Building Lean Muscle Diet

When planning your diet you must remember that the secret to a firm toned body, is to eat enough calories from the right foods to fuel muscle growth, without consuming too many and accumulating unwanted body fat.

Getting the right balance of quality protein, complex-carbohydrates and the good fats, is essential to ensure that your body adds muscle while burning off fat. Read our Build Lean Muscle guide by clicking here.

A protein rich diet is needed for gaining muscle because it's made up of Amino Acids, which are the building blocks of muscle, without which no growth is possible. You also need complex carbohydrates, as they burn slowly keeping your blood sugar levels constant, reducing both fat storage and fatigue, while supplying quality fuel for your muscles. The 'good' fats such as Omega 3 EFAs are essential as they help to trigger the genes responsible for fat burning.

Protein also helps fat loss, as it makes you feel fuller for longer due to it taking your body longer to digest,. This longer digestion time also uses more calories and raises your core body temperature and metabolic rate, known as "thermogenesis", helping to increase fat burning and prevent fat storage.

Aim for around 8 glasses of water a day, as it's very important to keep your body hydrated at all times if you you want to build lean muscle. Not only that but if you are dehydrated your workouts will suffer. You'll also need more water for your liver and kidneys to process the extra protein you'll be consuming.