No doubt this isn’t the first time that you’ve heard it, but it won’t hurt to say it again. If you wish to build significant amounts of muscle, you must increase your calories so your body has what is necessary to increase your muscle mass.
If you eat about as many calories as you burn, then your weight will stay the same. If you eat more calories than your body burns in a given day, then the surplus will be turned into extra weight. So at this point the formula may seem pretty simple.
Having said that, not just any calories will do. Don’t think you can eat whatever you want and still gain large amounts of muscle. Unfortunately, you’ll have to be more selective in your nutritional choices and may even have to give up some of your favorite foods.
You can’t expect to build muscle if your diet consists primarily of fast foods like chips, French fries, and cookies. Remember that you need a significant amount of protein to build your muscle, as well as carbohydrates and healthy fats.
You have probably heard of the dangers of hydrogenated oils, or Trans fats. Well, these won’t help you build muscle at all, and over time they actually increase your chances of heart disease. Sure, you can probably get away with a little bit, but you want to be careful. You want to be healthy and you’re also trying to build muscle, so treat yourself like a world class athlete.
You also need to be careful about the amount of sugar that you take in. So many foods today contain high fructose corn syrup, which is really just a bunch of junk that you don’t need to put into your body. Immediate exercise can burn the sugar, and your body can store a small amount. However, your body has a third option, which is increasing your fat percentage.
Because your body cannot store very much glucose, you will most likely end up with a nice chunk of extra body fat. This can make it a lot tougher to see those six packs.
Try to keep in mind the big picture and stick to the best foods possible. You’re trying to maximize results, and not just get by with mediocre results.
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