Putting together a great weight training program and doing everything right in the gym isn’t going to get you very far if you ignore your nutrition.

A lot of people think they can let their nutrition slide a bit if they are working out. Especially if their goal is to build muscle mass.

This just isn’t the case. A proper muscle building diet is even MORE important.

A proper nutrition plan and the right bodybuilding work out go hand in hand. If you aren’t doing both correctly your progress is going to suffer.

Personally, no matter how good my workouts were or how much stronger I was getting, I wasn’t able to really add some serious muscle until I got my nutrition in place.

As a naturally very skinny guy, I had to make sure I took in enough calories, as well as lots of protein. I also had to up my intake of good fats, which are very anabolic and help increase testosterone levels.

Some guidelines for a good muscle building diet include:

Take in at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight (1.5 may be even better)

Make sure you get at least 20% of your calories from fat.

If you’re naturally skinny you need a lot of calories (at least short term) and should multiply your body weight by 18 or 20 to get the number of calories you should take in each day.

For example, if you weigh 150, you should take in 2,700 to 3,000 calories per day.

Eat at least 6 times per day. This will make it easier to consume all those calories.

Have 2 or 3 liquid meals each day. This makes it easier to take in more calories. Liquid meals digest faster as well, making it more likely that you’ll be hungry for your next meal.

Ramp up your calories gradually.

Dramatically increasing your caloric intake can be a shock on the body. And you may find you just can’t take in that many calories.

Just like someone wanting to burn fat should reduce calories over time, you should increase yours over time as well.

Take in a protein/recovery drink immediately after your weight workout.

Here’s a sample muscle building diet:

Meal 1

2% Milk – 8 ounces
Oatmeal – 8 ounces
Whole Eggs – 2

Meal 2

Protein Shake

Meal 3

Peanut Butter Sandwich
2% Milk – 8 ounces
Apple – large

Meal 4

Cottage Cheese – 7 ounces
Pineapple – 3 slices (from can packed in water)

Meal 5

Chicken – 6 ounces
Green beans – 6 ounces
Wild Rice – 1 1/2 cups

Meal 6

Protein Shake

Remember, a muscle building diet is a crucial part of your bodybuilding success. If you want muscle mass, you have to eat for it.

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