Efficient muscle gain goes above and beyond the gym, even though consistent and intense resistance training is essential. As always, you can’t understate the role of nutrition, as macronutrients – proteins, carbohydrates, and fats play a pivotal role in fueling muscle growth and recovery. Of course, to achieve muscle gain faster, you need the right macro ratios. So, scroll down to learn everything you need to know to shine in the gym!
Protein
Proteins, composed of amino acids, are chief macronutrients for muscles. Amino acids are actually building blocks of muscle tissues! During resistance training, muscle fibers undergo micro-tears. After intense training sessions, they are obviously damaged and need repair.
Following that, amino acids have a main role in repairing and building these fibers back, leading to muscle growth. Thus, only adequate protein intake will give you the necessary amino acids to fix up these fibers, reducing recovery time and allowing you more frequent and effective workouts.
mTOR pathway is a salient regulator of muscle protein synthesis, and essential amino acids, particularly leucine, stimulate it. This pathway promotes the synthesis of new muscle proteins and is critical for muscle hypertrophy (growth). Protein intake reduces MBS (Muscle Protein Breakdown), ensuring that synthesis can exceed the breakdown, resulting in a positive net protein equilibrium and muscle growth at the end.
Proteins also have a huge impact on hormones, especially insulin and testosterone. Protein stimulates insulin release and, at the same time, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Both of them are anabolic hormones that boost muscle expansion and repair.
When it comes to testosterone, sufficient protein intake props up its healthy levels, which is crucial for muscle growth. Low protein diets negatively impact testosterone levels and impair muscle-building efforts, so you should definitely skip them!
Proteins require much more energy to digest and absorb than carbohydrates and fats, making them high-thermic-effect foods. This skyrockets overall energy expenditure, making weight loss easier and supporting body composition goals. Because they need a long time to digest, proteins are awesome for appetite control and maintaining satiety.
High-protein diets are super beneficial for people who want to bulk up lean muscle mass without excessive fat gain. Consuming anywhere between 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kg of body weight a day is the optimal amount for muscle gain. Thus, higher intakes within this range are exceptionally beneficial during periods of intense training or caloric deficit.
Distributing protein intake evenly across all meals throughout a day is the best, but especially eating protein-rich meals post-workout within 30 minutes to 2 hours. This enhances muscle protein synthesis and helps your muscles to recover.
Protein quality is also a big deal! First things first, protein from high-quality ingredients, like eggs, lean meats, soy, and dairy, is the best. The phrase “high-quality protein” means that it contains all nine essential amino acids in optimum proportions. They reinforce effective muscle repair and expansion.
Taking supplements to boost your daily protein count is not bad at all. Whey protein is the most common and for a good reason. It digests rapidly and is high in leucine, making it particularly effective for post-workout meals. Casein protein, on the other side, digests slowly and keeps up a steady release of amino acids, ideal for prolonged periods without food (e.g. overnight or fasting).
The smartest thing you can do is incorporate a variety of protein sources to guarantee a broad spectrum of amino acids and other nutrients. Consider protein supplements to conveniently meet protein needs, particularly post-workout.
Carbohydrates
Carbs are much more important for muscle building than you would probably think! It is a well-known fact that they are the body’s primary energy fount, chiefly during high-intensity and resistance training, both crucial for muscle gain. When the body breaks down carbohydrates, they store in muscles and the liver in a completely new form – glycogen.
In that moment, glycogen becomes the main fuel for any activity and during workouts. Following this, adequate carbohydrate intake actually spares protein as the body doesn’t use as prime energy source. Carbs allow you to utilize more protein for muscle repair and growth, making it easier to gain muscles.
Of course, you can’t gain muscle with food only – you need to enhance workout intensity to stimulate your muscles better. Carbs provide the necessary energy to sustain high-intensity workouts but also delay fatigue. By maintaining glycogen levels, they delay the onset of fatigue, enabling longer and more effective training sessions.
