Powerful Muscle Building Nutrition and Diet Plans for Fast Muscle Gains

Discover powerful Muscle Building Nutrition and Bodybuilding Diet Plans to build muscle mass and gain weight. Download sample bodybuilding meal plans and get started today.

Say: I love Eating!

So you had the best muscle building workout. The weights were never heavier, the sweat was never pouring so much, and you got a mental applause from your gym buddies for such an intense workout.

Oh yes at the end of your workout your muscles were stimulated to perfection. 

But will that guarantee muscle growth? Will you have bigger and stronger muscles the next time you hit the gym? Will you lift more than before?

Well it depends. It depends on your muscle building nutrition and recovery. Because without quality nutrition and recovery, your muscles won’t grow at all.

As you know you actually break your muscles in the gym. And you repair your muscles outside the gym.

So its time for you to discover the best muscle building diet and nutrition strategies, nutrient timing secrets and supplementation strategies that will add pounds of muscle mass to your frame as fast as possible.

You will also find few cool eating and cooking strategies that helped my 24 pounds in 15 weeks bodybuilding transformation.

Ready? Let’s Go!

Inside This article: 

• The Why, What and How of Quality Nutrition
• Total Caloric intake - The KEY Nutrition Factor
• How to calculate your daily caloric intake
• Carbs, Proteins and Fats for Building Muscle
• The Best Muscle Building Foods
• 3 forgotten nutrients
• Sample Muscle Building Diet Plans
• Anabolic Cooking Strategies
• Summary - 5 Key Action Steps and MY Biggest Secret

The Why, What and How of Quality Muscle Building Nutrition

Bodybuilding Nutrition is a science and the biggest key to muscle success. After intense training and supplementation, most muscle builders have come back to realise that there is no replacement for REAL, WHOLE UNPROCESSED FOODS.

But nutrition is different from quality nutrition. If nutrients are the building blocks of your muscles, then inferior quality nutrients build inferior quality muscles; weak and soft rather than hard and toned.

Why you need Quality Muscle Building Nutrition 

You already know the critical role of nutrition in building muscle mass.

Nutrition affects two crucial areas of muscle building - workout intensity and recovery.

Your goal is to maximise your workout intensity and the recovery process, but before muscle comes health.

And this means your muscle building nutrition should be built around sound, healthy eating habits that not only build muscle & strength but also gives you the high energy body people will be jealous with.

So how do we define quality muscle building nutrition?

If your nutrition habits builds healthier you in addition to muscular you, then its quality nutrition. Or else it not. You should never compromise health for anything. That throws steroids and unproven supplements out of the window once and for all.

Extreme diets like low carb, high fat or very high protein are not healthy for you and hence do not qualify for building muscle.

Stay away from anything extreme, except extreme hard work.

If you follow the meal and food advice in this article, you will have a high energy, muscular body which is as strong internally as it looks externally.

Remember health first, everything else, including muscle next.

What is Quality Muscle Building Nutrition

So how do you define quality muscle building diet? What constitutes a quality diet plan?

Real muscle building foods
+
High quality supplements
+
Proper eating habits
=
Quality Muscle Building Nutrition

Although food is the key to building muscle, not all food is equal. Your job is to eat nutrient and caloric dense real foods which provide your muscles with quality complex carbohydrates, first class proteins and essential fats.

Quality supplements like whey protein and essential fats like nuts, olive oil give you the necessary muscle building boost.

Combine these with good eating habits like eating at regular intervals, maximising nutrient timing and proper eating habits, you have the perfect muscle building nutrition plan.

All these constitute quality muscle building nutrition. It will build muscle that is dense, solid and as strong as it looks.

4 quality eating nutrition tips

1. Eat mostly REAL, whole, unprocessed foods 
2. Eat Proteins at every meal, every 3-4 hours
3. Eat one serving vegetables OR fruits at every meal
4. Break rules once a week and eat whatever you like

Related Article: 10 Muscle Building Nutrition Rules for Beginner Bodybuilders

How to Get Quality Bodybuilding Nutrition Every Time

Don’t worry. After telling you the importance of quality nutrition I will not leave you alone in the dark. I will show you exactly

• how to select the best foods in each category,
• how to do proper grocery shopping and
• eating/appetite tips for optimal caloric intake

These tips will ensure that you get quality nutrients every time you eat and form the basis of solid, hard, toned muscles you will be proud of.

