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What to eat to Build Upper Body Muscle and Strength

From the lens Build Upper Body Muscle FAST - A "Skinny Guy's" Guide to Building Upper Body Muscle and Strength.

You may not believe this, but when it comes to building upper body muscle and strength, your nutrition habits play an even bigger role than your workout, especially as a skinny man. In fact if you're not applying the proper nutrition habits, after all your hard work on the weights, you could see little to no progress or actually be losing more muscle than your gaining.

Surprised?

It's absolutely true and there is science to back up that fact. So my question is, are you eating correctly to build upper body muscle?

50 comments below will get you the answers to what and how to eat in order to make gains in you muscle building attempts. Just simply tell me what you eat and when you eat before, during, and after your workout. A little information about the type and intensity of your training and whether you do cardio will help, but it isn't necessary.

  • Build Upper Body Muscle and Strength May 19, 2012 @ 12:43 pm | delete
    Hey Kidd,

    I know you posted a question on here, but I can't find it now. Hope this information gets to you. You wanted to see some gains and while you feel the pain from pushups, you still aren't seeing an increase in muscle size.

    What is you're routine as far as rep and set counts go. Is the pain from fewer reps with heavier weight or a burn due to endurance caused by a ton of reps at a manageable weight?

    While combining both and mixing things up have their advantages, you're goal if you want to increase size should be fewer reps with heavier weight. And you should work to increase the weight you're lifting each workout, still keeping in mind that you can't do the same routines day after day, (IE: Pushups to failure everyday), because contrary to popular belief; growth happens on the day off when the muscles get rest and a chance to repair. It doesn't happen through the pushup exercise itself. That only instigates it.

    There's so much more to tell you, but hopefully this is a start. If you have more questions, let me know. Otherwise, check out the programs mentioned on this site. I highly recommend them to get the results you want. 40 Days to Maximum Muscle!
    Gain 10lbs of Muscle in 1 Month-FREE program!

    Good luck to you man!
  • K.Hood Apr 10, 2012 @ 3:58 am | delete
    I am 5'7" about 145lbs and I'm looking to get myself up to 165-170 within the next half a year or so... What must I do? I do see some results when I go through a period of time working out but it does not ever satisfy me enough and I never seem to see a higher number on the scale. Where do I go from here? (mainly looking to build upper body, specifically bi's, tri's, chest, traps, shoulders, and abs)
  • Build Upper Body Muscle and Strength Apr 29, 2012 @ 10:27 pm | delete
    Hey there K, thanks for the questions.
    sorry for the delay in getting your answer to you so late. As you can tell from your own experience, the hard work you're putting into you workouts are paying off. You say though that it never seems to be enough. Makes sense if you've been working out for awhile using the same routine. If you've hit a plateau, it's time to change things up. You need to remember to feed the muscle and work them under tension to help them grow and gain the weight you want to gain. Are you tracking the number of calories you need and how much you are actually consuming. Are you tracking workouts, with weight, rep and set counts, watching rest times between sets? All of this matters.

    A very detailed plan is will help make the gains and get the results you want...the results that WILL satisfy you. That is the the No Nonsense Muscle Building and Ben Pakulski (Pakman) IM40 will do. I highly recommend them and believe they are worth your while to give them a try. I believe without a doubt that you will reach your goal with them. And you know what, if you don't see results that will blow your mind, even within the first 30 days, there is a money back guarantee where you can get a full refund. I've gotten results from these muscle building programs...I KNOW you will too!
    Best wishes to you!
  • jason Apr 8, 2012 @ 6:58 am | delete
    what food do i eat
  • Build Upper Body Strength and Muscle Apr 8, 2012 @ 9:24 pm | delete
    Hey Jason,
    When it comes to food to build upper body muscle, you want lots of high quality lean protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. Each one of these serves a valuable purpose in the process. For protein I recommend, chicken, turkey, white fish, bison, beans, venison, etc. This should take up about 25 - 30% of your calories. For carbs you should be eating sweet potato, green vegetables, oats, brown rice, etc. These should take up approximately 55 - 60% of your total calories. And the fats can be virtually any kind of nut or nut butter, avocado, flax seed, limited egg yolk, olive oil, coconut oil, fish oil, etc. This type of food would take up the remaining calories which would be about 15 - 20%.

