Bodybuilding Nutrition
So you wanna be a Bodybuilder? I have young kids and teens come into my gym all the time and tell me they want to be a bodybuilder and look like that guy on the wall. That guy they are referring to happens to be the legendary Arnold Schwarzenegger, by all accounts the greatest bodybuilder of our time. So I start to explain some of the things they will need to do in order to start their journey down this long and very dedicated life of eating right and training like there’s no tomorrow for many years and you can start to see them change their tune, in most cases very quickly. Some have what it takes, however very few, really have the desire and dedication to really put that kind of effort into it. You see it takes a lot more than just working out in the gym 4 or 5 days a week and eating a lot of protein. Most people really don’t understand what a professional bodybuilder must go through 24/7 to develop the type of physique it takes to make it to this level. Unlike other professional athletes who play a particular sport for competition for 4 months out of the year and practice in the off season some as well to prepare for the season. The professional bodybuilder eats, sleeps and trains 12 months out of the year for their sport, and when a competition comes within 12 -16 weeks out, then they really buckle down and tighten their diet up and start doing a lot of extra cardio work to start to really lean out. This is no joke and the training must be serious, no playing around and taking breaks.
Nutrition, is the single most important part of bodybuilding and you really have to be willing to change your lifestyle around this sport. So ask yourself, are you ready to give up all your junk food and eat, oatmeal, rice, beans, salads, fish, chicken, sweet potatoes and fruit with water for however long it takes to get that kind of physique? Well most people aren’t, so there you go and if don’t think you can do it, then the chances are very slim, you can. You got to have that kind of determination to do whatever it takes to get those big biceps and smoking quads. It’s work and a lot of it. In all fairness, you can eat a lot more good quality foods than what I said above and you really should expand that quite a bit, I am simply giving you a mind frame of what it takes mentally to be one of these rare breeds. Now the real kicker is this, for all you young kids and teens that are not totally aware of this sport, and most of you are not, by any means. Let me say this, 99 percent of the professional bodybuilders did not get there by training like a mad man and eating great 12 months out of the year for many years. They had some good genetics and they had a little extra help, it’s called STEROIDS or the juice. Do not get caught up in this dangerous and very short lived life of looking potentially awesome just for some twenty-five dollar trophy and the chance of one day possibly turning pro. I know I wanted to be a Pro-Bodybuilder and be one of those guys when I was 13 also and so I trained smart, ate right, and did everything I knew and studied the science of bodybuilding and nutrition like no one else. I went to CA to train with these pros at 17, went to school there and found out their amazing secret to getting so HUGE. STEROIDS was the answer and I couldn’t believe these guys were sticking a needle in their rear ends and swallowing these little blue pills and blowing up like a balloon. That was the ticket. But it wasn’t the ticket for me. After studying and living there, I quickly decided I would train right, eat right and just be the very best I could be Naturally!
So what’s really involved here if you want to look great and develop your physique the very best you can? Let’s start with Nutrition and the right way to do this. Amino Acids are the building blocks of protein and this is the key factor in rebuilding your muscles after you tear them down in the gym. You should consume around 30 to 60 grams of protein every three hours of the days times six. That’s right, you will need to eat 6 small meals per day every day like clock work. Carbs should be eaten with each protein meal and you should consume around 25-100 grams per meal depending on your physique, and what you are trying to achieve. More carbs for getting bigger and putting on mass and less carbs for leaning out. Remember this, do not cut your carbs below 20 grams per three hours. Why? because the brain needs 20 grams of carbs just to function at peak levels. When you cut your carbs below this mark, you will start to forget things, get headaches, get dizzy, foggy brain and many other things. You may get lean or shredded, (bodybuilder talk) but you will also start to loose valuable muscle size. The muscles needs carbs for fuel and this is extremely important part of a bodybuilders diet. Fats are important also and this is where a lot of people mess up also. Consume around 30-60 grams of non-saturated fats per day in the source of olive oils, almonds, walnuts, and other organic grain products. Fats, like carbs should be eaten in small amounts with each meal.
Bodybuilding supplements should be are a very important part of any ones diet and are much needed by all people. There are certain supplements one can take to help speed up the process of building additional mass to ones physique. Here is my list of the top bodybuilding supplements to take regardless of whether you are trying to be the next Mr. Olympia or just want to be the best you can be Naturally.
Whey Protein Isolate
Research shows that whey-protein isolates increase the amount of glutathione in body tissues. Glutathione is a peptide (an amino acid derivative) that helps support the body’s immune system, placing whey protein at the top of the list for immuno-enhancing potential. This is one of whey’s main functional properties.
Whey protein contains the highest concentration (23% to 25%) of branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) of any single protein source. This BCAA content is important because BCAA’s are an integral part of muscle development and are the first amino’s sacrificed.
Another functional property of whey is its ability to enhance natural glutathione production within the body. Glutathione is the body’s most powerful naturally occurring antioxidant and also plays a role in immune-system support.
Whey-protein isolates contain quadra-peptides (short protein chains containing four amino acids), which have been shown to have pain-killing effects. This is another powerful functional property that may help decrease muscle soreness following intense weight training.
Due to its excellent amino acid profile, solubility, and digestibility, whey has a high biological value (BV). Basically, BV is a measure of how well a protein is used by the body. One of the more interesting functional properties of whey protein is its reported ability to stimulate IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1) production. 22 IGF-1 is structurally and functionally similar to insulin and enhances protein synthesis (i.e., muscle growth).
Whey proteins provide unique health benefits, such as fighting infections and perhaps even fighting cancer. Recent studies have shown a regression in some cancerous tumors when patients consumed 30 grams of whey protein powder a day. Whey protein appears to play a direct role in bone growth. Studies show it may increase bone strength and bone protein, such as collagen.
