Diet for gaining muscle mass. How to create a diet for gaining muscle mass (sample menu). Converting percentages to grams

While one part of the stronger half is sweating in the gym and exhausting itself to lose weight, the other is looking for something to eat in order to gain the desired kilograms of muscle and get rid of a thin physique.

We understand the problem, create the right nutrition system with a weekly menu and begin to change the body for the better with advice from Life Reactor.

Nutrition for weight gain for men at home - what and when to eat + table

EATING	DISTRIBUTION OF PROTEINS, FATS AND CARBOHYDRATES
Breakfast	Choose simple carbohydrates
During the day	Complex carbohydrates and slow proteins
Before training	Complex carbohydrates
During training	Sweet water with glucose is acceptable
After training	Complex carbohydrates
Before bedtime	Long-lasting proteins in the form of cottage cheese or casein protein

It is best to start the day with liquid - a glass of freshly squeezed juice, compote or just water. Have breakfast in half an hour.

Do not forget that after a hearty meal you should never go to training - the difference between food intake and exercise should be two hours.

Don't forget about vitamins - be sure to eat half a kilo of fresh vegetables and fruits a day. Carrots, apples, citrus fruits, berries, etc. are especially useful.

You will have to give up confectionery products - they cause a rapid jump in blood sugar, and the body transforms glucose into fat.

Squirrels

They are especially needed after sleep and intense workouts, when the body is starving/actively expending energy.The daily consumption rate is 2 grams per 1 kilogram of weight, i.e. a man weighing 70 kilograms needs 140 g of protein per day.

These include:

1. Dairy products: cottage cheese, yogurt, milk, kefir
2. Nuts, seeds
3. All types of legumes: beans, lentils, peas, chickpeas, mung beans, etc.
4. Some types of vegetables: spinach, broccoli, asparagus

Fast and slow

Fast ones should occur in the morning and the period immediately after training in the gym - they are needed to quickly cover the need for energy.The rest of the time, you should give preference to slow ones, and completely abandon them at night. The daily norm is 0.4-0.5 kg.

The nutrition menu for weight gain for men at home will ideally fit:

1. Porridge - rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, millet
2. Durum wheat pasta
3. Bran, black and rye bread
4. Muesli
5. Potatoes, carrots and beets within reason

Fats

They are divided into rich- unhealthy (mayonnaise, butter) and unsaturated- healthy (vegetable, olive, flaxseed, sesame and other oils).From 16 to 28 years old, 160 g of fat is needed per day, at 29-40 years old - 95-150 g, after 40 years - 70 g.

Why is protein so important and where to get it?

Protein- building material for muscles.During intense training, you cannot do without it - the greater the muscle mass, the more protein it needs.

Plant cells contain lentils, peas and soy; animals- cottage cheese and milk. These products should be on your menu every day.

Beginners in bodybuilding often begin to abuse ready-made powder cocktails.However, this is not an absolute requirement for gaining muscle mass.They are most effective if you know that after training there will be no time for a full meal.

Nutrition for weight gain for men - example

EATING	SAMPLE MENU
Breakfast	Any porridge with milk and butter, coffee or tea with milk and honey, toast with cheese, a handful of nuts
Lunch	Pasta with cheese and eggplant or cottage cheese with yogurt and tea; fresh fruits
Dinner	Soup (borsch, rassolnik, pea), vegetable cutlets and salad with sour cream, rye bread
Afternoon snack	Vegetable salad with cheese, freshly squeezed juice
Second afternoon tea	Milk with cookies or fruit salad with yogurt
Dinner	Vegetable omelette with cheese and warm milk with honey or cottage cheese casserole with sour cream and tea

Nutrition Basics for Weight Gain for Men at Home

The cause of excessive male thinness may be a specific body structure, accelerated growth, health problems and bad habits.

We immediately omit the last two points - before planning a new menu and training/smoking system, a visit to the doctor is required by default.

Having made sure that thinness is not the result of a disease, we build a new diet according to the following rules:

1. We eat more high-calorie foods, based on the principles of healthy eating - it is important to increase not the amount of food, but its calorie content
2. If the reason is fast metabolism, select the menu to slow it down
3. We move more and play sports, so that food goes not into the fat layer and stomach, but into the muscles
4. We increase the diet to 3000-4000 calories, eating 5-8 times a day- the body copes with small portions faster and does not have time to store anything as fat
5. We eat less fat: 30-40% of the diet is allocated to proteins, 45-50 to carbohydrates
6. Don’t forget that the male body works faster than the female body, which means it absorbs and digests food faster - traditional diets for gaining weight in this case will be inappropriate
7. We do not limit ourselves to certain types of products- only proteins or only carbohydrates; calories, vitamins and microelements must come from everywhere
8. If necessary, we dilute the menu with BCAAs, proteins, protein-carbohydrate cocktails, to stop catabolic reactions

Advice: thin-boned people are often endowed with pathological thinness - they always look miniature and even flimsy, but by properly developing the menu and in this case, you can build muscle.

Nutrition for weight itself consists of three steps:

1. Working with heavy weights in the gym
2. Consuming the right amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, if necessary, specialized sports nutrition
3. Complete muscle rest

Some athletes are afraid of gaining fat instead of muscle, and combine intense training with cutting - a carbohydrate-free diet.