    All the information you need would require a lot more detail, but for now this is a good start. Both the No Nonsense Muscle building program and MI40 program have a complete diet you can get to go with their workouts in order to maximize your muscle building results.
  • allenwebstarme Apr 3, 2012 @ 5:54 am | delete
    I like your 3 keys very inspirational and body building motivation lens, exactly what i'm looking for. Thanks a ton.
  • build upper body strength and muscle Apr 6, 2012 @ 9:05 am | delete
    Good to hear! Thanks for the comment
  • Folloerman Apr 1, 2012 @ 10:12 pm | delete
    Sir what do you think is the best way for me to developed my body I am 24 years old I am Skinny and my Height is 5'4 my weight is just 100 lbs I want to develop my Body.
  • Build Upper Body Strength and Muscle Apr 6, 2012 @ 9:20 am | delete
    Hey there Followerman-
    Start with the program found here: Build 10lbs of muscle in 1 month!
    (This is a free program that give you everything you need to gain that 1st 10lbs in as little as one month. Just sign up in order for the info to be delivered to you.) After you add that 1st 10lbs following this, come back. Let me know how it goes and we'll go over the next steps. Any questions, let me know. Here's to a bigger, better you.
  • Thrinsdream Feb 28, 2012 @ 7:46 am | delete
    Brilliant article with some great truths in! Really enjoyed. Cathi x
  • Build Upper Body Strength and Muscle Apr 6, 2012 @ 9:06 am | delete
    Thanks Cathi!
  • rbucio Feb 11, 2012 @ 9:11 pm | delete
    amazing lens a lot of great tips. thanks
  • build upper body strength and muscle Feb 12, 2012 @ 8:48 pm | delete
    thanks for the comment and compiment RBUCIO. I appreciate it.
  • Loganor Feb 3, 2012 @ 4:08 am | delete
    Don't forget you need the right weight training equipment, from belts and gloves to lifting straps, to make your workouts most effective. Be sure and check out my new lenses about powerlifting gear to get a head start. Great lens, thanks for sharing.
  • build upper body strength and muscle Feb 5, 2012 @ 12:14 pm | delete
    Loganor,

    Hey, thanks for the comment. You are definitely right that having the proper gear to help keep you safe while you are lifting is important. Using that gear and applying proper form and technique will be your biggest protection against injury. Thanks for giving somewhere to go to find that gear.
  • You dont need to buy anything its free on the web Feb 9, 2012 @ 3:12 pm | delete
    You don't need gloves or belts...
    Belts make your back weak and gloves make your hands soft. You don't need straps if your starting either. Just lift in shoes that are flat. I workout in sandals or barefoot.
  • build upper body muscle and strength Feb 11, 2012 @ 6:54 am | delete
    Thanks for the comment. I believe having that equipment is an individual preference. While it may not be necessary for some, others may find the equipment actually benefits them. Personal choice.
  • Ty Nov 27, 2011 @ 9:17 pm | delete
    Hey guys, I'd really appreciate it if you could help me out.
    I'm 19 and severly suffering from the skinny man gene. I'm by no means at all unatheletic. I went through a year of special warfare training and trained with some olympic bronze medalists when it comes to fitness. However i'm lacking the size I really want. I've been into and loving overall fitness for 5 years now but I cannot seem to get bigger. It's quite the frustrating factor. I swim 5 days a week, run 3, and lift two. Ontop of that I do calesthenics daily. I have i my little record book 5k's run at 15:35, max benchpress at 195, pushups till failure topping off at 357, and pullups in the high 20's. Yet I just CANT seem to get bigger, i'd love to be a good 160lbs or more but the weight just refuses to addon. I've tried extreme things such as "eat everything diets" 10,000 calorie a day diets, nothing but lifting fitness programs, protein shakes, mass gainers. Pretty much everything short of steirods. So if any of you could be so kind as to help me it would be HUGELY appreciated. I give all fitness and diet ruteins 2-3 months for beginning results before I abandon them. I really appreciate the time and effort. Also at the moment my diet is severly lacking. I eat constant fastfood and just "run it off." My swim sessions usually last an hour, my running minimum of 4 miles (HIIT or LSD), my lifting of a 6 exercise pick for area, and my calesthinics hit most all daily. Again, thanks for any and all help! (Please excuse my spelling, my english grammar isn't the best on the planet, obviously)
  • build upper body muscle Nov 28, 2011 @ 6:31 am | delete
    Hey Ty,
    Thanks for the comment. Sounds like you've got a wicked physical routine. Here's the deal though, if you're doing that much physical activity, you've got to feed the muscles in order to help them grow. Michael Phelps who trains on average 5 to 6 hours a day 6 days out of the week consumes 13,000 calories a day just to maintain his weight. That's important to keep in mind.

