Diet of a bodybuilder weighing 80 kg. Diet for gaining muscle mass

If a person who comes to the gym has a clear goal - to build muscle mass, a well-designed training program is not enough. It is necessary to approach the construction of the diet correctly. The menu should be dominated by protein foods, since protein is the main element necessary for building muscle.

The energy expended by a person, replenished by eating food, is directly proportional to physical activity. Strength training requires several times more energy than normal human activity. And if you reduce your diet, the body will begin to experience a lack of nutrients. This will negatively affect both your well-being and the results of your classes.

Follow a diet to increase muscle mass- this is not to starve, but, on the contrary, to consume more calories than the energy expended. This fact should not be taken as the only condition for such nutrition. A diet that promotes muscle gain should be balanced and built on six basic principles:

Fractional meals

You need to eat a lot, but in small portions throughout the day. This promotes the rapid absorption of food for energy, rather than for the accumulation of fat deposits. By eating fractionally, an athlete gains muscle mass rather than fat mass.

High calorie food

Each serving of food you eat should contain a lot of calories. The lower the energy value of food, the more often you will have to eat. About 70% of the daily diet, compiled by the nutrition program, must be made up of high-calorie foods.

Slow fats and carbohydrates

You need to exclude fast carbohydrates and fats from the menu - sweet fruits, confectionery and flour products. They require a long time to digest, which leads to the build-up of fat rather than energy. The body does not have time to spend most of the nutrients extracted from fast carbohydrates and fats to renew the expended energy, but sends it to “storage,” that is, to a fat depot.

Sufficient amount of water

A diet for gaining muscles speeds up metabolism and puts the body into a stressful situation, which can be avoided by following a drinking regime. You need to drink at least three liters of water per day. Failure to comply with this point can lead to dehydration, expressed by deterioration of well-being and stopping the growth of muscle mass.

Diet

Portions eaten before 16.00 should make up the majority of the daily diet. At a later time in the diet, foods with fast carbohydrates and fats should be avoided.

Sports diet

Involves mandatory intensive training. Otherwise, all the calories you consume will turn into fat and not into lean muscle mass. On training days, you need to eat 2 hours before and after training. Accelerating the process of muscle growth is facilitated by additional intake of sports supplements.

Fats, proteins, carbohydrates: daily intake

A balanced diet is the main condition for achieving success in following a special diet for building muscle mass. This can be achieved by following the principle of an inverted pyramid, which determines the ratio of nutrients in the diet:

  • carbohydrates - from 55 to 60%
  • proteins - from 25 to 30%;
  • fats - from 10 to 20%.

Compliance with this rule requires an accurate calculation of all substances consumed per day. This makes it possible to receive more calories than expended during strength training. The excess goes into muscle mass.

To calculate the daily caloric intake, it is enough to use the following formula: “athlete’s weight” is multiplied by “30”, plus “500” to the result obtained. It should also be taken into account that the ratio of these elements is different for both men and women.

For men

  • Squirrels. Some amino acids are synthesized in the body, while other compounds are replenished from the food consumed. And in order to ensure a sufficient amount of protein per day, you need to include protein-rich foods in your diet, for example, meat, milk, fish. The need for a substance is calculated by multiplying your own body weight by two. If an athlete weighs 80 kilograms, then he needs 160 grams of protein per day.
  • Fats. Should be reduced, but not eliminated completely. Without them, the body will not be able to function normally. The daily norm is determined by age. Men under 28 need 130-160, men under 40 - 100-150 grams. At a more mature age, the amount is reduced to 70 g/day.
  • Carbohydrates. They can be simple or complex. The former are of no value for muscle mass, and the consumption of the latter per day should be at least 500 grams

Women

  • Squirrels. The lack of this element negatively affects the appearance of the fair sex. Deficiency leads to deterioration of the condition of the skin, hair structure, and nail plate. Girls, unlike men, need to consume 1.5 grams of protein per 1 kilogram of their own weight.
  • Fats. The need for this substance is also determined by age. Up to 28 it is 86-116, up to 40 - 80-111, after 40 years it decreases and amounts to 70 grams per day.
  • Carbohydrates. To increase muscle mass, girls need to consume at least 400 grams of slow carbohydrates.

Absolutely any dietary nutrition, including those for increasing muscle mass, involves the inclusion in the diet of products that allow you to fully provide all the nutrients necessary to maintain normal life. For this purpose, athletes can consume both regular food and special supplements.

