What foods to eat for muscle mass. Diet for gaining muscle mass. Walnuts and almonds

To increase the volume of muscles, it is not enough to exercise regularly. Nutrition that helps to gain muscle mass is distinguished by increased volume, quality and variety of the diet. Intense, regular, methodically correct workouts with insufficient calorie intake do not give results.

Nutrition rules for increasing muscle volume

For the growth of muscle mass, it is necessary that the consumption of proteins, carbohydrates, fats exceeds the body's energy consumption.

Proteins are important for tissue growth. With their shortage, there is no set of muscle mass, an increase in strength. High-quality protein contains meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products. daily requirement in protein is 1.3 g per 1 kg of body weight. When playing sports, the need increases to 2-4g per 1kg of body weight.

Carbohydrates are a source of energy, they are necessary for the absorption of protein foods. Simple varieties carbohydrates are digested quickly (sugar, fruits), complex carbohydrates burn more slowly (vegetables, cereals, legumes, nuts). The recommended proportion of simple carbohydrates should be 35%, complex - 65%.

Fats are necessary for the production of certain hormones during muscle mass gain, they provide energy during prolonged physical exertion. Useful for the body Fat contains dairy products, vegetable oils. The optimal intake is considered to be 65-70% of animal fats and 30-35% of vegetable fats.

At the beginning of classes, with traditional 3-4 meals a day, muscle growth can be 3-5 kg per month. But after a while, growth stops. Often the cause is a lack of food - after all, body weight has increased, and therefore for further muscle growth, more protein building materials, more energy in the form of carbohydrates and fats are required.

The human body is physiologically unable to absorb more than 30g of protein at a time. Increasing the amount of portions will cause distension of the stomach, overeating and bloating in the abdomen. To keep the serving size acceptable, you will have to increase the number of meals, gradually bringing it up to 5-6 times a day.

The nutrition program should correspond to the intensity of training for gaining muscle mass. First of all, it is worth increasing the intake of protein up to 2 g per 1 kg of body weight, which will definitely increase the calorie content of the diet.

The optimal diet is one in which there are three parts of carbohydrates for one part of protein. Allowed the use of carbohydrates with a high glycemic index (honey, ice cream).

Carbohydrates digested by the body are converted into glycogen, which is found in the liver and muscles. During training, glycogen stores are intensively consumed. When they end, the body begins to receive energy by breaking down muscle protein molecules, which causes the muscles to lose volume.

To avoid this, within 30 minutes after training, it is worth taking carbohydrates at the rate of 1.5g of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight - for example, drinking natural fruit juice. After another 2 hours, eat carbohydrates - for example, pasta. This measure increases the rate of accumulation of glycogen in the muscles, helping them to quickly recover. For intensive sports, it is recommended to consume from 6 to 10 g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight every day.

The set of muscle mass is facilitated by the compensation of fluid losses along with sweat. Weigh yourself before and after training. For every kilogram lost after exercise, you should drink up to 1.5 liters of fluid, which speeds up the recovery process.

During sleep, the body receives energy by destroying muscle cells. The transition from sleep to wakefulness in the morning increases energy expenditure. So that the training of the last day was not in vain, the body needs a hearty breakfast.

Diet to increase muscle mass

In addition to sufficient intake of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, the diet should contain vitamins and minerals. In a natural and easily digestible form, they are most found in vegetables and fruits.

Vitamin A. Strengthens bones, teeth, improves skin condition. It contains carrots, tomatoes, fish, liver.
Vitamins of group B. Necessary for metabolic processes, rapid tissue recovery after training. Contained in fish, cereals, nuts, legumes, leafy green vegetables, corn.
Vitamin C. Participates in the synthesis of new tissues, hormones, strengthens blood vessels, promotes rapid healing. There is a lot of it in citrus fruits, apples, strawberries, cabbage.
Vitamin D. Strengthens bones, teeth. Contained in vegetable fats, fish oil, eggs.

In the diet for gaining muscle mass, you need to include trace elements:

Calcium. Strengthens muscles, necessary for the strength of bone tissue. There is a lot of calcium in milk, cheese, cabbage.
Potassium. Regulates the balance of fluid in the body, maintains the rhythm of the heart, coordinates muscle contractions. Found in potatoes, cereals, fruits.
Iron. It is necessary to maintain the level of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen to cells. Contained in meat, liver, eggs, nuts, legumes.
Phosphorus. Strengthens bone tissue. There is a lot of it in meat, fish, eggs, nuts.
Magnesium. It is necessary for the synthesis of enzymes, better absorption of carbohydrates, proteins, and is important for muscle contractions. Found in vegetables, corn, apples, nuts.

Nutrition for gaining muscle mass should contain:

dairy products - milk, cheese, cottage cheese, containing a lot of protein;
protein products - lean meat, fish, providing the body with essential amino acids;
fruits, vegetables - a source of vitamins and minerals;
products from flour and cereals - a source of carbohydrates, vitamins, proteins.

