Building muscle isn’t just about spending hours at the gym; it’s also about fueling your body with the right nutrients, in the right amounts, at the right time. Three key elements stand out when it comes to repairing and strengthening muscles: protein intake, maintaining a calorie surplus, and meal timing. Together, they form the main strategies for boosting muscle growth.
Whether you’re a seasoned athlete, just starting your fitness journey or looking to break through a plateau, understanding how to balance these elements can make all the difference in achieving your goals.
In this guide, we’ll explore the science behind protein, calorie surplus, and meal timing, offering practical tips to optimise your diet for muscle-building success. So, grab a cup of coffee and get ready to learn some actionable insights that will help you elevate your fitness strategy.
Let’s get started!
Protein is a vital macronutrient composed of amino acids, which are the building blocks of the body. It plays a crucial role in repairing tissues, building muscles, producing enzymes and hormones, and supporting overall cellular function. Proteins are found in both animal and plant-based foods, with sources like lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, nuts, and seeds providing varying combinations of essential amino acids.
When you exercise, especially during resistance training, your muscles undergo tiny tears in their fibres. Protein helps repair these tears by providing essential amino acids to create new muscle tissues. This process, known as muscle protein synthesis (MPS), is key to building stronger, larger muscles.
Without enough protein, your muscles can’t recover properly, leading to slower progress or even muscle loss.
If your goal is muscle growth, you need more protein than the average person. The general guideline, as recommended by experts, is between 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogramme of body weight per day. For someone who weighs 70 kg, this would equate to 112 to 154 grams of protein daily
For individuals involved in more intense training, such as professional athletes or those in peak training phases, protein needs may increase further. In such cases, the intake could go up to 2.4 grams per kilogramme to ensure the body has enough protein to handle the increased stress and demands. An athlete weighing 70 kg would then need about 168 grams of protein per day.
To maximise the benefits of protein intake, it’s essential to spread this amount evenly across your meals throughout the day. Consistent protein consumption helps maintain a steady supply of amino acids, keeping muscle protein synthesis (MPS) active and fostering optimal growth.
When it comes to building muscle, not all protein sources are equally effective. Some protein sources are considered more efficient for muscle building because they contain all the essential amino acids your body needs, while others may require combinations to achieve the same effect. The quality of protein you consume can significantly impact your muscle growth and recovery.
Whether you’re a meat-eater or prefer plant-based options, choosing the right sources of protein is crucial for reaching your muscle-building goals. Let’s explore the best protein sources that can effectively support muscle growth when incorporated correctly.
Animal-based proteins are widely regarded as some of the best choices for muscle building due to their complete amino acid profiles. Meaning, they contain all nine of the essential amino acids your body cannot produce on its own. This makes them highly effective in promoting muscle growth, repair, and overall performance.
Here are some of the top animal-based protein sources:
Plant-based protein sources are an excellent option for building muscle, especially for those who follow vegetarian or vegan diets. While many plant-based proteins are considered incomplete (lacking one or more of the essential amino acids), combining certain foods can provide a complete amino acid profile, making them just as effective for muscle growth as animal-based proteins.
Below are some of the best plant-based protein sources to incorporate into your muscle-building diet:
Combining different sources of protein can ensure you get all the essential amino acids your body needs for muscle growth.
A classic example is the combination of rice and beans. Rice is low in the amino acid lysine, while beans are rich in lysine but low in methionine. Together, they form a complete protein. Other combinations like hummus with whole grain pita bread or peanut butter on whole wheat bread also offer a full amino acid profile when consumed together.
Eating protein before exercising helps your muscles prepare for the stress they’ll endure. A pre-workout meal or snack containing 20–30 grams of protein, paired with carbohydrates, can:
For example, have a Greek yoghurt with some fruit or a small chicken-and-rice meal about 1–2 hours before your workout.
Post-workout protein is crucial to kickstart the recovery process. During this time, your muscles are more receptive to absorbing amino acids to repair and grow. Aim to eat 20–40 grams of protein within 1–2 hours after your workout.
Easy post-workout options include:
Spreading your protein intake across 4–5 meals can help your body consistently repair and build muscle. For example:
A calorie surplus generally occurs when you consume more calories than your body needs for its daily energy expenditure. This excess energy is typically stored as fat, which can lead to weight gain over time.
However, in the context of muscle growth, a calorie surplus is essential because it provides your body with the extra energy needed to support the repair and building of muscle tissue, rather than being stored as fat, yet, only if managed correctly.
To successfully create a calorie surplus, it’s important to first understand how many calories your body needs to maintain your current weight. This is referred to as your maintenance calories. You can estimate your maintenance calories by calculating your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), which factors in your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and the calories burned through physical activity.
