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Serious bodybuilders treat their diet in an almost scientific, logical-mathematical manner.
Very serious bodybuilders do, and they are always asking the question:
What is the scientifically proven, most effective way to build muscle?
And if they are not, they should be.
It takes a lot of discipline to follow the almost religious-like asceticism for developing your body within a reasonable timeframe. But if you are really serious, you will do whatever it takes, right?.
Check out this video from the International Sports Sciences Association(ISSA) first:
Note: I do not receive any financial compensation from ISSA.
Here are three good dietary tips for serious bodybuilders.
Count your macronutrients (macros)
The 40:20:40 (40% Carbohydrates, 20% Fats, 40% Proteins) rule has been tested again and again and found to be an optimal balance of macronutrients for losing fat and gaining muscle.
You can work out your macros for yourself once you have calculated your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).
Keep in mind that many foods contain both fats and proteins in them without explicitly being a fatty or protein food.
For example, when you’re buying your meats, make sure to read the labels and see what percentage of the meat is actually fat and what percentage is protein.
Also avoid eating refined carbohydrates close to bedtime. Or anytime.
In the beginning, you’ll likely have to record all the foods you eat in order to get a good sense for how much fat, carbs and proteins you’re taking in.
After you gain more experience, you’ll be able to estimate your intake with a high degree of accuracy.
Something else to bear in mind, particularly with the counting of macros. You must take care to ensure that you are also including vitamins and minerals so that each meal is nutrient-dense.
Eat enough food
Asking you to eat six small meals per day is denying that you are different.
Research has shown that there is no difference in metabolism between eating six small meals per day (“nibbling”) than eating say three large meals or less (“gorging”).
The thermic effect of food is always the same in any given 24-hour period.
Cycle your caloric intake
To keep your body from adapting to a certain caloric intake level, regularly cycle your caloric intake.
Consider alternating low calorie days with high calorie days. If you’re trying to gain weight and muscle mass, you can put in more high calorie days, while doing the opposite if you’re trying to drop weight.
This process doesn’t necessarily have to be rigid or planned, but you should still keep track of your calories and consciously decide the night before whether you’re going to have a high or low calorie day tomorrow.
Track your high and low calorie days so you can make sure you’re getting a good balance.
Remember – a calorie is not a calorie is not a calorie. I have included the carb cycling video and a link to a blog on carb cycling as one way to cycle your caloric intake.
It takes time to learn how to do this efficiently for your own body.
Do take care with fasting diets. The jury is still out with regard to the long-term effects of fasting diets on humans.
So…these are three diet tips geared specifically towards serious bodybuilders, although they could work just as well if your bodybuilding-as-hobby activity level is high enough.
These tips could help take you to the next level in your bodybuilding journey.
Sources:
Bellisle F, McDevitt R, Prentice AM. Meal frequency and energy balance. Br J Nutr. 1997 Apr;77 Suppl 1:S57-70. doi: 10.1079/bjn19970104. PMID: 9155494. [Accessed June 14, 2021]
Bodybuilding: What to Eat for Bulking. Located at ISSAOnline (online), https://www.issaonline.com/blog/index.cfm/2020/bodybuilding-nutrition-what-to-eat-for-bulking [Accessed June 20, 2021]
Calorie Restriction and Fasting Diets: What Do We Know? Located at the National Institute of Aging (online),
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/calorie-restriction-and-fasting-diets-what-do-we-know [Accessed June 22, 2021]
Help Clients Get Results with Carb-Cycling. Located at ISSAOnline, https://www.issaonline.com/blog/index.cfm/2018/help-clients-get-results-with-carb-cycling [Accessed June 20, 2021]. Useful article in two parts. It helps to read part one first before this one.
How to Count Macros for Building Muscle. Located at ISSAOnline, https://www.issaonline.com/blog/index.cfm/2021/how-to-count-macros-for-building-muscle [Accessed June 20, 2021]
Image by Wow Phochiangrak from Pixabay
This site contains affiliate links to products sold by selected self improvement partners. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.