In addition, the diet should include enough foods rich in fiber. There is a lot of it in cereals, legumes, nuts, fruits.

How to eat right before a workout

To gain muscle mass, it is important to follow simple rules of nutrition. The closer the training time, the fewer carbohydrates and calories the food should contain. For example, after a light breakfast, you can build muscle in an hour, after a hearty lunch - not earlier than after four hours.

If after 30-60 minutes there is a short-term physical activity, you should not use easily digestible carbohydrates - sugar, honey, juice, compote, jam. After about half an hour, glucose begins to accumulate in the liver in the form of glycogen, and insulin reduces its level in the blood during exercise. As a result, the liver does not release glucose to the muscles for about an hour, which worsens the intensity of muscle contractions.

Conversely, if you have a long physical activity - running, skiing or cycling - simple carbohydrates can be consumed immediately before training. Glucose will be gradually absorbed from the intestines and spent on the work of the muscles.

So that when gaining muscle mass you do not want to go to the toilet, you should not eat foods rich in dietary fiber before training. It is also worth abandoning foods that promote gas formation (peas, cabbage, beans, onions).

Salty food retains fluid in the body, which causes bloating. As a result, the stomach begins to prop up the diaphragm, which makes it difficult for the heart and lungs to work during exercise.

Why fatty foods are on the menu

Many modern systems diets for gaining muscle mass are called to limit fat intake.

To some extent, this measure is justified. Fatty foods are high in calories, but compared to carbohydrates, they take a long time to digest, which causes lethargy.

Some athletes take steroids to quickly increase their muscles and therefore are forced to follow a diet with little to no fat in order to make the liver work as much as possible. In fact, a diet without fatty foods is not a bodybuilding rule.

You can and should eat fatty foods, especially at a young age. The intake of fats is necessary for the flow of metabolic reactions in the body.

Vegetable fats increase the elasticity of the walls of blood vessels. They are important for the exchange of B vitamins, necessary for gaining muscle mass, promote the absorption of calcium, and are rich in vitamin E.

A deficiency of vegetable fats adversely affects reproductive function, slows down growth processes, and impairs the contractility of the heart muscle.

Only the abuse of fatty foods, especially when combined with carbohydrates, disrupts metabolism and leads to the formation of body fat. The situation is aggravated by the refusal to include fiber in the diet, the use of steroids, which, like fat, increase the load on the liver.

In middle age, it is worth reducing the calorie content of the diet, the content of fatty foods in the menu. In any case, you should not turn a reasonable precaution into a phobia, if only because the usual protein foods - sausages, cheese - also contain quite a lot of fat.

Part of animal fats can be replaced with vegetable oil, nuts, fish, seeds. Replace whole milk with low-fat, use low-fat varieties of cheese.

Periodically it is necessary to control the level of cholesterol in the blood. And if it remains normal, you should not change anything in the diet to gain muscle mass.

If your cholesterol level is elevated, this does not mean that fatty foods should be excluded from the diet. For example, liver disease increases cholesterol levels.

To gain muscle mass, you need to burn fat

If the volume of body fat is quite large, it is worth working on burning excess body fat. It is important that fat cells are destroyed throughout the body, and not in the place that is worked out during training.

For burning fat, aerobic exercises are suitable, performed at a good pace for twenty minutes three times a week: an exercise bike, a treadmill, a rowing machine. It is useful to walk every day for 45-60 minutes, reduce the daily diet by 200-300 calories.

If body fat has stopped decreasing, it is worth increasing the pace of walking, reducing the number of calories a little more.

When the amount of body fat becomes acceptable, you can reduce aerobic exercise, increase the calorie content of the diet, and start gaining muscle mass by doing strength exercises.

Calorie counting for muscle gain

You should be prepared for the fact that an increase in muscle volume is almost always accompanied by an increase in body fat. As a rule, a set of three parts of muscle mass is associated with the formation of one part of fat.

To increase muscle mass, it is worth monitoring the formation of fat, taking timely measures. To do this, you will need to keep a diary and write down the calorie content of food consumed during the day.

If fat deposits in the waist area began to grow, you need to adjust the training program towards greater intensity, reduce the calorie content of the diet by 10%. With more calorie reduction, there is a risk of stopping muscle gain.

In order to turn the best nutrition into muscles, you will have to train and at the same time give the body sufficient rest. From the fat layer that appeared when gaining muscle mass, then it is possible to get rid of exercises for relief and muscle drawing.

Menu for gaining muscle mass

A diet to increase muscle volume does not require much effort. It is worth including in the diet milk, fish, eggs, cereals, fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, more coarse fiber foods.

Sample diet for gaining muscle mass:

Breakfast: scrambled eggs with ham and cheese, rice or buckwheat, 200-300g of cottage cheese, a couple of glasses of milk.
Second breakfast: A piece of 200g beef chop with wholemeal bread, a glass of milk.
Lunch: A piece of beef with boiled potatoes or pasta, fruit, a glass of milk.
Second lunch: 200 g of cottage cheese, raisins, fruits.
Dinner: Chicken meat, pasta or potatoes, fruits, nuts, milk.
A couple of hours before bedtime: 20g of cheese, a glass of kefir.

