Muscle Building Tips
- Before you get big you need to get lean first. If you are a guy, you really need to get to under 10% body fat before you start to think about consuming excess calories. If you are female, aim for under 18%.
- If you are eating excess calories for maximum muscle growth, do not let yourself go above 15% body fat if you are a male, and 22% body fat if you are a female. The more fat you carry, the more efficient your body becomes at storing even more fat.
- You only need a slight amount of calories above your maintenance level in order to build muscle. Unfortunately, you can’t force feed muscle growth. That being said, a lot of people, particularly naturally skinny people, don’t eat enough consistently in order to build muscle. A good starting point is to aim for 16 to 18 calories per pound of bodyweight.
- Pick nutrient-dense food when trying to eat enough calories for muscle growth. Red meat, whole eggs and salmon are superior to chicken, turkey and white fish.
