How to Eat to Build Muscle

When you think of building muscles, you probably envision bulging biceps and groaning weightlifters heaving staggering amounts of weight around a gym. While an exercise and lifting routine is certainly part of building muscle, what you eat plays an equally important role in strength and muscle development. In this article, we will discuss how to eat to build muscle.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Blender
• Protein shakes
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Eggs
• Chicken
• Notepad
• Pen

How to Eat to Build Muscle

1. Track your protein, carbohydrate and calorie intake. Write down these values in a notebook every time you eat something. Your protein and calorie counts can be as high as 200 grams and 2000 calories or more, but you need to limit carbohydrates to no more than 30 grams if you are engaged in a comprehensive exercise and strength program. If you are lifting weights recreationally, then you should keep your carbs below 20 grams and your calories at about 2000 or a little less. Protein levels can remain the same.
2. Not only is it not necessary to eat the eggs raw as you may have seen in movies, it poses a serious health risk. Eat lots of eggs. Eggs are high in protein and relatively low in calories and carbs. Many professional weightlifters eat as many as a dozen eggs a day.
3. Grill chicken. Chicken is a low-fat meat that has lots of protein. This makes it ideal for gaining muscle.
4. Some people cannot get into their protein shakes fast enough! Try a protein shake. These shakes often have all the requisite daily vitamins and minerals as well as a healthy dose of protein. However, make sure that your shake is not too high in carbs or sugar. You should drink these in the morning when you need a boost to start your day rather than in the evening when your metabolism is starting to slow for the night.
5. Focus on fresh fruits and vegetables. Produce contains healthy carbs and little unnatural sugar, which makes it a perfect source of energy for your weightlifting workout.