Protein And Carbohydrates – Here Is Everything You Need To Know In Order To Build Muscle and Lose Fat FASTER !
The role of protein and carbohydrates is perhaps one of the most understood aspects for beginners and hardgainers. In fact, improper diet and nutrition is the usually the instagator behind every frustrated beginner and hardgainer. Whether you’re new to weightlifting, or a veteran weighlifter stuck at a plateau, read this article carefully for tips that can be helpful.
If you want to build muscle and lose fat, you have to train hard. What you eat before your workout dramatically influences the amount of energy you have to be able to train as hard as you possibly can. Learning what to eat and at what times will help you become a better bodybuilder.
You Are What You Eat
This article will cover these things and will also discuss the controversy of whether or not you should consume a meal before cardiovascular exercise.
Exercise causes significant changes to the metabolic environment of muscle tissue. Exercise also causes an increased blood flow to working muscles. These changes allow for catabolism during exercise and anabolism afterwards.
Because of these changes, certain pre-workout nutritional strategies need to be considered to keep your body in an anabolic state and to ensure that your body is getting enough energy throughout your training session.
Intensity of your workout will help determine what is best to eat. High intensity exercise puts high demand on glycogen stores. This is why a meal rich in complex carbohydrates and protein, eaten fifteen to forty-five minutes before training is crucial.
Bodybuilding and Eating to Build Muscle
Protein also increases blood flow to certain muscles of the body and the availability of amino acids is often the decisive factor in the body’s ability to create protein synthesis during training.
Another issue being debated by bodybuilders is whether it’s best to do cardiovascular exercise on an empty stomach or if you should eat a meal prior to doing cardio exercise. One person will say it’s best to do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach if you want to lose fat.
Others insist that idea is stupid because doing so will cause your body to be in an extreme catabolic state, making you lose muscle mass at an alarming rate.
So which person is right? I’ve tried both methods and with my experience and body type, it is best for me to eat a regular meal fifteen to forty-five minutes prior to cardiovascular exercise.
This article was written for educational purposes only and theory based on my own personal opinion. You should never follow any person’s advice word for word and believe that their ways are the finished product.
Always keep yourself educated and if an idea from one article doesn’t work for you, read another one on the same topic until you find what works best for you.
Counting Calories – How Important Is it ?
Keeping track of every single calorie you eat can become a hassle. Some people like doing it, while others despise the idea of logging calories. I am going to give you some of the positives and negatives with logging calories and give you alternative ways of keeping track of how much you eat.
There are numerous benefits of logging calories. While preparing for a contest, every calorie needs to be tracked in order to look a certain way. You also have the ability to control how much you eat by a number rather than just relying on senses.
Tracking Your Daily Calorie Intake
A good calorie counter like Fitday gives you the ability to punch in what you eat and will give you the macronutrients automatically. Fitday is a good program but you can never be sure how accurate the numbers are displayed.
Counting calories can seem more like a job if you don’t have the patience to do so. You also have more important responsibilities to take care of and worrying about every little carrot you eat can become a bore. You also could get discouraged easily if you eat more than what you had planned.
This could cause a total relapse in your program and give you an excuse to give up. These are the most common reasons people don’t track calories.
If you don’t like keeping track of calories then don’t. You have to determine if you have the ability to control your portions, and if you cannot do so, then you better start keeping track. A good diet would consist of six to eight meals while alternating carb sources from complex to fibrous at each meal.
Of course you need protein at each meal, and your post workout carb source will consist of either simple or complex, depending on preference.
Off Season Tip
I don’t log calories in the off season because I can control what I eat without gaining too much fat. I only keep track while getting ready for a contest or if I feel the need to look my best for a particular social outing. Life’s hard enough without the added stress of keeping track of calories so I avoid the idea as much as possible.
You’re going to have to be the one who decides whether you should keep track or not. I hope you make the best choice. I’ll see you on stage!
Carbohydrates – The Benefits of Complex Carbs
If you are looking to improve your physique and keep your energy levels high, a diet with an adequate supply of carbohydrates is crucial. Forget about these diets that are low carb, like Atkins and Keto, they DO NOT work in the long run and should be avoided at all costs.
Complex carbs should be of equal importance to protein while trying to achieve your fitness goals.
Complex carbs are just thousands of sugar molecules joined together into one molecule. The Glycemic Index is useful for determining which types of carbs are simple or complex. It is very hard to determine what foods are classified as simple or complex without prior nutrition experience.
You have to do your homework and research which carb sources will be best for your diet. Most of your healthy carb choices are basically oatmeal, whole-grain wheat, fruits, vegetables, and pasta. There are others certainly, but these will give you an idea of the carb sources you need to consume.
Know Your Carbs
There are many health benefits to complex carbs. They contain large amounts of vitamins and minerals that a trainee’s body needs. Most of these carbs also contain large amounts of fiber, which are slow burning and keeps your energy levels at its peak. When your diet consists of high amounts of simple, sugary carbs, you tend to eat more than what your body can metabolize. Hence, fat gain. To avoid overeating fallacy, a diet with complex carbs is imperative.
So what happens if you don’t eat enough of these complex carb thingies? You will suffer periods of low energy on top of having unwanted fat gain. This could also lead to severe health problems such as obesity or even diabetes. You don’t want to be injecting insulin into your body everyday so make sure that you are eating your complex carbs.
The only time to avoid complex carbs is post workout when your body’s glycogen stores need replenished. This is where an “insulin spike” becomes useful because your cells absorb these carbs like a sponge. The debate of whether to have simple or complex carbs post workout has been debated for years and there is still no answer to which carb source is best.
