6 Ways To Optimise Your Diet For Muscle Growth

Nutrition is a crucial part of nailing muscle growth, and there are a few ways you can optimise your diet for the best results.

It’s not all about lifting as much as you can for as many reps as you can. What you do outside of the gym will have a big impact.

Whether that’s fueling your workouts or getting the right macro and micronutrients for recovery, it’s important to look at how you’re eating if you want to achieve your goals.

So here are six steps you can take to getting the right diet for building muscle.

Protein At Every Meal

You want to aim for at least 1g of protein per kg of bodyweight to build serious muscle. Without it, your body won’t regenerate and repair in order to grow. Getting your protein from lean meats like chicken or turkey helps provide the body with essential amino acids too.

Don’t Skip Carbs

There’s a massive focus on protein in our society, but carbohydrates are also crucial. Without restocking glycogen supplies, you won’t have the energy you need to get through your workouts. Carbs also give your body energy to repair muscle after workouts.

Eat Fat For Higher Testosterone Levels

Research shows that if you get around 25% of your calories from fat, your body is better at maintaining optimal levels of testosterone, which is crucial for building muscle. Food sources like fatty fish, nuts and avocado help you to get enough healthy fats.

Eat Regularly

The frequency of your meals is important. Getting a decent amount of carbs and protein every few hours will help your body stay fueled throughout the day so it can continue regenerating and growing. It’s good to reflect on your eating patterns to see if you can tweak things.

Get Your Post-Workout Food In

The timing of when you eat is just as important as what you’re eating and how much. You should always get calories on board after a session. If you don’t eat something within a 40-minute window, your blood sugar levels don’t stabilise and your body won’t recover properly. Try to have a protein shake or a snack ready to consume if you can’t prep a full meal.

Don’t Get Too Many Calories From Junk Food

Getting enough calories to maintain muscle growth is critical, but if too many of those are coming from unhealthy food sources, it will count against you. Not only will junk food cause you to put on unwanted fat, but it will stop you eating enough of the critical protein, carbs and fat that your body needs because you’ll feel full up on rubbish.