What foods should you eat for muscle mass? Diet for gaining muscle mass. Walnuts and almonds

To increase muscle size, it is not enough to exercise regularly. Nutrition that helps you gain muscle mass involves increased volume, quality, and variety in your diet. Intense, regular, methodically correct training with insufficient calorie intake does not produce results.

Nutrition rules for increasing muscle size

To grow muscle mass, it is necessary that the consumption of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats exceeds the body's energy consumption.

Proteins are important for tissue growth. If they are deficient, there is no gain in muscle mass or increase in strength. Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products contain high-quality protein. Daily requirement in protein is 1.3 g per 1 kg of body weight. When playing sports, the need increases to 2-4 g per 1 kg of body weight.

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

Fats are necessary for the production of certain hormones during muscle gain, and they provide energy during prolonged physical activity. Beneficial to the body fat contains dairy products and vegetable oils. The optimal intake is 65-70% animal fats and 30-35% fats of vegetable origin.

At the beginning of training, with traditional 3-4 meals a day, muscle growth can be 3-5 kg per month. But after some time, 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 and more energy in the form of carbohydrates and fats are required.

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

The nutrition program must match the intensity of your training to gain muscle mass. First of all, it is worth increasing the protein intake to 2g per 1 kg of body weight, which will certainly increase the calorie content of the diet.

The optimal diet is one in which one part protein is three parts carbohydrates. It is allowed to consume carbohydrates with a high glycemic index (honey, ice cream).

Carbohydrates absorbed by the body are converted into glycogen, which is found in the liver and muscles. During training, glycogen reserves are intensively consumed. When they run out, the body begins to obtain energy by breaking down muscle protein molecules, causing the muscles to lose volume.

To avoid this, within 30 minutes after training you should take carbohydrates at the rate of 1.5 g of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight - for example, drink natural fruit juice. After another 2 hours, eat carbohydrates - for example, pasta. This measure increases the rate of glycogen accumulation in the muscles, helping to quickly restore them. During intense sports, it is recommended to consume 6 to 10 g of carbohydrates per kg of body weight every day.

Gaining muscle mass is facilitated by replacing fluid losses through sweat. You need to weigh yourself before and after training. For every kilogram lost after completing exercises, you should drink up to 1.5 liters of liquid, which speeds up the recovery process.

During sleep, the body obtains energy by breaking down muscle cells. The transition from sleep to wakefulness in the morning increases energy expenditure. To prevent the previous day’s workout from being in vain, the body needs a hearty breakfast.

Diet to increase muscle mass

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

Vitamin A. Strengthens bones, teeth, improves skin condition. It is contained in carrots, tomatoes, fish, and liver.
B vitamins. Necessary for metabolic processes and rapid tissue restoration 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 speedy healing. There is a lot of it in citrus fruits, apples, strawberries, cabbage.
Vitamin D. Strengthens bones and teeth. Contained in vegetable fats, fish oil, eggs.

To gain muscle mass, you need to include microelements in your diet:

Calcium. Strengthens muscles, necessary for bone strength. There is a lot of calcium in milk, cheese, cabbage.
Potassium. Regulates fluid balance in the body, maintains heart rhythm, and coordinates muscle contractions. Contained in potatoes, grains, fruits.
Iron. Necessary to maintain the level of hemoglobin, which transports oxygen into cells. Contained in meat, liver, eggs, nuts, legumes.
Phosphorus. Strengthens bone tissue. There is a lot of it in meat, fish, eggs, nuts.
Magnesium. Necessary for the synthesis of enzymes, better absorption of carbohydrates, proteins, important for muscle contractions. Contained 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, which provide the body with essential amino acids;
fruits and vegetables are a source of vitamins and minerals;
products made from flour and cereals are a source of carbohydrates, vitamins, and proteins.

In addition, your diet should contain enough fiber-rich foods. There is a lot of it in cereals, legumes, nuts, and fruits.

How to eat right before training

To gain muscle mass, it is important to follow simple nutritional rules. The closer the training time is, the fewer carbohydrates and calories the food should contain. For example, after a light breakfast you can build muscle within an hour, after a hearty lunch - no earlier than four hours.

If short-term physical activity is expected in 30-60 minutes, you should not consume 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 impairs the intensity of muscle contractions.

