The 5 Rules of Gaining Muscle Mass

We’ve compiled a list of the 5 most important nutrition rules to help you get the best gains from your workouts. Here they are in order of importance

Pack on the pounds

Whenever you start anything new, there’s always a learning curve and you’re bound to make a few rookie errors along the way. In bodybuilding there are two main mistakes beginners tend to make

Following a training program that’s not appropriate for their goals

Underestimating the importance of nutrition

You don’t grow just because you train; growth is actually dependent on proper recovery from training. And the way you recuperate best is by providing your body with the nutrients it needs at the appropriate times for optimal recovery and growth. Your goal is to add lean mass — muscle tissue. That’s true whether you’re a hardgainer, a guy with good genetics or a guy who carries excess bodyfat. Here are the basic nutritional principles you need to support your training to maximize your chances for muscle growth right out of the gate

Make sure you consume adequate calories every day

The bottom line is you can’t add weight if you aren’t taking in more calories than you’re burning. If you’re trying to pack on muscle, you have to consume enough surplus calories to support that growth. If you’re heftier to begin with, this task is a little trickier. You need to get enough calories to add muscle mass, but you also want to avoid an excessive increase in bodyfat. While you’re adding muscle mass, you should regard maintaining or just slightly increasing your bodyweight as progress

Split your total calories fairly evenly over 5–6 meals per day

This recommendation is a bodybuilding standard. The more frequently you feed your body, the better the contribution you’re making to build muscle mass while at the same time avoiding the addition of bodyfat. If you consume 3,000–4,000 calories over six meals versus just three meals, your metabolism will stay elevated and you’ll gain more muscle and much less bodyfat. Those who consume the same number of total calories, but in fewer, larger meals, however, send their bodies the signal to store bodyfat

Take in at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day 

When you want to build muscle tissue, you have to provide your body with the amino acids it needs. These aminos (there are 22 in total, essential, nonessential and conditionally essential) come from protein foods and protein supplements. Eating a variety of different protein sources is the best way to make sure you get a broad range of aminos. By targeting at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight, split fairly evenly over your six meals, you’ll keep a steady flow of aminos in your bloodstream to fuel growth

Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables

Many beginners focus too much on protein or calories at the expense of other types of foods that are dense in nutrients per calorie. Make sure you get in at least six servings of vegetables and fruit each day. They’re low in calories but rich in vitamins and minerals to support gains and overall health. At larger meals, you should consume more than one serving and you can do your body an even bigger favor by having a few different fruit or veggie items on your plate

Emphasize workout-window nutrition

Around the time of your workouts — before and after — your body needs protein and fast-digesting carbs (sugar) to drive the recovery process. Consuming sugar before and after your workouts helps reload glycogen burned during exercise, and it delivers amino acids to your muscles so that they recover and grow more quickly. Take in about 25–40 grams of protein before and after your workouts, depending on your bodyweight. Hardgainers should match their sugar intake to their protein consumption, gram per gram, pre- and post-workout. If you’re a bigger guy starting out, you can cut the sugar before workouts and just take it after

8 Ways Exercise Makes You Gorgeous

     Anyone who makes a habit of going to the gym, unfurling a yoga mat or hiking in the woods is privy to a secret known only to the physically active: The rewards of exercise extend far beyond slimming down or adding muscle tone. Dozens of subtle changes visibly revamp the body and the psyche in ways scientists are only beginning to understand

Maybe your skin looks brighter, your step is springier or you’re more confident at work. Such small victories may go unnoticed by unobservant exercisers, but those on the lookout for these benefits will find them every bit as valid as gains measured by scales and calipers.

1. Smoother, More Radiant Skin  . Working up a good sweat is the equivalent of getting a mini-facial, she says. “When the pores dilate, sweat expels trapped dirt and oil. Just be sure to wash your face afterward so the gunk doesn’t get sucked back into the pores.”

Working up a good sweat is the equivalent of getting a mini-facial.

Breaking a sweat isn’t the only way exercise benefits the skin — it also reduces bodywide inflammation, helps regulate skin-significant hormones and prevents free-radical damage. When you exercise, the tiny arteries in your skin open up, allowing more blood to reach the skin’s surface and deliver nutrients that repair damage from the sun and environmental pollutants. These nutrients also rev up the skin’s collagen production, thwarting wrinkles. “As we age, fibroblasts [the collagen-producing cells in the skin] get lazier and fewer in number. But the nutrients delivered to the skin during exercise help fibroblasts work more efficiently, so your skin looks younger.

2. Greater Self-Confidence

Confident people radiate a certain physical appeal and charisma. A recent British study found that people who began a regular exercise program at their local gym felt better about their self-worth, their physical condition and their overall health compared with their peers who stayed home. The best part was that their self-worth crept up right away — even before they saw a significant change in their bodies.

