Bodybuilding and Weightlifting
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The overall objective in bodybuilding and weightlifting is to build lean muscle mass and strength. The dietary objective is to supply the body with the essential nutrients that will allow for the maximum muscle growth and strength without exceeding intake needs. Athletes that are building strength are focused on eating the highest quality nutrients, particularly proteins, to supply the best “building blocks” for muscle tissue.
Carbohydrates support the energy needed to train and spare the breakdown of muscle protein, so they must be high quality and in the right amounts too. The right amounts of carbohydrates vary slightly, but usually are in the upper end of the range discussed in this unit (fifty to sixty percent). Dietary fats are important to all cells, including muscle cells and therefore quality is equally critical (normally twenty percent of calorie needs).
Energy from carbohydrates, fats and proteins should be in the correct proportions. A diet too high in carbohydrates will not allow for the desired muscle growth. However, insufficient carbohydrates will yield a lack of energy with which to train. Also, it is difficult for the body to absorb protein in the absence of carbohydrates. Complex sources of carbohydrates are best to provide a slow release of energy. After a workout bodybuilders frequently eat some sort of quick-digesting carbohydrate sources to replenish glycogen stores and stimulate muscle synthesis.
Smaller more frequent meals are believed better for building muscle and strength. This habit maintains a consistent flow of energy and spares the breakdown of muscle proteins for use as energy. Typically each meal is balanced, using the same ratios of protein to carbohydrate to fat as outlined previously in this unit. There are many other dietary guidelines to be found recommending higher amounts of protein. Supplying more than twenty-five to thirty percent of calories from protein will surpass needs to build and maintain muscle, and as previously discussed in this unit, may be harmful to the body.