A common explanation is that some guys are so gym-focused that they forget to take care of business when they aren’t lifting. Keep in mind, however, that you can’t grow if you’re going off-track during the other 23-or-so hours of the day. To help you get back on track, we’ve identified the seven biggest nutrition mistakes bodybuilders make when trying to add quality mass.
Dieting impatiently. A lot of bodybuilders hop from one diet to another without ever giving the first program adequate time to work. It takes no less than three weeks for your body to become accustomed to nutritional changes. You can look forward to seeing noticeable changes after about 21 days if you start a high carb, modest protein, and low fat diet with reduced calories in order to lose fat.
Eating Too Much We all know the biology. Excess calories are stored as bodyfat. For overeating to be at the top of the nutritional false move list is no mistake. Building muscle is the number one goal of bodybuilding and bodyfat is the bodybuilder's number one enemy. What's the sense of working an impressive set of muscles requiring much blood, sweat and tears, if it's obscured by a layer of lard? May I suggest the obvious? If you are overweight, eat less. The simple act on consuming less food will cause you to lose weight. Be aware, however, that if you eat less but retain your current food profile, you will just construct a miniature version of your old self. Less of the same will shrink you, but your proportion of muscle to bodyfat will stay the same. The end result? You look like your old self, just pounds lighter. Truly sensational physical transformation lies in losing bodyfat while maintaining muscle. To achieve true nutritional nirvana, building muscle while simultaneously losing bodyfat, we need to practice nutrient based dieting.
To lose fat and retain muscle, besides doing aerobic exercise, you need to eat precise amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fat. You need to become nutrient conscious. Read the labels on the food you eat. What is the consensus on achieving metabolic nirvana? To hang on to muscle, you need protein and lots of it. To maintain energy and fuel growth you need quality cards. To shed the fat blanket and keep the muscle, to effect the physical transformation you seek, you need lots of quality nutrients, but not in excess. You tread the razor's edge between enough and too much. Everyone is different. Experiment and monitor.
Insufficient ProteinThe fact remains: Protein is the single most important nutrient for muscle regeneration and building. The trick is to use only lean protein. Protein and fat usually coexist in food sources. Meat, fish, fowl, dairy, these primary sources all can have much fat content. In the old days, we did not worry about such inconveniences. As a result, heavy protein consumers developed nasty clogged arteries and astronomical cholesterol rates. The fault wasn't in the protein, but the fat attached to the protein.
Skim milk, egg whites, fish, skinless fowl, flank steak, and of course that staple of weight training, protein powder. These foods represent powerful, clean protein sources. Start by ingesting 1 - 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight per day. To stay anabolic, divide the total intake into 4-8 equal portions and eat these low fat protein sources at regular intervals throughout the day.
Not eating frequent, small meals. You should be eating five to six meals per day ranging from 300-1000 calories dependent on your size and targets, for the best results in terms of elevated energy levels, reduced body fat, muscle enlargement, and first-class gastrointestinal health. You should also have a hoard of meal replacement shakes, which have the precise nutrient profiles that you require.
Too Much Fat & Sugar The twin demons of nutrition. Fat is calorically the densest of all nutrients, with nine calories per gram. Fat is hard to digest and is the body's preferred storage material. Though a certain amount of fat is needed for brain and other bodily functions, the little that's required is easily acquired through regular low fat eating.
Excess sugar is easily converted to fat once in the body. Buyer beware: A food may be advertised as low fat and still be loaded with sugar. Taken in excess, this sugar can be quickly converted to fat. Quite a few a few of the sports drinks and nutritional sports bars are loaded with sugar. Limit fat intake to roughly 15% of your total caloric consumption.
Not Drinking Enough Water As we know, the body is 67% water, and we should drink lots of water throughout the day. Water courses throughout the body's plumbing; downing copious amounts throughout the day keeps the pipes clean as chrome. So flush the system continually and regularly, regenerating muscle cells through water replenishment. Drink 10 eight ounce glasses of water a day.
Not setting goals. The chief mistake a lot of people make is starting a fat loss program without really making a decision. It may appear unimportant, but having a meaningful reason is vital to success. During moments of weakness, when your healthy meals look too bland and all you want is takeout, when you decide you’re too tired to workout, and when you just don’t feel like it, that your decision comes into play.