Modified: 02/21/2019

At a time when the majority of the world's population is looking for effective ways to deal with excess weight, there are still people who dream of gaining it. And there may be several reasons for this. For example, the excessive thinness of women, which prevents them from getting pregnant, or the too small weight of men, which they want to increase in order to become more stately and beautiful. And sometimes banal diseases, which are frequent companions of an exhausted and weakened body.

Nutrition and light weight

Suffering from thinness, often people begin to zealously look for special diets, recipes, and even medicines that would help them solve existing problems. And in this endless bustle, they forget about the most important thing - visiting a doctor. After all, weight loss can be a sign of a serious metabolic disease, poor digestibility of certain foods, or high cholesterol, which can only be diagnosed by an experienced specialist.

However, if there are no health problems, you can start compiling your new diet. If possible, it should include a maximum of healthy high-calorie foods and a minimum of processed foods, chips and sweets, or anything that leads to obesity, but has nothing to do with health. After all, for sure, your goal is to gain weight and remain physically strong and active, thereby improving the quality of your life, and not hopelessly ruining it.

Jason Ferrugia, a US strength training expert, states that “In order to gain the desired kilograms, you need to eat every 2-3 hours. Moreover, portions should depend on the actual weight of the person - for every pound (0.45 kg) there should be 1 gram. protein per day. In addition, you need to take care of a sufficient amount of carbohydrates and fats. Moreover, for people with a fast metabolism, it is better to draw a third of the daily calorie intake from avocados, nuts, cold-pressed oil, potatoes, rice and pasta. You also need to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.

What is the menu made up of?

Perhaps the basics healthy eating we all know from the school bench. The daily calorie intake for people aged 19 to 30 is 2400 kcal. If they play sports, it increases to 3000 kcal, depending on its type.

Men and women between the ages of 31 and 50 should consume 2200 kcal respectively, increasing to 3000 kcal if they are into sports. After 50 years, people need 2000 kcal per day in the absence of physical activity and up to 2800 kcal in the presence of such. Moreover, if a person wants to increase weight, his norm must be increased by another 200-300 kcal.

In order to ensure their entry into the body, as well as to guarantee yourself excellent health throughout the day, it is very important to introduce three groups of products into your diet, namely:

Squirrels. They will allow the body to gain muscle mass. An excellent source of protein is milk. Nutritionists advise adding it to sauces, cooking milk soups from it, or simply drinking it to quench your thirst. In addition, protein is found in fish (salmon, tuna), lean meats, eggs, nuts and seeds.
Carbohydrates . This is not only the basis of the menu for weight gain, but also an excellent source of energy needed to ensure a full, active life. You can find them in vegetables and fruits - broccoli, spinach, carrots, tomatoes, apples, avocados, mangoes, oranges or pineapples. In addition, carbohydrates are found in brown rice, grains and pasta, dried fruits and raisins.
Fats. In order to saturate the body with fats without raising the level of cholesterol in the blood, you need to eat fatty fish. Nuts (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts), seeds, cold-pressed butter or vegetable oil are also suitable. The latter is best added to vegetable salads, thus improving the digestibility of products.

Top 13 Foods to Help You Gain Weight

. This is an ideal high-calorie fatty product, the use of which does not harm the cardiovascular system. To gain 2.7 kg per week, it is enough to eat only 1 piece of fruit per day.

. An excellent source of carbohydrates. It can be baked or grilled, as well as added to sandwiches and eaten as snacks.

Pasta of all kinds. These are the same carbohydrates. It is better to cook them with vegetables in order to saturate your body not only with high-calorie foods, but also with vitamins.

and nuts. Nutritionists advise to use them in between the main meal. They are high in calories, and also contain fiber and a complex of minerals that allow you to regulate your weight.

Lean meat. You can use beef or white poultry meat. It is a source of protein, iron and zinc, which not only provides the body with energy, but also helps to gain muscle mass.

Smoothies. High-calorie, healthy drink. It is better to drink those that contain bananas, mangoes, honey and berries.

. It helps cleanse the blood, thereby improving the absorption of nutrients.

Peanut butter. In addition to proteins and fats, it contains magnesium, folic acid, as well as vitamins E and B3, which improve the condition of the skin and nervous system.

Whole milk . It is an excellent source of fat, calcium, and vitamins A and D.

Durum wheat bread and brown rice. They contain not only carbohydrates and B vitamins, as well as magnesium, iron, calcium, phosphorus and zinc, but also fiber, which saturates the body well.

Hard cheese. It is a storehouse of proteins, fats and calcium.

Vegetable oil. Source of fats and minerals.

. To gain weight, it is enough to eat 2 small pieces a day. This will ensure that the body receives the right amount of fats and proteins.

