Nutrition is AT LEAST as important as any exercise regime in a good bodybuilding program.
Your muscles need the proper nutrients if they are to grow and give you the body you want. Of course good nutrition is important for overall health, which is a nice bonus.
In this article I'm going to give you a quick guide to what foods and in what amounts you will need to grow new muscle and preserve the muscle you've already built.
First of all, your eating patterns are going to have to change a bit. Rather than two or three larger meals a day, you want to eat smaller meals frequently throughout the day.
The idea of this is to increase your metabolism. This will help you burn fat - in fact after four hours or so without food, your body switches into catabolic mode, where you begin to accumulate fat; a holdover from the days of being hunter/gatherers who literally didn't know where their next meal was coming from.
So instead, you're going to eat 4-6 meals a day, about three hours apart.
The question is, "What should I be eating?"
Great Question. When building muscle, BALANCE is the key to nutrition. You want carbs, protein and fat in every meal.
Getting all three at once helps your body make the most of each element and gives you sustained energy without "crashes". The ratio you should be aiming for is roughly 40% of carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat.
What about calories; don't those matter?
Yes, calories do count, but here is how you should pattern your caloric intake: You want low calories (about 2,000 for men and 1,200 for women) for 2 weeks followed by higher calories for 2 weeks (about 2,500 for men and 1,500 for women).
Doing your calorie intake like this will help you lose fat and build lean muscle mass -- just what every bodybuilder desires. (You should send these numbers upwards somewhat if you are doing energy intensive training such as running.)
OK, so what specifically are good things to eat while building muscle?
The key is variety and balance -- again. While I don't have enough room here to go into an entire nutrition plan, You'll want both simple and complex carbohydrates -- here's a few ideas:
Complex Carbs: Oatmeal, sweet potatoes, rice, broccoli, spinach Simple Carbs: Fruit is your best bet for simple carbs; whatever fruit you like is fine here.
Go for these Proteins: Eggs, skinless turkey or chicken, tuna, very lean beef.
You also want healthy Fats: Stick with the healthy oils such as fish oils, olive oil, canola oil, and flaxseed oil. Natural peanut butter is also a good source of protein.
Last, and this is important, water - you NEED plenty of water to keep your system adequately hydrated and flushed of toxins.
If you follow everything in this article it will get you started on your way to a nutritious diet for lean muscle building.
Your muscles need the proper nutrients if they are to grow and give you the body you want. Of course good nutrition is important for overall health, which is a nice bonus.
In this article I'm going to give you a quick guide to what foods and in what amounts you will need to grow new muscle and preserve the muscle you've already built.
First of all, your eating patterns are going to have to change a bit. Rather than two or three larger meals a day, you want to eat smaller meals frequently throughout the day.
The idea of this is to increase your metabolism. This will help you burn fat - in fact after four hours or so without food, your body switches into catabolic mode, where you begin to accumulate fat; a holdover from the days of being hunter/gatherers who literally didn't know where their next meal was coming from.
So instead, you're going to eat 4-6 meals a day, about three hours apart.
The question is, "What should I be eating?"
Great Question. When building muscle, BALANCE is the key to nutrition. You want carbs, protein and fat in every meal.
Getting all three at once helps your body make the most of each element and gives you sustained energy without "crashes". The ratio you should be aiming for is roughly 40% of carbs, 40% protein and 20% fat.
What about calories; don't those matter?
Yes, calories do count, but here is how you should pattern your caloric intake: You want low calories (about 2,000 for men and 1,200 for women) for 2 weeks followed by higher calories for 2 weeks (about 2,500 for men and 1,500 for women).
Doing your calorie intake like this will help you lose fat and build lean muscle mass -- just what every bodybuilder desires. (You should send these numbers upwards somewhat if you are doing energy intensive training such as running.)
OK, so what specifically are good things to eat while building muscle?
The key is variety and balance -- again. While I don't have enough room here to go into an entire nutrition plan, You'll want both simple and complex carbohydrates -- here's a few ideas:
Complex Carbs: Oatmeal, sweet potatoes, rice, broccoli, spinach Simple Carbs: Fruit is your best bet for simple carbs; whatever fruit you like is fine here.
Go for these Proteins: Eggs, skinless turkey or chicken, tuna, very lean beef.
You also want healthy Fats: Stick with the healthy oils such as fish oils, olive oil, canola oil, and flaxseed oil. Natural peanut butter is also a good source of protein.
Last, and this is important, water - you NEED plenty of water to keep your system adequately hydrated and flushed of toxins.
If you follow everything in this article it will get you started on your way to a nutritious diet for lean muscle building.
About the Author:
Fitness expert Caleb Lee will teach you a lot about building muscle. His website will sways you ways to build muscle fast.
