Hello everyone, lovers of sports and a healthy lifestyle. In this article, I will try to tell you what you need to eat to build muscle mass. In any gym, and simply, any person who is in any way connected with sports will tell you: “Eat like a damn son of a bitch! Eat everything you see!”
I partly agree with such statements, but I do not agree with the statement that “you need to eat everything you see.” After all, by devouring everything that catches your eye, you, along with muscle mass, will accumulate fat in your body. Well, who needs muscles that are still not visible due to subcutaneous fat several centimeters thick. So I will tell you another statement: “Eat a lot, but eat right.”
Below I have outlined a short list of tips to help you understand how to eat to gain muscle mass. Well, below, you will find a list of products that you can fill your body with all day long.
Compliance with the rules
How to eat to gain muscle mass and at the same time achieve an ideal appearance? In this matter, you need to study all the intricacies and choose the right menu so that the nutrition helps build muscle mass. You can often hear advice that says you should eat almost everything. However, this is not entirely the right solution, since it does not make it possible to gain weight correctly. This is due to the fact that in addition to muscle mass, fats also accumulate in the body, from which no benefit should be expected.
Experts recommend providing a diet that allows you to achieve the most positive effect. To do this, you need to eat only certain foods. You need to focus only on the appearance acquired as a result of training and proper nutrition; you should not look at the scales.
Particular attention is paid to the abs, which in no case should have fat deposits on them. The muscles should not be too bulky; it is important that they have clearly defined lines. This will be evidence that the food consumed is beneficial and does not turn into fat deposits.
What exercises should I do?
Let's look at the most effective exercises for each muscle group.
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It is worth understanding that this article deals specifically with mass-gaining exercises, for building a “framework” of muscles; for other purposes, it may be other exercises.
Legs
Squats
The foundation of the basics, an excellent exercise for the leg muscles and for gaining mass in general. No matter how fantastic it may sound, if you squat with a barbell and do no other exercises, your upper body muscles will also grow. Up to certain limits, of course. Squats should be your main leg exercise. Depending on the placement of the legs during the exercise, the emphasis of the load will shift. With a wide stance, the gluteal muscles receive more load; with a narrow stance, the quadriceps work more. During heavy squats, a large amount of anabolic hormones are produced, which makes this exercise very effective.
Leg press
This is a more focused exercise for training the quadriceps. Due to the lack of axial load, it can be a replacement for squats for spinal injuries.
The emphasis of the load shift will depend on the positioning of the feet on the platform. Some athletes use huge weights in this exercise and work in a very short amplitude, which can only be justified at advanced stages. At the initial and middle stages, it is necessary to work with normal (not extreme) weights and full amplitude.
Deadlift on straight legs
An exercise for training the hamstrings, in which it is important to feel the muscle contraction in the target muscle, otherwise it is not the legs that are trained, but the back, as with a deadlift.
Standing calves
The calf muscles are the heaviest in terms of response to load. They need to be trained with a large number of repetitions due to the very small amplitude. The working weight should also be large. You can alternate performing the exercise while standing and sitting. When performing while sitting, the soleus muscle works; it is located under the gastrocnemius, and when enlarged, it pushes it out, giving the calves a peak.
Back
Bent-over barbell row or T-bar row
A very effective exercise for the thickness of the latissimus muscle. The tilt of the body is important, 30° is considered optimal, but everything is individual, you should only focus on muscle feeling. It is necessary to minimize the involvement of the biceps in the work; to do this, you need to concentrate not on the projectile, but on moving your elbows as far back as possible.
Pull-ups or vertical block rows
The main exercise for back width. If you do pull-ups more than 12-15 times, you need to hang weights. It is important to choose the correct grip width. With a wide grip, the work of the biceps is well isolated and only the latissimus muscles we need work, but the amplitude is short. With a narrow grip, the opposite is true, the amplitude is maximum, but the biceps greatly steals the load. It is worth experimenting with the width of your grip; the optimal one will most likely be medium or slightly wider than average. We are training the back, so the grip should be straight (palm facing the bar); with a reverse grip, most of the load goes into the biceps.
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Horizontal block thrust
In this exercise, you can work out the bottom of the latissimus muscles well; to do this, you need to pull the handle as if to the groin.
You need to pull with your back, not with your arms; to do this, you need to think again about your elbows, trying to bring them as far back as possible. For greater concentration, you can work in turns with one hand. A similar exercise is the one-arm dumbbell row, in which you can feel the muscle very well.
