When it comes to building lean muscle and getting stronger we all talk about diet being important yet at the same time so many of us get caught out focusing on the things that make the least significant change.
Whether that’s;
“Should I eat chicken or tuna?”
“What brand of pre-workout is the best?”
Or my favourite;
“Won’t eating carbs make me fat?”
The reality is nutrition for building lean muscle is relatively simple, sure you can dive deep down the rabbit hole with it as well but whatever answers you find there are you really going to put them into action anyway?
Essentially all training and nutrition is about what can you put into action that works and won’t have you stuck carrying your tupperware containers with you everywhere you go…
So to make things simpler we’ve given you our 7 rules of nutrition plus one bonus rule of life when it comes to building muscle and getting strong.
Calories Are King!
When I was first getting into lifting I thought I ate a lot. My family nicknamed me ‘Horse’ after my eating habits (probably a combination of the amount and the noises I’d make when eating haha). But after a while where I couldn’t put on much weight even when I was training hard I decided to count how many calories I was taking in. When I finally looked into it I realised I wasn’t eating nearly as much as I thought. I made a conscious effort of bumping up my calories and before I knew it started to put on muscle much faster than before.
It doesn’t matter what supplements you are taking or how much protein you are eating regardless of what the guys at the supplement stores tell you if you consistently don’t eat enough calories. So where should you start?
Check out our chart above for your guide to calories based on your goals. The idea would be to start with the recommended calories, follow it for 2 weeks and if you haven’t started to put on weight then add 250 calories per day. Repeat this process until you are putting on weight at a rate you are happy with without too much bodyfat.
Likewise if this starts too high for you then drop 250 Cal from it and reassess.
More Protein, But Not That Much
One of the biggest problems many people face when training to build muscle or even lose body fat is they don’t eat enough protein. We were taught from a young age that a carb based breakfast like oats or cereal is the best way to start your day, most people then have sandwiches or salads for lunch out of simplicity, maybe a bit of fruit and nuts for a snack and then a small portion of meat for dinner. This comes up somewhere around 60-70g protein per day, significantly short of the target of 2 grams per kilo of bodyweight.
On the other side of this most of the guys who read the muscle magazines or follow the bodybuilder type diets have been told to eat up to 300g per day. For one this is ridiculously hard to eat this much meat but on top of that you will be dropping stinkbombs all day while your body tries to process all the excess protein that it’s not actually using for building muscle.
The sweet spot for most of us tends to be somewhere around the 2g per kilo of bodyweight mark and you can potentially round that up to your goal weight eg. a 80kg guy wanting to get to 85kg would aim for 170g of protein per day.
Best sources for protein are meats, fish, poultry, dairy and eggs. Even though grains, seeds, nuts and legumes all still contain protein, the amino acid profiles aren’t complete so you need to combine it with other foods to completely absorb the proteins.
Carb Up To Build Up
Carbs have got a bad wrap in the last few years and for people who are sedentary and wanting to manage their weight it’s within reason. But, when it comes to building muscle and strength, nothing helps more than having sufficient carbs to fuel workouts, help recover the central nervous system and take advantage of insulin to facilitate an anabolic response.
The piece where carbs become a problem is where someone who is already insulin resistant starts packing in way too many carbs for them to handle. A general rule of thumb is the leaner you are the better you are able to handle carbohydrates. If you are unsure of how your body handles carbs aim to start at around 3 grams per kilo of bodyweight and scale up from there. Some people can tolerate upwards of 500 grams of carbs per day whereas others may get better results in the range of 250-300 grams.
The best sources for carbs can vary from person to person as some people have different food intolerances so you will need to try out some and see what works for you. Some examples include rice, potatoes, quinoa, fruit, oats, wholemeal pastas and breads.
Fats Won’t Make You Fat
Fats are essential for hormone production to optimise performance and function in the body yet most people are scared that eating fats will increase the fat around their stomach. Now you don’t need to eat huge amounts of fats keto style to build muscle but you can’t be afraid of getting some fats in.
