One of my most popular articles is on the topic of how skipping breakfast can be beneficial.

Largely, the concept in that article is that skipping breakfast helps create a calorie deficit on a daily basis, and in turn helps people lose weight.

In this article, we’re going to take a different approach. Instead of focusing on weight loss, which understandably seems to be the goal for most people, we’re going to focus on building muscle and gaining strength.

If your goals are focused around building a lean, muscular, strong frame, then breakfast is probably going to be an important meal.

It’s not “the most important meal of the day” as the old cliche goes, but it does play a significant role. Think about it… sleeping is the longest period of time we go without food on a consistent basis. It’s essentially a mini fast.

In order to build muscle (and optimally gain strength) we need to be consuming more calories than we expend. Consistent intake of calories and adequate protein is crucial to optimizing this process.

So when you’ve been sleeping for 7-8 hours, it’s going to be very important that you introduce a quality meal in order to feed your body with the calories and protein it needs to grow.

A study from earlier this year showed the difference between utilizing breakfast as a vehicle for “gains.” In this study, two groups of participants performed four sets of both squat and bench press in the morning after consuming a full breakfast or just water.

In short, the group that consumed a full breakfast was able to perform more overall reps for both exercises, and as we know… more reps means more volume, and more volume usually means greater muscle gains over the long term.

Application and Takeaways

This one is pretty straightforward. If you want to lose weight, skipping breakfast is a pretty easy way to get that process rolling.

However, if you’re looking to pack on muscle and improve your strength, breakfast is likely going to be a meal you need.

This study focuses on training in the morning. Obviously, we all have different routines when it comes to our physical fitness. But just because you may be training in the afternoon and evening, it doesn’t nullify the results here.

Consistent calories and protein throughout the day is the best medicine for building muscle. By skipping breakfast, specifically, you’re prolonging your overnight fast. While this doesn’t mean you can’t build muscle and strength by skipping breakfast, it’s likely not optimal in most cases.

For those interested in building muscle and strength, I’d recommend a breakfast that includes some mixture of healthy fats and carb sources with an adequate dosage of protein to start the day (20-30 grams). This should fuel your body with what it needs after 7-8 hours without food.

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If you have any questions about nutrition topics like this one, feel free to contact me at any time. And if you’re looking for direction on how your nutrition and training can be combined to reach your goals, check out my coaching page for more details.

There are a number of different ways we can work together depending on your goals, preferences, and budget. I’d love to help you find a lifestyle that leads you towards being happier, healthier, and stronger!

CGF