Hi friends!
Bodybuilders, trainers and diet gurus alike (at least those worth their salt) will tell you that bodybuilding is more than 50% nutrition. We tend to agree, especially where the novice is concerned. Beginners or those heading back into the gym after a layoff can expect to make some serious gains in strength and mass from a regular training program, but not without a solid nutrition program. Bottom line, the more serious you are about your nutrition, the more serious your gains will be. In fact, if you combed the literature on weightlifting, you'd quickly learn that relatively little research has been done on training techniques for boosting muscle mass and strength compared to the tons of studies on the effects of nutrition and dietary supplements. Said research shows that paying attention to macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat), calories, meal timing and certain supplements will have a huge impact on your results.
But because you don't have time to do all the combing yourself, we've boiled it down to 10 basic nutrition and supplement rules that every beginner should learn now and maintain indefinitely. Follow these rules and stick to your lifting program, and soon that "beginner" label will no longer apply to you
Carbs required = 325g divided by 6 meals = 54g carbs per meal
Fat required 58g divided by 6 meals = 10g per meal
From the article that is mentioned above you will see which food contain what type of food (protein, carbs, fat) and what are the best choices, but basically:
Protein:
Lean meats, Poultry, Fish, Beans, Eggs, Nuts. Protein drinks, Soya
Carbs:
Rice, Pasta, Breads, Potatoes, Cereals, Fruits, Veg, Carb powders.
Fats:
Fat already in foods, or added with: Virgin olive oil, Fish oils, Flaxseed oil/seeds, Sesame oil/seeds, Nuts and nut oils, or blended oils like UDO’s Ultimate blend.
You can buy a book which details all the foods and the ratio’s of what nutrients are in which food, write a list of foods that you like and once you have written it down you can refer to the list and just by looking at a meal you can tell what is in it or work it the other way around and decide what you need in each meal.
Further information on the subject of basic nutrition will be covered in the next part of this article.
Bodybuilders, trainers and diet gurus alike (at least those worth their salt) will tell you that bodybuilding is more than 50% nutrition. We tend to agree, especially where the novice is concerned. Beginners or those heading back into the gym after a layoff can expect to make some serious gains in strength and mass from a regular training program, but not without a solid nutrition program. Bottom line, the more serious you are about your nutrition, the more serious your gains will be. In fact, if you combed the literature on weightlifting, you'd quickly learn that relatively little research has been done on training techniques for boosting muscle mass and strength compared to the tons of studies on the effects of nutrition and dietary supplements. Said research shows that paying attention to macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat), calories, meal timing and certain supplements will have a huge impact on your results.
But because you don't have time to do all the combing yourself, we've boiled it down to 10 basic nutrition and supplement rules that every beginner should learn now and maintain indefinitely. Follow these rules and stick to your lifting program, and soon that "beginner" label will no longer apply to you
We can now calculate the required amount of food per meal (amounts rounded off)
Protein required = 195g divided by 6 meals = 33g protein per mealCarbs required = 325g divided by 6 meals = 54g carbs per meal
Fat required 58g divided by 6 meals = 10g per meal
From the article that is mentioned above you will see which food contain what type of food (protein, carbs, fat) and what are the best choices, but basically:
Protein:
Lean meats, Poultry, Fish, Beans, Eggs, Nuts. Protein drinks, Soya
Carbs:
Rice, Pasta, Breads, Potatoes, Cereals, Fruits, Veg, Carb powders.
Fats:
Fat already in foods, or added with: Virgin olive oil, Fish oils, Flaxseed oil/seeds, Sesame oil/seeds, Nuts and nut oils, or blended oils like UDO’s Ultimate blend.
You can buy a book which details all the foods and the ratio’s of what nutrients are in which food, write a list of foods that you like and once you have written it down you can refer to the list and just by looking at a meal you can tell what is in it or work it the other way around and decide what you need in each meal.
Example of part of a completed list of foods.
| Food (Per 100g) | Calories | Protein (g) | Carbs (g) | Fat (g) | Dietry Fibre (g) |
| Chicken (meat only) | 148 | 24.6 | nil | 5.4 | nil |
| Turkey | 140 | 28.8 | nil | 6.5 | nil |
| Salmon (canned) | 155 | 20.3 | nil | 8.3 | nil |
| Baked Potato (with skin) | 136 | 3.9 | 31.7 | 0.2 | 2.7 |
| Wheatgerm Bread (3) | 212 | 9.5 | 41.5 | 2.0 | 5.1 |
| Brown Rice | 141 | 2.6 | 32.1 | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| Oatmeal | 364 | 11.8 | 62.0 | 7.6 | 7.2 |
| Banana | 95 | 1.2 | 23.2 | 0.3 | 3.1 |
Details taken from Collins Gem, Calorie Counter
Once we have all the foods that we like written down we can then work
out how much of a particular food that we require for a meal. Maybe by
now you may be thinking ‘I cant be bothered doing all that’ but I can
assure you that it doesn’t take long to become quite an expert on how
much of a food item that we require, how to work it out and how we can
make a meal up. Most foods that you buy now have all the nutrients on
the wrapping that the foods come in.Further information on the subject of basic nutrition will be covered in the next part of this article.