How else can you increase your weight

1 make time for physical activity and sports. No matter how contradictory it may sound, but such loads are suitable only for the benefit of a thin person. And it's not even that healthy body healthy spirit. Just 20 minutes of walking will stimulate your appetite and trigger the release of endorphins, thus boosting your mood. A good mood is not only a guarantee happy life, but also excellent tool to inspire people to take care of themselves and their health.
2 avoid stress. It reduces appetite and provokes the development various diseases. In addition, when under stress, the body uses protein to produce stress hormones, which in turn lead to weight loss. That is why during periods of exams and sessions, as well as the delivery of important projects, people are advised to increase the daily intake of protein by 20%.
3 eat vegetable soups. They increase appetite.
4 Eliminate alcohol and caffeinated drinks by simply replacing them with juices, milkshakes or smoothies.
5 do not abuse sweets (sweets and cakes), as excessive sugar content impairs the absorption of nutrients.
6 add a little red color to the interior of your kitchen. This will improve your appetite and will surely help you eat a little more than usual, allowing you to get closer to your dream.

We have collected the most important points about products for weight gain and would be grateful if you share the picture on a social network or blog, with a link to this page.

To successfully gain muscle mass, which many people aspire to, you need to eat right. It is also necessary not to forget about the training system (an article on the training scheme for gaining mass), without which you should not even dream of any muscles.

The first thing that requires attention in achieving the goal is the fundamental construction of the right diet.

It is with the help of the basic principles of nutrition that you will most likely be able to independently compose your diet from the “right” foods that will help in this matter.

Nutrition principles for muscle gain

Meal frequency

Certainly one of highlights in achieving the goal is how often a person eats. This item allows you to send to the human blood all the necessary nutrients that are important for the growth of muscle mass and not only.

It's no secret that our bodies need construction material"in the form of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, and if they are not in the body at the right time, it stops the so-called muscle building, thereby putting an obstacle in achieving the goal.

In this regard, the most the best option for those who want to gain muscle mass, there will be a choice of 5-6 meals a day with a frequency of no more than 3 hours.

Thus, it will be much easier for the body to digest food, receiving a systematic dose of nutrients (fats, proteins and carbohydrates).

Caloric content of food

The calorie content of food consumed by a person also plays an important role in achieving the goal. Remember that the body will allow the muscles of the body to grow only if the amount of incoming food energy exceeds the amount burned. Many diets are based on this principle today.

Harmony of proteins, fats and carbohydrates

Nowadays, there are accepted norms that allow you to choose the right combination of nutrients:

Carbohydrates. The content of this nutrient in the diet should range from 50-60% (article about slow carbohydrates);
Squirrels– 30-35% of food consumed (article about foods high in protein);
Fats. Regarding this indicator, a person needs it for muscle growth in the amount of 10-20% of the diet taken. The advantage should be given to polyunsaturated fatty acids, fish oil, sea fish, walnuts.

Of course, it is necessary for each individual to determine the exact amount of nutrients required for muscle growth.

Water and its amount

If you are incredibly strong desire to achieve your goals, to get a result, it is worth Special attention give water, as well as its amount in the body (a detailed article on how much water you need to drink per day). The optimal limit of water drunk by an athlete is 2-4 liters per day. The amount is determined depending on the weight of the athlete.

It is preferable to drink water between meals. Eating it with meals will serve as a natural barrier to the normal absorption of food and the functioning of the digestive system.

When is the best time to eat?

Before workout

It is advisable to eat two hours before training, no less. Regarding food, let's say that before training it is recommended to eat more foods rich in complex carbohydrates.

So, they will provide enough energy for a normal training process. For example, before training, you can eat pasta, cereal, fruits, vegetables. It is worth noting that half an hour before the start of a workout, you can drink a gainer without much harm - a protein-carbohydrate mixture.

After training

At the end of the workout, you can afford to eat a couple of bananas or drink a gainer. After 40 minutes, you can safely proceed to the main meal, which should mostly contain proteins and slow carbohydrates.

Skipping a meal after a workout is unacceptable. In most cases, it is after the training process that the human body is able to absorb more nutrients.

How to make a diet, choose the right products?

When compiling a diet of foods necessary for nutrition and gaining muscle mass, you should include the most useful foods, which, moreover, will be perfectly absorbed.

The list of carbohydrate foods includes: rice, buckwheat porridge, semolina, potatoes , oatmeal. Protein: eggs, fish, milk. Fats are mainly found in fish: mackerel, salmon, tuna, herring. There is also a clear distribution of foods containing nutrients.

Foods rich in carbohydrates:

bread (black);
flakes;
noodles;
muesli;
cereals (corn, oatmeal, millet, rice, buckwheat, wheat);
pasta;
hazelnut;
walnuts;
mushrooms;
peanut;
potato;
apricot seeds.

walnuts;
beans;
boiled fish;
fat cottage cheese;
yogurt;
poultry meat;
Fried fish;
kefir;
milk;
caviar;
semolina;
mutton;
sausages;
boiled sausage;
beans;
beef meat.