This approach is fundamentally wrong - simultaneously getting rid of fat with a calorie deficit puts the body under stress and can lead to health problems, especially in the gastrointestinal tract.It makes more sense to do it first and then dry it out a little.

Separately, it is worth mentioning nutrition and training for ectomorphic men.This body type implies a low level of strength, tall height and a lean physique with narrow bones and minimal subcutaneous fat.

Such athletes are great at endurance exercises, but when doing bodybuilding, you need to pay attention to heavy basic split training.Ectomorphs hardly gain fat, so in their case it includes a large amount of any food.

Tip: To see results as quickly as possible, it is recommended to eat every 2-3 hours.

Meals for weight gain for men at home - weekly menu

The diet consists of three main meals and three snacks. Approximate calorie content - 3000 units.Don't forget to stay hydrated and drink 2 liters of water a day.

Monday

1. - oatmeal with water or milk, tea/coffee, banana
2. - stewed potatoes with vegetables in a slow cooker
3. - a handful of nuts, cottage cheese
4. - rice with vegetables
5. - vegetable smoothie, toast with cheese
6. - fruit salad and a glass of yogurt

Tuesday

1. - millet porridge with honey and milk, a handful of nuts, grapefruit or orange
2. - pasta with eggplant
3. - a glass of kefir and whole grain toast
4. - cottage cheese with kiwi and nuts
5. - baked vegetables with tofu
6. - a glass of yogurt and toast with peanut butter

Wednesday

1. - oatmeal with banana, apple and a handful of nuts
2. - pilaf with vegetables, tea
3. - vegetable omelette with black bread, apple
4. - smoothie with fruits and milk
5. - fresh vegetable salad, buckwheat cutlets
6. - cottage cheese with jam and yogurt

Thursday

1. - rice noodles with vegetables, a handful of nuts and an apple
2. - vegetable soup, stew
3. - a glass of kefir and a slice of whole grain bread
4. - fruit salad with yogurt
5. - baked potatoes with cheese
6. - cheesecakes, tea

Friday

1. - bread with cheese, fresh herb salad, tea or coffee
2. - cottage cheese and banana
3. - buckwheat pancakes with mushrooms, juice
4. - vegetable smoothie
5. - vegetable cutlets and boiled rice
6. - yogurt with berries

Saturday

1. - oatmeal with banana and nuts, tea or coffee
2. - oven-baked vegetables
3. - a glass of kefir with whole grain bread
4. - cottage cheese with honey and fruits
5. - couscous with vegetables
6. - fruit salad

Sunday

1. - vegetable omelette, toast with cheese, tea or coffee
2. - cream of mushroom soup
3. - cottage cheese with yogurt and banana
4. - rice with vegetables
5. - fruit smoothie
6. - fresh vegetable salad with sour cream

Tip: 70% of all food you eat should come before four o'clock in the afternoon.

As you can see, gaining weight for men is quite easy.With the above 3000 calorie diet, approximately 600 kcal are allocated to proteins, 1500 to carbohydrates, 900 to fats.

If your goal is to gain lean muscle mass, it is especially necessary to strictly control the amount of foods containing sugar.The diet will have to be completely revised and chocolate, flour products and sweets should be excluded from it.

You also need to increase the amount of vegetable fats and reduce animal fats.You will find useful information about drying the body in the article.

You will learn some tips on the intricacies of nutrition for weight gain for men from the video below:

It is generally accepted that there is no ceiling for gaining weight in the human body. There are known facts when excess weight reaches several centners, which turns a person into a helpless cripple. This is an unhealthy weight, fat. Most often, this is due to various diseases beyond the control of current medicine.

Proper use of products to gain muscle mass eliminates unhealthy consequences. However, those who want to increase it would do well to remember the precept of ancient doctors: do no harm!

For muscles to grow, you need to eat a lot, regularly, often. Food should be of high quality and high in calories, but with healthy protein rather than harmful fat calories. It is not advisable to save on food, since the lack of balanced nutrients during intense training clearly has a negative impact on health.

1. cottage cheese
2. beef
3. chicken fillet
4. turkey meat
5. red fish
6. fish fat
7. buckwheat
8. oatmeal
9. water.

The listed products (except water) contain a complex of vital substances: proteins, healthy carbohydrates and fatty acids, fiber, vitamins, microelements. Water in the right amount promotes normal digestion, maintains strength, and adds energy.

Protein foods for gaining muscle mass

Excellent products for gaining muscle mass are the recognized “protein leaders”: eggs, cottage cheese, meat, fish, cereals, nuts.

Cottage cheese consists of proteins that are absorbed in different ways: some quickly, others slowly. This is the special value of a fermented milk product containing more than 20 percent of proteins.

Beef, white meat chicken (breast), and turkey top the list of products interesting for athletes.

Salmon, more than any other seafood, helps build muscle, and thanks to its positive effect on metabolism, it accelerates the desired result.

Fish oil also affects metabolism. Possessing an anti-inflammatory effect, it supports the body after active training.

Eggs themselves are a balanced, complete mini-product for sports nutrition.

Oatmeal is good for everyone; it is included in a variety of menus: from dietary to sports. Her presence is very useful in our case. Oatmeal contains enough healthy carbohydrates to help maintain a feeling of fullness and blood sugar levels.

