Top 8 Foods Highest in Protein for Muscle Building

What is PROTEIN?

Proteins are long chains of amino acids, which are probably the most important nutrients that we get from our diet. 

Why we need PROTEIN?

We need to eat plenty of protein foods every day to keep metabolism running, our energy up and our blood levels stable. Athletes need to consume more protein than average people, especially athletes that are lifting weights.

Why athletes need to consume more PROTEIN?

Athletes spend more energy than the average person and they need additional nutrients to recover from intense physical activity. Protein plays a very important role in every athlete's diet, whether running sprints, swimming or lifting weights. Most famous nutrient, protein, helps repair and strengthen muscle tissue.

What can happen if you eat too little protein?


- Low energy and fatigue
- Poor concentration
- Mood swings
- Trouble building muscle mass
- Trouble losing weight
- Low immunity







How much protein athletes need?

The recommended daily intake of protein for an average person is 46 grams for women, and 56 grams for men. If you want to gain muscle that wouldn't be enough to fuel your muscles for growth.

The Complete Guide to Build Muscle Mass

Many fitness experts say that 2 grams of protein per one pound of body weight are necessary for muscle gain, some say even more but they are all wrong. You won't build more muscle if you consume more protein that your muscles need. 

The recommended daily intake for athletes is 1.2 grams of protein per 1 pound of bodyweight. That is enough to build muscle and you won't have an excess of protein that will be stored as fat. 

You also need to focus on other nutrients, like carbs and fats so if you consume 1.2 grams of protein per 1 pound of your body weight every day, believe me, you have it enough to make your muscles grow. Just focus on other nutrients, on your training and rest. Proteins don't build muscles all alone.

Best Exercises to Build Muscle Mass Fast







What are the best sources of protein?



1. FISH 

      Fish that are high in   protein per one fillet (85 g):

Tuna (22g), Salmon (22g), Halibut (22g, Perch (21g), Cod (20g).



Seafood is an excellent source of protein because it is low in fat. Fish like salmon is little higher in fat but is heart-healthy kind of fat - omega 3 acids.






2. WHITE MEAT

Turkey and chicken breasts are probably the best source of lean protein. Darker meats are also good but they are higher in fat than white meat. 


100 grams of chicken and turkey contain about 30 grams of protein.





3. LOW-FAT CHEESE

Cheese high in protein per ounce (28g):


Parmesan (10g), Low-fat Swiss Cheese (8g), Low-fat Cheddar (6g), Low-fat Cottage Cheese (5g).





4. LEAN BEEF AND VEAL


Beef and veal are the meats that are higher in calories than white meat but they are still very good sources of protein. Per 100 grams of lean beef or veal equals about 36 grams of protein.





5. EGGS (Especially Egg Whites)

1 Large Egg contains about 7 grams of protein. Whole eggs are high in protein, but egg whites are almost pure protein. They are also loaded with healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals.








6. NUTS


Peanuts are the highest in protein in comparison with all other nuts. They are also loaded with healthy fats and they are very rich in calories. One ounce (28 g) contains 7 grams of protein, with 159 calories. You can also try peanut butter, it is very delicious and very good for muscle growth with quality nutrients and a high number of calories.




7. SHRIMPS


Shrimps are low in calories but loaded with many nutrients including selenium and vitamin B 12. Like fish, they also contain plenty of omega-3 fatty acids. A 3 ounce (85 g) serving contains 18 grams of protein with 84 calories. Very good source of lean protein and also very healthy food.




8. WHEY PROTEIN


Whey is a type of high-quality protein and it is very effective at building muscle mass. Only one serving (30  or 35 grams) of Whey Protein Powder can contain about 27 - 30 grams of protein. Great source of fast-digesting protein very useful as a post-workout meal. 



Check out more about Whey Protein Supplements and other great muscle-building supplements in another article:


Best Muscle-Building Supplements to Build Muscle Mass Fast

How to Gain Muscle Mass - 5 Principles of Muscle Hypertrophy

Gaining weight is very easy, many people may gain a lot of weight for a short period of time. On the other side, building lean muscle mass can be very hard, especially for guys that have a fast metabolism, commonly know as hard-gainers.

Also Read: How To Eat To Gain Muscle Mass - Diet Strategies For Hardgainers

Like many of the people in the world that are fighting with a body fat, there are also many people that are struggling to gain weight and build muscle mass. If you are one of those from the second group, continue reading this article.  

For everything in life you need three things - a goal, plan to achieve it and dedication. Those are three basic things to success in anything you want. You need to apply this rule and start your muscle building trip. 

There are 3 main ways to make your muscles grow:

1. Force muscles to grow with the right training

2. Feed your muscles with enough healthy calories

3. Rest, recover your muscles, let them grow

Those are only three general rules for muscle gain, now continue reading to learn five principles of muscle growth.

1. Multi-Joint Movements

In order to gain muscle mass faster, you need to place emphasis on the compound, multi-joint movements. Compound exercises are much better for building muscle mass than single-joint, isolation exercises. That is because exercises like squat and bench press allow bigger loads of weight and involve more muscle groups which lead to more muscle gains.


Top 10 Exercises To Build Muscle Mass


Bigger load and heavier exercises stimulate the bigger release of the muscle-building hormone. 

It is very important to do one of the hardest exercises - Squats. The squat is a great mass builder and it is probably the movement that involves the most muscle groups at the same time. 






2. Progressive Overload


The progressive overload is one of the most important muscle-building principles. Lifting the same weight will not help you build muscles. Muscles can quickly adapt to the weight and you need to put some more load in order to force your muscles to grow. 


Mass-Building Full-Body Workout Routine for Beginners


The key of muscle gain to leave your comfort zone, give your muscles a reason to grow. If you lift heavier weights from week to week you won't let your muscles time to adapt and you will force them to grow.


The best rep range to stimulate muscle growth is from 8 to 12. I recommend doing 10 reps per set for best muscle growth stimulation. 




3. Caloric Surplus 


To gain muscle mass you need to eat a lot. And that means you need to spend a lot of your time in the kitchen. It is one of the biggest mistakes that lifters make and don't succeed in building muscle mass, they don't consume enough calories or macronutrients. 


20 Foods You Should Eat to Gain Muscle Mass


You need to consume 18 calories per pound of your bodyweight to build muscle and at least 1 gr of protein per pound of bodyweight. On training days, try to consume more proteins because your muscles need it to repair and grow. 


Foods that are Best Sources of Protein




Consume enough calories and all three macronutrients (protein, carbs, fats) and in a combination with resistance training your muscles will start to grow. 




4. Rest Your Muscles


This is how it goes, you give your muscles a reason to grow in the gym, build them in the kitchen and they grow while you sleep. Lack of rest can decrease the chance of muscle growth.


Also, don't overtrain your muscles. Don't train same muscles for two days in a row or you will overtrain them and prevent them from growing. To build muscle you need a short and intense workout and long periods of rest. 




5. Supplements Selection


Many supplements ads promise you results. A lot of them are actually unnecessary and just a waste of your money. The best muscle building supplements that you need to buy are Creatine and Whey Protein. They can be a great support for building muscle mass. 


You can check the list of 5 best muscle-building supplements, but you must know there are no better supplements for building muscle mass than Whey Powder and Creatine. 


Top 5 Muscle-Building Supplements




If you start following these five principles right now, you have a big chance to build your muscles for less than one month. Applying these rules could make the most benefits for beginners because in the starting phase, first two to three months, you can build most muscle mass. 


It is very important to start doing it right from the beginning, so don't lose your time following wrong workout plans and wasting money on unnecessary supplements.