Foods high in fat:

sardines;
anchovies;
salmon;
red meat;
melted butter;
butter;
sour cream;
chips;
cream;
salo;
walnuts;
crackers;
cake;
chocolate;
mayonnaise;
sausage;
bakery products;

Do you want to gain lean muscle mass? Read more -. You can save money on sports nutrition and make your own delicious protein shake!

Stages of muscle building

For this case there is certain steps thanks to which every person who has enough health can achieve certain goals.

From the very beginning of training, amino acids, trace elements and vitamins should be used.
The next step is to add all kinds of nutritional supplements, as well as protein to the main dishes.
Use gainers. At first, you should stick to gainers with a low protein content, gradually build up.
After three months, gainers can be abandoned, replacing them with proteins and carbohydrates.
If you start noticing that your muscle mass has significantly increased in size, start adding fat burners to your main diet. They should be taken for several weeks. It is also advisable to take blood tests in order to verify the normal content of useful and nutritious components and substances in the body.

Tips from athletes who know a lot about building muscle mass

Today there are quite a few bodybuilders who have “eaten the dog” on muscle building. For the most part, they agree that in order to successfully achieve your goal, you need to follow a few tips.

Athlete Tips:

eat more. The main recommendation of experienced bodybuilders. However, not all foods are worth eating. In most cases, the muscle building strategy depends entirely on nutrition. talking plain language, you need to eat more food than the body requires.
Choose the best exercises. These are the classic exercises, which over the years of use have managed to prove themselves with better side. Basic exercises: bench press, deadlift, squats. There may also be bending of the arm with a barbell.
Don't slow down! Such advice suggests that you should not stop at the same weight for a long time if you need to gain muscle mass. Strive for heavier weights, more loads, spare no effort.
"Get on, but not too much". Remember that excessive weight of shells can harm the body, so you can get injured, which, in turn, will knock you out of a normally built system for several months.
Rest fully. This advice lies in normal rest, without which it will be almost impossible to achieve the goal. That is, the body simply needs rest, preferably if it is in the form of sleep.
Come to the gym - train! You should not rest between sets for more than three minutes, since during this time the muscle mass gains strength and recovers, which is not necessary for growth. So, don't be lazy while exercising. Remember: come - train! In this case, there will be a positive effect.

Other authors

We will tell you about food products for gaining muscle mass, which will be interesting to learn about for many people involved in sports. Many people realize that for quality weight gain, you need to eat more protein, reducing the amount of fat in the diet. This is partly true, but it is not so simple. The right approach to the selection of products for weight gain will accelerate the achievement of the desired results without harm to health.

Protein food

The best ones are protein foods, but they are different and not all of them are equally useful. Consider which products should be emphasized.

Lean meats

For a set of muscles, the body needs protein - this is a kind of building material. Its deficiency causes degradation of muscle tissue. The use of lean meat in sufficient quantities is one of the criteria for quality and speed dial weight, not body fat. Some recommend consuming up to 2-3 g of protein per kilogram of body weight, but this is quite a lot. 1.5 g of protein per kilogram of weight is quite enough, and it should come from such lean meats as:

chicken fillet;
beef;
veal.

Dairy

Each person's body metabolizes dairy products differently. Some have a so-called lactase deficiency, which does not allow them to fully absorb milk protein. If you are not one of these people, eat more fermented milk products with a minimum percentage of fat content. Together with protein for muscle growth, beneficial bifidobacteria will enter the body.

Dairy products normalize the functioning of the intestines, so that it better absorbs other products for muscle gain. One of the best dairy products for building muscle is cottage cheese. It should be consumed 150-250 g per day. It is especially useful to eat it before bedtime, since the protein contained in cottage cheese is involved in the restoration of muscle fibers.

Eggs

Some of the best muscle-building foods sold in stores include regular eggs. The protein contained in them has a rich amino acid composition, but the opinions of athletes and scientists regarding the benefits of eggs differ. Some are sure that it is better not to eat eggs, others recommend eating only proteins, and still others eat whole eggs. Note that there is no study that would confirm the harm from frequent consumption of eggs.

It does not make sense for weight gain, since the protein in this case is only half absorbed. It is better not to throw away the yolk, as it has a large nutritional value than protein.

Tuna

This fish is very rich in protein - about 24 g of protein per 100 g of product. Tuna is very tasty proper cooking so a lot of people will like it. In addition to the high content of proteins in this mass gaining product, there is a lot of vitamin PP, A, potassium and fluorine, which are also needed by all athletes.

Sources of unsaturated fats

Gaining muscle mass is impossible without eating foods that contain healthy unsaturated fats. Many prefer to get them from pharmacy vitamin complexes, but it is better to use it from certain foods.

Fish and seafood

These products allow you to build muscle mass, so it is recommended to consume at least 1-2 times a week. Fish oil, unlike animal oil, is rich in unique beneficial properties that are needed for digestive processes. The unsaturated fats contained in fish and seafood are a source of trace elements. In addition, there is a large amount of protein in fish and seafood.

