Summarize:

Exercise increases blood flow to your working muscles and having a shake with amino acids and carbohydrates may help you build muscle. Drink a whey-protein shake 30 – 60 minutes before your workout to boost the results of your weight lifting sessions.  Buy your shake mix at health food and nutrition retailers. Read product labels to find a shake mix that has a healthy blend of amino acids and carbohydrates. You could get, for example, a ratio of 6 grams protein to 35 grams carbohydrates. Eat a turkey sandwich with a slice of American cheese on whole wheat bread if you can’t stomach a shake. This alternative may have the same effect. Having five to six small meals every day filled with nutritious foods can maintain your health. It can also help build muscles, especially if you eat a healthy snack like a cup of cottage cheese after a workout. Incorporate different choices from each of the five food groups — fruits, vegetables, whole wheat, protein, and dairy — to ensure you are getting the proper nutrition to fuel your workouts and build muscle. Consider adding extras of the following foods to help you build muscle mass and gain healthy weight:  Beets Brown rice Oranges Cantaloupe Cottage cheese Quinoa Spinach Apples Sprouted whole grain bread Wheat germ Chickpeas Lentils Beans Flaxseed Protein helps to build muscles. Getting enough protein from whole, lean food sources helps increase your muscle mass. Choose lean meats such as chicken and dairy products like Greek yogurt to get more protein. Some other good sources of protein you might want to incorporate into your diet are:  Organic milk Eggs Cottage cheese Grass-fed lean beef  Nuts and nut butters  Rotisserie Chicken Bison Seafood such as scallops Fish such as tuna, salmon, and sardines Just as a healthy diet is important to help your body recover and build muscle, so is getting enough water to drink. It also improves your performance when you train. Aim to get 2 – 4 liters of water per day based on how active you are.  Remember that eating lots of nutritious fruits and vegetables will also increase your daily water intake. Make sure you are properly hydrated before a workout to optimize your performance. Keep a water bottle handy during workouts to ensure you’re replacing lost fluids. Every person needs sufficient rest to help him or her recover from the day’s activities. This is especially true if you’re training hard. Getting enough sleep every night helps your muscles recover and grow. In fact, not getting enough rest may sabotage all of your training and diet efforts to get a wider back. Get seven to nine hours of sleep each night. If you are tired or feel fatigued, allow yourself a 30 minute nap to relax and refresh.
Drink a supplement shake. Eat five to six small healthy meals daily. Increase your protein intake. Hydrate your body. Get enough rest.