Nutrition for Building Muscle

Building muscle is so important for so many important reasons, including, of course, aesthetics! It is not only crucial but essential to ensure your nutritional intake is adequate to do so, according to the 1st law of thermodynamics! You need the basic building blocks that are found in the diet like energy and amino acids to build muscle.

Nutrition can often be a barbed wire topic, especially when it comes to muscle growth. There is much information to sift through and myths out there as well. I will discuss some common myths out there and then point to specific nutritional tools for muscle growth using the latest research. Of course, check with your doctor before making any major dietary changes or starting supplements!

A couple of key foundational concepts to keep in mind:

1. To build muscle, a proper training program must be put in place that incorporates some form of progressive overload. A progressive overload can be defined as "gradually increasing the intensity or difficulty of workouts over time." (1)

2. Nutrition and caloric intake should be adjusted in a way that you are gaining about 0.25-0.5% of your body weight per week. (2) This ensures optimal muscle growth, without gaining a ton of body fat.

3. Sleep must be adequate to optimize muscle growth. It has been found that 7-8 hours each night is essential for hypertrophy. There is a statistically significant decrease in muscle growth and strength when there are less than 6 hours each night. (3) Adequate sleep increases the release of the anabolic hormone IGF-1 which aids in protein synthesis and muscle growth. (3) Less sleep promotes the release of catabolic hormones like cortisol, or it may disrupt the release of other beneficial anabolic hormones. (3)

Myths:

Myth #1: You must eat 6 meals a day

There is currently no evidence suggesting 6 meals a day has some magical powers. (2) The literature shows that there are no effects on body composition based on the frequency of meals throughout the day. (4) Ensuring that overall calories and macronutrients are adequate is what is important. So if you enjoy eating 6 meals a day, that's totally fine! But if you do not have the time or do not enjoy eating 6 times a day, you do not have to!

Myth #2: Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) are essential for muscle growth

Branched Chain Amino Acids are the essential amino acids, leucine, valine, and isoleucine, which all have an alpha-side chain that contains a branch. These can have been known to have some positive benefits, however, the evidence for assisting in muscle growth and hypertrophy is weak. (5) It is more important to consume adequate overall protein intake.

Myth #3: You need to eat right before bed like drinking a protein shake!

There is no evidence that eating right before bed or drinking a casein protein shake before bed is beneficial for muscle growth. The study that popularized this idea did not keep overall protein consistent between the control and experimental group, as the control group consumed less overall protein so it appeared that the experimental group was building more muscle mass due to their nightly protein shake but really, their overall protein intake was just higher! (2) Nighttime casein protein shake does not affect the fat-free mass gain. (2)

Myth #4: Dirty bulking is the most efficient method of gaining muscle.

Dirty bulking or eating as much food as you can each day regardless of the nutritional quality of it Dirty bulking appears to have many more negative side effects, like an excessive amount of body fat gain. (2) As mentioned above, a healthy weight gain for muscle growth is about 0.25-0.5% of body weight per week. (2) This ensures low body fat gain, promotes sustainable growth, and ensures better overall health.

Now that some common myths have been dispelled, let's get to the nutritional tools for muscle growth!

Tools:

Tool #1: Energy (calories)

We cannot defy the 1st law of thermodynamics, so more energy must be consumed than we are using each day. The current research points to eating a hyper-caloric diet of 10-20% more calories above maintenance. (2) There are a couple of ways to go about determining this, some more precise than others. If you currently track your food intake, this is easy, just increase calories by 10% to start with and adjust from there depending on weight gain each week. If you do not track food but have a fairly consistent diet and have a grasp of how much you eat each day, begin adding a bit larger portion of food each meal or sub foods for a more calorically dense option. Some examples of that may be adding a bit more oil when cooking, drinking smoothies or protein shakes in between meals,

Tool #2: Protein

To build muscle, muscle protein synthesis must exceed muscle protein breakdown. (6) As stated above, a progressive overload training program must be put into place in conjunction with an adequate caloric and protein intake, to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. Consuming adequate protein will ensure the proper amount of amino acids is present to stimulate muscle protein synthesis.

