Loading...
Do you want to get that Arnold Schwarzenegger body?
You watch the likes of Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler flex their muscles and you desire to look like that.
After that you check them out and discover what workouts they do to get their bodies jacked like that. You get right on to it hoping you will get to that ideal shape within a few months of workouts and filling on protein shakes.
Unfortunately you don’t get there since you miss the nutrition part. It is not just about lifting heavy stuff and consuming loads of proteins; you need a body building diet. Nutrition is very crucial to get to that body you want. It is not just any foods; it is eating enough of the right foods.
Definition of bodybuilding diet
First what is body building?
Body building is the practice of developing your body through exercise and diet, to make your muscles larger and stronger.
Thus bodybuilding diet is the type of
foods one is needed to take in in order to develop your body to make your muscles larger and stronger.
Even the greats in body building agree that what you eat plays a large part, 80%, in achieving that body.
Gaining through the body building diet: the basics
In order to get big and get that pumped body you need to eat and eat a lot.
Since your body can not just transition to be massive from nothing, you need to fuel your body to get those muscles you desire.
With so much information out there, you may get confused on what the do’s and dont’s are. Therefore you need to narrow down what will specifically work for you. Reason being that what works for someone else may not work for you.
In order to achieve this you have to go through the trial and error stage, to help discover what suits you best.
Regardless there are the basic things you need to put in mind, these are:
· Consume a lot of water, this helps in the following:
The only source of water the body has is when you drink it. Beverages and alcohol mostly drain the body of water. Therefore the need to take as much water as needed.
The body is comprised of 80% water: 85% of brain is water, 80% of the blood is water, and 70% of lean muscle is water.
Water helps you to keep hydrated especially considering the amount of water you lose in the gym.
Water also helps to improve digestion, absorption of nutrients and help in the body’s chemical reactions.
It helps in all body functions and helps to avoid fatigue, memory loss and lack of focus.
Lack of enough water stops fat burning process.
· Consume enough carbohydrates, they help in increasing the optimum performance in the gym. They are the fuel the body needs to get working in the gym effectively. Most people end up putting all their efforts in taking in proteins and fat and neglect carbs. This may reduce your size in a way you don’t desire. Experts suggest that the best source of your calories should be carbohydrates. Starting out with slow burning carbs helps to raise your glycogen level to help increase your stored energy. You can take this as a morning meal and after workouts. It is an ideal time since you raise insulin level that improves to absorb other nutrients such as proteins; which are crucial to get that packed size. If the slow burning carbs don’t work for you, you can always replace them with quick burning carbs. Carbohydrates bring in nutrients that fats and proteins don’t contain. They also need to be regularly taken in to spare proteins for building muscles.
· Taking in enough fats. Fats help in the generation of hormones such as testosterone that help in improving your metabolic function. Additionally it helps to improve your skin health, immune health and essential fatty acids help with this too. It is a concentrated source of energy compared to both carbs and proteins. It gives you a caloric surplus that helps to add body mass. Fats are great source of fast and easy calories that can help when you don’t have time to take calories from time to time. Additionally, it is helps to maintain temperature and keep warm. The following are the common sources of fats: salmon, olive oil, sunflower, almond, cashews, corn and avocados.
· Timing your meal and nutrient intake is very crucial. You can never know exactly what your body want at a particular time. Although with practice and testing you get to understand what your body wants and needs and when. Sometimes you need carbohydrates other times you need fats. As for proteins you need them all the time since the body does not store proteins, which is very important for building muscles. The bottom line is pay attention to all. Importantly for every serving of protein have an equal serving of starchy carbohydrates. Pre-bed meals should mostly include protein, probably fat and carbohydrate in small amounts.
· Intake of enough calories, in order to maintain your size you need take up as much calories as your body needs. Establish how much calories your body needs per day will help keep your calories in check. If the amount of calories you are taking is not helping with your body building practice you can always add more. When you reduce your calories intake and you go to the gym you end up burning your muscles. It also reduces your gym performance.
Pillars of bodybuilding diet
Eat sx times a day- this helps to keep your body fuelled and to maintain your blood-sugar levels. It helps to keep your metabolism in check. It also helps in generating new muscles. Eat more to burn more calories.
Avoid processed foods- any food in a can, a box or basically any food you suspect is processed; try to keep off as far as possible. Get your fat, proteins, carbohydrates and the others from non-processed foods.
Stay hydrated- drink as much water as possible and calorie-free beverages. To keep your gym performance at an optimum. Avoid sugar-laden drinks that may add more pounds to your waistline and mess with your antioxidant defence mechanism.
Keep up with your protein- protein help in the production of muscles and help to generate hormones that help in burning fat. The main source of protein include; chicken, low-fat dairy foods, fish and soy.
Eat your carbs strategically- know when to take starchy faster acting carbs such as pasta, rice, bread and non-starchy carbs such as fruits, vegetables and whole grain.
Get enough sleep- this helps in protein synthesis and to recharge your mind.
Avoid stress- stress causes bad habits that may affect your body building diet.
Maintain a positive attitude- sometimes results may take long to show and you may feel like giving up. Especially when you are sticking to the diet and nothing seems to work. It is very important to keep people who are supportive around to motivate you when you feel low.
Things to keep in mind about body building diet
Women cannot train the same as men.
Make sure you visit a physician before start the bodybuilding diet, just in case you have a body ailment that may be affected by the body building diet.
Have a training timetable to keep track of your progress.
Avoid over training.
Is it worth it?
It is always hard to start out anything including the bodybuilding diet especially when it comes to changing your eating habits and lifestyle. Although when you make sure you do what suits your body and not what others are doing, you get to achieve all that you dream about. Since people are not the same and our bodies operate and work in different ways you have to be yourself. With this in mind and a target goal you will get there. Always remember change does not come overnight and your change may not occur as fast as others. The body building diet works for everyone that is looking to get that lean body and build muscle. You have to be willing to do what it takes within reason to get that jacked up body. Most importantly make sure you get into it for good reasons since those reasons are what will determine how far you go.
What do experts say about bodybuilding diet?
Doctor Jacob Wilson has a PHD in skeletal muscle physiology and is a certified strength and conditioning coach. He says that training may be very important but the combination of nutrition and training is more important. What you eat affects how your body responds to training and exercise. You cannot build your body up on nothing just as how you can’t build a house without the required materials. The diet is a major part of body building as all the body builders would say. In your place, I would go for this diet. Experts have confirmed you would need both exercise and diet to have muscles in the right places.