    It important for you to find out exactly how many calories you're burning on a daily basis and then consume that number plus 500 to 1,000 calories more in order to add muscle. You can go to http://www.caloriesperhour.com/ to find that. While fast food works to provide calories, a diet with higher quality carbs would help serve you better to meet your goals. 20% lean protein, 65% complex carbs, and 15% healthy fats.

    A weight lifting routine is also critical in helping you to build muscle. This routine has to be one where you are first and foremost performing the exercises correctly using the full range of motion and constantly working to increase weights. "Time under tension" is the rule of thumb.

    There is a great report that teaches how to gain 10lbs of muscle in 1 month on the site. Access to it can be found by going to the next section below these comments and clicking on the link in blue. Grab that report and follow that, adjusting based on your additional caloric needs.

    Let me know how that works for you. Good luck.
  • Tyler jaysen Dec 5, 2011 @ 5:11 pm | delete
    yeah I was on the same boat as you when i was a kid growing up. I used to work out with free weights alot to build muscle and I ate a lot of calories too. You just have a high metabolism and that is good...but once you hit 30 that will slow down.

    You need to read some of my articles at bodybuilding diet and see how you can gain weight. But essentially you will have to eat alot more and eat more frequently. Also try doing reps where you add on the next rep.
  • John Jan 21, 2012 @ 3:42 am | delete
    1) REST. Protein synthesis requires rest. Bodybuilders don't do much cardio when "bulking" (putting on muscle+fat).
    2) FOOD. Eat a calculated number of calories each day (when bulking, eat your BMR plus as many calories as you burn in your daily activities, plus 500+ more for growth). If you don't see growth after a week, add calories. Make sure you eat a well balanced diet that includes enough protein to grow.
    3) LIFT. Look up "hardgainer" weight lifting routines. (A "hardgainer" is a person like you and I who have a hard time gaining muscle weight.) Generally a hardgainer routine involves more full-body workouts and more rest between workout days.
    4) If you want to, you can supplement your diet with things like creatine, whey protein, or even hormonal supplements like GH secretagogues, IGF-1 and *ahem* steroids *cough*. Note that there are legal over-the-counter steroid products that appear to work (i.e. AndroMass/AndroBulk).

    Best of luck to you!
  • build upper body strength and muscle Jan 21, 2012 @ 11:15 am | delete
    Those are some great tips John. I'm currently using another routine to assist in maximizing and defining the muscles I currently have. It's MI40 by IFBB Pro Ben Pakulski or Pakman for short. It emphasizes on perform form and technique, isolating the muscle to be worked and that scientifically proven time under tension concept required for hypertrophy...IE: muscle growth. You can read more about it at the link found here ==> 40 day transformation Pakman Style. I have to say, I have never felt such isolated muscle work, blood flow into that muscle, and overall impact. The impact is incredible. You know you're working with these moves. And, I've been able to make noticeable gains in the amount of weight lifted within a couple of weeks of starting the program.