To calculate your BMR, use the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation:
Now you can calculate TDEE, your maintenance level, by multiplying your BMR by the appropriate activity factor. This will give you the calories you need to maintain your weight:
A general recommendation for a muscle-building surplus is to add 10-15% more calories to your maintenance level. If your TDEE is 2,500 calories, for instance, a 10-15% surplus would mean consuming an additional 250–375 calories per day.
While a calorie surplus is necessary for muscle gain, it’s crucial not to go overboard with calorie intake. Consuming too many extra calories can lead to significant fat gain, which can counteract your muscle-building efforts and make it harder to achieve a lean physique. So, make sure you track your progress and make adjustments if you notice that you’re gaining too much fat.
Since the main goal of doing a calorie surplus here is to support muscle growth without allowing for weight gain, it doesn’t take a genius to know that those few-hundred added calories should come from nutrient-dense foods that provide a balance of healthy macronutrients—proteins, carbohydrates, and fats not junk food or highly processed options.
Here are some nutrient-dense foods to incorporate into your calorie surplus:
For years, the “anabolic window” theory suggested that you need to consume protein within 30 minutes after a workout to maximise muscle growth. However, recent research debunks this myth, showing that your body can efficiently absorb nutrients for several hours post-workout.
While it’s important to refuel after exercise, focusing on immediate timing isn’t necessary for muscle growth. What truly matters is ensuring you’re getting adequate protein and calories throughout the day, spread out in evenly spaced meals, to maintain muscle repair and growth.
Nighttime is when your body goes into repair mode, recovering from the day’s activities, including your workout.
To maximise muscle growth during sleep, consider a snack rich in casein protein, which digests slowly and provides a steady release of amino acids overnight. Foods like Greek yoghurt, cottage cheese, or a casein protein shake before bed can help prevent muscle breakdown during the night and support ongoing recovery, keeping your muscles fed for hours.
This is particularly helpful if your last meal was several hours before sleep, as it ensures your body has a consistent source of protein throughout the night.
Mistakes in muscle building often stem from a lack of understanding, unrealistic expectations, or inconsistency. Ignoring these pitfalls can derail progress and negatively affect health and fitness.
Besides not consuming enough protein throughout the day and overeating without tracking macros, which we elaborated on earlier in the article, here are some other common mistakes people often make during their muscle-building journeys and how to avoid them:
Building muscles is a gradual process that requires patience, consistency, and a tailored approach.
Many people make the mistake of setting unrealistic goals, often influenced by comparisons to others or media images of rapid transformation. However, muscle growth is influenced by a variety of factors, including genetics, training consistency, and nutrition. Expecting immediate results or comparing your progress to someone else’s can lead to frustration and disappointment.
Instead, focus on setting realistic, personalised goals based on your own body type and progress. Celebrating small milestones along the way helps maintain motivation and ensures that your muscle-building journey is both effective and sustainable.
Skipping meals or having irregular eating patterns can significantly disrupt muscle recovery and energy levels.
When you skip meals or eat erratically, you delay the process of repairing and growing the muscles, which can hinder your progress. Inconsistent eating patterns can also affect your metabolism and make it harder to maintain the calorie surplus required for muscle growth.
To stop this, set a consistent eating schedule with 3-5 meals and snacks per day. Prepare meals in advance to ensure you always have nutritious options on hand. Carry easy-to-eat snacks, like protein bars or nuts, for when you’re busy. Use reminders or apps to help you stay on track.
While supplements can be convenient and useful, they should not be relied upon as the primary source of nutrition.
Whole foods, such as lean meats, fish, eggs, legumes, and vegetables, provide a wide array of nutrients besides protein, such as vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and fibre, that supplements cannot replicate. These nutrients work synergistically to support muscle growth, recovery, and overall health.
Supplements, on the other hand, are best used to fill gaps in your diet or to meet specific needs (like a post-workout shake).
Overtraining is a common mistake that can drastically hinder muscle growth. When you train excessively without proper rest, your muscles don’t have enough time to recover and rebuild.
In fact, muscle growth actually occurs during rest periods, not during the workouts themselves. Without sufficient recovery, you might experience fatigue, decreased performance, and a plateau in progress. Additionally, overtraining increases the risk of injury, which can derail your fitness goals for weeks or even months.
It’s crucial to incorporate rest days and prioritise sleep, allowing muscles to repair and grow stronger. This balanced approach leads to better long-term progress.
Boosting muscle growth requires a holistic approach, combining the right nutrition, smart meal timing, and consistency in your training routine. Protein intake plays a pivotal role in muscle repair and growth, while a slight calorie surplus provides your body with the energy it needs to build lean mass. Coupled with strategic meal timing, you can optimise muscle protein synthesis and recovery, ensuring that your body is always in a prime state for growth.
Remember, achieving muscle growth is a gradual process, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. By calculating your calorie needs, structuring your meals around protein-rich foods, and prioritising pre- and post-workout nutrition, you’ll be well on your way to building muscle efficiently. So, stay committed, be patient, and track your progress to fine-tune your approach for the best results.
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