Carbs And The Bodybuilder: Monosaccharides and disaccharides
are called sugars while polysaccarides are usually called complex carbohydrates
or glucose polymers. This is where the real good stuff begins with bodybuilding
nutrition. Because the complex carbohydrates contain three or more sugar molecules,
they take longer to break down. The longer it takes the body to break these
carbs down, the more time it has to use them as opposed to storing them as
fat. A good way to gauge the quickness of the break down is the glycemic index.
You can find these charts in different places; the best right now is www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm.
You should shoot for carbohydrates in the 55 to 65 range on the gycemic index,
but the lower the better. This way you get the slow break down for sustained
energy and avoid the sharp rise in insulin levels. If you would like to know
more about the glycemic index and how it works I would suggest reading the
material at www.mendosa.com/gi.htm. Carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram.
Protein For The Bodybuilder- Building blocks! These are the
bricks in the building we call the body. Protein is responsible for the repair
and growth of your hair, skin, nails and most of all your muscles! A nutritional
deficiency in protein can result in reduced energy, weakness, lowered resistance
to infections and prolonged recovery time after your workouts. The basic suggestion
for intake of protein is 1-2 grams per pound of bodyweight. Modulate this
up or down depending on how intense your training is, but start at a gram
at least. Protein contains 4 calories per gram.
Fat and The Bodybuilder- Fat is essential for maintaining
healthy skin and hair. It also acts as a transport for the fat-soluble vitamins
A, D, E, and K. The nutritional deal with fat is that is contains 9 calories
per gram, and this is why fat foods are considered high calorie. Despite its
bad reputation, you do need between 10-15% of your diet to be comprised of
fats to maintain health and keep your testosterone levels high. Most of this
will come indirectly through your regular eating and it’s a fat chance (pun
intended) that you're not getting enough already!
I go deeper into how to incorporate all these macro nutrients into you diet
in the book Fat To Fit. This is a manual more for those
that have weight to lose in order to look great. If its bigger muscles you want, then take a look at this
bodybuilding workout.
Before you get all crazy and try the newest wonder supplement, make sure you
are meeting these nutritional requirements. That way you will save yourself
a ton of money and you will be on the quickest path to your new bodybuilder
muscles.
Bodybuilding nutrition Page One of Two