Everyone has their own unique goals when beginning both their healthy exercising and nutritional journey. Often Building muscle is why so many individuals return to the gym. Although, this common goal, is often easier said than done.

The physical act of building muscle is easier said than done because in order to build muscle we need to have multiple variables aligned both regarding our training and nutrition. However, in its simplest form, the key principles are to increase your calorific intake and weight train, free weight training is generally better in this instance.

How many calories do I need?

In order to build muscle, your body will need to be in a calorie surplus. Simply, this means you need to take in more calories than your body burns on a daily basis. As a rough guideline for females, it is 2000kcals. For males, it is 2500kcals, though this is variable due to factors such as height, age and weight, body composition, activity levels etc. Although your calorie intake will of course be different from others, it may take a bit of experimentation to see how your body responds to its new calorific intake.

One way to ensure you are getting enough calories into your body is by tracking your calorie intake. It’s a great way to stay on top of your diet and figure out what works for your individual needs. There are loads of calory tracker apps now available for our mobile devices.

Another way to ensure your getting enough calories is to use our meal prep service. We deliver, delicious, nutritious meals straight to your door, cooked and ready to eat. They also all contain exact macro information so you can track your calorific, protein and carbohydrate intake, without having to sweat the small stuff.

What to eat before working out?

We all have our own personal preferences when it comes to working out. Some of us prefer to work out on an empty stomach, others not so much. Research from the University of Texas suggests it is beneficial for muscle gain to have either a small meal or protein shake before the gym. “Since exercise increases blood flow to your working tissues, drinking a carbohydrate-protein mixture before your workout may lead to greater uptake of the amino acids in your muscles,” says Kevin Tipton, Ph.D., an exercise and nutrition researcher at the University of Texas in Galveston. For your shake, you’ll need about 10 to 20 grams of protein—usually about one scoop of a whey protein powder. Can’t stomach protein drinks? Try a Revive Nutrition meal a couple of hours before your workout. We have high protein meals with unprocessed carbohydrates, to give you the building blocks for muscle and the energy to crush your workout in the gym.

What to eat after you’ve worked out?

If you don’t eat often enough, you limit the rate at which your body can build proteins. Post-workout meals with carbs increase your insulin levels, which, in turn, slows the rate of protein breakdown. Research shows that you’ll rebuild muscle faster on your rest days if you feed your body carbohydrates. Healthy, unprocessed carbohydrates such as sweet potato, rice are great sources of carbohydrate and can both be found in our fresh, ready to order meals.

Training Tips?

If you want to get real results, your nutrition and gym routine should support your muscle building goals. To gains muscle, include compound movements like squats, deadlifts, bench press etc. These moves are going to help you build overall strength and muscle because you are recruiting large muscle groups. Work within the 5 rep to 12 rep range and focus on quality over quantity!

Furthermore, don’t forget to stay hydrated and don’t forget to get a good night’s sleep!

Key points:

  • Be in an appropriate calorie surplus suited to yourself. Structure your meals and snacks accordingly. Don’t have time to cook? Try one of our Revive Nutrition meal plans, to save you the hassle.
  • Incorporate compound movements into your weight training.
  • Calorific surplus doesn’t mean eating junk food! While it is okay to enjoy treats in moderation, you want the main bulk of your foods to be unprocessed and nutrient dense. Check out our menu and look at our variety of large portion, protein rich meals to help you reach your calorie surplus.
  • Be patient.  Results aren’t going to come overnight. Building muscle will take time. Stay consistent, work hard and enjoy the journey and you will get there!

Try one of our Revive Nutrition meal plans today to help you reach your muscle gain goals, we offer delicious, protein-rich meals, delivered straight to your door. Our meal plans will help you reach your goals and let you focus on the exercise! To view our meal plans and to order, click here.

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