Many corporate wellness programs in Mt. Laurel provide a suite of services that can help company employees reach their goals. Whether employees are looking to lose weight or bulk up in preparation for a bodybuilding competition, though, it’s vital to know how to build lean muscle in the process.
Whenever someone talks about building “lean muscle,” it’s easy to fall into the trap of imagining a group of muscle-bound individuals who chug protein powder straight from the can it came in. However, building lean muscle is an integral part of maintaining a healthy weight and maintaining your functionality as you age. Plus, building lean muscle doesn’t mean just lifting heavy weights until your arms fall off; effective muscle growth happens with the help of a quality diet. Frequently, it involves a mix of protein, fats, and carbohydrates.
Below are a few kinds of foods you should eat if you want to build lean muscle and reach your fitness goals.
Lean Proteins
Everyone knows that muscle growth requires eating protein, but they often get it wrong when it comes to the amount. Most people assume that eating more protein will always result in larger muscles, regardless of how much you eat. However, to increase the amount of lean muscle on your body, you only need to eat roughly a gram of protein per pound of body weight.
When selecting the protein, you want to make sure that you won’t have a lot of excess fat included. Some examples of quality lean protein include:
- Lean beef
- Skinless Chicken
- Cottage Cheese
- Scallops
- Shrimp
Healthy Fats
People used to believe that eating fat contributed to health issues, but today’s fitness experts recognize that there are two kinds of fats; bad fats that can contribute to health problems like heart disease and good fats that can help you reach your fitness goals.
Olive oil, avocado oil, nuts, and fish all provide the right amount of good fat to help build lean muscle while maintaining good overall health.
Carbohydrates
Simple carbs like processed sugars are always going to add pounds to your waistline and get in the way of building good lean muscle. However, to have the energy to work out and operate in your day-to-day life, you need help from complex carbohydrates that are slow to break down, providing energy throughout the day. View our infographic below to find great ways of getting your daily carbohydrate requirements without adding inches to your waistline.
To find out more about what you should eat to build muscle, or if you are interested in learning about our corporate wellness programs in South Jersey, contact us today!