You will have to determine which carb works best for your body post workout, but your best bet is to start with an insulin spike and see how your body responds.
Simple Carbs – The Easiest Way To Get Fat ?
Now that you know the importance of good carbohydrates, you are going to learn about one of your body’s worst enemies, simple carbs. Simple carbs are everywhere and can easily be consumed if you are not careful with your food choices.
Remember the “S” Factor
Distinguishing the difference between complex and simple carbs is also confusing. A good way to remember is by the “s’s.” Simple and sugar both begin with an “s” and sugar is what you want to avoid right? So avoid simple carbs.
Simple carbs are basically just sugars added to processed foods. You can find them in soda’s, honey, cakes, many breakfast cereals, and even beer. Don’t be fooled into buying something that is fat free. Educate yourself by reading food labels on what is healthy and what is junk.
Simple Carbs
Let’s say that we are going to have a bowl of “Corn Flakes.” Sure, there is not much fat in them but when the first words on the list of ingredients say “enriched wheat flour, or “high fructose corn syrup,” you have a problem. You should be looking for the words “whole grain wheat,” instead.
If your diet consists mostly of simple carbs, do not expect to lose any fat. Your energy levels will be so low that you feel the need to be eating just to keep awake.
“So why are you writing an entire article on simple carbs if they are bad for me,” you may ask. Well simple carbs have positives to them.
After a hard day of training or working at a strenuous labored job, your body needs glycogen and wants it fast. This is when an “insulin spike” becomes useful. An insulin spike is replenishing however many calories you’ve burnt throughout the workout.
The nutrients you use to replenish your body should be a three to one ratio of simple carbs to protein. The most commonly used post workout simple carb is dextrose, which is the main ingredient in Gatorade powder. If you don’t have access to dextrose, then a simple liquid carb, such as orange juice, will work just fine.
Simple carbs are useful but they can become your worst enemy if you consume them at the wrong times. Almost everything you do in bodybuilding needs to be timed perfectly. There’s a time to eat, sleep, a time to take your supplements,and even a time to have your post-workout meal. Welcome to the wonderful world of bodybuilding.
Intake – Get It Right And Watch Your Gains Soar !
You’ve decided to start bodybuilding but all of these new terms seem to be in a different language. Most of us have experienced bodybuilders have felt the same way at one time, so don’t give up just yet. You train hard, but you don’t know anything about proper nutrition.
Getting enough protein is the most important when trying to get a good body. I am going to explain the different types of protein. What protein does for your body, and problems associated with not getting enough.
When consumed, protein turns into amino acids which become the cornerstone of muscle gain. Protein also helps you achieve muscle gain while keeping fat to a minimum. You need to space out your meals five to seven times a day to keep your metabolism at its best.
Proteins
Eating more meals also keeps your body in an anabolic state (meaning your body is building muscle). To keep from getting bored with your diet, your meals should never be from the same protein source at back-to-back meals.
Lean proteins that are low in fat should be eaten throughout the day. Good protein sources to eat throughout the day include egg whites, chicken breasts, tuna, and lean steak. There are many other good sources of lean protein but those examples will give you an idea of what to eat.
How to Get Your Body in an Anabolic State
Post workout is the best time to consume whey protein because your body absorbs it at a much faster rate than any other type of protein. Post workout is the only time of the day you should consume whey because your body absorbs it to fast to keep you adequately energized throughout the day
The obesity epidemic would be lower if people simply started eating more protein. It doesn’t matter if you weight train or not, not getting enough will cause many health problems. A loss of muscle tissue is the main problem but don’t expect to lose any fat either.
Instead, fat gain will occur because of increased cortisol levels that are associated with lack of protein. Your immune system will start deteriorating, all of your body’s cells will become weak and you will be more susceptible to illness.
Protein is important and should be at the top of everyone’s grocery list. If you are serious about achieving your bodybuilding or fitness goals then you will do whatever it takes to achieve them. Eating five to seven meals daily is tough at first. But once you get into the habit of it, everything will become second nature. Until next time, stay hungry.
Supplements Can Help
The supplement industry has become a rapidly growing business over the years. Forget the days of creatine, chalky protein powders and basic multivitamins. There are so many different brands of products available to the public. But which ones are good and which ones suck?
To many bodybuilders waste to much money on bodybuilding supplements than what they need to be. A proper training routine and diet does ninety percent of the bodybuilding equation. Supplements fill the other ten percent of the missing void. Many people are led to believe supplements are miracles in a bottle, but guess what? They are wrong!
There are supplements that you do need, however. A multivitamin works well because it gives your body the proper vitamins it needs. A good fat source is crucial as well. Fish oil and flaxseed oil are the most common types but any EFA(Essential Fatty Acid) will work too. Protein powders, BCAA (Branched Chain Amino Acids), and glutamine are also good additions to your daily supplement regimen if you can afford them.
Other supplements such as creatine, no2, and zma’s results will depend on the individual. Also, how well their bodies respond to the product. Don’t buy into the lies supplement companies use. Like the ones guaranteeing 10,000,000 times better results than that of their rivals. Companies also hire bodybuilders to promote their products but more times than not, that bodybuilder doesn’t even use the product he promotes.
So if you’re going to use supplements to achieve your fitness goals, start with the basics. Use trial and error effectively as you try out new products. Don’t expect a miracle result like your are led to believe. Consistency within your training, diet , and sleeping patterns will be much more effective.
