The key to succeeding in your bodybuilding goals is to follow a diet that will assist your activities in the gym and help you pack on slabs of muscle. You have to eat lots of food to provide your body with the fuel it needs to build muscle, but a diet of eating anything or everything will merely make you fat. An appropriate diet for the beginner bodybuilder should consist of healthy, nutrient-dense foods that will pack on the muscle while keeping your body functioning optimally.
Calories
To build muscle, you have to eat more calories than your body needs for its daily activities. Bodybuilder Dustin Elliot writes on BodyBuilding.com that you need an extra 250 calories a day above what you use for metabolism and physical activity. Elliott calculates a 160-lb. man wanting to gain muscle weight should eat 2,826 calories a day.
Protein
Protein builds up, repairs and maintains muscle tissue. Bodybuilders need more protein than a sedentary person as illustrated in a number of studies reported in the "Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition." Writing on BodyBuilding.com, personal trainer David Robson recommends you eat 1g of protein for each 1 lb. of body weight per day. Lean cuts of meat, poultry, fish, eggs and diary products provide complete proteins with the nine essential amino acids that are critical for building muscle. Vegetarians should eat a variety of beans, nuts and lentils.
Carbohydrates
Eat unrefined complex carbs like oatmeal, yams, sweet potatoes and whole grains, such as brown rice, spelt and quinoa. These provide slowly released energy which powers your bodybuilding workouts. Elliot believes carbohydrates are protein sparing -- carbs cause an insulin release, which drives nutrients like amino acids into muscles where they aid recovery and growth. Not having enough carbs in the diet will cause your body to break down muscle for energy.
Fats
Include omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids in your bodybuilding diet. Fish, like mackerel, sardines and tuna and flax seed oil and pumpkin seed oil provide these essential fatty acids which help the immune system function properly, help metabolize fat and lubricate the joints.
Animal sources of protein in your diet like eggs and meat provide saturated fats. Cholesterol derived from saturated fats play a role in the production of the muscle-building hormone, testosterone.
Fat plays an important role in the bodybuilders diet. A study reported in "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" showed levels of testosterone may be affected by the amount of fat in the diet.
Fruits and Vegetables
Eat a variety of vegetables with each meal. Eat fruits as a snack between meals. Fruits and vegetables provide fiber, vitamins and minerals which help keep your body healthy and functioning optimally. For example, vitamin C, found in fruits and vegetables, helps keep your joints healthy; potassium found in bananas helps keep the heart muscle functioning properly; and magnesium from green vegetables is essential for muscle and nerve function.
Frequency
Eat breakfast every day. Your body and muscles are depleted of nutrients after seven to eight hours without food. A breakfast of complex carbs and protein will kick-start your metabolism and provide valuable muscle-building nutrients. Eat between four and six meals a day. To build muscle, your body requires a constant supply of nutrients. This necessitates eating every two to three hours. Each meal should consist of servings of protein, complex carbs and fats.
References
- BodyBuilding.com: 5 Nutrition Secrets for Gaining Lean Muscle Fast
- "Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition"; Contemporary Issues in Protein Requirements and Consumption for Resistance Trained Athletes; Jacob Wilson, Gabriel J. Wilson; Jun. 2006
- BodyBuilding.com: 10 Facts Every Bodybuilder Should Know
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition": Effects of Dietary Fat and Plasma on Plasma and Urine Androgens and estrogens in Men- a Controlled Feeding Study
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