Along with foods that are beneficial for an athlete gaining muscle mass, there is also food that needs to be excluded from the diet. It does not bring any benefit to the body and is stored in the fat layer. The list of prohibited foods includes the following food groups:

  • fatty meats, sausages and sausage products, ham;
  • industrial food products containing dyes, flavor enhancers, preservatives and other chemical additives;
  • any types of spread, natural butter, mayonnaise, margarine;
  • sweet pastries, sweets, cakes, etc.;
  • salted, pickled, smoked food.

Protein sources

Protein-rich foods for increasing muscle mass include:

  • Chicken or turkey fillet. You need to consume from 150 to 200 grams of this dietary meat per day.
  • Dairy products with low fat content. This could be yogurt and milk.
  • Cottage cheese and egg whites. The first, along with protein, also contains valuable microelements. Eggs, for obvious reasons, become a source of protein only without the yolk.
  • Sea fish. Salmon, tuna, and so on contain omega acids, which are essential for humans.
  • Cereals. Wheat should be consumed sprouted, bread made from whole grain flour, raw or roasted sunflower seeds. You can eat lentils and buckwheat.

Carbohydrate-rich foods

Allows you to obtain the energy supply required for training. The amount of carbohydrates is reduced only for the purpose of losing weight. People gaining muscle mass, on the contrary, need to include the following sources of carbohydrates in their diet:

  • brown rice containing more carbohydrates than white;
  • unsweetened types of fruits by reducing the consumption of grapes, pears, bananas;
  • vegetables, including herbs and garlic;
  • pasta, prepared from durum wheat;
  • cereals

Sources of fats

The optimal need for fats is compensated by consuming:

  • Brazil and walnuts;
  • hazelnuts, almonds, cashews;
  • applesauce pastilles;
  • mackerel.

Designed specifically for naturally thin ectomorphs. Provides six meals a day. Portions should be small so as not to overeat and feel hungry. The results of this diet can be seen after a month.

Diet to increase muscle mass

DayEating
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 Oatmeal, nuts, apple.Potatoes, chicken fillet, vegetables.Cottage cheese and banana.Fish, rice, vegetables.Tuna with vegetable salad.Fruit salad.
2 Orange, nuts, buckwheat porridge with honey and milk.Boiled pasta, baked veal, vegetables.Whole grain bread, kefir.Cottage cheese with honey, kiwi.Baked mackerel, vegetable salad.
3 Oatmeal, banana, apple, nuts.Potatoes, lean veal, vegetables.Brown bread, omelette, apple.Smoothie made from milk and fruits.Turkey fillet, rice,Jam, cottage cheese.
4 Rice porridge with milk, nuts, apple.Vegetable soup, veal.Whole grain bread, kefir.Fruit salad.Turkey fillet, baked potatoes.Vegetable salad.
5 Chicken fillet, omelette, vegetables.Potatoes, lean veal, banana.Apple, cottage cheese with jam.Fruit smoothie.Chicken fillet with vegetable stew.Strawberries, yogurt, peanut butter.
6 Nuts, banana, oatmeal.Chicken fillet, potatoes, vegetables.Kefir, whole grain bread.Kiwi, cottage cheese with honey.Baked mackerel, buckwheat porridge, vegetable salad.Fruit salad.
7 Chicken fillet, omelette, vegetablesVeal, vegetable salad, apple.Banana, cottage cheese with jam.Fruit smoothie.Chicken fillet, rice, vegetables.Vegetable salad.

Sports nutrition while dieting

A complex schedule or lifestyle does not always allow you to eat up to six times a day. And if such a problem exists, various supplements can come to the rescue to fill the “gaps” in nutrition.

These sports nutrition products include:

Gainers

Protein powders

A protein supplement involved in the process of creating muscle mass. It does not interfere with a gainer; it is consumed an hour before training.

Creatine

Retains water in muscle tissue. Drink forty minutes before physical activity.

Be sure to take care of a sufficient amount of vitamins. They not only increase the absorption of nutrients, but also prevent intestinal problems.

Drying the body while increasing muscle mass

In order not only to increase muscle volume, but also to dry out, the diet is tightened. All sources of fast carbohydrates are excluded from the diet. No cakes, muffins, sweets or sugar-containing products.

You need to eat not six, but seven to nine times. This will prevent the accumulation of fat mass. It is highly recommended to consume vegetable fats instead of animal fats.

After calculating the required caloric content of the daily diet, you can begin to compile it. Let's take an athlete weighing 80 kg as an example. On a day he needs to eat at least 180-200 g of protein, 350-400 g of carbohydrates and about 30-40 g of fats, mainly vegetable. It must be remembered that all this should be divided into five to six meals.

