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The 3 Essential Steps of Muscle-Building Nutrition


A man sitting on a bench in the gym eating a protein bar

When it comes to nutrition for muscle-building, the abundance of online advice available can be overwhelming. You might have seen countless YouTube videos and insta reels that claim to hold the secret to achieving maximum gains. But the truth is, effective muscle building nutrition doesn't have to be overly complex.


In this post post, we'll cut through the noise and zoom in on the 3 essential steps of muscle-building nutrition. By concentrating on these principles, you'll simplify your nutrition journey, make it work sustainably within your lifestyle, and make significant progress in your muscle-building goals.


A quick note - Effective resistance training will always be the strongest stimulator of muscle growth. What we're about to discuss is how nutrition best supports muscle growth after the training.



Step 1: Prioritise Protein Intake Protein is the cornerstone of muscle building nutrition. It's the primary nutrient responsible for muscle recovery and growth. Without the essential building blocks that assemble to form muscle tissue, muscle growth will be minimal. It's as if tradies arrived at the construction site, but somebody forgot to deliver the bricks. While there's a lot of information out there about the ideal protein intake, it doesn't have to be as complicated as some suggest.


How Much Protein Do You Need?

For optimal muscle growth, aim to consume around 1.6 grams of protein per kg of body weight per day. A 70kg man would look to consume around 112g per day.

This guideline provides a minimum for maximising muscle gains. Adjusting slightly higher if you prefer is acceptable. As an insurance policy, one could go up another 20-30 grams, but it's not essential - nor is it harmful.


Meeting Your Protein Goals

Meeting your protein goals doesn't have to be a struggle. You can incorporate protein-rich sources into your meals, such as lean meats, poultry, fish, tofu, beans & legumes, and low fat dairy.


With a "protein aware" nutrition strategy - that is, ensuring that all main meals have a serving of protein rich foods, and snacks contribute where needed - you'll likely get very close or all the way there. A palm sized portion of chicken or beef will provide 25-30g. A tin of tuna, 15-20g, and a 150g serve of yoghurt will provide 15-20g, depending on the brand.


I'm aware that there is a good subset of the population that don't eat meat. Here you may need to increase overall protein intake a bit, and focus on food combinations, such as rice & beans, hummus and bread to ensure access to the full spectrum of amino acids.


If you find it challenging to reach your daily protein intake through whole foods, protein powder supplements can be a convenient solution. Supplements do not, however, do anything special beyond offering a convenient way to reach your protein targets. Use it if it helps. Don't, if you can already hit your targets.


Distributing Protein Intake

While the total daily protein intake is crucial, distributing it throughout the day also matters. To optimise muscle protein synthesis, aim for at least two separate protein feedings per day. This may be in a scenario where someone practices intermittent fasting. For best results though, aim for three or more individual feedings. This approach ensures you stimulate protein synthesis multiple times daily, promoting efficient muscle growth.


There is an upper limit to how much protein in one sitting will contribute to muscle growth. This tends to be between 30 and 50g per meal. So space the intake out over the day, rather than trying to hit a huge protein feast in your evening meal.


For a deeper dive on Protein, including considerations for non-meat eaters, check out this article.



Step 2: Manage Your Caloric Intake

Calories play a significant role in muscle building nutrition. Whether you're in a calorie surplus or deficit, it's essential to understand how caloric intake impacts your muscle-building progress.


Deficit vs. Surplus

In a calorie deficit, you can still gain muscle to some extent, especially if overweight, new to weight training, or returning after a long gym hiatus.

However, for optimal muscle growth and strength gain, a calorie surplus is necessary. Extra calories above maintenance supports recovery and provides the much needed energy for muscle building process to occur. Using our construction analogy - building a wall requires man power to be put into assembling the bricks.


Finding the Right Surplus

You don't need an enormous calorie surplus to gain muscle effectively. Some people go on a "dirty bulk", embracing the wild card to eat whatever they want, and end up with a whole lot of body fat to go along with it.

An extra 200 to 300 calories above your maintenance level per day is sufficient. Going beyond this range is counterproductive, and will require a longer fat loss phase, should you want to lean down again.


If you're not sure what your maintenance calories are, this article will help.

How much weight should you expect to gain?

Muscle building is a slow process, particularly after the first 12 months of effective weight training. If you're gaining 1kg per week - you can be sure you're likely laying down some extra body fat, and your calorie surplus it a bit high.


A weight gain rate of about 1-2kg per month is ideal for most. As training age (duration of consistent training) increases, the scale slides to the lower end of this range. Weighing every, or at least, most mornings, and tracking the average weekly trend will help you know if your calorie intake is adequate. Add or subtract calorie intake accordingly.



Step 3: Prioritise Whole, Nutrient-Dense Foods

While you don't need to eat clean at all times, prioritising nutrient-dense, minimally processed, whole foods in your diet is essential for overall health and performance.


Balancing Your Diet

Aiming for a diet consisting of 80-90% whole foods and 10-20% treat (not cheat) foods. This balance allows you to meet your nutritional needs while still enjoying your favourite indulgences.


Recovery is key for muscle building. When I refer to recovery, I don't just mean muscles feeling fresh. I am mainly referring to muscles adapting to the training stress you put them under. This adaptation is MUSCLE GROWTH. Gains don't occur in the gym, they happen after the gym. This is a long way of saying that the nutrients from fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean meats and healthy fats (along with quality sleep) contribute significantly to optimal muscle gain.



Summing up

In the world of muscle-building nutrition, simplicity often reigns supreme. While there are various factors to consider, focusing on these three essential steps can help you achieve amazing results. Consume sufficient protein, managing your caloric intake, and prioritise whole, nutrient-dense foods. Simplify your approach and avoid unnecessary complications, and you'll enjoy a stress free and effective approach to building muscle.


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