Just like their male counterparts, female bodybuilders must work out regularly, performing intensive strength-training exercises. These exercises cause microscopic tears in muscle fibers, which trigger the body to repair, strengthen and increase the size of the "damaged" muscles. Without a proper diet, however, female bodybuilders will not have enough energy to perform the necessary trauma-inducing exercise, nor will their bodies have enough energy and raw material for increasing muscle mass.
Calorie Consumption
Calories are a measure of the energy that foods provide the body. For women bodybuilders, getting enough calories is essential, as a lack of calories can lead to losses in muscle mass. The British Journal of Sports Medicine recommends that women bodybuilders consume between 39 and 44 calories each day per kilogram (kg) of body weight. For a 135-lb. or approximately 61-kg woman, this means consuming between 2,379 and 2,684 calories each day. To gain more muscle mass, a female bodybuilder will need to consume calories in excess of the daily recommended amount for weight-maintenance.
Protein
A female bodybuilder should obtain her calories from three sources: carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Of the three sources, people most commonly associate bodybuilding with proteins, which are organic compounds consisting of long chains of amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of all tissues in the body, including muscle. As PubMed.gov states, a female bodybuilder should obtain between 25 and 30 percent of her daily caloric intake from proteins. Examples of healthy, protein-rich foods include lean meats, fish, skin-less poultry, beans and soy-based products like tofu.
Carbohydrates
While proteins are the most well-known nutrients for building muscle, carbohydrates are the most important, at least in terms of calories. Carbohydrates provide female bodybuilders with glycogen, which is the body's most efficient source of energy. PubMed.gov recommends that bodybuilders obtain between 55 and 60 percent of their daily caloric intakes from carbohydrates. Healthy sources of carbohydrates include vegetables, fruit, brown rice and whole-wheat and whole-grain cereals, pastas and breads.
Fats
Dietary fats provide female bodybuilders with highly concentrated sources of energy. While proteins and carbohydrates each contain 4 calories per gram, fats contain 9 calories per gram. A woman bodybuilder should obtain between 15 and 20 percent of her daily caloric intake from fats, according to PubMed.gov. Healthy examples of fat-rich foods include vegetable-based oils, nuts, avocado and fatty fish.
Tips
According to the British Journal of Sports Medicine, performing resistance exercises can greatly increase the rate at which a woman burns calories. To make up for this increased energy expenditure, female bodybuilders should eat additional calories on workout days. In addition, women can optimize their intake of nutrients by eating immediately before and immediately after working out.
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