Overview
Carbohydrates provide fuel for your muscle cells while proteins ensure you have the building blocks to repair, grow and remodel your muscle tissue. If your diet lacks a sufficient amount of protein, carbs or calories, it will be quite difficult to gain muscle. Rotating your dietary and weight-training habits to focus on one goal at a time, such as building muscle or losing fat, optimizes your diet and training, effectively building muscle.
Amino Acids
Your body needs 20 different amino acids, eight of which the body cannot produce on its own. The eight essential amino acids must come from your diet and are all found in animal-based foods. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, and foods containing a high concentration of the essential amino acid leucine are better for maximum muscle development. High-quality whey protein powder with about 2 to 2.5 g of leucine per scoop is what you should use in your protein shakes to gain more muscle mass. If you do not eat animal products, combine brown rice with wheat, nuts, beans or seeds to consume complete proteins or proteins with all the essential amino acids. A diet lacking protein hinders muscle development. Consume 1.5 to 2 g of protein per kilogram of your body weight.
Glucose
All carbohydrates are degraded to glucose. Glucose is the primary fuel for your muscles during anaerobic or intense weight lifting exercises designed to build big muscles. A diet with less than 45 percent of your calories from carbs leaves you with very little energy to complete the highly intense workouts necessary for muscular gains. Maintain a food journal to ensure you consume between 45 and 50 percent of your total daily calories from carbohydrates to build muscle, according to a 2002 article by G. Gregory Haff, Ph.D., published in the "Strength and Conditioning Journal."
Minerals
Proteins and carbohydrates contain vitamins and minerals necessary for optimal muscular development. Calcium, found in protein-rich and carbohydrate-rich dairy products like skim milk and cottage cheese, is necessary for maximal muscular contraction, building bigger muscles. You need 1,000 mg of calcium every day. Magnesium, found in meats, fish, nuts and leafy green vegetables, is also essential for muscles to contract properly. Women need 320 mg of magnesium and men need 420 mg of magnesium per day.
Timing
Consuming a meal that contains protein and carbohydrate one to two hours prior to your workouts gives you the energy you need to complete a muscle-building routine. This meal also increases the amount of amino acids in your muscles for optimal muscle protein synthesis. Eating a high-carbohydrate meal within 30 minutes of your workout replenishes the energy stores in your muscles so you have the fuel for your next training session.
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