1. How important is protein to muscle growth
Protein is to muscle growth what building materials are to building tall buildings. Without an adequate supply of protein, muscles will not grow.
Bodybuilders should try to choose protein foods with lower fat content, such as skinless poultry, fish, steak, high-protein powder and low-fat dairy products, such as cheese, yogurt and skim milk.
To ensure optimal results, consume at least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight per day, increasing to 1.5 grams if necessary, spread evenly over 6-8 meals per day. This ensures that protein is absorbed by the body to the maximum extent and keeps satiety to a minimum.
2. What is the most important thing we should pay attention to regarding carbohydrate intake?
Two words: glycogen and insulin. Muscle glycogen is the carbohydrate stored in the muscles. When your carbohydrate intake is sufficient, the muscle glycogen reserves in the body will be sufficient, and the body can use protein completely for muscle growth. And when your carbohydrate intake is insufficient, the glycogen reserves in the muscles will soon be used up, which will cause the body to burn protein to provide energy, which will result in a lot of protein not being used to build muscles.
Carbohydrates can also promote the natural secretion of insulin. As the most powerful anabolic hormone in the human body, insulin can drive amino acids and glycogen into muscles to promote recovery and growth. To build muscle quickly, carbohydrates should play a major role in your nutrition plan.
Bodybuilders should consume at least 2 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight per day, while those who have difficulty building muscle should consume 3 grams.
3. How do I know if I need to eat 3 grams of carbohydrates per pound of body weight per day??
If your weight increases by 0.5 to 1 pound per week, it means that your carbohydrate intake is sufficient. If there is no significant increase in weight, it means that your carbohydrate intake is not enough to meet training needs and optimal performance. Muscle growth.
4. AllAre all carbohydrate foods the same?
No, you should choose those that are digested more slowly, such as whole wheat bread, oatmeal, brown rice, mustard noodles, sweet potatoes and fruits. This will help you build muscle while controlling body fat gain.
5. For people who have difficulty building muscle, do they still need to worry about what carbohydrate foods they eat?
If you are someone who has difficulty building muscle, you don’t have to worry about Rule 4. Your concern should be to try to choose foods that are rich in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates that are great for muscle growth: mashed potatoes, pasta, rice, raisins, honey, creamy oatmeal and bananas. This type of food can meet your daily carbohydrate needs without making you feel full. On the contrary, if you eat vegetables rich in dietary fiber, although your stomach will be full quickly, the carbohydrate intake is far from enough.
6. How many calories do I need to take in every day?
It takes approximately 20 calories per pound of body weight per day to promote muscle growth.
7. If I want to reduce body fat and maintain fat reduction levels, do I have to eat a low-fat diet?
In the past, when bodybuilders wanted to lose body fat through dieting, they usually reduced their fat intake to less than 10% of their total caloric intake. Today, we know that this approach is unhealthy and not as effective as a diet containing 20-30% fat (healthy fat, of course)
Fat is very important for maintaining testosterone levels. If testosterone levels drop, your muscle mass will become smaller and your fat consumption will decrease. In addition, healthy fat will not easily be stored as body fat. On the contrary, they also promote fat burning, in addition to promoting joint recovery after training and promoting a healthy cardiovascular system.
Make sure your diet includes plenty of unsaturated fat-rich fish to get enough omega-3 fatty acids, and you should also eat nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, and egg yolks because They contain healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids
8. How many meals should I schedule every day?
Bodybuilders who eat 5 times or even 6-7 times a day will feel better. It can provide the body with a continuous supply of amino acids from protein and glycogen supply from carbohydrates, stabilize insulin at a high level for a long time, and prevent muscle tissue from being destroyed. On the contrary, distributing the same amount of food to 3-4 meals can easily lead to an increase in body fat and fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Fluctuations in blood sugar levels can lead to physical fatigue and weakness.
9. Should I adopt the same diet plan every day to achieve the best results?
Although many bodybuilders have a sufficient intake of carbohydrates, proteins and healthy fats, the types of choices rarely change, and there are often only 1-2 menus to choose from. The danger of doing this is that you cannot ensure the diversity of food intake, especially the diversity of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables contain a chemical that enhances the body's immunity, which can help the body resist disease and help maintain good health. .