Breast
Bench press
A classic of the genre, the best exercise for the pectoral muscles. There are many options for inclining the bench; it is believed that the best is an upward tilt of 20-30°, in which all the muscle fibers of the pectoral muscles work evenly. However, the most popular is definitely the bench press on a horizontal bench, since in this position it is possible to work with a lot of weight. The inclusion of the triceps in the work will depend on the width of the grip. The wider the grip, the more isolated the chest works, but at the expense of amplitude, and vice versa, a narrow grip gives greater amplitude, but the triceps are strongly involved. At the top point, the arms do not need to be fully extended, otherwise the load will be removed from the target muscle. All movements are smooth, without rebound. You can do it with dumbbells, the amplitude will be greater, but you will have to sacrifice weight.
Hummer press
The principle is the same as in the bench press, but due to the fixed trajectory of the projectile, you can concentrate more on muscle contraction.
Hands
Barbell curl
In fact, this is an isolated exercise, bending occurs only in the elbow joint, but for the biceps, almost all effective exercises are single-joint, with the exception of pull-ups with a reverse grip, but due to the inclusion of the back in the work, it is unlikely that you will be able to achieve maximum muscle contraction. PSHNB is the main “basic” exercise for the biceps, which, depending on the grip width, will allow you to work all the bundles of the biceps muscle.
Hammer curls
In addition to the biceps, the forearm and brachialis (the muscle located under the biceps) are included in the work. Movements should be smooth, without swaying the arms and body, only the muscles should work.
Close grip barbell press
A basic exercise for triceps, in which it is important to feel the muscle contraction, otherwise the chest will work. A narrow grip does not imply contact of the hands; the position of the hands must be chosen in such a way that the work of the triceps is best felt. The elbows should be pressed to the body, trying to make movements primarily in the elbow joint.
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Dips
Here it is important to maintain a straight body position and not lean forward. The main movement should occur in the elbow joint, which at the lowest point should not be bent more than 90°. Work occurs in the upper part of the amplitude. You need to hang weights if you can do 12-15 repetitions without weight.
Shoulder exercises
Dumbbell Pull
An excellent exercise for working the middle and back of the deltoid muscles, which give visual width to the shoulders. A very underrated exercise. With the correct technique, the amplitude is relatively short, the number of repetitions should be correspondingly large.
Standing chest press
The main exercise for the anterior deltoids. Grip shoulder-width apart, movements are smooth, without the help of legs.
At the top point, we do not fully extend our arms, otherwise the load will go into the triceps and joint. During the upward movement, you need to mentally raise your elbows, not the barbell, this is how the delta will work, with minimal involvement of the triceps. If you take dumbbells instead of a barbell, the amplitude increases, but the working weight drops. This exercise can also be performed in a Smith machine.
Shrugs with dumbbells.
An exercise to train the trapezius, which is performed with heavy weight due to its very small amplitude. Some athletes don't train the trapezius at all because it is statically loaded in many exercises. If you want to get injured, you can rotate your shoulders while performing this exercise, but if not, then the movement of your shoulders should be strictly up and down. At the top point, you can pause briefly for peak contraction.
What should be in the diet
What should you eat to make your body happy with beautiful muscles? Food must contain protein; the most common option is meat products, which contribute to rapid and high-quality muscle building. Typically, athletes eat protein regularly, and it is consumed in fairly large volumes. The norm that is supposed to be eaten per day varies, since this value can be determined based on a person’s weight. This is about 2-3 g of protein food per 1 kg of body. However, the decision can be made on an individual basis.
What foods should you eat to meet your daily protein requirement? This could be poultry, lean pork or beef tenderloin, or veal. In addition, it is worth consuming dairy products, fish, and legumes. It is recommended to create a diet based on your own taste preferences.
An element such as carbohydrates must also enter the human body so that it has the strength to train and exercise. However, in this matter you need to be careful and attentive. Only certain carbohydrates can benefit a person. They are usually found in foods that are considered healthy. This is, for example, oatmeal, which is good to eat in the morning.
There are also categories of foods that contain carbohydrates, which will never build muscle if you eat them. Body weight will increase only due to fat accumulations. The following products should be banned:
- bakery;
- sweets;
- bread products made from white flour and other delicacies.
But healthy carbohydrates will be contained in the following foods: vegetables, various cereals. These are the components that should be present in the diet every day. At the same time, standards must be observed that will ensure the desired result. The value of carbohydrates in food usually fluctuates around 3 g per 1 kg of body weight.