Conversely, if you have a long-term physical activity - jogging, skiing or cycling - simple carbohydrates can be consumed immediately before training. Glucose will be gradually absorbed from the intestines and used for muscle function.

To prevent you from wanting to go to the toilet when gaining muscle mass, you should not eat foods rich in dietary fiber before training. You should also avoid foods that contribute to gas formation (peas, cabbage, beans, onions).

Salty foods retain fluid in the body, which causes bloating. As a result, the stomach begins to push against the diaphragm, which makes it difficult for the heart and lungs to work during exercise.

Why fatty foods are needed on the menu

Many modern systems Nutrition to gain muscle mass calls for limiting fat intake.

This measure is partly 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 muscle mass and are therefore forced to adhere to a virtually fat-free diet in order to make the liver as easy as possible. In reality, a diet without fatty foods is not a rule for bodybuilding.

Eating fatty foods is possible and necessary, especially at a young age. The intake of fats is necessary for metabolic reactions in the body.

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

A deficiency of vegetable fats negatively 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 fatty deposits. The situation is aggravated by the refusal to include fiber in the diet and the use of steroids, which, like fat, increase the load on the liver.

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

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

It is worth monitoring your blood cholesterol levels periodically. And if it remains normal, there is no need to change anything in your diet to gain muscle mass.

If your cholesterol level is elevated, this does not mean that you need to eliminate fatty foods from your 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 area that is worked during training.

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

If body fat has stopped decreasing, you should increase the pace of walking and reduce 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 your diet, and begin gaining muscle mass by doing strength exercises.

Counting calories to increase muscle size

You should be prepared for the fact that an increase in muscle volume is almost always accompanied by an increase in fat deposits. Typically, gaining 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 and 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 begin to grow, you need to adjust the training program towards greater intensity and reduce the caloric content of your diet by 10%. With a greater reduction in calories, there is a risk of stopping muscle gain.

In order to turn the highest quality nutrition into muscles, you will have to train and at the same time give the body sufficient rest. You can then get rid of the fat layer that appears when you gain muscle mass with exercises for relief and muscle definition.

Menu for gaining muscle mass

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

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: 200g piece of 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, fruit.
Dinner: Chicken, pasta or potatoes, fruit, 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 combat excess weight, there are still people who dream of gaining it. And there may be several reasons for this. For example, excessive thinness of women, which prevents them from getting pregnant, or too little 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 low weight

Suffering from thinness, people often begin to zealously search for special diets, recipes and even medications that would help them solve their 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 illness associated with metabolism, poor digestibility of certain foods, or high cholesterol levels, which can only be diagnosed by an experienced specialist.

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

Jason Ferrugia, a strength training expert from the United States, 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 a 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 get a third of their daily calorie intake from avocados, nuts, cold-pressed oil, potatoes, rice and pasta.” You should also drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.

What should the menu be made of?

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

Men and women aged 31 to 50 years should consume 2200 kcal respectively, increasing to 3000 kcal if they enjoy 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 intake into the body, as well as to ensure excellent health throughout the day, it is very important to introduce three food groups 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, making 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 necessary 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 increasing cholesterol levels in the blood, you need to eat fatty fish. Nuts (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts), seeds, butter or cold-pressed vegetable oil are also suitable. The latter is best added to vegetable salads, thus improving the digestibility of products.

Top 13 foods that help you gain weight

. This is an ideal high-calorie fatty product, the consumption of which does not harm the cardiovascular system at all. 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, added to sandwiches or eaten as a snack.

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

and nuts. Nutritionists advise consuming them between main meals. 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 promotes muscle gain.

Smoothie. 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 required amount of fats and proteins.

How else can you increase your weight?

1 devote time to physical activity and sports. No matter how contradictory it may sound, such loads will only benefit a thin person. And the point is not even that healthy body healthy mind. Just 20 minutes spent walking will stimulate your appetite and trigger the release of endorphins, thus improving your mood. And a good mood is not only a guarantee happy life, but also excellent remedy to inspire people to take care of themselves and their health.
2 avoid stress. It reduces appetite and provokes 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 completion of important projects, people are advised to increase their daily protein intake by 20%.
3 there are vegetable soups. They increase appetite.
4 eliminate alcohol and caffeinated drinks, simply replacing them with juices, milkshakes or smoothies.
5 do not overuse 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 certainly help you eat a little more than usual, allowing you to come closer to your dream.

