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Cornish_Celt · #2 (**permalink**) 05-23-2016, 05:27 AM

Putting it all together
What does that all mean? Here are the key pointers:

1.5g protein per lb of lean mass
2-3 times protein intake of carbohydrates
Carbohydrates – unrefined, unprocessed and colourful
Fishy fats are best

This means the best bodybuilding diet is actually a very healthyd iet, it emphasises lean sources of protein especially fish, quality carbohydrates with lots of vegetables and doesn't over do the fats but has all the good ones for health in plentiful supply.

Protein foods
The bodybuilder's favourite is chicken breast, but when bulking as long as you cook with the skin off any part will do, same holds for turkey. Steak is great, beef is beautiful, the only but is no white stuff. The best beef cuts are deep and red with virtually no fat remember that. Quality mince of chicken, turkey or beef is great – but read the label – not all minces are created equal. Pork is not a bodybuilding staple despite my own love of the bacon sandwich. There are more exotic meats that are high in protein and low in fat – ostrich and buffalo are just two – give them a try. Off the land and into the sea, shellfish is high in fat per protein punch, so its not a staple, salmon, cod, sea bass, red snapper, herring, are great choices, as are tuna and swordfish steaks. If you can get it orange roughy is great – the only thing to do is make sure you get what you ask for – use a reputable supplier.

Carbohydrates
Brown rice is preferable, basmati is next best although it lacks the fibre of the brown variety, white rice especially the easy cook is heavily milled and has nutrients added back in to make its nutritional values worth the effort of boiling it. With pasta again plump for wholewheat varieties, next fresh egg pasta is best and plain old dried is at best someway behind that, but still a much better choice than plain white rice. Oats are great, go for the simple steel cut ones without lots added, remember the smoother and sweeter the more processing required - unprocessed is what you are after. Don't forget other sources such as couscous or quinoa either as they can be a welcome variation.

For potatoes sweet potatoes rule the roost for bodybuilders, always eat the skins, and that counts double for white potatoes. Finally cold potatoes are less digestible than hot ones so if you want energy eat them hot hot hot.

Fruit and Vegetables
Eat them frequently and eat a rainbow, as a bulking bodybuilder it's almost impossible to overdo these two. The only thing is to make sure you don't fill up on veggies until after your protein and carbohydrate requirements have been met.

Fats
For the bodybuilder most dietary fat is from their protein sources, however condiments and sauces should not be shunned. Food should be enjoyable, sensible sauces; marinades and the like make good food great! With these avoid those high in sugar, trans fats and saturated fats, if possible make them yourself, or when buying read that label carefully.

What about junk food?
The 90-10 rule is a good place to start – that is 90% good hearty healthy food and 10% junk. Personally I recommend eat enough to stay sane and have a social life, that will usually be more than enough to satisfy.

Bulking is a great time to try new foods and new ideas, the staple ingredients may sound simple – but remember chicken veg and rice could be grilled plain chicken breast, boiled green rice and some broccoli – but it is also a chicken curry – be creative.

How much to eat when?
We now have an idea of what foods we are eating, we have a massive choice available even if it isn't on the ready meal aisle. Picking the right foods is great but if you don't eat enough of them then it amounts to nothing, or more precisely your muscle mass will! Bodybuilders are notorious for two things, eating a lot, and eating often – and as a bulking bodybuilder you will be doing both.

How Much?
This is an almost impossible question to pin down, the answer is enough to grow but not so much that we look like the Michelin man when we have finished. Hitting the 1.5g of protein per lb of lean mass and 2-3 times that in carbohydrates will give you a starting point. The key is 'starting point' if it doesn't work you will have to eat more; there is a lot of truth in the old adage that if you want to look like a 250lb bodybuilder then you have to eat like one. Your body is like any building site, things go quicker if there is plenty of material. Unlike a building site your body can store the leftovers – as fat. So if you are building muscle a little fat is inevitable. Which is why we emphasise protein – it leaves the least leftovers.

How often?
Your body can only process so much at once, eat too much and it's going to get stored. That is why you need to eat a lot, but also eat often, your body can efficiently utilise what you feed it, send it to where it needs it, and only store what it is essential to be stored. Your body is better at working this out than you can ever imagine. Eat frequently and you deposit less fat than if you dump it all in a big meal or even three big meals – and you will certainly feel better, as well as perform better in the gym by spacing things out.

What this translates to is if you have just eaten, then in 2.5 to 3 hours time you will be chowing down again. And if you wake up naturally in the night you may just have a munch then as well. (Never set an alarm to eat in the night!)

What about after a workout?
A lot has been written about the importance of post workout nutrition and quite rightly so. At this time your body is incredibly receptive to the nutrients you provide it. That receptive state does not last forever – so we hit it with the following strategy:

Straight after the workout we glug down a rapidly digesting protein and a simple sugar to maximise insulin response and the cellular uptake of nutrients. After about 30mins and inside the hour of that we have a protein and carbohydrate rich meal.

This method is both simple and effective in maximising workout gains.

Finally – what does a typical day look like?
Here is a simple example day. I have included a rough guide to calories, protein and carbohydrate levels – bodybuilding is not a maths class after all – and your diet doesn't have to be either!

The bodybuilder in question has 200lbs of lean mass by rough estimate and trains in the evening.

Meal One:
300ml of egg whites – 25g protein
30g whey shake – 25g (at least)
100g oatmeal – 80g carbs
2 slices of granary toast – 35g carbs

Some cheese in and vegetables to make an omelette with the egg, raisins, and honey to taste in the oats (made in water) with a splash of skimmed milk to taste, and low fat spread on the toast

Add beverage of choice and that's around 600 calories for Breakfast

Meal Two:
200g cooked chicken – approx 45g protein
130g brown rice – approx 100g carbs
Some vegetables mixed in, splash of something to help it down the hatch
Add a piece of fruit

And that's in the region of 650 calories depending on what you add.

Meal Three:
300g tinned tuna – 40g protein
150g wholemeal pasta 100g carbs
Add a bowl of salad and some extra light mayo mixed in with the tuna and pasta with a nice dressing on the salad

And you have another 600+ calories

Meal four:
Same as Meal Two or Meal 3

Post Workout Shake
50g whey protein
50g dextrose
In water, down the hatch

Meal Five – less than an hour later:
200g steak – 45g protein
250g sweet potato – 100g carbohydrates (make nice baked fries or wedges with these – especially if you melt mozzarella on them before you serve)
Add in heaps of veg and your condiment or sauce – another 600 calories

Final meal of the day:
250g salmon – 40g protein
100g cottage cheese – 10g protein
4 slices of granary bread – 70g carbs

Another 600 calories or so in that meal

The totals are
Calories at least 4000
Protein – 315
Carbs – 640

If you are not training then add a meal to suit your requirements instead of the post workout shake – for some this means their mealtimes vary between training and non training days, which is a good little bit of variation too.