Building Muscle: Key Concepts for Food and Exercise

In order to build muscle, there are key concepts we need to understand to make the right food choices and follow the right exercise programs. These tips to build muscle will help you structure both your diet and workouts effectively.

Fat (Made Simple)

Fat is like a blanket of energy covering the body. When we eat more calories than we burn, the blanket thickens across the body as a whole. Eating fewer calories than we burn causes the blanket to thin. Fat is gained and lost globally, starting from the top down: face, neck, arms, chest, abdomen, butt, and thighs.

Muscle (Made Simple)

More muscle means more calories burned because muscle tissue requires a lot of energy to operate. After weight training, the body continues to burn calories for hours—much more than after basic cardio. While cardio burns fat faster, it does not support muscle development. That’s why combining both cardio and weight training is especially important for weight loss. However, muscles also need to be fed properly to grow.

1) Eating for Muscle Growth

Step One: Put your muscles under tension through weight training.
Step Two: Eat enough protein to help remodel and grow muscle tissue.
Step Three: Include carbs to break down glucose, which triggers insulin. Insulin unlocks cells to allow protein inside.

Carbs = the hammer
Protein = the nail
Carbs hammer protein into your muscles. So we need both!

Water and Muscle Growth

Water plays many roles in the body, but for muscle growth and fat loss, its most important role is temperature regulation. Without enough water, your body’s temperature control system is thrown off, causing fat to be stored instead of burned. A good rule: drink half your body weight (in pounds) in ounces of water daily. For example, if you weigh 140 pounds, drink at least 70 ounces per day—more if you’re exercising.

Nutritional Intake Strategies

1) Counting Macros

This method calculates your daily intake of carbs, fat, and protein based on your goals (weight loss, maintenance, or muscle gains). For example, a common ratio is 40% carbs, 30% fat, and 30% protein. Use online macro calculators to find personalized values. Regardless of your goal, aim to include protein in every meal.

2) Carb Cycling

Choose two days a week for low-carb intake, with the rest being high-carb days. On low-carb days (15–20% of your intake), eat most carbs in the morning. These days deplete muscle stores, while high-carb days refill them. This cycling approach helps prevent plateaus and keeps your muscles adapting. Low-carb days also reduce total calories, while protein helps keep you feeling full.

3) Intuitive Eating

Follow an 80/20 rule: eat 80% nutrient-dense foods (rich in vitamins and minerals) and allow 20% for treats. Feeling deprived leads to failure—so flexibility is key.

More Tips to Build Muscle

1) Eat Breakfast

Breakfast lowers cortisol, a stress hormone that stores fat, and starts your metabolism for the day. A high-protein breakfast activates protein synthesis, which helps build and repair muscle tissue. This may be a personal take, but I am pro-breakfast all the way!

2) Avoid Ultra-Processed Foods

Poor food choices can damage mitochondria—the power generators of cells. When mitochondria are damaged, your body can’t efficiently convert food into energy. This not only slows muscle growth but also leaves you feeling tired during the day.

3) Prevent Plateaus with Smart Weight Training

To keep building muscle, you must continually challenge your muscles. Alternating between light and heavy training weeks helps:

• Light Week (Sarcoplasmic Growth): Focus on increasing glycogen storage—the fluid inside muscles. This gives the “pump” feeling. Do higher reps at 60–70% intensity.

• Heavy Week (Myofibrillar Growth): Focus on increasing the size and number of muscle fibers. These workouts use lower reps at 80–90% intensity, lifting until failure.

By following these guidelines and mixing up your routine, you can avoid stagnation and make continuous gains. Keep these tips to build muscle in mind, and remember: consistency, nutrition, and variety are the pillars of success.

Coach Celine