The main attention should be paid to breakfast, since during sleep you did not eat anything for 6-8 hours. So you need to get more calories in your first meal than in subsequent meals. The exception is the period after training.

At each meal, you should consume protein-rich foods, such as eggs, chicken, beef, dairy products or protein shakes, and the amount of protein consumed should be approximately the same throughout the day. So, let's make some approximate calculations.

Menu example:

Quantity, g

Carbohydrates, g

Calorie content

Lunch

Protein cocktail

Chicken breast

Protein cocktail

Immediately after training

Fish stew

Baked or boiled potatoes

As you can see, the task has been completed.

To diversify your diet, you can replace products with similar ones, alternate side dishes, use different types of meat and poultry, and also experiment with sports nutrition, etc.

Now let’s take a closer look at the most useful products from a bodybuilder’s point of view.

Eggs. Egg white, as you already know, is absorbed better than any other. The yolk contains vitamin A, folic acid and carotenoids. To reduce your cholesterol intake, you can make omelettes using only whites. One whole egg contains on average: 76 kcal, 6.5 g of protein, 5 g of fat and 0.6 g of carbohydrates, and the protein contains: 16 kcal, 3.5 g of protein, 0.3 g of carbohydrates and no fat.

Beef. Beef contains not only proteins that are vital for gaining muscle mass, but also iron, zinc, niacin, vitamins B6 and B12. Choose pieces that have less fat, namely the sirloin. 100 g of beef contains on average: 199 kcal, 28 g of protein, 9 g of fat, and there are no carbohydrates in it.

Cereals. Oatmeal is a good source of slow carbohydrates, while providing the body with energy for at least 3.5 hours after you eat. In addition, oatmeal contains a lot of plant proteins and heart-healthy soluble fiber. One cup of oatmeal contains: 145 kcal, 6 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 2 g fat and 4 g soluble fiber.

Pasta. They are good because they contain a huge amount of calories, up to 200 per serving, you can add minced beef to them (you get navy pasta) or just pieces of lean beef, or you can limit yourself to tomato puree without fat and hot spices. Tomatoes themselves are rich in lycopenes, which reduce the risk of cancer. One serving (a bowl of pasta, half a cup of sauce, 100 g of beef) contains: 437 kcal, 33 g of protein, 51 g of carbohydrates and 11 g of fat.

Chicken breasts. It is an excellent source of protein with almost no fat. The main thing is to cook it correctly. Buy a portable home grill and cook the breasts on it, avoid frying in oil. 100 g of breasts contain on average: 165 kcal, 31 g of protein, 4 g of fat and 0 g of carbohydrates.

Apricots. Fresh apricots are rich in potassium - an invaluable microelement for the heart, which, in addition, really stimulates muscle growth. They also contain beta-carotene, vitamin C and dietary fiber. Dried apricots have a high concentration of all of the listed substances, but a low content of vitamin C. But canned apricots contain a lot of vitamin C, but they contain much less potassium and dietary fiber. Three fresh apricots contain: 54 kcal, 1.5 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates and 2.5 g fiber. A quarter cup of dried apricots contains: 84 kcal, 1 g of protein, 20 g of carbohydrates and 3 g of fiber. Half a cup of canned apricots contains: 64 kcal, 1 g protein, 15 g carbohydrates and 2 g fiber.

Potato. Potatoes contain a lot of potassium, vitamins C and B6, and dietary fiber. Under no circumstances should you fry it in fat. 150 g of this vegetable contains: 117 kcal, 2 g of protein, 28 g of carbohydrates and 3.4 g of fiber.

Tuna. Tuna contains a large amount of protein and is also a source of Omega-3 fats, which can protect an athlete’s heart from overexertion. Omega-3 fatty acids also reportedly stimulate muscle growth. Many people eat fish straight from the can, but you can come up with something tastier, like a green tuna salad or a sandwich. 100 g of tuna contain: 116 kcal, 26 g of protein, 1 g of fat, no carbohydrates.

Protein is the most convenient source of protein. Moreover, isolate and hydrolyzate contain virtually no fats or carbohydrates, and therefore no “extra” calories. You can make protein shakes using milk with the addition of fruit, or you can add it to your oatmeal. The best types of protein are those that come from milk. Soy proteins are also useful, but are less digestible. But they contain isoflavones, which significantly reduce blood cholesterol levels. 30 g of protein contains 100 kcal, 24 g of protein, and the amount of fat and carbohydrates varies depending on the degree of purification.

