Daily diet for gaining muscle mass. How to plan meals when gaining muscle mass for men - example of a diet

For recruitment muscle mass Training alone is not enough. More is needed proper nutrition, which is distinguished by variety, quality and increased volume. If there is insufficient intake of calories into the body, regular, intense and well-designed training does not give the desired result.

Nutrition for increasing muscle mass is the required amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fats that must be supplied to the body. It is important that it exceeds the body's energy expenditure.

Squirrels necessary for tissue growth. The daily requirement for a person is determined at the rate of 1.3 g of protein per kilogram of weight. If their amount in the diet is insignificant, then there will be no gain in muscle mass, as well as an increase in strength. Foods for muscle gain that contain protein include: dairy products, eggs, poultry, fish, meat. For an athlete, the need for protein increases to 2-4 grams per day per 1 kg of weight.

The role of carbohydrates in nutrition aimed at muscle growth is also great: they are needed to digest protein foods. Simple carbohydrates are absorbed quickly (fruits, sugar). Complex carbohydrates (cereals, vegetables, nuts, legumes) burn more slowly. The ratio of simple and complex carbohydrates consumed in food is 35% to 65%.

Fats are responsible for the production of hormones necessary for muscle growth. Thanks to them, the body receives energy, which is enough for long-term training. Therefore, they are necessary in nutrition to gain muscle volume. Healthy fats are found in sufficient quantities in vegetable oil and dairy products. For the body, the best option is considered to be a diet that provides the body with fat in the amount of 65-70% (animal origin) and 30-35% (vegetable origin).

With a traditional 3-4 meals a day, muscle gain reaches 3-5 kg per month. However, it stops after a while, and the reason for this is a lack of food: as the mass increases, the body needs more building material for further muscle gain, more energy, which it receives from carbohydrates and fats.

The human body absorbs no more than 30 grams of protein at a time. There will be no muscle gain if you increase the portion size. This will lead to stomach distension, bloating, and other discomfort. This means that in order to get enough of it, you need to increase the number of meals: it is advisable to increase it to 5-6 times a day. It is important that nutrition for gaining muscle mass takes into account the intensity of training. By bringing the protein intake to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight, the calorie intake increases, which has a positive effect on the final result. It is considered optimal when the ratio of proteins and carbohydrates is 1:3.

You can eat ice cream, honey, etc. foods with a high glycemic index. Carbohydrates absorbed by the body are converted into glycogen, which is “stored” in the muscles and liver and is intensively consumed during training. If it is not enough, the breakdown of protein muscle molecules begins, which leads to loss of muscle volume.

To prevent this, carbohydrate intake after training should be 1.5 g per kilogram of weight: it is suggested to drink, for example, fruit juice. After two hours you can eat pasta. With this diet, the rate of glycogen accumulation in muscles increases

We must not forget about water, which you need to drink in sufficient quantities, since a lot of liquid is lost through sweat, and drinking liquid will help compensate for these losses. Athletes should weigh themselves before and after training: to speed up recovery, they should drink 1.5 liters of fluid for every kilogram of weight lost.

Athletes who want to build muscle are allowed to eat before bedtime, since the body receives energy during sleep by destroying muscle cells. In addition, you cannot refuse breakfast, because... In the morning, energy consumption increases, and the energy accumulated in the evening is spent at night, so that training last day was not in vain, a hearty breakfast was needed.

What else should be included in your diet to gain muscle mass?

In addition to fats, carbohydrates and proteins, the diet should include microelements and vitamins. They are abundant in fruits and vegetables in an easily digestible and natural form.

Vitamin A, which is responsible for skin condition and bone strength, is found in liver, fish, tomatoes, and carrots.
B vitamins, involved in metabolic processes and tissue restoration after training, are also found in fish, as well as legumes, nuts, corn, cereals, and leafy vegetables.
Vitamin C takes part in the synthesis of hormones and new tissues, strengthens blood vessels, promotes rapid healing. Rich in it: strawberries, apples, citrus fruits, cabbage.
Vitamin D strengthens teeth, bones and is found in eggs, vegetable fats and fish oil.

Nutrition for gaining muscle mass will not be complete without a sufficient amount of microelements: calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium.

Calcium needed to strengthen muscles and increase bone strength. There is a lot of it in cheese, milk, cabbage.
Potassium coordinates muscle contractions, supports heartbeat, regulates fluid balance, so nutrition for gaining muscle mass should include fruits, grains, and potatoes.
Iron Maintains the level of hemoglobin in the body, which delivers oxygen to the cells. Iron is present in sufficient quantities in nuts, eggs, liver, legumes, and meat.
Magnesium takes part in the synthesis of enzymes, helps to better absorb carbohydrates and proteins, and is responsible for muscle contractions. In order for it to enter the body in sufficient quantities, you need to eat apples, nuts, corn, and vegetables.

Nutrition for gaining muscle mass should consist of:

dairy products: cheese, milk (protein);
protein: fish, lean meat (amino acids);
vegetables and fruits (minerals and vitamins);
cereals and flour products (proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates).

In addition, it should include foods rich in fiber: fruits, nuts, legumes.

The nutritional rules that allow you to quickly gain muscle mass are simple and must be followed:

The less time left before training, the less food should contain calories and carbohydrates: you can build muscle after a light breakfast in 60 minutes, and after a hearty lunch - only after 4 hours.
Easily digestible carbohydrates do not need to be consumed if there are 30-60 minutes left before class: juice, honey, sugar, jam, compote. This is due to the fact that after 30 minutes glucose begins to accumulate in the liver in the form of glycogen, the level of which in the blood is reduced during exercise by insulin. This means that glucose is not released to the muscles for about an hour, which negatively affects muscle contraction. If there is a long load ahead, such as cycling or cross-country skiing, running, etc., it is allowed to consume simple carbohydrates right before training, because Glucose gradually absorbed from the intestines will go to work the muscles for a long time.
Meals for gaining muscle mass containing carbohydrate foods may include pancakes, muffins (baked goods) and honey or jam. Before training, the menu includes: oatmeal or corn flakes, cereal, low-fat milk, yogurt, juices, fruits. Before training, we do not recommend foods rich in dietary fiber (so as not to want to go to the toilet), foods that promote the formation of gases (onions, beans, cabbage, peas), causing bloating (salty foods), due to which the diaphragm is supported by the stomach, which makes it difficult work of the lungs and heart.

Should meals for gaining muscle mass contain fatty foods?

You can find recommendations about avoiding fat consumption for those who want to gain muscle volume. This is justified by the fact that fatty foods are high-calorie foods that are poorly digestible and cause lethargy. In addition, those athletes who take steroids have to give up foods containing fats in order to quickly gain muscle volume, without putting too much strain on the liver.

On the other hand, fatty foods are beneficial for bodybuilders, because fats are needed for metabolic reactions to occur in the body. Cheeses and lard contain vitamins D and A, the benefits of which have already been described above. In addition, they contain unsaturated fatty acids, which the body does not synthesize, therefore, they must come from the outside, i.e. with food.

Vegetable fats make the walls of blood vessels more elastic. They are necessary for the metabolism of vitamins included in group B, which are important in gaining muscle mass. Vegetable fats are rich in vitamin E and promote the absorption of calcium. Their deficiency negatively affects reproductive function, impairs the ability to contract the heart muscle, and slows down the growth process. But they should not be abused, as this can lead to disruption of metabolic processes and the formation of fat deposits. The situation is further aggravated by taking steroids and refusing to introduce fiber into the diet, which increase the load on the liver.

