To be a professional bodybuilder, you have to devote your life to the sport, which means not having another job, putting training before a social life, and living the bodybuilding lifestyle every minute of every day. However, it is possible to build a muscular physique and still live your life the way you want to, by competing as an amateur bodybuilder. You still need to train hard, maintain a strict diet and focus on your goals.
Calories
The most important factor in your diet is the calories you consume. To build muscle, you need an excess of calories, and to lose fat, you need a calorie deficit. Bodybuilder and strength coach Tom Venuto advises using an online calorie calculator to work out your maintenance level of calories. If you're looking to gain muscle, add 250 to this number and aim to eat this many calories per day. If you want to lose fat, then subtract 250 from your maintenance. Monitor your progress carefully, and adjust calories as needed.
Protein
Protein is needed to build and repair muscle tissue and plays a role in many chemical reactions within your body. The general recommendation for protein intake is 0.8 g per kg of body weight per day. However, according to sports nutritionist Dr. John Berardi, athletes and bodybuilders need quite a bit more than this and should aim for at least 2 g per kg of body weight per day. Look to get your protein from meat, fish, eggs, dairy products and protein supplements.
Carbohydrates
Carbs are useful for giving you energy to train and shuttling nutrients to your muscles after a workout to aid in recovery. People react differently to carbs. If you're naturally lean, you should be able to tolerate higher amounts without ill effect, whereas if you naturally carry more fat, then you will need to keep your carbohydrate intake a lot lower, even in a mass gain phase. Start off with 3 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight on training days, and 1 g per kg of body weight on rest days. If you feel flat and lethargic, increase your carb intake. If you start to feel bloated and fat, reduce it.
Fats
While many bodybuilders opt for super low-fat diets, believing them to be superior, fats are essential in any diet. According to bodybuilder and nutrition coach John Meadows, fats are needed for hormone production, cell repair, and can reduce your risk of certain health conditions. Add the calories from your protein and carbohydrate intake together, and subtract it from your calorie intake. The figure left is how many calories you should consume from fats. Aim for roughly a third mono-unsaturated fats, from nuts, avocados and olive oil; a third from poly-unsaturated sources like oily fish and seeds; and a third from saturated, such as red meat, coconut, and full fat dairy.
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