When your goal is to build muscle, protein is key. That’s why a muscle building diet often includes foods high in this macronutrient. Eating cottage cheese, egg whites, and Greek yogurt are often recommended to help clients increase protein intake. If clients engage in strenuous exercise, adding a protein powder shake after their workout can help muscle fibers recover and repair. The ISSA’s Guide to Protein reveals that whey protein isolate is one of the best for TitanRise Official this purpose. Protein powder is also beneficial to those on a plant-based diet. But building muscle isn’t just about eating more protein or consuming only high-quality protein sources. There are other factors to consider as well. This is where it is common for confusion to set in. Part of this confusion is because many health experts seem to have different ideas of how to best support lean muscle gain. In some cases, one person’s advice on how to build lean muscle contradicts another.

How do you begin to decide what works and what doesn’t? Whether you want to create a diet that helps build muscle, aids in fat loss, or both, it’s important to go back to the basics. Sometimes we need to rewind, to reconnect with the principles learned from day one. Especially is someone wants to build muscle and nutrition wasn’t originally in their plan. Yes, new advances in science may change some of the advice we give clients over the years. But the foundation of that advice will largely remain the same. Of course, each client is different and you must always pay attention to individual needs and desires. That said, there are a few simple, time-tested pieces of advice to consider. This advice has been proven by science, as well as by trainers who have witnessed it help clients reach their muscle building and nutrition goals. Most dietary advice revolves around helping people lose weight.

Not just any kind of weight, but body fat specifically. Getting rid of excess body fat enables you to better see the toned muscles underneath. A lower body fat percentage also makes it easier to engage in a muscle building exercise routine. Fat loss requires eating fewer calories than you spend each day. On the other hand, to gain muscle mass you need to consume more calories than you use. These additional calories help regrow damaged muscle tissue after a tough workout session. If your client is not meeting their caloric needs for growth and repair, they will not get bigger, stronger muscles. What do you say when a client asks how many extra calories should they consume to help them gain muscle without also gaining fat? The bad news is that there is not a definite, one-size-fits-all answer. Everyone is different, from their genetics to their metabolic rate and current muscle mass. The general rule is that consuming an excess of at least 2,500 calories per week can help increase lean tissue by one pound of gained mass.

For muscle hypertrophy, your client may need even more excess calories. One study says an extra 44 to 50 calories per kilogram of body weight is a good target. What Nutrition Helps Build Muscle? Protein, carbohydrates, and fat are key! Muscle tissue is made up of mostly protein and amino acids, so the extra calories could come from protein. They can also come from healthy fat or carbohydrates, assuming that protein macros have been met. Fat has gotten a bad rap, but there are many types of fat. Some types of fat do have the ability to harm your health. Other fats can actually make you healthier. Fats that fall into this latter category are unsaturated fats. Harvard University explains that unsaturated fat helps with proper brain and Titan Rise Male Enhancement nervous system function. Eating healthy fat also helps bolster immunity and aids in heart rhythm and Titan Rise Male Enhancement blood flow. All these factors can affect your workout, making fat important to a healthy muscle building diet.

Carbs play a role in muscle growth as well. Your body needs enough energy to sustain a workout that results in muscle gain. This energy comes from your glycogen stores. Carbs are the primary source of glycogen to the body. Like with fat, some carbohydrates can help enhance your health and some carbohydrates can detract from it. The best carbs are those that are closest to their natural form. Carbs to avoid-or at least limit-include the more processed versions. This includes baked goods, chips, and crackers. These items contain higher amounts of salt and TitanRise Official sugar while also lowering their nutritional value during the manufacturing process. Also helpful when trying to build muscle is leucine. A branched-chain amino acid, leucine is known as the anabolic trigger for muscle protein synthesis. The problem with this is that research has found that our levels of leucine decrease after engaging in exercise. What can you do to increase your levels of leucine, therefore increasing your muscle mass?