What foods should bodybuilders eat to build muscle. How can bodybuilders structure their diet for optimal results. Which foods should be avoided in a bodybuilding diet. What are the key principles of bodybuilding nutrition.
Understanding the Fundamentals of Bodybuilding Nutrition
Bodybuilding is a discipline that extends far beyond the confines of the gym. At its core, it’s a lifestyle that demands dedication not only to rigorous training but also to meticulous nutrition. The foundation of a successful bodybuilding regimen lies in consuming nutrient-dense foods that support muscle growth and recovery while minimizing body fat.
A well-structured bodybuilding diet typically focuses on high-protein intake, balanced with complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. This nutritional approach is designed to fuel intense workouts, promote muscle synthesis, and maintain overall health.
The Two Phases of Bodybuilding Nutrition
Bodybuilding nutrition is often divided into two distinct phases: bulking and cutting. Each phase has specific dietary requirements tailored to achieve different physiological outcomes.
- Bulking Phase: This period focuses on muscle gain and typically involves a caloric surplus.
- Cutting Phase: The primary goal here is fat loss while preserving muscle mass, usually achieved through a caloric deficit.
Understanding these phases is crucial for bodybuilders to optimize their nutritional intake and achieve their physique goals effectively.
Essential Nutrients for Muscle Building and Recovery
To support muscle growth and recovery, bodybuilders need to prioritize certain nutrients in their diet. These essential components play vital roles in various physiological processes related to muscle development and overall performance.
Protein: The Building Blocks of Muscle
Protein is arguably the most critical nutrient for bodybuilders. It provides the amino acids necessary for muscle repair and growth. How much protein should a bodybuilder consume? The general recommendation is 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily. This can be achieved through a combination of whole food sources and supplements if needed.
Carbohydrates: Fuel for Performance
Carbohydrates are the body’s primary energy source, especially during high-intensity workouts. Complex carbohydrates should form the backbone of a bodybuilder’s carb intake, providing sustained energy and supporting recovery. What types of carbs are best for bodybuilders? Opt for whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes to ensure a steady supply of energy and essential nutrients.
Healthy Fats: Supporting Hormone Production
While often misunderstood, fats play a crucial role in bodybuilding nutrition. They support hormone production, including testosterone, which is essential for muscle growth. Incorporate sources of healthy fats such as avocados, nuts, seeds, and fatty fish into your diet to reap these benefits.
Structuring Your Bodybuilding Meal Plan
Creating an effective bodybuilding meal plan requires careful consideration of macronutrient ratios, meal timing, and food choices. A well-structured plan ensures that your body receives the necessary nutrients to support muscle growth and recovery throughout the day.
Optimal Macronutrient Ratios
The ideal macronutrient ratio for bodybuilding can vary depending on individual factors and specific goals. However, a general guideline often recommended is:
- Protein: 30-35% of total calories
- Carbohydrates: 55-60% of total calories
- Fats: 15-20% of total calories
These ratios can be adjusted based on personal response and specific phase (bulking or cutting) of training.
Meal Timing and Frequency
Bodybuilders often benefit from consuming multiple meals throughout the day to ensure a steady supply of nutrients. How many meals should a bodybuilder eat daily? While individual preferences may vary, consuming 4-6 meals per day is common practice. This approach helps maintain stable blood sugar levels and provides a constant supply of amino acids for muscle repair and growth.
Pay special attention to pre- and post-workout nutrition. Consuming a combination of protein and carbohydrates before and after training can enhance performance and recovery.
Foods to Prioritize in a Bodybuilding Diet
A successful bodybuilding diet should focus on nutrient-dense whole foods that provide the necessary macro and micronutrients for muscle growth and overall health. Here’s a list of foods that should form the core of your nutritional intake:
Protein Sources
- Lean meats (chicken, turkey, lean beef)
- Fish (salmon, tuna, tilapia)
- Eggs and egg whites
- Low-fat dairy products
- Plant-based options (tofu, tempeh, legumes)
Carbohydrate Sources
- Whole grains (brown rice, quinoa, oats)
- Sweet potatoes and yams
- Fruits (berries, apples, bananas)
- Vegetables (broccoli, spinach, kale)
Healthy Fat Sources
- Avocados
- Nuts and seeds
- Olive oil
- Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel)
Incorporating these foods into your diet ensures a wide range of nutrients that support muscle growth, recovery, and overall health.
Foods to Avoid or Limit in a Bodybuilding Diet
While a bodybuilding diet focuses on nutrient-dense foods, there are certain items that should be limited or avoided altogether. These foods can hinder progress and negatively impact overall health.
Processed and Junk Foods
Highly processed foods often contain excessive amounts of added sugars, unhealthy fats, and empty calories. These can lead to unwanted fat gain and provide little nutritional value. Examples include:
- Fast food
- Sugary snacks and candies
- Processed meats (hot dogs, bacon)
- Packaged baked goods
Alcohol
Alcohol can have detrimental effects on muscle growth and recovery. It can impair protein synthesis, dehydrate the body, and interfere with sleep quality. If consumed, it should be in strict moderation.
Excessive Added Sugars
While carbohydrates are essential, foods high in added sugars can lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar and unnecessary calorie intake. Limit consumption of:
- Soft drinks and sweetened beverages
- Desserts and pastries
- Flavored yogurts with high sugar content
By avoiding or limiting these foods, bodybuilders can better control their calorie intake and ensure that the majority of their diet consists of nutrient-dense options that support their goals.
Hydration: The Often Overlooked Aspect of Bodybuilding Nutrition
Proper hydration is crucial for bodybuilders, yet it’s frequently underestimated in its importance. Water plays a vital role in numerous bodily functions, including muscle function, nutrient transport, and temperature regulation.
