If you want to pack on pounds of pure muscle, your diet is probably the most important aspect of your bodybuilding program. Take it from me, you can work out all you want, but if your diet isn’t right, you’ll never achieve the physique you’re striving for.
Best Diet For Bodybuilder
Your body relies on nutrients you get from food and supplements to help achieve an environment ideal for developing huge gains.
There are many choices out there, but there are only a handful of stock foods that appear on most bodybuilders lists.
Chicken and Turkey
For you to pack on pounds of seriously lean muscle, eating lean meats such as turkey and chicken breasts should be the foundation of your bodybuilding diet.
Other than providing plenty of high-quality protein, these meats contain very low levels in trans-fats and saturated fats.
Red Meat
Lean red meat in the form of beef is an excellent source for building mass because not only is this type of meat high in protein, it also contains an abundance of B vitamins, zinc and iron.
Red meats will offer a high calorie per serving ratio, and if you’re serious about achieving gains, you can’t afford to miss out on this food source.
The downside of red meat is that they do possess high levels of saturated fats which are not recommended to be taken on a daily basis.
Lean red meats are easily incorporated into a typical weekly diet of fish, turkey, and chicken without shaking up your nutritional plan that much.
Beans and Legumes
You should never ignore the power of beans and legumes. Most people think that bodybuilding foods mainly consist of lean meats without realizing that beans in particular are not only delicious but highly nutritious and contain plenty of fiber and protein.
Fiber is vital to maintaining healthy bowel movements and insulin response, both of which are fundamental to overall muscle growth. Fiber also helps to aid absorption of vital nutrients and supplements that bodybuilders typically take.
I highly recommend kidney beans because 1 cup can provide up to 14 g of quality protein and fiber.
Fish
Although most nutritionists will tell you that to maintain a good physique you need to cut down on your fat intake. Fish is the only exception to this rule. Fish contains the “good fats” that are distinct from saturated and trans fats.
Fish will give you plenty of essential fatty acids such as omega-3 to help aid your muscle building journey.
Tuna, salmon, trout, as well as sardines are one of the best sources of protein and healthy fats. I’m not usually a big fan of canned fish but it’s actually quite good because it provides pretty much the same nutrients as fresh fish.
Egg Whites
There is a very good reason why you’ll see bodybuilders the world over eating egg whites. Egg whites contain a protein to fat ratio of 60 to 1. This makes egg whites one of the purest forms of protein to be found anywhere.
Egg whites also possess extremely high biological values, meaning that their protein absorption from them is ready to be utilized by the body for the protein synthesis process.
Best of all, egg whites contain low levels of carbohydrates and are a great source of essential minerals and vitamins.
Water
Water is essential for muscle building because 70% of your body is made up of water. Think about it, your tissue cells, your muscles and ligaments all contain and need water. But most importantly, water is a life force of the blood roaming around in your body.
Your body needs to remain in the most anabolic state possible, and this is made possible by drinking plenty of water. Most bodybuilders recommend drinking up to 10 L of water daily. By staying hydrated helps your muscles to look fuller.
Water also serves as aid nutrient transporter that delivers to muscle cells.
Slow Burning Carbs
Your muscles need more than just protein to grow. Slow burning carbs are essential to help fuelling and sustaining your muscles. The best sources of slow burning carbs include sweet potatoes and oatmeal.
The thinking behind the importance of slow burning carbs is that when you exercise, the carbs already stored in your muscles become a fuel source for your workouts.
When glycogen levels decrease from a rigorous training session, your ability to sustain intensity diminishes, and that’s the point when your muscles are tapped in to by the body for energy, ultimately leaving them fatigued and diminished.
This is exactly why no matter what your training goals are, for you to maintain a healthy muscle building mechanism; you need slow burning carbs to fuel the body.
Whey Protein
Okay, I’ve covered all the food sources that you need that you could pretty much find in any grocery store but there is one form of supplementation that is a must on my list and that is whey protein.
From all my years in bodybuilding, I realized that in order for me to effectively pack on pounds of lean muscle, I had to resort to taking protein, 1.0 to 1.2 g for every pound of my body weight.
In other words, if you happen to weigh 175 lbs., your minimum daily protein consumption should be between 175 to 210 g.
That is a hell of a lot of protein if you were to rely solely on whole foods. This is precisely the reason why whey protein supplementation is so popular because it is an excellent way to increase protein intake through the day.
To really get your body into an anabolic state, I recommend having a shake the moment you get out of bed, and on the days you work out, immediately after working out, and just before you go to bed. This is the perfect way to allow your muscles to achieve serious gains.
To Conclude
If you’re serious about packing onto your muscle, you can’t be relying on empty calories that do nothing for your muscle building journey, but do a lot for your waistline.
You need to be super choosy about the foods you eat and the SARMs supplements you take, and you need to incorporate these into your existing daily diet.