3. Increased Stature

a yoga instructor and founder of YogaForce took up yoga as a means to relieve stress. But it wasn’t until she had a checkup a few years later that she saw the full effects of her practice. When the doctor measured her height, they both noticed she’d grown an inch and a half. “I couldn’t believe it,” she says. “I’d always wanted to be taller; now I fit into my clothes better and feel more spacious in my body.”

4. Less Stress and Anxiety

Anxiety, fearfulness and uncertainty all drain your vitality and dampen your mood, which in turn tends to show on your face and in the way you carry yourself. Roughly 40 million Indian over 18 suffer from anxiety disorders, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health — that’s nearly 20 percent of all adults — and for many of them, that anxiety strips both the smile from their face and the spring from their step. Exercise has been shown to alleviate most mild to moderate cases of anxiety, and can very quickly improve mood.

Exercise has been shown to alleviate most mild to moderate cases of anxiety, and can very quickly improve mood.

Exercise is like taking a tranquilizer, but better because you get the side effect of improved health and fitness.” Studies out of Raglin’s lab suggest that as little as 15 minutes of exercise bestows a calm that can last for hours. As for what kind of exercise elicits the biggest response, he recommends either heart-thumping aerobic exercise, like running, cycling or swimming, or a mixture of aerobic and anaerobic exercise, such as weight training.

5. Better Immunity and Detoxification

With spring cold season on the horizon, exercise’s immune-enhancing powers are nothing to sneeze at. Exercise shores up the immune system by goosing the body into churning out more white blood cells, including neutrophils and natural killer cells. More white blood cells mean fewer bacteria and viruses sneak past the gate. Net effect: You don’t get that worn-down sick look that comes from feeling under the weather, and small blemishes and wounds of all kinds heal faster.

6. More Restful Sleep

exercise sharpens the body’s sensitivity to the stress hormone cortisol, which can enhance sleep. Sleeping better leaves you looking fresh and healthy.

7. Less Visceral Fat

Yes, exercise can help you lose your love handles, but it’s the loss of excess fat deep inside the body that boosts your overall vitality and your looks.

The body contains two types of fat. The one you can pinch (subcutaneous) is relatively benign. But the less visible stuff, the visceral fat that pads the abdominal organs like so many packing peanuts, can be a killer. Excess visceral fat fuels low-grade inflammation in the body and is tied to a virtual who’s who of 21st-century ills, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, colon cancer, breast cancer and dementia. It can also upset the balance of important hormones (more on that to come) that affect your skin, hair and general appearance.

8. Stronger Sex Hormones

Getting fit not only makes you look sexy, it also makes you feel sexy by balancing the body’s sex hormone levels, which in turn can improve the appearance of hair, skin and muscle tone. Although the most studied hormones linked to exercise are endorphins, sex hormones, such as testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH — the same youth-serum substance celebrities pay thousands to be injected with), also get a boost.

Getting fit not only makes you look sexy, it also makes you feel sexy by balancing the body’s sex hormone levels, which in turn can improve the appearance of hair, skin and muscle tone.

When British scientists compared the hormone levels of 10 middle-aged men who ran more than 40 miles a week with 10 healthy, but sedentary, men, they found that, on average, the runners had 25 percent more testosterone and four times more HGH than the couch potatoes.

Some Vegetarian foods For Muscle Building

Muscle building and vegetarian foods don’t go quite hand in hand because protein is the foundation of muscle building and some of the richest sources of protein are non-vegetarian such as lean beef, pork, turkey and fish. So, does that mean vegans and vegetarian don’t stand any chance of building muscles? The answer is “Yes they do”. Consider some of the most powerful and muscular animals like horses, oxen and gorillas; they are all herbivorous. The diet for muscle building should be planned in such a way that there is always a calorie surplus even after calories are burned through exercise and resistance training. Vegetarians and vegans can get the required nutrients from whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables.

3: Most Important Nutrients for Muscle Building

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are a crucial source of energy for the body and the best muscle building foods must be rich in carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates like whole grain breads, pasta and cereals are slowly digested to provide a continuous, slow release of energy for a long time

Fats

Although, fats are misunderstood by most people, healthy fats have many beneficial effects on health. Lipids (fats) are the best source of energy with over twice as many calories per gram compared to proteins and carbohydrates.

Proteins:Bodybuilding foods should provide a constant supply of protein throughout the day for promoting muscle growth. Proteins are formed by amino acids and amino acids are the building blocks of muscles and tissues. Muscle growth and repair of muscle tissues is impossible without amino acids.

