Researched
and Composed by
Jacob Wilson, BSc. (Hons), MSc. CSCS
Introduction
I
will
break
down
the
essence
of
nutrition
for
bodybuilding
in
this
article! This
article
goes
hand
and
hand
with
the
self
assessment
sheet
that
is
in
the
magazine.
It
all
boils
down
to
this:
if
you
have
run
into
a
plateau,
or
are
not
seeing
the
gains
you
would
like
to
see,
then
it
is
probably
your
diet
that
is
holding
you
back!
I
will
break
down
nutrition
into
9
different
categories.
And
for
each
category
I
describe,
I
want
you
to
ask
yourself
this
question:
"
am
I
doing
currently
doing
this?
"
If
you
are
not,
then
you
need
to
be,
that
is,
if
you
want
optimal
gains!
1. Meal
Frequency
You
need
to
understand
that
the
more
frequently
you
eat,
the
more
muscle
you
will
gain
and
the
leaner
you
will
be.
This
is
for
several
reasons,
three
of
which
are:
A. High
meal
frequency
allows
you
to
consume
smaller
meals
throughout
the
day,
rather
than
larger
meals
in
only
a
few
sittings.
Your
body
can
absorb
smaller
meals
with
a
greater
proficiency
than
it
can
larger
ones.
For
example
a
600
calorie
meal
can
be
digested,
and
used
to
build
muscle
much
easier
than
a
1200
calorie
meal.
That
being
said,
if
a
person
is
bulking
and
eats
six,
600
calorie
meals,
then
he
will
get
a
total
of
3,
600
calories.
If
he
had
however
ate
3,
1200
calorie
meals
then
he
would
have
been
more
likely
to
store
fat.
You
see,
the
more
overloaded
our
digestive
system
becomes,
the
more
fat
we
will
store.
In
addition,
as
I
stated,
smaller
meals
will
be
absorbed
and
used
with
much
greater
efficiency.
The
more
your
body
can
use
the
nutrients
you
feed
it,
the
more
muscle
you
will
gain.
Period!
B.
Food
is
the
most
anabolic
substance
known
to
man!
It
is
literally
more
powerful
than
the
most
potent
steroid!
Anytime
you
eat
a
well
balanced,
nutritious
meal,
you
place
your
body
into
a
state
of
anabolism. Anytime your body runs out of food, it turns on itself for
energy, this is called catabolism. Which
is
why
meal
frequency
is
so
vital,
the
more
consistent
you
eat,
the
longer
you
will
keep
your
body
in
a
state
in
which
it
can
optimally
build
muscle!
C.
Meal
frequency
induces
thermogenesis.
Every time
you
eat,
your
bodies
temperature
rises
and
you
burn
more
calories.
In
other
words,
it
keeps
your
metabolism
extremely
high,
which
can
benefit
you,
by
keeping
you
leaner
on
a
bulk
and
also
burning
fat
at
a
much
higher
rate
on
a
cut.
rating:
3
meals
a
day
=
horrible
day!
4-5
meals
a
day
=
average
6
meals
a
day
=
very
good
anything
above
6
=
fantastic!!
2.
Water
Consumption:
Water
=
Anabolic
(
Muscle
Building
)
A
little
known
fact
about
water
consumption
is
that
the
less
you
drink,
the
more
likely
you
are
to
become
over trained.
I
have
literally
seen
whole
bulks
ruined
because
of
a
lack
of
hydration!
Without
proper
hydration,
you
can
kiss
optimal
gains
goodbye!
Water
lubricates
us,
keeps
us
from
injury,
allows
our
muscles
to
contract
harder,
speeds
recovery,
and
is
involved
with
millions
of
other
actions
in
the
body.
3.
Protein
Intake
In
order
to
stimulate
muscle
growth,
you
have
to
shock
your
muscles
with
weight
resistance.
Then,
amino
acids
have
to
be
at
hand
in
order
to
aid
in
the
tissue
repair.
If
you
don’t
get
enough
protein,
you
can
train
as
hard
and
intensely
as
you
want,
and
spend
as
many
days
pounding
the
weights
as
is
possible,
and
I
guarantee
you
won’t
see
any
growth.
All
you’ll
end
up
doing
is
over training!
I
recommend
1
to
1.5
grams
of
protein
a
day
per
pound
of
bodyweight.
If
you
weigh
150
pounds,
you
should
eat
150
to
225
grams
a
day
of
this
anabolic
macronutrient!
And
when
dieting,
lower
other
macronutrients,
never
lower
your
protein
intake!
Note:
Look
for
an
upcoming
article
on
nitrogen
balance,
this
will
further
explain
the
significance
of
protein
intake.
4.
Carbohydrate
Intake
The
important
thing
to
understand
about
carbs
is
that
they
have
a
"
protein
sparring
"
effect.
