a definitive guide to macronutrients and their role in muscle building

When it comes to building muscle, nutrients-Use-MacroNutrients" class="alinks-link" title="MacroNutrients">macronutrients are vital and they are our main source of energy.  We need macronutrients not only so our muscles will function properly but also to aid our muscles in recovery when injured or to build new muscle after intense physical exercise or weight training.  If we don't eat the right types of macronutrients, you are likely to find that building muscle is near impossible.

Energy that feeds the body comes in the form of calories.  These calories are supplied by the macronutrients that we eat.  You probably know the names of these macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats and protein; you may not understand the role that each plays in the body and in the muscle building process.  So let's take a look at how these three macronutrients work  to help us build muscle.

Protein Is King
If you want to build muscle, then protein is king of the macronutrients.  It is the building block of muscle.  So when your body repairs muscle or builds new muscle, protein is the macronutrient that is responsible.  When your workout is intense enough and enough muscle fibers are called upon and broken down, your body sends signals that to handle the stresses it is put under, more muscle is needed.  This is where protein comes in.  Protein in the foods we eat get broken down into amino acids which then get converted in to muscle.  It is essential that you eat the right high protein foods to ensure you get the amino acids required for building muscle.  The right foods will not only help you repair muscle as efficiently as possible but it will also increase your overall health.

Examples of high protein foods

For building lean muscle, you need to eat foods that have a high amount of usable protein while being low on fat.  Stick to these proteins:

Eggs

Easy to prepare, inexpensive and they have a biological value of 90 to 100.  This is for the egg whites.  The egg yolks are fully fat and although a good fat their intake should be kept to a few per week.

Chicken

Stick to the boneless/skinless type.  It is economical and has a biological value of 80

Fish

Has a high amount of quality protein as well as other health benefits with a biological value of 70 to 80.

Low Fat Dairy

Dairy is readily available and an excellent source of vitamins and minerals as well as protein with a biological value of 80 to 90.

Lean Red Meat

A terrific high protein food with a biological value of about 70.  Beware, though, as it is typically high in saturated fat, so keep servings to one or two times a week. 

Carbohydrates:  A Simple and Complex Macronutrient

Carbohydrates are either simple or complex and this description just describes how easily and quickly the body breaks them down in the digestion process.  Our bodies store carbohydrates in the liver and muscle tissue as glycogen.  When we workout or train with weights, glycogen is our primary energy source.  So having an adequate amount of this macronutrient is crucial for building muscle.  By eating the right kinds of carbohydrates, we can make sure our body will have the energy it needs to get through grueling workouts. 

Ok, now that we understand that carbohydrates are vital to building muscle, the next step is to understand that not all carbs are created equal.  There are bad carbohydrates (ones to avoid) and good carbohydrates (the ones you should eat).

Carbs that are complex such as whole grains, whole wheat pastas, vegetables, oatmeal and some fruits are good to eat and they will give you the clean and long lasting energy you need to power through intense workouts and build muscle.  Carbohydrates that come from foods that are bleached, processed or have high amounts of sugar are bad and they help you get fat and increase your risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.  These bad carbohydrates are simple in nature and we all know which foods these are:  processed snacks, cake, cookies, ice cream, donuts, brownies, etc.  These foods are high in calories and low in nutrition. 

Fat is an often misunderstood macronutrient.  Many who want to build muscle and improve their health think that fats should be avoided at all costs.  Actually, fat performs many roles at the cellular level and it aids the body in protein synthesis which brings about muscle repair and new muscle.  Fat is also vital so that our body can produce the hormones it needs to grow muscle.  Like carbohydrates, not all fats are created equal.  There are good fats (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) and bad fats (saturated and trans).  Many of the foods that are bad carbohydrates also have loads of the bad fats (processed foods, donuts, cake, ice cream, fried foods, fast foods, etc).  Eating the bad fats won't help you much in the way of building muscle but it will help make you unhealthy.  The bad fats, saturated and trans fats, will lead to weight gain, clog your arteries, raise your bad cholesterol and increase your risk of cancer and heart related problems.

Consuming good fats, though, will make muscle building a much easier task.  This is mostly because fat aids the body in protein synthesis and muscle-building hormone production.  Fat also has some other good health benefits to boot.  This includes lowering bad cholesterol levels, raising good cholesterol levels, reduce blood pressure and good fats are brain food.  Examples of good fats include nuts, fish, vegetable oils such as olive and canola, avocados and flaxseeds.

The key to building muscle lies in consuming a diet that has a balanced macronutrients intake.  By relying on protein, good carbohydrates and good fats we can provide the body with the building blocks and energy needed for building new lean muscle.