Buckwheat porridge also affects muscle growth, so it cannot be ignored when choosing protein products for gaining muscle mass.

Edible nuts and seeds, in addition to plant proteins, supply the body with antioxidants that accelerate recovery processes after exercise.

High-calorie foods for gaining muscle mass

Typically, men gain muscle mass. They want to look more courageous, for this they are ready to give up some harmful hobbies and even go to the gym. But it turns out that this is not enough, you also need to watch your diet. Since a diet of high-calorie foods for gaining muscle mass, along with training, provides the expected result.

The principle of nutrition for a man who wants to have a beautiful and strong torso is that he must receive all nutrients, vitamins and minerals from food. But the amount of protein should prevail; per day with this regimen you should consume significantly more protein foods than usual.

• Protein is meat, fish, eggs, milk. Its daily requirement is at least 2 g per kilogram of body weight. It is absolutely necessary to receive more than you spend, because only in this situation will muscle mass actually increase. Experienced people advise not to take into account protein of plant origin, only from animal products.
• The second rule: in order for the protein supplied with food to be successfully converted into muscle fibers, sufficient energy is required for active metabolism. Energy functions are known to be performed by healthy, complex carbohydrates. These are various cereals, vegetables, wholemeal bread - but not semolina or rich pastries.

In general, the proportion of nutrients differs significantly from the usual daily diet in that the protein content is increased at the expense of fats. Like that:

• 20–30% proteins
• 50 – 60% carbohydrates
• 10 – 20% fat.

It is allowed to create a diet taking into account individual tastes, giving preference to your favorite dish or product for gaining muscle mass. The total amount of high-calorie foods should not exceed 70% of everything consumed per day.

A daily portion of high-calorie foods for weight gain should be eaten in six to eight meals. Start your morning with carbohydrates, and leave the lion's share of proteins for dinner.

Products for gaining lean muscle mass

Gaining lean muscle mass is building muscle without or with minimal fat. This is usually achieved in two steps, dividing sports training and taking products for gaining lean muscle mass into two stages:

1. gaining muscle mass
2. muscle polishing (getting rid of fat).

Experts who share this opinion are convinced that it is unrealistic to gain lean mass right away and you should not feed yourself with empty hopes. It's better to eat right and exercise regularly.

Nutrition at different stages is fundamentally different. If in the first case the body needs an excess of calories, then in the second it needs a deficit. This diet is achieved by limiting carbohydrates.

As you gain weight, eat frequently to maintain your body's constant, even nutritional support. The peculiarities are the difference in needs during the day. In the morning and throughout the first part of the day, you need a source of energy, that is, carbohydrates. From lunch until night - protein. Before training, it is advisable to take slow carbohydrates and proteins, drink water after it, and after a while again feed the body with high-grade proteins and carbohydrates. Casein protein is helpful at night.

The second period is fat burning. Here is a sample diet:

• rice (boiled)
• chicken breast

• low-fat cottage cheese
• egg or egg white
• vegetable salads
• water.

The main thing in a dry diet is to exclude simple carbohydrates in the form of sweets, juices, and baked goods with fatty creams. Otherwise, the products for gaining muscle mass remain the same.

Rating of products for gaining muscle mass

There are different ratings of products for gaining muscle mass. Most of the products are similar, they just occupy different positions. The proposed simple set consists of food products rich in healthy proteins and carbohydrates:

• chicken breasts
• fresh natural beef or veal
• rice, buckwheat, oatmeal
• pasta
• potato
• black bread

Carbohydrates – for breakfast and 25% of the norm – after classes. Fats no more than 15%. Without plenty of water, muscle growth is impossible.

• sunflower seeds, mackerel, kiwi, pineapple, venison, coffee, beef, ginger, natural yogurt, turmeric, cucumbers, chocolate milk, buckwheat, almonds, cherry juice, marshmallow, watercress, sesame halva, eggs, tuna, papaya, sweet pepper, herring, lentils, pasta (pasta), asparagus, sprouted wheat, spirulina (green algae), still mineral water, turkey meat.

Other rating options are also possible. But not only the quality, but also the quantity of food is important. First you need to double the usual portion. And also prepare yourself psychologically: tune in to the optimal diet and training regimen, be sure to fulfill all the requirements and believe in success. Without a person’s diligence and willpower, no products for gaining muscle mass will help.

Cheap Products for Gaining Muscle Mass

To ensure that everyone can afford a good figure, you can create a diet of cheap products for gaining muscle mass. For example, like this:

• pollock fish is a source of the cheapest proteins and essential fats;
• fish fat;
• chicken fillet;
• skim cheese;

• rice, oatmeal, millet, buckwheat (one at a time, for variety) as a side dish;
• mashed potatoes);
• egg powder (many times more protein than in the fermented milk group);
• eggs;
• mushrooms;
• beans;
• affordable vegetables, herbs, fruits, nuts;
• dried fruits;
• water.

In a budget diet, you should focus on quality, giving preference not so much to taste and smell as to healthiness. Although it is quite possible to combine both.

There are special tables for calculating calories. Over time, it is possible to determine how much of something there is “by eye.” Low-calorie vegetables don't count.

It is useful to prepare steamed, stewed, boiled dishes. Vegetables, herbs, and fruits are eaten raw.