Which
means
when
your
body
has
enough
carbs
to
fuel
itself,
it
will
be
able
to
more
fully
utilize
amino
acids
for
the
maintenance,
repair
and
growth
of
muscle
tissues.
This
is
why
carbs
are
so
vital
to
a
bodybuilder
who
is
trying
to
gain
mass.
In
edition,
eating
too
few
carbohydrates
can
leave
your
muscles
feeling
and
looking
flat.
Muscle
fullness
depends,
to
a
large
extent,
on
the
glycogen
stores
within
them.
Likewise,
your
vascularity
also
depends
on
your
carbohydrate
intake.
A
prime
example
of
this
can
perhaps
be
traced
to
your
last
cutting
or
dieting
cycle.
When
dieting
your
veins
disappear
between
meals
and
appear
after
meals.
Top
bodybuilders
note
that
ingesting
some
simple
sugars
before
a
competition
brings
out
their
vascularity.
Carbohydrates
are
also
chiefly
responsible
for
inducing
the
release
one of
our
bodies
most
anabolic
hormones,
Insulin!
As
I
have
stated
many
times
before,
insulin
literally
shuttles
amino
acids
and
other
vital
nutrients
into
our
muscles
for
growth.
However,
insulin
is
also
the
chief
hormone
responsible
for
fat
storage.
My
suggestion
is
to
stay
as
clean
as
possible
with
your
carbohydrate
intake.
Eat
clean
starchy carbs
such
as
sweet
potatoes
and
oatmeal.
Also
eat
fibrous
green
carbs
such
as
lettuce,
spinach,
and
any
other
green veggy.
Stay
far
away
from
anything
that
is
bleached
or
processed
such
as
white
bread,
candy,
white
rice
and
other
carbs
along
those
lines.
Cleaner,
fibrous
carbs
digest
slowly
and
do
not
induce
an
overproduction
of
insulin.
Hence,
you
get
a
steady
even
stream
of
this
hormone,
reaping
the
anabolic
effects
of
it,
while
suppressing
the
fat
storing
side
of
it.
Remember,
processed
foods
usually
always
induce
an
overproduction
of
insulin.
5.
Essential
Fatty
Acid
Intake
Efa's help us with countless areas
in our bodybuilding lifestyle. For more information on this vital aspect of
nutrition, refer to,
Essential Fatty
Acids - An In Depth Analysis.
6.
Meal
Balance
An
optimal
meal
should
be
divided
into
four
parts.
a.
You
should
have
a
starchy,
clean
carb:
To
optimally
replenish
your
glycogen
stores
b.
You
should
have
a
fibrous
vegetable:
To
slow
digestion/insulin
release
and
to
increase
digestion
by
providing
your
body
with
vital
digestive
enzymes.
c.
You
should
have
an
excellent
protein
source:
As
mentioned
above,
to
maintain,
repair
and
support
muscle
mass.
d.
You
should
have
a
tall
glass
or
two
of
water:
Or
kiss
your
gains
goodbye
An
example
of
this
would
be
a
tossed,
leafy
green
salad
with
safflower
oil-vinegar
dressing.
Followed
by
a
large
baked
sweet
potato,
a
big
fat
juicy
steak
and
2
cups
of
water.
MMMM....If
you
will
excuse
me,
I
have
to
go
get
my
grub
on!
Yes,
that
is
just
one
of
the
perks
of
bodybuilding,
we
eat
so
good!
Of
course,
the
ratios
will
change
according
to
whether
you
are
dieting
to
burn
fat
or
to
gain
mass.
I
will
discuss
these
differences
below.
7.
Nutrition
For
Gaining
Mass
The
way
I
see
it,
there
are
only
two
types
of
people
who
have
trouble
gaining
mass.
A.
The
first
person
is
the
pretty
boy,
who
doesn't
want
to
lose
his
abs.
Look
I
have
news
for
you,
you
will
never
gain
mass
if
you
are
not
willing
to
put
on
a
little
fat--period!
My
suggestion
to
a
person
like
this
is
to
suck
it
up
and
do
what
it
takes
to
gain
weight.
Your
abs
will
still
be
there
when
you
cut
up!
B.
The
second
person,
is
the
guy
who
tells
himself
over
and
over
again
that
he
cannot
gain
weight.
My
answer
to
him
would
be
this:
"
You
are
lying
to
yourself!!!!
"
Every
healthy
human
being
can
gain
weight.
End
of
discussion!
You
actually
have
several
advantages.
1.
You
are
naturally
lean,
which
means
all
you
essentially
have
to
concentrate
on
is
mass.
Don't
feel
sorry
for
yourself.
Do
you
realize
how
many
people
wish
they
had
your
metabolic
rate?
