Bodybuilding Diet Plans

A good bodybuilding diet plan is essential if you want develop those muscles and trim those fats. All the workouts and weight lifting will come to naught without a proper diet plan which is key to supplying your body with the essential nutrients to build the muscle mass.

There are many different diet plans – but here are 4 quick widely accepted fundamentals of a proper bodybuilding diet plan. Use these tips to tailor your own custom diet plan.

Fundamental Tip #1

Decide which phase you are working on (bulking phase or cutting phase) and then determine how many calories you should consume each day. If you’re in the bulking phase, you need to consume more than you burn in order to gain muscles. Your journals (muscle bulking journal and fat loss journal) will come in very handy for this.

Fundamental Tip #2

Keep your metabolism and energy level up throughout the day by eating 5-6 small meals each day. This will consistently give your body sufficient energy provide and nutrients to encourage muscle growth and food cravings down. A good ratio of nutrients are:

- 40% protein

- 40% carbs

- 20% fat*

* yes, you still need to consume fat, contrary to popular belief, but the right kind of fat. I’ll talk more about eating the right kind of fat for body builders in another article.

Fundamental Tip #3.

Get 10% of your target calorie intake in grams of protein. For example, if you’re on a 2500 calorie diet, try to eat 250 grams of protein each day. If you’re taking 5 meals a day, that would be about 50g of protein in each mean.

Fundamental Tip #4

Water is essential for bodybuilding. When you workout, a lot of water is lost in sweat. Your muscles will lose some of their water as well. Therefore you need to drink lots of water to keep your body hydrated. Your body and muscles will become stressed if the water level is not replenished.

A good rule of thumb is this: Consume water (in oz) equal to 60% of your body weight in pounds. For example, if you weigh 180 pounds, then drink at least 108 oz. (3.2 liters) each day.

*note: the above is just a rule of thumb. Some people have extremely high metabolic rate, and may sweat more than others. So, if you’re still thirsty after a good workout, please drink more.

Below is a typical 6-Meal BodyBuilding Diet Plan to help you get started.

Meal 1 (Pre-workout): 6 egg whites, 1 egg yolk, 1 cup of instant oatmeal, 1 glass of juice

Meal 2 (Breakfast): High Energy Meal replacement bar (or shake) and flaxseed oil. Make sure the replacement bar/shake has high protein.

Meal 3 (Mid-morning): 8 oz. lean meat, 2 cups green vegetables, 1 cup brown rice, 1 glass of water

Meal 4 (Lunch): Tuna in water, leafy salad (avoid mayonnaise), 2 slices of wheat bread.

Meal 5 (Tea/Snack): Meal replacement packet, flaxseed oil, 1 glass of water.

Meal 6 (Dinner): 1 baked boneless chicken breast, or salmon steak. (8oz of lean meat), 2 cups green vegetables, 1 baked potato, 1 serving of green beans, 1 glass of water. * Just before bed, you may want to drink a glass of protein shake.

Take your time to tweak the sample meal plan above according to your needs. It will take some time getting used to eating the same thing every day, but persevere and follow a proven system, you’ll be rewarded with bulging muscles and 6-pack abs.

“You are what you eat…”