Bodybuilding Starts With Nutrition

Last Updated on June 3, 2023

THE BASICS

Eliminating unnecessary fat to build muscle is the key to a successful bodybuilding and training. The success of your efforts depends on your diet, nutritional supplements and exercise during the training period.

Bodybuilding can be seen as a process in three parts:

• weight training
• cardiovascular training
• nutrition

Mastering nutrition is vital for beginners who do not have nutritional knowledge. In this case, it is the most important point (before training) and it should be the priority. A poor diet only leapfrogs progress in building muscle and losing fat.

Some basic considerations may include reducing refined sugars and trans fats.

They can be replaced with healthy fats such as omega-3 in fish and unrefined foods like whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Also, beginners who have low protein intake can add foods rich in complete proteins such as egg whites, fish and chicken breast, to build muscles faster.

These changes in diet may produce large improvements in strength training. You will not be able to witness it unless you change the way you eat.

A HEALTHY DIET

A quality bodybuilding diet should contain healthy foods with little or no “junk food” and takeaways. It should consist of healthy foods such as fish, eggs, beans, fruits and vegetables.

Also, remember to remove the saturated fat and added salt to prepare your body for better results.

As a basic starting point, we use a ratio of protein, carbohydrates, and fats of 30% protein, 50% carbohydrates and 20% fats. Remember that protein and carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram, fat contain 9 calories per gram.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PROTEIN

Bodybuilders need to consume a lot of protein to build muscle faster. They can get their protein from natural sources such as fish, eggs, chicken, tuna, and meat. It is possible to consider specific supplements for bodybuilding, which are a great source of proteins & creatine.

Protein is especially beneficial when taken within 30 minutes before and immediately after training.

Proteins are composed of amino acids that are the building blocks of muscle tissue. Strength activities like lifting weights, increases the consumption of protein to build, repair and maintain muscles.

JUST ENOUGH CARBOHYDRATES

Carbohydrates are the primary energy source for the body. They fuel weight, but also other processes of life by preventing the consumption of protein for energy and instead directing it for muscle growth.

However, unused carbohydrates are usually stored as body fat based on the moment they are consumed. The trick therefore is to consume just enough carbohydrates to prevent the body using protein as energy. You can get carbohydrates from simple and complex sources.

Simple sources act faster for quickly providing the body with energy. These are sugar, fruits and fruit juices. Complex carbohydrates are, on the other hand, slow-acting and they provide the body with a longer term energy. Among them are oats, rice, bread and pasta.

A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF FAT

Fats are necessary for building muscle. They help the body function properly and act as sources of stored energy. The bodybuilder should stay as far away as he can from saturated fats because they have several health risks.

Sources of saturated fat include dairy, beef, pork and egg yolks. The unsaturated fats are recommended because they help muscle building during training and help the body maintaining healthy cholesterol level. They also promote healthy levels of testosterone, which stimulates the body building efforts.

Some excellent unsaturated fats sources can be almond oil, olive oil and nuts.

WATER IN LARGE QUANTITIES

A bodybuilding diet cannot be complete without drinking plenty of water every day. Water is vital in bodybuilding because it prevents dehydration, which can easily stop the exercises and processes that we use to burn fat. All processes in extreme workouts require water to keep the body hydrated.

Bodybuilders should therefore aim to drink more than 10 glasses of water a day to stay hydrated and compensate for the water lost through sweating while training. This leaves the body hydrated throughout the day, with enough water to transport nutrients and supplements to your muscle cells.

GOOD TIMING

It is better to have at least 5 small split meals throughout the day rather than three main meals.

Eating your meals at the right time is as important as the food you eat.

You should consume both a whole-food meal and a liquid meal. A smaller meal is needed about 1-2 hours before your workout and should provide a 1:2 ratio of protein to carbohydrate (slow-digesting carbs like sweet potatoes, brown rice or oatmeal..). About 15-30 minutes before your workout, have a shake containing protein and carbs.

After your workout, drink a protein and carbohydrates (from fruit juice or powder) shake. A high protein meal is required within an hour after the workout.

CONCLUSION

Bodybuilding coaches will tell you that bodybuilding is 80% nutrition.

This is the truth because good nutrition is the foundation of a successful bodybuilding plan.

You can work very hard, but your efforts can be considered inadequate if your diet is poor. The trick here is to master the basics of nutrition for bodybuilding to provide your body with the necessary raw materials. This way, you will get superior muscle growth due to proper hydration, nutrition and supplementation.

Reference:
https://super-steroid.com/the-importance-of-a-diet-in-bodybuilding/
https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/how-to-create-a-bodybuilding-diet.html