The Best Foods for Gaining Muscle

The best products for gaining muscle mass, of course, are purely natural, organic products. If such nutrition is supported by regular physical activity, you can achieve an ideal figure and weight.

• Water is the number one product on this list. And for good reason, because both the muscles and the entire body in chemical composition are solid water, only about 20 percent is everything else. You need to drink constantly, and during exercise - intensively, in order to replenish moisture lost through sweat and breathing.
• Sea fish of all types, especially tuna and herring. Proteins and unsaturated omega-3 acids protect your own muscles and joints from self-eating after intense exercise. The body, in dire need of protein, does not stand on ceremony, and omega-3s slow down protein hunger - until lunch or dinner. It is advisable to eat fish three times a week.

• Milk and lactic acid products are indispensable in the diet of every healthy person. Milk relieves muscle pain, yogurt, kefir, and yogurt contain vitamin D and calcium needed for bones and muscles, and lactic acid bacteria are important for stimulating digestive processes.
• Chicken eggs are easy to digest protein, vitamins A, D, E, which are very necessary for the strength of muscle ligaments. Nutritionists recommend up to ten eggs a week.
• Meat, but not all of it. We choose beef, chicken, and turkey - a source of essential amino acids and creatine, which helps increase muscle mass and reduce fat reserves.
• Cereals and leguminous plants also make an irreplaceable contribution to the good. And also soybeans, lentils, buckwheat, sprouted wheat, even pasta, especially with vegetable oil and vegetables.
• Vegetables and fruits: potatoes, hot and sweet peppers, lutuk and other salads, spinach, tomatoes, asparagus, imported pineapples, papaya, kiwi and native strawberries, cherries, currants, cherries - do not deny yourself anything, everything is beneficial if the food is fresh and the diet is balanced.
• Nuts and seeds – roasted, raw, mixed with other ingredients, but in moderation: a handful per day.

The article discussed natural products for gaining muscle mass. There are other means that may give quick results, but are fraught with undesirable consequences. The choice is always up to the individual. Although, undoubtedly, gradual effectiveness is better than a hasty and bright effect, but with a health risk.

Good day, comrades. You are on a blog without lies and falsehood, bodybuilding in its purest form.

In today's issue, I will tell you about the basic principles of nutrition for gaining muscle mass, however, I also made a special exclusive issue (practical, everything is detailed and specific from A to Z, what and how to do in terms of nutrition) whose name is =><= рекомендую обязательно перейти по ссылке и также изучить, я гарантирую вы не пожалеете.

In today’s article, you will learn about the basic principles of nutrition for gaining muscle mass and strength, and you will also learn about the main differences between the food of a bodybuilder and an ordinary person, what food nutrients and how much to consume in order to become healthy and strong, and finally, how everything Absorb this throughout the day in order to maximally speed up the process of muscle growth.

Basic nutrition rules for gaining muscle mass and strength

First of all, you must know and understand that training with iron causes tremendous stress for your internal environment, which affects many structures and systems of our body (organism).

So, in this situation, our body tries to eliminate all this damage (this stress resulting from training), however, it does this with a small margin in case such stress recurs in the future (this is the so-called).

Clever, isn't it? =) considering that in the future this stress (training) will indeed be repeated. So, in order to eliminate this stress (destruction), the body (body) needs two things:

• Energy (carbohydrates) + building materials (protein)
• Time

As you may know, any renovation requires building materials to build and time to complete it. This applies both to the renovation of an apartment and to the repair of our muscles...

Because Our discussion today is about body building, we will need enough protein (building material) and carbohydrates (energy) to complete (build) repairs (muscles). Do you understand?

A sufficient amount, for those who are not in the know, let me explain: in our body (body) there is a constant exchange of nutrients (i.e., some are spent, and some come in).

So, if your goal is to gain muscle mass, you need to adjust your diet so that you get more than you spend. This is the basic principle on which success (weight gain) will depend.

Now, we are talking about the calorie content of your food during the day, which shows energy intensity (i.e. you should receive more energy than you expend). And this is quite logical, because in order to get something, we always need to spend something.

The question arises, how to understand (or find out) how many calories you need to eat to grow muscles? (after all, you need to receive more than you spend). There is a special formula for calculating the required kcal per day, which looks like this: WEIGHT (in kg) X 30 = .... Kcal

This resulting figure will tell you the approximate number of calories to maintain your body weight the same. I repeat - unchanged.

However, if your goal is to gain muscle mass, then we need a lot of energy, so you need to add another 500 calories per day to the resulting kcal per day, because you need to receive more than you spend.

However, there is one caveat. The point is that you still need to take into account (ectomorph or endomorph or mesomorph).

Well, for example, if you are an ectomorph (because you are skinny, roughly speaking, skinny) you can easily add not 500 calories, but as much as 1000, because it will benefit him (the ectomorph), unlike the endomorph, who will begin to gain fat when excess calories (and this is a very sad sight).

My advice is this: if you are an ectomorph or mesomorph, you can safely add not 500, but 1000 kcal at once or even more (see and decide for yourself), I would add 500, and then adjust (gradually) upward, because this is the most correct solution .