Apples. It would seem that apples are a completely ordinary fruit. Meanwhile, they are very useful. It is an important source of easily digestible simple carbohydrates, which can help raise blood sugar levels almost instantly. Sour varieties contain a lot of potassium and vitamin C. Apples are rich in isoflavones and are good at satisfying hunger. This medium-sized fruit contains: 81 kcal, 21 g of carbohydrates and almost 4 g of dietary fiber.

Yogurt. Heavy training, like any stress, worsens digestion. Thanks to the presence of beneficial fungal cultures, yogurt helps solve this problem. In addition, it contains a lot of calcium, which is needed like air when you consume more protein than normal. As a result, the consumption of this microelement significantly increases, and the body takes the missing calcium from the bones, making them more fragile. Accordingly, the risk of injury increases. Yogurt can be mixed with fresh fruit, whipped in a mixer and drunk as a cocktail, and various sauces can be prepared from it. 240 g of sugar-free yogurt contains: 127 kcal, 13 g of protein and 17 g of carbohydrates.

Kiwi. The peculiarity of kiwi is that it contains more vitamin C than lemon! In addition, this fruit contains a lot of potassium. One kiwi contains: 46 kcal, 11 g of carbohydrates and 2.6 g of dietary fiber.

Orange juice. This drink contains concentrated carbohydrates, vitamin C, carotenoids, potassium, folic acid and helps to instantly raise blood sugar levels. A fresh orange, of course, contains more healthy dietary fiber than juice with pulp, but the carbohydrates coming from the drink are absorbed faster. One glass of orange juice contains: 105 kcal, 2 g of protein, 24 g of carbohydrates and traces of fat.

Gainer (protein-carbohydrate cocktail). This is an ideal post-workout food for body recovery. You can mix protein powder with milk and add fruit to the drink, or you can buy a ready-made protein-carbohydrate mixture. 600 g contains: 400 kcal, 20 g of protein, 60 g of carbohydrates and 9 g of fat.

Nuts. All types of nuts are good for a bodybuilder. For example, peanuts contain proteins, magnesium, copper, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin E, and dietary fiber. Almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts are also good. However, you should not eat them in large quantities - after all, nuts are rich in fat. A single serving (approximately 30 g of roasted unsalted peanuts) contains: 178 kcal, 7 g protein, 6 g carbohydrates, 14 g fat and 2 g fiber.

Water. You need to drink about 2-2.5 liters per day, since a lot of water is required for the process of assimilation of proteins and carbohydrates (so its consumption is directly dependent on the calorie content of your diet: the higher it is, the more water you need to drink). Also, the athlete’s body loses a lot of fluid due to physical activity. Therefore, on a day on which particularly difficult workouts occur, you need to further increase your fluid intake. Remember that even slight dehydration is harmful to the heart.

When purchasing products, pay attention to the labeling. It must indicate the composition, content of main elements and calorie content. Choose foods low in simple carbohydrates and saturated fat.

Hello to you, my young winners of the Mr. Olympia competition and all those who dream of becoming them! Want to look like the tough guys on the posters? Who doesn't want to? Everybody wants!

To achieve this you need not only to swing. You’ve probably already read a good dozen articles about the training program, but even if you work hard like Papa Carlo in the gym and don’t regulate your nutrition, your muscles simply won’t have anywhere to gain the desired volumes.

Therefore, my beloved friends, today we will learn how to eat properly and will examine in detail the topic “Nutrition for a bodybuilder for mass.” Get out your notebooks and pencils, the lecture is about to begin. We will subject our body to an extreme reboot.

Gain muscle mass, not fat

No matter what you think of it, the average person eats completely differently than an advanced bodybuilder. And the point is not that the menu of the latter includes various sports nutrition. It is the selection of products in this case that will be very specific.

Let's start with the fact that during training your body experiences extreme stress. Oddly enough, it is a stressful situation that allows us to develop and move forward.

I will give an example that is accessible to anyone. If you fast for a long time, then the moment you start eating normally, the body will try not only to restore what was lost, but also to make reserves for future nuclear times. Therefore, you will begin to gain weight rapidly. This is the main harm of any extreme diet with significant calorie restriction.

Approximately the same processes will occur with your muscles. Imagine that you regularly train and use large working weights, which means you invariably injure your muscle tissue, they stretch and even tear (we are talking about microtraumas).

