Muscle growth takes time and consistency so how do you build muscle mass effectively?
Building muscle is a work in progress and it is certainly not something that should be aimed to achieve overnight. The basis of building muscle is being in a calorie surplus, the opposite of a calorie deficit. While a calorie deficit requires you to eat less calories than you burn in order to lose weight, being in a calorie surplus means that your body will need to take in more calories than you burn.
For muscle gain, protein intake and strength training play a huge role. So how can you build muscle effectively and what is the right way to go about your diet plan when bulking?
Let’s start from the basics
Anatomically speaking, your body is constantly renewing and recycling amino acids (protein building blocks) in your muscles. If your body removes more protein than it is adding, muscle gain is impossible. On the other hand, if your body is putting in more protein than it is removing, then your muscles will start to grow.
Muscle hypertrophy is the process of increasing muscle mass, and this is resistance training’s primary goal. The right amount of protein, combined with resistance training, is the ideal equation for muscle mass growth.
Defining Your Muscle Gain Diet
We have already identified that you will need to be in a calorie surplus for muscle gain to happen. But what does this mean exactly? The concept of bulking versus cutting is relevant here. When you are on a weight loss journey, you are mainly cutting; cutting down your food and your calories to reduce body fat while still trying to maintain the muscle that you already have.
With bulking, you will need to eat more food to support your heavy training sessions and muscle growth. The main goal for eating more food and being in a calorie surplus is to supply your body with enough and appropriate nutrients to grow but not give it an excess number of calories that will make you put on fat rather than muscle.
While some fat gains are normal during a bulking period, 300-500 surplus calories tend to be the ideal numbers to prioritise building muscle and limit, as much as possible, fat gains.
Research shows that prioritising protein during your muscle gain period is highly important. Normally, when combined with training, 0.72 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight is the benchmark that bodybuilders and athletes use to calculate their protein intake.
Having said that, carbs and fat are also needed to gain muscle so make sure that you are incorporating these in your macros too.
Choose a Muscle Gain Meal Plan
Luckily, you do not have to search for endless hours to find the right meal plan for you. Fortify Meals’ Power Plan is the perfect fuel for your training. Whether you are an athlete or a fitness enthusiast on a journey to build muscle mass, this meal plan is convenient and the best time-saving solution for you. There is no need to waste time calculating your calories and/or if you are getting a sufficient protein intake because we will do that for you.
If you are simply looking for meals for lunch and dinner, we also have the Protein + Meal Packs that are packed with protein to help you hit all of your macros.
A Few Training Tips for Muscle Growth
One of the best training tips to follow for muscle growth is to focus on training volume or ‘time under tension’ instead of how heavy you are lifting. The longer and more often you can put stress on your muscles, the more they will grow as hypertrophy training will be activated. You can build muscle regardless of your fitness level!
Start by building a good foundation and focus on your muscle to mind connection. Learn to focus your intensity through movement as this supports muscle growth greatly.
Focus on your compound lifts such as your squat, deadlift, bench press, and pull-ups, and always go by the premise of incorporating all rep ranges in your workout. Aim to decrease your cardio as this will increase calorie burn and defeat the calorie surplus purpose.
One last thing…do not forget to rest! Your muscles grow when you are resting!
If you are looking for the perfect muscle gain diet plan, contact us today and we will help you achieve your goals!
