Muscle Building Diet

Muscle Building Diet is part of the series, How to Build Muscle for Skinny Guys.

If you want to build a lot of muscle you have to eat a lot of food. If you’re a skinny guy with a fast metabolism and you want to build even a little bit of muscle, you’re going to have to eat a lot of food. The muscle building workouts will stimulate the necessary growth for the muscles but that growth will never occur without the proper fuel and building blocks to sustain it. This is where most skinny guys go wrong. Or at least, this is the biggest problem.

I have built 70 lbs of muscle throughout my years of training and I would have a lot more if my diet had always been in check. The problem with us skinny guys is that our metabolism is so fast that we have a hard time eating enough to ever gain weight. And it’s very easy to lose the weight once you put it on.

Listen to celebrity interviews of guys like Chris Evans or Hugh Jackman that were both fairly skinny growing up. Now that they have super hero movie roles they do what it takes to build the beef. They mention things like eating so much chicken they almost get sick. They eat a lot more food than they’re used to in order to pack on the muscle.

If you’re a naturally skinny guy and you want to build muscle, there are going to be times where you have to eat much more than you want to. And it’s not going to be a ton of junk food either. You can get away with more junk food than others, but for the most part, you’ll need to focus on healthy foods. If you eat a lot of junk food, you may not get fat, but you won’t have the energy that you need to do your best during the muscle building workouts. The muscle building diet is made up of 60% Carbohydrates, 25% Fat, and 15% Protein. Some people may do better with a 5 to 10% variation of these, but these are a good place to start. 

Also, you’ll need to calculate your daily caloric needs. There are plenty of calorie calculators on the internet. Try this one from The Mayo Clinic. After calculating that number, add 1000 to it. On the days that you do the resistance training workout, eat the extra 1000 calories. On the other 4 days, just eat the maintenance amount. This will give you a steady weight gain that will avoid fat gain.

Of course, as you gain weight you will have to recalculate your calorie needs every month or possibly week. If you find that you’re not gaining weight, you may need to eat even more calories. Try eating an extra 500 calories on your rest day.

60% Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates may get a bad rap in some circles but they are extremely necessary for fueling and building muscles. In fact, a lot of a muscle’s size is stored up glycogen which is made from carbohydrates. Get most of your carbs from healthy sources such as whole grain bread, sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, brown rice, etc. Eating simple carbs is recommended only within an hour before and after a workout. Limit fat gains by avoiding simple carbs at other times of the day. Fruits are a good and healthy source of simple carbs. Vegetables are also highly recommended as they have many micronutrients, and they will fill you up faster than they will fill you out.

25% Fat

Fat is a necessary nutrient. The body needs good source of unsaturated and saturated fat. A little bit of red meat and some eggs will take care of the saturated fat needs. Also, strive to include healthy fat sources such as olive oil, avocados, nuts, and fish. Avoid hydrogenated trans fats as much as possible.

15% Protein

Protein is your friend. It’s important to get plenty of protein throughout the day, but especially after a workout. Get your protein from sources such as chicken, fish, lentils, nuts, eggs, and some red meat. Avoiding red meat entirely is unnecessary for most because it can actually help to build muscle.

Pre Workout

I recommend that you eat something light about an hour before your workout. Include carbohydrates and protein, but not too much of either. You can also get by with a bigger meal that is eaten 2 or 3 hours before a workout. Unless you just woke up, you want some recent calories to fuel your workout. Other than that, a pre workout drink can be highly beneficial. Pre Workout drinks contain not only caffeine but also amino acids which help to energize the body and prepare it to face muscle break down.

Post Workout

After the workout is the best time to get plenty of carbohydrates and protein into the system. The best kind of carbs for this are simple carbs such as honey, dextrose, fruits, etc. The best kind of protein for this is whey protein because it is absorbed quickly. Whey can be found in protein supplements or it can be found in milk. It’s best to avoid a lot of fat right after a workout, but 3-5 grams or so isn’t a problem.

Learn more about supplements for Pre and Post Workout in the Muscle Building Supplements article.