The Importance of Adequate Water Intake
Dehydration can significantly impair performance and recovery. Even mild dehydration can lead to decreased strength, reduced endurance, and impaired cognitive function. How much water should a bodybuilder drink daily? While individual needs vary, a general guideline is to consume at least 1 ml of water per calorie consumed. For a bodybuilder eating 3,000 calories per day, this would equate to 3 liters of water.
Hydration Strategies for Training
Develop a hydration strategy that includes pre-, during-, and post-workout fluid intake. This may involve:
- Consuming 16-20 ounces of water 2-3 hours before training
- Sipping water during workouts to replace fluids lost through sweat
- Rehydrating post-workout with water or an electrolyte-rich beverage
Remember that hydration needs can increase significantly during intense training or in hot environments.
Supplements in Bodybuilding: Separating Fact from Fiction
The world of bodybuilding supplements is vast and often confusing. While some supplements can be beneficial, it’s crucial to understand that they are meant to supplement a well-balanced diet, not replace it.
Essential Supplements for Bodybuilders
Several supplements have shown promise in supporting muscle growth and recovery. These include:
- Whey Protein: A fast-absorbing protein that can aid in muscle recovery and growth.
- Creatine: Helps increase strength and muscle mass when combined with resistance training.
- Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs): May help reduce muscle soreness and support recovery.
- Multivitamin: Ensures you’re meeting micronutrient needs, which can be challenging on a restrictive diet.
Supplements to Approach with Caution
Not all supplements are created equal, and some may even be harmful. Be wary of:
- Prohormones and anabolic steroids
- Fat burners with stimulants
- Proprietary blends with undisclosed ingredients
Always research thoroughly and consult with a healthcare professional before adding new supplements to your regimen.
Personalizing Your Bodybuilding Diet for Optimal Results
While general guidelines provide a solid foundation, the most effective bodybuilding diet is one tailored to your individual needs, goals, and preferences. Personalization is key to long-term success and sustainability.
Factors to Consider When Customizing Your Diet
- Body type and metabolism
- Specific fitness goals (e.g., muscle gain, fat loss, competition prep)
- Training intensity and volume
- Dietary preferences and restrictions
- Lifestyle factors (work schedule, stress levels)
The Importance of Tracking and Adjusting
Regularly monitoring your progress and making necessary adjustments is crucial. This may involve:
- Tracking body weight and measurements
- Keeping a food diary
- Assessing energy levels and workout performance
- Periodically reevaluating calorie and macronutrient needs
By staying attentive to your body’s responses and making informed adjustments, you can optimize your diet for maximum results.
Remember, the journey of bodybuilding is highly individual. What works for one person may not work for another. Be patient, stay consistent, and don’t hesitate to seek guidance from nutrition professionals or experienced coaches to fine-tune your approach.
As you progress on your bodybuilding journey, keep in mind that nutrition is just one piece of the puzzle. Combine your carefully crafted diet with proper training, adequate rest, and stress management for holistic results. With dedication and the right approach, you can achieve your bodybuilding goals and develop a physique that reflects your hard work and commitment.
What to Eat, What to Avoid
Bodybuilding is about looking muscular and lean. To help you reach this goal, you need to eat nutrient-rich foods with lots of protein while limiting alcohol and sugary or deep-fried foods.
Bodybuilding focuses on building your body’s muscles through weightlifting and nutrition.
Whether recreational or competitive, bodybuilding is often referred to as a lifestyle, as it involves both the time you spend in and outside the gym.
To maximize your results from the gym, you must focus on your diet, as eating the wrong foods can be detrimental to your bodybuilding goals.
This article explains what to eat and avoid on a bodybuilding diet and provides a one-week sample menu.
Bodybuilding differs from powerlifting or Olympic lifting in that it’s judged on a competitor’s physical appearance rather than physical strength.
As such, bodybuilders aspire to develop and maintain a well-balanced, lean, and muscular physique.
To do this, many bodybuilders start with an off-season followed by an in-season way of eating, referred to as a bulking and cutting phase.
During the bulking phase, which can last months to years, bodybuilders eat a high calorie, protein-rich diet and lift weights intensely with the goal of building as much muscle as possible (1).
The following cutting phase focuses on losing as much fat as possible while maintaining muscle mass developed during the bulking phase. People aim to achieve this through specific changes in diet and exercise over 12–26 weeks (1).
Summary
Bodybuilding training and dieting is typically divided into two phases: bulking and cutting. The goal of the bulking phase is to build muscle, whereas the cutting phase is dedicated to preserving muscle while losing body fat.
There are several health benefits associated with bodybuilding.
Bodybuilders frequently exercise to maintain and build muscles, performing both resistance and aerobic training.
Resistance training increases muscle strength and size. Muscle strength has links with a lower risk of dying from cancer, heart and kidney disease, as well as several other critical illnesses (2).
Aerobic exercise, which bodybuilders regularly implement to reduce body fat, improves heart health and significantly lowers your risk of developing or dying from heart disease — the number one killer in America (3, 4).
In addition to exercise, bodybuilders also focus on their nutrition.
With careful planning, bodybuilders can eat in a way that not only supports their efforts in the gym but keeps them healthy too.
Following a healthy eating pattern, including nutrient-dense foods from all food groups in appropriate amounts, can significantly lower your risk of chronic diseases (5).
Summary
Bodybuilders exercise regularly and may eat well-planned and nutrient-dense diets, both of which offer many health benefits.
The goal for competitive bodybuilders is to increase muscle mass in the bulking phase and reduce body fat in the cutting phase. Hence, you consume more calories in the bulking phase than in the cutting phase.
How Many Calories Do You Need?
The easiest way to determine how many calories you need is to weigh yourself at least three times a week and record what you eat using a calorie tracking app.
If your weight stays the same, the daily number of calories you eat is your maintenance calories. This is the level where you’re not losing or gaining weight but maintaining it.
