My top three muscle building foods and supplements

In order to build quality lean muscle, nutrition is vital. Many people will put in a lot of hours at the gym only to not get the results they want due to a poor diet. Your diet plays such an important role in the muscle building process that bodybuilder’s believe it is the 80-20 rule, 80% diet and 20% exercise.

A diet designed for muscle growth should contain a mixture high protein sources, complex carbohydrates and good fats such as omegas. Protein plays the primary role in the muscle building process as it provides the amino acids necessary to build muscle. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, which are essential to muscle growth.

I have put together a short list of my top three muscle building foods that are affordable as well as being tried and tested.

Peanut Butter

That’s right, as delicious as peanut butter is, it can provide you with the nutrition to build muscle. Peanut butter is an ideal choice for bodybuilders in the off-season where most of the muscle is gained for competition. This is because peanut butter is very calorie dense, contains lots of goods fats and contains proteins. Nuts in general are very calorie dense and help to provide the calories to fuel workouts and promote recovery. Many people make the mistake of the thinking that all fats are bad for you. Most of the fats in peanut butter are unsaturated and are essential to help with natural testosterone production, which goes hand in hand with muscle development.

Oatmeal or porridge

Although oats do not contain much in the way of protein, I have added them to the list as they are the number one choice for breakfast by bodybuilders and athletes. Carbohydrates can be broken down in to two categories, slow digesting and fast digesting. If you are aiming to build a lean muscular physique, then you should be staying away from fast digesting carbs. These are typically simple sugars from things such as, candy, honey, soft drinks, sugary cereals, chocolate and so on. These fast digesting carbs create an insulin spike, which in turns leads to weight gain. Complex carbohydrates digest much slower and provide the body with constant energy rather than a rush of energy like simple sugars. When fuelling workouts it is important to consume complex carbohydrates, especially in the morning, as this will put you in good stead for the day and your workout. Another bonus of oats is the price, you can pay as little as £1.99 for a 2kg bag. A bodybuilders diet can get very expensive so it good to save money when you can. Eat a bowl for breakfast or mix them in with your post workout shake. It is often said that oats for breakfast is the cornerstone of a muscle building diet.

Protein Shakes

This may be a bit of an obvious choice but a protein shake, in particular a Whey protein shake can help yield fantastic results for muscle growth. When we train a muscle group for growth, we are actually breaking down the muscle fibres. After this the muscle fibres repair themselves, becoming bigger and stronger providing that the correct nutrition is in place. During the hour after exercise is when fuelling your muscles with amino acids is particularly important for the best results. Whey protein is one of the fastest digesting proteins there is, which is why it is an ideal choice for your post workout shake. Taking a protein shake straight after a workout allows the muscles to be flushed with muscle building amino acids and will kick start muscle growth.

These three foods are a stable part of my diet. I also include various other meats and fish. Remember, diet is the key to getting results so take the time to prepare your food and the results will follow.