When you hear the word "diet," what comes to mind? In most cases, we think about overweight people trying to find a way to shed extra weight. We think of diets in terms of calorie reduction, fat elimination, carbohydrate restrictions, smaller portions and all of the other things that go with dropping pounds. When you hear "diet," you might even think about those crazy temporary "starvation" plans concocted in hopes of allowing someone to drop a Thanksgiving turkey’s worth of weight in a matter of days.

That is the common understanding of what diets are all about, but those approaches share very little with developing a diet plan for building muscle mass. When someone wants to become more muscular, they often need the exact opposite of what we usually encounter. They are looking for a weight gain diet plan!

That is because the process of building muscle requires a great deal of physical exertion. You need a well-fed body to pull that off. It is also because muscle weight more than fat. Additionally, if you want to get bigger and stronger, you simply need to give you body more to work with. Diet plans for weight gain need to take all of those factors into consideration.

What does that mean in terms of creating a diet plan for building muscle mass? A few things spring immediately to mind.

The focus shifts from caloric intake to providing sufficient fuel for your weightlifting fire. You need to feed your furnace! A caloric deficit will result in weight loss and will make it much more difficult to build muscle mass. That means supplying your system with a sufficient number of calories and carbohydrates for energy.

Putting together a good weight gain plan for muscle building also requires planning for plenty of protein. Muscles are protein and we are what we eat. A diet for those trying to increase their size should be anchored on the consumption of lean proteins. Very lean beef, poultry and fish should be a regular part of one’s overall plan.

Not everything about traditional and weight gain diets are different, however. They do share one thing in common--multiple meals. The old "three square meals a day" strategy does not do the job. You need to constantly replenish your system by scheduling a greater number of smaller meals. That is the best way to keep yourself sufficiently loaded with the fuel you need to improve your muscle growth.

Devising a diet for building more lean muscle mass is a lot different from your standard diet. When you understand the difference, you will be that much closer to developing your ideal physique.