If fat intake is mandatory for a young body, then middle-aged people need to reduce the caloric content of their diet, i.e. intake of fatty foods. But you shouldn’t turn a reasonable precaution into a phobia: some of the fats of animal origin should be replaced with vegetable oils, fish, nuts, and seeds. It is recommended to switch from whole milk to low-fat milk, as well as to low-fat cheeses.

From time to time you need to monitor your blood cholesterol level: if it is normal, you don’t need to change anything in the menu. But even if it is elevated, you should not exclude fatty foods completely.

Gaining muscle mass starts with burning fat

Nutrition for gaining muscle mass and training are two essential conditions for achieving the goal. But, if the volume of body fat is large, you first need to work on burning fat. Know that fat cells are destroyed throughout the body, regardless of which area is worked during training.

Effective in this case, performed at a good pace for 20 minutes (with three workouts a week) aerobic exercise in exercise machines: rowing, cycling or treadmill. Daily walks of 45-60 minutes, a diet reduced by 200-300 kcal, and refusal to use the elevator are useful.

If the fat layer has stopped decreasing, you need to further reduce the number of calories and increase the pace of walking. After the volume of fat deposits returns to normal, calories can be increased and aerobic exercise reduced, i.e. start strength training, helping to gain muscle.

Counting calories to increase muscle size

When starting to build muscle, remember that this will lead to an increase in body fat, so timely measures are needed: you will need to keep a diary where you record the calorie content of foods consumed per day. As soon as you noticed that body fat the waist area began to grow, correction is needed training program, which should become more intense. At the same time, you should reduce your caloric intake by 10%. If the number of calories is reduced by a large amount at once, there is a risk of stopping muscle gain.

While carrying out intense training and paying attention to proper nutrition, we must not forget about rest. All this will allow you to turn quality nutrition into muscles.

You can later get rid of fat deposits by doing relief exercises.

Special efforts are not required from those who “go on a diet” to increase muscle volume. The diet includes: eggs, fish, milk, vegetables and fruits, cereals, legumes, nuts, seeds, and a lot of coarse fiber foods.

For breakfast you can eat: scrambled eggs with cheese and ham, buckwheat or rice porridge, 300 grams of cottage cheese, a couple of glasses of milk.

Lunch: beef chop weighing 200 grams, wholemeal bread, 1 glass of milk.

Dinner: pasta or potatoes with a piece of beef, milk, fruit.

Second lunch: cottage cheese with raisins (200g), fruit.

Dinner: boiled potatoes or pasta, chicken, nuts, fruits, milk.

Before bed (a couple of hours before) a glass of kefir, 200 grams of cheese.

Often beginners don't realize that nutrition is the key to success. Training is, of course, important, but it comes second. What should proper nutrition be like for weight? We'll talk about this now.

Basic Rules

Now we will try to talk as clearly and concisely as possible about the most important principles that should be followed in nutrition during regular classes bodybuilding. First of all, be aware of the fact that in training you are destroying your muscles, not building them. They grow during recovery (most of all during sleep), requiring a lot of energy for such a process. Where does this energy come from? Of course, from food. In order for your muscles to begin to increase in volume, they must first be damaged (which is what we do in the gym), and then supplied with a sufficient amount of so-called building materials (proteins) and energy (carbohydrates).

It's easy to guess that muscle growth requires an excess of nutrients, and therefore it is important to get more calories than you burn in a day. Of course, the food must be right, because fast food definitely won’t help here.

How many calories does an athlete in the process of gaining muscle mass need? The answer is simple: your weight x 30 + 500. Here is such a simple formula. For example, if you weigh 70 kg, then you need to eat 70 x 30 + 500 = 2900 calories daily. The more you ate, the more you grew. Such is the truth.

Body types

Nutrition for weight cannot be universal, because we are all different. As you know, there are 3 ectomorphs, mesomorphs and endomorphs. The above scheme is ideal for a mesomorph (medium type). For a skinny ectomorph, you can safely add 1000 rather than 500 calories, since such a person has an extremely fast metabolism. As for the endomorph (characterized by a rapid increase in fat mass), such an athlete needs to be more attentive to the consumption of carbohydrates and fats (it is advisable to minimize their intake in the evening), and also reduce the increase from 500 to 200-300 calories. We will talk about diets in more detail below.

Nutrient proportions

This is a rather painful topic. Look around: nowadays there are a lot of obese people who eat an extremely large amount of junk food that gets stored in fat. How to prevent this? First of all, stop eating fast food and sweets (1-2 times a month is possible, of course, but know when to stop), and also take into account the very proportion of nutrients. A healthy diet for muscle mass (its gain) should consist of the following:

Proteins - 20-30%.
Carbohydrates - 50-60%.
Fats - 10-20%.

Protein (protein)

Don't forget that protein is the most important building material for your muscles. Keep in mind that animal protein (or protein) is much better than plant protein due to its higher quality amino acid set. Important information: the amount of protein consumed should be 2 grams (maybe a little more) per 1 kg of weight. Only in this case will increased growth of your muscles begin. Sports nutrition for weight gain will help fill the missing amount of protein if you are unable to consume the required amount of natural food.

Carbohydrates

Let's move on. Carbohydrates are the best source of energy. We think that you remember the most important principle in nutrition: you need to get more energy than you expend during the day. Only a figure of 50-60% carbohydrates in the diet should already indicate the importance of this nutrient. In principle, there should be 2 times more of them than protein, that is, 3.5-4 grams per 1 kg of body weight. It is worth noting that with them the story is approximately the same as with proteins (the presence of animal and plant), because carbohydrates are divided into simple (sweets) and complex ( pasta, cereals). The former, in turn, cause a huge jump in insulin, which is why they are absorbed by the body extremely quickly. This often leads to the accumulation of subcutaneous fat.

Now you understand why eating sweets is harmful (however, fruits are rich in vitamins and fiber, and therefore cannot be neglected). on the contrary, they are absorbed quite slowly (several hours), which allows you to gradually saturate the body with the necessary energy.

Fats

Nutrition for weight (as well as for cutting) must necessarily include fats. Their complete absence can threaten you with health problems. As in previous cases, there are 2 types of this nutrient: saturated (lard, margarine, butter) and unsaturated fish) fatty acids. The former should not make up more than a quarter of the total amount of fat in the diet. Try to use more fish, which is rich in omega-3, which normalizes metabolism and improves heart function.

When is the best time to eat and in what quantities?

Recipe for success. If you split your meals into 5-6 times throughout the day, this will speed up your body's metabolism, helping it better absorb nutrients and enhance fat burning processes. This approach will allow you to absorb more protein, which is so necessary for your muscles.

A diet for weight gain should clearly distribute all the food our body needs into equal parts. Remember the basic principle: carbohydrates always follow a descending line (that is, a lot in the morning and less in the evening), and protein (protein) always follows a straight line (it must be consumed in equal portions throughout the day). This is the golden rule of bodybuilding. Particularly important before and after strength training, since the body needs a huge amount of energy. So what should your diet be like to gain weight? Below is a great example:

2 whole eggs and 3 egg whites + 100 g of oatmeal (can be with nuts or raisins);

250 g pasta (durum varieties) / cereals (rice, buckwheat) + 200 g steak / chicken breast + vegetables;

200 g rice + fish / lean meat + vegetables;

200 g chicken breast with cheese;

200 g cottage cheese / casein shake.

This is how the mass gain turns out. In principle, such a diet is suitable for many athletes. What do we get? In the morning, the body is loaded with a high-quality protein-carbohydrate mixture, which prevents catabolism processes and triggers anabolic reactions.

Training should ideally be between the second and third meals. To maintain muscle glycogen and insulin production while working out in the gym, you can drink various carbohydrate drinks.

In the last two meals, carbohydrates are excluded. The main focus is on proteins.

