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Writer's pictureGil Peleg

Bodybuilding: nutrition and training strategy

Updated: Jun 16, 2022

In this article, we will discuss: How to Prepare for a Bodybuilding Competition? What is the difference between clean and dirty muscles in bodybuilding? What are the principles of weight lifting in bodybuilding? How Do Bodybuilders Eat? What is Carbohydrate Intake in Bodybuilding? What is protein intake in bodybuilding? What is the distribution of food intake in bodybuilding? What role do dietary supplements play in bodybuilding? What is muscle oil injection in bodybuilding? How important are rest and sleep in bodybuilding? What to wear to the gym? What fitness equipment is recommended for a personal trainer? What fitness equipment is recommended to keep at home?

 

How to Prepare for a Bodybuilding Competition?

The general strategy adopted by most competitive bodybuilders today is to gain "bulking" muscle mass for most of the year, also known as "off-season", approximately 12-14 weeks before the competition, to start burning fat while maintaining muscle mass. Weight gain involves maintaining a positive energy balance, that is, an excess of calories. The excess creates large fatty tissues. An excess of calories also provides an increase in muscle mass and fat. The "cutting" phase involves maintaining a net negative energy balance, that is, a calorie deficit. The main purpose of cutting is to oxygenate the fat while retaining as much muscle as possible. The greater the calorie deficit, the faster body weight is lost.
During the cutting process, the body develops graceful muscles

The general strategy adopted by most competitive bodybuilders today is to gain "bulking" muscle mass for most of the year, also known as "off-season", approximately 12-14 weeks before the competition, to start burning fat while maintaining muscle mass. Weight gain involves maintaining a positive energy balance, that is, an excess of calories. The excess creates large fatty tissues. An excess of calories also provides an increase in muscle mass and fat. The "cutting" phase involves maintaining a net negative energy balance, that is, a calorie deficit. The main purpose of cutting is to oxygenate the fat while retaining as much muscle as possible. The greater the calorie deficit, the faster body weight is lost. However, a large calorie deficit also puts at the risk of muscle loss. The "bulking and cutting" strategies are effective because there is a link between muscle hypertrophy and positive energy balance. A prolonged period of excess calories will allow the athlete to gain more fat mass. In addition, there is inevitably a certain increase in fat mass, which is oxygenated during the "cutting" drying period, while maintaining the leanest muscle mass possible.


What is the difference between clean and dirty muscles in bodybuilding?

Trying to increase lean body mass without increasing body fat is called “clean bulking”. Bodybuilders prior to a competition focus their efforts on achieving a record appearance in the short amount of time leading up to the "competition season." Many clean diets start with moderate amounts of carbohydrates, moderate amounts of protein, and low amounts of fat. To maintain net volume, it's important to reach your daily calorie goals. In addition, nutritional goals (carbohydrates, fat, and protein) will be different for each person, depending on body type, blood type, etc.

Dirty Bulking is the process of eating a huge amount of extra calories without trying to figure out the exact amount of macronutrients eaten. Bodybuilders try to quickly gain muscle mass with uncontrolled fat without worrying about aesthetics. For this purpose, three main strategies are used to maximize muscle hypertrophy: strength training using weights, elastic or hydraulic resistance; Special diet, protein combination, and other supplements as needed; Adequate rest, including sleep and recovery between workouts.


What are the principles of weight lifting in bodybuilding?

Intense resistance training causes micro-cracks in the trainee's muscles - this is commonly known as micro-injury. These muscle tears cause post-workout pain called "DOMS". They may appear when starting a new training program; changing the existing training program, or increases in the duration or intensity of the workout. When the muscles have to work harder than usual or otherwise, microscopic tears occur in the muscle fibers. This pain is usually most noticeable a day or two after exercise. However, as the muscles adapt to exercise, the pain tends to diminish. Strength training is designed to build muscle by activating two different types of hypertrophy: Sarcoplasmic and Myofibrillar. Myofibrillar hypertrophy leads to increased muscle size and is therefore preferred by Bodybuilders compared to Sarcoplasmic Hypertrophy, which is designed to build physical strength. Sarcoplasmic hypertrophy is caused by increased repetitions with weights, whereas Myofibrillar hypertrophy is caused by more heavy lifting. In any case, there is an increase in both size and strength of the muscles. However, the accents are different. Many exercisers tend to use a combination of the two to prevent the body from adapting to a particular weight-training regimen.


How Do Bodybuilders Eat?

The high muscle growth achieved by bodybuilders requires a special diet and must provide the body with the amount of protein and energy the body needs due to intense training. Supplements such as protein can fill up daily caloric needs. Bodybuilders must consume more calories than the average person. After the workout, plant and animal-based foods can help achieve muscle-building targets. Protein, carbohydrates, and fats are the three main substances that the human body needs to build muscle. The calorie content of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats varies depending on the goals of the Bodybuilder.


What is Carbohydrate Intake in Bodybuilding?

