Ask most bodybuilders and they’ll tell you training is the easy part. Not that lifting ungodly tonnage and pushing your body to its physical limits day after grueling day isn’t hard work. It’s just that understanding the ins and outs of bench pressing, squatting, curling and the like isn’t totally difficult to master, especially when you’re hungry to improve.
On the other hand, nutrition can be a complicated subject what kinds of carbohydrates and proteins should you eat? What vitamins and minerals are critical? Not to mention meal timing, creatine and the full spectrum of supplements bodybuilders need to keep track of.
It can be overwhelming for someone who just wants to lift and grow. If you’ve got questions, the answers will more than likely be found right here. We’ve compiled the 63 most vital rules of nutrition to help guide you through the minefield of all things related to food and supplements. This comprehensive overview gives you easy-to-follow basic to advanced dictums that have passed the test for accuracy and efficiency.
Whether you want to add mass, get ripped or simply maintain your weight, you’ll find what you need to know, right here.
A bodybuilding diet can be constructed in terms of foods, but it can also be designed around macronutrient composition: protein, carbohydrates and fats. To do this effectively, bodybuilders need to be aware of how many grams of carbs, protein and fat they’re taking in each day.
The amounts, types and ratios of the macros consumed (and when) help assess the general adequacy of any bodybuilding diet. Other nutrients such as water and fiber are crucial for bodybuilders, and they must also be considered.
We recommend that bodybuilders take in at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day and even up to almost 2 g per pound for hardgainers. Protein needs for individual bodybuilders may vary, but this minimum ensures sufficient amounts with which to build muscle.
If your bodyweight is low or if your caloric requirements for maintenance are high, then you may need even more protein than bodybuilders of comparable size.
Your body can use protein, carbs or fats for energy, but when you’re training hard, it preferentially uses carbs. Taking in ample carbs makes it easy for your body to fuel itself, sparing protein and fats for their more specific nutritional uses.
Complex carbs are constructed of long chains of sugars. Most, but not all complex carbs are slow digesting. Stress whole-grain products (whole-wheat bread and pastas, oatmeal, brown rice, etc.) and sweet potatoes, which are all slow digesting, as opposed to white breads and white potatoes, as well as sugars, which are all fast digesting. Slow-digesting carbs provide longer-lasting energy and there’s less chance they’ll be stored as bodyfat. During a mass-building phase, strive to take in a minimum of 2 g and up to about 3 g of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight per day. During cutting phases, reduce total carbohydrate consumption to 1 g per pound of bodyweight.
Except after workouts, a bodybuilder should minimize calorie consumption from simple carbohydrates (sugar). Simple carbs can be rapidly absorbed, especially in liquids with little or no fats or solid foods to slow down their passage through the gastrointestinal tract. Significant quantities of simple carbs provide the release of insulin, desirable after a workout, but not at other times, because it can encourage the body to store these sugars as bodyfat. Foods that are high in sugar are among the worst for bodybuilders seeking to keep bodyfat low.
Excesses of these two types of fat increase the risk of heart and other health problems, and they can also undermine bodybuilding efforts. Trans fats are commonly found in processed foods such as crackers, cookies and other baked goods. Saturated fats are prevalent in lower-quality (fattier) cuts of meats.
Foods containing unsaturated fats, particularly monounsaturates, are excellent for bodybuilders. Don’t buy into the notion that a bodybuilding diet should be low fat–it should only be low in saturated and trans fats. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and flaxseed oils, are important for creating a favorable hormonal environment for building muscle tissue and staying lean.
Other unsaturated fats, such as those found in olives, avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive and canola oils, also provide bodybuilders with numerous muscle-building advantages. Except when cutting up, fats should represent 20%-30% of your daily diet.
When breaking down a bodybuilding diet, macronutrients are often split into percentages. For instance, an offseason dietary recommendation might be to get 50% of calories from carbs, 30% from protein and 20% from fats. To do this accurately, you have to have this valuable information: every gram of carbs has approximately four calories, every gram of protein has four calories and every gram of fat has nine calories. This calorie differential explains why bodybuilders, even those who are not on a low-fat diet, need to pay attention to fat calories, as well as to carbs and protein. For gaining mass, shoot for at least 20 calories per pound of bodyweight. When getting lean, cut calories to 15 or less per pound of bodyweight.
Water is essential for overall health as well as for muscle growth. Keeping your body well hydrated benefits everything from protein synthesis to digestion. Steady water intake keeps nutrients moving in your bloodstream and into muscle cells. Water is also a critical source of many minerals. But don’t drink that gallon-plus in one sitting–gulp it during the course of the day. This is especially important for bodybuilders on high-protein diets, as well as those using creatine, fat burners or other supplements that affect hydration. Remember, water keeps your muscles full. It can also help you stay lean, as research has shown that simply drinking two cups of water between meals boosts metabolic rate. Water is the essence of life, and its importance to bodybuilders can’t be overstressed. Drink a pint of water with main meals and try to exceed the daily one-gallon recommendation.