We especially want to focus on the fifth meal (before bed). Cottage cheese or a cocktail contain casein (the so-called slow protein), which allows you to eliminate catabolism in the body during sleep, as well as saturate your muscles with the necessary building material.

This is what a nutrition program for weight gain looks like. Do not forget also about water (non-carbonated), because even with slight dehydration of the body, the recovery process in the muscles is inhibited. Golden Rule: 1 liter of water per 30 kg of body weight.

Weight gain for girls, whose diet generally coincides with that recommended for men, is somewhat more difficult. Firstly, the fair sex has significantly lower levels of testosterone in the blood. Secondly, they need to receive much fewer calories (1500 kcal per 50 kg of weight), and therefore it is much easier to break down. All other principles remain the same.

Sports nutrition for weight gain

Many beginners overestimate it. In principle, for those people who weigh 70-75 kg, there is practically no point in taking additional nutrition. This is because 140-160 grams of protein and 250-300 grams of carbohydrates are easy to consume with natural foods. Of course, with a gradual increase in quality body weight (over 85 kg), much more nutrients will be required. What sports nutrition is ideal for gaining muscle mass? This is whey protein. This protein supplement is ideal to take after a workout, as well as in the morning when the body is experiencing an energy deficit.

As a rule, modern world-famous manufacturers Dymatize, BSN) make high-quality products with a protein percentage of up to 90%.

No less popular is the gainer. This carbohydrate-protein supplement allows you to replenish energy losses after training (100% recovery is possible only after a full meal, 40-90 minutes after the gym).

Next on the list is creatine monohydrate. This substance will help increase strength and overall muscle mass levels. BCAA will be an excellent choice to take during and after strength training, as it will prevent catabolism in the body.

Sports nutrition will help you achieve your ultimate goal. But do not think that it will fully replace natural food. This is far from true. Imagine a cake. So, the cakes are ordinary food, and the cream is sports supplements. That is, the basis should always be standard food, which will definitely allow you to gain muscle mass. Sports nutrition will only speed up this process by 5-15%.

Anabolic steroid

Anabolic steroids are pharmacological drugs that imitate the action of the male sex hormone testosterone. They allow you to speed up the synthesis of protein (protein) inside cells, which causes muscle hypertrophy (anabolic process). In addition, they significantly speed up recovery time, reduce the influence of catabolic hormones and accelerate metabolism. Of course, such properties allow you to build muscle mass very quickly. However, the use of such drugs entails side effects(liver problems, hormonal imbalance, testicular atrophy, masculinization and others), and therefore you always need to be prepared to deliberately cause harm to the body if you decide to take this path.

The nutritional program for gaining weight of absolutely all professional bodybuilders includes steroids, so do not indulge yourself with false illusions about a huge body without taking doping.

Basic Rules

Summarizing all of the above, we indicate the most important principles in nutrition:

For quality growth, it is necessary to create a positive caloric balance.
Divide your meals into 5-6 meals.
Per 1 kg of body weight there should be 2-2.5 g of protein, 3.5-4 g of carbohydrates and 1 g of fat.
Priority is given to animal protein, complex carbohydrates and unsaturated fatty acids, as well as foods rich in Omega-3.
Carbohydrate before and after your workout.
Carbohydrates should always go in a descending line, proteins - in a straight line.
Avoid simple carbohydrates and fast food.
You can add sports nutrition to your diet, but don’t overdo it, give natural products their due.
Drink plenty of water.
Anabolic steroids will speed up your weight gain significantly, but carefully weigh the pros and cons before you start taking them.

Conclusion

Gaining muscle mass is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. I ate more - I became more. If you are not gaining weight, increase your food intake (especially carbohydrates and protein). If you start to gain fat, reduce your calorie intake. Everything is very simple. Above we described all the subtleties that a weight gain program should have. Good luck in achieving your goals!

The success of building a beautiful, strong, healthy body is the right balance between literate physical training and a balanced diet.

Beginning athletes make a big mistake by relying only on protein products. Of course, protein is the main building block of muscles, but for correct formation beautiful body You also need carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and fats.

The second common mistake is uncontrolled consumption of the most high-calorie foods to gain muscle mass. Low-calorie fruits and vegetables are important for the proper functioning of the body - you shouldn’t give them up completely. But first things first.

Basic principles of healthy eating for gaining muscle mass

Food should be taken 5-6 times per day every 3-4 hours. This is necessary for the uniform supply of nutrients (substances vital for nourishing the cells of a living organism and contained in food) into the body. With 3 meals a day, nutrients are supplied in excess - there is a risk that the body will convert some of them into fat.
Drink a lot. When gaining muscle mass, many processes are activated in the body, which require at least 2.5–3 liters of water per day.
Number of high-calorie foods for correct set weight should be no more than 70% of the total weight of products consumed per day. Low-calorie foods like most fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which are important for proper digestion, nutrient absorption, and overall health of the body. The total daily amount of calories when gaining weight varies from 3000 to 4000.

When planning your diet, maintain the following balance between proteins, carbohydrates and fats:

Carbohydrates 50–60% of the total daily diet;
Proteins 30 – 35%;
Fats 10–15%.

Most of the daily ration (70–75%) should be eaten before 17-00.

About 2 hours before training you need to eat a portion of the product, and slow carbohydrates. Protein is needed to fuel muscles, and carbohydrates will give energy to the body and brain. After training, it is appropriate to drink special sports cocktails containing protein, vitamins and minerals. Entrust the choice of drink and its dosage to a professional - he will help you calculate everything correctly. By using sports nutrition it is possible to resolve the situation when it is not possible to eat properly before training. Within 3-4 hours after training to restore strength after it and replenish glycogen stores in the muscles, it is important to consume a portion fast carbohydrates. However, preference should be given useful products with a high glycemic index, and not “lean” on buns, snacks and sweets.

Use gentle heat treatment of foods (steaming, boiling, stewing). Vegetables, fruits, greens - eat raw.

Monitor the amount of weight gain - it should be about 600–800 g per week. Exceeding the upper threshold should be avoided, otherwise the body will begin to store a lot of fat.

Products for gaining muscle mass

	What are they needed for?	Consumption rate for an athlete	Balance	Products
Squirrels	The main building material of the body	Approximately 1 g per 1 kg of weight	Animals and plants	Lean meat, seafood, dairy products, eggs, legumes, nuts, millet, buckwheat, pearl barley
Carbohydrates	Provides the body with energy and replenishes glycogen in muscles	500-600 g (approximately 5 g per 1 kg of weight)	65% difficult	Vegetables, fruits, grain products, legumes
Carbohydrates		500-600 g (approximately 5 g per 1 kg of weight)	no more than 35% “healthy” fast carbohydrates	Sweet fruits, dates, raisins, potatoes, pumpkin, rice, muesli
Fats	Source of essential acids necessary for building proteins	No more than 1 g per 1 kg of weight	At least 80% vegetable fats	Nuts, seeds and sunflower seeds, as well as their oils
Fats	Source of essential acids necessary for building proteins	No more than 1 g per 1 kg of weight	No more than 20% animals	Dairy fats, fatty sea fish, butter

The Best Foods for Gaining Muscle

Any product contains proteins, fats, carbohydrates, a number of vitamins and minerals, so there are a number of products whose regular consumption will saturate the body with many benefits. List of the most important products for those who want to gain muscle mass:

Lean meat (beef, chicken, turkey).
Seafood and fish. It is enough to consume fatty fish 2 times a week or make up for the lack of healthy fats with the help of fish oil.
Low-fat dairy products (milk, yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese). Eat cheeses and butter in small quantities.
About 6-8 eggs per day. Some nutritionists recommend eating only 2-3 eggs along with the yolks, and consuming only the whites of the rest to avoid cholesterol problems. However, there is no scientific evidence for such a recommendation.
Cereals - porridge, pasta, rye bread as a source of slow carbohydrates.
Legumes are rich in protein and at the same time a source of complex carbohydrates.
Vegetables are a source of carbohydrates, fiber, and vitamins. Just don’t overdo it with starchy representatives – beets, potatoes, carrots.
Mushrooms are rich in proteins, fiber and fats, which are almost completely absorbed by the body.
Greens are a source of micro- and macroelements.
Fruits under glycemic index control. Sweet fruits and berries - bananas, persimmons, pineapples, watermelons - are best eaten after training.
Nuts as a source of protein and healthy fats.
Dried fruits are an excellent source of vitamins and complex carbohydrates. Ideal for snacking.

