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Building muscles in the gym? Well, you can pump iron all you want, but you’re not going to start seeing proper gains until you fuel your body properly. You have got to give your muscles something to work with.
Luckily, you’ve stumbled across the page that’ll be giving you a nudge in the right direction. We’re going to give you the lowdown on nutrition and fitness – the basics of getting the right nutrients into your body.
Monitor Your Protein Intake
Protein is at the heart of everything you do when it comes to muscle gain. Muscles can’t build themselves up without protein. There is a reason why protein is called ‘the building block of the human body’. When you work out, your muscles will break down slightly. They then get rebuilt much stronger, and protein is needed for this.
You should aim for between 1.2g and 1.6g of protein per kg of body weight per day. This should be enough to fuel your muscle building, while also having some protein leftover to fuel almost every other process in your body (your body powers through protein for a lot of things).
Keep Tabs on Your Carbs
We know a lot of people have been raised to believe that carbs are bad and, honestly, some are. You don’t want to be feasting on a bag of sugar, for instance. However, carbs are essential for muscle growth.
Now, carbs are not going to fuel the growth directly. That is all in the hands of the protein. However, carbs provide the fuel that your muscles need to get you through the workout. No carbs? You’re going to get tired well before the end of your workout session, and this means that you won’t be seeing any gain, let alone huge ones.
There is some debate about the number of carbs that you need in your diet per day. It varies depending on your activity level (and who you ask), but you should aim for about 5 to 6 grams of carbs per day if you’re working out. This is because the carbs are going to dwindle away quite quickly with an intense amount of exercise. Some studies estimate that carb stores fall by as much as 30-40% in a workout session, which is a huge amount. Obviously, on your ‘rest days’, you’re going to want to keep the number of carbs that you consume per day lower.
We suggest that you focus on complex carbs. Yes. We know chocolate is carbs, and we know chocolate can be delicious. It is mostly refined sugar, though. This isn’t good for your body. Your carbs should mostly come in the form of wholegrains, or maybe through a pre-workout supplement.
Other Essential Nutrients for Fueling Your Workout Session
There are other nutrients that you would really benefit from when it comes to gym gains. We won’t dedicate an entire section to each of them (since protein and carbs are the most important), but we’ll give you a quick overview:
- Caffeine: pre-workout caffeine will help to boost your focus, increase endurance, and reduce muscle pain. This will keep you working out longer and harder.
- Calcium: this helps with muscle contractions, which can stimulate movement in the muscles, reducing tiredness and leading to faster gains.
- Magnesium: magnesium can help with mental focus in the gym, as well as prevent tired muscles letting you work out more often.
- Glutamine: an amino acid that helps with muscle repair, which is vital for gains.
- Vitamin D: essential for building up your muscles. It helps with healthy testosterone production.
- Potassium: helps to carry fuel to your muscles, ensuring they do not tire as easily.
Most of these supplements can be purchased from retailers such as Huge Supplements, which are known for providing high-quality fitness supplements. Always make sure you get your products from a trustworthy supplement store, as quality can vary greatly.
Aim for a Calorie Surplus
If you’re building muscle, it is essential that you give your body enough resources to work with. You should find out what your baseline calorie consumption is per day (there are calculators that you can use online) and eat 300-400 calories more than that. The extra calories will, mostly, come from the extra protein and carbs. If you eat fewer calories than your baseline amount, your weight will fall off, and you will lose muscle mass.
Eat at the Right Times
If you want to build up muscle, it is important that you eat at the right times. Protein should be going into your body at a regular pace throughout the day, although you may want to eat slightly more an hour or so before a workout session (and the two hours after), for maximum muscle gains.
Carbs are best put into your system shortly before your workout (one to two hours before) so you can make full use of the extra energy. You will also want to get some carbs after the workout to replenish dwindled energy stores.
Honestly, try not to focus too much on the times that you are eating. Eat when you are hungry. It is more important that you are getting the right foods into your diet, rather than when they are going into your diet.
Get Some Supplements
Finally – if you want to make life easier for yourself, look into some pre- and post-workout supplements. They will be loaded with the right nutrition to support your gains goals. It means that you have to think less about the foods that you are eating and focus heavily on your workout instead. There are a few different supplements on the market, but we are sure you won’t have too many issues tracking something that is right for your needs.
Final Thoughts
If you want to see the fastest gains, it is important that you fuel your body correctly. Chances are, you’re going to want to up your protein intake to ensure that your body has the resources to fuel muscle growth and repair. You’ll also want to boost your carbs to ensure you have enough energy to get yourself through your exercises. There is a whole host of other nutrients that you will find beneficial too. We suggest that you look into buying some supplements. It will make your life a whole lot easier.