There are many foods that build muscle.
You just need to know which ones they are so you can get them on your grocery list.
Well, I'm here to help you find the best muscle building foods available.
To build muscle, you need a surplus of calories so that your body has the extra energy it needs to perform the muscle building process.
Without this extra energy, your body will have a very hard time building muscle.
So, let's get your body the quality food and nutrients it needs to build muscle!
I want you to understand that you can eat all of the foods on this page and still not build muscle without a good weightlifting program and a surplus of calories.
So, before you blindly start eating the foods on this page and hope that magic occurs, please read more on this website about how to build muscle.
Follow this page on foods that build muscle when putting together your muscle building diet.
Remember to count calories and weigh yourself weekly under the same conditions to ensure you are gaining weight each week. Whenever you have a calorie surplus, you will gain body weight.
All the guidelines for to build muscle fast are included within the WLC System.
The Best Muscle Building Foods
I'm going to list the best foods for building muscle, and some of them might not be what you were expecting!
Pay attention and add these foods to your diet. Watch your muscle mass gains go through the roof. Here's your list of foods that build muscle:
Red Meat
Lean Beef, Steak, Hamburger, and more! Eat only the lean cuts of red meat. You don't want to be gobbling down all that nasty saturated fat.
Nothing, and I mean nothing beats red meat for building muscle. Buy 96% lean beef in bulk and cut it up into 4-6 oz servings and freeze for later. Buy some sirloin steaks and marinade them and then freeze for later. Roast beef is great too!
Any lean red meats will work great for building muscle. Have a few servings per day. Red meat is definitely at the top of the list of foods that build muscle.
It would be even better if you could get grass fed red meat from a local farmer. Check around and you can usually find one. Tastes great too!
Salmon
Wild Salmon is the best choice here. Wild salmon is very high in protein and good fats coming in the form of Omega 3 fatty acids.
A diet high in good fats is required for fast muscle building. Fats are dense in calories and create an optimal muscle building environment for your body.
With Salmon, you don't even have to worry about eating a good source of fat with your protein. The good fats are already there!
Fish Oil
Since we're discussing fish and good fats for your diet, we should go ahead and talk about fish oil. Fish oil is an absolute must for weight lifters.
Unless you eat fish all the time, you're going to need to buy a fish oil supplement.
Fish oil adds more of the best fatty acids to your diet. Fats create that optimal muscle building environment that you're looking for by increasing testosterone levels.
Increased testosterone levels give you the advantage you need to build muscle fast! Get that fish oil supplement today and take 2-3 capsules with several of your meals each day.
I like the liquid type too.
Veggies
You're probably thinking, what??? Yes, veggies are on the list of foods that build muscle!
I stress very important when I say veggies are important to your muscle building goals. Go without your veggies and build less muscle.
Eat veggies throughout the day. Make a bag full of mixed veggies to eat throughout the day with your meals. A variety is great. Eat salads with romaine lettuce and raw spinach leaves.
Broccoli, asparagus, brussell sprouts, cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers, spinach, lettuce, greens, celery, and more should all be a part of your muscle building diet.
Try to add veggies to every meal. For example, have a spinach omelet for breakfast. Great tasting and very nutritious. Do not forget your veggies!
Oats
Oats are one of the best sources of carbs you will find. Buy the old fashioned Quaker Oats or whatever you can find. Just don't buy the quick oats.
You can grind up oats using a coffee grinder and add them to your protein shakes for a quick muscle building meal.
Whatever you do, don't screw up your oats by adding sugar and butter to them.
Don't turn a healthy meal into an unhealthy meal. A small amount of natural peanut butter mixed in with your oats also makes them much easier to eat.
Waxy Maize Starch
This is my absolute favorite muscle building carb to use only in pre and post workout shakes.
I use waxy maize in combination with branched chain amino acids (BCAA's) before and after every workout during a muscle building cycle.
If you choose to go this route, go with about a 4:1 ratio of waxy maize starch versus BCAA's. So, if you use 60 grams of waxy maize, add 15 grams of BCAA's to your shake.
Waxy Maize is a very fast acting carb and has no taste. I suggest you get your waxy maize flavored or at least buy some flavoring at the store. Make sure it's natural flavoring.
UPDATE: I would be careful with corn starch. I have stopped taking this as I did in the past. Yes, this helps build muscle fast BUT it's a processed food and not as healthy as whole foods.
