The American College of Sports Medicine suggests in its position statement on protein consumption, that by consuming as little as 0.72 grams of protein per lb of body weight per day, you can effectively repair damaged muscle tissue, build lean muscle mass and limit the chances of negative side effects.
Fat does not just make people fat because it is bad for them, at 9 calories per gram, a small amount of fat can contain a staggering amount of calories. Following this logic, it is important to realize that in order to consume more calories, fat is essential to your muscle building diet. Certain types of fatty acids, (fat) when consumed properly, can not only increase your calories, but they have been scientifically proven to help you shed nasty bod fat, increase muscle building hormone levels, increase brain function and alertness and provide an additional energy source for your body.
As you can see, these are some pretty amazing side effects! By consuming between 40 and 60 grams of “heart healthy” fat per day, spread over 5 meals, you can ensure that you will be able to get the benefits that dietary fats have to offer, without taking in the excess of calories often associated with fat consumption.
Carbohydrates serve as the primary energy source for your body and are an important part of the nutritional spectrum required for muscle growth. There are two types of carbohydrates, complex and simple.
Simple carbohydrates break down into sugars in the body very quickly. Because of this, they provide a very unstable energy source and are of little nutritional value. Examples of simple carbohydrates are refined flour, white bread and sugar.
While consuming some simple carbohydrates will not hurt your muscle building progress, you will want to consume the majority of your carbs from nutritious complex sources such as oats, yams, whole-wheat pasta and whole-wheat breads. This will not only provide your body with tons amounts of nutrients for muscle growth, but also ensure that your energy levels and mood remain stable throughout the day.
#3 – Now that you’ve laid the foundation to gain muscle fast, it’s imperative that you do what is necessary to allow your body to repair, recover and grow. By making sure to get a minimum of 8 hours of sleep each night, you ensure that your body has ample time to recover from your workouts. It’s also critical for proper recovery, to consume a minimum of 1 gallon of water each day. Aside from simply being a healthy thing to do, consuming enough water helps to flush out toxins associated with bodybuilding workouts.
Although not very fancy, the simple Eagle ridge Fitness formula of stimulating muscle growth with intense weight training workouts, consuming a well-balanced bodybuilding nutrition plan, and allowing for proper recovery works very well. By sticking to the basics and keeping things simple, you’re increasing your chance to gain muscle fast exponentially!