Nutrition for gaining muscle mass - menu

Diet for 5 days

Sample menu for a week to gain muscle mass:

	7-00	11-00	14-00	17-00	20-00	23-00
Monday	Oatmeal + cocoa + a few pieces of cheese	Boiled eggs + unsweetened fruit + berry compote	A serving of stewed lean beef with beans + tea with honey or jam	Handful of dried fruits	Vegetable salad with herbs and butter + boiled turkey + tea or fruit drink	Yogurt or kefir
Tuesday	Scrambled eggs with bread + tea + apple or pear	Yogurt or kefir	Chicken with pasta + vegetable salad with herbs + compote or fruit drink	16-00 training, immediately after it a handful of dates	Fish with rice + green tea	Handful of nuts
Wednesday	Millet porridge + cocoa	1-2 fruits	Boiled beef + buckwheat + steamed green peas + tea	Cottage cheese with honey + tea	Vegetable salad + boiled turkey + tea
Thursday	Omelette with shrimps and tomatoes + bread + green tea	Tea and a few pieces of cheese (you can have a sandwich with cheese)	Boiled chicken breast + potatoes stewed with mushrooms + buckwheat + tea	16-00 training, immediately after it a piece of chocolate and 2 bananas	Cottage cheese with raisins	Yogurt or kefir
Friday	Buckwheat porridge + milk	Yogurt or kefir	Beef with pasta + vegetable salad with herbs and butter + compote or berry juice	2 unsweetened fruits	Steamed chicken with green beans + green tea	Handful of dried fruits
Saturday	Omelette with vegetable salad + tea + cheese sandwich Training at 9:00, persimmon immediately after	Pumpkin porridge with meat	Cottage cheese with jam + tea	A serving of fish and potatoes + vegetable salad + tea	Yogurt or kefir
Sunday	Barley porridge + cocoa	1-2 fruits or a handful of dried fruits or nuts	Boiled beef with pasta + compote	Cottage cheese with unsweetened fruits + tea	Seafood with vegetables and herbs	Yogurt or kefir

The proposed menu is a recommendation and is subject to individual correction. Compose your diet according to the stated rules, taking into account your daily routine. Proper nutrition is an important step for building a strong, beautiful body! And be sure to weigh yourself weekly to monitor weight gain and timely adjustments to your diet.

Proper nutrition for gaining muscle mass for men who want to gain pronounced muscles should be balanced and tailored to their training goals. We have prepared for you several menu options for training for relief, strength and muscle growth, which you can use to create a diet for a week and stick to it for a month or two. The only thing that is required is an increase or decrease in daily calorie intake, depending on your goals and intermediate results.

Nutrition is the way to getting the figure of your dreams. Your diet will help you get in shape; gain muscle mass, increase muscle definition (burn fat) or maintain the same weight.

Choose your diet for gaining muscle mass and create a regimen and the right combination of diet and training for muscle growth and definition.

Food gives you energy so you can perform properly in your workout. But proper nutrition also helps muscle growth and recovery after training.

The proposed diet includes everything necessary to build muscle tissue and obtain pronounced relief.

When striving for any result - to increase muscle mass, burn fat and maintain body weight - nutrition is the most important component of the process! Food measured in calories nourishes and transforms your body.

Your calorie intake will determine what kind of figure you get:

Building Muscle: If you want to build muscle, your body will need more energy than before to fuel the growth of your body. You need to consume more calories than you burn, i.e. resort to excess calories. However, a forced increase in calorie intake will lead to fat accumulation. Only moderation and gradualness will allow you to control the result and avoid the formation of fat deposits.
Maintaining body weight: This is an easy task when you consume and burn an equal number of calories, in other words, when you maintain calorie maintenance levels. It is with the determination of this indicator that it is worth starting in order to further outline a nutrition strategy for muscle growth or fat burning.
Relief: For muscle definition to appear, calorie expenditure must exceed calorie intake. Those. we're talking about about calorie deficit. In this case, your body will draw energy from the breakdown of fat deposits, which will lead to weight loss. But your body can just as easily process muscle tissue, which is completely undesirable. Therefore, it is worth losing weight gradually. Too much quick loss body weight will ruin your health.

Correct proportions of macronutrients

Macronutrients are nutrients that must be supplied to the body in large quantities: carbohydrates, squirrels And fats. You should calculate the optimal proportions of macronutrients according to your fitness goals: build muscle or burn fat. In simple words, this ratio is affected by:

Your Body Type: Some people are more likely to be overweight than others. They need to cut back on consumption more carbohydrates And fat compared to others who want to “pump up”.
Your fitness goal: Those working on relief are shown a different ratio of macronutrients compared to those gaining muscle mass.
Your gender: Genetically, men are more suited to muscle building than women.

Proportions of macronutrients depending on fitness goals

This diet is based on a universal ratio of macronutrients for any of the tasks: mass gain, cutting and weight maintenance. As mentioned before, we all have different types figures, so you will have to adjust these proportions yourself to achieve maximum results.

Muscle building: carbohydrates – 40%, proteins – 40%, fats – 20%
Weight retention: carbohydrates – 35%, proteins – 35%, fats – 30%
Relief: carbohydrates – 30%, proteins – 40%, fats – 30%

Healthy fats

“Should I cut out fats if I’m going to get lean?” Good question. In reality there is several types of fats. Some of them are harmful, while the body cannot do without others. To burn fat in the body, you not only need to create a calorie deficit, but adding omega-3 polyunsaturated fats will help improve the process of using subcutaneous fat as an energy source.

The benefits of foods are not a decisive condition for proper nutrition.

Nowadays healthy eating involves consuming foods that contain little fat and many micronutrients: vitamins and minerals. Indeed, vitamin-rich foods provide health benefits. However, even when eating exclusively healthy food, you may not get the desired result if the total calorie intake is not normal. Sounds fair, doesn't it?

In other words: calories are calories. You need to focus on macronutrients first, no matter how healthy your sources are. You can't argue against science!

Eating frequently will make you feel better

Usually people who have tried many diets in their time have not lasted to the end on any of them, because this is a difficult task. Most of them are based on the introduction of food restrictions. Therefore, eating an extra grain of rice makes you feel guilty. However, the ability to meet your daily macronutrient intake is much more important.

Both when gaining muscle mass and when eating for relief, we will focus on 3 main meals and 1-2 snacks. But it is acceptable to gain the required amount of calories in fewer meals, this is not so important.

Why? Because 3-4 meals a day will allow you not to feel hungry and will reduce cravings for junk food. The proposed nutrition plan for men will serve as an example that you can adapt to your daily routine. Don't forget to snack between main meals, and monitor your macronutrient levels!

Daily calorie intake for men

Your calorie intake is affected by age, height, gender and the number of workouts per week. Use the calorie calculator.

A healthy man with a balanced diet and moderate activity level will need 2300-2500 calories. Let's take these numbers as a basis.