Creatine
There are multiple studies which have evaluated the ergogenic value of creatine supplementation in various exercise tasks. In these studies, short-term (5 to 7 days) and/or extended (7 to 54 days) creatine supplementation (20 to 25 grams per day for 5 to 7 days and 2 to 25 grams per day thereafter) was reported to not only increase one-repetition maximum lifting strength but improve vertical jump performance, increase work performed during sets of maximal-effort muscle contractions, enhance single effort and repetitive sprint performance in sprints lasting 6 to 30 seconds, improve high-intensity exercise performance in events lasting 90 to 300 seconds, and increase maximal exercise capacity. The science surrounding the efficacy of creatine supplementation for enhancing many types of athletic performance is virtually indisputable, and it once again rates as one of the best bodybuilding supplements ever.
Nitric Oxide
Despite the claims of some in the sports supplement industry, there exists solid scientific evidence to suggest the efficacy of Nitric Oxide products. The following was written in May 1996 in a document prepared for the Royal Society and Association of British Science Writers:
“Summary research papers continue to flood the scientific journals and insights into the biological activity and potential clinical uses of nitric oxide (NO): a gas controlling a seemingly limitless range of functions in the body. Each revelation adds to nitric oxide’s already lengthy resume in controlling the circulation of the blood, regulating activities of the brain, lungs, liver, kidneys, stomach and other organs.” Since the above was written in 1996, Nitric Oxide containing products have continued to be touted by those in the medical profession, as well as by athletes looking to add muscle size and strength
The above quotation states that Nitric Oxide controls the circulation of blood, and transmits messages between nerve cells. The fact that nitric oxide increases blood flow should make it of interest to bodybuilders, as increased blood flow will serve to deliver more nutrients to muscles, thus helping muscles become larger when subject to stress. Nitric oxide also affects the endocrine system. It affects the release of gonadotroptin releasing hormone, as well as the release of adrenaline from the adrenal medulla. So who needs Nitric Oxide? Everyone because nitric oxide is needed to carry out key physiological processes within the body. From a bodybuilder’s perspective, nitric oxide supplementation may prove useful in increasing growth due to increases in blood flow to certain areas of the body. Signs of deficiency include physical weakness and extreme fatigue. Most “nitric oxide” supplements contain the amino acid Arginine-alpha-keto-glutarate. BSN’s NO-Xplode is my recommended choice, as it contains a good amount of Arginine-alpha-keto-glutarate, as well as other growth-enhancing peptides and nutrients.
Glutamine
L-Glutamine is considered the foremost amino acid for increasing cell volumization and thereby muscle growth. Cell volumization is the process of increasing cellular hydration. This increase in hydration (and the resultant increased cellular volume), recent studies have shown, is directly correlative to a powerful, positive anabolic signal for further muscle growth.
According to Dr. Dieter Häussinger—one of the world’s foremost authorities in the science of cell volumization—“It seems that cell swelling (or volumizing) acts like an ‘anabolic signal,’”—thus stimulating the muscle cell to grow in response to stress, such as weight-training exercise. In addition to its anabolic properties, when cells are swollen with water, this inhibits the breakdown of protein, glycogen and glucose (which are needed for muscular energy). Conversely, according to Dr. Häussinger, cell dehydration (shrinkage) directly stimulates catabolism. This can literally “eat away” at hard-earned muscle tissue and spell doom for those wishing to maximize muscle growth. Interestingly, muscle cell volumization may in part offer an explanation to the previously observed potent growth-promoting effects of certain nutrients, such as protein. For example, amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein, have long been known to be essential for stimulating muscle growth. Newer research shows that certain amino acids serve as what Dr. Häussinger calls “intracellular osmolytes,” which basically means they draw water into the cell. This, in turn, triggers that “anabolic signal” Dr. Häussinger talked about earlier that somehow fires up the muscle-building machinery of the cell.
Of all amino acids examined for cellular volumization effects, glutamine appears to be one of the most important. In fact, according to Dr. Häussinger, the relationship between glutamine and cellular hydration may be fundamental to protein synthesis. In a study published in the European Journal of Biochemistry, Dr. Häussinger and colleagues discovered that cell volume can be increased by as much as 12 percent within two minutes of glutamine infusion and remain at their increased volumes for as long as glutamine is present. In other words, as long as glutamine content remains high within the muscle cell, cell volumization and anabolic processes also remain elevated. However, research has confirmed that once glutamine is depleted from the muscle, the cells lose water rapidly and that unenviable “muscle-wasting” state sets in.
Carthamus Tinctorius
C9-T11 has soared up the charts with its impressive clinical research results, glowing customer reviews, and testimonials from Champion athletes, including football players, boxers, and MMA fighters. Scientists from Norway’s Medstat Research Center have recently discovered a rare extract from an African plant called Carthamus tinctorius. The scientific name for this nutrient is Cis-9-Trans-11 (C9-T11 for short), and recent clinical tests are now showing this nutrient possesses remarkable muscle-building benefits. Clinical tests show subjects taking C9-T11 gained 700% more muscle in just 7 weeks. In my 28 years of reviewing clinical research, no other muscle-building supplement has facilitated such a large increase in muscle mass within such a short period of time. After interviewing many customers, as well as reviewing the clinical research studies, this product is the runaway #1 muscle-building recommendation for 2010.
So there we have it, these supplements listed will elevate you’re training to new heights and if you’re not on these presently, then it’s time you get with it. Remember the three things you have to have in order to be a great bodybuilder are Superior Nutrition, Smart Training, and adequate rest every night. Without these, your hope of having the greatest physique you can build is being greatly impaired. So what do you say we get with it now, quit procrastinating, go to the gym and be the best you can be, Naturally!
Until next time, stay healthy!
Dr. Jimmy Steger