During your bulking phase, you should increase your calorie intake by around 15%. For example, if your maintenance calories are 3,000 per day, you should eat 3,450 calories per day (3,000 x 0.15 = 450) during your bulking phase (6).
When transitioning from a bulking to a cutting phase, you would instead decrease your maintenance calories by 15%, meaning you would eat 2,550 calories per day instead of 3,450.
As you gain weight in the bulking phase or lose weight in the cutting phase, you will need to adjust your calorie intake at least monthly to account for changes in your weight.
Increase your calories as you gain weight in the bulking phase and decrease your calories as you lose weight in the cutting phase for continued progression.
During either phase, it’s recommended not to lose or gain more than 0.5–1% of your body weight per week. This ensures that you don’t lose too much muscle during the cutting phase or gain too much body fat during the bulking phase (7).
Macronutrient Ratio
Once you establish the calories you need, you can determine your macronutrient ratio, which is the ratio between your protein, carbohydrate, and fat intake.
Unlike the difference in calorie needs between the bulking and cutting phase, your macronutrient ratio does not change.
Protein and carbs contain four calories per gram (g), and fat contains nine. Recommended intakes include: (6, 7):
- 30–35% of your calories from protein
- 55–60% of your calories from carbs
- 15–20% of your calories from fat
Here’s an example of the ratio for both a bulking and cutting phase:
| Bulking phase | Cutting phase | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 3,450 | 2,550 |
| Protein (g) | 259-302 | 191-223 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 474-518 | 351-383 |
| Fat (g) | 58-77 | 43-57 |
These are general guidelines, so it’s best to consult with a registered dietitian to determine your individual needs based on your goals to ensure your diet is nutritionally adequate.
Summary
Recommended calorie intake, but not your macronutrient ratio, differ between the bulking and cutting phase. To account for weight changes, adjust your calorie intake each month.
Like training, diet is a vital part of bodybuilding.
Eating the right foods in the appropriate amounts provides your muscles with the nutrients they need to recover from workouts and grow bigger and stronger.
Conversely, consuming the wrong foods or not enough of the right ones will leave you with subpar results.
Here are foods you should focus on and foods to limit or avoid:
Foods to Focus On
The foods you eat don’t need to differ between the bulking and cutting phase — usually, it’s the amounts that do.
Foods to eat include (7):
- Meats, poultry, and fish: Sirloin steak, ground beef, pork tenderloin, venison, chicken breast, salmon, tilapia, and cod.
- Dairy: Yogurt, cottage cheese, low fat milk, and cheese.
- Grains: Bread, cereal, crackers, oatmeal, quinoa, popcorn, and rice.
- Fruits: Oranges, apples, bananas, grapes, pears, peaches, watermelon, and berries.
- Starchy vegetables: Potatoes, corn, green peas, green lima beans, and cassava.
- Vegetables: Broccoli, spinach, leafy salad greens, tomatoes, green beans, cucumber, zucchini, asparagus, peppers, and mushrooms.
- Seeds and nuts: Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, and flax seeds.
- Beans and legumes: Chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans.
- Oils: Olive oil, flaxseed oil, and avocado oil.
Foods to Limit
While you should include a variety of foods in your diet, there are some you should limit.
These include:
- Alcohol: Alcohol can negatively affect your ability to build muscle and lose fat, especially if you consume it in excess (8).
- Added sugars: These offer plenty of calories but few nutrients. Foods high in added sugars include candy, cookies, doughnuts, ice cream, cake, and sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda and sports drinks(5).
- Deep-fried foods: These may promote inflammation and — when consumed in excess — disease. Examples include fried fish, french fries, onion rings, chicken strips, and cheese curds (9).
In addition to limiting these, you may also want to avoid certain foods before going to the gym that can slow digestion and cause stomach upset during your workout.
These include:
- High-fat foods: High-fat meats, buttery foods, and heavy sauces or creams.
- High-fiber foods: Beans and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower.
- Carbonated beverages: Sparkling water or diet soda.
Bodybuilding Supplements
Many bodybuilders take dietary supplements, some of which are useful while others are not (10, 11).
The best bodybuilding supplements include:
- Whey protein: Consuming whey protein powder is an easy and convenient way to increase your protein intake.
- Creatine: Creatine provides your muscles with the energy needed to perform an additional rep. While there are many brands of creatine, look for creatine monohydrate as it’s the most effective (12).
- Caffeine: Caffeine decreases fatigue and allows you to work harder. Pre-workout supplements, coffee, and tea are often high in caffeine. (13).
A multi vitamin and mineral supplement may be helpful if you’re limiting your calorie intake to reduce body fat during your cutting phase.
Summary
Include a variety of nutrient-rich foods across and within all the food groups in your diet. Avoid or limit alcohol, foods with added sugars and deep-fried foods. In addition to your diet, whey protein, creatine and caffeine can be useful supplements.
Many people believe bodybuilding diets are restrictive, repetitive, and boring.
Traditional bodybuilding diets typically contain limited food selections and little variety among and within food groups, leading to an inadequate intake of essential minerals and vitamins (14).
For this reason, it’s important to incorporate variety into your diet to ensure your nutritional needs are being met — especially during a cutting phase when you eat limited calories.
When you’re in a bulking phase, your food intake will be much higher than when you’re in a cutting phase.
You can enjoy the same foods in the cutting phase that you would when bulking — just in smaller portions.
Here is a sample one-week bodybuilding menu:
Monday
- Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, oatmeal, and a pear.
- Snack: Low-fat cottage cheese with blueberries.
- Lunch: Venison burger, white rice, and broccoli.
- Snack: Protein shake and a banana.
- Dinner: Salmon, quinoa, and asparagus.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: Protein pancakes with light syrup, peanut butter, and raspberries.
- Snack: Hard-boiled eggs and an apple.
- Lunch: Sirloin steak, sweet potato, and spinach salad with vinaigrette.
