{ "id": 8075, "date": "2018-11-02T08:47:53", "date_gmt": "2018-11-02T08:47:53", "guid": { "rendered": "https:\/\/uk.inbody.com\/?p=8075" }, "modified": "2021-05-12T08:10:16", "modified_gmt": "2021-05-12T07:10:16", "slug": "what-to-eat-in-order-to-gain-muscle", "status": "publish", "type": "post", "link": "https:\/\/ro.inbody.com\/en\/what-to-eat-in-order-to-gain-muscle\/", "title": { "rendered": "What to Eat In Order to Gain Muscle" }, "content": { "rendered": "
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So you started working out and lowered your overall body fat.<\/span><\/p>\n

First off, congratulations should be in order!<\/span><\/p>\n

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight <\/span><\/a> despite life\u2019s occasional curveballs is something that you should be proud of. The positive changes in your body composition is proof that your efforts have finally paid off!<\/span><\/p>\n

So where do you go from here?<\/span><\/p>\n

Your next goal may be one of the following:<\/span><\/p>\n

I want a huge, action star physique.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I want to achieve a leaner, more athletic look.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

I want to increase my functional strength and achieve new PR\u2019s in my lifts<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Whether your goal is gaining strength or sculpting your body to your desired physique, the approach boils down to same thing \u2014<\/span> gaining muscle.<\/b><\/p>\n

Eating for Well-Defined Muscles<\/h2>\n

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As previously discussed in an article published about <\/span>how much muscle you can gain in a month,<\/span><\/a> the three main pillars of muscle growth are: nutrition, exercise, and hormones.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, we\u2019ll put the spotlight on nutrition and address your most frequently asked questions about what to eat in order to build muscle.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s get started!<\/span><\/p>\n

People use lean body mass <\/i>and muscle mass<\/i> interchangeably. Are they similar or different from each other?<\/h3>\n

Yes, lean body mass and muscle mass are two different things.<\/span><\/p>\n

Essentially, all muscle is \u201clean\u201d<\/strong> meaning it is primarily composed of proteins, which are lean. However, things start to get more confusing when some folks use lean body mass and skeletal muscle mass interchangeably.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lean body mass (LBM), also known as lean mass, refers to your total weight minus all the weight comprised of fat mass<\/strong>. This includes your organs, your skin, your bones, your body water, and your muscles.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, skeletal muscle mass (SMM) is a part of your LBM, but it is the part that is referring to the specific muscles used that are controlled voluntarily to produce movement and maintain posture. When you\u2019re thinking about gaining muscle, you are actually referring more specifically to your SMM. This is what we want to track and here\u2019s why:<\/span><\/p>\n

Apart from changes in your SMM, a gain in your LBM numbers can also be a result of water gain. Water gain can occur from bloating or eating salty foods but also from swelling from injury or disease. That\u2019s why you cannot attribute a increase to LBM numbers completely to muscle gains.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

You can learn more about the distinction between the two in <\/span>Lean Body Mass and Muscle Mass: What\u2019s the Difference?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Now that we cleared that up, let\u2019s dig into the facts and findings about muscle gains through diet and nutrition.<\/span><\/p>\n

Is the hype about protein justified when it comes to bigger muscle gains?<\/h3>\n

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Yes, to an extent. It\u2019s an <\/span>established fact <\/span><\/a>that eating high quality protein within close temporal proximity (immediately before and within 24 hours after) of <\/span>resistance exercise is recommended to increase muscle gains.<\/b><\/p>\n

The strain of repetition when you perform resistance exercise tears the muscle fibers, and the protein intake (although macronutrients like carbs and fat play a role, too) provides the resources to rebuild the newly torn muscles into something bigger and stronger.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s also worth noting that amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and as you most likely already know, your muscle is made up of these macronutrients. As we\u2019ve emphasized in <\/span>Why Everyone Needs Protein<\/span><\/a> \u2014 Think of your muscles as the house itself while the amino acids that make up protein are the bricks.<\/span><\/p>\n

The good news is that your body can manufacture a huge chunk of these amino acids. The not-so-good news is that some of them, also known as essential amino acids (EAA), can\u2019t be made by the body. You have to get your EAAs from food sources.<\/span><\/p>\n

In short, you need to follow a high protein meal plan that contains mixed amounts of these EAAs to help ensure increase muscle protein synthesis (MPS)<\/span><\/p>\n

How do I know if I have enough protein intake to promote MPS?<\/h3>\n

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As of June 2017, the <\/span>International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) recommends<\/span><\/a> an overall daily protein intake in the range of<\/span> 1.4\u20132.0 g protein\/kg body weight\/day (g\/kg\/d) <\/b>for building and maintaining muscle mass. Remember, your specific dietary needs depend on the amount of muscle mass you have as well as the type and intensity of your physical activity<\/span><\/p>\n

With these figures in mind, let\u2019s say you weigh 125 pounds (57 kilos), and you\u2019re working to increase your LBM.  You would need 57 x 1.4- 2.0, or <\/span>79.8 \u2013 114 grams of protein a day.<\/b><\/p>\n

This may sound like a lot but it\u2019s not. A cup (140 grams) of chicken contains<\/span> 43 grams of protein<\/span><\/a>.   Meanwhile, a can of tuna can contain as much as<\/span> 49 grams<\/span><\/a>.  Eating a cup of chicken and a can of tuna, you\u2019d almost entirely meet your protein needs.  If you add in a glass of 2% milk (another <\/span>9-10 grams<\/span><\/a> of protein), you\u2019ve already hit your goal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Below is a rough dietary guideline based on activity level:<\/span><\/p>\n