    I can't recommend this method enough. It's the perfect compliment to the No Nonsense muscle building program, or in all honesty it can be used on it's own and you will see a difference.
  • seosmm Nov 25, 2011 @ 7:35 pm | delete
    Very nice lens!
  • nigel7725 Nov 2, 2011 @ 4:35 pm | delete
    Diet and exercise are so integral, not just for upper body mass, but for overall health and longevity. Good information.
  • Build Upper Body Muscle Nov 2, 2011 @ 8:41 pm | delete
    Thanks for stopping by nigel7725 and leaving a comment. I couldn't agree with you more.
  • Jo at Build Upper Body Muscle Oct 27, 2011 @ 7:57 am | delete
    Hey Josh, thanks for checking out the site and leaving a comment. You're right on for concentrating on your diet because honestly, it's more than 50% of the battle. To get a good eating plan, I highly recommend this report, Build 10lbs of muscle in 1 month diet and workout plan!. It will lay out an exact nutrition plan for you to build upper body muscle. Having said that, not everyone can follow those exact steps. My philosophy is do what you can and then change what you can't with something else that works. The idea being that if you need protein and can't time to prepare it, then replace it something else, preferably just as good or at least the next best thing. Use canned tuna or salmon. Hard boiled eggs are good too. Use frozen precooked grilled chicken so that all you have to do is microwave it. Fast food in itself is not a bad thing all the time. It's the choices you make when buying the fast food or even in partaking in frozen dinners. How many times do you go to Subway verses a McDonalds or Taco Bell? How many times to you order grilled chicken verses high fat fried hamburger? Do you include the tomato, lettuce, onion, avocado on your sandwich or hamburger. Do you stay away from high, bad fat dressings on your burger? Start making healthier choices when you go out to eat. Also, when it comes to total calories, you'll need to take in at least 3,500 in a day...probably more if you want to see growth. That may mean eating every two hours. It's gotta be done if you want more muscle. It all really comes down to one thing. How important is it to you to build muscle. If it's priority 1, then you have choose to make good choices, be determined, and decide to take action in doing what you need to in accomplishing it. Not trying to tell you what to do, just laying out what needs to happen for anyone who wants to build muscle. Hope that helps bro! Check out the report at the link above. I think it will be a big help too! Good Luck!
  • Joshua Oct 27, 2011 @ 12:23 am | delete
    Hey Jo. Here's my case. Male, 19. I'm pretty skinny, but not drastically. I have a six-pack, but I really don't think it's toned muscle. I think it's just from where I'm skinny. I have a bit of a bicep muscle, but nothing too substantial. And I really think I would have the perfect body to throw some muscle on, like my collarbone/shoulder area looks like one you'd see on a UFC fighter. Anyway, too much appearance details. What I need help with is my diet. I've found a nice workout plan I'm gonna try, but my diet is atrocious. I sometimes will go 1-2 days without eating at all, and when I do it's fast food, or meals from restaurants (Applebee's, Golden Corral, Cracker Barrel, etc.) or frozen-to-microwave dishes (Buffalo wings, Corndogs, Pizza, etc.) My problem is though, when I do eat, I can only eat but so much before I'm full. Like full full. I suppose that's just from where I only eat once a day, every other day, and my stomach just shrank drastically. But I don't drive yet, and when I'm not home, I'm either at work, or at my girlfriends house. But my house is completely scarce of food, and the food available at my gf's house is, like I said, frozen meals. I do make some money, and could purchase what food you'd recommend, but I just don't know how I'd be able to really prepare anything. MY house is a pig-sty (no clean dishes, all food is gone bad, etc.) and I don't really know about taking food over to her house, would be kinda weird to her parents. haha. So yeah, sorry for the rant, and I hope to hear back from you. But any tips you could have on how to handle a diet in my situation, easy-to-no prepare foods that would help gain mass, etc. would be VERY appreciated. Thank you sir.

    Josh
  • Dan Dec 11, 2011 @ 9:38 pm | delete
    Josh, sorry nobody replied to you. The best thing for your situation, in my opinion, is fruit. Comes wrapper with no prep. Bananas are very affordable and full of good carbs (if you eat them ripe - slightly spotty, no green!) and if you don't think they can help with the muscle, ask a gorilla who lives on them with 3x the strength per weight of a human.
  • wayne o'ryan Oct 22, 2011 @ 10:55 am | delete
    hi wayne here,,i am applying for the military and i want to build some of the muscles,,i am 5'11 and weight 10 and a half stone,,i am a skinny guy...i don't no where to start,i have bought some dumbells and have started using them,but could u tell me the best plan to use these and i diet i can go by because at the moment i find it hard to stick by my own ones thanks
  • jochris26 Oct 23, 2011 @ 3:17 am | delete
    Hey Wayne,

    Thanks for stopping by. I've just added a report to the site that will give you a muscle building diet and workout where you can build 10 pounds of muscle in 1 month. Click here to access it. See if that gives you what you're looking for. If not, let me know, and I get something else for you.

    Good luck with your military venture. Wishing you the best man!
  • kiran lama Oct 19, 2011 @ 3:47 am | delete
    hello i m another skinny from dis whole world. i m from nepal, kathmandu. actually i m just startin and i do hav bought da some instruments for da workouts... i m 65 kg and 5.8 inch in height. I d be very greatful if u'd give me some help in food department.. like wat to eat or wat not to gain enough calories for gainin muscles........
  • Jo Oct 23, 2011 @ 3:05 am | delete
    Kiran,

    Hey man, thanks for stopping by. Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I've been working on putting the best information together that will give you everything you need to get started and I think the best answer for you is the report found at http://www.squidoo.com/build-upper-body-muscle#module154406306.

    Hit that link, sign up for the report. It's muscle building diet and workout plan to help you build 10 pounds of muscle in 1 month plus some other important info about supplements and proper training techniques. It should give you what you need to get some results.

    If you need anything else, let me know.

    Jo
    Build Upper Body Muscle
  • Build Upper Body Muscle Oct 23, 2011 @ 3:26 am | delete
    Hey Kiran,

    Here's the clickable link for that report....Build 10 pounds of muscle in 1 month!
  • Leigh Oct 17, 2011 @ 5:18 am | delete
    Hey
    Im a skinny guy from Cape Town, South Africa, really trying to put on muscle mass but on a student budget. Im 23, 1,74 m tall and weigh about 60 kg now. I'd like to weigh 70 kg.
    My daily diet usely goes like this. 8:30am bowl of oats, 11am 4 slices of whole wheat bread with peanut butter, 1pm two fried egg and salad sandwiches or a tuna salad, 3pm banana or apple, 5pm 2 cheese and salas sandwiches, 6-7:30pm is workout on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, post workout two raw eggs mixed with 200-300ml full cream milk, 9pm chicken breast pasta with veg,, 11pm tin of tuna and directly into bed.

