Nutrition

Nutrition is key for success in bodybuilding.  Its a waste to spend hours in the gym but not provide your body with what it needs for muscle growth, the goal is to provide your body with a constant supply of protein for rebuilding torn-down muscles.  Just having a big protein shake after working out and then eating crud the other 23hrs is a waste of your time in the gym.  Working out damages your muscles and protein is needed to repair them, this takes many days.  Since the human body isn't very good at storing protein, you need to consume protein constantly not just one big dose at dinner or after working out.  Five to seven small, well balanced meals a day is key to building muscles!  Some people think that on days they don't lift weights they can eat poorly - WRONG.  If you have had an intense workout in the last 2 days then you need to make sure you eat your 5-6 well balanced meals. If your muscles are sore then they are being rebuilt and need protein, soreness is a good reminder to eat!

Proper nutrition for a bodybuilder:

After about 5 years of bodybuilding I had plateaued, I was only eating 3 meals a day and all the protein came in dinner.  By changing my diet (training stayed the same), I added 10lbs of muscle in the next year!  What provides me personally with the best results is to eat 6 'meals' a day with the first and last being a glass of protein powder in water right when I awaken and before I go to sleep.  I divide up my daily protein (240g) over the 6 small meals so my body has a constant source of protein to rebuild.  Avoid processed food as much as you can, if it comes in a wrapper or a frozen box its not going to be that good for you.  Unfortunately there is not a lot of good research relating to bodybuilding and protein requirements and even less on which types of protein are the best, I use 1g/pound of bodyweight.  I'm a pseudo-vegetarian so I rarely eat chicken, beef, meat, pork, fish, etc but I do eat dairy. Typically about 50% of my protein comes from legumes and the other 50% comes from dairy whey.   I have complied the cost per gram of various protein sources which can vary from. 

An essential part of nutrition is knowing how to read nutritional labels, if you don't, you are doomed from the start. Companies try all kinds of marketing tricks to make unhealthy products seem healthy and unless you know how to read the labels you will fall for them.

Many people ask if they should take supplements.  I believe that with a good basic diet supplements are not only a waste of money but might be harmful given the unregulated nature of the industry.  The one exception is protein powder, I use significant amounts of dairy whey since I don't eat meat.  My favorite snack is a home-made protein shake.

I have tried to cover nutrition in one page here, you just cant do the subject justice in one page. The best book on bodybuilding nutrition I have ever read is Bodybuilding Revealed by Will Brink. He spends three meaty chapters and hundreds of pages on nutrition. If you are interested, you can read my review of Bodybuilding Revealed.

Two major foods which should provide most of your daily calories

Vegetables!  They are fill you up with only a few calories and they are full of vitamins. For convenience find a veggy mix in the freezer section of the store that you like.  Try some non-fat sauces to add flavor if you cant stomach them plain, try salsa, try spaghetti sauce - I personally love mixed frozen vegetables with spaghetti sauce on top.  When you are hungry between meals you can pop a big bowl in the microwave and have a filling snack in minutes. You can use raw vegetables for snacks too

Whole Grains.  Oats, brown rice, 100% whole wheat bread, etc. They are very convenient, inexpensive, high in fiber, and filling.  Their high fiber content makes you feel satisfied with fewer calories and can lower cholesterol too. In particular, oats are very convenient and can be made in a microwave at work or just eaten cold with water and protein powder.

If you keep the above two foods as the core of your diet and keep your fat intake low, you should not have to count calories and will find that you naturally maintain bodyweight or slowly drop bodyfat. Having said that, for you accountants and engineers out there who really like numbers you can calculate exactly how many calories you need per day based on your personal metabolism by using my calorie calculator, it will also recommend a healthy meal with portion sizes perfect for your caloric needs.

Students tell me all the time that they "don't have time" for 6 healthy meals a day, the following video gives some options for students and others who have no time for cooking or shopping:

 

People always ask what I eat and for recipes - I'm a bodybuilder and have zero talent for cooking! I also don't have a very refined palette so I don't mind the stuff I do make. Having adequately warned you, below are eight meals you can make in three minutes or less. These meals are portioned for a 180 pound bodybuilder, you will have to adjust the portions based on the above calorie chart if your weight is different.

Quick Meal Videos
3 minute healthy meal! In this video I show you how to make a meal so tasty that nobody will guess how amazingly healthy it is!  
Easy 2min healthy meal. Beans and salsa, the perfect meal!  
Quinoa, easy quick meal. Easy meal with a high protein grain. This takes a hour but you can freeze meal size portions  
Quick meals for students and other busy people In this video I show you how to eat 6 inexpensive, nutritious meals a day without cooking or shopping. This video is in response to the hundreds of people who have written me saying they knew their nutrition was horrible but felt powerless to improve it because of the schedule constraints of their work, school, or life.  

Some Suggested Easy Meals:

2 biscuits (47g)

1.5 (360ml)cups nonfat milk

1 orange

 

365 calories

3% calories from fat

19.5g protein

7.7g fiber

 

  

1/2 cup (40g) dry oatmeal

1.5 (360ml)cups nonfat milk

1 plum

 

 

315 calories

6% calories from fat

19.5g protein

5.7g fiber

 

  

skinless chicken breast 3.5oz (100g)

1 cup (150g) broccoli

1 cup brown rice

 

330 calories

12% calories from fat

30g protein

4.4g fiber

 

  

2/3 cup (95g) mixed vegetables

whole grain tortilla

1/2 cup (130g) nonfat refried beans

1oz salmon

 

330 calories

7% cals from fat

19g protein

11g fiber

 

  

1 low fat TV dinner

2/3 cup frozen veggies

 

320 calories

5% cals from fat

18g protein

6g fiber

 

  

2/3 cup (95g) frozen mixed veggies

1 cup (260g) kidney beans

 

290 calories

0% cals from fat

17g protein

13g fiber

 

  

2 2/3 cups (380g) mixed vegetables

1/2 can (70g) boneless skinless salmon

 

310 calories

3% calories from fat

28g protein

12g fiber

 

  

25g whey protein (type I use)

1cup orange juice

1 frozen banana

 

315 calories

3% cals from fat

27g protein

2g fiber

 

  

 If you still have questions, please ask them on the free Nutrition forum!