Bodybuilders follow specific diet plans to achieve prowess in their sport. The combination of the right food choices with focused training helps build enviable physiques with cut muscles and low body fat. Many bodybuilders need substantial calories to support their exercise regimen and encourage muscle growth. A 3,500-calorie diet provides enough calories to support the needs of many male body builders, especially in a muscle-building phase.
Strategies
A 3,500-calorie bodybuilding diet requires some pre-planning. Consider cooking food in advance and freezing extras so you can quickly prepare meals during the week. Distribute your calories over the course of six, 580-calorie meals, to provide a constant stream of nutrients to your growing muscles and prevent you from ever feeling overly stuffed at any one sitting. Each meal should contain 20 to 40g of protein and 60 to 100g of carbohydrates.
Food Choices
For strength training athletes, total protein intake should be close to 2g per kilogram of your body weight, according to the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Choose lean proteins, such as white-meat poultry, bison, pork tenderloin, fish, egg whites, whey protein and nonfat dairy. Whole grains and vegetables should make up the bulk of your carbohydrate choices. When adding fat, go for nuts, seeds, plant oils and avocados.
Considerations
Timing at least one of your meals around the time of your weight training workout helps build muscle. Consuming a small amount of protein, such as two scrambled eggs or a few ounces of turkey before your workout provides the muscles with fuel and amino acids to use during exercise. Post workout, strive for a serving of high-quality, easily digestible protein, such as a shake made with whey protein.
Sample Diet
Your first meal could include a smoothie made with 1 cup low-fat plain yogurt, a serving of vanilla whey protein powder and a sliced peach. Include with this breakfast a whole-wheat bagel topped with six scrambled egg whites. Pre-workout, eat 3 oz. of deli turkey with 1/2 cup of brown rice. Post-workout, make a smoothie with 1 cup strawberries, 1 cup milk, one serving of whey protein and 1 cup orange juice. For lunch, put together a tuna sandwich made with a salad of 4 oz. water-packed tuna, celery, 2 tbsp. light mayonnaise on wholegrain bread. Top with romaine lettuce and sliced cucumbers and have 8 oz. of low-fat yogurt for dessert. Mid-afternoon, go for about 10 woven wheat crackers with a tbsp. of peanut butter, 1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese and 1/2 cup blueberries. At dinner, stir fry 6 oz. of skinless chicken breast with 1 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tbsp. grated ginger, 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 1/2 cups broccoli. Serve over 2 cups of brown rice. Before bed, have 1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese with 1 chopped apple and 1 tbsp. of peanut butter. This menu contains 3,494 calories with 274g of protein, 418g of carbohydrates and 22 percent of the calories from fat.
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