Seeds

Some people believe that ordinary sunflower seeds are harmful, but if they are not abused, you will get benefits. Sunflower seeds are a good product for building muscle due to their protein and vitamin E content. The latter help to accelerate the regeneration of muscle tissues that are damaged during sports. Seeds can not just be clicked, as is usually done, but added to salads and other dishes.

nuts

Nuts are a quality product for muscle gain. They are rich in vitamin E, which speeds up recovery after exercise. Nuts are especially useful in the summer, when the body experiences additional stress due to high temperatures ambient air. If you train every other day, for a set of muscles, consume at least one press of almonds, peanuts or other nuts daily.

Complex carbohydrates

Sure, protein and healthy fats are essential for building muscle, but complex carbs are needed to simplify the process and provide the body with the energy needed to perform physical activity. They are a useful and efficient source of energy.

cereals

Grains need to be included in the diet if you want to gain muscle mass. Porridges also provide the body with a small amount of vegetable protein. If you have a lean physique, then without cereals and cereals in your daily diet, you will never build muscle mass. The best foods for building muscle are:

buckwheat;
millet;
brown rice;
lentils.

Bananas

These exotic fruits are high in calories due to their high content of carbohydrates and nutrients that help restore energy after exercise. Bananas are an ideal product for gaining muscle mass, so they are recommended for all athletes.

Pasta

Any pasta has a lot of carbohydrates, but not all of them are complex. Buy from stores that are good for mass gain. Also try to get used to eating undercooked pasta, as they say, Al dente. For better absorption, consume this product with vegetables.

Oatmeal

Another good quality mass gainer is oatmeal. Plain oatmeal is a good source of carbohydrates that provide us with important nutrients. To increase the nutritional value of oatmeal and more effective weight gain, boil it in milk and eat it every morning for breakfast. You can also add nuts and dried fruits to it.

Inexpensive Mass Gaining Products

To complete the picture, consider the list of the most inexpensive products for gaining muscle mass, which are sold in all stores. Having correctly formed your diet from them, you will certainly qualitatively increase weight:

pollock and hake - inexpensive varieties of fish that supply the body with proteins and healthy fats;
fish oil capsules from a pharmacy;
chicken fillet;
low-fat cottage cheese;
oatmeal, rice, buckwheat and millet;
eggs and egg powder;
beans;
mushrooms;
vegetables, nuts, fruits, dried fruits.

Focus on protein foods for weight gain, but don't forget about complex carbohydrates and unsaturated fats.

How to make a diet?

Finally, consider an approximate diet composed of the above products for weight gain. Based on this information, you can choose the right diet for yourself, taking into account personal taste preferences and financial capabilities. Try steaming, roasting, simmering, or boiling your food, and vegetables, fruits, and herbs are healthier when raw.

You can have breakfast to gain mass with buckwheat, oatmeal or other porridge, as well as drink a glass of milk, tea or cocoa. You can eat an omelet from several eggs and some unsweetened fruit.

For lunch, porridge with vegetables in any form is suitable, as well as a portion of meat or fish. You can eat vegetable soup fresh fruit and drink a glass of compote.

For dinner, the best option would be buckwheat, low-fat cottage cheese, boiled eggs, vegetable salad and unsweetened tea.

Between these main meals, be sure to have light snacks, eating bananas, nuts, natural unsweetened yogurt, kefir. During the day, be sure to drink plenty of fluids, maintaining a normal water balance - it is extremely important during physical exertion. read this article.

To increase muscle without harm to the body, you need to follow the diet and consolidate the effect with regular exercise. Nutrition is a key factor in building muscle. Properly selected products for gaining muscle mass will help you get the desired results faster.

To achieve visible results as quickly as possible, it is necessary to adhere to several principles at the same time: eat right, exercise and rest regularly. Before we tell you what foods to eat for gaining muscle mass, we will lay out the basics of making the right diet for training.

Balanced Diet

Weight gain largely depends on the harmonious balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. These may be cheap foods, but they must include vitamins and useful material to meet the needs of the body from food. Below it is indicated what is there for gaining muscle mass, only the best sources of BJU are divided into groups into the list. Food for muscle growth should be varied so that you get all the micro and macro elements with food that increase the body's regenerative abilities.

It is important to know! When gaining muscle, you need to increase not the amount of food consumed, but its calorie content.

This means you don't have to constantly expand your top foods or eat more and more. chicken breasts, it may well be that it is enough to add a couple of tablespoons of healthy fats.

