The bodybuilding diet is one of the most healthy nutrition plans anyone can incorporate to their lifestyle in order to build muscle or burn body fat. Unlike popular
misconceptions, a bodybuilding diet does not have to be extreme or unhealthy. The myths surrounding bodybuilding diets are mainly due to the fact that professional bodybuilders only eat certain foods when dieting for a competition.
Yes this process can be tedious and boring, however they only follow it
for 12 to 16 weeks. The rest of the year, a bodybuilder's diet can be
completely different and include all the major food groups, as you will
see in the diet plan below. For the large majority of bodybuilders who
do not compete, their nutrition plan can be as rich and enjoyable as
they want it to be, within certain caloric recommendations of course.
Our natural bodybuilding website specializes in bodybuilding diet
information, giving you the best bodybuilding diet plans, whether you
want to gain muscle mass or lose body fat.
Natural bodybuilding has grown in popularity in recent years and we
support it 100%. A natural bodybuilding diet will not only give you a
healthy and strong body but it will also optimize your performance in
the gym, your work and the quality of your life in general. The body
thrives on natural unprocessed foods, that is a proven fact. Supplements
are needed in certain meals but they do not have to be the staple.
Always choose a solid food meal over a supplement meal. Your body will
thank you for it.
A typical plan consists of multiple meals per day,
usually spaced out every 3 to 4 hours. Your body needs to be supplied with a
constant influx of amino acids, carbohydrates and good fats in order to
repair and grow muscle tissue and provide you with energy. Typically
breakfast, lunch and dinner are the three meals most people eat. With
the bodybuilding nutrition plan, a few meal snacks are added in between,
to keep hunger in check and to give the body more nutrients needed for
muscle growth, energy and recovery.
We recommend you start with the following bodybuilding diet, depending
of course on your current weight and body fat measurements. Later on, as
you progress, you can switch to a
bodybuilding cutting diet plan, which will get you leaner faster.
Please note that this is only a sample nutrition plan. If you need more
specific information and details about how to eat to maximize
performance, fat loss and muscle growth, then we recommend you check out
the book Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle by
clicking here.
Meal 1 (07:00)
8 egg whites, 2 yolks, scrambled
Half cup oatmeal
1 orange
Meal 2 (10:00)
6oz chicken breast, grilled
1 medium baked potato
1 mixed salad with 1 tbsp olive oil
Meal 3 (13:00)
6oz lean steak, grilled
1 cup brown rice (cooked)
5oz steamed vegetables
Meal 4 (post-workout 16:00)
1.5 scoops whey protein
1 apple or 1 banana
Meal 5 (19:00)
6oz salmon, baked or grilled
1 large sweet potato
3oz steamed vegetables or salad
Meal 6 (22:00)
6oz low fat cottage cheese
Apple or fruit salad
Handful of almonds or walnuts
|
|
Important bodybuilding diet tips:
- Drink at least one gallon of water per day (always depending on your
body weight).
- Take a simple carbohydrate drink or meal along with some whey protein right
after your weight training workout.
- Eat good fats from olive oil, fish, nuts or omega 3/6/9 supplements on
a daily basis.
- Make sure you sleep at least 6 to 8 hours every night to ensure proper
recovery from your workouts.
- Take a good multivitamin and mineral supplement designed for
athletes, every day.
- Make sure you have a variety of proteins, carbohydrates, fruits and
vegetables. Your diet does not have to be bland all the time. Experiment
with various bodybuilding diet recipes whenever you can.
- When you know you will be pressed for time because of work or school
or social events, make sure you pre-plan your meals ahead of time and
take them with you in a cooler. If a cooler is not practical for your
situation then make sure you eat right before and right after the event.
Protein bars low in sugars and fats come in handy for these types of
situations.
- If you eat out because of social events, work etc. always choose the
leanest meat possible along with a salad and a baked potato. Make sure
you ask the restaurant to hold the various sauces and/or dressings.
These can add unwanted empty calories to your nutrition plan. Instead
have an olive oil - balsamic vinegar dressing if you like it.
- Needless to say try to avoid alcoholic beverages as much as possible.
Even more important bodybuilding diet tips:
- Don't worry so much about your calories i.e. counting
everything to the last percentile! Use the mirror and the scale to
assess your progress. If you are gaining weight and your strength is
increasing then stay with your current bodybuilding diet. If your weight
is staying the same after a few weeks, slowly increase the portions of
your meals and your overall calories.
- Pay extra attention to 3 particular meals of the day: Breakfast, your post workout
meal and your last meal before you go to bed. These will probably be the
most important of your daily plan. Take advantage of
the body's increased needs for protein & carbohydrates during these 3 times and maximize your
intakes.
- Your bodybuilding diet
should always be customized according to your age, weight, height, body
fat percentage and goals. Do not follow any nutrition plan blindly,
whether it's from a magazine of from a website. Always mold the
individual meals according to your body's needs and according to your
specific goals.
- Speaking of
goals, before you start any bodybuilding plan, whether it's for
nutrition or training, you should set specific goals that you want to
achieve. Make sure your goal is as specific as possible and within a
certain time frame. Don't just say "I want to gain muscle in the next
few months". That is way too vague to follow and will get you nowhere
fast and very frustrated with your results. What you should say instead
is "I want to gain 5 pounds of lean muscle in the next 30 days". Be as
specific as possible, write it down on a piece of paper and read it
every day. This technique alone will be 50% of your success inside and
outside of the gym.
- Start a written nutrition journal. It's advisable to take notes on all
the diet plans you follow over the years. Note down in as much detail as
you can what your goals are for the certain time period, your weight and
the meal plan you are following. Also make sure to write down how you
feel, your thoughts about your workouts and how your body is changing
every week. Later on this will help you go back and see what nutrition
plans worked best for you and how you progressed with them. A journal is
one of the most valuable tools for your bodybuilding success.
If you want to learn how to customize your bodybuilding diet according
to your personal stats and goals, then do check out the excellent book
by Tom Venuto,
Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle, by clicking here.
|
