of carbohydrates and / or fats, and makes several meals throughout the day in this way.

Do not forget to include vegetables and 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 do not need to eat 7 or 8 meals a day to avoid catabolism.

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

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

Now, if you can only have 4 meals a day for professional reasons, that's not why you'll stop evolving, 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, already 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 said, some of them can be of significant help, and be an asset, such as protein powder and the creatine.

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

Two (very) common problems

Gain weight very quickly

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

Congratulations, you just gained a lot of fat!

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

It's a sign of too many calories.

Don't forget, the more fat 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 arm doesn't grow, the chest doesn't increase and the fat percentage doesn't change.

What is up?

You're always the same.

Increases calories.

If you were in excess caloric there were 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 are 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 have no results in the gym, now what?

Weight training

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

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

In addition, the perfect diet is useless if your training is poor.

Without stimulation the muscle does not grow.

Define a good training plan and follow it consistently.

choose good exercises, put on weight and try to increase loads regularly with good technique.

Check out our full section of training articles here.

The better your training and 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 protein, but also carbohydrates and fats.

Also, don't just eat chicken and sweet potatoes just because they're 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 simply and effectively.

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.

Any questions just use the comments area below.