By Roger Riedinger
Desire is the driving force behind ANY accomplishment. For readers of BodyMuscle Journal this isn’t a problem. Your desire for a leaner, more muscular, healthier and stronger physique was obviously the impetus for you to pick up this magazine in the first place. Desire is useless, however, without direction. When it comes to bodybuilding, that direction encompasses exactly which training programs and nutrition plans can best create that idealized physique that you so deeply desire.
A number of training programs, exercise ideas and intensity techniques
are covered in other parts of this issue. From the numerous
questions we’ve received,
nutrition seems to be an
area that still has some
lifters puzzled. There are
a number of diet programs
available. Go to a
bookstore and you will
find literally hundreds of
diet books guaranteeing
results. Some of these
are ridiculous. Some get it
about half right. Almost all
of them will help the average
out-of-shape sedentary
person get into better
shape. But none of us are
really looking for that, are
we? We want to be in
exceptional shape!
Each of those mass marketed diet books borrows one or two diet tricks from the bodybuilding world, dummies it down for the weak-willed and uncommitted general public and sacrifices results for simplicity. There are some general rules for getting into the best shape possible. Once understood, all that is required is that you consistently apply these principles. If you truly want to forge the best body possible, consistency won’t be a problem (that is where the aforementioned desire comes into play). Here is the game plan to make that happen...
Food is the foundation of every successful nutrition program. If you're interested in the acquisition of lean body mass while lowering body fat, nutrition is 80% of the battle. If you do not eat correctly nothing else matters!
Before going into the specifics of your nutrition program it is important
to understand the following:
- Proper nutrition is 80% of the battle.
- Genetics determine your ultimate potential, your goal should be to reach your own personal peak potential.
- There is no quick fix as often promised in ads by those desiring to make a quick buck in the bodybuilding magazines or through massive "junk mailings" of special offers on a new supplement that is supposed to be the best thing since steroids.
- You do not live off of supplements alone, they are available to bring your nutrition to its optimum level.
- Supplements are, however, the catalysts that make it all go, proper supplements and timing of intake are important.
- Cycling your supplements is important. Although many supplement companies would like you to think that taking a single miracle optimizer drink or a couple of capsules of one “magic” formula is all you need, don’t believe it. Just as your training program is designed to maximize your adaptive response so must you supplement your body at the optimum times to take advantage of your metabolism and regeneration cycles.
- Since you are looking to add quality muscle gains, the food sources you use should also be of the highest quality.
- In order to maximize your nutrition you must first determine how many calories per day it presently takes to maintain your current level of lean muscle, fat, and total bodyweight. This can best be accomplished by purchasing a calorie counter and charting your daily food intake over the course of a seven to ten day period to determine your average daily caloric intake. Once you have established this figure, increase your calories 300 to 500 per day to gain one pound per week. Conversely reduce your calories 300 to 500 per day to lose fat. Chart your weight daily to determine your individual calorie requirement. Weigh at the same time daily.
Meal Structure
We recommend that you eat five or more meals daily spaced two and one-half to three hours apart. Your meals should include foods from the categories listed below. The specific ratio of nutrients from each category will depend on your particular training phase and body composition goals.
- Protein Foods Most of your protein should come from fresh, lean protein sources such as chicken breast, turkey breast, lean beef (flank or round steak, 90% lean ground beef), fish, eggs, (egg whites in particular), and low-fat cottage cheese.
- Complex Carbohydrate Foods The best sources of foods under this heading are oatmeal, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans (white, pinto, kidney black or lima) corn and peas.
- Fibrous Vegetables This category includes green and yellow vegetables. The sources we use most often are asparagus, broccoli, raw carrots, cauliflower, cucumbers, green beans, lettuce, spinach, and zucchini.
- Fruit Although many bodybuilding nutrition authorities omit fruit from their recommended diets we consider it a valuable source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and energy. Recommended fruits are apples, bananas, blueberries, cantaloupe, grapefruit, kiwi, oranges, pears, and strawberries.
- Dietary Fats Make sure you include essential fatty acids (EFAs) in your nutrition plan. Not only are they essential for health all the way down to the cellular level, but EFAs also help in building muscle and fat reduction. Good sources are coldwater salmon, walnuts, flax and borage oil.
Supplement Basics
Supplementation is a vital part of physique development. Supplements are not even close to steroids no matter what the ads claim. If you're looking for some miracle to happen by taking a particular supplement, you're probably going to be disappointed. Nutritional supplements do play a key role, however, in muscle development. They are the catalysts that can maximize your nutrition. Their benefits include increased growth, decreased bodyfat, improved endurance, and reduction of destructive cellular processes that hold back your progress. It is virtually impossible to get the nutrients required for optimum muscle growth through food intake alone. But when you eat properly and train intensely, supplements will accelerate muscle growth beyond what dietary food intake alone can provide allowing you to reach new limits in strength and development.
Building muscle at the fastest rate possible requires excellent nutrition and excellent supplementation. The proper combination of supplements taken at the proper time can play a pivotal role in the assimilation and utilization of your food sources. At Beverly International we have extensively studied and researched the field of nutritional supplementation. We've found many beneficial supplements and many more that are only beneficial to the pocket book of the manufacturer. The Beverly formulas are the result of this research and experimentation.
It is absolutely essential that the supplements you use are of the highest quality. For example, it is useless to take an amino acid tablet that is little more than intact protein in a tablet or capsule. Look for a company that has a high level of integrity and manufactures a good line of basic supplements without making extraordinary claims. Everyone here at BodyMuscle personally uses and recommends Beverly International products.
- High potency Vitamin/Mineral Pack: to provide the necessary co-factors for all your metabolic processes. Essential adaptations to training rely on the presence of these substances to control the adaptive response. Highest Recommendation - Super Pak
- Quality Protein Powder: a bodybuilding essential to help you achieve the desired nutrient ratios necessary for maximum results. Recommended products - Ultimate Muscle Protein, Muscle Provider, and Ultra Size.
- Liver Tablets: provide a multitude of benefits including energy factors (including a natural source of creatine), amino acids, iron, and B vitamins. Recommended product - Ultra 40.
- Peptide Bond Amino Acids: to aid in assuring a good quality protein with each meal for growth and repair, to help maintain a positive nitrogen balance, and to spare muscle tissue during intense training. Recommended product - Mass Amino Acid Tablets.
- Branch-chain amino acids and l-glutamine: account for up to 90% of the total amino uptake after exercise, assists in the muscle adaptive process, enhances your body's ability to recuperate from a workout. Recommended product - Glutamine Select Plus BCAAs.
- Essential Fatty Acid formula: supplies essential nutrition to help support high quality metabolic functioning, body recomposition, cardiovascular protection, healthy immune system function, healthy skin and hair, and overall health and wellbeing. Recommended product - EFA Gold.
