There is no magic nutrient — hormone, drug or protein powder — that will effectively increase your muscle mass without exercise. The only way you can increase your muscle size is by stimulating growth at a cellular level. The best way of achieving this is by following an individually tailored weight training program plus a diet that gives you increased energy. By combining diet and weight training you can expect to increase your body mass by about 0.5kg per week.
Very high protein diets?
Many athletes believe they need to eat massive amounts of protein to increase their size. This is a myth spread by tales of Mr Universe contestants eating a dozen eggs for breakfast, 2½ chickens for lunch and 3kg of steak for dinner supplemented by three glasses of milk mixed with “Secret Muscle Building Powder”. All this is often chased down by a handful of amino acid pills with a few “high potency” vitamin supplements thrown in for good measure. We know today, that this diet carries no miraculous benefits. In fact, excess protein will be stored as body fat.
So what should be on the menu?
Eat a diet high in energy with plenty of carbohydrate from breads, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles and other grains, fruit and starchy vegetables. These foods should form the basis of every meal and snack.
Ensure an adequate protein intake by eating a protein-rich food, such as lean red meat, poultry, fish or seafood, legumes, tofu or low fat dairy products at every meal.
Eat five to six meals per day or three meals with large snacks in between.
Include high-energy drinks, such as a smoothie (made with milk, yoghurt, fruit and honey) or a supplement drink like Sustagen daily.
Drink higher kilojoule drinks such as cordial or fruit juice rather than water. Drink a sports drink during training.
Use energy-dense snacks to help meet your high-energy needs. For example, fruit and grain bars, dried fruits and nuts, creamy rice pudding, and smoothies. Keep a nibble box with dried fruit and nuts nearby for nibbling between meals and snacks.
Have a recovery snack ASAP after training. This snack should be rich in high glycaemic index carbohydrate and include some protein. For example, a bowl of fruit salad with low fat yoghurt or a smoothie or sandwich with lean meat.
Include some good fats from olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocado.
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