A bodybuilding diet for teens can be a healthy way to achieve your fitness goals and learn lifelong nutrition strategies for weight management. In addition, it may help to support athletic endeavors in sports like football, baseball, basketball and soccer. It is important that you do not over-diet and give up the joy of being a teenager, when your metabolism is far more kind and you can indulge more frequently. However, in an American society where a disturbing number of children are pre-diabetic, a bodybuilding diet may tip the balance toward better nutrition and overall health.
Basics
The basic component of a bodybuilding diet are the macro-nutrients known as proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Your body needs each of these essential nutrients to build muscle, burn fat and maintain a healthy body. The amounts and ratios of macro-nutrients taken in will depend on many factors, including your current bodybuilding goals. Teenagers have very high levels of growth hormone and testosterone during the adolescent years and should not over-diet through a period where extensive muscle mass can be built in a short amount of time. Bodybuilders typically spread their daily nutrition over five to eight smaller meals, sometimes including protein or weight gainer shakes as meal-replacements for convenience and to increase caloric intake.
Misconceptions
One of the biggest bodybuilding misconceptions is that you must eat enormous quantities of dietary protein to build muscle and burn fat. This simply is not true and experts differ in opinion as to how much protein you actually need. However, few trainees realize that the key to gaining muscle mass truly lies in carbohydrates, which unlike protein, the human body can store as glycogen, according to "The Carbo Rater" by Jordana Brown. Another frequent misconception, particularly among young trainees, is that you need supplements to achieve your bodybuilding goals. Proper nutrition will do more for your results than any supplement. However, adding supplements at the intermediate level may help you to get faster results than with proper diet alone.
Benefits
A bodybuilding diet may have many benefits for teenagers. Learning about nutrition and how to manipulate food intake variables can help you to develop lifelong patterns of healthy eating. As Type 2 Diabetes continues to be an epidemic, among the youth of America in particular, the bodybuilding lifestyle promotes balanced eating that prevents high blood sugar and encourages both muscle growth and fat burning. Moreover, weight lifting has powerful effects on insulin sensitivity, decreasing the likelihood of developing adult onset diabetes, according to "The Fat Burning Bible."
Considerations
Your individual bodybuilding diet will be dictated by your training, your personal goals and your body type. Understanding your body type is important because it tells you how much of each macro-nutrient you should take in to achieve optimal muscle gain, without storing excess levels of body fat. For example, ectomorphs are those with smaller bone structure and fast metabolism, and the generally require a higher percentage of dietary carbohydrates to achieve muscle building success. Endomorphs store body fat easily from over-eating carbohydrates, but tend to build muscle faster. Mesomorphs are somewhere in between, building muscle and burning fat readily.
Expert Insight
Experts recommend a protein intake somewhere between one and 1.5 g per pound of your body weight each day. For example, a 150-lb. bodybuilder would take in at least 150 g of protein every day, divided among several smaller meals. As noted, carbohydrate intake will vary depending on your metabolism. "Hardgainer Project X" author Jeff Anderson recommends that ectomorphs or hard-gainers take in 55 percent of their calories from carbohydrates. Endomorphs and mesomorphs can start with one to two grams per pound of their body weight, similar to the moderate-carb approach of "Xtreme Lean" authors Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman, and then adjust for their desired preference. In his book "Optimum Anabolics," Anderson recommends a post-workout meal containing 25 percent of your daily protein intake, 60 to 100 g carbohydrates and 30 g healthy fats like flax seed oil.
References
- "Optimum Anabolics"; Jeff Anderson; 2004
- Muscle & Fitness: The Ultimate Supplement Handbook; "The Carbo Rater"; Jordana Brown, January 2010
- "The Fat Burning Bible"; Mackie Shilstone; 2005
- "Hardgainer Project X"; Jeff Anderson; 2008
- "Xtreme Lean"; Jonathan Lawson and Steve Holman; 2005
Member Comments