To determine the amount of energy needed for muscle growth, you should:

Calculate daily calories for basic metabolism (work of internal organs, heat transfer, digestion). For men: 88.362 + (13.397 x weight, kg) + (4.799 x height, cm) - (5.677 x age, years). For women: 593 + (9.247 x weight, kg) + (3.098 x height, cm) - (4.330 x age, years).
Assess the level of physical activity. The number of kilocalories of basal metabolism is multiplied by the activity factor of a person. For people with a sedentary lifestyle, the indicator is 1.2, doing 2-3 workouts per week raises it to 1.375. For those who go in for sports every other day, the coefficient is 1.55, with daily loads -1.725, and for hard physical work throughout the day - 1.9.
Increase the result obtained by 10-20%. Such a calorie surplus will ensure gradual weight gain without harm to the body.
Repeat calculations according to the increase in muscle mass.

Systematic training

Due to physical activity, the metabolism accelerates, the excess calories are directed not to adipose, but to muscle tissue. Classes are recommended to be carried out under the supervision of a trainer - he will put correct technique exercises and will give individual recommendations about nutrition.

To build mass, three classes per week lasting 1 hour are enough. Muscle growth is ensured by a gradual increase in working weights on simulators. In order for the body to become embossed and proportional, you need to work out all muscle groups.

During exercise, the body needs a lot of energy. A few hours before the start of the lesson, you need to eat food from complex carbohydrates: cereals, vegetables, cereals, legumes. Such products maintain muscle tone and maintain normal glucose levels. Just before the workout, you can drink a protein-carbohydrate shake or BCAA amino acids.

Note! Immediately after the workout, the "carbohydrate window" period begins. At this time, the energy from the food consumed is used to restore and increase muscle mass. Foods with fast carbohydrates are most suitable - fruits, honey.

Recuperation

Muscle tissue grows during rest within 48 hours after training. In order not to harm the body, for each muscle group you need to ensure complete rest. Sleep should last at least 8 hours a day.

List of foods for muscle growth

In order to increase muscle mass, you should consume a total of 500 kilocalories more proteins, fats and carbohydrates than the body spends during the day. The key to effective mass gain is to increase the calorie content of the diet, the right balance of nutrients and the best foods for gaining body weight.

Protein products

Proteins are the main building material of the body, responsible for the growth of muscle tissue and its restoration. The lack of protein in the body causes muscle wasting, weakened immunity, and swelling. The daily norm of protein for weight gain is 2-2.5 g / kg of body weight. It should be taken in small portions throughout the day, since no more than 40 g is absorbed at one meal.

Proteins are made up of many amino acids involved in the formation of hormones, complex enzymes and other cellular structures. The largest number protein substances contain the following products:

Meat. Red beef, lean pork, lamb, chicken, turkey are high protein foods (up to 24 g per 100 g). Meat contains 8 essential amino acids that the body cannot synthesize on its own.
Dairy products. The protein content in hard cheese is very high - 23-30 g. In combination with lipids and calcium, the protein is easily absorbed by cells. Depending on the fat content, milk has 2.8-3 g of protein, cottage cheese - 14-16 g.
Eggs. One medium-sized chicken egg contains 6-8 g of pure protein. The egg yolk contains a large amount of cholesterol and fat, so its abundant consumption is harmful to health.
Seafood. For 100 g of fish fillet, there are 17-25 g of protein, which is absorbed in full. Protein content in seafood: red caviar - 29-31 g, mussels - 20 g, shrimp, crab - 19 g, squid - 18 g. Such food is considered dietary - the level of fat in its composition is minimal.
beans. Vegetarians replenish their protein reserves precisely at the expense of plants of the legume family. There are 36 g of protein per 100 g of soybeans, chickpeas include 19 g of protein, beans - 19-24 g, lentils - 21-24 g, peas - 20 g. To facilitate the digestion process, legumes are combined with vegetables.
Nuts. Among the nuts, the most valuable are: peanuts and cashews (26-27 g of protein), pistachios (20 g), almonds (18 g), hazelnuts and walnuts (15 g).
Cereals. The leader in the amount of protein in the composition is buckwheat (10-12 g per 100 g of cereal). Semolina, oatmeal and millet cereals contain about 10-11 g of protein.
Mushrooms. The protein content in mushrooms is as follows: champignons - 4.3 g; porcini mushrooms, boletus, morels - 3-3.3 g; mushrooms, russula, honey agarics, butterfish - 1.7-2.5 g.
Vegetables. Among vegetables, the most protein-rich garlic (6.5 g), Brussels sprouts(4.8 g), spinach (2.9 g).

Foods with healthy fats

Fats are one of the most important elements of nutrition. Their absence in the diet causes metabolic disorders, hormonal imbalance, and a decrease in overall immunity. Certain unsaturated fatty acids are not produced in cells, they are supplied exclusively through food.

The body's need for fat is 1 g/kg dry body weight. The source of useful lipids should mainly be plant foods (80%). Animal products make up a small portion of a healthy diet.