Some Best Vegetarian Foods for Muscle Building

Nuts

These crunchy and delicious snacks are packed with protein and healthy calories which make them one of the best body building foods. Nuts such as almonds and cashews are loaded with protein, fats and fibers, which help you in getting those surplus calories even after sweating it out in the gym.

One cup of almonds contains 30 grams of protein, and 71 grams of healthy fats and an ounce of cashew contains 150 calories. Nuts for health are extremely portable, which makes them one of the most easy munching foods that you can enjoy any time during the day.

Quinoa

Quinoa is a complete food for muscle growth which contains all the 9 essential amino acids that the body cannot produce by itself. It is also rich in proteins and complex carbohydrates, which work as a steady source of energy through strenuous workout sessions. Quinoa can be cooked just like rice but are actually the seeds of a leafy plant.One cup of cooked quinoa has 8 grams of protein. Research shows that quinoa promotes the production of growth hormone factor-1 (IGF-1), which is important for gaining muscle mass and strength. It is also laden with iron, calcium and magnesium that are essential for regulating muscle tone.

Beans and Legumes

Beans and legumes such as chickpeas are some of the most effective protein-rich foods that can be incorporated in the vegetarian diet for muscle building. Just a cup of chickpeas contains 40 grams of protein, 121 grams of carbs and 7.7 grams of unsaturated fat.

Beans such as kidney beans, pinto beans, etc. are loaded with proteins and fibers that not only improve bowel movement, but also boost up insulin response, that is essential for muscle growth as it increases the absorption of nutrients by the body. You can consume beans combined with brown rice or enjoy a cup of rich chickpea hummus.

Seeds

The diet for muscle building is incomplete without the inclusion of seeds in it. Seeds such as flax seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds and sunflower seeds are packed with essential fatty acids, proteins and fiber.

The essential fatty acids existing in seeds reduce inflammation and promote recovery of tissues post workout. A nourishing smoothie sprinkled with flax seeds or chia seeds make the perfect post workout food. You can also include the seeds in salads and curries.

Fruits

Fruits are often avoided by fitness enthusiasts because of their high fructose content that can cause fat gain. But certain fruits such as bananas, cantaloupes and apples are extremely beneficial for muscle building.

These fruits are loaded with carbohydrates, fiber, minerals and vitamins which are vital for increasing lean muscle mass. Having a banana, an apple or a small bowl of cantaloupes during breakfast after a night of fasting can keep you going throughout the day.

Tofu

Tofu, a popular soy product is a healthy alternative source of high-quality protein other than meat. It contains all the essential nutrients required for body building and is a rich source of isoflavones and amino acids that boost muscle growth.

Tofu also helps in speedy recovery of sore muscles and tissues after a strenuous workout session. It can be used to prepare a delicious scramble that tastes as good as scrambled eggs.

Full-Fat Cottage Cheese

Full fat cottage cheese is one of the best muscle building foods that you can enjoy without compromising on the taste. Cottage cheese has two fold benefits in improving lean muscle mass. Firstly, full fat cottage cheese is rich in casein, a slow digesting dairy protein that causes a slow and steady rise in the level of amino acid in the blood that continues to remain at an elevated level for a long time.

Dairy Products

Fermented dairy products such as yogurt, buttermilk and kefir work as magic foods for muscle building. Fermented dairy products work better that regular milk because they are higher in calories and the presence of probiotics in these foods improve digestion of other foods, so that maximum amount of nutrients and calories can be absorbed by the body through efficient breakdown of foods. You can enjoy a cup of yogurt or a glass or buttermilk or kefir as a healthy muscle building snack.

Leafy Greens

Although, most of us concentrate on proteins for building muscles; vegetables also play an equally important role when it comes to bodybuilding. Leafy green vegetables such as kale, spinach, romaine lettuce along with beet, avocado and squash are rich in calcium, folic acid, vitamins A, B, C, D and E – all of which are vital for improving muscle concentration, reducing inflammation and neutralizing the harmful effects of oxidative stress. The antioxidants present in vegetables speed up muscle and tissue recovery, which is an integral part of bodybuilding.

Protein Shakes

A healthy shake rich in carbohydrates and protein such as a whey protein shake is important to speed up the results of any muscle building program. A protein shake works as an effective pre-workout food which promotes optimal nutrient usage and effective muscle growth.

The combination of carbohydrates and protein in bodybuilding shakes reduce excessive muscle breakdown, improve protein synthesis in the body, boost up blood flow to the muscles and act a steady supply of energy.

Include these vegetarian muscle building foods in your bodybuilding diet and combine it with a daily schedule of resistance training in order to achieve your dream figure.