Most bodybuilding foods are notoriously low in fiber; yet, bodybuilders need plenty of fiber to make ideal gains. Bodybuilders must get most of their dietary fiber from complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. Strive to take in 30 g of fiber a day, and even more when you’re on a high-calorie diet. If your diet doesn’t provide this amount, then consider daily supplementation with a fiber product.
All forms of protein are good for bodybuilders seeking to add muscle mass, but lean forms of meat are among the best. Turkey, chicken, beef and other meats have complete proteins, meaning they contain all the amino acids that your body needs–other forms of protein, especially vegetable sources, are incomplete and thus less-concentrated sources of protein.
For best results, We recommend that bodybuilders strive to take in some form of animal protein at almost every meal. Among the best meat choices are chicken and turkey breast, as well as lean cuts of red meat.
Fish, an excellent source of protein, should be consumed regularly by bodybuilders. Varying in fat content, some types of fish are high in healthy fats, others are low in fat altogether. Unlike other tissue proteins, though, fatty fish provide a host of benefits to bodybuilders. Salmon and sardines, for example, are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which support the immune system and assist with muscle recovery and growth, in addition to many other benefits, among them fat loss. Fish that are lower in fat, such as tilapia, also make an excellent source of protein. All bodybuilders, regardless of their phase of diet or training goals, should strive to take in eight ounces of fatty fish at least twice a week.
Eggs are a versatile, easy-to-cook and easy-to-consume protein source. They’re also relatively inexpensive. Eat just the egg whites if you’re seeking a low-calorie protein source. Use the yolks when you want the benefits of healthy fats, lecithin and other nutrients. Eggs can be boiled in bulk, they’re easily transported, and they make fine between-meal fare. As do eggs, dairy products provide many dietary options. First and foremost, milk proteins–casein and whey–have innumerable nutritional benefits. Nonfat milk is an excellent, cheap and readily available source of protein, calcium and other nutrients. Cottage cheese is the casein fraction of milk and an outstanding bodybuilding protein–you can find low- or nonfat varieties that are relatively inexpensive. Unsweetened yogurt is also a good protein source, and it contains beneficial bacteria to help support the immune system and improve digestive efficiency.
Some bodybuilders shy away from grains such as brown rice and whole-wheat products because they are mostly carbohydrates. Others include liberal portions of pasta, cereal and bread in their diets. In general, you should include grains, but pay attention to how they affect your physique. Some bodybuilders can eat them every day with little consequence. Others need to carefully monitor the quantity they take in. Regardless, all bodybuilders should opt for whole-grain varieties over processed grains.
Vegetables are one of the most overlooked components of bodybuilding nutrition. Many bodybuilders are rigorous about their protein and complex carbohydrate consumption, but lax about eating a sufficient quantity and variety of vegetables. Bodybuilders should strive to take in five or six servings every day. To meet your needs, include more than one serving at a meal. Not only do vegetables provide nutrients that other bodybuilding foods may lack, but they also provide bulk and fiber, helping your body more efficiently process a high-protein diet.
Many bodybuilders skimp on fruit, just as they do with vegetables. Fruit is an excellent source of fiber, carbs, antioxidants and numerous other nutrients. Most fruits are a slow-digesting carb source.
Fruit also supplies nutrients that are hard to come by from other bodybuilding food sources. Eat a range of fruits, taking in two or more pieces or servings a day. Fruit makes a great preworkout carb source.
Supplements are a key component of your bodybuilding nutrition strategy, but they’re only one component. If you keep that in mind, you can get a tremendous edge from supplementation.
Supplements are a tool to help you achieve your goals. They are not magic pills and potions that will grant your physique wishes. You must use supplements intelligently, with reasonable expectations of what they can do for you. You still have to train and rigorously follow your diet. If you do the hard work and use supplements as they’re designed, then you’ll get the benefits that you seek from them.
Take a protein supplement at least once a day on rest days and twice a day on workout days. If you choose a product from a good manufacturer, this practice can give you an extra 40-80 g of protein per day, and it will help bring you into compliance with our standard protein recommendation (at least 1 g of protein per pound of bodyweight daily). It’s often enough to cause acceleration in muscle growth, usually noticeable within four months. It’s especially important to follow this formula when dieting. Higher protein needs and restricted caloric intake make a protein supplement essential.
Take about 20 g of protein powder, such as whey, within 30 minutes before workouts and about 40 g immediately after workouts. On rest days, consume at least one 40 g protein shake between meals.
Supplementing with creatine can provide bodybuilders with tremendous benefits, including faster recovery from intense weight training, decreased postexercise muscle soreness and increases in muscle mass and strength. Take 3-5 g of creatine immediately before and after workouts.
This amino acid combines with histidine in the muscle to form carnosine. Muscles with higher carnosine have more strength and endurance. Research shows that bodybuilders taking beta-alanine in addition to creatine gain significantly more muscle than those taking just creatine. Take 1-2 g immediately before and after workouts.
Take a multi with breakfast and dinner each and every day for insurance. Being low in any vitamin can cause breaks in the blueprint of muscle construction. A fast-food world combined with the demands of bodybuilding training can leave you short of a host of micronutrients. That’s bad when you consider that many of them are needed for the things an ironhead is most interested in, such as building muscle and burning bodyfat.
Take a mix of antioxidants; a