Milk
Milk has really been criticized at times throughout the fitness industry. Unless you're an elite level bodybuilder getting ready for a show or you're allergic to milk, I suggest that you add milk to your diet for extra calories.
Real milk is the best. Milk that comes from a local farmer that feeds grass to the cow is the best.
Add milk to your protein shakes, have a glass for breakfast, have a glass with your dinner, or have milk with your high fiber cereal.
I prefer whole milk. Whole milk gives you 8 grams of protein per cup! Milk tastes great, and the liquid form makes it easy to get those extra calories in.
I do recommend REAL milk from a local farm if available. HUGE difference from the milk you get in grocery stores.
Eggs
In the past, eggs were one of the cheapest forms of protein available. They are still fairly cheap even though the price of them has more than doubled the past few years.
Eat your eggs in many different forms and don't worry about eating too much cholesterol unless you're packing in a few dozen per day.
Be creative. Fry your eggs in olive oil or use a no calorie cooking spray. Add hard boiled eggs to your salads. Make an egg omelet packed with veggies and meat.
Fruits and Berries
You should always include fruits and berries in your diet. Some fruits and most berries are a great source of fiber. Berries provide you with tons of antioxidants. Prevent sickness with a diet high in fruits and berries.
I love making a protein shake packed full of strawberries, blueberries, rasberries, blackberries, and canteloupe.
You can add any berries to your oatmeal in the morning, or add them to a high fiber cereal with milk.
Nuts
Nuts have to be included in the list of foods that build muscle!
Nuts have lots of calories that help you reach your calorie surplus level each day. They are packed full of muscle building nutrients along with good fats.
Walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, peanuts, sunflower seeds, and more. Natural peanut butter will work too! One of my favorite snacks is celery and natural peanut butter.
A very easy way to add calories.
Fatty Acid Oils
Fatty acids are usually overlooked when it comes to foods that build muscle. Again, fats are very important for building muscle and add lots of muscle building calories.
Udo's Choice Oil is a favorite of mine along with olive oil and flax oil.
Cocunut oil and MCT oil are a few others I have used. Add these oils to your shakes or salads. Really, you need to add lots of good fats to your diet.
Chicken, Turkey, and Other Birds
Chicken and turkey breast are two great sources of protein without the added fat. If you are trying to have a protein and carb only meal, then chicken or turkey breast is your food.
You knew these two protein sources would make the list of foods that build muscle!
Try marinading some chicken breast in your favorite marinade and freezing them. The act of freezing them really pulls the flavor in. My mouth is watering as we speak.
That concludes my list of the very best foods that build muscle. There are many, many more so please get your copy of the WLC System today.
Eat a Balanced Diet to Build Muscle
For building muscle, I always recommend that you eat a diet high in protein and a balanced mixture of good fats and good carbs.
When I say a diet high in protein, I recommend that you eat anywhere from 1 to 2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. Notice, I did not say per pound of lean muscle mass.
I also recommend that you increase your water intake to a gallon of water per day.
Many people may say that you don't need that much protein to build muscle. Well, thousands and thousands of weight lifters are your proof.
Do your own experiment if you don't believe me. Eat a diet with protein at 0.8 grams per pound or whatever someone else recommends, and then eat a diet at 2 grams per pound of body weight.
Then, tell me that the increased protein intake doesn't build muscle. You won't.
It is good to cycle protein intake throughout the year, though. You can learn more here on the site or within the WLC System manual.
micheal,miranda says
this the best of food for muscle building salmon yes
Josh from WLC says
Salmon is actually an awesome center piece to a perfect muscle building meal.
We have salmon about once every few weeks or so in our household.
We always have it with wild rice and a leafy green salad with healthy dressing and various vegetables. Love every part of this meal. Getting hungry thinking about the meal.
This is one of my absolute favorite meals. You can try different seasonings for the salmon to give it a slightly different taste at every meal. Or you can use your favorite and continue for as long as you want. I personally like to try different things until I get that perfect taste. I then stick with it for a while and then change again.
It’s very tasty and very healthy. Perfect for building muscle. Give it a try. I’m sure you’ll love it too.
Michael, thanks for commenting and visiting Weight Lifting Complete. Hope to see you here more in the future! Best wishes.