Use
it
to
your
advantage,
complaining
will
do
you
no
good!
Here
are
the
steps
you
will
need
to
take:
a.
Use
the
calorie
counter
on
the
food
you
eat.
b.
Count
each
of
the
calories
that
you
consume
or
start
reading
the
labels
on
the
food
you
eat.
c.
Add
up
your
daily
caloric
intake.
d.
Add
exactly
200 calories
to
your
menu
e.
If
you
do
not
gain
weight
then
add
200
more
f.
If
you
still
do
not
gain
weight,
then
add
200
more
to
that,
etc.
etc.
g.
Stop
making
the
excuse
that
you
have
tried
everything.
You
obviously
have
not
tried
eating
enough!!!!
Mass
Rules:
Below
I
will
list
rules
for
gaining
mass
Rule
1
-
If
you
consume
more
calories
in
a
day
then
you
burn
off,
then
you
will
gain
weight.
Its
that
simple!
Rule
2
-
The
slower
the
weight
gain,
the
less
likely
you
will
store
fat,
1-2
pounds
a
week
would
be
optimal.
Rule
3 - If you have a metabolism that easily stores fat, then try and stay as
clean as possible!
Rule
4
-
Up
Your
Calories
Slowly
so
that
your
metabolism
has
time
to
adapt.
Rule
5
-
Follow
all
the
nutritional
guidelines
in
this
section,
i.e.
meal
balance,
protein
intake,
frequency,
etc.
Rule
6
-
If
you
need
more
info,
go
to
the
nutrition
section
and
read
the
mass
diets.
They
are
completely
customizable
and
go
into
greater
detail.
8.
Burning
Fat
Burning fat is a much more difficult equation. Below are
some quick rules for burning fat:
Fat
Burning
Nutritional
Rules
Rule
1
-
Never
Starve
Yourself!
1,
000
calories
diets
do
not
work!
Rule
2
-
Change
Your
diet
like
you
change
your
workout
routine.
In
other
words
change
it
up
every
2-3
weeks.
And
always
tweak
it
if
you
hit
a
plateau.
For
example,
lets
say
that
I
am
burning
fat
by
consuming
6
starchy
carb/protein
meals
a
day.
If
I
were
to
plateau,
the
first
thing
I
would
do
is
manipulate
my
carbohydrate
intake.
I
would
cut
out
all
starchy
carbs
for
my
last
2
meals.
During
these
meals
I
would
only
consume
leafy
green
veggies
and
proteins/fats.
Rule
3
-
Try
calorie
cycling.
If
I
have
been
dieting
for
a
long
time
and
have
hit
a
major
plateau,
I
will
raise
my
calories
slowly
up
to
maintenance
for
2
weeks.
This
will
re-set
my
metabolism.
Following
this
I
will
resume
my
dieting.
Rule
4
-
You
must
have
discipline.
Dieting
can
really
suck,
but
the
reward
at
the
end
of
the
tunnel
is
well
worth
it!
Rule
5
-
Read
my
Take Fat Burning To A Whole New Level!! article
if
you
have
not
already!
Rule
6
-
If
your
thyroid
gland
starts
to
shut
down,
then
take
25
grams
of
soy
protein
twice
a
day.
This
will
revitalize
your
t-3
levels.
In
edition,
if
you
are
worried
about
soy
being
estrogenic
you
need
not
be.
25
grams
of
Soy,
twice
a
day
is
way
too
small
an
amount
to
effect
this.
Rule
7
-
Keep
meal
frequency
high
Rule
8
-
Never
lower
Your
protein
intake!
Unless
you
want
to
see
your
muscle
vanish
as
fast
as
your
fat
does!
Rule
9
-
Only
eat
clean
foods!
If
you
hit
a
plateau,
stay
away
from
fructose (avoid
fruits).
9.
Supplementation
The
word
supplementation
literally
means
to
enhance
or
compliment.
This
is
not
the
meat
and
potatoes
of
nutrition,
but
if
and
only
if
the
above
requirements
are
met,
then
supplementation
can
increase
your
gains
big
time!
I
will
not
cover
every
supplement
that
I
feel
is
valid,
but
I
will
cover
those
that
I
feel
most
athletes
in
this
sport
should
take,
after
their
nutritional
regimen
is
in
place.
Essentials
-
These
are
the
supplements
that
I
feel
every
Bodybuilder
should
be
taking!
1.
Multi-Vitamin/
Multi-Mineral
-
Vitamins
and
minerals
can
become
quite
a
confusing
subject.
They
perform
thousands
of
biochemical
functions
in
our
bodies.
However
if
you
understand
the
basics
of
vitamins
and
minerals,
you
shouldn’t
be
overwhelmed
by
the
subject.
You
want
to
know
what
the
basics
are?