Nuts. The fattest nuts - macadamia and pecans - contain 72-76 g of lipids per 100 g of product. Walnut - 65 g, hazelnuts and pine nuts - 61 g; pistachios, almonds, cashews - 50-54 g, peanuts - 45 g. You can not fill the entire daily diet with nuts - an excess of calories will lead to an increase in body fat.
Seeds. IN sunflower seeds contains 53 g of fat, sesame - 49 g, poppy - 47.5 g, flax seeds include 42 g of lipids, chia - 31 g, pumpkin seeds - 24.5 g.
Oils. Sunflower oil is a high-calorie product, which mainly consists of polyunsaturated fats, which adversely affect human health. Healthy monounsaturated fats are found in olive, flaxseed, and corn oils.
Avocado. A fruit that is 80% monounsaturated fatty acids. 100 g of avocado contains 15-20 g of fat.
Dairy products. A large amount of fat can be obtained from hard cheeses (26-30 g), cottage cheese (9-18 g), fatty sour cream (20 g).
Oily fish. Mackerel, salmon, salmon, tuna - a fish that, in addition to lipids (12-15 g), contains vitamins of groups B and D, essential Omega-3 acids.

Sources of carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the main energy resource, most important during training. For an athlete, the consumption rate is 4-5 g per 1 kg of body weight. 60-70% of the total amount of the substance should be complex (slow) carbohydrates, the rest - fast.

Cereals. This is a source of slow carbohydrates, which provides the main energy reserves for the body. Semolina and pearl barley have 73.5 g of carbohydrates per 100 g, corn - 75 g, rice - 74 g, barley - 72 g, wheat - 70 g, oatmeal - 66 g, buckwheat - 62 g.
Legumes. Peas contain 53-57 g of complex carbohydrates, beans - 54.5 g, lentils - 48-55 g. Legumes are rich in iron, vitamins A, C, B6, magnesium.
Pasta from durum wheat. Starch in the composition of premium flour is not destroyed during cooking and saturates the body for a long time. There are 65-75 g of carbohydrates per 100 g of the product.
Vegetables. Corn - 22.5 g, garlic - 21.2 g, potatoes - 20 g, olives - 12.7 g, beets and parsley root - 11 g.
Fruits. Fruits and berries consist mainly of fast carbohydrates: bananas - 22.4 g, grapes - 17.5 g, persimmons - 16 g, figs and mangoes - 14 g, pomegranate - 12 g, apples - 11.5 g, peaches - 10.5 g
Dried fruits. Convenient option for the cold season. Due to the small amount of water in the composition, dried fruits have a high calorie content and high carbohydrate content: dates - 75 g, raisins - 72 g, dried apricots - 61 g, figs - 58 g, prunes - 57.5 g

Water

Body tissues are 60-80% water. Active physical exercise increases the metabolic rate, stimulates sweating, as a result of which the cells require more fluid. Dehydrated blood slowly passes through the vessels, the organs experience oxygen starvation, the endurance and performance of the body decrease.

During the day, it is necessary to consume water at the rate of 4% of the total body weight. During sports, cells intensively consume fluid for thermoregulation and metabolism. To reduce the load on the heart and brain, you should drink water in small portions throughout the entire workout.

It is important to know! Dehydration reduces the effectiveness of exercise. To protect the body from a stressful state, it is necessary to replenish fluids in a timely manner.

Body Types

There is no universal diet plan that could satisfy the requirements of any person. Sports mode largely depends on body composition. Body types are as follows:

Ectomorph- short upper body, long limbs, narrow shoulders. Ectomorphs are energetic and mobile due to a fast metabolism and minimal body fat. Mass gain is difficult and is possible only in the case of high consumption of protein foods and other high-calorie foods.
mesomorphic- the body is proportional, the muscles are naturally voluminous and quite hardy, there is practically no fat. Mesomorphs have the greatest tendency to build muscle mass.
Endomorph- rounded shapes, large reserves of adipose tissue, poorly developed muscles. Endomorph can quickly gain muscle mass after elimination overweight. Body fat is reduced with a balanced diet and regular exercise.

Note! Each person is characterized by individual physiology, endurance and speed of recovery after exercise. To select the optimal diet, you need to build on your own capabilities and well-being.

In the process of gaining muscle mass, the body is constantly changing, and every day the usual menu becomes more and more annoying. You should combine different products, satisfying the needs of the body. Regardless of the number of muscles in the body, it is appropriate to observe the following rules:

Divide the daily menu into several basic techniques (up to 6 times). The body will be able to gradually assimilate all the necessary substances without stress and overload.
Refuse destructive food processing and use only gentle cooking methods - boiling, baking, stewing. Fruits, vegetables and herbs are consumed raw.
Do not exceed your fat intake. In addition to the total calorie content of foods, the balance of all nutrients is also important.
Control the amount of muscle gain - body weight should not increase by more than 0.6-0.8 kg per week. The excess weight will be used by the body for the growth of adipose tissue.
Maintain mental balance. Stressful situations stimulate an increase in cortisol in the blood. It can break down muscle fibers and cause fat accumulation.

Healthy and high-calorie foods make it easier to gain muscle mass. To achieve the desired effect, you need to take a responsible attitude to the preparation of the menu and regularly perform physical exercises.