Total Caloric Intake - The KEY Nutrition Factor

Guess what is THE key nutrition factor to gain muscle? No its not how much proteins, carbs or fats you need. Its your total caloric intake.

The Quantity of food should be the first challenge you accept.

Research shows that it takes 2300 to 3500 calories to build 1 lb of lean muscle. And this has to be above your caloric maintenance levels.

Remember muscle is energy. That’s how the body sees muscle, as energy.

So Muscle Or Energy Gain = Energy intake - energy expenditure.

If you are not eating enough calories, nothing else matters. if you are eating below your required daily caloric intake to build muscle, then your training efforts will be in vain.

Even high quality foods will not work if they are not in required Quantities. But once you find how much you need to eat to grow, you start selecting the best high quality foods that will get you there.

Hence QUANTITY + QUALITY of food is the fundamental muscle building nutrition principle.

Quantity of food dictates if you gain weight or not, and quality of food dictates of the weight gained will be muscle or fat, so choose foods carefully.

How to Calculate Your Daily Caloric Intake to Gain Muscle

To Gain muscle mass you need to eat, eat and eat some more. There should be no confusion about it. 

If you under-eat, you won’t gain muscle but if you over-eat then you might add lot of fat along with muscle giving you the fatty muscular body most of us hate.

So what’s the solution? Calculate your exact caloric requirement and track gains every 2-4 weeks.

Although to calculate your perfect energy requirements you need details like your basal metabolic rate, activity level and thermic effect of foods, there is a simpler formula for you to get started. 

The no nonsense muscle building program includes a calculator which accurately calculates your caloric requirements. You can plug in your number every 2-4 weeks to get the perfect values for maximum muscle and minimum fat gains.

My simple caloric intake formula for muscle growth for skinny hardgainers is:

Your Total body weight in pounds X 20

OR

Your total lean muscle mass in pounds X 16

Your lean muscle mass is a better way to calculate calories as you want to build lean muscle not fat. For this you need a simple skin fold callipers to measure your body fat.

But if you are skinny or skinny fat, then you can use bodyweight in pounds as your guide.

Let me give you an example:

If you are a 140 lb guy, the daily caloric requirement should be 140 X 20 = 2800 calories.

This should be your starting point. Every 2 weeks you need to check your weight, recalculate and follow the new calculations.

Your Action Steps:

• Calculate your exact caloric requirement NOW. Use the formula above and write the number down NOW!

• This will be the number of calories you should eat to gain muscle. Nothing less will do.

The next step is to calculate your macronutrient ratios. Let’s continue designing your nutrition plan.

Related Article: 2 Best Muscle Building Diet Programs

Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats for Muscle Building

Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats - Your Muscle Building Foods

What is the perfect nutrient ratio for gaining muscle?

Once you have determined your required caloric intake, its time to find the perfect ratios of the 3 macronutrients for each meal.

Hardgainers have a hard time getting the ratios right and wrong ratios might lead to diminished results or fat gain which should be avoided at all costs.

There are 3 macronutrients: Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats/Oils.

The perfect ratio for hardgainer muscle builders is a 40/30/30 split.

I have tested many combinations like 33/33/33, 40/30/30 and 50/40/10. 

But the above combination of 40/30/20 with 40% carbohydrates, 30% first class proteins and 30% essential fats is THE PERFECT FORMULA FOR FAST MUSCLE GAINS.

40% carbs: Carbohydrates provide the fuel for workouts and glycogen is stored in muscles and liver for energy.

30% Proteins: Proteins provide the building blocks for muscle growth and

30% Fats: Essential fats provide the building blocks of hormones like testosterone and all help improve immunity and fight infections.

I cover more details about

• Carbohydrates for muscle building here
• Proteins for muscle building here and
• Fats for muscle building here

Related Article: How to Calculate your protein Requirements

How many Calories and grams of Carbs, Proteins and Fats per Meal?

