From those who are starting their muscle building journey, to those who have been aimlessly coasting along for years, the subject of eating for muscle growth is definitely a conversation starter. There’s a lot of information to digest before you can even think about digesting your food, and then there’s a raft of supplement companies hoping to throw themselves into the mix as well. Fortunately, some coaches, like Australia’s “Fitness Unicorn” Maurine Magka believe in the basics, and she broke down her dieting tips for how to eat for muscle gain a recent social media post.
Magka is building a solid fan base, with more than 35,000 followers on her Instagram account and an informative fitness podcast called Growth Lane, the buff beauty’s client progress pics alone show that this coach knows her stuff. While Magka specializes in women over 30, helping them to lift and re-composition their physiques, the principles here will be of benefit to most people. “Not sure how to eat for muscle gain? Here’s exactly what I tell my clients, and they get amazing results,” she explains.
How to Eat for Muscle Gain: getting started
Prioritize Protein
Magka says that we should be eating at least 2 grams of protein per kilogram of bodyweight, split into at least 30 grams per meal. This is on the high end of what many coaches advise, since the guidance starts at 0.5 grams per kilogram, but for those serious about packing on some size, a little excess protein is definitely not a bad thing and will be broken down by the body for synthesizing glucose or additional amino acids.
Eat More Than you Burn
For fat loss you want to torch more calories than you consume, but the opposite is true for muscle building. “Eat around 10% above your actual maintenance, says Magka. “Determined by tracking your intake and monitoring your weight change for a period of time.” That’s a sure fire way to make sure that you are reaching your individuals goals, and calculators are also a great way to figure out those maintenance calories , but Magka is right to say you should use your body as the measuring stick, because you must update the data when your weight changes to make sure you are still eating correctly.
Be Flexibly Fit
“Keep your fats and carbs flexible so you can still enjoy your fave foods with ease,” reassures Magka, explaining that you don’t have to completely give up the foods you love to make positive gains. The Fitness Unicorn also suggests that carb heavy meals should be planned around workouts rather than rest days for best results.
Aim for Consistency
“Am for consistency, not perfection,” asserts Magka. “Nailing things 80% of the time, all the time, WILL get you results,”
Perhaps packing on some muscle doesn’t have to be so complicated after all.
For more Fitness Unicorn tips follow Maurine Magka on Instagram.