What do you eat to gain lean muscle??

As the title of the topic suggests, I want to know what you eat to gain lean muscle. I lost quite a bit of fat and muscle in Peru and want to gain the muscle back, but no more fat. Im cutting down majorly on bread and rice and eating more salads with meat in them... What are some good carbs I should add to my diet?

Fish...lots of fish.

As far as carbs go, whole grains, fruits and veggies are your best bet. I'm assuming you know that eating in and of itself is not going to build muscle, you need to work out as well.

I think it depends on your body type. If I were to eat whole grains, I'd gain weight... and not muscle weight either.

I'm thinking low carb, lower calories, and tricks to boost your metabolism.... like drinking actual water.

messiaen77 wrote:As far as carbs go, whole grains, fruits and veggies are your best bet. I'm assuming you know that eating in and of itself is not going to build muscle, you need to work out as well.

Yep, I know that. I currently do 3 to 5 workouts a week. Doing the warrior dash this saturday, but really unprepared.. Ive been doing weight training for 4 years now, but havent really gotten heaps of size despite big increases in strength and I l dont want to regain lost fat kgs either.. Not that im interested in looking like Jay Cutler either, just want the athletic big ripped look etc

I always tell people up your protein, up your fiber, up your water, moderate whole grains, and reduce sugars, starches, and processed foods, ELIMINATING fried food, sodas, and junk food like candy, cake, pie, etc.



Arttie

Sodas aka, soft drinks as us Aussies call them, are possibly my arch enemy. They are my cocaine, I know the evil they inflict upon my body, but I find them SO hard to give up. I think if I stop drinking them all together and cut down on all other sugary drinks like fruit juice that will be a huge step in the right direction for me.

Ive been eating a LOT of salad this week with my own dressings and heaps of good fat sources like avacados and almonds, and have cut down on bread a fair bit. I need to find a healthy caffeine source as I dont think cappacinos are much better for me than coke either..

Straight cofee has caffeine i've heard. Are you a hard gainer? If so you'll have to eat some fats to gain muscle but follow what arttie said.

I always tell people up your protein, up your fiber, up your water, moderate whole grains, and reduce sugars, starches, and processed foods, ELIMINATING fried food, sodas, and junk food like candy, cake, pie, etc.

What this guy said is right on. The only thing I would add would be lean protein meats as has been suggested in other posts, such as fish and chicken. Of course exercise.

Dietary intake.
Work out.
Discipline.

Really more simple that people make it

Ok, here's a small list. Meat! you need the protein. Fish, Turkey, Chicken and Beef. Try also complex carbs like brown rice, oatmeal, whole grains, etc. Now, all this food are healthy in a way but also you need to work out. there's no such thing as food for lean muscle. There's food to fuel your muscle and body so you can get lean muscle from your workouts. Go to youtube and check this guy's channel "Rob Riches".

I never had the need to give up Soda, I just substituted the sugary version for the diet ones. I am not presently working out , but I want to start working out again in a few weeks.

I am presently doing the Low Carb deal for fat loss , but I know it REALLY sucks for lean muscle gain as I noticed in the past. my plan is to continue on the LC approach when I start to work out again adding some fruit , maybe small portions of some whole grains and radically reducing the fat intake.

Or I may switch to a Low Glycemic Index Diet as I did months ago. theres some fat regain when you go from low carb to low glycemic , but its not as much as you gain when you go from low carb back to the junk food.

I don´t want to eat like I did in the past , I tend to be a junk food addict and I feel WAY much better doing Low Carb. Your energy is boosted , you fell better and the fat loss is incredible.

(Old thread but it looked interesting so I resurrected it)
Different diets work better for different people, but for naturally skinny “hard gainers” like myself, the key is eating a lot. High calorie, high protein diet.
Btw this section seems pretty dead. Do we not have any gym goers left?

I just found out this section exists

seth wrote:Btw this section seems pretty dead. Do we not have any gym goers left?

I mostly lurk these days, honestly...and I own the place, so...  LOL!

I am still a huge gym-goer, however. Built my own home gym. I'm a strength & conditioning coach and powerlifting coach, and I still compete, even at 54 years old. 


Arttie

I hope to set up a home gym myself someday. Currently have free access to a military base gym through my job, but would probably buy my own equipment rather than get a long term paid membership somewhere

Gotcha. When I say built my own home gym, I mean actualy gym, btw...not a treadmill and some weights.  Power rack, bench, dumbbells up to 100 lbs., 1100 pounds of free weights, two lat pull stations, landmine station, plyo boxes, the works.  ITs the only place I work out.

Arttie

Seth - I am still very involved in strength and fitness. The station I'm assigned to is also my department's fitness station: we are all personal trainers and responsible for the department's fitness program.

I love chatting to people about fitness goals and journeys.

arttieTHE1manparty wrote:Gotcha. When I say built my own home gym, I mean actualy gym, btw...not a treadmill and some weights.  Power rack, bench, dumbbells up to 100 lbs., 1100 pounds of free weights, two lat pull stations, landmine station, plyo boxes, the works.  ITs the only place I work out.

Arttie

Hey Arttie,

I just started working out about 4 months ago and I’ve been hitting the gym 5 days a week. Here’s my current routine:

Monday: Chest, triceps
Tuesday: Quads, calves
Wednesday: Back, biceps, traps
Thursday: Hamstrings, glutes
Friday: Chest, triceps, back, biceps

I’m eating low-carb, focusing on veggies and protein, and cutting out processed sugar. I drink black coffee, and I don’t touch Pepsi or anything like it. I’ll have rice or pasta once in a while, but only about twice a month. I take 6g of creatine every day after my workout, and if I’m too tired or busy to cook, I’ll have a whey protein shake. I usually only eat 2 meals a day.

Here’s my typical day: I wake up around 5am, have black coffee and water, then head to the gym from 7 to 8:30am. After that, I take my creatine, then I don’t eat anything until around 11 or 11:30am. My second meal is usually around 4:30 or 5pm.

I've lost quite a bit of weight over the past few months, especially around my belly, which I’m happy about. But I still want to shed a little more before I start focusing on building muscle. I'm not 100% sure what the best strategy is for that, since there’s a lot of conflicting advice out there. I’ve mostly been following a routine from a guy I found on YouTube.

Would you be open to training me remotely? If so, I’d love to know how we could make that work, what your fees are, and any other details I should know.

Thanks a lot!
elcsum ni