Okay, after you have decided on the number of calories, you need to choose the optimal diet. The optimal ratio of nutrients for a healthy diet, including for weight gain, should have the following percentage of fat, protein and carbohydrates:

• Carbohydrates - 50-60%
• proteins - 20-30%
• fats - 10-20%

Protein is a building material

Heh (at first it was funny, but now, frankly speaking, it’s sad), in general, usually, when a person has been and continues to visit the gym for a long time and has achieved, so to speak, “good results,” he comes to study/work and here from the mouths of those around him people, questions like: “did you pump yourself or on proteins?” well, in that spirit...”

Many have heard (perhaps firsthand) and understand what we are talking about... So, I want to clarify this point once and for all, assuring you that all this is complete nonsense. Protein is just protein, it's just food, exactly the same as regular food (for example, or meat).

In general, when you count (if you do it at all, because many are lazy, and in vain, it’s not just anyone who needs it, but you.. think about it) the amount of protein, remember two rules:

• You need to consume at least 2 grams of protein per day, for every kg of your weight (in general, I recommend studying the article =>)
• We calculate only protein of animal origin or from supplements (sports nutrition), we do not take into account vegetable protein.

P.s. Animal protein is fish, poultry, any meat, dairy products (milk, kefir).

Pps. Animal proteins are much better than plant proteins due to their better amino acid profile. Actually for this reason, all experienced bodybuilders, including us (after all, I also recommend you) do not take vegetable protein into account when calculating your daily protein intake.

Carbohydrates are energy

The basic principle: you need to receive more than you spend. Follow this rule and everything will be fine. Don't forget about the proportion that I gave you, i.e. 50-60% carbohydrates throughout the day. Now, about what kind of carbohydrates there are.

There are two types of carbohydrates:

• Simple (aka fast)
• Complex (aka slow)

The former cause a rapid rise in insulin and are very quickly absorbed by the body, often leading to the accumulation of excess fat, but complex carbohydrates, on the contrary, are absorbed slowly and provide us with energy for a stable long time.

As a rule, we need simple carbohydrates when we urgently need to restore energy in the shortest possible time (well, for example, after a workout), and we need the latter at all other times in order to consistently provide energy.

In general, when you count carbohydrates, take into account only complex (slow) ones, that is, cereals (rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, potatoes, etc.), and do not take into account simple (fast) carbohydrates, such as sweets, flour, etc. .

A few words about fiber. The fact is that vegetables and fruits (in fact, they are formally sources of carbohydrates) contain a lot of fiber, and it is very useful for our body because it slows down the absorption of food (p.s. vegetables must be combined with almost every protein meal, because that they contribute to the digestion and absorption of animal protein).

In addition, they contain many vitamins and minerals, which are no less important.

In other words, you can consume cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes within reasonable limits without any calculation.

But fruits such as grapes, pears, bananas, persimmons, etc. (they are sweet) they contain a lot of simple sugars, so their consumption should be limited, and if consumed, preferably in the first half of the day.

How much, when, and most importantly, what to eat?

In short, you need to eat often, but little by little (you can reach up to 8-12 meals during the day).

Why, you ask? Because fractional nutrition boosts our metabolism, which is very, very good, because this applies to both the processes of fat burning (getting rid of excess fat) and the processes of gaining muscle mass (), however, in addition to this, fractional nutrition also provides us with a sufficient amount nutrients throughout the day (i.e., small portions of nutrients are constantly entering the bloodstream, which will nourish the muscles throughout the day).

Actually, in order to reach 6-8 or more meals, you need to eat every 2 hours, for example, at 8.00, then at 10.00, then 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22. See? 8 meals.

You should also be aware that your protein and carbohydrate needs change throughout the day. Those. There is a time for bulk intake of carbohydrates (energy), and there is a time primarily for protein (building material).

Just know that the day starts with carbohydrates and ends with protein (or in other words, the first half of the day should be mostly carbs, and the second half protein).

However, on mass, this daily distribution of nutrients plays a secondary role.

For example, because... I am constantly on weight, I eat slow (complex) carbohydrates all day long (stupidly from the morning until 21.00) and in addition to each meal I eat protein, in other words, you don’t have to adhere to this distribution (like carbohydrates during the day, and only protein in the evening) ..

This rule was said so that you understand the very essence, i.e. when you wake up, you need a lot of energy for the whole day, for this you need a lot of carbohydrates, but in the evening, why do you need energy? where will you spend it? for gatherings in front of the computer/TV? => you need protein (building material) from which your muscles that were damaged during training will heal, and this rule is suitable for those who do not want to gain excess fat (for example, endomorphs), and ectomorphs/mesomorphs generally don’t care.

Therefore, see for yourself (I gave you information for thought, it’s up to you to decide).

A proper pre-workout meal contains slow (complex) carbohydrates and proteins and does not contain fat at all (if it contains, no more than 3 grams). As a rule, you need to eat 1-2 hours before training.

As for eating after a workout, there is an opinion that within 30-60 minutes after completing a workout, the so-called “carbohydrate-protein window” is open in the body, and it needs to be closed by consuming fast carbohydrates and proteins.

As for eating before bed, take the so-called long-lasting protein (casein). The fact is that your body will go 8 hours without new food intake, so it is very important to take a good portion of protein at night.

In turn, a large amount of protein drink will help you reduce nighttime catabolic reactions (muscle breakdown), will give you casein (which is found in cottage cheese or casein protein from sports nutrition, which is sold in any gym), I prefer cottage cheese with kefir ( so to speak, I recommend it).