The natural defense mechanism in this case will work according to the previous principle. The muscles will begin not only to strengthen, but also to increase in volume to protect your body from upcoming overloads. All this is expressed as progress and mass growth.

Therefore, in order to maintain this balance, we need nutrients that will support the body's work, time and strength loads.

As for nutrients, it should be carbohydrates from which we get energy. And also, which are the main suppliers of amino acids, and from them, in turn, new muscle tissue cells are built.

Another postulate, without which you will not achieve anything, is this: you must receive more than you spend.

Naturally, you and I need some kind of reference point, that is, the number of calories from which we will start. How do we know how much energy is needed for the daily needs and requirements of our body? There are a lot of ways to calculate these numbers, starting with counting the calories of all the food you ate during the day and analyzing your daily weight gain and weight.

And you can end up with complicated formulas that take into account height, age, current weight and even the gender of a person. They will have to be tediously multiplying, adding and squaring.

The simplest equation is your weight multiplied by 30. The resulting figure will be the average amount of calories you need.

So, let's say you multiply your weight by 30 and get the number you're looking for. We add 500 kilocalories to it on top. This will be nutrition for a surplus or excess of calories. If this is not enough, then add more. If you continue to gain weight even with this schedule, then we remove the excess.

You will definitely have to make allowances for genetic data, that is, take into account your metabolism. If you are an endomorph (see article), whose metabolism) is naturally slow, then you will have your own adjustments. And a completely different nutrition plan can be for an ectomorph with a high-speed metabolism that can cope with large volumes of food without loss.

Choosing the right diet

Now all that remains is to determine what food you should eat?

Fat should be avoided as much as possible only because it contains twice as many calories as carbohydrates or proteins (for equal volumes).

Often the problem when creating a menu also rests on the fact that we incorrectly plan the ratio of these indicators, that is, proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Moreover, oddly enough, we usually choose a larger amount of carbohydrates and a very small amount of proteins, which is fundamentally wrong. After all, we have already found out that the basis for building muscle tissue is amino acids or proteins.

As a result, we come to the only correct formula, which implies 50 or 60% carbohydrates, about 30% proteins, and the remaining numbers will be recommendations for fat consumption.

In essence, we are simply changing the modern nutrition program, where fats usually predominate, to the inverse proportion with a predominance of proteins.

The best protein for gaining weight is animal protein, not plant protein. And it's not that bodybuilders hate vegans. It’s just that the amino acid profile of animal protein is much richer and better suited for building new muscle tissue.

For successful progress, you need to get 2 grams of protein per kilogram of weight. We only take products of animal origin. Moreover, the amount of protein, friends, in the finished product is not equal to the weight of the original product. That is, 100 grams of chicken breast contains only part of the required proteins. All these tables are publicly available and finding them is not a problem.

Often on all sorts of websites I see recommendations to put pressure on chicken breasts, sometimes it seems that all the jocks have literally gone crazy on these breasts. Whatever they say, there is no special protein in them, it’s just a fairly cheap, accessible and low-fat type of protein we need.

In fact, you can eat whatever you like: beef, fish, turkey, seafood, eggs, dairy, and so on.

Now let's go over carbohydrates. There are two varieties: fast and slow.

Slow or complex carbohydrates differ from the first ones only in that the body absorbs them gradually. In addition, they do not cause a sharp jump in insulin into the blood and help maintain an even energy level.

The fast ones do exactly the opposite. They are quickly absorbed, give a sharp jump in insulin and energy, but all this has a short-term effect.

Among other things, insulin likes to “take away” the received energy into fat, which is a source of absolute evil for us.

As a result, slow ones help you forget about hunger for a long time and feel great, while fast ones cause a brutal appetite within an hour.

All sweets are simple carbohydrates. Yes, we pass by them in the store, or better yet, we even go around this department in another aisle.

Complex carbohydrates are grains. Moreover, the less processing they were subjected to, the better. That is, in the store we look for packages that say whole grain. They, among other things, contain fiber, which, although we cannot digest it, helps ensure excellent digestion.

By the way, not just any fat is suitable for us. Animals, on the contrary, will work to their detriment, so you should give preference to plant-based and complex ones: Omega-3 and Omega-6 (linseed oil, fish oil, and so on).

By the way, in the morning and afternoon we need more energy, so we give it to the body in its pure form, that is, we saturate it with carbohydrates. Therefore, friends, carbohydrates for breakfast and lunch.

Moreover, after a long forced fast during sleep, it is better to give the body the opportunity to receive a lot of clean and accessible energy. Sometimes it is appropriate to consume carbohydrates immediately after training, when our strength is also practically zero.

