Bodybuilding Nutrition Basics

Bodybuilding nutrition is one of those areas that seems to be hidden in a shroud of mystery. For some unknown reason the simple idea of eating a healthy balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat to help stimulate muscle growth, is foreign to most.

While the basic bodybuilding nutrition principles like eating enough protein and drinking ample amounts of water have been know for years now, everybody and their mothers seems to have a distinct opinion on how to implement a safe and effective bodybuilding diet.

Over the years, I've found that keeping your bodybuilding nutrition plan simple...easy to understand and easy to follow, typically leads to the most lasting bodybuilding results! In order to arm you with the best bodybuilding nutrition information, I've put together...

The Guide To Natural Bodybuilding Nutrition

The truth of the matter is that there is absolutely no secret when it comes to eating for muscle growth. The basic bodybuilding nutrition principles hold true.

Calories Count! If you're serious about building muscle mass, then it's critical that you ingest enough calories to fuel the muscle growth process.

"The only way (that I'm aware of) to ensure that you're eating enough calories to build muscle mass, is to track what you eat."

This requires dedication and a commitment to planning your meals well ahead of time. In 15 years of training to build muscle mass, I have not come across any other affordable way to make this happen. The bottom line here is that you need to become responsible for your muscle gain success (or lack there of).

It is your responsibility to make sure that you are not leaving muscle mass on the table by overlooking the amount of food you eat! Just in case you aren't quite sure what a calorie is...

"A calorie is a measurement of the amount of energy in a food that is available after digestion. The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water 1 degree Celsius. Calories are also called kilocalories."

Source - American Council On Exercise (ACE)

Are you wondering how to determine exactly how many calories you should be consuming to build muscle mass?

In order to get calories into your body, you will need to eat a balanced variety of the muscle building macro nutrients...

• Protein
  
• Carbohydrates
  
• Fat

Each of these nutrients is critical to the muscle building process. Eliminating just one of them from your bodybuilding diet can be enough to bring your muscle gain to a screeching halt!

Lets take a look at the role of each of these muscle building nutrients...

Protein

Proteins are considered to be the building blocks of all human tissue, not the least of which is lean muscle mass. Each gram of muscle building protein contains 4 calories.

Aside from simply aiding in the growth and repair process of muscle tissue, proteins also...

• Help with the formation of the brain, nervous system, blood, skin and hair.
  
• Transport vitamins, minerals, fats and oxygen to our bodies.
  
• Help to maintain fluid balance in the body.

In order to maintain optimal health it is important to consume ample amounts of high quality proteins.

If you are interested in building muscle mass it is critical that you make it a habit to consume a minimum of 1 gram of high quality muscle building protein for every lb that you weigh, each day!

This is typically enough protein to allow for the repair, regrowth and growth of muscle mass. But is important to keep in mind that everyone's body functions differently. Some people can build muscle mass while consuming only .5 a gram of protein per lb of body weight, while others may need to consume more than the recommended 1 gram per lb of body weight per day in order to build muscle.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the body's preferred energy source, especially during high-intensity exercise.

Carbohydrates help to regulate fat and protein metabolism, as well as providing an exclusive energy source for the nervous system. Each gram of carbohydrate also contains 4 calories.

There are four different types of carbohydrates...

• Monosaccharides

• Disaccharides

• Oligosaccharides

• Polysaccharides
  

Each of these types of carbohydrate are basically differing forms of sugars that are broken down at different rates in the body. The structure of each form of sugar determines the rate at which it is absorbed and utilized in the body.

Simple Carbohydrates are monosaccharides and disaccharides that are rapidly digested in the body.

Complex Carbohydrates are starches or long chains of sugar (polysaccharides) that are found in whole gain breads, cereals, fruits and vegetables as well as beans. These types of carbohydrates take more time to digest in the body, thereby releasing a sustained supply of energy.

While there are many people out there who swear by low carbohydrate / no carbohydrate muscle building diets, one thing is for sure. If you don't eat enough carbohydrates, you will suffer from unstable energy levels and as a consequence have a hard time building muscle mass at all!

Fats

Fats are responsible for helping to maintain brain function as well as supplying energy to the body.

"At a whopping 9 calories per gram, fat contains 225% more calories than both carbohydrates and protein!"

Fats are the most calorie dense nutrient by a long shot! More than doubling up on carbohydrates and protein. While loading up on an excess of fats in your diet is simply not a healthy thing to do, fat consumption is essential to the muscle building process.

Try to consume a minimum of 30 grams and a maximum of 60 grams of fat per day.

If you're having a hard time consuming enough calories to stimulate the muscle building process adding healthy dietary fats are a convenient option.

To recap the basic bodybuilding nutrition principles discussed above and to lay out a few more essential muscle gain tips...

	Learn how to estimate your specific muscle building calorie requirement.
	Begin to track what you eat each day, paying attention to see if you are consuming enough calories to build muscle mass.
	Begin to plan out your meals. Eat 5 - 6 meals spaced out every 2 - 3 hours throughout the day. Take control of what you eat and when you eat it!
	Make an effort to consume a muscle building meal within 20 minutes of completing your weight training workouts.
	Eat a minimum of 1 gram of protein per lb of body weight per day.
	Eat between 30 and 60 grams of heart healthy fats each day.
	Eat complex and simple carbohydrates to make up the rest of the calories that you need to hit your daily target.
	Drink a minimum of 1 gallon of water each day.

By making a commitment to implement these bodybuilding nutrition principles into your life, you're taking the first step towards building a solid muscle gain foundation.

Start by incorporating one bodybuilding nutrition tip into your life each day until you have implemented each one. Before you know it, you'll be able to see a noticeable change in the way your body looks and feels!