Finally, so that you consolidate the material and are 100% confident in your actions, I have prepared for you a short version of the basics of nutrition for weight:

• To grow muscle mass, you need to get more than you spend (this is the basic principle).
• You need to eat often, but little by little (2-3 meals like before won’t work), at least 6 meals
• For every kg of your body you should have approximately 1.6 - 2 grams of protein.
• We count only animal sources of protein + from supplements, we do not touch plant sources.
• Carbohydrates (energy) are required more in the first half of the day (although this is not important, it doesn’t matter for weight, the more, the better).
• After working out in the gym, the body needs approximately 25% of the daily carbohydrate requirement.
• Limit your diet to simple carbohydrates (so as not to stupidly gain fat).
• Of the carbohydrate products, we count only complex (slow) ones, and do not take into account simple ones.
• Eat more fats of plant origin, and reduce the consumption of animal fats.
• Drink as much water as possible, at least 3 liters per day, because during periods of physical activity the body’s need for fluid increases sharply, therefore, without water, muscle mass growth is impossible.

(30 ratings, average: 5,00 out of 5)

Effective muscle growth is impossible without compliance with three factors - anabolic nutrition, and. Neglecting even one of them will do little to build a beautiful body.

In this article we will talk about nutrition for gaining muscle mass. You will finally be able to get your mass off the ground. Forward!

Nutrition for weight gain - the engine of your growth

Nutrition is the engine of your bodybuilding progress. Many people guess about this and even know something. But when you start strength training, don't worry too much about your diet. At most, they add a little more meat; at worst, buy a can of protein. However, such nutrition for gaining mass will not affect your training successes at all - neither on the rate of growth of your muscles, nor on volume.

You need to take nutrition seriously!

On the Internet you can find a huge number of different weight gain diets. Every author wants to bring something new, although 90% is based on unchanging principles, which we will talk about later. You must create a diet for yourself, and not take other people's thoughts.

The principles of nutrition for gaining muscle mass are suitable for everyone: both beginners and experienced fighters. This scheme can be used at any time, and not just during the mass-gain period. The only thing you need to remember is that you cannot sharply increase or decrease the amount of food entering the body; let the body adapt to the changes.

How to gain weight: what you need to know

To provoke such a resource-intensive process as muscle growth, it is necessary to supply the body with sufficient energy and material to create new muscle tissue. All these resources need to be obtained from food!

The main pillar of muscle building is excess calories. You should receive more nutrients and energy from food than you expend, approximately 15-20% above your norm. When gaining weight, it is better to overdo it and get more calories than not get enough. Here the question may reasonably arise: “Won’t I gain excess fat in this case?” Yes, you will!

Along with your overall muscle mass, you will increase your body fat content. But this is an inevitable process. You can't gain weight with lean muscle alone. One cannot live without the other, and one must come to terms with this. In any case, it is easier to remove fat () than. So focus on how to gain weight in your entire body and don't think about fat.

More, more calories!

The body is a self-preserving system. Adding 5%, 10%, or 30% extra calories to your diet may not be enough. To break through the dead point, start adding calories to your diet gradually until your weight increases by 500-800 grams per week. If there is no increase, increase the amount of food ( add in 200 calorie increments), if the increase is large, reduce it (otherwise the excess will quickly turn into fat). Weigh yourself once a week at the same time.

Meals for gaining weight should include several additional meals. For example, your diet consists of 3 meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner. Start surprising your metabolism by adding two more meals. You will immediately receive an excess of energy and nutrients beyond your basic norm. Plus, make sure to have a purely protein meal (casein, cottage cheese) shortly before bedtime.

The amount of food you should eat per day while gaining muscle mass should be greater than when you were not exercising. Break your diet into 5,6 or 10 meals (whichever is more convenient for you), the main thing is that the total amount eaten is greater than before. It is more convenient to use approximately equal periods of time between meals. This way you will ensure a uniform supply of amino acids and nutrients to your body. This keeps your metabolism at a constantly high level.

Break your diet into 5-6 meals, more if possible

The effect of anabolism (formation of new body tissues) from food taken lasts 3-4 hours. That is why it is worth eating evenly, but often. It is very difficult to take and assimilate the same amount of food in 3 meals, firstly, due to the volume of food eaten, and secondly, there is a possibility that the nutrients will not be fully absorbed due to their excess. Try not to take long breaks between meals (more than 5-6 hours). If you can’t have a full meal, eat bananas or drink a protein shake.

Almost 70% of the food you eat should be high in calories, otherwise your digestive system will suffer from food overload. You should not base your diet on vegetables. The body needs fiber, but in reasonable quantities, so the content of vegetables should not exceed 30% of an athlete’s diet.

The more food enters the body, the more water the body needs to digest it. Strength training triggers numerous metabolic processes that also require water. Drink at least 3 liters of water per day. Avoid feeling thirsty.

A particularly important point in nutrition is the correct distribution of nutrients entering your body. In the modern world, unfortunately, this incorrect distribution ruins the health of many people - cardiovascular and other diseases appear. This is due to the large amount of incoming fat, and very tiny portions of protein, which is so necessary for the construction of the necessary structures.

