It All Depends on Your Diet: Tips for Building Muscles

Perhaps you know the saying, “Abs are made in the kitchen.” This might sound a bit crazy at first. But what it actually means is that your diet is just as important as your workout. Are you looking to pack on more muscle, lose weight and fat or simply get more defined? Then you are on the right track with Results and your customized 12-week training plan. But you’ll never maximize your results and achieve your goal if you don’t eat the right diet. We have put together some tips for you to help you reach your personal goals together with Runtastic.

Do you want to build muscle and gain definition?

The more developed your muscles are, the less likely you are to suffer injuries. Plus, you burn more calories after you finish training due to the afterburn effect. A well-trained body not only looks great, but it also brings with it other advantages. More muscle mass increases your basal metabolic rate, meaning that you burn more calories after your workout. Muscles need protein in order to grow. You can help your body build muscle by eating a diet high in protein. Building muscle depends just as much on your diet as it does on your workout: If you don’t eat right, your body has trouble putting on and maintaining muscle mass. Muscles are made of protein and constantly require more of it to build and maintain your body’s present state. If your body gets too little protein, then it starts to break down your own muscles for the protein.

It is very important to make sure that you consume enough protein before and after your workout to maximize your training performance and to get the most out of yourself. You don’t have to start thinking about eating something during your workouts until they last 90 minutes or more. For short training sessions, a snack before your workout is all you need. Avoid fatty and high fiber snacks before working out. These are hard to digest and sit like a lump in your stomach during your workout. Strong muscles are often hidden under a layer of fat and need help to get them to show. Would you like to make your muscles visible? Then you must get rid of the excess fat while maintaining as much muscle mass as possible.

These foods can help your muscles grow:

• Water
  Your muscle tissue is also made of water and depends on a constant supply of fluids. Foods like salad or other vegetables contain a lot of water.
• Eggs
  With eggs, it’s not a question of quantity, but quality. Eggs contain almost all essential amino acids, the building blocks of protein, and promote muscle growth.
• Legumes
  Legumes like beans or lentils contain vegetable protein as well as zinc. Without zinc, your body cannot build muscle. But be careful because legumes also contain a lot of fiber and therefore should not be eaten right before working out.
• Berries
  Antioxidants and vitamins boost muscle growth.
• Meat and fish
  Meat and fish are key providers of protein. After intense strength training sessions, these are just what you need to replenish your protein stores.
• Nuts
  Walnuts, almonds or Brazil nuts are not only a good source of protein, but fatty acids too. Vegetable fats are especially important for building muscle. That is why no diet should be without the polyunsaturated fats in nuts, olives or canola oil.

Is fat and weight loss your goal?

When you work out more than usual, you burn extra calories, thus increasing your hunger. Being hungrier is not necessarily a bad sign, but you need to make sure that at the end of the day you are eating more calories than you are burning. Are you looking to lose weight? Then you have to create a negative energy balance. One good way to lose weight and burn fat is to eat three meals per day. Treat your body to food-free periods and skip high-carb snacks between meals. Four or five hours between meals should give your body the time it needs to burn fat.

“If you want to lose weight, don’t eat after 7pm and avoid carbohydrates” – you often hear this, but it’s not quite accurate. Carbohydrates provide quick energy, which is especially important when you engage in physical exercise. But if enough sugar is available, your body stops burning fat, thus promoting the storage of fat. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to completely eliminate carbohydrates from your diet. For example, it’s a good idea to eat a meal high in carbohydrates and protein after working out. Plus, carbohydrates facilitate the absorption of minerals. Thus, as you can see, carbohydrates are not all bad. 😉 The main thing is that you eat the right carbohydrates (brown rice, whole grain pasta, quinoa, etc.). The best way to eat them is in 30 g portions together with protein and that starting first thing in the morning!

The right diet together with your Results training is all it takes. We’d love to hear what you like to eat before and after your workout. Do you tend to be very strict about your diet or do you like to treat yourself to something bad once in a while?

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