In this case, experts sometimes even advise eating simple carbohydrates (you can also add protein or amino acids). These may even be products that are harmful at other times, for example, a chocolate bar or a specialized gainer. But the last piece of advice is personal.

But in the evening, mobility decreases, especially since our fibers were previously damaged and destroyed and they require additional amino acids. And that means we eat protein foods. We don’t give dinner to the enemy, but we choose more meat during this period. Before going to bed, you can drink a long-lasting protein, for example, casein, which takes a very long time to process. A cheaper option is low-fat cottage cheese.

The last point will concern fractional nutrition. It will activate your metabolism and keep your energy levels level.

Reading the recommendations, you will come across advice to eat 8, or even 9 times a day. After eating 3 meals a day, it is difficult to switch to such a system. First, you can add an afternoon snack to this scheme, then a second breakfast, and so gradually reduce the number of meals to about 6 times.

Pre-prepared containers help greatly with this. In the evening you served yourself 6 of these bowls with lids and the next day all you have to do is take them out and eat them without any additional hassles.

Thus, you should consume about half a kilogram of meat, about the same amount of cottage cheese, 5 eggs, 300 grams of vegetables and the same amount of porridge. This daily diet is very approximate, but I am giving it to you as a starting point so that you can imagine a rough list of products. I think you also already understand how to divide them into a day.

My friends! Now you are almost closer to understanding how bodybuilders gain mass. But I want to warn you right away: gaining weight is impossible without increasing your body fat. It is impossible to deceive these processes in the body, no matter how hard we try.

You will have to come to terms with this fact and, as they say, swim a little on the weight. When you start drying out, that is, getting rid of excess fat while maintaining the acquired relief, everything will be settled, but we’ll talk about this some other time.

Now I hope you understand that the main field of action during weight gain will be in the kitchen, and not in the gym?! I repeat once again that a special diet is a decisive link in this fight.

My friends! Never give up when trying to achieve results. Otherwise it will become a habit. I wish you good luck and look forward to seeing you again. Tell us about this article, it improves karma.

A healthy body with developed muscles cannot be achieved by doing physical activity alone. Achieving bodybuilder forms is only possible by leading an appropriate lifestyle, which includes daily training, taking steroid medications and, of course, proper nutrition. A correctly compiled diet for a beginning athlete is a difficult task that requires financial investment, since high-quality products have never been cheap and the help of a specialist in its preparation, at least at first.

  • Read our article as a bodybuilder.

Basic principles of athlete nutrition

Exercises in the gym will be effective only in combination with proper nutrition. There are different diets that are more effective in certain cases. For a novice bodybuilder, they are their own, since the main goal is to build lean muscle mass, and not lose weight. From the very beginning of your sports journey, you should adhere to the basic principles of nutrition.

During the first month and a half of training, the athlete should completely abandon a number of prohibited foods, these include:

  • carbonated drinks;
  • semi-finished products;
  • white flour products;
  • smoked meats;
  • confectionery;
  • fatty food;
  • sausages;
  • jams and preserves;
  • pickles.
Most of the foods on this list are simple carbohydrates, and they are the worst enemies of an athlete, or any person in general. They are quickly processed in the body, turning into fat deposits. The second part of the described products retains water in the body due to the excessive content of salt and chemical additives.

Maximum mood for protein foods. Protein or protein should be the basis of your diet, it is what helps build muscle mass. Protein products that should be constantly present in the diet:

  • chicken eggs;
  • veal;
  • chicken fillet;
  • seafood;
  • white fish varieties;
  • salmon;
  • legumes;
  • cottage cheese.

Important! A bodybuilder's daily diet should consist of half protein, another 30% carbohydrates and 20% fat.


Carbohydrates, which should make up 30% of your menu, should also be correct, namely complex, these include:
  • cereals, best of all buckwheat and oatmeal, rice and semolina porridge should be excluded;
  • pasta from durum wheat;
  • greenery;
  • zucchini;
  • tomatoes;
  • cucumbers;
  • wholemeal bread with bran;
  • apples.
Of the fats, it is better to give preference to vegetable oils, for example, olive, flaxseed or sunflower oil. Nuts and some types of fish can also be their sources.

Train yourself to eat smaller meals, preferably more often, but in smaller portions. An athlete should eat at least 5–6 meals per day. The idea that you can’t eat after six is ​​a mistaken opinion; such a restriction will only hinder the gain of muscle mass. An hour before going to bed, you need to drink a protein shake or eat a pack of cottage cheese.