Therefore, your task is to make the proportion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates not just correct, but healthy.

Correctly balance the amount of proteins, carbohydrates and fats in your diet

Optimal nutrient ratio :

Proteins – 25-30%, fats – 10-15%, carbohydrates – 50-60%

This ratio maintains the correct quantitative supply of amino acids (the building material of your muscles), energy for the growth process in the form of carbohydrates, as well as the content of healthy fats necessary for normal life.

You should receive your calories based on this ratio (). To make the calculation easier, use this hint - 1g of protein gives 4 kcal, the same amount of carbohydrates, 1g, and 1g of fat gives 9kcal. In order to get, for example, 3700 kcal you will need (based on B-Zh-U 25-15-60) 230 g of protein, 60 g of fat, 555 g of carbohydrates.

Make sure you get 1.5 - 2 g of protein per 1 kg of your body weight. You can get half of your daily protein intake from sports nutrition.

How to make nutrient ratios work for your growth

It would seem that everything is simple - I ate the required amount of BZHU and the muscle began to swell! But it's not that simple. In order to ensure maximum digestibility of food, you should not have problems with the gastrointestinal tract and you must correctly combine certain foods. To properly combine nutrients you need to know what they are.

Squirrels

Squirrels are fast and slow. A fast protein is one in which the amino acids are in the most split state, practically free. Such protein is quickly, and most importantly, easily digestible, because... its design is simple and does not require additional splitting. Examples are free form amino acids, whey protein isolate, egg whites and milk proteins.

We need fast proteins immediately after training. They stimulate the production of insulin (transporter of amino acids and glucose) and somatotropin (growth hormone). Also, after sleep or a long break from food, you need to fuel yourself with fast proteins.

A slow protein is one in which the amino acids are in a bound form. It takes a long time to break down and is slowly absorbed, supplying our body with building material for many hours. The best time to take slow protein is any other time when you are not taking fast protein. For example, before a long break from food (during work) and before bed. Examples of long-lasting proteins are cottage cheese and casein.

Try to combine plant proteins with animal proteins.

The best proteins (in order of value for an athlete): meat (poultry is preferable), most seafood and fresh fish, dairy products (low-fat cottage cheese, low-fat cheese, low-fat yogurt, milk, kefir), eggs (you can safely eat 6-8 eggs a day, if you don’t have problems with cholesterol), legumes (beans, peas, lentils), nuts.

Avoid the following proteins: smoked meat, red meat, homemade cottage cheese, dark meat of turkeys and chickens, sausages, ham, salami, yoghurts with sugar.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates, like proteins, are also fast and slow. Fast carbohydrates often taste sweet. These include fructose and glucose. Such carbohydrates quickly enter the bloodstream, raise insulin levels and are quickly absorbed. Examples of such carbohydrates are honey, jam, buns, raisins, white bread, chocolate, etc.

Long carbohydrates contain a large amount of dietary fiber. Such carbohydrates take a long time to digest and gradually give us their energy. These are cereals and porridges (rice, millet, buckwheat), bran, rye bread, pasta, legumes, nuts, etc.

Try to base your diet on slow carbohydrates. After a workout, fast carbohydrates (fast energy) are suitable, and after a long break without food and after sleep, take slow carbohydrates to recharge your energy for the whole day. The main thing is not to eat carbohydrates before bed.

The best carbohydrates:

Cereals: porridge (buckwheat, rice, millet, pearl barley, oatmeal), pasta (made from durum wheat), noodles (not instant), bread (black, bran, rye), cereal or muesli. Vegetables: potatoes, carrots and beets should be reasonably limited due to the large amount of starch they contain.

Fats

Fats are either good (unsaturated) or bad (saturated).

Harmful fats are found in butter, fried foods, mayonnaise, ketchup, and sausages. Unsaturated fats are necessary for normal functioning of the body and reducing the level of bad cholesterol in the blood.

The best fats are found in sunflower, olive, flaxseed oils, nuts, avocado and fish (eat fish without restrictions, it is rich in healthy fats such as Omega-3).

Morning

A complete breakfast (fast and slow carbohydrates + fast proteins).

During the day

Pre-workout nutrition

2 hours before training you need to eat slow carbohydrates and fast proteins. Carbohydrates promote the production of glycogen (an energy transporter), and proteins will supply the body with amino acids for anabolism.

Half an hour before training

Whey protein isolate + amino acids.

Immediately after training

Post-workout nutrition

An hour (maximum one and a half) after training, a full meal is necessary. Food should be rich in slow carbohydrates and proteins. This should be your most powerful meal. You consume the highest amount of nutrients.

No later than 2 hours before bedtime

Slow carbohydrates + slow proteins.

Before bedtime

Only slow proteins.

Beware of sweets. All these delicious confectionery things look delicious, and when they enter the body, they quickly increase blood sugar levels. In response, our body turns glucose into fat.

Limit your intake of fast carbohydrates and fats. Avoid foods such as sausages, smoked meats, mayonnaise, ketchups, fatty meats, and margarine. Your body builds new structures using proteins and takes energy from carbohydrates. Excess saturated fat only worsens your health and is deposited on your body. For fats, gain the norm with vegetable fats, incl. vegetable oil, fish and seafood. Take Omega-3 fats separately, they have a positive effect on the health of the whole body.