Now fats have the most amount of calories so it’s important to not go overboard. A good starting point for most people is 0.85 grams per kilo of bodyweight and then adjusting from there.
When getting your fats, most of it will come from the protein sources, oils you cook with and then some extra from foods like nuts, avocado and coconut.
Get Your Greens
We all know that we need to eat our veggies to get sufficient nutrients in but we are all pretty quick to forget about actually getting them into our diet. The vitamins and minerals we get from eating a variety of fruits and vegetables play crucial roles as catalysts in chemical reactions in our body to help us function at optimal levels.
Let’s not complicate this too much and just focus on getting 1-2 fist sized portions of fruit or veggies at each meal of the day.
When it comes down to what to eat, try to vary up your intake based off what’s in season and ensuring you get a wide variety of colours textures and flavours.
Optimal Gains With Performance Nutrition
The supplement companies will have you believe that you need to slam your protein shake down within 5 minutes of finishing your workout to maximise your anabolic window and build muscle. Now the research shows this simply isn’t 100% true, there’s definitely some value to getting in nutrients straight after training when your body craves it the most but it’s not going to make or break your results. If you have followed the above rules then this can definitely be a great way to boost your results if you have the lifestyle that allows it. It’s also not so much the protein we are concerned about here.
When it comes to workout nutrition we look at the overall 3-4 hour period of your workout, that’s the last hour or so before, during your training and the next few hours afterwards. In that time we want to ensure we have enough energy available to sustain intensity in the workout, prime the nervous system for high energy outputs and then refuel afterwards to promote protein synthesis, restore glycogen levels and recover the CNS prior to the following workouts.
Here’s my guidelines I try to follow, remembering these can be in wholefoods not just supplements:
Pre:
Small serving of carbs 20-30g (a piece of fruit works well for me)
During:
Water
Intra workout carbs 60g per hour of training (optional – if you can tolerate it and have a higher total carbs per day ie. 400+)
Post Workout:
Protein 30-50 grams (roughly 0.5 grams per kilo)
Carbs – 80-100g (roughly 1 gram per kilo)
Supplements As Supplements
I remember one of the first times I went to ASN and got sold onto “The Incredible Bulk” weight gainer shake. I was told to have it twice a day; with breakfast and post workout. I got stuck straight into it and before I knew it I had finished the whole tub but I hadn’t gained any weight. My problem was I started having a smaller breakfast since I was having the protein shake as well. So instead of adding calories I had just replaced them. I realised this and started to eat more at breakfast before drinking the shake afterwards and before I knew it the weight started to come on. The lesson here is that supplements can’t replace foods or cover up a shitty diet get the rest of these 7 rules right first and then the supplements can come in handy.
We believe in a few staple supplements like a high quality grass-fed whey protein isolate, fish oils and greens supplements or multivitamins if you have trouble getting enough nutrients in. Low stim pre-workouts containing beta-alanine, arginine and creatine (like our Newstrength Move, exclusive to our clients) can also have a place when the rest of your diet is on point.
If you are interested in checking out what supplements actually work go to Examine.com. These guys are awesome and summarise all the current research on nutritional supplements on their website.
BONUS RULE – Eat Burgers, Drink Beer And Lift Heavy Things
This one is more a rule of life rather than just nutrition for getting jacked. One of the things we believe in is that the gym should add to your life rather than just being your life. We’ve been there, not going out with friends because you don’t want to miss your meal, can’t have a drink with your partner because it will ruin your gains.
Yes I agree you won’t see optimal results if you have too much leniency but the journey to building lean muscle isn’t just so you can stand in front of the mirror at the gym and look good. It’s about becoming your best self so you can bring that best self out to the world.
That’s why we have burgers, beers and lifting nights at Newstrength. We get to have a bit of fun, eat food, enjoy a few drinks and most of all each other’s company.
So get out there, follow our rules and get the results you want but don’t forget to enjoy a burger and beer with a friend every now and then.