Although working out with weights can help you achieve your muscle-building goals, there are other factors involved in promoting muscle hypertrophy. In addition to ensuring that your workout program is well designed and that you achieve adequate rest, you must follow proper nutritional protocols. Consuming the proper amount of calories and individual nutrients is necessary for getting big muscles. Consult a doctor before starting any workout or nutrition plan.
Calorie Consumption
As nutrition researcher Dr. John Berardi explains, the most common problem for athletes who feel they cannot grow is that they are not eating enough. If you exercise often, you may not realize how many calories your body requires to grow. Dr. Berardi notes that in addition to calories burned by your metabolic activities, you should factor in calories burned by exercise and daily activities such as walking or doing chores. Dr. Berardi suggests consuming enough calories to fuel your workouts even on rest days, which will establish the caloric surplus needed to produce muscle gains.
Meal Frequency
Because eating a lot helps you gain large muscles, increasing your meal frequency may help you ensure you consume all of the calories you need. For example, you may find it easier to handle eating 5,000 calories via six meals than three, as the individual meals will be smaller and less filling. According to March 2011 research from the "Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition," increasing meal frequency may not improve your body composition alone, but may help you manage your appetite and insulin levels.
Protein Intake
The type of food you consume in large quantities makes a difference when you are seeking to gain muscle, not just weight. Research from the June 2010 issue of "Nutrition & Metabolism" indicates that increasing your intake of protein, such as whey protein, can improve your recovery and increase the size of your muscle gains.
Carbohydrate Intake
Protein is not the only nutrient with which you should be concerned. As fitness expert Chris Zaino explains, carbohydrates can stimulate the release of insulin, which helps shuttle nutrients into your muscles, promoting growth. For this reason, consuming carbohydrates before and after your workouts can improve your muscle gains.
Fat Intake
When you are trying to eat a lot to gain muscle, fat can be helpful. One gram of fat contains more than double the amount of calories contained in 1 g of protein or carbohydrate, so it can help you reach a calorie surplus. In addition, research from the March 2003 issue of the journal "Gut" found that consuming essential fatty acids with protein induced more muscle growth than protein alone.
References
- Dr. John Berardi: Massive Eating Part I
- "Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition"; International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Meal Frequency; P.M. LaBounty et al.; March 2011
- "Nutrition and Metabolism"; Effect of Protein/Essential Amino Acids and Resistance Training on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: A Case for Whey Protein; J.J. Hulmi, C.M. Lockwood, J.R. Stout; June 2010
- Bodybuilding.com: Chris Zaino: All Carbs Are NOT Created Equal!
- "Gut"; Effect of a Protein and Energy Dense N-3 Fatty Acid Enriched Oral Supplement on Loss of Weight and Lean Tissue in Cancer Cachexia: A Randomised Double Blind Trial; KCH Fearon et al; March 2003
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