Ok,
here
it
is:
You
need
to
be
taking
a
Multivitamin
and
a
Multi
Mineral
supplement!
If
you
supplement
your
diet
with
this
every
day
consistently,
I
guarantee
you’ll
see
and
feel
the
results!
You
won’t
get
sick
as
often
and
you’ll
recover
quicker.
Who
knows,
the
last
plateau
you
were
in
may
have
been
directly
attributed
to
this
essential
factor!
Important
Observation!
Many
old-school
nutritionists
and
dietitians
will
tell
you
that
you
can
get
all
these
important
micronutrients
from
simply
consuming
a
balanced
diet.
The
reality
of
the
situation
is
that
they
are
clueless!
No
athlete
can
get
an
efficient
amount
of
these
every
single
day,
by
simply
eating
a
balanced
diet.
You
need
to
understand
that
your
needs
are
extremely
higher
than
your
average
Joe,
and
you
need
to
factor
that
in
to
everything
that
you
do.
2.
Vitamin
C
-
If
you
are
sick
than
you
cannot
gain
muscle
mass.
Your
body
must
be
in
a
perfectly
peaked
state
to
accomplish
this.
Vitamin
C,
is
the
ultimate
antioxidant
and
is
a
must
for
every
athlete
across
the
board!
Take
3
grams
a
day
and
6-9
when
you
feel
a
cold
coming
on.
3.
Chromium
-
This
is
in
direct
correlation
with
insulin
resistance.
If
you
are
deficient,
you
will
be
more
insulin
resistant
and
the
opposite
is
also
in
effect
(Insulin
Sensitivity).
There
is
no
RDA
for
chromium;
however,
most
experts
agree
you
need
at least
200
mcg/day.
A
recent
study
which
showed
positive
results
used
1,000 mcg/day.
Hard-working
athletes
may
want
to
make
sure
they
get
at
least
300 mcg/day.
Note:
Insulin
sensitivity
simply
means
that
your
cells
are
more
responsive
and
that
your
body
does
not
need
to
release
as
much
to
get
an
anabolic
effect.
Helpful
Supplements
Protein
Supplements
-
In
this
sport,
our
protein
needs
are
extremely
high
for
reasons
stated
above.
For
optimal
gains
you
should
take
in
1.5
grams
of
protein
a
day.
Without
a
protein
supplement
you
would
have
to
consume
a
tremendous
amount
of
meat.
Considering
that
these
supplements
are
both
cost
effective
and
convenient
I
would
suggest
purchasing
one.
So
the
question
is
this.
Can
you
get
enough
protein
from
solid
food
alone?
If
the
answer
is
yes,
then
you
are
fine,
if
the
answer
is
no,
then
get
a
protein
supplement
to
fill
in
this
gap.
Creatine:
This
giant
has
stood
the
test
of
time!
It
has
proven
to
do
everything
from
enhancing
recovery
to
buffing
lactic
acid.
If
you
can
afford
creatine,
you
will
not
be
disappointed
with
its
tremendous
applications
to
this
sport!
(
See
article
in
nutritional
section
)
Glutamine:
Take
as
much
as
you
can
afford.
For
more
info
on
this,
read
Glutamine—The
Conditionally Essential Amino Acid.
Suffice
it
to
say,
you
will
notice
increased
recovery,
less
soreness
and
a
better
pump
in
the
gym
while
supplementing
with
this
amino
acid.
Flax
Seed
Oil
-
I
explained
the
importance
of
essential
fatty
acids
above.
Flax
is
the
best
supplement
for
getting
enough
of
these
in
your
diet.
If
you
lack
in
this
area,
pick
some
up.
A
few
spoonfuls
a
day
will
go
a
long
way!
ZMA
-
Do
not
be
deficient
in
these
minerals!
Click
here
to
see
why!
Supplementation
Rules:
1.
If
you
can't
get
enough
from
your
diet,
supplement
so
that
you
do
get
it.
2.
Take
the
essentials
I
discussed
above!
3.
After
the
top
two
rules,
and
once
you
get
your
nutrition
in
check,
you
may
consider
the
other
supplements
I
mentioned
above.
However,
make
sure
that
your
diet
is
in
order
first
and
foremost!
Conclusion
Most
people
do
not
realize
what
a
key
role
self
analysis
plays
in
our
sport.
As
I
have
stated
above
you
must
be
your
most
devout
critique.
I
guarantee
that
your
gains
will
absolutely
explode
after
implementing
this
into
your
program! (
Use
The
self
analysis
sheet
in
the
magazine
section
that
goes
along
with
this!
)
Sincerely
Jacob
Wilson
jwilson@abcbodybuilding.com
President,
Abcbodybuilding
© ABC Bodybuilding Company. All rights reserved. Disclaimer
|