Eating carbs post-workout is crucial for replenishing glycogen stores depleted during training sessions. This replenishment supports quicker recovery and gets the muscles ready for subsequent exercise. Besides, carbohydrates stimulate the release of insulin (a hormone that transfers glucose and amino acids into muscle cells). The hormone has an anabolic effect, meaning that it promotes muscle protein synthesis and inhibits muscle protein breakdown.
When speaking of hormones, proper carb intake balances cortisol, as well. High cortisol levels encourage fat storage in the abdomen, but complex carbs actually lower its levels. By definition, it is a hormone with carrabolic effect, which implies it breaks down muscle tissue. Thus, lower cortisol levels create a more favorable environment for muscle growth.
For muscle gain, you need to consume somewhere between 4-7 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram per day. This is a perfect range to prop up energy needs and glycogen replenishment after a workout. Of course, timing and distribution are also important.
You need carbs always—before, during, and after training—to reach full potential performance-wise and recovery-wise. Pre-workout carbs are a fount of immediate energy (keep them light and easily digestible, like a banana), while post-workout ones aid in glycogen recharge and recovery.
Complex carbs (whole grains, fruits, vegetables) supply your organism with sustained energy because they are abundant in fiber and nutrients. On the other side, your body quickly digests simple carbohydrates (sugar and white bread, for instance), and they are useful immediately before or after workouts for rapid energy and glycogen replenishment.
Fats
Out of three macronutrients, fats are most calorie-dense, providing 9 calories per gram. To compare, proteins and carbohydrates have only 4 calories. Thanks to this high caloric density, fats help meet the increased energy demands of muscle-building diets.
They provide a slow and steady energy spring, which is incredibly important during prolonged, low—to moderate-intensity activities and recovery periods between intense workouts. Dietary fats, specifically saturated and monounsaturated fats, are pivotal for testosterone production. As said above, testosterone is a key anabolic hormone that boosts muscle growth and strength.
On top of this, fats support growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) – important for muscle repair and growth. Of course, for muscles to recover and grow rapidly, the body needs other nutrients. Fats are obligatory for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, vital for various bodily functions, including immune function, bone health, and inflammation control.
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are salient fats your body cannot produce, and they play a huge role in reducing inflammation, supporting cardiovascular health, and supporting cell membrane integrity. Without these perks, your organism won’t be able to build muscle quickly and effectively.
Now, let’s see how fats act on a cellular level! They are a major component of cell membranes, affecting their flexibility and functionality. Owing to that fact, healthy cell membranes are vital for muscle cells to function properly and recover from stress. Fats also play a part in the formation of the myelin sheath.
Myelin sheaths insulate nerve fibers and ensure efficient bypassing of signals between the brain and muscles. Hence, they are a major part of muscle coordination, strength, and recovery process.
To build muscles, 20-35% of daily calories should come from fats. This translates to about 0.5-1 grams of fat per kilogram of body weight per day. Fat types (saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated) are one more thing to consider, as you need to balance them well so they can show their full potential.
Focus on healthy fats – omega-3 fatty acids from fish, walnuts, and flaxseeds, as well as monounsaturated fats from olive oil, avocados, and other nuts. Circumvent trans fats as much as you can, though! Skip processed foods (abundant in them), as they negatively impact heart health and inflammation levels.
Practical Examples
For a 70 kg (154 lbs) individual (let’s name her/him Taylor) aiming for muscle gain, total daily caloric intake should be 3000 calories. Following everything learned above, let’s break down macros. Taylor needs:
- 1.8 grams of protein per kg = 126 grams (504 calories)
- 5 grams of carbohydrates per kg = 350 grams (1400 calories)
- 0.8 grams of fat per kg = 56 grams (504 calories)
Also, distribute your protein intake evenly throughout the day to maximize muscle protein synthesis, and eat a high-protein meal or snack post-workout. Prioritize high-quality sources of each macronutrient:
- Proteins: lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, and plant-based proteins
- Carbohydrates: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes
- Fats: nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, fatty fish.
It is important to note, every individual is has different needs, so you may need a slight modification in your macro ratios or total caloric intake. Sometimes even slight changes can make a huge difference.
