If you want to gain muscle and lose fat, you might be surprised to learn that you need to up your calorie intake. High calories are often associated with weight gain, but that’s exactly what you’re doing – gaining weight in your muscles. Did you ever try floating on the surface of the water and wonder if muscle weighs more than fat? We often hear this saying because it’s true.
When developing lean muscle, your body needs more (of the right) calories to support its growth and strength. A diet catered toward high calories for muscle mass and good fats your muscles can use instead of getting stored as flabby body fat can help you immensely alongside your physical training.
Read along for tips on crafting your diet to get lean. You’ll find out which types of food to reach for and the ones to avoid.
How to build lean muscle
The body builds lean muscle through diet and exercise. Lifting weights is the most obvious and essential step to take when building muscle. However, the corresponding diet is often overlooked. As you work out, your muscles need the energy to draw from in order to create the new mass and bulk. Incorporating a strategic meal plan alongside your workout routine will provide the best lean muscle results.
Meal plan for muscle gain
Meal planning for gaining muscle is not just about selecting the best foods to eat. It involves a calculated strategy alongside a timeline to meet specific goals for your body type.
Some strategy elements include:
- Focusing on muscle gain instead of fat loss
- Burning fat instead of calories
- Sticking to the regimented workout routine
- Cutting carbs
- Increasing protein intake
Once you devise a strategy that fits your goals and lifestyle, it’s time to turn your attention to foods that can help you progress.
Foods to include in a muscle building diet
- Beets
Beets support your joint health as you increase exercise and provide a natural boost so you can work out harder, for longer periods of time.
- Oranges
If you eat oranges before exercising, you will notice an increase in endurance and receive a boost in producing muscle mass.
- Brown rice
Brown rice is a raw, slow digesting grain that supplies your body with energy all day long, including when you head to the gym.
- Cantaloupe
Cantaloupe is a nutritious fruit to keep around while you aim to increase lean muscle. Try eating cantaloupe for breakfast, after fasting or to recover after workouts.
- Beef
Grass-fed beef helps you shed body fat and build muscle through its naturally high protein content, B vitamins, zinc, iron and more.
- Eggs
Eating a whole egg (egg white and yolk) provides the body with both protein and healthy cholesterol.
- Quinoa
Quinoa is a complete protein and like brown rice, is a slow-digesting carb that can provide energy throughout the day and keep you sustained in intense workouts.
Adopting a diet to help you build lean muscle sounds easy enough in theory. In reality, the element that makes it difficult to discipline yourself is preparation time and eating before hunger overwhelms your craving for something off the lean muscle diet.
Make the transition into your new diet simple by ordering your week’s meals through DeliverLean. We offer tasty paleo, keto, vegan and vegetarian options, delivered straight to your door before 7 am every day.