Converting percentages to grams

First, let’s establish the calorie content of one gram of each of them:

Carbohydrate: 4 Kcal/g
Protein: 4 Kcal/g
Fat: 9 Kcal/g

Now, let's take our 2500 Kcal and the proportions of macronutrients to maintain body weight:

35% carbohydrates: 2500 x 0.35 / 4 = 218.7 g
35% protein: 2500 x 0.35 / 4 = 218.7 g
30% fat: 2500 x 0.3 / 9 = 83.3 g

Cheat meal

You are allowed to treat yourself to a cheat meal once a week. Forget about counting calories. This is a well-deserved reward for your efforts!

Men's Weight Maintenance Meal Plan

The structure of this meal plan will be the basis for all others, so take notes. Some changes in it will allow you to reach the required level of macronutrients.

Normal indicators

Carbohydrates: 35%
Proteins: 35%
Fat: 30%
Calories: 2500 Kcal

Nutrition program for gaining muscle mass for men

The diet for muscle growth is structured in a similar way. However, we will introduce the excess calories by slightly adjusting the foods.

KBZHU indicators

Carbohydrates: 40%
Proteins: 40%
Fat: 20%
Calories: 3000 Kcal

Foods added or removed from the diet to maintain body weight

Men's Relief Meal Plan

The fat burning diet is similar to the weight maintenance plan. In this case, we will slightly change the composition of meals to create a calorie deficit.

Normal indicators

Carbohydrates: 30%
Proteins: 40%
Fat: 30%
Calories: 2200 Kcal

Correction of foods from the diet to maintain body weight

Finally

With the help of the presented nutrition plan, you will gain muscle mass and increase your relief. Remember, this is just a meal structure template. Our bodies are different, be sure to listen to yourself.

Let's summarize all of the above:

If you have any questions, ask them in the comments below.

Nutrition for gaining muscle mass - the correct ratio of nutrients for quick recovery muscles after training and its further increase.

The issue of an attractive figure for men is no less acute than for women. Beautiful slim body toned muscles not only attract the attention of the opposite sex, but also indicate healthy human life. Regardless of the location of the training, in the gym or at home, doing intense exercise For muscle development, the importance of proper nutrition should not be underestimated.

The growth of strength and volume of muscle mass depends on the amount of energy expended and the correct use of “building materials” for its restoration.

Heavy physical exercise promote increased burning of carbohydrates and intensive breakdown of protein. As a result, to maintain good health and replenish energy deficits, you need to follow sports nutrition based on the optimal ratio of BJU. If this expense is not compensated, the athlete’s strength will decrease and he will begin to lose weight rapidly.

Let's consider basic rules, which every athlete who wants to increase muscle mass should adhere to.

Burn carbohydrates with exercise. Consuming 20% more than your daily calorie intake each day will ensure active muscle growth.
To minimize the deposition of fat under the skin, take carbohydrate cocktails 2 hours before. before training and after 1.5 hours. after her.
Remember the fat-testosterone relationship. Excluding animal triglycerides from an athlete’s menu will inevitably lead to a decrease in the production of male sex hormone, which will negatively affect the development of muscle mass. In addition, a lack of fat reduces the endurance of an athlete by 10% and the performance of an athlete by 12%. It also causes a drop in lactic acid during the execution period strength exercises, which is the main sign of ineffective metabolic processes in the body: an increase in the proportion of harmful cholesterol, loss and inability to absorb vitamins and microelements.
The daily intake of triglycerides for intensive development of muscle mass is 80-100g.
Exceeding this indicator several times leads to the launch of the mechanism of subcutaneous fat deposition. That's why effective nutrition for muscle development, prohibits the consumption of excessively fatty foods (salty snacks, chips, margarine, mayonnaise, crackers, smoked meats, spreads).
Reduce cardio loads. To maintain endurance and strengthen the heart, it is enough to limit yourself to cycling training or 1-2 jogs per week for 30 minutes each. Neglecting this condition can lead to “burning” of muscles.
Reduce the number of repetitions per exercise. The training program for gaining muscle mass is designed for no more than 50 minutes. At the same time, it is important to perform up to 12 repetitions in one exercise. The number of approaches should not exceed 5 times.
Balanced nutrition (vitamins, minerals, amino acids, dietary supplements).
Ideal nutrient ratio for muscle gain:
- fats (polyunsaturated fatty acids) – 10-20% of the daily diet;
- carbohydrates (slow or complex) – 50-60%;
- proteins – 30-35%.
a lack of required quantity The lack of useful organic substances in the diet leads to the fact that the body has nowhere to get the required amount of energy to build muscles.
An athlete's daily diet for muscle growth should consist of three full meals and two or three light snacks (fruits, nuts, protein shakes).
Not to starve. You need to eat 1.5-2 hours before. before classes, preferably carbohydrate foods and after 1 hour. after physical activity. IN otherwise training on an empty stomach will lead to the fact that in order to replenish the loss of energy, the body will begin to intensively burn protein reserves necessary for muscle growth.
When refreshing yourself, it is important to control the amount of food you eat - do not overeat.
After training, you cannot remain hungry; you need to nourish your body with foods rich in minerals and vitamins. Banana, nuts, cottage cheese, protein cocktail, bun with milk, kefir, gainer, protein, sandwich with jam. And after 1.5 hours. you need to eat well, preferably protein food, for restoration, muscle growth, otherwise exhaustion of the body cannot be avoided.
Drink plenty of fluids. The daily volume of water consumed during intense training should be 2.5-3 liters. Lack of fluid leads to dehydration, a decrease in muscle strength by 20% and slower muscle growth.
Rest. The growth of muscle mass does not occur during periods of intense exercise, but during the rest of the body. Stretching and muscle growth occurs within 3-7 days. For of this period It is worth following a diet and alternating between exercise and rest.
For beginners, the period of muscle recovery after strength exercises is 72 hours, for trainees – 36 hours.
Healthy sleep should be at least 8 hours. in a day. It is important to avoid stress, since nervousness leads to an increase in cortisol levels in the body, which causes fat deposits and muscle loss. Failure to comply with the rest and nutrition regime helps to pump up muscles without increasing volume.
Change the training program periodically (every two months). For example, introduce new exercises, take extra weight, change the number of repetitions.
Go towards your goal. Don't walk around the gym doing nothing. To achieve the desired result, you need to concentrate as much as possible on performing the exercise.

Following the above key rules for gaining lean muscle mass is an effective path to a healthy, pumped-up body.

In the presence of overweight Before performing strength training exercises to increase muscle mass, it is important to lose excess fat. To do this, you need to take a weight loss course. This is due to the fact that, contrary to popular belief, it is physiologically impossible to “pump” fat into muscles. This will help solve this problem protein diet , .

The importance of water and proper nutrition for an athlete

The key to rapid muscle recovery after physical activity is proper nutrition. An unbalanced diet will negate the results of your workout. The effectiveness of strength exercises depends on the literacy of the athlete’s menu.

Benefits of proper nutrition:

rapid muscle growth;
increased productivity;
possibility of increasing the load during training;
more endurance and energy;
there is no glycogen deficiency in muscle tissue;
improved concentration;
constantly keeping the body in good shape;
elimination of excess fat deposits;
insurance against burning protein reserves required for muscle development;
no need for compliance long breaks between workouts.

A properly designed nutrition program (see in detail) helps to squeeze out maximum energy and strength to perform even the most difficult strength exercises.

Do not underestimate the importance of water during training, since it makes up 75% of the muscles. During sports, an athlete loses a lot of fluid (up to 300 ml in 50 minutes), which leads to dehydration. To prevent violation water-salt balance and, as a result, carrying out an ineffective workout, before starting it, it is important to drink a glass of water, then take a few sips every 10 minutes.