- Snack: Protein shake and a peach.
- Dinner: Ground turkey and marinara sauce over pasta, with a side of cauliflower.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: Chicken sausage with egg, roasted potatoes, and an apple.
- Snack: Greek yogurt, strawberries, and almonds.
- Lunch: Turkey breast, basmati rice, and mushrooms.
- Snack: Protein shake and grapes.
- Dinner: Mackerel, brown rice, asparagus, and salad leaves with vinaigrette.
Thursday
- Breakfast: Ground turkey, egg, cheese, and salsa in a whole-grain tortilla.
- Snack: Yogurt with granola and a pear.
- Lunch: Chicken breast, baked potato, sour cream, and broccoli.
- Snack: Protein shake and mixed berries.
- Dinner: Stir-fry with shrimp, egg, brown rice, bell peppers, peas, and carrots.
Friday
- Breakfast: Blueberries, strawberries, and Greek yogurt on overnight oats.
- Snack: Jerky and mixed nuts with an orange.
- Lunch: Tilapia fillets with lime juice, black and pinto beans, and seasonal veggies.
- Snack: Protein shake and watermelon.
- Dinner: Ground beef with corn, brown rice, green peas, and beans.
Saturday
- Breakfast: Ground turkey and egg with corn, bell peppers, cheese, and salsa.
- Snack: Can of tuna with crackers and an apple.
- Lunch: Tilapia fillet and potato wedges with steamed broccoli and cauliflower.
- Snack: Protein shake and pear.
- Dinner: Diced beef with rice, black beans, bell peppers, onions, cheese, and pico de gallo.
Sunday
- Breakfast: Eggs sunny-side up and avocado toast with fresh fruit.
- Snack: Protein balls with almond butter and an orange.
- Lunch: Pork tenderloin slices with roasted garlic potatoes, green beans, and carrots.
- Snack: Protein shake and strawberries.
- Dinner: Turkey meatballs, marinara sauce, and parmesan cheese over pasta, with a side of sautéed kale.
Summary
Vary the types of foods in your diet and consume plenty of protein with each meal and snack.
For the most part, bodybuilding is a lifestyle associated with several health benefits, but there are some things to know before doing bodybuilding.
Low Levels of Body Fat Can Negatively Affect Sleep and Mood
To prepare for a bodybuilding competition, competitors achieve extremely low body fat levels, with men and women typically reaching body fat levels of 5–10% and 10–15%, respectively (14, 15).
This low level of body fat, combined with the low calorie intake, has been shown to decrease sleep quality, negatively affect mood and weaken the immune system in the weeks leading up to a competition and even several weeks after (1, 16, 17, 18).
Consequently, this can decrease your ability to function each day, negatively affect those around you and leave you more susceptible to illness.
Risks of Anabolic Steroid Use
Many, but not all, adverts for muscle-building supplements involve bodybuilders who use performance-enhancing drugs, such as anabolic steroids.
This misleads many bodybuilders into believing they can achieve the same muscular look by taking the advertised supplement.
In turn, many bodybuilders, especially those at the beginning of their journey, develop unrealistic expectations of what they can accomplish naturally, which may lead to body dissatisfaction, and eventually the urge to try anabolic steroids (19, 20).
However, anabolic steroids are very unhealthy and linked to several risks and side effects.
In addition to being illegal to possess in the US without a prescription, using anabolic steroids can increase your risk of heart disease, decrease fertility and result in psychiatric and behavioral disorders like depression (21, 22, 23, 24)
Summary
When preparing for a competition, make sure you’re aware of the possible side effects. Also, understand that the physiques you see in supplement ads may not be realistically achieved without the use of anabolic steroids, which are very unhealthy.
Bodybuilding focuses on muscularity and leanness rather than athletic performance.
Achieving the desired bodybuilder look requires regular exercise and special attention to your diet.
Bodybuilding dieting typically involves bulking and cutting phases, during which your calorie intake will change while your macronutrient ratio remains the same.
Your diet should include nutrient-dense foods, have plenty of protein with each meal and snack, and you should restrict alcohol and deep-fried or high-sugar foods.
This ensures you get all the important nutrients your body needs for building muscle and overall health.
What to Eat, What to Avoid
Bodybuilding is about looking muscular and lean. To help you reach this goal, you need to eat nutrient-rich foods with lots of protein while limiting alcohol and sugary or deep-fried foods.
Bodybuilding focuses on building your body’s muscles through weightlifting and nutrition.
Whether recreational or competitive, bodybuilding is often referred to as a lifestyle, as it involves both the time you spend in and outside the gym.
To maximize your results from the gym, you must focus on your diet, as eating the wrong foods can be detrimental to your bodybuilding goals.
This article explains what to eat and avoid on a bodybuilding diet and provides a one-week sample menu.
Bodybuilding differs from powerlifting or Olympic lifting in that it’s judged on a competitor’s physical appearance rather than physical strength.
As such, bodybuilders aspire to develop and maintain a well-balanced, lean, and muscular physique.
To do this, many bodybuilders start with an off-season followed by an in-season way of eating, referred to as a bulking and cutting phase.
During the bulking phase, which can last months to years, bodybuilders eat a high calorie, protein-rich diet and lift weights intensely with the goal of building as much muscle as possible (1).
The following cutting phase focuses on losing as much fat as possible while maintaining muscle mass developed during the bulking phase. People aim to achieve this through specific changes in diet and exercise over 12–26 weeks (1).
Summary
Bodybuilding training and dieting is typically divided into two phases: bulking and cutting. The goal of the bulking phase is to build muscle, whereas the cutting phase is dedicated to preserving muscle while losing body fat.
There are several health benefits associated with bodybuilding.
Bodybuilders frequently exercise to maintain and build muscles, performing both resistance and aerobic training.
