So you should have seen Part One of my Top 10 tips for muscle gain and hopefully you’ve been really honest with yourself and are looking at making a few very simple changes.
Don’t forget our Muscle Gain Checklist is designed to help you find out how well what you eat is matched to your goals… USE IT! Get it here
But now I have three more tips for muscle gain right here in Part Two of my Ten Tips for Muscle Gain.
1. Include a small serve of protein rich food with each meal and snack
Protein rich foods make meals and snacks more filling. So it makes good sense to include a small serve of protein rich (aka filling!) food at each meal and snack throughout the day. You don’t need to follow a high protein diet, just look at what you are eating and consider better distribution of your protein intake.
Most Aussies ‘back end’ their protein intake; by that I mean they eat half or more of their daily protein intake at dinner. Instead, keep your serve of protein rich food at dinner to no more than a deck of cards (about 100-120g) but add some lean ham and low-fat cheese to your sandwich at lunch, 2-3 poached eggs at breaky or include a natural Greek yoghurt as a snack. You will feel fuller for longer and avoid hunger pangs that can wreak havoc with your meal plan.
These 15-30g hits of protein at each meal and snack also help maximise muscle building after training. Bigger hits of protein than this don’t offer any further benefits; you’re better off allocating more of your plate real estate to some energy restoring carbs.
How much protein exactly at each meal? Aim for 0.3g/kg your body mass i.e. approx. 20g for a 70kg person.
Some examples:
· 200g low fat Greek yoghurt
· 150g raw (120g cooked) meat/poultry/seafood
· 60g low fat cheese
· 90g tin tuna
· 175g Zeagold egg whites or 3 large eggs.
2. Base your meal plan on 3 main meals and at least 2 mid-meal snacks
There’s a perception that smaller, more frequent meals help keep your metabolism up and can help with weight management. Recent research has shown this is NOT actually true but there are a few reasons why this style of eating can be beneficial for active individuals.
· Eating more often provides regular energy top-ups and prevents you from getting over-hungry… a common mistake that leaves you vulnerable, eating everything in sight, and over-eating.
· Pre- and post-training snacks deliver fuel to the muscles when they need it most, maximising your bang for your buck.
· If you are trying to ‘beef up’, including more frequent protein hits also keeps muscle building turned on throughout the day.
3. Be smart with alcohol consumption, if you choose to drink
Regular alcohol consumption can really impair your ability to achieve your challenge results. Alcohol is energy dense, containing almost the same energy/calories as fat, yet doesn’t provide any nutrients i.e. empty calories.
And alcohol is actually an irritant to the intestinal tract, which is one reason why you feel average after overdoing it.
I know alcohol is a big part of socialising but… how much do you want this?
So that’s a wrap for Part Two of my Top Ten Tips for Muscle Gain.
But if you need more support to plan your meals or measure your fat loss, BOOK HERE for a consultation with a dietitian or DEXA scan.
And if you don’t have our Muscle Gain Checklist yet, what exactly are you waiting for? Get it here