The amount you drink directly depends on the season and the amount of sweat produced. The hotter it is outside and the more sweating, the higher the level of consumption of purified still water should be.

Signs of dehydration:

headache;
dizziness;
fatigue;
apathy;
irritability;
dry mouth;
chapped lips;
lack of appetite;
feeling of thirst.

If at least one of the above symptoms occurs, you should immediately start drinking fluids.

During training, it is allowed to drink freshly squeezed orange juice, diluted with water in a ratio of 50%-50%, or special protein shakes - BCAAs, gainers, which minimize the breakdown of muscle protein, promote energy generation, and speed up the start of the recovery process.

Drug options: MusclePharm Amino 1, BSN Amino X. Immediately after completing the workout, you are allowed to drink milk, green tea, or a protein shake.

Let's consider, using the example of an athletic man weighing 75 kg, the optimal ratio of BJU/calories per day required to increase muscle mass.

Daily calorie intake

For muscle growth, it is important to meet the body's need for the required amount of energy. To do this, you need to calculate your daily calorie intake using the Lyle MacDonald formula or use a specially designed nutrition calculator available on the Internet. In this case, the obtained value should be multiplied by the energy reserve coefficient - 1.2, necessary for muscle development.

Daily calorie intake = Weight, kg * K, kcal/per 1 kg of weight

The K coefficient depends on gender and the intensity of metabolic processes.

In our case, the calculation will look like this:

Daily calorie intake = 75kg * 35kcal = 2625kcal

Taking into account the energy reserve correction factor = 2625 kcal * 1.2 = 3150 kcal

Thus, when performing strength exercises, the diet for muscle development in a man weighing 75 kg should be 3150 kcal. Daily caloric intake in this volume, on average, will provide an increase in muscle mass by 2 kg. per month.

Lack of weight indicates a lack of energy and the need to include an additional 400-500 kcal in the daily diet. If your weight gain exceeds 3 kg in 30 days, you should reduce the amount of calories you eat by 300-400 kcal.

As you can see, an athlete’s nutrition schedule depends on the individual characteristics of the body and is subject to constant analysis and adjustment.

Nutrition chart for gaining muscle mass

Weight slim body, kg	Number of calories consumed, kcal
55	2455
58	2634
63,5	2813
68	3037
70	3136
72,5	3260
77	3440
82	3663
86	3885
91	4064
95	4244
100	4467
104	4646
109	4868
113,5	5091
118	5270
122,5	5494

Body weight is taken into account without fat mass. For example, the “clean kilograms” of an athlete with 95 kg and 12% body fat are 95-95 * 0.12 = 83.6 kg.

After determining the calorie content of the daily diet, we will consider the correct ratio of nutritional supplements, which make up a sports nutrition complex for muscle development.

The daily intake of carbohydrates is 5g/kg – 4kcal/g, protein – 2g/kg – 4kcal/g, fat – remaining, 1g/kg – 9kcal/g.

For a man weighing 75 kg:

proteins – 150g. – 600kcal;
carbohydrates – 375g. – 1500kcal;
fats – 115g. – 1050kcal.

Daily protein intake

The most important building material for muscle growth is protein. When doing strength exercises, it is important to ensure that a sufficient amount of protein enters the body every day, based on the calculation of 1.5-2 g/kg of weight. Slow muscle growth indicates a lack of protein, in which case the norm should be increased to 2.5 g/kg.

The athlete's diet should consist of egg whites, cottage cheese with a fat content of 0-9%, fish, lean meats - beef, chicken breast, seafood. You can replenish the required amount of protein in the body of a bodybuilder who does not consume animal products by introducing plant ingredients into the daily menu. Namely, soy milk, legumes (beans, lentils, peas), seeds, nut butters, nuts (almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, cashews, walnuts, pine, Brazilian, coconut, macadamia, pistachios). However, it is important to consider that a vegetarian diet slows down the process of muscle building due to the lack of animal protein in the diet.

To get the maximum effect, you should drink a protein shake immediately after training, since this is when the body absorbs nutrients best.

As a result of intense exercise, micro-tears of muscle tissue often occur; their healing occurs with the participation of amino acids and protein foods.

The optimal solution for rapid muscle gain is a combination of animal and plant proteins.

Despite the fact that the main building material of muscles is protein, its consumption in excess of the calculated norm leads to an increase in fat deposition in the liver, increased excitability of the endocrine glands, the central nervous system, increased decay processes in the intestines, and an increase in the load on cardiovascular system. Protein in excess amounts will not be absorbed by the body and will not affect muscle growth.

Table of products for the athlete

Name	Protein content, g
Meat and poultry
Beef liver	17,4
Chicken liver	20,4
Chicken (breast, drumstick)	23,09-26,8
Egg	12.7 (6-7g per 1 piece)
Pork	11,4-16,4
Veal	19,7
Fish and seafood
Herring	18
Squid	18
Cod	17,5
Tuna	22,7
Salmon	20,8
Trout	22
Crab	16
Shrimp	18
Pollock	15,9
Halibut	18,9
Milk, dairy products
Cheese 17%	29
Cheese 45%	25
Milk 0.5%	2
Milk 3.2%	2,8
Cottage cheese 0% (dry in a pack)	18
Legumes
Beans	22,3
Lentils	24,8
Peas	23
Chickpeas	20,1
Nuts and seeds
Peanut	26,3
sunflower seed	20,7
Walnut	13,8
Hazelnut	16,1
Almond	18,6

Protein nutrition not only increases muscle volume, reduces fat deposits, but also makes the body of women and men more prominent.

Daily fat intake

Currently, most athletes are wary of triglycerides. However, there is no need to be afraid of fats; if they are consumed correctly (compliance with the daily norm), they do not transform into adipose tissue. On the contrary, they will have a beneficial effect on muscle growth.

Namely, fats take an active part in the production of hormones, which, in turn, are involved in building muscles. For testosterone production, it is important that the daily intake of triglycerides in the body is at least 15% of the total diet.

The following types of fats are distinguished:

healthy (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated);
harmful (saturated).

Monounsaturated triglycerides include: avocados, olives, chicken, olive and peanut meat. These products are a storehouse of healthy Omega 9 fatty acids, which speed up metabolism, stabilize blood sugar levels, and protect the heart from the harmful effects of blood pressure fluctuations.

Sources of polyunsaturated triglycerides (Omega-3.6) are: fish oil, cottonseed, soybean, corn, sunflower, flaxseed, rapeseed oil, as well as seeds and nuts. Fatty acids in this category improve the anabolic response of protein and insulin, increase performance, and increase performance, which is especially important during heavy strength exercises.

Sports nutrition while gaining muscle mass excludes the consumption of saturated triglycerides found in butter, palm, coconut, cocoa butter, lard, red meat, and confectionery products.

This is due to the fact that the molecule of harmful fat is completely saturated with hydrogen and contains “bad” cholesterol, which means it can provoke the development of obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Therefore, the main sources of healthy triglycerides in an athlete’s menu are fatty fish, vegetable oils, and nuts. It is allowed to include milk 3.2%, cottage cheese, cheese 9% in the diet.

Daily carbohydrate intake

The main source of energy is carbohydrates. Nutrition for gaining muscle mass involves taking 5g daily. organic compounds containing hydroxyl and carbonyl groups per 1 kg of own body weight.

The role of carbohydrates is to increase insulin/hormone levels in the body and help repair tissue after exercise. In addition, they serve to transport nutrients directly to muscle cells.

A lack of carbohydrates in an athlete’s diet causes apathy, weakness, decreased performance, and reluctance to continue training. Muscle development is impossible without consuming carbohydrates.