Resistance training increases muscle strength and size. Muscle strength has links with a lower risk of dying from cancer, heart and kidney disease, as well as several other critical illnesses (2).
Aerobic exercise, which bodybuilders regularly implement to reduce body fat, improves heart health and significantly lowers your risk of developing or dying from heart disease — the number one killer in America (3, 4).
In addition to exercise, bodybuilders also focus on their nutrition.
With careful planning, bodybuilders can eat in a way that not only supports their efforts in the gym but keeps them healthy too.
Following a healthy eating pattern, including nutrient-dense foods from all food groups in appropriate amounts, can significantly lower your risk of chronic diseases (5).
Summary
Bodybuilders exercise regularly and may eat well-planned and nutrient-dense diets, both of which offer many health benefits.
The goal for competitive bodybuilders is to increase muscle mass in the bulking phase and reduce body fat in the cutting phase. Hence, you consume more calories in the bulking phase than in the cutting phase.
How Many Calories Do You Need?
The easiest way to determine how many calories you need is to weigh yourself at least three times a week and record what you eat using a calorie tracking app.
If your weight stays the same, the daily number of calories you eat is your maintenance calories. This is the level where you’re not losing or gaining weight but maintaining it.
During your bulking phase, you should increase your calorie intake by around 15%. For example, if your maintenance calories are 3,000 per day, you should eat 3,450 calories per day (3,000 x 0.15 = 450) during your bulking phase (6).
When transitioning from a bulking to a cutting phase, you would instead decrease your maintenance calories by 15%, meaning you would eat 2,550 calories per day instead of 3,450.
As you gain weight in the bulking phase or lose weight in the cutting phase, you will need to adjust your calorie intake at least monthly to account for changes in your weight.
Increase your calories as you gain weight in the bulking phase and decrease your calories as you lose weight in the cutting phase for continued progression.
During either phase, it’s recommended not to lose or gain more than 0.5–1% of your body weight per week. This ensures that you don’t lose too much muscle during the cutting phase or gain too much body fat during the bulking phase (7).
Macronutrient Ratio
Once you establish the calories you need, you can determine your macronutrient ratio, which is the ratio between your protein, carbohydrate, and fat intake.
Unlike the difference in calorie needs between the bulking and cutting phase, your macronutrient ratio does not change.
Protein and carbs contain four calories per gram (g), and fat contains nine. Recommended intakes include: (6, 7):
- 30–35% of your calories from protein
- 55–60% of your calories from carbs
- 15–20% of your calories from fat
Here’s an example of the ratio for both a bulking and cutting phase:
| Bulking phase | Cutting phase | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 3,450 | 2,550 |
| Protein (g) | 259-302 | 191-223 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 474-518 | 351-383 |
| Fat (g) | 58-77 | 43-57 |
These are general guidelines, so it’s best to consult with a registered dietitian to determine your individual needs based on your goals to ensure your diet is nutritionally adequate.
Summary
Recommended calorie intake, but not your macronutrient ratio, differ between the bulking and cutting phase.
To account for weight changes, adjust your calorie intake each month.Like training, diet is a vital part of bodybuilding.
Eating the right foods in the appropriate amounts provides your muscles with the nutrients they need to recover from workouts and grow bigger and stronger.
Conversely, consuming the wrong foods or not enough of the right ones will leave you with subpar results.
Here are foods you should focus on and foods to limit or avoid:
Foods to Focus On
The foods you eat don’t need to differ between the bulking and cutting phase — usually, it’s the amounts that do.
Foods to eat include (7):
- Meats, poultry, and fish: Sirloin steak, ground beef, pork tenderloin, venison, chicken breast, salmon, tilapia, and cod.
- Dairy: Yogurt, cottage cheese, low fat milk, and cheese.
- Grains: Bread, cereal, crackers, oatmeal, quinoa, popcorn, and rice.
- Fruits: Oranges, apples, bananas, grapes, pears, peaches, watermelon, and berries.
- Starchy vegetables: Potatoes, corn, green peas, green lima beans, and cassava.
- Vegetables: Broccoli, spinach, leafy salad greens, tomatoes, green beans, cucumber, zucchini, asparagus, peppers, and mushrooms.
- Seeds and nuts: Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, and flax seeds.
- Beans and legumes: Chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans.
- Oils: Olive oil, flaxseed oil, and avocado oil.
Foods to Limit
While you should include a variety of foods in your diet, there are some you should limit.
These include:
- Alcohol: Alcohol can negatively affect your ability to build muscle and lose fat, especially if you consume it in excess (8).
- Added sugars: These offer plenty of calories but few nutrients. Foods high in added sugars include candy, cookies, doughnuts, ice cream, cake, and sugar-sweetened beverages, such as soda and sports drinks(5).
- Deep-fried foods: These may promote inflammation and — when consumed in excess — disease. Examples include fried fish, french fries, onion rings, chicken strips, and cheese curds (9).
In addition to limiting these, you may also want to avoid certain foods before going to the gym that can slow digestion and cause stomach upset during your workout.
These include:
- High-fat foods: High-fat meats, buttery foods, and heavy sauces or creams.
- High-fiber foods: Beans and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli or cauliflower.
- Carbonated beverages: Sparkling water or diet soda.
Bodybuilding Supplements
Many bodybuilders take dietary supplements, some of which are useful while others are not (10, 11).
The best bodybuilding supplements include:
- Whey protein: Consuming whey protein powder is an easy and convenient way to increase your protein intake.
- Creatine: Creatine provides your muscles with the energy needed to perform an additional rep. While there are many brands of creatine, look for creatine monohydrate as it’s the most effective (12).
- Caffeine: Caffeine decreases fatigue and allows you to work harder. Pre-workout supplements, coffee, and tea are often high in caffeine. (13).
A multi vitamin and mineral supplement may be helpful if you’re limiting your calorie intake to reduce body fat during your cutting phase.
