Bodybuilding Diet

Bodybuilders spend several hours in the gym each week pushing their bodies to the limit, but without following a proper bodybuilding diet this would all be for naught. Weight training causes micro-trauma to the muscle, and when it is repaired the muscle gets slightly larger. This process can only take place if the body has adequate nutrients to work with, so a good diet is crucial for success.

Young trainees often overlook the importance of how they eat, and simply stuff their faces with extra calories hoping to get huge. This inevitably leads to disappointing results, as most of the weight gained with this method is fat. You have to eat a lot to build muscle, but you have to eat clean, healthy, nutrient dense food to do it efficiently without putting on a bunch of extra fat in the process.

The Ideal Bodybuilding Diet

Many people get confused about how to eat appropriately to gain muscle, but it is actually quite simple. All you really need to do is consume a healthy balance of lean proteins, complex and simple carbohydrates and essential fatty acids. A good bodybuilding meal would be roasted chicken breast with brown rice and sautéed spinach. Eating this way does not have to be complicated, and you do not necessarily have to weight your food or count every calorie.

Customizing Your Nutrition Plan

When creating a smart bodybuilding diet you must consider your unique individual needs and body type. If you are naturally skinny and have a hard time gaining weight you will need to eat more calories and carbohydrates. However, if you tend to get chunky easily you may have to go in the other direction and reduce your calories a bit. There is a lot of trial and error in bodybuilding both in the gym and the kitchen.

Your diet will always be a work in progress as well, as you will be making small adjustments based on your results. If you are not making gains you will have to add some protein and extra calories to your daily meals. If you are putting on a layer of fat along with your lean muscle gains you will have to cut back a bit. Think of it as a continuous experiment in which you are the guinea pig.

Eat for Success

Any effective bodybuilding diet will require you to make some sacrifices. You will not be able to wolf down ice cream and cookies on the weekends, and you will have to make sure you are getting enough protein each day to support muscular growth. This takes a lot of will power at times, and you will likely have to skip some social functions if you do not trust yourself to resist the temptations on the buffet table.

When you commit to a bodybuilding diet you are making a decision to eat for fuel, not for pleasure. You will not be eating what tastes good in your mouth, but what will look good on your body.

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