We have collected the most important points about weight gain products and will 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 strive for, you need to eat right. It is also necessary not to forget about the training system (article about the training scheme for gaining weight), without which you should not even dream of having any muscles.

The first thing that requires attention in achieving your 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 Gaining Muscle

Meal frequency

Certainly one of the most important moments In achieving the goal is how often a person eats. This point allows you to send all the necessary nutrients into the human blood, important for the growth of muscle mass and more.

It's no secret that our body needs " 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).

Calorie 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 food energy supplied exceeds the amount burned. Many diets today are based on this principle.

Harmony of proteins, fats and carbohydrates

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

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

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

Water and its quantity

If you have an incredibly strong desire to achieve your goals and get results, you should Special attention pay attention to water, as well as its quantity in the body (detailed article on how much water you should drink per day). The optimal limit for an athlete to drink water 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 during 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 training

It is advisable to eat food at least two hours before training. 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, porridge, fruits, and vegetables. It is worth noting that half an hour before the start of your workout, you can drink a gainer - a protein-carbohydrate mixture - without much harm.

After training

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

Skipping a meal after a workout is not acceptable.. In most cases, it is after the training process that the human body is able to absorb more nutrients.

How to create a diet and 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 will also be perfectly absorbed.

The list of foods containing carbohydrates 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 that contain nutrients.

Foods rich in carbohydrates:

bread (black);
flakes;
noodles;
muesli;
porridge (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.

High fat foods:

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

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

Stages of building muscle mass

There is a case for this certain steps, thanks to which every person who has sufficient 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 small protein content and gradually build up.
After three months, you can give up gainers and replace them with proteins and carbohydrates.
If you begin to notice that your muscle mass has increased significantly 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 to ensure the normal content of useful and nutritious components and substances in the body.

Advice from athletes who know a lot about building muscle mass

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

Athletes' tips:

Eat more. The main recommendation of experienced bodybuilders. However, not all foods are worth eating. In most cases, the strategy for building muscle mass depends entirely on nutrition. Speaking in simple language, you need to eat more food than your body requires.
Choose the best exercises. These are the classic exercises, which over many years of use have proven themselves with the best side. Basic exercises: bench press, deadlift, squats. Curls of the arm with a barbell may also occur.
Don't slow down! This advice suggests that you should not stay at the same weight for a long time if you need to gain muscle mass. Strive for heavier weights, greater loads, and spare no effort.
“Get accelerator, but not too much”. Remember that the excessive weight of the projectiles can harm the body, due to which you can get injured, which, in turn, will knock you out of a normally built system for several months.
Have a good rest. This advice is about normal rest, without which it will be almost impossible to achieve the goal. That is, the body simply needs rest, preferably in the form of sleep.
Come to the gym - train! You should not rest between approaches for more than three minutes, since during this time muscle mass gains strength and is restored, which is not necessary for growth. So, you shouldn't be lazy while training. 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 know about for many people involved in sports. Many people realize that in order to gain quality weight, they need to eat more proteins and reduce the amount of fat in their diet. This is partly true, but everything is not so simple. The right approach to selecting products for weight gain will speed up the achievement of the desired results without harm to health.

Protein food

The best are protein foods, but they vary and not all are equally healthy. Let's look at which products you should focus on.

Lean meats

To gain muscle, the body requires protein - this is a kind of building material. Its deficiency causes degradation of muscle tissue. Eating lean meat in sufficient quantity is one of the criteria for quality and speed dial weight, not body fat. Some recommend consuming up to 2-3 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, but this is quite a lot. 1.5 g of protein per kilogram of weight is sufficient, and it should come from such lean meats as:

chicken fillet;
beef;
veal.

Dairy

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

Dairy products normalize the functioning of the intestines, making it better absorb other foods for muscle gain. Cottage cheese is considered one of the best dairy products for building muscle. It should be consumed 150-250 g per day. It is especially useful to eat it before bed, since the protein contained in cottage cheese is involved in the restoration of muscle fibers.

Eggs

Some of the best foods for gaining muscle mass sold in stores include regular eggs. The protein they contain has a rich amino acid composition, but athletes and scientists have differing opinions regarding the benefits of eggs. Some are sure that it is better not to eat eggs, others recommend eating only the whites, and still others eat whole eggs. Note that there is no study that would confirm the harm from frequent consumption of eggs.

