Nutrition is as crucial to the bodybuilder as working out. Getting the right quality and quantity of nutrition will, together with the right training, deliver the result you want: maximum muscle gain, minimal fat gain. Bodybuilders are usually in either a bulking period or a weight-loss period. During bulking, the aim is maximum muscle mass increase, while the goal during weight loss is to lose the body fat gained during bulking. The strategy here is to keep the body’s energy balance positive during bulking and negative during weight loss. The body is constantly in either an anabolic (tissue-building) or catabolic (tissue-reducing) state. The bodybuilder tries to build as much muscle as possible when their body is in the anabolic state, and to preserve as much muscle as possible when in the catabolic state.

Protein (energy content 4 kcal/g)

Proteins are, in addition to fats, the most important macronutrients the body needs – your body literally can’t live without them. Proteins, which consist of amino acid molecules, are the building blocks of muscle. The protein requirement of an active sportsperson (bodybuilders especially) is higher (about 2 g/kg body weight) than sedentary, non-active people (0.8 g/kg body weight). As a bodybuilder, you need to keep a close eye not only on the amount of protein but also the quality of the protein in your diet. Animal protein, for instance, is a more effective muscle builder than vegetable protein.

Meat, fish, poultry, eggs and dairy products are all great sources of protein for bodybuilding. As far as vegetable sources go, soy protein is probably the best performer. Protein powders are derived from a number of different sources. Whey protein is used a lot in recovery shakes because it is extremely fast to absorb into the body, especially in isolate form. Whey concentrate is slightly slower to absorb. Milk protein, with an absorption rate of several hours, is a good source of dietary protein and keeps the body stocked with a good, steady protein supply. Soy protein comes somewhere between these two in terms of absorption speed, and is often mixed with milk protein in supplement drinks and shakes. Egg protein powder is also a highly effective, but pricier, option.

Carbohydrates (energy content 4 kcal/g)

Carbohydrates are your body’s quick, easy-access energy source. Contrary to official opinion, carbohydrate macronutrients are not vital for body function. The body can survive without them. For the bodybuilder, though, carbs are an important part of the diet because, crucially, they cause the pancreas to produce insulin, a hormone which has an extremely anabolic effect on the body. Without insulin, gaining muscle mass is very difficult. When insulin is released it sends the body into storage mode, triggering it to store not only fats and carbohydrates but also protein (muscle). If the blood has no protein on offer for the body, this storage mode will have nothing more than a fattening effect because there is nothing available for muscle to be built with. In addition to converting carbs to fat though, the body also stores carbohydrates in the muscles and liver in the form of glycogen. The body uses carbohydrate stored in this form as a quick-access energy source that it can tap into when it really needs it, for example, during a heavy workout.

The ‘Glycemic Index’ (GI) is often used when speaking about carbohydrates. The index describes the ability of different foods to raise blood sugar levels. Pure glucose is the highest on the scale, with a GI rating of a hundred (100). In the body, all carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, which is carbohydrate in its fastest absorbing form. The lower the GI rating of a foodstuff, the slower it raises blood sugar levels. After a heavy workout, the bodybuilder needs to intake high GI carbs to bring the body as fast as possible out of the catabolic state and into an anabolic state. A good carb for this job is, for example, maltodextrin. Even after a light workout the body can be in a catabolic state, especially if nutrition before training has been poor. For meals, however, low or medium GI carbs should be eaten, as they give more stable blood sugar levels and enable the body to stay in an anabolic state for longer without needing to keep taking on more food.

Good sources of carbohydrate in the bodybuilder’s diet include rice, pasta, potatoes and wholegrain products. High sugar content foods should be considered with caution, because their nutritional value is poor. White sugar is referred to as ‘empty calorie’ food. The body gets energy from it but no other nutrients, so it serves only to deplete the body’s vitamin and micronutrient reserves by passing through the body’s metabolism without giving anything back other than energy.

If you find you are putting on body fat easily during bulking, you can regulate or your carb intake by doing a short-term ‘carb depletion’ to minimize fat gain during a bulk by temporarily dropping your carb intake for a few days (i.e. ‘carbing down’). Your daily carbohydrate intake during this low-carb cycle should be around 3-4 g/kg body weight. Otherwise, your normal daily carb intake should be kept at around 5-8 g/kg body weight throughout your bulking period. During a proper weight loss period, your carb intake can be cut down to as low as about 2 g/kg body weight.

Fats (energy content 9 kcal/g)

Fat contains the most energy of all foodstuffs, and perhaps for this reason, the recommended amount of fat in the diet is a hot and fiercely disputed topic among the experts. It is worth being aware that ‘low-fat’ and ‘light’ concepts are used heavily in the food industry as a powerful sales gimmick, and yet there is another, albeit less vocal, camp of thought: supporters of fat-inclusive diets view carbohydrates – not fats – as being the primary hazard and cause of weight gain. One noteworthy point in this battle is the fact that the proponents of low-carb diets rarely have any commercial interest in the matter. The facts are, though, actually pretty plain and simple: the hormone insulin has a fattening effect on the body, and what causes the pancreas to produce insulin? –carbohydrates.

Fat is a vital nutrient which performs many important functions in the body. For instance, vitamins A, D, E and K need fat in order to be absorbed into the body. Fat is also vital to healthy cell function. Following a very low fat diet can result in serious vitamin deficiency, especially if maintained for long periods. The body also needs fat for, e.g., the production of testosterone, which, along with insulin, is an important muscle growth hormone. One significant property of fat from the point of view of digestion is the fact that the fat in food slows down the stomach emptying process. This increases your feeling of fullness, and when eating carbohydrate foods, prevents sharp peaks in blood insulin levels.

Dietary fats contain two types of so-called fatty acids: saturated and unsaturated. Unsaturated fatty acids are divided further into two groups: monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Saturated fats are often associated with cardiovascular disease, and yet the precise mechanism and cause of artery hardening is not accurately known. Many conflicting theories on this currently exist.

Scientific knowledge of dietary fats is developing and changing constantly, and many areas in this field remain unclear and unstudied. One example of this is the fact that the vegetable fatty acid omega-6, until very recently widely considered to be ultra healthy, now appears according to some studies to promote prostate cancer. Another example is a study carried out by the University of Oulu in Finland, which showed that “healthy” low-fat diets increase the amount of LDL cholesterol in the blood. High LDL cholesterol in the blood is considered a risk factor for heart disease. Opinions have, at least, been overwhelmingly unanimous about the fact that omega-3 fatty acids are needed by the body, and their intake as a nutritional supplement is generally recommended. Omega-3 fatty acids also neutralise the drawbacks of omega-6 fatty acids. Also unanimous are opinions on so-called trans-fats, and their harmful effects on health and especially the cardiovascular system.

In the bodybuilder’s diet, fat should optimally account for somewhere in the region of 30-40 percent of total energy intake.