Probably the most important aspect of your bodybuilding regimen is the type and amount of food that you eat. Your daily diet determines how effective your training and bodybuilding program will be. If the body is provided with the wrong type of foods you will obviously see an equally wrong type of result, totally out of line with the expected results.



The recommended bodybuilding diet is fundamentally very different from the conventional diet that is used by ordinary persons. The strenuous training sessions in the gym really breakdown the athlete's muscles and they need an abundance of nutrients to develop these muscles.

It is possible to determine the amount of body muscle and body fat that a person has. This can easily be achieved by means of a pair of body-fat calipers. The calipers cam be used every fortnight to determine what effects the training is having to the body. If the calipers shows that the muscle mass is declining then you know that you should eat more. An increase in the amount of body fat definitely implies that you should cut down on what you are eating. These measurements are graduated in millimeters. The said calipers can either be bought for home use or be accessed from the gym. With the millimeter readings in hand and with full knowledge of your accurate bodyweight, one can use the provided chart that will assist in determining your body-fat percentage.

To calculate your total body-fat you will need to multiply the body-fat percentage thus calculated with your total body weight in pounds. By subtracting the total body-fat from your total body weight you will get your total fat-free mass. This figure will not be exclusively muscle but will also include the weight of your bones, skin and internal organs. The derived figure is usually taken to be the fat-free mass.

Bodybuilders have to realize that in order for them to build and bulk up their muscles they must have an input of fats. It is impossible for one to increase the muscle mass and lose the fat mass concurrently in conventional circumstances. This is because to put on weight requires that one has an intake of more calories, faster than the rate at which he/she is growing. If this is not done, no weight is being put on.

A bodybuilder's day should start with the consumption of a protein-rich bulking breakfast. It should be the biggest meal consumed in the day. The most important meal however is the post-workout meal. Its importance is due to the fact that the bodybuilder's body needs to replenish and refuel. A bodybuilder should eat a total of 6-8 meals on a daily basis and all these have to be really healthy foods.

One should also drink lots of water and a gallon of the same is the recommended minimum. Your diet as a bodybuilder should consist of a 4:4:2 ratio regimen of carbohydrates, proteins and beneficial fats respectively in that order. Carbohydrates will furnish the body with energy while proteins will help create a powerful body structure and system. Proper fats are used by the body to maintain the brain's functions, as a lubricant for the joints and in the manufacturing or required hormones.