If you are trying to bulk up and put on some new muscle, you will certainly have to put in your time in the weight room. What a lot of people do not realise is that following a proper muscle building diet plan is just as important as throwing around heavy weights. Weight training causes micro trauma to the muscles. If this trauma is repaired under the right circumstances, the muscle will be built back a bit larger than it was before. If you multiply this effect over a series of workouts, you will get appreciable muscle growth.

What Makes a Diet Effective?

Your diet will provide your body with the raw materials it needs to repair the micro trauma to the muscle. If there is not a sufficient amount of these materials, the rebuilding process will be compromised, and you will experience little or no muscular growth. Eating to build muscle is not rocket science, in fact it is quite simple, but it is also something that could easily be screwed up if you do not know what you are doing. Below I will cover the basic tenets of an effective diet.

High Protein Intake

Protein is made up of amino acids, commonly referred to as the building blocks of muscle. Without adequate protein the traumatized muscle fibers will not be adequately repaired, and the result will be no new muscle for you. In my experience, the ideal protein intake for muscle growth is 1.5-2 grams per pound of bodyweight each day. So, if you weigh 200 pounds, your ideal intake will be 150-200 grams of protein per day. Good sources of protein include:

• Lean Meats
• Fish
• Whey Protein
• Eggs

Essential Fatty Acids

Many novice trainees overlook the role that dietary fats play in the muscle building process. This is a mistake that can cost you pounds of new muscle. The body needs these fats to synthesize hormones with testosterone, the primary male sex hormone that regulates muscle growth being chief among them. The foods I recommend for a healthy fat intake include:

• Almond Butter
• Grass Fed Beef
• Avocado
• Olive oil
• Salmon
• Coconut

Adequate Carbohydrate Intake

The role of carbohydrates in muscle building is often overstated, but you do want to make sure you are consuming enough quality carbohydrates each day. It is difficult to recommend a specific daily amount, as this differs considerably from one individual to the next. You may have to experiment a bit to find your sweet spot. My favorite carbohydrate foods are:

• Quinoa
• Steel Cut Oats
• Bananas
• Berries
• Ezekiel Bread
• Fibrous Vegetables
• Brown Rice

Total Calorie Intake

An effective muscle building diet will allow you to achieve a calorie surplus of 500-1,000 calories per day. These extra calories will be used to synthesize new muscle tissue in response to the micro trauma caused during your workouts.

Putting it Together

Create a diet that takes all of the above points into consideration. Eat 4-6 balanced meals per day, making sure to eat within an hour after weight training. With hard work and consistency this diet will add a few pounds of new muscle to your frame.