Summary
Include a variety of nutrient-rich foods across and within all the food groups in your diet. Avoid or limit alcohol, foods with added sugars and deep-fried foods. In addition to your diet, whey protein, creatine and caffeine can be useful supplements.
Many people believe bodybuilding diets are restrictive, repetitive, and boring.
Traditional bodybuilding diets typically contain limited food selections and little variety among and within food groups, leading to an inadequate intake of essential minerals and vitamins (14).
For this reason, it’s important to incorporate variety into your diet to ensure your nutritional needs are being met — especially during a cutting phase when you eat limited calories.
When you’re in a bulking phase, your food intake will be much higher than when you’re in a cutting phase.
You can enjoy the same foods in the cutting phase that you would when bulking — just in smaller portions.
Here is a sample one-week bodybuilding menu:
Monday
- Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with mushrooms, oatmeal, and a pear.
- Snack: Low-fat cottage cheese with blueberries.
- Lunch: Venison burger, white rice, and broccoli.
- Snack: Protein shake and a banana.
- Dinner: Salmon, quinoa, and asparagus.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: Protein pancakes with light syrup, peanut butter, and raspberries.
- Snack: Hard-boiled eggs and an apple.
- Lunch: Sirloin steak, sweet potato, and spinach salad with vinaigrette.
- Snack: Protein shake and a peach.
- Dinner: Ground turkey and marinara sauce over pasta, with a side of cauliflower.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: Chicken sausage with egg, roasted potatoes, and an apple.
- Snack: Greek yogurt, strawberries, and almonds.
- Lunch: Turkey breast, basmati rice, and mushrooms.
- Snack: Protein shake and grapes.
- Dinner: Mackerel, brown rice, asparagus, and salad leaves with vinaigrette.
Thursday
- Breakfast: Ground turkey, egg, cheese, and salsa in a whole-grain tortilla.
- Snack: Yogurt with granola and a pear.
- Lunch: Chicken breast, baked potato, sour cream, and broccoli.
- Snack: Protein shake and mixed berries.
- Dinner: Stir-fry with shrimp, egg, brown rice, bell peppers, peas, and carrots.
Friday
- Breakfast: Blueberries, strawberries, and Greek yogurt on overnight oats.
- Snack: Jerky and mixed nuts with an orange.
- Lunch: Tilapia fillets with lime juice, black and pinto beans, and seasonal veggies.
- Snack: Protein shake and watermelon.
- Dinner: Ground beef with corn, brown rice, green peas, and beans.
Saturday
- Breakfast: Ground turkey and egg with corn, bell peppers, cheese, and salsa.
- Snack: Can of tuna with crackers and an apple.
- Lunch: Tilapia fillet and potato wedges with steamed broccoli and cauliflower.
- Snack: Protein shake and pear.
- Dinner: Diced beef with rice, black beans, bell peppers, onions, cheese, and pico de gallo.
Sunday
- Breakfast: Eggs sunny-side up and avocado toast with fresh fruit.
- Snack: Protein balls with almond butter and an orange.
- Lunch: Pork tenderloin slices with roasted garlic potatoes, green beans, and carrots.
- Snack: Protein shake and strawberries.
- Dinner: Turkey meatballs, marinara sauce, and parmesan cheese over pasta, with a side of sautéed kale.
Summary
Vary the types of foods in your diet and consume plenty of protein with each meal and snack.
For the most part, bodybuilding is a lifestyle associated with several health benefits, but there are some things to know before doing bodybuilding.
Low Levels of Body Fat Can Negatively Affect Sleep and Mood
To prepare for a bodybuilding competition, competitors achieve extremely low body fat levels, with men and women typically reaching body fat levels of 5–10% and 10–15%, respectively (14, 15).
This low level of body fat, combined with the low calorie intake, has been shown to decrease sleep quality, negatively affect mood and weaken the immune system in the weeks leading up to a competition and even several weeks after (1, 16, 17, 18).
Consequently, this can decrease your ability to function each day, negatively affect those around you and leave you more susceptible to illness.
Risks of Anabolic Steroid Use
Many, but not all, adverts for muscle-building supplements involve bodybuilders who use performance-enhancing drugs, such as anabolic steroids.
This misleads many bodybuilders into believing they can achieve the same muscular look by taking the advertised supplement.
In turn, many bodybuilders, especially those at the beginning of their journey, develop unrealistic expectations of what they can accomplish naturally, which may lead to body dissatisfaction, and eventually the urge to try anabolic steroids (19, 20).
However, anabolic steroids are very unhealthy and linked to several risks and side effects.
In addition to being illegal to possess in the US without a prescription, using anabolic steroids can increase your risk of heart disease, decrease fertility and result in psychiatric and behavioral disorders like depression (21, 22, 23, 24)
Summary
When preparing for a competition, make sure you’re aware of the possible side effects. Also, understand that the physiques you see in supplement ads may not be realistically achieved without the use of anabolic steroids, which are very unhealthy.
Bodybuilding focuses on muscularity and leanness rather than athletic performance.
Achieving the desired bodybuilder look requires regular exercise and special attention to your diet.
Bodybuilding dieting typically involves bulking and cutting phases, during which your calorie intake will change while your macronutrient ratio remains the same.
Your diet should include nutrient-dense foods, have plenty of protein with each meal and snack, and you should restrict alcohol and deep-fried or high-sugar foods.
This ensures you get all the important nutrients your body needs for building muscle and overall health.
Slimming Gym Workout Program for Men
Article Contents
- Reading time: 7 min.
- General principles of weight loss programs
- Emphasis on nutrition
- Number of repetitions and exercises
- Choosing weights and rest between sets
- Training program
- Things to pay attention to
- Watch your technique
- Cardio
- Water
90 005 Take your time
For many men and women, the gym is associated primarily with weight loss and getting rid of fat. And most of them are waiting for some kind of universal recipe that will suit everyone. However, no such program exists. But there is an individual approach with which you can create a personal program or complex for each person.
