One of the questions we get asked all the time is how to eat to build muscle, so our Clinical Nutritionist has included some tips for up below based on the latest research!
We see it all the time, you are in the gym lifting heavy most days (sometimes even twice a day!) but you’re not seeing the results as quick as you want. It could be because you are not eating optimally to promote muscle protein synthesis (MPS or in other words to increase your muscle mass). I’ve dug into the latest research for you to give you some pointers! If you need something a little more in depth, you can always book a personalised meal plan via our Smart Start program. It’s as simple as completing an online questionnaire & completing a Fit3D body composition scan from which your daily calories & macros will be calculated based on your current goals & a 21 day meal plan with easy (& delicious) recipes & weekly shopping lists will be sent to you so you can build that muscle mass quicker!
–Calories in Vs. Calories out. When focusing on building muscle mass you want to make sure that your daily calories are greater than the amount that you are burning per day.
-Total daily protein intake. The total amount of protein you should eat per day should be between 1.2-2g/kg per day. The exact amount depends on a few factors including gender, current & goal muscle mass & exercise durations & intensities.
-Protein timing. A high protein meal or supplement should be consumed every 3-4 waking hours. This equals around 5 times per day.
-Protein intake per meal. Each meal should contain between 20-40g of protein. You may have heard that your body can only process 25g of protein in one meal before the rest is unusable as excess. Studies have show this, however, this was with 25g of pure protein (not consumed in conjunction with other macronutrients such as carbohydrates & fats). When the protein is consumed as part of a balanced meal with other macronutrients, more protein can be utilised over a longer period of time, which is why up to 40g of protein can be consumed in a meal.
-Protein quality. When we talk about the quality of protein, we are mostly aiming for a high amino acid content, digestibility & optimal absorption. Animal sources of protein