Carbohydrate foods should be concentrated in the first half of the day, the second half should be saturated with proteins.

Drink a lot of water; it will not be retained in the body if you do not abuse salt.


All dishes can be prepared:

  • Grilled;
  • in the oven;
  • steam or cook.
Give up the habit of eating fried food; the dish will not be inferior in taste if it is grilled or baked in the oven, but the fat content in it will be significantly reduced.

Daily menu for a bodybuilder

The ideal option is to seek help from a specialist in drawing up the correct menu for the athlete, but if this is not possible for a number of reasons, we offer an approximate diet for the day.

First breakfast:

  • buckwheat porridge 100 g;
  • three boiled eggs;
  • apple.
The athlete's second breakfast:
  • veal 200 g;
  • oatmeal 100 g;
  • vegetables 300–400 g.
Afternoon snack:
  • protein cocktail.
Bodybuilder's Dinner:
  • durum pasta 100 g;
  • fish 200 g;
  • vegetables 200 g.
Second dinner, before bed:
  • low-fat cottage cheese 200 g or casein protein.

Sports supplements - as additional nutrition


Along with a properly formulated diet for a bodybuilder, sports nutrition will come in handy. But the market for such supplements is now so crowded and replete with various super offers that lure novice athletes with demonstrations of mega results from their use. Indeed, bars, pills, cocktails, powders are also presented here... How to choose a truly necessary supplement that will bring benefits and not just empty your wallet?
  • Protein. This is the main supplement that promotes muscle gain. General advice on taking it is 3-4 times one serving, in the amount of 20-30 g. The maximum permissible single serving is 40 g. But it is still better to determine the required amount of protein for you, a specialist will help.
  • Gainer is also protein, but with the addition of a small amount of carbohydrates. It is believed that such a compound allows protein to be better absorbed. The gainer will help replenish energy reserves after an intense workout and at the same time stimulate muscle growth.
  • Vitamin and mineral complex. As a rule, vitamins supplied with food are simply not enough for an athlete. Retinol is considered one of the main elements for gaining muscle mass; it accelerates metabolic processes and helps protein absorption. Also, it is responsible for the development and growth of cells, improves vision and reproductive function. As a rule, retinol is included in every vitamin complex for athletes.
  • or thiamine is responsible for redox processes in the body. If this vitamin is not enough in the body, this leads to poor absorption of foods and leads to loss of muscle mass. You should also not forget about amino acids for athletes; they are also important for bodybuilders.
  • Cardioprotectors will not be superfluous for an athlete, especially in the hot season. Taking them before training will increase endurance and help maintain a healthy cardiovascular system.
  • Chondroprotectors will strengthen the musculoskeletal system. The loads caused to the joints during training gradually destroy cartilage tissue and it needs additional “feeding”, which is chondroprotectors.

Nutritional supplements for athletes can significantly improve your results, but remember to use them rationally, combined with a properly formulated diet and training. Naturally, there is no need to expect a miracle from them, since, for example, protein is a concentrated protein obtained from the most ordinary products. Therefore, you always have the choice of using it in powder form or in the form of solid food, that is, obtaining it from natural products. The main thing is that the amount of each element entering the body is correct, and not in what form it gets there.


When you decide to take your body seriously, don’t forget that results can only be achieved with hard, daily work. An athlete’s nutrition is an integral part of training. By exhausting yourself with physical exercise, but at the same time allowing you to deviate from generally accepted dietary rules, you reduce your efforts to zero. Each process requires getting used to, and after a month the certain rhythm of life that you set for yourself will seem like a natural process to you. And depending on how your body changes for the better, the desire to eat fast food will disappear on its own.

Video about an athlete’s diet, how to create it correctly:

Purchasing food for weight gain (bodybuilder’s menu):

Hello, dear readers!

A huge share of the success of bodybuilding depends on the ability to organize your daily routine and nutrition. These questions are especially relevant for straight people! Any flaws in the diet and recovery have a negative impact on muscle growth.

It’s no secret that to build the right daily routine, you need to pay attention to three main components: training, nutrition, lifestyle (sleep, rest, emotional experiences).

We will deal with everything in order.

Workouts in a bodybuilder's daily routine

A wisely constructed training system is a very important part of a bodybuilder’s success. Moreover, your workouts should be designed in accordance with the capabilities of your body, taking into account your external conditions. The busier you are in the rest of your life, the less often and less you need to train, but at the same time strive to organize the rest of your life so that you have time and energy for at least 2 workouts a week.

