As a bodybuilder, you are a high performance athlete. Your workouts are intense and make great demands on your body's ability to produce adequate energy. Each day, you need enough complex carbohydrates for sustained energy, and enough protein to build lean body mass. While some bodybuilders adopt different diets directly before a competition, you must adhere to certain dietary principles throughout the year to ensure peak performance.
Considerations
In designing your daily diet, your two main considerations are the quantity of the food you eat and the quality of your diet. Your daily caloric intake has to be great enough to provide adequate energy, and also promote muscle growth. According to the Columbia.edu website, you need to consume an additional 2,270 to 3,630 calories each week to add one pound of muscle. The ratio of nutrients in your diet should be 40 percent protein, 40 percent carbs and 20 percent fat.
Misconceptions
While consuming protein daily is important for a bodybuilder, eating too much protein adds additional calories that could be converted to fat. According to the National Strength And Conditioning Association, or NSCA, an athlete involved in high-volume intense training should consume 0.7 to 0.9 grams of protein per pound of body weight. The quality of protein sources is as important as the quantity of protein. You should select protein sources that have all nine essential amino acids, the NSCA says.
Features
As a bodybuilder, you should eat frequently throughout the day. Your body can only assimilate and absorb so many nutrients per meal. According to professional bodybuilder Anthony Ellis, you should eat six small meals daily. Each meal should consist of quality protein, complex carbs and essential fatty acids. Good examples of quality protein would be meat, fish, chicken, egg whites, soy and whey protein. Complex carbs have a low glycemic index, which means they provide your body with lasting energy. Whole grains, fruits, legumes and starchy vegetables are examples of complex carbs. Essential fatty acids are important in hormone and testosterone production, which in turn is important for muscle growth and boosting strength. Fatty fish, olive oil, flaxseed and peanut butter all contain essential fatty acids. According to Ellis, it is also important to drink plenty of water to flush out toxins and prevent dehydration.
Supplements
According to The NSCA, you should focus on getting your daily requirement of protein from food sources. However, dietary protein supplements can be a convenient and safe way to satisfy your body's protein requirements. According to Ellis, you should also take a daily multivitamin, which ensures you get all the essential vitamins and minerals your body needs to function properly.
Warning
Animal sources of protein can also be high in calories and saturated fat. Saturated fat is unhealthy fat that has been linked to heart disease. Removing all visible fat from beef and pork is a way to reduce saturated fats. Also, removing the skin from chicken and other poultry reduces saturated fats.
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