Depending on the rate of splitting, they are:

fast (simple), it is preferable to consume them an hour before, immediately after sports, as they are perfect for quickly restoring spent energy reserves;
slow (complex), they should be eaten 2 hours before physical activity.

Ingredients containing complex organic compounds more than 50g. per 100g: beans, chickpeas, lentils, peas, buckwheat, rice, oatmeal, bread, pasta.

Slow carbohydrates should be included in the daily menu for gaining muscle mass for girls and boys, since they are the main source of energy not only for the muscles, but also for the brain.

Products containing simple organic compounds in moderate quantities - 20g per 100g: all sweet berries, fruits (most in persimmons, bananas, grapes, less in citrus fruits, apples), boiled potatoes, carbonated drinks (lemonade, Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Burn, Schweppes, Pepsi, Fruktime). The latter, in turn, should be avoided, since such drinks do not contain useful substances and do not satisfy hunger.

Products with a minimum carbohydrate content – 10g. per 100g: dairy products, fresh vegetables (eggplant, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots). In addition to enriching the body with healthy carbohydrates, they contain everything necessary (vitamins, minerals, fiber) to improve the digestion of food in large quantities.

Thus, in the process of selecting the optimal ratio of BJU, you should, first of all, focus on your own well-being. If during strength training you experience a surge of energy by consuming more carbohydrates than “allowed” daily norm, the amount of fat can be reduced to 0.8 g/kg.

Pledge successful training– good health of the athlete.

If apathy occurs during physical activity, fats should be increased to 2g/kg, and carbohydrates should be reduced in direct proportion. Adjusting your diet to suit your body’s individual characteristics will increase the effectiveness of your stay in the gym.

A rapid gain of muscle mass is possible only if the following conditions are met:

natural balanced nutrition;
healthy eight-hour sleep;
a properly selected set of strength exercises.

Violation of at least one of them leads to a decrease in the effectiveness of training and a slowdown in muscle development.

Building muscle is a long process that requires self-discipline in nutrition. Eating five meals a day every three hours is a reliable way to achieve the desired result.

The best nutrition for an athlete is fractional; it ensures the systematic intake of food into the body in small doses, which helps accelerate synthesis, improve protein absorption, metabolism, providing positive influence for muscle growth.

It is strictly forbidden to skip meals, go hungry or overeat. In the first case, separate nutrition will not bring the desired effect - the muscles will not increase in volume, in the second - it will lead to excess weight gain and the deposition of fat under the skin.

Sample daily menu for an athlete to increase muscle mass

Let's look at options for each meal. Choose any of them, focusing on taste preferences and individual characteristics of the body (ectomorph).

BREAKFAST

Banana - 1 pc., black bread - 2 slices, omelette from two egg whites of one whole.
Pear – 1 pc., cocoa, oatmeal – 150g, dark chocolate – 30g.
Apple – 1 pc., milk, buckwheat porridge – 150g.
Yogurt – 100g, rolled oats – 50g, cottage cheese 9% – 100g.

SNACK #1 (pre-workout)

Kefir 0% or 1%, cheese – 50g, bread – 2 slices.
Black tea, low-fat cottage cheese – 200g, raspberry jam or honey – 4 tsp.
Unsweetened oatmeal – 150g, jam – 3 tsp, grapefruit – 1 pc.
Apple – 1 pc., nuts (assorted) – 40g, prunes, raisins, dried apricots, prunes – 80g.
Banana – 1 pc., protein – 1.5 scoops, rye bread – 3 slices, peanuts – 30g.

DINNER

Avocado – 150g. (half), boiled turkey fillet – 100g, unpolished rice – 100g.
Beef broth soup – 200ml, dried fruit compote, buckwheat – 100g, chicken – 150g, vegetable salad – 100g.
Rice – 100g, milk 1%, turkey 150g or 2 whole eggs.
Carrot or orange juice, banana – 1 piece, mashed potatoes – 100g, poultry meat – 150g.
Green tea, honey – 2 tsp, vegetable puree soup – 200 ml, fish – 200 g, rice – 100 g, grapes – 200 g.

SNACK #2 (immediately after training)

Gainer + nuts – 40g, dark chocolate – 50g.
Black tea, raspberry jam or honey - 5 tsp, low-fat cottage cheese - 200g.
Banana – 2 pcs., dark chocolate – 50g.
Milk, oatmeal – 150g.
Pineapple smoothie with chocolate pieces, bread - 2 slices.
Apple – 1 pc., egg yolks – 2 pcs., whites – 4 pcs., almonds – 50g.
Dried fruits – 100g, nuts – 40g.

DINNER

Broccoli – 100g, boiled beef/chicken breast – 200g, rice – 100g.
Berry fruit drink, egg whites – 5 pcs, vegetable salad – 150g.
Fish – 200g, green tea, orange – 1 pc.
Nuts – 50g, raspberry jam – 4 tsp, low-fat cottage cheese – 150g.
Buckwheat – 100g, turkey – 200g, vegetable oil – 3 tbsp, cabbage and carrot salad – 100g.
Mashed potatoes – 100g, veal – 150g, stewed vegetables – 100g, banana – 1 pc.

The presented variations serve as the basis for creating a menu for the week.

You can make changes to the nutrition plan: replace products with analogues according to BZHU. To supply the athlete with strength, in 1 hour. before the start of training, the menu (snack No. 1) consists of fast and slow carbohydrates. They act as the main sources of energy. At the same time, proteins and saccharides will help replenish wasted energy and ensure muscle growth after exercise (snack No. 2).

If the nutrition when gaining muscle mass is balanced and calculated correctly, the first results can be observed after 3 weeks.

If at the end of this period there is no weight gain, carbohydrate intake should be increased by 50g. after training, at breakfast.

An example of a diet (schedule) for a vegetarian athlete to increase muscle mass

BREAKFAST

Green tea, tofu cheese – 100g. bread - 2 slices.
Freshly squeezed juice from cucumber, green apple, cabbage, spinach, ginger, celery – 450 ml, protein shake from almond milk (1 glass), banana (1 pc.), soy protein (2 tbsp) – 200 ml.

SNACK #1

Carrot casserole or cheesecakes – 150g, mixed nuts – 40g/peanut butter – 1 tbsp.
Pumpkin-almond oil - 2 tsp, oatmeal - 150g, tofu - 100g.
Protein bar – 1 pc., apple-grapefruit cocktail.

DINNER

Vegetable soup – 250ml, stewed zucchini, carrots, broccoli – 100g, soy meat – 150g, tempeh – 100g.
Burger with avocado and cheese – 1 pc., cabbage salad with tomatoes – 150g, banana – 1 pc., broccoli and spinach cream soup – 200 ml., almond butter – 2 tsp.
“Kion” rice – 100g, lentil and couscous salad – 100g, seitan – 50g, quinoa seeds – 1 tsp, olive oil– 1 tsp.
Pea soup - 200ml, cheese - 100g, buckwheat porridge - 100g, tomato and spinach salad - 100g.

SNACK #2

Kefir, pumpkin or sunflower seeds – 80g, fruit jam – 5 tsp, bread – 1 slice.
Dried fruits – 100g, peanut butter – 1 tbsp.
Protein shake made from banana, almond milk and hemp protein with dark chocolate pieces.

DINNER

Flaxseed porridge – 100g, steamed pumpkin-carrot cutlets – 3 pcs, berry smoothie or jelly, cabbage salad, tomatoes, walnuts – 150g.
Rice or mashed potatoes with cheese – 100g, boiled broccoli – 150g, avocado – 100g (half), tofu – 50g.

