Body Building Diet
Body building requires a specialized diet, designed around
the premise of losing fat and gaining lean body mass (muscle).
Because body building is an energy-intensive activity in terms
of actually performing exercise and also the energy the body
needs to regenerate afterwards, a body builder will need to
consume more calories than an average person of the same height.
There is a consensus that what matters more than calorie counting
however, is the ratio of macronutrients in a balanced body
building diet. These will vary according to the specific goals
of the individual, but a typical ratio would be 50% carbohydrates,
30% protein and perhaps 5% fat comprising essential fatty
acids. This is important because the body needs all three
in order to efficiently build lean body mass, therefore eating
meals composed almost solely of protein (for example), would
be sub-optimal since there would be no energy to assist in
the synthesis of new muscle fibre.
In terms of carbohydrates, body builders typically prefer
what are called low-glycemic polysaccharides and other slow-digesting
carbohydrates, as opposed to high-glycemic sugars and starches,
which can cause insulin spikes and encourage the body to convert
incoming energy straight to fat, rather than using it to assist
the building of muscle fibre.
Fast-digesting sugars such as glucose can be useful however
in the period directly before or after (or even during) a
workout, when muscle glycogen stores must be replenished in
order to stimulate the synthesis of new muscle protein. Many
energy bars or exercise bars on the market are designed for
exactly this purpose.
The percentage of protein as part of a balanced bodybuilding
diet is subject to some debate, with estimates ranging from
20-50%. What is widely agreed upon however, is that the quality
of protein is important.
Lean meat such as chicken, beef, pork or fish are good sources
of protein, as are eggs and many dairy products. Beans, seeds,
nuts and lentils are also good proteins, and whey protein
is often used as a dietary substitute, particularly in popular
protein shakes and bars. Whey protein is preferred for its
fast absorption rate and high Biological Value (BV - the measure
of how readily a protein can be used in protein synthesis
in the cells of an organism, as when building lean muscle
tissue following a workout).
Also agreed upon is that it is important to consume protein
in the period directly following a workout, and before resting
or sleeping. This will lead to more efficient muscle building
as the body will have the materials it needs to hand at the
time it needs them most. Many body builders advocate splitting
meals up into six or seven smaller portions throughout the
day, rather than the typical three squares.
This is done for two main reasons. Firstly as above, to
ensure that the body has a constant supply of nutrition to
enable it to build lean muscle tissue. And secondly because
it is thought that grazing in this manner can increase the
body’s base metabolic rate, and thereby enable it to burn
excess fat more efficiently.
As well as eating a balanced diet with appropriate macronutritional
ratios, many bodybuilders add dietary supplements to their
daily nutritional routine, and many of these have been proven
to have healthy beneficial effects.
As well as protein supplements (usually in the form of whey,
casein or soy protein, as well as simple egg whites), body
builders make use of amino acids, creatine, pro-hormones and
thermogenics, as well as complete meal-replacements such as
shakes or bars.
The most popular amino acid supplements are glutamine (the
most abundant amino acid in human muscle tissue, which can
be depleted during periods of intense physical exercise) and
branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), which have an anabolic/anti-catabolic
effect on the muscles.
Creatine is an organic acid which occurs naturally in the
body and helps supply energy to muscles for short, intense
bursts of energy, such as during a workout. Creatine supplements
have been proven to help people exercise harder, for longer,
as well as improving general brain function and reducing mental
fatigue. Creatine is the most popular and probably most effective
body building supplement.
Formulating the right diet for your own personal body building
needs is a science, but it need not be a chore. With good
advice, and some professional assistance, anyone should be
able to maximize their potential lean body mass gains whilst
reducing their level of body fat. A solid nutritional plan
is a key component of any efficient body building diet.
Body Building Diet
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