It doesn’t make sense for weight gain, since in this case the protein is only absorbed by half. 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 preparation, so many will like it. In addition to the high protein content, this weight gain product contains a lot of vitamin PP, A, potassium and fluorine, which all athletes also need.

Sources of Unsaturated Fats

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

Fish and seafood

These products allow you to build muscle mass, so it is recommended to consume them at least 1-2 times a week. Fish oil, unlike animal oil, is rich in unique beneficial properties that are necessary for digestive processes. Unsaturated fats contained in fish and seafood are a source of microelements. In addition, fish and seafood contain large amounts of protein.

Seeds

Some people believe that regular sunflower seeds are harmful, but if you don't overuse them, you will reap the benefits. Sunflower seeds are a good product for gaining muscles due to their protein and vitamin E content. The latter help accelerate the regeneration of muscle tissue that is damaged during sports. The seeds can not just be cracked, as is usually done, but added to salads and other dishes.

Nuts

Nuts are a good product for gaining muscle mass. They contain a lot of 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 exercise every other day, consume at least one piece of almonds, peanuts or other nuts daily to gain muscle.

Complex carbohydrates

There's no doubt that protein and healthy fats are important for building muscle, but complex carbohydrates are needed to simplify the process and provide the body with the energy it needs to perform physical activity. They are a useful and efficient source of energy.

Cereals

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

buckwheat;
millet;
brown rice;
lentils.

Bananas

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

Pasta

All pasta products contain a lot of carbohydrates, but not all of them are complex. Buy from stores that are good for gaining weight. Also try to get used to eating undercooked pasta, as they say, Al dente. For better absorption of this product, consume it with vegetables.

Oatmeal

Another quality product for gaining weight is oatmeal. Plain oatmeal is a good source of carbohydrates, which provide important nutrients. To increase the nutritional value of oatmeal and more effectively gain weight, cook it in milk and eat it every morning for breakfast. You can also add nuts and dried fruits to it.

Inexpensive products for weight gain

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

pollock and hake are inexpensive varieties of fish that supply the body with proteins and healthy fats;
fish oil capsules from the 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 create a diet?

Finally, let’s look at an approximate diet made up of the above products for weight gain. Based on this information, you can choose a suitable diet for yourself, taking into account your personal taste preferences and financial capabilities. Try to steam, bake, stew or boil food; vegetables, fruits and herbs are healthier when eaten raw.

To gain weight, you can have breakfast with buckwheat, oatmeal or other porridge, and also drink a glass of milk, tea or cocoa. You can eat an omelet made from several eggs and some unsweetened fruit.

For lunch, porridge with vegetables in any form, as well as a portion of meat or fish, is suitable. 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, and kefir. Be sure to drink more fluids throughout the day to maintain normal fluid balance - it is extremely important during physical activity. , read this article.

To increase muscles without harm to the body, you need to monitor your 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, you must adhere to several principles at the same time: eat right, exercise and rest regularly. Before we tell you what foods to eat to gain muscle mass, we'll lay out the basics of creating a healthy workout diet.

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 body's needs from food. Below is what you can eat to gain muscle mass; the list includes only the best sources of nutritional supplements, divided into groups. Food for muscle growth should be varied so that you receive from food all the micro and macro elements 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 that you don’t need to constantly expand your TOP products or eat more and more chicken breasts, it may well be that adding a couple of tablespoons of healthy fats is enough.

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

Calculate daily kilocalorie intake for basic metabolism (function of internal organs, heat exchange, 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 your level of physical activity. The number of kilocalories of basal metabolism is multiplied by the human activity coefficient. For people with a sedentary lifestyle, the indicator is 1.2; doing 2-3 workouts per week increases it to 1.375. For those who play sports every other day, the coefficient is 1.55, for daily exercise – 1.725, and for heavy physical work throughout the day – 1.9.
Increase the result by 10-20%. Such a calorie surplus will ensure gradual weight gain without harm to the body.
Repeat calculations in accordance with the increase in muscle mass.

Systematic training

Thanks to physical activity, metabolism accelerates, excess calories are directed not into fat, but into muscle tissue. It is recommended to conduct classes under the supervision of a trainer - he will set correct technique exercises and will give individual recommendations regarding nutrition.

To gain weight, three sessions per week lasting 1 hour are enough. Muscle growth is ensured by a gradual increase in working weights on exercise machines. In order for the body to become sculpted and proportional, you need to work out all muscle groups.