    Please tell me if you think this diet, if struck to roughly, is enough to be gaining weigth.

    Thanks
    L
  • Build Upper Body Muscle Oct 17, 2011 @ 6:25 am | delete
    Hey Leigh, thanks for stopping by. I ran you're diet through Livestrong.com's daily plate. (It's a great way to check you total calorie intake.) You list was very detailed, thanks. Based on what you've given and some assumptions about amounts and additives such as how much pasta and how much peanut butter or mayo on sandwiches, I'm estimating you're taking in somewhere between 3,000 to 3,500 calories a day. A lot of food, but not enough to gain the weight you want. Plus, this diet is low in protein and carbs, and heavy in fat.
    Can you increase you're food intake with protein shake supplementation about 60 grams post workout and include more vegetables, brown rice, sweet potato, etc., in your meals?
    At your age and what I'm guessing your activity level is, you should be taking in another 1,000 calories minimum in order to put on the extra weight that you want.
    Hope that helps man!
  • Jo Chris Oct 14, 2011 @ 8:32 am | delete
    Hey J,

    Thanks for stopping by and thanks for your service to our country.

    With regard to your diet, here are a few tips. Depending on how active you are and your age, you should be taking in about 5,000 to 6,000 calories a day in order to gain weight. Assuming you're eating that amount usually gives bad info. You'll want to track your intake.

    If you want to gain weight via added muscle, add more complex carbs like brown rice, whole wheat pasta, sweet potato, etc., and healthy fats like nuts, avocado, and fish/olive oils into your diet.

    If you're trying to build muscle, it's important to remember that your carbs provide the energy to do your workout, not protein. So make sure you take in carbs before you exercise. If you're lifting for more than an hour...(which isn't necessary by the way to get results), you need to refuel with more carbs at the end of that hour. Protein should be consumed within 30 to 45 minutes of finishing your workout.

    The two biggest mistakes guys make when it comes to nutrition and building muscle is not taking in enough calories and not refueling the tank. The exercise routine and the manner it is performed is also another critical component...give me a holler if you've got questions on that portion as well.
  • J Oct 14, 2011 @ 3:22 am | delete
    I usually try to eat egg salad sandwiches or pizza during the day, with a lot of chocolate milk. Then protein before and after workout along with spaghetti and peanut butter. I'm training up for the military in a few months, but I'm 6'1" and like 155lbs. I'd like to be 165 or 170, any tips?
  • Jo Oct 10, 2011 @ 10:10 am | delete
    Hey Mark, thank for stopping by! I can definitely help you get a better body. First though, I need to know what you are doing now. Chances are that you're on the right path. We just need to make some adjustments. E-mail me at buildupperbodymuscle@gmail.com. (check your spam folder for my response back.) Let me know what your workouts entail, your eating and nutrition plan, and an idea of your schedule. I'll give you a routine, diet, and overall plan to help you get that "perfect body."
  • Mark Cloud Oct 9, 2011 @ 2:20 pm | delete
    My, name is Mark and i'm 16 years old .. i was trying to make the so called "perfect body" but i cant.. i don't know maybe im doing something wrong .. i was going at the gym for 3/4 moths and nothing .. i'm still kinda skinny guy .. can you please help me ?
  • Mark Oct 9, 2011 @ 2:14 pm | delete
    My, name is Mark and i'm 16 years old .. i was trying to make the so called "perfect body" but i cant.. i don't know maybe im doing something wrong .. i was going at the gym for 3/4 moths and nothing .. i'm still kinda skinny guy .. can you please help me ?
  • jochris26 Sep 22, 2011 @ 8:02 am | delete
    James,
    It's sucks when others joke around like that. They think it's funny when it's not. Do you want to build up some muscle and show them they're wrong? Send me an e-mail at buildupperbodymuscle@gmail.com. In the e-mail let me know what you're currently doing as far as your eating and training goes now. Also, give me an idea of your schedule and we'll get a plan going for you...deal?
  • James Tagg Sep 22, 2011 @ 3:44 am | delete
    Hi, My name is James and I am 12 yrs old , I am sick of people telling me that I'm weak, So I want to build up some muscle

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