Tips to Follow if You Want to Build Muscles

When building muscle, you do not get success based on how much time and effort you spend in the gym. What you eat also defines whether you’ll achieve your goals or not.

Cutting out fast foods and processed sugars puts you on the right foot, but deliberately selecting foods that will increase muscle mass is what makes the difference between toning and mass-building.

If you’re new to the muscle-building game, or even if you’ve hit a plateau in your routine and aren’t sure where to go next, here are four changes you can make to your diet to give you the boost you need.

Many people think that you need to exercise more to gain muscle, but this isn’t true. You get stronger through exercise, but that doesn’t mean you have a higher percentage of muscle mass. To gain more muscle, you need to be in what is called an energy surplus, meaning you have to eat more.

It’s this excess energy that builds muscle. But it’s not just a case of filling up on any old food. You have to eat smart, both what you eat and when. First, the food should ideally be “real” food. Protein bars and shakes have their place, but they’re no substitute for fresh produce.

Second, you need to eat more around the times you’re doing activity, before and after, to fuel the training session, and give you enough energy afterward to repair and build the muscles you’ve just worked.

You must stay hydrated when you train; when you’re dehydrated, you lose muscle strength and size. If you want to build muscle mass, however, you need to drink more than the average recommended daily amount.

Two liters of water is fine for normal energy expenditure, but if you’re training hard, you need to drink at least another 500 milliliters depending on how many calories you’re burning.

The ratio is one liter of water for every 1000 calories you burn. Water also helps you train better and harder by ensuring your joints are more lubricated, you don’t overheat, and you suffer less from fatigue.

Many people think you can’t gain muscle with the keto diet because of how little carbs you consume. Ultimately, you need energy for muscle growth, and it doesn’t matter whether it comes from sugar or fats.

In fact, fats contain two times as many calories per gram than carbohydrates, which makes it easier to maintain the energy surplus necessary for muscle growth. You do, however, have to eat the right things at the right time. The key is to eat your carbs only when you train, and usually 30-60 minutes before you start.

This gives you adequate time to get the most benefit during your training session, and still reach a state of ketosis when you finish. And you shouldn’t take on foods and drinks just because you think they tick keto boxes. You may consider diet soda keto friendly, but it will never trump water.

Protein plays a vital role in every cell of your body. It helps build tissue, and plays a significant role in building bone, skin, and– most importantly for you – muscle. Along with fats and carbohydrates, it makes up your daily calorie intake. But, unlike the other two, your body doesn’t store protein ready to tap into when it needs it.

Protein is made of chains of amino acids. Without amino acids, your body can’t create protein. Your body manufactures amino acids, called non-essential amino acids. Whereas you get essential amino acids through your food and supplements. To nurture muscle growth and repair, you need to ensure you’re eating a diet rich in essential amino acids.

Remember, you can never out-exercise a bad diet. For the best output, be selective with your input. If you already have your exercise regimen down, take some time to pull together a concise diet plan, and you’ll see an improvement in your performance and overall results much quicker.