I’m a nutritionist and here’s what to eat at every meal if you want to build muscle mass

Losing or gaining weight can be easy. On the other hand, gaining muscle mass can be a complicated exercise, particularly because you have to monitor your diet even more closely, all with a very precise training program. It can take months or even years for some fitness enthusiasts to gain muscle in a targeted area of ​​the body. Look at how difficult it is to develop your buttocks or your arms, even when we have an iron-clad eating routine and we increase the number of sports sessions…

We are therefore turning today to the advice of a professional to succeed in obtaining faster results. Followed by thousands of subscribers on Instagram and YouTube, the famous nutritionist and sports trainer JJ Virgin has just spoken in a podcast titled “The Mindbodygreen Podcast”. Author of a successful book, she delivers his best tips for gaining muscle mass quickly. Here are 3 to apply as quickly as possible.

Focus on a simple but complete workout

To gain muscle mass, know that your training does not necessarily need to be very elaborate and very complicated. On the contrary, for a session to be effective, it must be easily achievable. Thus, JJ Virgin ensures that this training must imitate everyday actions. Among the exercises to repeat: squats which mimic the action of getting up or sitting in a chair. Another easy and rather fun exercise: the step with weights which reproduces the action of climbing stairs with enthusiasm.

Remember: Focus on compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups at once, like squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and pull-ups. Use weights that allow you to perform 6 to 12 repetitions per set. The goal is to push your muscles to exhaustion on each set. Finally, try to‘gradually increase the weight you lift to continue to stimulate muscle growth.

Do a nice mix of slow and cardio exercises

There is a common misconception that you should either focus on cardio or strengthening. Gold, the mixture of the two is foolproof to obtain beautiful results. Author of the book “Growing old is a privilege, but growing old vigorously is a choice,” JJ Virgin first reminds that gentle and slow training is the most beneficial for living longer. To try: yoga, Pilates or even quiet walking.

Please be aware that these exercises and practices put a lot of strain on the slow-twitch muscles used many times every day. “It is thanks to them that we can get up, move around and carry out most daily activities” explains the expert. To this, we must add the practice of energetic exercises, namely jumps, sprints, knee raises and weight lifts to develop fast-twitch muscles.

Protein with every meal

According to JJ Virgin, consuming protein at every meal is essential. She therefore advises eat 30 grams of protein with each meal to develop muscle mass. Among the foods to favor: beef, wild salmon or even chicken breast and poultry. Due to the lack of animal proteins, vegetarians must rely on 40 grams of protein at each meal.

Finally, she also advises women approaching menopause to monitor their protein intake which will certainly need to be increased. “When estrogen starts to drop, we don’t take in our essential amino acids…we don’t use them as well. Which means you may need more protein as you get older than you did when you were younger” explains the expert.

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Passionate about fashion, her eye does not escape any trend born on social networks and on the catwalks. Having fallen in love with the world of beauty, she is also an expert…