Food is important. We all know this. The majority of people eat foods that taste good and that make them feel good. But when you’re working towards a goal in the gym, food is much more than just a tasty treat. Food is a building block. And depending on what you’re eating, or how often you’re eating, you can ruin all the hard work you’ve been putting in at the gym.

First and foremost, you have to know what you’re working toward. Your diet reflects your goal. Those who are trying to gain lean muscle mass while losing fat have to regulate their diet based on that goal. Anyone trying to gain muscle mass and power has to eat certain kinds of food numerous times throughout the day. You get the general idea. The hard part is adhering to the strict guidelines that these goals require. If you want to gain lean muscle mass while losing weight, chances are you’re going to have to cut back on the carbs, which is going to affect your energy levels throughout the day as well as your healing process. This comes with the territory and is par for the course. If you’re looking to gain mass and power lifting is your kind of thing, you’re going to be eating a lot of food throughout the day, protein and carbohydrates specifically. And you’ll be eating at least every two hours to maintain and feed the muscles that will be damaged by your workout. You can’t grow unless you eat. And you have to try to eat as clean as possible.

Everyone assumes that when you’ve piled on a certain amount of muscle, you can eat whatever you like. While this is somewhat true, it’s a bad habit to get stuck in. When you’re lifting heavily or working toward a goal, the food you eat is part of the process. If you’re trying to bench press 500 pounds you’ll be eating at least five times a day, but if all five of those meals are from fast food joints like McDonald’s or Wendy’s, you’re doing your body a disservice. The food you put into your body should reflect your commitment to achieving your goals. There are no shortcuts when it comes to this kind of thing. If there were, everyone would have six pack abs and be lifting three times their body weight.

Water is also a crucial part of the process. Depending on how many hours you’re spending in the gym, you should be consuming at least two liters of water a day. Soda and energy drinks are full of sugar, and that will certainly not help you put on the mass you’re working toward. Plus water speeds up your metabolism, and the faster your metabolism the more food you can eat, which means more muscle. I’m just saying.