In today's blog we are going to go over some very basic and very helpful nutrition tips. Often times people can complicate nutrition but it's really not too difficult to understand, you just gotta keep it simple. We all want build muscle and get stronger, so what do we need to focus on? Well, the two main things you should be focusing on are calorie intake, and proten intake. Ask yourself these questions, "am I consuming the right amount of calories?" and, "am I getting enough protein?" If you can confidently answer yes to both of these questions then you're headed down the right path!
To understand the amount of calories that you need to build muscle you need to accept that you'll need to be in a calorie surplus AKA you have to consume more calories than your body needs in order to grow. When you combine a calorie surplus with intense weight training over time your body will build muscle! The best and easiest way to figure out the amount of calories you need is to follow this simple equation.
Your bodies weight x 12 - 14
- If you are not very active you do it by 12
- If you only lift weights and do not do a lot of other physical activity then you do it by 13
- If you lift weights and move around a lot then you do it by 14
For example 280lbs x 13 (for a slightly active person) = around 3,640 calories per day to MAINTAIN their weight. So they'd probably want to add 200-300 calories to start to be at a surplus, so let's just say 3890 calories to gain weight.
From there you need to figure out protein. A general rule of thumb is between .8 - 1.2g per lb of body mass, but some say lean body mass. For the purpose of keeping it simple lets just say 1g per lb of body weight, very much so in the middle of road. This would simply equal out to 280 grams of protein per day, which would be 1,1120 calories from protein. You would fill your remaining 2,770 calories with carbs & fat.
In regards to the protein spectrum essentially you want to make sure you are getting NO LESS than .8 grams per lbof lean body mass, and NO MORE than 1.2g per lb of body weight. If you get less than the .8 you more than likely aren't getting enough, and if you're getting more than the 1.2 then its going to just be redundant. Protein, and protein powder is expensive so there is no need to consume more than necessary. At the end of the day where you fall on this spectrum isn't too important in comparison to CONSISTENCY. Make sure you are consistent and monitoring what you're doing so you can better keep track of your progress!
We could go into much more detail about all of this, but for now I'd like us to keep it simple! When it comes to make progress nothing matters more than consistency. You combine consistency with some basic understanding of certain principals and you'll blow past the smarter person in the world who's inconsistent.
P.S. If you're having trouble reaching your protein goals then I'd highly suggest purchasing a high quality protein powder, you can do so right here on our website. We have amazing whey proteins, and vegan proteins! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list if you found this blog to be helpful.
