To increase muscle mass, some strategies must be implemented, such as consuming more calories than are spent, increasing the amount of protein that is eaten during the day, and including good fats in the diet.
Also, if you want to lose fat and gain muscle mass at the same time, it is important to avoid the consumption of refined sugars and industrialized products, giving priority to the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains.
In addition to diet, it is also important to perform anaerobic exercises on a regular basis to promote muscle hypertrophy, and it is important to go to a personal trainer or physical education teacher to indicate an appropriate exercise routine according to the desired objective.
To promote the formation of muscle mass, it is important to follow the steps mentioned below:
1. Consume more calories than you expend
Consuming more calories than you spend on a daily basis is essential to increase muscle mass faster, since the excess calories, in conjunction with training, will allow the increase of muscles.
2. Don’t skip meals
Avoiding skipping meals is important so that it is possible to reach all the necessary calories during the day, in addition, a prolonged fast can favor the loss of muscle mass. The ideal is to have between 5 to 6 meals a day, paying more attention to breakfast and pre-and post-workout snacks.
3. Eat more protein
Increasing protein consumption is necessary to allow muscle growth, and it is important that protein-source foods are well distributed throughout the day, and not concentrated in just 2 or 3 meals.
Protein-rich foods can be of animal origin such as meat, fish, chicken, turkey, cheese, eggs and skim milk, natural yogurt, low-fat curd cheese, ricotta, cottage cheese, and light mozzarella; and of vegetable origin, such as beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, and chickpeas, which, when combined properly, can provide good quality protein.
The foods to eat and the amounts of protein that can be included on the menu to increase muscle mass vary according to the intensity of physical activity, size, weight, sex, and age of each person, and can range from 1.5 to 2 g/kg/weight. In addition to this, it may sometimes be necessary to use protein-based supplements such as Whey Protein, creatine or casein, for example, especially used post-workout or to increase the nutritional value of low-protein meals throughout the day.
For this reason, the idea is that the amount of protein to be consumed during the day is calculated by a sports nutritionist, who will take into account the goal to be reached, the type and frequency of exercise, as well as other individual data. of the person.
4. Eat good fats
Contrary to popular belief, consuming good fats helps reduce the accumulation of fat in the body and makes it easier to increase calories in the diet to promote muscle mass gain.
These fats are present in foods such as avocado, nuts such as peanuts, peanut butter, cashew, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia, and almonds; fish such as tuna, sardines, and salmon; in olive, flaxseed, avocado, or coconut oil; and in seeds such as sunflower, chia, flaxseed, and sesame.
Throughout the day, these foods can be used to dress salads, accompany yogurts or cereals, and prepare shakes, pancakes, or fit cupcakes, for example.
5. Drink plenty of water
Fluid intake during the day is very important to stimulate muscle hypertrophy since water is necessary to keep these cells hydrated and promote their growth. When you do not have adequate water intake, the increase in muscle mass is slower and occurs with greater difficulty.
A healthy adult should consume at least 35 ml of water for each kg of weight. Therefore, a person who weighs 70 kg would need to consume at least 2,450 ml of water per day, and it is important to remember that industrialized or sugary drinks do not fall into this account, such as soft drinks, juices, and artificial tears.
6. Eat at least 2 fruits per day
Consuming at least 2 or 3 fresh fruits a day is important for the body to receive the vitamins and minerals that promote muscle recovery after training, favoring faster regeneration and helping muscle hypertrophy.
In addition to this, the vitamins and minerals present in fruits and vegetables are important for muscle contraction, reducing the feeling of fatigue during training, avoiding cramps, and strengthening the immune system, especially those that are rich in potassium and magnesium.
7. Avoid sugars and processed foods
Avoiding foods with sugar and processed foods is important so as not to stimulate the accumulation of fat in the body, especially since the diet to gain muscle mass already has an excess of calories.
Therefore, to prevent weight gain from fat mass, it is necessary to eliminate foods such as sweets, cookies, cakes, toast, fast food, snacks, sausages, sausages, bacon, fried foods, cheddar cheese, and cream cheese, ham from the diet. , mayonnaise, sauces, and dressings in general.
8. Avoid alcohol consumption
Excessive and regular consumption of alcohol reduces protein synthesis, decreases metabolism, and reduces the body’s ability to burn fat, so muscle growth is compromised, for this reason, the intake of alcoholic beverages should be avoided.
9. Eat complex carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates are important for the formation of muscle mass, as they provide the body with energy for the hypertrophy process to occur. In addition, muscle cells store glucose in the form of glycogen to be used during exercise as a form of energy and for muscle recovery during post-workout.
For this reason, it is important to know how to choose which complex carbohydrates should be included in the diet, preferably those that are rich in fiber, such as oatmeal flakes, quinoa, lentils, chickpeas, beans, peas, sweet potato/sweet potato, potato with skin, as well as rice, pasta, and whole wheat bread.
Nutritional supplements, when are they necessary?
Depending on the person’s goals, it may be necessary to use nutritional supplements to complement the diet and favor the increase in muscle mass, as they not only help improve performance during physical activity but also favor the recovery of muscle mass. muscle after training. Some of these supplements are whey protein, BCAA, glutamine, or creatine, for example.
As there are various types of supplements, to find out which is the most appropriate, how to take it, in what quantity, and whether or not it is necessary to add it to the diet, you should go to a nutritionist to carry out an evaluation, as this will depend on the objective that you want to achieve and the personalized assessment itself.
