Although many bodybuilders, fitness enthusiasts, and other powerlifters train hard day in and day out, they often don’t pay enough attention to nutrition. What’s more, there is a lot of misinformation about the best way to eat to gain muscle. Here is the best muscle mass diet that you can use to improve your own physique.

keep it simple

The first rule of your diet for muscle mass should be to keep it very simple. Take it from someone who used to over-analyze diet and nutrition: You’ll make much more progress if you keep things simple and easy to remember.

In the case of a muscle-building diet, keeping things simple means not worrying about counting calories, fat grams, or carbohydrate grams. Certainly, there are some things you need to track and tally, but most nutrients don’t require this level of detail and precision.

focus on protein

Your first order of business for a good muscle mass diet is to get plenty of protein. Protein is the essential muscle building nutrient that allows you to recover and build your muscles bigger than before. Other nutrients are important, but you should always make sure you’re getting all of your protein.

The best guideline I have found for gaining the maximum amount of muscle mass is to multiply my body weight by 2 to get the number of grams of protein I need to eat per day. I don’t count incomplete protein that comes in small amounts from grains, fruits, etc.

The best sources of protein are lean meats, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. Try to keep most of your protein sources lean, but don’t worry about eating a little fatty beef or whole eggs now and then. If you are having trouble gaining weight, these types of foods may be great for you.

Eat fats and carbohydrates at the right times

It seems like every mainstream fad diet these days focuses on praising or vilifying one of these nutrients. Although such diets have their merits, a much more moderate and purposeful approach to fats and carbohydrates is best for a muscle-building diet.

Bottom line, you should be eating your starchy carbs (oatmeal, potatoes, pasta, etc.) at breakfast and before and after intense weight training sessions. These are times when your body is best able to use carbohydrate energy and is least likely to store it as body fat.

As for fats, it is better to consume them at the end of the day or, in general, at times other than breakfast or before or after training. Make sure you don’t avoid fats for fear of gaining body fat; they are essential for proper hormonal function, muscle recovery and growth, and can actually help PREVENT fat gain!

Calculate for yourself how many calories you need to eat

There are plenty of calculators out there that are supposed to be a magic bullet to tell you how much to eat, but it’s best if you simply factor in the serving sizes of carbs and fats you’re eating with your protein.

If you are gaining weight too quickly, eat a little less carbohydrate and fat with your meals. Likewise, if you’re not gaining weight and you’re sure you’re meeting your protein requirements, start adding carbs and fat. Things really can be that simple. Don’t get caught up in the over-analysis that is rampant among bodybuilders.