You can often hear recommendations from experts regarding when exactly you should eat carbohydrates. Most agree that these foods are best absorbed and provide maximum benefits before and after exercise. It is better to devote the rest of the time to protein foods.
If a person cannot give up sweets, it is recommended to set aside specific times, for example Monday and Saturday, when you can allow yourself to eat something sweet. However, here it is necessary to remember that everything must be in moderation, otherwise the previously obtained result will be reduced to zero.
Metabolic Stimuli
Motor units in muscles are recruited according to the principle of size, from small, type I initially, to large type II, capable of generating force to move large loads. When type II muscle fibers are recruited, glycogen stores are used to produce the ATP needed for contraction, leading to adaptations that can affect muscle size. When muscle cells are depleted of glycogen stores for energy, they adapt by storing more glycogen during the recovery phase. One gram of glycogen, when stored in muscle cells, holds up to 3 g of water. Performing high repetitions to the point of failure can not only cause acidosis, which stimulates hormone production, but also deplete glycogen stores, leading to increased muscle size after recovery (Schoenfeld, 2013). According to David Sandler, Director of Education and Science at iSatori Nutrition and former strength coach at the University of Miami, mechanical loading likely plays a major role in stimulating muscle growth. “Weight lifting causes structural damage and breakdown of muscle proteins. After damage has occurred, the body releases proline-containing peptides as signals to the endocrine system to begin the repair process."
Benefits of nutrition
We gain calories so that muscle mass increases: this position is shared by many experts competent in this matter. The arithmetic is simple, since muscle mass can only increase if the energy expended does not exceed the number of kilocalories consumed. Excessively high-calorie foods will only lead to fat deposits.
Every person interested in this issue should, with the help of an instructor or other specialist, determine how many kilocalories per day it is permissible to consume. There is a certain norm, the meaning of which comes from ordinary human activities.
You need to add another 400 kilocalories to the existing number, which will ensure the achievement of the desired result, but at the same time, daily physical activity in the gym should also be normalized.
At the present stage, a large number of different additives and vitamin elements are presented, the action of which is aimed at solving the problem. A special powder containing protein has become especially popular. It is able to give muscles a beautiful shape without harming human health. In this case, it is necessary to comply with the norms permissible for consumption. The only disadvantage of the supplement is its relative high cost, which can repel the consumer.
Another quite useful element is creatine, which is also a dietary supplement. It works especially well in cases where the athlete resorts to frequent and long-term strength training.
What else is recommended to eat to get the maximum amount of muscle building benefits? In this case, you can and should turn to food products that contain various kinds of vitamins. Vitamins C, A and E are especially useful. It is worth paying attention to such a microelement as calcium; fish oil also allows you to achieve good results.
General recommendations
In order to become the owner of a beautiful body due to sculpted muscles, you need to not only eat, but also drink correctly. Every person's total body weight contains up to 80% fluid. This parameter suggests that water is very important for people, and especially for athletes whose bodies undergo heavy physical training.
The water consumed must be clean, mineral and still. You need to drink a lot of it, focusing on the daily norm. Of course, if a feeling of thirst arises after or during exercise, it needs to be quenched, as the body gives the brain a message about its needs. Every morning you need to drink 1 glass of clean water. Its consumption gives a boost of energy for the whole day. A person wakes up faster and is ready to eat wholesome and healthy food.
If the human body is constantly experiencing physical stress and the severity is significant, then it needs saturation and constant replenishment of nutrients. You need to consume vitamins and essential minerals. To ensure their quantity, you should drink a specially selected complex of these components every day. It can be purchased at any pharmacy. Among all the substances, the most essential are B vitamins and vitamin C.
It is quite harmful to eat smoked sausage, crackers, chips and other similar products. It is better to give preference to natural food. Vegetable mixes seasoned with vegetable oils, porridges, fresh vegetables, kefir, cottage cheese, fish and other seafood products are perfect.
Gaining muscle mass is quite simple if you follow the rules. For the beauty of the body, you should not allow yourself to relax, as weakness will not give a good result.
Water
During the course of a person constantly loses moisture - it comes out with breath, sweat, and urine. During intense physical activity, the body loses water even faster, and it is necessary to constantly monitor its balance. Water is also nutrition for muscle mass, since fiber is 85% water. By maintaining sufficient moisture, we get healthy and beautiful muscles.
Every day you need to start with a glass of clean, unboiled water, as the body becomes dehydrated overnight. It will not be possible to replace water with tea, juice or coffee, since its composition has no analogues. You need to drink constantly and not necessarily in large portions, just a few sips.
