Diet and Nutrition basics 101

[RickRock]

That was quick! Thans for the reply, I was thinking the same (instead of going high carbs on training days and low on rest days). I´ll give it a try and report.

Sounds good bro!


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[BlueShine]

What a great read, brother, thanks for that!

 

[Guppy]

Great to see someone revisit the Grass Roots of bodybuilding. Not enough is said about the staples in Gainz and Losses. I remember researching so much of this info in my early years and really dont see much about it posted these days. Too many of the younger generation can tell you about Test, Tren, Deca....but dont know when to consume Carbs, how much protein is efficient or how many calories they need to eat. This was a great read, thanks!

 

[palladium]

Rick , this is excellent, thank you !

 

[Jemes]

Good faking info

 

[GrantJones]

nice article!

 

[GrantJones]

nice article.

 

[Yates lite]

Terrific thread obviously as I've come to expect from you Rick. Quick question - is there a rule of thumb used to adjust for age? I'm older than dirt at 47 and if I ate what I did as a kid I'd need a forklift to get me from here to there for example.


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[Testdude63]

I think Rick Rock--and myself because I volunteer--should keep this as an ongoing thread to answer any dietary questions you may have. My background is actually nutrition prior to earning my BA in a different field. I have competed in various natural bodybuilding organizations over the years, prepped hundreds of clients, and currently do online nutritional coaching as well as nutritional coaching with my colleagues. If you would like questions answered, I would be more than happy to help. I believe gains are made in this order of importance:

Diet > training > rest > aas

 

[bowly]

great article rick..cheers

 

[RickRock]

Terrific thread obviously as I've come to expect from you Rick. Quick question - is there a rule of thumb used to adjust for age? I'm older than dirt at 47 and if I ate what I did as a kid I'd need a forklift to get me from here to there for example.


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Metabolism can be different for everyone, and age also affected it. That's why in the three I give examples for figuring maintenance spending on what type of metabolism you have


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[Testdude63]

Terrific thread obviously as I've come to expect from you Rick. Quick question - is there a rule of thumb used to adjust for age? I'm older than dirt at 47 and if I ate what I did as a kid I'd need a forklift to get me from here to there for example.


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A lot of metabolism is also affected by NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenisis). This is the amount you fidget, move around, walk around, etc throughout the day. This can include household chores, walking at the grocery store, carrying a baby, etc. This greatly affects your caloric requirements. As with most things, people slow with age, so their output will be greatly less than say when they were a teen. Sure, hormones also affect metabolism, but if we're running gear or a TRT dose to keep our levels in range, that shouldn't be as much of a factor.

 

[Hamo684]

Great Article brother Rick.
On that last Macro ratio for someone trying to lose weight, did you mean 60/20/20 or 60/30/10?


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[Testdude63]

Great Article brother Rick.
On that last Macro ratio for someone trying to lose weight, did you mean 60/20/20 or 60/30/10?


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I realize this post was aimed at RR, but I'll give my 2 cents, as there is more than one way to skin a car .

I don't do ratios. I set protein to roughly 1.5 grams per lb of body weight, and typically start with my fats around 60 grams during a cut. I fill in the rest of my macros with carbs to hit roughly a 15% deficit.

 

[Hamo684]

Thanks Testdude63!. I'm going to try that. The last macro was laid out as 60/30/20 so I'm wondering if it was a typo and he meant to say 60/20/20 or 60/30/10?


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[Testdude63]

Thanks Testdude63!. I'm going to try that. The last macro was laid out as 60/30/20 so I'm wondering if it was a typo and he meant to say 60/20/20 or 60/30/10?


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No problem. I personally prefer my method, and that's definitely not to say Rick Rock is wrong. I'm just saying we all have our preferences. At the end of the day, it all comes down to an energy balance. If you're in a caloric deficit, you will lose body fat.

 

[JOHNNYTUNDRA]

Well written article Rick thank you for the detailed information.

 

[apps]

This is very helpful. Thanks.

 

[ironlifter36]

What is the difference between a weightlifter and a bodybuilder? A weightlifter goes to the gym, picks up heavy objects, and then puts them back down again. A bodybuilder also does that, but also controls his diet to reflect a desired body composition goal. The bodybuilder is always looking to either get bigger or leaner, and in order to achieve that goal, he must know how to control his calories.

No matter how hard you work in the gym, calories and the macronutrients that make up those calories are what determines what you see in the mirror each day. Everyone has heard the expression "You are what you eat", and that is exactly the truth. You just have to know how many calories to consume, and how those calories should be broken down into macronutrients.

