Nutrition for Building Muscle Mass

By Bodybuilding Store

Bodybuilders and coaches will tell you that proteins are the key to muscle mass. But increasing your lean body mass with only proteins is going to leave you short on a few vital ingredients required for maximum muscle growth. Carbohydrates, Proteins, Fats, and Water and some serious training is the only thing required to increase lean body mass.

1. Carbohydrates:

When your body needs energy it uses carbohydrates available immediately as its first choice. Carbs produce a rapid insulin response; insulin has now been recorded by sports scientists to be the most powerful of all the many anabolic hormones our bodies produce.

Below is a list of good carbs, carbs that your metabolism at least has to do a bit of work to get the energy out of the carbs, because they are complex carbs not simple sugars. From the top down to the bottom of the which is refined simple sugar.

Grains: Oats, barley, quinoa, buckwheat, and cous-cous.

Fruit: Honey apples, bananas, oranges, pineapple etc.

Pastas: Spaghetti, penne, macaroni, etc.

Starchy vegetables: White potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, peas, corn

Breads: Bread, tortillas, baps, wraps, and baguettes

Dairy products: Milk, cheese, yoghurt

The last item on this carbohydrate that list that causes the most damage is simple sugars. Sugar and all its products which have sugar in them include junk food that include sweets, sodas, cakes chocolate bars, etc. When you eat good carbs your stomach fills up and water follows it, you get bigger.

2. Protein:

Proteins are the small building blocks that the muscle uses for its material to build a bigger muscle. We just wouldn't be able to grow any muscle at all if it wasn't for the protein that we eat or drink. Below are the primary sources of good protein.

Meat: beef, chicken, turkey, pork, lamb.

Fish: cod, salmon, tuna, mackerel.

Eggs:

Dairy: milk, cottage cheese, and yogurt, but good proteins can also be found in beans, lentils, peas, nuts and seeds. These plant proteins are very healthy however, not as valuable compared to animal sources.

3. Fats:

Fats or any fatty acids are not only a great source to get energy, but they are essential for the production of any anabolic hormones and maintaining general mental and physical health. The source of this very important ingredient called fats are listed below:

Oils: coconut, olive, rapeseed, sunflower, etc.

Nuts: almonds, peanuts, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts.

Seeds: sunflower, sesame, pumpkin, flax-seed.

Fatty fish: salmon, trout, mackerel, herring, sardines.

Meat: poultry skin, high fat of meat, lard, bacon, etc.

Diary: milk, cream, butter, cheese, egg yolk.

Junk food: crisps, chips, nuggets, doughnuts, cakes, margarine and cookies.

Any fat you eat will have a high calorie content as well, which can be useful for hard-gainers. Besides the health benefits, fats have high a high content of calories and therefore are very helpful in building a bigger body. Hard-gainers can truly benefit from increasing their natural fats because they will be utilized efficiently.

Artificial fats on the other hand, causes fat gain, which is why we call it junk food. Fried foods, crisps, and margarine are just examples that can be harmful, causing fat gain.

4. Water:

Most coaches will agree that water is the best anabolic available, over 70% of our muscles are made out of water. We are water, therefore we going to need it more than any food. It helps build our muscles and to fill them up. You won't grow without it. Try to drink between 2 to 4 liters per day.

5. Vitamins and minerals:

Vitamins and minerals should never be overlooked by someone who trains hard. The vitamins and the minerals you ingest are directly responsible for all the many complex processes in your brain, your nerves, muscles and your whole body. Having a deficiency in just one vitamin, over time will cause serious sickness.

Athletes train hard, so they use more nutrients than anyone else. Vitamins and minerals will be found in anything we eat. They are essential to stay in peak condition; any lack will directly affect your immunity strength. Important nutrients are found mostly in fruits and vegetables, there are more nutrients when eaten raw:

Lettuce, cabbage, kale, spinach.

Tomatoes, peppers, onions.

Be sure to visit Bodybuilding-Store.com