In this article, we will describe some of the standards that each of you can use. And, most importantly, we will clearly show what to proceed from when choosing individual programs for classes in the gym.
General Principles for Weight Loss Programming
Overweight people who have not been in the gym before want to get rid of fat more often. If you are a beginner, you should take the beginning of training very responsibly, as your body is not yet ready for stress. To lose weight, you first need to bring your cardiovascular system into a combat-ready state. If you immediately get on the track for 30 minutes, it can overload the heart.
The principle of gradual introduction into the training rhythm should be used. Start small by paying attention to your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate. These are very important vital indicators, they should not jump to critical values. The main principle of any training is do no harm.
Power emphasis
A good coach must understand that the complex training in the gym for the sake of saving fat is only part of the success. If his ward, who wants to lose weight, eats as before, there will be no result.
Indeed, in most cases, fullness is precisely the result of an improper diet and bad eating habits.
? Key principles of proper nutrition
read also
Men’s nutrition is somewhat different from women’s. Therefore, you first need to determine the body’s need for nutrients: proteins, fats, carbohydrates.
Weight loss occurs due to a slight reduction in carbohydrate or fat (animal origin), as well as an overall reduction in calories relative to the daily allowance. A trainer or nutritionist/nutritionist will be able to suggest a specific nutrition program for you.
If you introduce this diet into your daily lifestyle, weight loss will already depend only on the training program in the gym and its compliance. That is, 70% of the path will be completed.
Do not forget about the mineral and vitamin part of the diet.
Vitamins, chondroprotectors, minerals, including macro- and microelements, should be taken as food supplements.
Vitamins and minerals – this is a very important item, because with a modern lifestyle where physical activity does not go beyond 2000-2500 calories, it will be difficult to get enough vitamins and minerals from such a small amount of food. Be sure to add VMK (vitamin-mineral complex) to your diet.
Number of repetitions and exercises
In order for men to have an effect from working in the gym, you need to clearly understand how a set of exercises for weight loss is built.
The first element of training is cardio. You should start with 5-10 minutes, without much overclocking. If it is an ellipsoid or an exercise bike, you can work even more in the first workouts. If the treadmill – you need , be sure to dose the load .
On the ellipse, even with low activity, the pulse will be high from the habit, I usually recommend a treadmill or an exercise bike to my clients.
If you are overweight, start your treadmill at your normal walking pace. Then it all depends on the state of the cardiovascular system and joints. If walking is easy for you and you don’t experience any discomfort either during or after training, increase your speed a little. Gradually bring to an easy run. Speed run is not needed here. Be sure to wear thick-soled sneakers, as the strain on the knee joints will be significant.
After cardio comes the main part of the workout, consisting of strength exercises. Here your task is to spend as much energy as possible.
For the most productive load, you need to do 15-20 repetitions in each exercise, taking into account the time under load, from 30 to 40 seconds in the approach. You need to do it at medium speed, without jerking, but also without stopping at extreme points.
The task is to get rid of fat over the muscles and tone them.
Muscle mass at this stage will probably grow, in parallel with the increase in muscle mass, the volume of fat burning will also increase.
It all depends on a correctly drawn up nutrition plan, but the main thing is that “recomposition” is possible both in the case of a beginner and in the case of losing weight – it is significant.
As for the weight loss program given in this article, even some exercises should not be excluded. Try to use everything: both the base and the secondary elements to strengthen the muscles. All this will ensure the active burning of calories and reduce your weight.
Moreover, given current research, it is possible to go from a classic training split to full body workouts, this will suit both the beginner and the experienced athlete.
If you use another program, remember that the base is the most energy-consuming among the exercises, so it is better that they are included in your complex. Even with a light weight, they will make you sweat well. All that remains is to ensure that the coach controls you so that you do not hurt yourself by doing something wrong.
I exercise, I like everything
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No, free will is important to me – I do what I want and as much as I want
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No, Now everyone can work as a trainer, but qualifications are important to me
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I don’t do it, because personal training is expensive
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Voted: 7641
Weight selection and break between sets
Fat burning in men is not an easy task. For weight loss, you should choose medium weights in the gym. To understand whether the weight is right or not, do 15-20 repetitions in each of the exercises. Strength should be enough until the last repetition and still remain for a couple of extra. If so, the weight is correct.
? For details on how to select the working weight of
, see also
Break between sets – 30-45 seconds. When losing weight, it is important here that you rest little and do a lot.
So prepare dumbbells and the right weights in advance.
And don’t forget the right technique. You can’t rush. We work intensively, but thoughtfully! No complex will help if you work incorrectly or half-heartedly.
Now let’s give an example of a program that can be used as a base for burning fat in men.
Training program
There are various programs for men that you can use to rid your body of excess body fat in the fitness room. Here is one complex that you can use unchanged or edit based on the characteristics of your body.
We will study three times a week. This is the best option for burning extra pounds. Remember the main principles mentioned above.
For convenience, let’s designate each workout for weight loss by the days of the week. You can study on other days, following the rule that there should be one day of break between classes.
It’s not worth doing every day – you can easily get overtired.
You will successfully get rid of excess fat if you strictly follow the directions of the diet and training program developed for you in the gym.
Monday:
- Cardio 30-40 minutes at a moderate pace.
- Bench press – 3 to 15.
- Lying Dumbbell Raise – 3 to 15.
- Incline Dumbbell Raise – 3 to 20.
- Seated barbell or dumbbell press – 3 to 15.
- French Press – 2 to 20.
- Extension of the arms on the block while standing – 4 to 20.
- Lying torso raise – 3 to 20.
- Hanging Leg Raise – 2 to 20.
- Cardio 15-20 minutes on average, then in slow motion.