Carbohydrates play an important role for bodybuilders. They give the body the energy to overcome training difficulties and recover. Carbohydrates also promote the secretion of insulin in the body, a hormone that allows cells to get the glucose they need. Insulin also transports amino acids into cells and promotes protein synthesis. It is impossible to stimulate protein synthesis without insulin, that is, without the consumption of carbohydrates or proteins that stimulate the release of insulin, it is impossible to add muscle mass.


What is protein intake in bodybuilding?

Protein milkshakes made from protein and milk powder are a common supplement. The motor proteins actin and myosin, when they interact, create forces for muscle contraction. It is believed that protein should be consumed frequently throughout the day, especially after exercise and before bed. The list of proteins for consumption includes chicken, turkey, beef, fish, eggs, and high protein dairy products, as well as nuts, lentils, and soy, which contain phytoestrogens. Casein or whey protein is often used as a protein and nutritional supplement. whey protein is a type of protein found in many popular brands of protein supplements.


What is the distribution of food intake in bodybuilding?

Most bodybuilders divide their meals into 5-7 servings a day with equal nutrient content and at regular intervals. This approach serves two purposes: to limit the consumption of excess food during the "Cutting" phase and to allow the consumption of large amounts of food during the "Bulking" phase.


What role do dietary supplements play in bodybuilding?

A balanced diet has an important role to play in muscle building and weight loss. This means that Bodybuilders can use a wide variety of supplements and foods to increase and improve muscle shape; Increase the rate of fat burning; Improve joint health; Increase natural testosterone production, improve training performance and prevent potential nutritional deficiencies.

What is muscle oil injection in bodybuilding?

A recent trend in bodybuilding is Synthol injections for muscle building. Its use for muscle building is prohibited in many countries around the world. The main goal is to inject oil into muscles to enlarge or reshape them. There are Bodybuilders, especially at the professional level, who inject such mixtures into the muscles. This is known loosely as fluffing. Side effects that Synthol can cause include pulmonary embolism, nerve damage, infections, cysts, and more. And in some cases, these bodybuilders may need surgery to avoid muscle damage and/or prevent death.


How important are rest and sleep in bodybuilding?

Despite the muscle stimulation that occurs when lifting weights, muscle growth occurs afterward between workouts. Without adequate rest (48 to 72 hours) and sleep (6 to 8 hours), muscles have no chance of recovery and growth. In addition, many athletes find that naps further enhance the body's ability to recover from exercise and build muscle. There are Bodybuilders who add massage at the end of each workout to their daily routine as a recovery method.

 

With what equipment is it recommended to practice at home?

Using a yoga mat, abdominal muscles can be improved; Training weights are to improve muscle strength; Using an adjustable strength bench can strengthen chest muscles by lifting weights; A free-standing punching bag is a perfect solution for punching and kicking improvement at home ... Below is a list of recommended equipment for home exercise:






Home training is recommended to be performed under the supervision of a certified trainer. It is recommended to avoid exercising alone at home!

Cardiopulmonary endurance:

To improve cardiopulmonary endurance, it is recommended to take brisk walks, combined with running, to increase and decrease the pace. These runs can be done outdoors, on the coast, on a Treadmill, or on a Home spinning bike. Recommended: Wear suitable shoes while running, and document and monitor your calorie burn and heart rate with your Smartwatch. Also, with the help of this it is very easy to see improvements in cardiopulmonary endurance, In fact, all your actions are recorded using a computer, and there is a training history. The following is a list of recommended personal equipment for home workouts, for developing cardiopulmonary endurance, and for monitoring and controlling progress:







Home training is recommended to be performed under the supervision of a certified trainer. It is recommended to avoid exercising alone at home!
 

Bodybuilding Summary: Nutrition and Training Strategy

In this article, we looked at the topic of nutritional strategy and bodybuilding training, and it turned out that Bodybuilders begin to burn fat approximately 12-14 weeks before a competition while maintaining muscle mass; Weight gain implies maintaining a positive energy balance; The cutting phase involves maintaining a net negative energy balance (calorie deficit); Many clean diets start with moderate amounts of carbohydrates, moderate amounts of protein, and low amounts of fat. To maintain net volume, it is important to reach the daily calories goals; Bodybuilders try to quickly gain muscle mass with uncontrolled fat without worrying about aesthetics; Strength training is designed to build muscle mass by activating two different types of hypertrophy: Sarcoplasmic and myofibril; The high muscle growth achieved by bodybuilders generally requires a special diet and, in particular, must provide the amount of protein and energy the body needs due to their intense training; Carbohydrates play an important role for bodybuilders; Most bodybuilders divide their meals into 5-7 meals a day; Bodybuilders can take a wide variety of supplements; A recent trend in bodybuilding is to inject Synthol into muscles to build larger muscles, which leads to side effects that Synthol can cause, including pulmonary embolism, nerve damage, infections, cysts, and more; Muscle growth occurs during rest periods. We also saw what fitness equipment is recommended for a personal trainer, and what equipment is recommended for home workouts.

 

The Article of - Gil Peleg.

 

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