In order to increase muscle mass, along with regular and intensive training that we discussed in this article, the most important element is nutrition. Nutrition should be adequate to the goal we want to achieve, whether it is to increase muscle and body mass or build lean muscle mass. Depending on the goal, the diet is also defined. That diet consists of good calories or good food. The intake of “good” calories must be daily, and these are calories derived from foods that are rich in protein, vegetable oils and carbohydrates. Food should be varied to bring in all the nutrients needed to develop muscles and keep a healthy body. If your goal is to increase muscle mass, there must be a caloric surplus on a daily basis, which means that more calories are consumed than burned. In order to clarify caloric values, one gram of protein has 4 calories, one gram of carbohydrates has 4 calories while one gram of fat has 9 calories.
Protein is a building block of muscles and is of great importance for muscle and tissue development. If you do not intake enough proteins, there will be no increase in muscle mass and no increase in muscle strength. Proteins can be of animal and plant origin, and proteins of animal origin have a higher bioavailability (most effectively reaching the body part where needed). Depending on the goal we want to achieve, the amount of protein to be consumed is also defined. If it is a sport related activity, it is recommended to consume from 1.2 to 1.8 grams of protein per 2.2 lbs (1 kg) of body weight. In case of intensive weight training and weight gain goals, it is recommended to intake from 2-3 grams of protein per 2.2 lbs (1 kg) of body weight. Greater intake than mentioned is not recommended because proteins will not be utilized and will be excreted via the urine (which adversely affects the kidneys).
Carbohydrates are a source of energy and are divided into fast absorbing and slow absorbing types. Fast-absorbing or simple carbohydrates are found in sugar, honey, bread, fruit, etc. This type of carbohydrates lead to sudden jumps of insulin, which is not desirable, and if the body does not need more energy, these carbohydrates are converted into fat. Slow-absorbing carbohydrates are also called complex carbohydrates and are characterized by slow release into the bloodstream (no sudden jumps of insulin). They are found in vegetables, cereals, legumes, nuts. This type of carbohydrates must be consumed throughout the day in order to fill body’s energy sources and to prevent the body to use proteins as a source of energy, which is the opposite of our goal, which is to use proteins to build muscles.
Fats are responsible for creating certain hormones (a very important growth hormone – HGH), helping the process of building muscle mass. Fats provide energy during prolonged physical exertion and are used by the body during aerobic exercises (running, swimming, cycling). Fats can be found in dairy products, vegetable oils, meat, nuts. Fats can consist of good and bad cholesterol, good cholesterol promotes the production of testosterone, which is responsible for the growth of muscle tissues.
When all those good food calories start to be consumed in one day, there will be an increase in muscle mass. Of course, weight gain is initially the largest. It is possible to gain up to 1.1lbs (0.5 kg) of muscle mass and more body weight on a weekly basis. After a certain period of training, the muscles become saturated and the stagnation in the process of gaining muscle mass becomes visible. That is why it is of great importance to change all aspects of training: from the frequency of training to the weights used in exercises. Even more important than changing your training is the fact that you need to increase the number of calories because the bigger your muscles, the greater your calorie requirements (higher energy consumption).
The amount of calories needed should be obtained from as many meals as possible so that the body has a constant flow of nutrients and the orgasm is constantly in a state of anabolism (increase of muscle mass). According to some studies, the human body can not use more than 30 grams of protein in one meal, but of course this is individual and depends on the metabolism of each person. The ideal combination for gaining muscle mass is a meal consisting of protein and carbohydrates at a ratio of 1: 3 (25% protein: 75% carbohydrates).
The most important meals are pre-workout and post-workout meals. The pre-workout meal should consist of fast absorbing food (oats as the best choice) to minimize the load on the stomach before the workout. Thus, it is possible to do training 1 hour after a light breakfast consisting of cereals and low fat yoghurt as they are fast digested and contain a large amount of carbohydrates needed for energy or egg-whites that contain a lot of proteins that prevent catabolism in the muscles during training. After a heavy meal, training is recommended only after 4 hours. If you want to exercise 1 hour after a meal, then you should not intake fast absorbing carbohydrates (honey, sugar, juices) because after consumption of sugar, glucose is converted into glycogen in the liver and the liver does not send glucose to the muscles for an hour and therefore disturbs contractions of the muscles which negatively affects the quality of training. When it comes to aerobic physical activity such as running, cycling and swimming, then fast absorbing carbohydrates can be consumed just before training because glucose is gradually absorbed and consumed by the muscles itself. The post-workout meal should consist of 2 meals: the first is a fast-absorbing whey protein (it is advisable to add Glutamine and BCAA) that is desirable to take with some fast-absorbing carbohydrate (dextrose) because dextrose (sugar) enhances insulin secretion, which then transport proteins even more quickly to the muscles that are just craving for proteins, and also replenishes glycogen stores that have been consumed during training. The second part of this post-workout meal should be some 20-30 minutes after this “fast absorbing” and should consist of meat / fish and slow-absorbing carbohydrates (rice, potatoes) that will allow a constant flow of nutrients to the muscles.
As we said, when you are working to increase muscle mass, we must intake a certain amount of calories. If you start to notice that you are growing in the waist area, you need to increase the intensity of training and / or reduce the amount of consumed fat by 10%. Before going to sleep, it is recommended to consume a slow-absorbing protein – casein, which is processed for several hours and feeds the muscles during sleep.
