Male Bodybuilder’s Diet: How To Diet As “Male Bodybuilder” Does

Make a Plan

The first thing you’re going to do is to make an actual plan. If you know what you’re going to need to do before you get started, that will just make everything easier. If you’ve already been working out for quite some time, and have found yourself stuck, this might be because you haven’t paid any attention to your diet. Now is the best to change that.

To start, you’re going to have to make a goal for yourself. Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to build more muscle? What are you hoping to achieve? Male bodybuilder diets are usually specifically formulated to the individual. This means that your height, age, gender, weight, etc. will have to be taken into consideration in the formulation of your diet plan.

Make goals for yourself, and make changes in your life accordingly. Having a plan will help you decide on what kind of meals you’re going to need to eat. You can even stock up your fridge in advance with healthy ingredients, and if you find yourself struggling with having too little time, you can prepare your meals for the week in advance.

Having a plan will not only help make things go easier, but it’s also a good way of keeping yourself from eating foods that are bad for you.

How often should you eat every day?

There are many celebrity male bodybuilders who incorporate the Three Hour Diet into their nutrition plans. This diet requires that a person eat at least 5-6 times a day, with 2-3 hour intervals between meals. Unlike the regular three-meal plan, which everyone else follows, the three-hour diet requires far smaller meal portions.

If done correctly, this should help keep your energy levels at a constantly high rate, as well as curb cravings you might have. Some research has even theorized the possible benefits of this diet involving the increase of metabolic rates, although nothing has proven that just yet.

The small but constant meals provide something to be digested throughout the day – which should theoretically help boost our metabolic rates. It should also prevent your body from storing the excess calories as fat. However, some people would argue that such a thing has not been proven to work. Nevertheless, a lot of people prefer to eat frequently to avoid bloating, as well as to have a constant source of energy throughout the day.

Eating Clean

Everyone has probably heard about processed foods, and how they’re just generally bad for you. That doesn’t mean that you have to stay away from processed foods entirely. In fact, most foods have been processed to some degree, but the danger lies in chemical processing. “…foods that have been chemically processed and made solely from refined ingredients and artificial substances, are what is generally known as processed food.”

Highly processed foods are rewarding in all the worst ways. They’re high in calories but very low in nutrients. Nevertheless, this is something that is quite normal in our society. However, if you would like to achieve the perfect male bodybuilder diet, these are the kind of meals that you should put on the back burner.

If you do find yourself craving foods like this, that’s fine, it’s normal, just make sure to keep at least 90% percent of what you eat healthily. The 90/10 diet, requires that the majority of your diet be healthy, but allows for the occasional cheat meal. This all depends on the person. Some male bodybuilder diets are 100% healthy – most especially during competition season. It’s only during the off-season, that some of these bodybuilders give in to the occasional cheat meal.

Nutritional Elements

It would be nice if people actually took the time to get to know the different nutritional elements that are required for all male bodybuilder diets. Getting to know these things will not only help one maintain the kind of body they have but can open the door for more improvement as well. Again, it all depends on what your goals are, you might have to eat more or less of something depending on your weight goals.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates get a bad rep all on their own, however, every proper male bodybuilder diet has to have a good amount of them available to make sure that they have enough energy – both for their workouts as well as regular life. Recently, there has been a craze with low carb diets, which theoretically does work in helping someone lose weight, although a long-term low carb diet will just lead to more harm than good.

If you don’t get enough carbohydrates, you’ll find yourself terribly lacking in energy, which isn’t ideal if you want to make your workouts effective. If you want to get rid of the excess calories that come along with most carbs, adding regular cardio to your workout routine should take care of that with no problem.

Carbohydrates come in two forms – Simple and Complex carbohydrates. Complex Carbohydrates are best, as they offer longer-lasting energy. Complex carbs have high-fiber content that makes them far more difficult to digest. These can be eaten throughout the day, to allow for the regular presence of energy.

Simple Carbs are starchy and come in forms that are just generally easier to digest. These are best eaten early in the morning or post-workout to quickly refresh energy. This is also important in building up that muscled form, as these are the times your body would be needing to recharge the most, which makes certain that the nutrient is being used up rather than stored as fat.

Here are some common complex carbohydrates:

• Black Beans (1 cup = 116 grams)
• Kidney Beans (1 cup = 110 grams)
• Brown Rice (1 cup cooked = 45 grams)
• Quinoa (1 cup cooked = 40 grams)
• Red Skin potatoes (medium potato = 34 grams)
• Oatmeal (1 cup cooked = 27 grams)
• Sweet Potatoes (1 cup cubes = 27 grams)
• Low fat yogurt made with Skim milk (8 ounces = 17 grams)
  

Protein

Something male bodybuilder diets must have is a regular source of protein. This can be taken in the form of full meals or supplemented in a variety of forms. It usually doesn’t matter, so long as your body has protein to build up and repair the muscles that you’re aiming for in your workouts, then you’ll be fine.

If you want to take it a step further, you can also add lean proteins to your diet. Most protein packed-foods, like red meat, can be packed with highly saturated fats that are bad for your cholesterol levels if eaten too regularly. Lean proteins are a good alternative, as you can maximize the protein that you’re consuming without having to deal with the extra fattening calories from most meats.

If you’re really struggling to get protein into your system, you can invest in protein supplements. Some male bodybuilder diets include protein shakes, BCAAs, protein powder, etc. These are easy to eat and can be taken when needed. Of course, most male bodybuilders would argue that one should get most of the protein that they eat through actual food, but if you find yourself needing more to fulfill your protein macro count for the day – then there should be no harm in using supplements.

Here are some common Lean Proteins:

• Egg Whites (1 large egg = 3.6 grams)
• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (4 ounces = 36 grams)
• Sirloin Steak (3 ounces boiled = 23 grams)
• Filet Mignon (1 steak = 28 grams)
• Flat Iron Steak (252 gram steak =51 grams)
• Wild Caught Salmon Sockeye (3.5 ounces = 27 grams)
• Shrimp (100 grams cooked = 24 grams)
• Tofu (½ cup = 10 grams)
• Cottage Cheese (1 cup creamed = 25 grams)

Keep Track

If you have your plan all set, then the last thing you’re going to need to do is to make sure that you’re getting enough – not too much and not too little – of the nutrients that your body needs. You can do so by tracking your macros. Again, how much you need is dependent on the kind of goals you have. Most male bodybuilders follow a  formula with 40-60 percent carbohydrates, 25-35 percent protein, and 15-25% fat in order to build up more muscle.

If you want to be able to calculate your macros, you can do so using the IIFYM calculator. This is considered the most accurate one out there. All you need to do is fill in the correct details: current height, weight, age, etc. It will also ask for your current level of fitness, and of course, where you see yourself in the future.

The sooner you make these changes and start eating healthy, the sooner you will see results.

Resources:

1. Marianne Wait The Three-hour Diet https://www.webmd.com/diet/a-z/3-hour-diet
2. Kris Gunnars Nine ways that processed foods are harming people https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318630.php
3. Courthouse Understanding the 90/10 rule https://courthousefit.com/weight-loss-programs-that-work/
4. A1Supplements.com – America’s Favorite Supplement Store.
5. LivPür Energy boosts energy levels, focus, and alertness while keeping jitters at bay.
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