First meal: breakfast

Since there is no food supply overnight, the body is in desperate need of calories, especially carbohydrates, to provide energy for the first few hours of work. Complex carbohydrates "burn" very slowly and provide long-lasting energy, making them a better choice.

Second meal: Morning snack

About 3 hours after breakfast it is time to eat again. This is one of the smaller meals of the day, just to provide the body with energy for the rest of the morning and maintain a continuous flow of amino acids in the blood. You can add some protein powder in moderation.

Amino acids come from protein. For protein in this meal, you can choose chicken breast or high-protein powder. You can also consume some carbohydrates, such as fruits. Fruit is also a good source of fiber, which is often lacking in most bodybuilders' diets.

The third meal: lunch

Lunch focuses on protein, but also includes complex carbohydrates and vegetables. Protein foods such as beef and salmon are good choices during the muscle-building phase because they can provide additional calories (fat) in addition to protein. The fats contained in salmon and other fish are healthy fats.

As for carbohydrates, you can choose any complex carbohydrate you want, such as potatoes, rice, and pasta.

The fourth meal: before training

Like the morning snack, the main purpose of this meal is to ensure a continuous flow of amino acids in the blood. It should be taken at least one hour before training. During the muscle-building phase, you can choose one. A high protein drink, plus some carbs.

The fifth meal: after training and dinner

This meal consists of two parts. The first is a drink taken within 30 minutes after training. Whether you're trying to build muscle mass or lose body fat, this is the time to consume simple carbohydrates to replenish glycogen stores depleted during training. The ideal way is to consume protein and carbohydrates in a 1:2 ratio. It is ideal to consume 25-30 grams of protein, because you need to ensure sufficient amino acids to rebuild muscles without slowing down the absorption of simple carbohydrates due to excessive protein intake.

Meal Six: Late Night Snack

The most important part of this meal is protein to ensure that the body is supplied with amino acids while sleeping. If you want to eat, you can also take in small amounts of carbohydrates. Of course, most bodybuilders avoid carbohydrates entirely at night because they are more easily converted into fat during rest.

Commonly used muscle-building foods:

​Broccoli, boiled eggs, salmon, beef, avocado, celery, asparagus, chicken breast, brown rice.