Your Muscle-Building Meal Plan: What Food to Eat

If you’re looking to build more muscle, it takes more than just working out to get you there. You need to have the proper nutrition on top of resistance training exercises and lifting heavyweights. Committing to a strict meal plan can be challenging, but we’re here to help you build one with the right food you should be adding to your diet.

When building muscle, you don’t necessarily need to fill your diet with just protein. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, protein should make up 10 to 35% of your total calories.

Carbohydrates are another important group of foods to help fuel your muscles. They are partially converted into glycogen, a form of energy stored in muscles, which helps power your workouts. You’ll need half of your calories to come from carbohydrates each day.

Lastly, your body relies on fat to supply energy to the muscles during different activities—including training. As a general rule, fat should make up about 20 to 30% of your total calories.

To compute how many calories, you need to gain weight and build muscle, fitness experts suggest starting with a 20% increase in your current daily calorie intake or consuming at least 20 calories per pound you weigh. For example—if you weigh 150 pounds, the required daily calorie intake is 3,000 calories.

To start putting together your daily meal plans following the percentage of protein, carbohydrates, and fat you need, you can mix and match the food below.

Lean beef should be a staple in your diet. It’s full of iron, zinc, and B-vitamins that are important for muscle growth. Lean beef also has a high level of amino acids that work with insulin to promote building more muscles.

Eggs contain high-quality protein, a variety of essential amino acids, the right kind of fat, choline, and vitamin D. According to nutritionists, eating 2 to 3 whole eggs per day is perfectly safe for people who don’t have high cholesterol.

Fishes are high in protein, low in fat, and rich in omega-3 fatty acids. These are essential in fat loss and ensuring the proper function of body processes, including your metabolism.

Adlai is a great whole grain alternative to rice and is a good source of energy, complex carbohydrates, protein, dietary fiber, and minerals. Eating adlai makes you feel full longer, too.

Fruits and vegetables are a rich source of antioxidants, which are crucial for the healthy functioning of your immune system. They also provide other nutrients such as vitamins C, E, and beta-carotene. Fruits and vegetables that are rich in fiber, such as apples, bananas, broccoli, and beets, aid in proper digestion.

Based on a review in the Sports Medicine journal, scientists found that you need to train each muscle group twice a week for maximum results. You can split your week into two upper and two lower-body days. For example—Mondays and Tuesdays can focus on upper body exercises. Use Wednesday as your rest day, and then train your lower body on Thursday and Friday.

Since that’s training four days a week, be sure to use a good deodorant like Rexona Men Lime. It gives you 10 times more protection against odor-causing bacteria and has a refreshing scent that keeps you feeling cool and confident all day.

With consistent training and the right meal plan, you’ll be sure to build muscle in no time!