If you are a beginner bodybuilder, or let’s call it more simply, an athlete, then most likely in the first year two workouts per week will be optimal for you. Initially according to the program, and after 2-3 months -. It is important to train systematically, attend training regularly, work there moderately, and then follow a diet. Eat at least 4 times a day.

Power supply for security forces

To build a physique, nutrition plays a very important role: a huge share of success depends on nutrition no less than on competent training (the correct training program, adequate to the current physical capabilities in terms of loads (volume and intensity), the frequency of training and rest suitable for your loads outside the gym) . But despite this, an excellent result will only come from the combination of these two components. One cannot replace the other.

In the diet of any muscleman, it is most optimal to eat every 3-4 hours. One very important rule applies here: food for life, not life for food. That is, you need to eat for good performance and good health, but not allow anything unnecessary.

Gradually over several weeks of systematic training harmful foods should be excluded:

  • confectionery
  • very fatty foods
  • bakery products made from wheat flour
  • carbonated sweet drinks
  • sausages
  • smoked meats
  • all types of canned food

Proper and rational nutrition is a set of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the correct proportions from a variety of foods.

Dietary protein is found in the following “correct” foods:

  • seafood and fish
  • lean meat, including poultry (the well-known chicken breasts)
  • legumes
  • milk and skim or low-fat dairy products

The optimal proportion of protein for the first few months of weight training is 1.5 grams for every 1 kg of weight per day.

Natural products for obtaining “healthy” carbohydrates:

  • cereals (except semolina and polished rice)
  • dark pasta
  • baked potato
  • muesli
  • vegetables
  • fruits

Remember that juices contain a lot of unnecessary sugar, and it is better to eat bread without yeast (with bran).

The body can get “good” fats from the following foods:

  • fatty fish
  • butter 82.5% (in small quantities)
  • unrefined vegetable oils
  • nuts

In the daily caloric intake of food, the proportion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates is allocated to 20% - 20% - 60%, respectively.

In the first few months of training, you should not turn to nutritional supplements to improve results and build muscle mass. It is only recommended to include a good complex of vitamins and minerals in your diet, nothing more. All nutrition should be based only on natural products. You need to learn to eat right!

Only after 3-6 months is it allowed to add protein to the diet or, for very thin guys, a gainer - 30 minutes after strength training.

After six months to a year of training, you can experiment with other nutritional supplements. Currently, there is a wide range of them on the sports nutrition market: various proteins, BCA, glutamine, creatine... But this should not be considered manna from heaven. If you have not learned how to train properly before, then sports nutrition will not help. First of all, you need to learn to feel your body and give it the right load, the necessary nutrition and sufficient rest - this is the key to success in natural bodybuilding!

For understanding, let’s give an example of the nutrition of a novice security officer weighing 75 kg:

Oatmeal with milk (low fat) – 1 tbsp
Egg whites – 5 pcs.
Banana – 1 pc.
Natural honey – 15 g.

Protein shake – 1 scoop (measured)
Yogurt without sugar - 1 tbsp.
Turkey meat – 2 pieces
Bread – 1 slice.

Salad, dressed with 1 tbsp. l. olive oil
White fish fillet with rice (beef with rice)
Cottage cheese – 1 piece
Fruit – 1 pc.

Boiled potatoes – 1 – 2 pcs.
Chicken breast – 1 pc.

Protein shake (casein) – 1 serving.

It is unacceptable to suddenly change your diet. This can lead to problems with the digestive system. If you are just starting to master bodybuilding, do not rush headlong into drastic and sudden changes in your diet. Start applying the rules of nutrition gradually. This way you can avoid breakdowns and problems with the digestive system.

Lifestyle

Another irreplaceable part of a bodybuilder’s daily regimen is lifestyle. We will not talk about the dangers of alcohol, nicotine and other addictions. Let's pay attention to two periods of the daily regimen: training and recovery. Both are inseparable from each other. But it is important that the training regime can be compensated for if it is violated, but if you are deprived of regular recovery, then all your efforts will go down the drain.

Therefore, despite the modern rhythm of life, adhere to the regularity of not only your training regimen, but also your recovery. Recovery is ensured by the following components: nutrition, sleep on a schedule and rest during the day, a calm emotional state.

A bodybuilder needs to sleep at least 8-9 hours a day and spend as much time as possible active in the fresh air. After all, our body is created for movement!

Thus, learn to correctly select the load for training, control daily caloric intake and quality of nutrition, duration and timeliness of sleep, and you will progress like no one else!