So how much protein should I consume?

The RDA (recommend daily allowance) given by the FDA suggests a healthy individual consumes 0.8 g/kg body weight/per day. However, this is the very minimum amount needed to keep you alive and somewhat healthy. To maximize muscle growth, it has been found that consuming 1.6 g/kg/body weight/day-2.2g/kg/body weight/day is optimal for both men and women. (6)

To calculate: (body weight in lbs/ 2.2)(1.6-2.2) = grams of protein to eat each day

The quality of the protein matters too

Muscle protein synthesis only requires Essential Amino Acids (EAA) to stimulate. (6) Essential Amino Acids are the 9 amino acids that humans do not naturally synthesize, meaning we need to consume EAA in our diet. For this reason, "complete protein sources", protein sources containing all 9 EAA, must be consumed. Some examples of complete protein sources include fish, chicken, eggs, dairy, beef, pork, and soy. Consuming these foods will optimize muscle protein synthesis. Examples of incomplete protein sources include legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. (7) As you might have noticed, consuming complete protein sources may be challenging if you follow a vegan or vegetarian diet. It's not impossible but may require more intention and planning. Incorporating complete vegan protein sources like quinoa, chia seeds, soy, and tempeh will be essential.

Of note, protein timing becomes less critical if you consume adequate protein at the end of the day. If you are not consuming adequate protein, protein timing becomes more relevant.

Tool #3: Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates play a critical role in the regeneration of ATP, regulation of thyroid hormones, and getting enough micronutrients, all of which are essential for optimal muscle growth. (6) The regeneration of ATP allows for higher-intensity training sessions which will have a great effect on muscle growth. Carbohydrates also regulate your thyroid hormones which signal skeletal muscle development. Without adequate carbohydrates, thyroid hormones are down-regulated, leading to less optimal muscle growth.

How many carbohydrates do I eat each day?

Although the recommendations for carbohydrates are not as clear as they are for protein, it has been suggested to eat 3-5g/kg of body weight/day of carbohydrates for optimal muscle growth and recovery.

Timing of carbohydrates

It has been suggested that consuming carbohydrates post-workout has beneficial anabolic effects. Meaning it promotes the rebuilding of muscles by replenishing muscle glycogen and promoting the secretion of insulin. (6) Consuming carbohydrates stimulates the pancreas to release insulin, which brings the carbohydrates to your cells to be used. This mechanism has anabolic-promoting properties which is great when muscle building is the goal. (6)

Tool #4: Supplementation

When all aspects are under control, you sleeping well, you are in a progressive overload, consuming excess calories, and eating adequate protein and carbohydrates, then consider adding supplementing to further optimize muscle growth. Supplements cannot replace the basic foundation, but once you have a solid foundation, supplements can aid in optimizing that foundation and building upon it.

Creatine monohydrate:

Creatine phosphate is naturally found in the muscles and is there to provide your muscles energy and help them contract. Supplementing creatine can help increase the force of contraction and energy available to the muscles. It also draws water into the muscles, making the muscles appear larger. It has been recommended to supplement 3-5 g/day. (6)

Caffeine:

Caffeine is a powerful stimulant that can aid in reducing pain and fatigue while training and can improve calcium handling. (6) More intense training sessions = more muscle breakdown = potential for more muscle synthesis. The recommended dose is 5-6 mg/kg before training. (6)

Beta-alanine:

Beta-alanine has been shown to reduce fatigue during training by increasing muscle carnosine levels. It is recommended to take 3-5g/day during periods of high-intensity training sessions. (6)

Citrulline malate:

Consumption of 8 grams/day before training citrulline malate has been shown to decrease muscle soreness and improve strength and power significantly. (6)

Conclusion:

Muscle growth can be a difficult and intimidating endeavor, however, fighting the myths and placing foundational habits in place can make this process much easier. Be careful not to fall into any myths and use the basic tools to optimize muscle growth without gaining excess fat.

Nutrition for Building Muscle

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