Muscle building and nutrition

Synonyms in a broader sense

Muscle building, strength training, bodybuilding, supplements, doping, anabolic steroids, steroidsThe goal of having a fit body with powerful muscles is pursued by many people around the world. A well-trained musculature makes the body more attractive, more vital and healthier and increases the quality of life and self-esteem. In addition to a good training plan and sufficient rest periods, nutrition plays an important role in muscle building.

Particularly in endurance sports, one should pay attention to a balanced diet. Without the right nutrients, the body is not able to form new muscles and supply them accordingly. Through training, the muscles receive a stimulus and the body reacts to this with optimization and economization mechanisms.

For this purpose, however, it needs important nutrients that humans take in from food. Muscle growth begins in the rest periods. A good diet has a supportive effect and, above all, a protein-rich diet effectively supports muscle growth.

Almost all foods contain important substances that the body needs to absorb and burn energy. Depending on how a person eats, he or she will lose weight, gain weight or maintain weight. Above all, a protein or protein-containing diet supports muscle building.

The protein taken in with food is first broken down in the stomach into its components, the amino acids. The amino acids are needed for muscle building, among other things. Muscles consist of about 20% protein (the rest is water) and therefore need this nutrient for growth.

In addition to proteins, carbohydrates and fat are other important nutrients for building new muscles. These two groups of nutrients are the main suppliers of the energy needed for muscle work. In general, there are some guidelines on how the diet should be composed if you want to actively build muscle.

The daily diet should contain between 1.2 and 1.7 grams of protein per kilogram body weight. If you take an average man with a body weight of 75 kg as an example, the amount of protein in the daily diet should be between 90 and 150 grams. It should be noted, however, that the body can only absorb about 40 – 50 grams of protein per meal, and therefore should consume its proteins at each meal.

With a healthy and balanced diet, it is usually not necessary to take additional protein in the form of dietary supplements. The right combination, but above all the right time of intake of protein, carbohydrates and fat is much more important than the pure amount of a nutrient. In order for the nutrients supplied with food to be absorbed well by the body, it needs a lot of fluids. For this reason one should make sure to drink between two to three liters of water a day.