Wednesday:
- Cardio 30-40 minutes.
- Upper pulley behind the head – 3 to 20.
- Lower Pulley – 3 to 15.
- Hyperextension – 3 to 20 without weight.
- Standing dumbbell curl – 2 to 15.
- Hammer sitting – 2 to 15.
- Dumbbell Side Raise – 2 to 20.
- Dumbbell front raise – 2 to 15.
- Roman chair crunches – 3 x 20 without weight.
- Cardio 15-20 minutes, same as Monday.
Friday:
- Cardio 30 minutes.
- Barbell Squat – 2 to 20.
- Leg extension in the simulator – 2 to 20.
- Machine leg curl – 2 to 20.
- Leg press in three positions: legs together in the center of the support platform, legs wide on the top and wide on the bottom. Repeat each position 20 times.
- Calf Raise: 5 sets of 20 reps in different foot positions.
- Dumbbell shoulder press – 3 sets of 15 reps.
- Breeding dumbbells through the sides – 3 sets of 15 times.
- Roman chair twist – 3 to 15.
- Cardio 10-15 minutes at an average pace.
The complex of loading on the press for the purpose of losing weight for men can be different – choose any elements so that its upper and lower parts work.
There is no deadlift in the program. But, if you have a desire to add it, this can be done on Wednesday after hyperextension.
Your main task (if you decide to make any changes to the complex) is to plan exercises so that all the muscles of the body work.
Things to watch out for
Your goal is to lose weight. Therefore, do not chase weights if it has become very easy to work in any exercise – add one approach or increase the number of repetitions (for example, there were 20 repetitions, it became 25 – this is acceptable). If you start to increase weight, the body may become difficult, and you will lose a lot of strength, and as a result, you will not be able to complete the entire program.
No need to use weights when working on the press and back. It’s too much. For weight loss, a large number of repetitions is enough. Also, remember that there is no point in doing 100 repetitions. There will be no more that result, you will simply begin to lose muscle, not fat.
Follow the technique
Due to the fact that the weights with which you will work for weight loss are small, you will have a lot of time to learn the correct technique.
Try to observe yourself in the mirror, study the technique of each of the exercises, ask the trainer to watch you.
If you decide to train on your own, still take 3 personal trainings from a trainer. Ask him to show how each of the exercises in the program is done. If the coach suggests changes, carefully evaluate everything in terms of your goals.
take your time
If you have not exercised before, in the first 2 weeks of losing weight, you may need to do only 50% of the indicated number of repetitions in exercises. Gradually, you will get closer to the desired number of repetitions. This is normal and correct. You can not overload the body.
Gradually increasing the load is optimal for both beginners and experienced athletes. It’s just that the latter will have a slightly higher pace.
Cardio
On the first day, you are unlikely to run on a treadmill for 30 minutes. Start by walking for 5-10 minutes. Accelerate periodically and slow down again.
Simulators with an advanced interface are very convenient in this regard – they contain different programs, including those with a shift load. You do not need to accelerate yourself, change the pace. The trainer will do everything by itself.
Water
Don’t listen to those who say you shouldn’t drink a lot of water. To burn extra pounds, drinking is a must.
Decide on your norm (depending on body weight) and try to drink as much water as your body needs. Make a bottle of water next to you a habit.
How much to drink and when the question is quite popular and the most common answer to it: 2 liters or more, or 30 ml per kilogram of body weight. I will answer more simply – drink when you are thirsty, the body itself perfectly regulates this function.
But, for an athlete, you should think about the drinking regime, so let a bottle of water “in training” next to you become a habit.
Men’s Workout Diet
What is the most important thing for men who work out in the gym? That’s right, muscles, their growth and mass gain. It is the muscles, their relief, that create the appearance of the body, which is pleasant to look at. But in order to have such a body, it is not enough just to exercise with physical strength. In order for the body to look fit, slender, beautiful, it is also necessary to follow a proper diet. Such a regimen provides for both the calorie content of food, and its useful properties, and the timed intake regimen, and the drinking regimen.
The main principle of “building” muscle mass in sports for men is the consumption of food, the calorie content of which is higher than it should be. Thus, spending energy on sports exercises, the body also deposits useful substances in muscle growth. And the body at the same time feels a surge of energy, youth and support.
Men’s Diet Guidelines
Men’s Training Diet includes the following guidelines:
- Power mode. The number of meals per day should not be less than five, but not exceed the number of seven times.
- Calories, proteins, fats and carbohydrates at every meal must be correctly calculated, balanced in every meal, at absolutely every meal.
- The diet should be balanced, contain a lot of carbohydrates.
- Drinking regimen must be observed in strict order. For one day, a man, while following a diet, should drink at least 2.5 liters of purified water.
If these basic principles are followed, then 70% of the goal will be achieved. The remaining 30% can be achieved by doing exercises in the gym.
Calculation of balanced food with a diet from professionals
Yes, diet and sports are commendable, every person should have such a lifestyle. But, unfortunately, not every modern person in our time has a free minute to buy products, calculate their calorie content, and then also cook food from them.
The Men’s Training Diet is high in protein, fat and carbohydrates. Our company offers to prepare a weekly menu, divided into portions, calculated by calories, proteins, fats and carbohydrates from the most useful and high-quality products.
If you are interested in choosing a menu, our nutritionists and fitness trainers will work with you on an individual basis, choosing for you those dishes that will bring you the maximum benefit. Our chefs will prepare balanced meals for you, divided in portions. Thus, you can eat right, stick to your diet, lose extra pounds, but at the same time supply your body with the most useful substances and trace elements.
Meals offered by our chefs for men on a training diet include the mandatory presence of products such as meat, eggs, cereals, durum wheat pasta, vegetables. All these products undergo the most useful heat treatments for preserving vitamins, giving the body the opportunity to get enough and get a boost of energy.