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

Note! Immediately after training, the “carbohydrate window” period begins. At this time, energy from consumed food is spent on restoration and increase in muscle mass. Products with fast carbohydrates are most suitable - fruits, honey.

Recuperation

Muscle tissue grows while resting for 48 hours after training. In order not to harm the body, complete rest must be ensured for each muscle group. 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 expends during the day. The key to effective mass gain is increasing the calorie content of the diet, the correct 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. A lack of protein in the body causes muscle wasting, weakened immunity, and swelling. The daily protein requirement for weight gain is 2-2.5 g/kg body weight. It should be taken in small portions throughout the day, since no more than 40 g are absorbed in one meal.

Proteins consist of many amino acids involved in the formation of hormones, complex enzymes and other cellular structures. Largest quantity The following products contain protein:

Meat. Red beef, lean pork, lamb, chicken, turkey are foods high in protein (up to 24 g per 100 g). Meat contains 8 essential amino acids that the body is not able to 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. Egg yolk contains a large amount of cholesterol and fat, so consuming it in excess is harmful to health.
Seafood. Per 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 with plants from the legume family. Per 100 g of soybeans there are 36 g of protein, chickpeas contain 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; saffron milk caps, russula, honey mushrooms, boletus – 1.7-2.5 g.
Vegetables. Among vegetables, the richest in protein is garlic (6.5 g), Brussels sprouts(4.8 g), spinach (2.9 g).

Foods with healthy fats

Fats are one of the most important nutritional elements. 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 in food.

The body's need for fat is 1 g/kg of dry body weight. The source of beneficial lipids should predominantly be plant foods (80%). Animal products occupy a small share in a healthy diet.

Nuts. The fattest nuts – macadamia and pecan – contain 72-76 g of lipids per 100 g of product. Walnuts – 65 g, hazelnuts and pine nuts – 61 g; pistachios, almonds, cashews - 50-54 g, peanuts - 45 g. You cannot fill your entire daily diet with nuts - excess calories will lead to an increase in body fat.
Seeds. IN sunflower seeds contains 53 g of fat, sesame - 49 g, poppy seed - 47.5 g, flax seeds contain 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 negatively 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), and full-fat sour cream (20 g).
Fatty fish. Mackerel, salmon, salmon, tuna are fish that, in addition to lipids (12-15 g), contain vitamins B and D, essential Omega-3 acids.

Sources of carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the main energy resource and are most important during training. For an athlete, the norm of consumption 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, and magnesium.
Pasta made from durum wheat. The starch in 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 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 your metabolic rate and stimulates sweating, causing your cells to require more fluid. Dehydrated blood slowly passes through the vessels, organs experience oxygen starvation, and the body’s endurance and performance decrease.

During the day, you need to drink water at the rate of 4% of your total body weight. During sports, cells intensively consume fluid for thermoregulation and metabolism. To reduce the stress on your heart and brain, you should drink small amounts of water throughout your workout.

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

Body types

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

Ectomorph– short upper body, long limbs, narrow shoulders. Ectomorphs are energetic and active due to their fast metabolism and minimal body fat. Gaining weight is difficult and is only possible with high consumption of protein foods and other high-calorie foods.
Mesomorphic– the body is proportional, the muscles are naturally voluminous and quite durable, there is practically no fat. Mesomorphs have the greatest tendency to gain muscle mass.
Endomorph– round shapes, large reserves of adipose tissue, poorly developed muscles. Endomorph can quickly gain muscle mass after eliminating overweight. The fat layer is reduced with the help of a balanced diet and regular exercise.

Note! Each person has an 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 transforming, and every day the usual menu becomes more and more boring. You should combine different products to satisfy the body's needs. Regardless of the number of muscles in the body, it is appropriate to adhere to the following rules:

Divide the daily menu into several main meals (up to 6 times). The body will be able to gradually absorb all the necessary substances without stress and overload.
Avoid destructive food processing and use only gentle cooking methods - boiling, baking, stewing. Eat fruits, vegetables and herbs 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 body will use excess weight to grow fat tissue.
Maintain a balanced mental state. Stressful situations stimulate an increase in cortisol in the blood. It can destroy muscle fibers and cause fat accumulation.

Healthy, high-calorie foods make it easier to gain muscle mass. To achieve the desired effect, you need to take a responsible approach to menu planning and exercise regularly.