Skinny Guys Diet to Gain Muscle

If you're naturally thin and want to gain muscle mass, not only do you want to work out with weights, but you also have to eat right to support your workouts. You want to stick to a disciplined diet to gain muscle for the long term.

First of all, if you have skinny genetics and want to gain more muscle, you are required to eat more calories.There are certain nutritional strategies that will make your weight training program more effective. Let me explain.

There are three macronutrients you need to consider in your muscle gaining diet: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. These are your sources of energy (measured in calories) which is required for basic survival and to fuel your workouts. There is one other consideration - alcohol. If you drink, you will want to think twice about doing so because alcohol can affect your ability to gain muscle. Not only can alcohol affect your workout intensity from the hangover, but it also lowers your testosterone and increases estrogen!

Although alcoholic drinks contain a lot of calories, it's empty calories as it doesn't contain nutrients. Swap the beer for drinking plenty of water, and remember that most other beverages like fruit juices are good sources of calories.

Protein

Let's start with protein. You need protein for muscle building, but it doesn't do it alone. If you eat a lot of protein and don't work out, you won't build muscle, although you may build fat. If you eat a lot of meat, you probably already get plenty of protein. Other good sources of protein include fish like tuna and salmon, chicken, turkey, egg whites, soy products, and whey protein powder.

The Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for protein intake is 0.8g per kg or 0.36g per lb of body weight. To give an example, a 140lb person would need to consume about 51g to meet their RDA. Don't forget though that you are consuming more calories compared to the general population, and those calories have to come from somewhere. So, it would be wise to increase your protein intake to something like 1.5g per kg or 0.7g per lb of body weight

Fat

You will also want to consume a certain amount of fat in your muscle gaining diet. One gram of fat contains twice the number of calories then one gram of protein or one gram of carbohydrates, so it makes sense to incorporate healthy fats in your diet as they are a good source of extra calories when you want to gain weight.

The fats you want to consume are monounsaturated fats like olive oil and avocados, as well as polyunsaturated fats such as oily fish, flax, and some raw nuts. If you don't eat much fish like tuna and salmon, it would be a good idea to supplement your diet with a product like flax seed oil and cod liver oil to help build muscle.

Minimize the amount of animal fat and trans fat, as these clog up your arteries. How much fat you should consume for gaining muscle is controversial. Some individuals thrive on less than 10% fat in the diet, and this can be quite healthful, but not too many people can be this restrictive in their eating. The most generally accepted maximum is 30% of your diet (calories) as fat. I favor something like 20-25%.

Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are the body's preferred energy source. Carbs have gotten a bad name recently, but consider that fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains, are mostly carbohydrate. These foods are packed with nutrients. Don't avoid carbs, but watch out for too many processed grains and high sugar foods and supplements. If you are getting a high calorie weight gainer to help meet your calorie intake requirements, make sure it's not full of sugar. Eat good carbs and minimize bad carbs. Anybody who works out needs a lot carbs, at least half of your calories. Without sufficient carbohydrate in your diet to gain muscle, you won't have the energy which is required for an intense workout session.

Meal Frequency

So when do you eat all this? You will do best if you eat several times a day, preferably five or six proper meals a day. Don't go more than four hours without eating. For example, you could have five equal meals, or three main meals and two high calorie snacks. Whatever works for you. Never skip breakfast or other meals. Being disciplined with your diet is the key to success.

Have a meal with protein, fat, and carbohydrate at least three times a day. If you want to gain muscle, consume high calorie foods and larger portions, and the frequent eating keeps your body in anabolic state.

How Many Calories Should I Eat to Gain Muscle?

The best thing to do is get some idea of how many calories you typically eat and factor in your activity level in the calculation. Then, consume 300-500 calories more per day and you will gain muscle weight if incorporated with a weight training program. You're not going to have much success working out if you don't eat enough. Yes, this requires keeping a food diary for a few days, and making some calculations with a calorie counter, but it takes out the guesswork. Once you get an idea of where you are, it makes planning a muscle gaining diet easier to see how many calories you need to eat to gain weight. Try to also get your body fat percentage tested, too. Now monitor your weight closely to see what effect your weight training program has. It's a bit of trouble, but it's worth it.

The source for information on how to gain weight and build muscle naturally. Also, checkout the recommended muscle gain program if you want to accomplish your goals fast!

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