How will you spread your 3000 calories? Over 4, 5 or 6 meals?

To build muscle mass:

• 4 meals are a minimum
• 5 meals are better and
• 6 meals are best

If 6 sounds too many, don’t worry, 6 meals meals means 4 meals  + 2 or 3 muscle snacks.

This brings each meal to 500 calories. 

But if you eat only 4 meals, then each meals should make up 750 calories which can be too much to eat at one sitting.

Muscle Building shakes and snacks are great tools to meet your daily intake. I cover muscle building snacks here.

Caloric and Nutrient ratios per meal

Example : Weight 150 lbs

Total caloric intake = 3000 calories

Meals planned = 6

Calories per meal =  500

Your total daily caloric intake comes to

• 1200 calories from carbohydrates
• 900 calories from proteins and
• 900 calories from fat

Lets apply our super-effective 40/30/30 ratio model.

40/30/30 ratio for every meal works as below:

• 200 calories from carbs
• 150 from proteins and
• 150 from fats 

Every gram of carbs gives 4 calories, protein gives 4 calories and fat gives 9 calories.

OR in grams per meal you need

• 50g carbs
• 40g proteins and
• 17 g fats

So when you select meals, you need 50g carb, 40g proteins and 17g fats per meal.

Remember the number are slightly approximate and they work. Don’t get caught up in the numbers. They are just a starting point. If you don’t gain weight with the above number for 2-4 weeks, add 250 calories, spread them out over 6 meals or add another meal/shake/snack.

BUT PLEASE DO NOT OBSESS OVER THE NUMBERS, YOU WILL LOSE THE JUNGLE FOR THE TREES.

That brings me to the next topic...

The Best Muscle Building Foods to Gain Mass of All Time

Once your daily caloric intake is set, you should select the best foods in each category. 

• Where should your 40% carbs come from?
• What should be the source of your 30% first class proteins? and
• what are the best fats which make up 30% of your daily caloric intake?

The Muscle Building Foods article shows you the absolute best foods you should eat to gain muscle mass.

It also includes your muscle building grocery list. Use it for shopping the next time, you will be shopping for muscles!

Related Articles:

• Muscle Building Snacks
• Muscle Building Shakes
• Muscle Building Shakes without Protein powder
• Muscle Building Shakes before Bed

Want you round your knowledge on muscle building nutrition? Then here are the 3 forgotten nutrients which are very essential for optimal results.

Related Articles:

• How to Build the Muscle Frequency Eating Habit
• 5 Tips to Boost your Testosterone Levels Naturally

3 Forgotten Muscle Building Nutrients

Remember the experiment in which the professor wants to fill the jar? The best way was to fill the blocks first, then add gravel and sand.

Similarly you need to start with the basic macronutrients first. You have covered the major building blocks of muscle mass. But just like a building needs more than bricks, you need the nuts & bolts, the iron, the cement, and of course supplements.

But 3 things take important over everything else once macronutrients are covered. They are your nuts, bolt and cement.

They are:

1. Water
2. Fiber and
3. Vitamins, Minerals and Anti-oxidants

Water the Indispensable Muscle Builder

Did you know that the main component of your muscles is water? Not proteins or glycogen {stored carbs}, but water is the biggest muscle ingredient.

75% of your muscle mass is water and you were thinking that muscles equal proteins! Go figure!

If you want to know the importance of water, then just check any dehydrated patient. You will see how dry, shrivelled muscles look like.

Not only water makes up the muscle cell volume, but cellular hydration stimulates protein synthesis. Yes, the more water in your muscles, the more anabolic your muscles become.

Also a diet high in proteins require more water so that kidneys maintain perfect health. 

So whats the optimal water intake for maximising muscle building potential?

Drink half ounce water per pound of bodyweight. So 150 lb muscle builder should rink 75 ounces of water.

Even simpler: Drink 4 cups water at every meal. I have found that to be best for building muscle mass.

If you cannot drink 4 cups per meal, start with 2 cups and gradually increase your intake.

