Diets to Build Muscle Mass
The diets of professional body builders and guys and gals who just want to develop a ripped body so they can look good on the beach are or should be very similar. There’s a common myth out there that says you can “convert fat into muscle.” That’s simply not true. You can’t “convert” fat into muscle any more than you can “convert” a chunk of coal into a diamond. The human body simply doesn’t work that way.
It IS true that muscle weighs MORE than fat. You can pretty easily see why. Fat is “fluffy,” while muscle is hard and firm. A pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of iron, but you need a great deal less iron to make a pound.
Forcing the body to create muscle is a process. The body doesn’t just decide to make more muscle. The body must be convinced that more muscle is NEEDED for survival. The body is all about survival.
So, if you want to create muscle, you have to lift weight repeatedly to the point that you can no longer lift the weight. The muscle actually tears. While you rest, the body builds muscle fibers to replace the damage that’s been done to the muscle, and the muscle gets bigger. As you can see, there is no fat involved in that formula.
The idea is to provide your body with the right “tools” (meaning food) that it needs to repair the damage done to a muscle by building muscle fiber. Layers of fat are burned off so that the fat is revealed, and weightlifting exercises cause the muscle to get bigger.
A low-carb diet is NOT the right diet for those who want to build muscle. A low-carb diet actually defeats the purpose. You need to eat a well-balanced diet that includes plenty of protein, but also carbs.