Muscle increasing foods

[stiggs]

Hey everyone,

Just wondering if anyone could recommend some foods to help me 'bulk up' a little. I believe raw nuts (especially almonds) contain good amounts of protein and also hearing alot of good things about bananas.
I will be doing weight training with my local club soon and would love to get some good tips to help me along.

Thanks:)

[revdrcyn]

As a vegan athlete who is now 100% raw, I have found an approach to exercise-specific nutrition that really works. In addition to following Alissa Cohen's meal plans, I use Brendan Brazier's pre-, during, and post-workout Raw Recipes.

It has taken my workouts to new levels and really helped my recovery time between weight-lifting sessions.

I highly recommend Brendan's book, THRIVE, which is a guide for vegan athletes. Most recipes have a raw option.

Here's a link: http://www.brendanbrazier.com/book/index.html

[cara4art]

Seems like raweater should be speaking up about now, since was on a muscle-gaining program to gain many pounds of muscle along with solid workouts.
I'll add my two cents though, as a long-term gym-goer:
You DO have to put in the solid work, and not be afraid to work hard. From your post, I don't know if you are male or female, but even guys have to bust their buns to put on some muscle, and for women that goes double, since we don't have the hormonal set up to get lots and lots of muscle unless we do something drastic like steroids or something. But that's not why we're here on this board - LOL! So, train hard, with compound body movements(where you use several major muscle groups all at once, and a few localized exercises if you feel like you haven't done enough(which if you're doing it right, you'll be whupped after a solid session of compound movements, like squats, presses of various sorts, lunges, pull-ups(assisted or full), push-ups and dipping movements.
THEN, you have to EAT - enough! Best way to get calories in is by way of good smoothies loaded up with fruits, a couple of superfoods like chia seeds, and plenty of greens. This way you will get enough calories without overloading on fat. Eat fruits, since you need the calories, and the greens because you need the amino acids which is what one's muscles are really after for repair after all that hard work. About the fat, everyone is different - some people do well with more fat(seeds, nuts, avocados, olive oil, coconut oil and coconut)and a higher percentage of greens, while others do well on high-fruit and low fat. Right now, though, don't be too afraid of healthy fats. Enjoy some raw pates made from sprouted legumes like mung beans and lentils, etc. and combos of some seeds and nuts. There are a lot of recipes for these. Also sundried olives. The pates you can use in collard wraps with other veggies - filling and yummy. Sprouted buckwheat used different ways is good too, like in dehydrator granola, an excellent high-energy, higher calorie treat. If you have a dehydrator, you can make this, as well as various crackers and breads that are filling and good. Anyhow, for most of us it takes some experimentation anyway, even if not actively working out to find our best balance of foods. Just try lots of new things, and eventually your body will tell you what you want and need, and your results one way or the other will tell you too.
Happy training and eating! For myself, I've found that green smoothies powered up are THE perfect accompaniment to a solid workout program, and have noted increased strength, endurance, and some new muscle too. All those greens are super bio-available sources of what you need for muscle repair, and the addition of chia seeds really made a difference for me. Oh, and another thing, I also noticed a difference after I started using a high-speed blender - one gets more nutritional value out of one's food as it is blended so thoroughly.