Can You use any other drink as replacement?

No. Beware. There is not replacement for pure drinking water. No amount of coke, alcohol or foods {foods contain water too} can replace water. The body simple does NOT treat any cool drink or sports drink as water.

Role of Fibers in Building Muscle and Health

Fiber is the best digestive agent and helps regulate insulin release too. Fibers ensure digestion is perfect, prevents digestive problems and maintains timed release of nutrients.

Just eat the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables and your fiber intake will be taken care of.

As for fiber remember, real fruit is better than fruit juice which is better than fruit cakes.

Fruit juices are simply sugar water devoid of fiber. So real fruit wins the fiber war every time.

Importance of Raw Foods in Your Diet:

Detoxification is a key element of a powerful muscle building program. But raw foods can be a real pain. Esme Stevens has done a wonderful job of making raw foods more palatable on her site The Best of Raw Foods. Make sure you check out the Raw Food Detox Guide.

Muscle Building Vitamins, Minerals and Anti-oxidants

Vitamins are a bodybuilders friend. They help the digestion process and ensures that your body spends more time using proteins than trying to find them in your gut.

The same goes for minerals. In fact testing bodybuilders have shown that we lack minerals like zinc, magnesium and others more than our non-gym friends mostly because our demands are higher.

Although fruits and vegetables should be your first choice for vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. There will be times when you will not get your daily share of veggies. I recommend a  top class vitamin supplement like VGF for men or VGF for women. It is organic, has excellent ratios and  perfect for muscle builders.

Sample Muscle Building Diet Plans for Bodybuilders

Want to start your nutrition plan today? Then check out the proven muscle building diet plans in the NNMB Muscle Building Program.

Muscle Cooking: Your final frontier

Try Anabolic Cooking with 200+ Tasty, Muscle Building Recipes. Click Here.

Do you know the most ignored yet the most enjoyable element of muscle building? Its Muscle Cooking.

Although most bodybuilders hate it, learning a few {preferably 10} muscle recipes can be the foundation of your muscle building nutrition.

You get the added benefit go healthy eating, but the biggest reason to learn cooking is that I have never seen a bodybuilder who gained maximum muscle mass eating in restaurants or college/work canteens or cafes.

My own results skyrocketed when I started cooking simple yet tasty muscle breakfast and post workout meals.

I will give you 10 most anabolic recipes here. Download the free ebook and learn the most 10 best, tastiest, mouth watering recipes for gaining muscle mass.

Related Articles:

Muscle Building Recipes

Summary and 5 Key Action Points

My friend, are you serious of gaining mass or is it just a fantasy?

By being serious I mean, real committed. Commitment means no stones unturned in your quest to gain mass.

Then master nutrition. Obsess over it. Develop excellent and eating and cooking habits.

Here are the 5 take away points:

1. To build muscle mass think quality. Quality nutrition is the key. Your body will be as strong, muscular and ripped as the materials you use to build it.

2. Quantity + Quality works like magic. Use the 20X formula to calculate your caloric requirements and eat quality foods & supplements.

3. Use the 40/30/30 ratio for best muscle gains with minimal fat gain.

4. Water, vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants are the glue that hold your muscles and health together. Don’t ignore them.

5. Persist with your selected diet for at least 4-6 weeks before judging the results.

Combine them with high threshold muscle training and quality supplements, and your dream body will be a reality soon.

My Biggest Muscle Nutrition Secret - ENJOY IT!

Muscle building is an enjoyable journey but most bodybuilders think it as a chore, an activity to be done with before they start enjoying their life.

But tell me. What is not enjoyable about eating eating tasty foods as much as you want while continuing to build your dream body?

Nutrition, when mastered, sets you up for life. You will eat healthy, nutritious foods for the rest of your life and years later you will find how much healthier and fitter you are than your non-exercising friends. Its a WIN-WIN situation for you. Grab it!

Related Article:

• 10 Best Books of Muscle building Nutrition
• Right Muscle Building Macronutrient Ratios
• Why 40/30/30 is best Bodybuilding Diet for Men
• Does the 33:33:33 bodybuilding Diet Work?