A bodybuilder’s diet is not as simple as it may sound. When it comes to bodybuilders, their diet is 50% part of their training which makes it crucially essential forbodybuilders to strike a sustainable diet plan. When the athlete is training hard to gain muscle mass and develop lean muscle tissue, they require shredding the excess body fat. Ideally the body should contain less than 10% fat. Once the athlete has their mind together and have successfully established their training intensity levels at the gym, they can start measuring their body requirements regarding the food they consume. If they are training hard at the gym today, their body will need more calories and if the intensity levels are low next day then they need to consume less calories. To strike a perfect balance between the diet and training requires a lot of calculations and measurements on personal level of the bodybuilders. They need to be constantly in check of the number of calories consumed and burnt. And if they gain weight then they need to measure if that is muscle mass or just fat mass. Their goal is to gain muscle mass, so if they gain fat, then they need to cut down on the food that they are consuming and find that perfect number of calories that can provide them with enough energy to achieve a good workout and a lean muscle mass without adding to the body fat. Normally, to strike such a balance is absolutely rare but if you do, you are a rare case and you can reach for the stars at this point. However, if you are like the normal lot then you are in for a treat because as you read further, you will be able to understand how you can sustain your diet alongside your rigorous training cycle for an absolute ripped physique (no guarantees because it all depends on you and your will).

 Need to Know Before Training

 As a bodybuilder, you will have to do a lot of homework before you jump on the hardcore training bandwagon. You will need to measure your body muscles, fat and water weight levels. You will be able to do all that at your gym because most of the gyms, that cater bodybuilders, provide such a facility at hand. After that the bodybuilder will need to measure the number of calories required as per their workout intensity levels and then they observe their macronutrient ratio which is the ration between carbs, proteins and fats intake from the calories. Usually it is recommended to get; 30-35% of your calories from protein, 15-20% from fat, and 55-60% from carbohydrates. However, these can vary depending on individual’s needs such as their weight, muscle mass, water retention, body fat and etc.

 Diet Plans are Important

Once all the calculations are done, they get on deciding the type of foods they can consume and what kind of food to avoid when training. Since there are no specific hard diet plans because a bodybuilder’s diet depends on how he is working with his body while training. As many bodybuilders would be focusing on burning fat during cutting cycle and gaining muscles during the bulking cycle, their diets and training intensity would greatly vary. So, to put out a straight-forward diet plan is absolutely unworkable and that’s why we plan to lay out a detailed list of things that you should add/avoid in your diet. Such a technique will help you sustain your diet within the confines of extremely healthy and delicious food items and give you the liberty to decide. Remember, bodybuilding is a lifestyle and it has its own rules when it comes to food. After every training session at the gum, your body will need time and the right amount and type of food to help you recover for the next session. Therefore, be headstrong, hardcore and patient when you take this path because the results will be terrific only if your mind and body are in sync.

 Consider These Food Items

Consider the following list of items as your guideline while preparing your grocery list. These are the food items that you should surround yet make your own decision and choose what you want to eat with liberty. No hard and fast rules, only focused mindset is allowed.

·        Grains: Rice, quinoa, oatmeal, crackers, bread, cereal and corn.

·        Dairy: Low-fat milk, cheese, cottage cheese and yogurt.

·        Vegetables: Spinach, leafy salad greens, asparagus, peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, potatoes, green peas, cassava and green lima beans.

·        Fruits: Oranges, apples, bananas, grapes, pears, peaches, watermelon and berries.

·        Meats, Poultry and Fish: Beef, mutton, chicken, pork, venison, salmon, tilapia and cod.

·        Nuts and Seeds: Almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds and sunflower seeds.

·        Oils: Olive oil, avocado oil and flaxseed oil.

·        Legumes and Beans: Pinto beans, black beans, kidney beans, lentils and chickpeas.

Once you set your diet plan as per the list provided above, you will be able to give your body a healthy, enriched with proteins and carbs to fuel your body. While you are on that, there is always a confusion regarding what items they cannot eat and should avoid.

Alcohol, added sugars and deep-fried items should be avoided at all costs, however, occasional exceptions are allowed. These items can take a toll on your daily training and push you backwards in terms of your goal.

Another confusion also arises regarding what foods to avoid before starting the workout. The athlete must keep a timetable and follow through with it so that when they workout, their body is able to consume all the stored energy. However, before any workout, the bodybuilder must avoid the following items:

·        High-fat foods

·        High-fiber foods.

·        Carbonated beverages

It is best to avoid these items as they can slow down the metabolism and cause digestion issues during workout. So, to have an absolute killer workout, you need to find a suitable time for your workout that doesn’t necessarily comes after lunch or dinner time.

While consumption of healthy food is integral to a bodybuilder’s journey, supplements can also be helpful to boost the workout intensity levels as the supplements can provide extra source of energy. You can consider the following supplements for yourself:

·        Whey Protein

·        Creatine

·        Coffee or tea

If you are limiting your calorie intake during cutting phase then consider taking multi-vitamin and mineral supplements to make up for nutrition lost in reducing the number of calories.

Once you have successfully pulled your efforts together to achieve a routine that works for you and your healthy lifestyle, your efforts will bear fruit and it will be worth it.

See Also : 

Food and Nutrition Requirements for Bodybuilders

Anavar for Bodybuilding – What are the Benefits?

5 Ways to Build Muscles Organically

10 Best Steroids and Their Usage – A Guide to Buy Steroids Online