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Body Building Nutrition
As with any athlete, nutrition is essential for the body
builder. Proper nutrition can help to increase muscle mass, improve strength and
endurance, reduce the risk of injury, and optimize performance. Nutrition should
go hand in hand with any body building program. A well balanced diet and good
weight training program will result in the body you’ve always dreamed of.
The first aspect of a nutrition program for body builders
is the frequency of meals. Eating more frequent, smaller meals will allow your
body to burn more fat throughout the day by increasing your metabolism. This
change from eating three large meals a day to five or six smaller ones will have
an immediate affect on your body. You should aim to eat at around three hour
intervals. You will also find that your energy will remain more constant
throughout the day by incorporating this strategy into your nutrition program.
Secondly, it is absolutely critical that each meal you
consume throughout the day is balanced. This means that 40% of your meal should
come from carbohydrates, 40% should come from protein, and the remaining 20%
should come from fats. If you don’t eat enough carbohydrates during each meal
your energy levels will spike and then plummet within the hour. While some
protein is necessary for muscle growth, it can have the opposite effect if too
much is consumed. To create a balanced meal all you have to do is match the
servings of carbohydrates and proteins, then cut that in half for your fat
intake.
Cycling diet periods is also characteristic of nutrition
programs for body builders. This means that depending on what you are trying to
achieve with your body you will consume a higher calorie diet for a couple weeks
followed by a couple days of a low calorie diet. For example, if your goal is
body sculpting you should spend two weeks on a low calorie diet then two weeks
on a high calorie diet. For women, this would mean the first two weeks they
would have a 1200 calorie diet and the following two weeks they would consume a
1500 calorie diet. For men, the first two weeks they would consume a 2000
calorie diet, the following two weeks they would consume a 2500 calorie diet.
Carbohydrates are essential in a nutrition program for body
builders because it gives them sustained energy throughout the day and also
allow protein to be absorbed into muscle tissue to promote recovery and growth.
Diets that are high in carbohydrates and low in fat have the reverse effect.
This diet will essentially turn your body into a fat storing machine, completely
reversing everything you have worked towards. A balanced proportion of
carbohydrates should be divided between complex and simple carbohydrates. The
complex carb is responsible for giving the body builder sustained energy and is
found in foods like oatmeal, potatoes, and pasta. Simple carbs are responsible
for giving the body an instant burst of energy and is found in foods like
broccoli, carrots, and cauliflower.
Eating the proper amount of protein during each meal is
responsible for healthy skin, hair, and nails. It also aids in increasing your
metabolism. Too much protein will result in a build up of fat storage for body
builders. A good rule of thumb for body builders to follow is to consume 1 gram
of protein for every pound of lean body mass. Good sources of protein include
eggs, turkey, chicken breast, and tuna.
Finally, a small amount of healthy fats in each meal will
create a well rounded nutrition plan. By attempting to remove all fat from your
diet, you will also be decreasing your metabolism and actually cause your body
to store more fat. Good sources of fat come from peanut butter, olive oil, and
fish oil.
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