Don't forget about fruits and greens. They are rich in minerals and vitamins.

Give preference to natural foods

In conclusion, it must be said that the diet of different people depends on metabolism. If you have a fast metabolism, then you need a lot of everything - proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and vitamins. If your metabolism is slow and you gain excess fat easily, then get the calories you need from lean foods and proteins. Don't eat to your heart's content. It's better to eat smaller portions, but more often.

Approach nutrition issues responsibly

You train only once every two or three days for an hour and a half, and eat every day every day after 3 hours. Sticking to such a schedule is difficult. Therefore, draw up your diet for weight gain right on paper. This will discipline you and make you stick to it consciously.

Get better and stronger with

Read other blog articles.

The main goals of visiting sports clubs are muscle building and figure correction. After the first weeks and even months of training, novice athletes will be disappointed - the process does not happen as quickly as we would like, and the muscles do not gain the desired volume.

The reason is simple - muscle gain requires a complex integrated approach, and not just regular performance of special exercises.

The most important part of this complex is an individually selected diet for gaining muscle mass. It is this type of nutrition that will be discussed in our article.

Calorie calculation

Any muscle-building diet is based on the principle “you need to get more than you spend.” We are talking about calorie intake.

The daily norm of kilocalories needed by a person is calculated using the formula: weight (kg) × 30 = kcal

The result obtained by this method of calculation is approximate. For a more accurate calculation, use the Harris-Benedict formula. Calculations are carried out in several stages.

First, calculate the metabolic rate (hereinafter abbreviated as MT):

• For men: UM = 88.362 + (13.397 x weight/kg) + (4.799 x height/cm) - (5.677 x full years);
• Women: UM = 447.593 + (9.247 x weight/kg) + (3.098 x height/cm) - (4.330 x age).

The next step is to determine the coefficient according to the level of physical activity and calculate the daily calorie intake:

If you do not go beyond the obtained result, your body mass index will remain approximately at the same level. But we are interested in the right diet for gaining muscle mass. This means that additional building material and energy are needed. We add 500-1000 Kcal to the total calorie content of the daily diet, depending on.




Daily norm and ratio of proteins, fats, carbohydrates in the diet

A muscle building diet should stimulate primarily and only as a supplement -. To create a menu, determine the proportions of BJU (proteins, fats, carbohydrates), select products and divide them into several meals.

Advice! There are many convenient applications for PC and smartphone that help athletes determine their load level, calculate caloric intake and much more.

BJU indicators for those who want to increase muscle size:

An example of calculating the protein in the diet necessary for building muscle mass for a girl (60 kg, 170 cm, 27 years old) who goes to the gym 3 times a week.

According to Harris-Benedict, we determine the daily amount of Kcal + 500 (for muscle growth).

447.593 + (9.247 x 60) + (3.098 x 170) - (4.330 x 27) × 1.375 (coefficient for the specified level of physical activity) = 1941.72 + 500 Kcal, total - 2440 kcal / day.

30% of protein from 2440 Kcal is 732 Kcal/4 kcal = 120 g of protein per day (2 g/kg).

We do the same with carbohydrates and fats. Based on the obtained figures, it is not difficult to create a test diet from the selected products.




Basic principles of dietary nutrition

Fractional meals according to the regimen




Combination of diet with sports nutrition

Athletes can use any of the described diets either alone or in combination with anabolic steroids or

Diet menu

A good diet shouldn't be all about restriction, especially not a muscle-building diet. We present to your attention an example of a diet for gaining muscle mass.

R mode/day of the week

9.00 – breakfast11.30 – snack14.00 – lunch16.00 – snack17.00 – training18.15 – snack19.00 - dinner21.00 – snackMonday+ meat + vegetables + hard cheese TuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday

Oatmeal with milk + banana	Rice + vegetables	Eggs + vegetables		Chocolate	Rice + eggs + vegetables	Cottage cheese + fruit
Omelette + vegetable salad + cheese sandwich	Muesli + Yogurt or kefir	Potatoes + mushrooms + meat + vegetables	Stewed with		Fruits	Rice + fish + vegetables	Oatmeal + milk + toast
Pasta + meat + vegetables	Handful of nuts	Millet porridge + eggs + greens	Seafood + vegetables		Milkshake		Cottage cheese + fruit
Barley porridge + meat + fruit	A cheese sandwich	Rice + meat + vegetables	Omelet + vegetable salad + fish		A handful of	Potatoes + mushrooms + fish + vegetables
Buckwheat porridge + vegetables + milk	eggs + fruit	Pasta + meat + vegetables	Dried apricots + nuts		Energy bar	Buckwheat porridge + meat + vegetables	Yogurt or kefir
Oatmeal + cheese + banana	Muesli + Fruits	Baked potato + fish + vegetable salad	Muesli + dried fruits + Cheese sandwich		Whey protein with milk	Pasta + meat + vegetables	Cottage cheese + fruit
Rice + fish + vegetables	Handful of dried fruits	Rice + meat + vegetables + cheese sandwich	Seafood + vegetables		Handful of nuts	Barley porridge + meat + fruit	Muesli + dried fruits

This is not a guide to action, but just a guide. Use the table as a basis, changing foods and dishes at your own discretion.

Please keep in mind that portions are calculated individually according to the athlete's weight.