10. How much water should I drink every day?
Insufficient drinking of water will also hinder muscle growth. The human body is composed of 75% water. Ensuring sufficient drinking water can create the best internal environment for muscle growth. Bodybuilders should ensure they drink a gallon of water every day
11. Can I eat red meat? (Beef and mutton)
In the 1960s and 1970s, bodybuilders mainly relied on red meat to supplement protein, but they were worried that the cholesterol in red meat would be harmful to health. In the 1980s and 1990s, they mainly relied on low-fat protein foods, such as Egg whites, tuna and chicken breast.
But later, red meat gained popularity because, as long as it doesn't contain fat, red meats such as sirloin and flank steak actually don't contain any more fat or cholesterol than chicken breast. As for the content of B vitamins (especially vitamin B12), creatine, iron and zinc, red meat is almost unparalleled. Vitamin B12, iron and zinc support cell growth and increase red blood cells. Zinc is also a trace element necessary for the production of testosterone. .
12. What do you eat first after getting up in the morning?
It is best to consume 20-40 grams of whey protein powder that can be quickly absorbed by the body and 20-40 grams of carbohydrates that can be quickly absorbed by the body (such as white bread and sugar) immediately before preparing breakfast. Rapidly transitioning from a decomposed state into a synthetic state after a night.
13. How to arrange breakfast?
Breakfast is one of the most important meal times of the day. Other important meal times are before breakfast (see 12), before training and after training (see 15, 17, 18). 30-60 minutes after getting up to eat, you should arrange a hearty breakfast consisting of natural foods. There should be high-quality, high-protein foods, such as egg whites, and slow-digesting carbohydrates, such as oats or whole-wheat bread.
14. What type of high-protein drink is best to choose between meals?
In fact, the best choice between meals is 40 grams of casein powder.
15. What should you eat before training?
It should contain protein that is quickly absorbed by the body, such as whey protein powder. and slow-digesting carbohydrates. This food combination helps boost energy levels during training, helps muscle recovery and growth. Slowly digested carbohydrates keep insulin levels low, ensuring unrestricted fat burning.
16. What nutrients should be supplemented during training?
Essential amino acids that our bodies cannot synthesize must be obtained from food. They are very important for increasing muscle mass. Supplementing these amino acids during training can promote muscle growth because they enter cells faster than amino acids from whey protein powder.
17. How to arrange your diet after training?
Immediately after training, you should consume 40 grams of protein that can be quickly absorbed by the body (such as whey protein powder), and carbohydrates that can be quickly absorbed by the body. This quickly provides amino acids to promote muscle recovery and growth. This kind of dietary arrangement can also increase insulin levels, which can drive amino acids and glycogen into muscle cells, suppress the secretion of catabolic hormones, enhance the anabolic effect of testosterone, and promote muscle growth.
18. Is it okay to only take whey protein after training?
At this time, if casein, which is digested slowly, is taken at the same time, the effectiveness of whey protein can be enhanced.
19. How to arrange the first meal after training?
An hour after consuming foods that can be quickly absorbed by the body immediately after training, you need to arrange a meal based on slow-digesting natural foods. You can consume 30-50 grams of lean meat, such as beef and poultry. Eggs, aquatic products or dairy products and 60---100 grams of slow-digesting carbohydrates, such as sweet potatoes, mustard, brown rice or other whole-grain foods
20. What should you eat before going to bed?
You should consume 20---40 grams of slow-digesting high-protein foods, such as casein or cheese.
21. When is the best time to use creatine?
Intake of creatine before training can help enhance physical strength during training, while intake after training can drive water into muscle cells and promote muscle growth. Creatine can also increase the level of insulin-like growth factor in muscles and stimulate muscles. grow.
22. Does it make the effect of creatine more powerful?
Take it with B-alanine.
23. What are branched-chain amino acids? Do I need to take branched-chain amino acids?
Branched-chain amino acids are the general name for leucine, isoleucine and valine, of which leucine is the most important. This amino acid directly promotes muscle protein synthesis. Of course, it is best to consume these three amino acids at the same time, because they have synergistic functions and can better promote muscle growth and recovery. Branched-chain amino acids also help to improve physical strength during training and suppress catabolic hormones.For the secretion of cortisone, it is recommended to take it at breakfast, before training, after training and before going to bed.
24. Are there any vitamins that are particularly important for muscle recovery and growth?
It is recommended to consume 500-1000 mg of vitamin C at breakfast and before training, 400-800 international units of vitamin E at breakfast, and 800 international units of vitamin E after training.
25. After gaining weight, how do I know whether the gain is muscle or fat?
Using a sebum meter, you can roughly figure out what is the ratio of your muscle to fat? As long as the ratio of muscle growth to fat growth is above 2:1, it is a victory.