diet for muscle building

Develop a diet for muscle building to take your physical fitness to the next level.

In order to develop and implement a diet for muscle building successfully we first need to understand what you are trying to achieve. We will assume for this topic on diet for muscle building you are building muscle for bodybuilding, martial arts or competitive sport and the physical activity will be very intense.   First we need to consider the essential key elements of any diet which are protein,  Carbohydrates, fat, vitamins and minerals.  Even though you may already be aware of them we need to make sure we understand their importance in a diet for muscle building.

Protein

Most people know that the key element of a diet for muscle building is protein.  Proteins are the large molecules that are cleaved into amino acids and absorbed.  The amino acids are building blocks used to construct cell walls, muscle tissue, hormones, enzymes and a variety of other molecules.  Training builds proteins, aerobic training builds aerobic enzyme proteins for energy production and Strength training builds contractile proteins (Actin and myosin) for strength.   Important to note when training hard while dieting to lose weight, the body senses starvation and begins to use tissue protein for energy.   To avoid loss of muscle tissue and achieve the benefits of training, ensure adequate protein and energy intake as part of your diet for muscle building.  The best option is lose weight slowly or not at all during vigorous training.  Even with adequate protein content in your diet for muscle building, rapid weight loss while training risks the loss of the muscle and enzyme proteins that you are trying so hard to increase.

Carbohydrate

When we workout to build muscle we need energy.  We get this energy from Carbohydrates which are very important in a muscle building diet.  Carbohydrate is a major source of energy and is available in simple and complex forms. Complex Carbohydrates found in beans, rice, whole-grained products (bread, pasta, potatoes and corn) come with important nutrients and fiber.

Fresh fruits contain simple sugars, but the also provide important nutrients in a diet for muscle building. Carbohydrate is stored in muscles and the liver as granules of glycogen, a compound consisting of many linked molecules of glucose.  We use this stored carbohydrate at the start of exercise and its contribution to energy metabolism increases as exercise intensity increases.

When developing your diet for muscle building it is important to be mindful that during prolonged exercise, when muscle glycogen stores become depleted, we are forced to use blood glucose that is supplied from the liver.   When that limited supply runs out we experience utter fatigue, confusion and lack of coordination that results when blood glucose falls below the level required by the nervous system.

As part of your diet for muscle building, to avoid this problem long distance athletes need to consume energy bars and drink beverages containing 6 to 8 percent Carbohydrate.    Because Carbohydrate is important for muscular contractions and because it is not stored in large quantities, we should consume a sizable percentage of daily calories from complex carbohydrate and fruit.  For a diet for muscle building it is recommended that 55 to 60 percent of calories should come from Carbohydrate.

In a diet for muscle building remember fat isn’t all bad. It is an abundant source of energy

Fat

Fat isn’t all bad.  Fat is the most abundant source of energy and the most efficient way for the body to store energy.  It is an essential component of cell walls, vital insulation in the nervous system, a precursor for important compounds such as hormones and a shock absorber for internal organs.  Fat is an efficient fuel for sustained physical activity, especially for muscles that have undergone endurance training.  For a diet for muscle building we do not need to eleminate fat completely, just the intake.  A performance diet recommends that 25 percent of daily calories should come from fat, with no more than one-third from saturated fats, and an extremely small intake of hydrogenated or trans-fatty acids.  This amount of fat is substantially less than the 30 to 40 percent that many people currenty consume.

Vitamins and minerals

Everything we have talked about so far in our diet for muscle building is Macronutrients.  Vitamins and minerals are called micronutrients because we need only small amounts on a daily basis.  They play an essential role in cell metabolism, immune function, clotting and other important functions. When considering vitamin and mineral intake with regard to a diet for muscle building it is important to be aware that overdosing on these in most cases simply gets washed away in urine.   Also it is believed that overdosing in specific vitamins can lead to health risks which is important issue to be aware of when developing your diet for muscle building.  Vitamin supplments will not improve the performance or health of those who consume an adequate diet.  However, highly active people and athletes need more vitamins when they burn more energy.  They should meet this increased need with a larger intake of food to satisfy enery and nutrient needs.  But during peroids when you combine vigorous training and weight loss, you may want to take a daily vitamin and mineral supplment that does not exceed the recommended intake.

To summarise on the above information regarding a diet for muscle building.

Diet can exert positive effects on the development of muscular fitness.  Consume sufficient protein and carbohydrate calories and avoid rapid weight loss during muscular fitness training.  Get your additional vitamins and minerals from your diet and only from supplements if you are very physically active.

All athletes and physically active people need to consider the benefits of a diet for muscle building not only to their physical fitness goals but to their health in general.   Building muscle using a diet for muscle building and workout routine leads to more speed, power, agility, balance and coordination.   This will help immensely whether you are a bodybuilder, power lifter, martial artist or involved in competitive sport.

If you follow these guidelines you should be on your way to finding the best diet for muscle building for you.