Vegetarian nutrition during the period of gaining muscle mass should be as balanced as possible. Animal proteins (fish, shellfish, eggs, meat) should be replaced with: tempeh, nuts, kefir 0%, low-fat cottage cheese, yogurt 2.5%, Mozzarella, Riccotta cheeses, soy products, tofu, legumes. However, you should not overload your body with protein products. To increase muscle mass, the daily protein intake is 2g/kg, for maintenance – 1.5g.

For vegetarians, the ideal training regimen is intense but short (up to 30 minutes). This is due to the fact that prolonged exercise “uses up” a large supply of protein, which is problematic to accumulate on foods of plant origin.

Age, gender, adaptation, the body’s adaptation to intense strength exercises, poor diet, stress, and nutritional deficiencies lead to slow progress and delay the achievement of the desired result. Special supplements will help speed up the “building up” of muscles, fill gaps in the athlete’s diet and lack of nutrients (minerals, vitamins, dietary supplements, calories, amino acids).

The best basic sports nutrition for intensive muscle growth and health maintenance is glutamine, BCAAs, multivitamins, omega-3. Protein did not fall into this category of fundamental components due to the sugar/lactose content, which should not be consumed during the drying period.

Let's look at the most popular sports supplements, how to choose them and features of use.

Glutamine. It is the most abundant nonessential amino acid in muscle. Despite the fact that the human body produces it on its own, additional use of the supplement at night, after training, reduces protein loss, relieves pain, activates the body's protective properties, stimulates the production of growth hormone, promotes fat metabolism, increases glycogen reserves, neutralizes the toxic effects of ammonia, and resists catabolic processes.
Exercises in the gym aimed at increasing muscle mass increase the need for glutamine by 4.5 times, since during the period of intensive muscle development its amount in the blood drops by 18%.
An athlete's daily requirement for amino acids is 5-7g. and depends on body weight. For a teenager it does not exceed 3-4 years.
Natural sources of glutamine: eggs, spinach, parsley, fish, beef, milk, cabbage, legumes. You can compensate for the lack of amino acids by including a sports cocktail in your home diet. Cooking recipe: 10g. Dilute the powder in a glass of water.
You need to take the glutamine drink three times: on an empty stomach, before bed, after training.
BCAA is a group consisting of three essential amino acids: valine, leucine, isoleucine. The primary role of the supplement is to reduce the harmful effects of catabolism, which interferes with muscle growth. In addition, BCAAs are the basis for protein synthesis and energy production. During intense exercise in the gym, the athlete’s body experiences an increased need for this amino acid. A lack of BCAA leads to the fact that the body begins to destroy muscle tissue to make up for its deficiency, which absolutely cannot be allowed.
Products that contain a complex of valine, leucine, isolecine amino acids - eggs, peanuts, tuna, beef, turkey, chicken, salmon.
The daily requirement for BCAA for an athlete to gain muscle mass is 10-20g, a single dose should not exceed 4-8g.
If the above products are not consumed in sufficient quantities (the table of BCAA content, mg per 100 g of ingredient is presented online), the athlete’s body begins to experience a nutrient deficiency. To meet the daily requirement for amino acids, you need to include a sports supplement in your diet. It is optimal to include it in your diet before training and immediately after it.
For achievement best effect It is better to combine BCAA with gainer, creatine, and protein.
Omega-3. Healthy unsaturated fatty acids improve blood circulation and brain function, reduce appetite, speed up metabolism, prevent muscle breakdown, have a general strengthening effect on the body, and have a positive effect on heart function.
The main sources of omega-3 are tuna (0.5-1.6g per 100g), salmon (1.0-1.4g), mackerel (1.8-5.3g), halibut (0.4-0.9 ), herring (1.2-3.1), trout (0.5-1.6), flax seeds (22.8g), oat germ (1.7g), walnuts (6.8g), beans (0.6g).
Meals for gaining muscle mass for girls and boys should include 2-3g. unsaturated fatty acids.
You can add omega 3 by consuming fish oil in 2-6g capsules. per day with food.
Gainer is a nutritional supplement for athletes, consisting of 60% carbohydrates and 35% protein. Some manufacturers (Weider, MuscleTech, Dymatize, Ultimate, API, Multipower, Prolab) add trace elements, glutamine, vitamins, creatine to the drink, which nourish the body, compensate for lost energy reserves, increase the anabolic effect, and improve the absorption of the drug.
With a gainer, the athlete receives an additional amount of “building materials” necessary for muscle growth. It’s easy to prepare a nutritional cocktail from the concentrate: just dilute 100g. powder in 300 ml of liquid (water, milk 0.5% or freshly squeezed orange or apple juice).
You need to drink the drink in the morning, 30 minutes before and after classes. You can drink a carbohydrate-protein shake at night an hour before bedtime. Budget nutrition for muscle growth consists of the following types of gainers: Super MASS Gainer, Anabolic Muscle Builder, Optimum Serious Mass, Up Your Mass, BSM True-Mass, Weider Mega MASS, which can be used as a partial replacement for your usual food.
Creatine is an organic compound that, when introduced into the body, serves as “fuel” for muscle contractions.
Natural sources of the substance – cod (3g/kg), salmon (4.5g/kg), tuna (4g/kg), pork, beef (4.5-5g/kg), herring (6.5-10g/kg) , milk (0.1g/l), cranberry (0.02g/kg).
Creatine increases muscle strength and endurance and quickly restores their energy potential. However, for it to influence sports results, you need to eat at least 5 kg of meat per day, which is quite problematic. You can saturate the body with an organic compound by taking a dietary supplement before and after training, 5 g.
Protein is a fundamental, inexpensive nutrition for intensive muscle growth and has the highest biological value. In addition to essential amino acids, the powder contains reducing impurities and microelements. It inhibits myostatin synthesis, stimulates muscle growth, increases energy production, suppresses catabolism, burns fat.
There are the following types of protein: vegetable - soy, animal - casein, whey, egg.
Rating of the most effective sports supplements is headed by whey protein, which, after entering the body, is quickly absorbed into the gastrointestinal tract, sharply increasing the concentration of amino acids in the blood.
To achieve maximum effect, your post-workout meal should consist of protein and BCAAs.
In its natural form in 100g. The product contains protein: meat (25-29g), fish (21-22g), cottage cheese (12g), seafood (21-23g), cheese (23-28g), tofu (17g), lentils (25g), buckwheat (12.6g), egg (6g), chickpeas (19g), a glass of kefir and milk (3g). The daily dose of protein during muscle building is 2 g/kg body weight. A single serving of protein shake is 30g. powder per 250 ml of water, juice, milk.
You need to drink a protein drink up to 5 times a day: in the morning, 1.5 hours before and immediately after training.

Despite a wide range of dietary supplements, for fast and safe muscle gain it is important to ensure that the protein intake is 50% from food sources and 50% from sports supplements.

Often athletes who strive to develop muscles are faced with the problem of how to properly prepare food. Monotony in nutrition is a serious obstacle to the desired result. A diet for muscle growth should contain plenty of protein and complex carbohydrates.

You can diversify an athlete’s diet by introducing the following dishes from permitted products: cottage cheese muffins, cheesecakes, squid salad, protein, pea cream soups, omelette with vegetables, tuna, tofu, banana dessert, almond jelly, yogurt sorbet, veal liver with raspberry sauce, oatmeal pancakes with pineapple, chicken sandwich, diet homemade cheese, seafood in sour cream sauce, grilled salmon, pike perch with horseradish, Italian scallops, shrimp with bell pepper. Recipes for these dishes are presented online on the sports nutrition website http://sportwiki.to.

A balanced diet, a well-chosen set of strength exercises, drinking plenty of fluids, and alternating the “training-rest” regime are fundamental factors, the observance of which leads to a rapid gain of muscle mass.