Maintenance:

Maintenance is referred to as the number of calories that you can consume each day to maintain your current weight. Everyone will have a different amount of maintenance calories based on a number of factors like weight, age, and metabolism. There are a number of ways out there to calculate a ballpark estimate of what your maintenance calories are, but here is a simple equation that seems to work for most to help you get started...

Endomorphs (slow metabolism): bodyweight in lbs x 12-13
Mesomorphs (average metabolism): bodyweight in lbs x 15
Ectomorphs (fast metabolism): bodyweight in lbs x 16-17

These are rough figures, but enough to give you an idea of where to start to figure out the amount of calories your body needs per day to maintain its current weight.

Note: You will also have to take in account any extra activity you are doing to add to your maintenance each day. If you burn 400 calories doing cardio or weight training for example, it would raise your daily maintenance level by the amount burned (400 calories). This is also an additional benefit if weight loss is your goal. If you did cardio and burned 500 calories, and ate at maintenance calories for the day, you would still be at a deficit for weight loss of 1 lb per week due to your activity

Gains and losses:

Once you know what your daily requirements for maintenance, you can then figure out what caloric level you need to be at to accomplish your goal, whether it be to gain or lose weight. Obviously in order to gain weight, your body will need a surplus of calories above its normal maintenance level, and you will need a deficit below your maintenance calories in order to lose weight. The maximum rate of weight gain recommended is 1-2 lbs per week in order to keep the gains lean while limiting fat gain, and the maximum rate of fat loss recommended is 1-2 lbs per week in order to preserve muscle mass while losing weight.

It takes roughly 3500 calories to equal 1 pound of bodyweight. So, it would take 3500 calories extra per week to gain a pound or 3500 calories less to lose a pound. That comes out to 500 calories a day. For example, if your goal was to gain weight at a rate of 1 lb per week, and your daily maintenance calories were 2500 you would need 3000 calories per day (not taking in account extra calories needed for activity)

So now that you get the general idea of caloric requirements, and how many you need to gain or lose weight, now you just need to know how to break those calories down into macronutrients to ideally fit your goal.

Macronutrients:

There are three macronutrients that calories come from. They are protein, carbohydrates, and fats. They are all important for different reasons, and the amounts and types of each that you consume can really make a dramatic impact on your overall body composition. Even though you have a specific caloric target each day to reach your goal, you must have an ideal macronutrient breakdown of those calories that will suit your goal for the best possible results.

As a general rule of thumb:

Protein is 4 calories per gram
Carbohydrates are 4 calories per gram
Fat is 9 calories per gram

Protein:

Protein is arguably the most important macronutrient in a bodybuilders diet. It takes a lot of protein to maintain, support and build muscle in the body.
Protein molecules are made up of smaller units called amino acids. Once a protein molecule is broken down into amino acids, they are transported to muscle cells through the bloodstream to be used as the building blocks for muscle tissue.

For bodybuilding purposes, the minimum amount of protein recommended is around 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. The maximum amount of protein intake recommended is debatable, but most agree on between 1.5 grams to 2grams per pound of bodyweight as the most amount of protein to consume on a daily basis. When carbohydrates and fats are lower (generally when cutting calories to lose weight) the higher end of protein intake is preferred, as your body will be forced to use more protein for energy, requiring the extra surplus.

The most common recommended forms of protein to intake are any lean meats like chicken breast, turkey, and fish. Other great forms of protein are eggs or egg whites, and Whey protein. All of these types of protein are great additions to the bodybuilders diet, and all have different digestion rates. Whey protein, for example is digested very rapidly, making it ideal for post workout consumption and protein synthesis.

Putting it all together:

There is a lot of different ideas and examples of the proper amounts and ratios of macronutrients to use for a specific goal. People can get different results from different things, and so the ratio that works for one may not be the most ideal for another.

Some of the more popular ratios would be 30/40/30 or 40/40/20 (%protein/%carbs/%fats) for a bulking diet that would have higher intakes of carbs and fats. For a cutting diet, it would be common to see a diet similar to 50/35/15 or even 60/30/20 having a higher protein content and lower amounts of carbs and fats.

So for example,

A 170 lb guy with an average metabolism looking to gain a pound a week with a 40/40/20 diet would look like this.

Maintenance cals: 170x15= 2550 maintenance calories
Total Calories needed: 2550+500 per day= 3050 calories
3050x40%= 1220 calories from protein (305 grams)
3050x40%= 1220 calories from carbs (305 grams)
3050x20%= 610 calories from fat (68 grams)

Another example of a 200 lb guy with average metabolism looking to lose a pound per week with a 60/30/20 ratio:

Maintenance calories: 200x15= 3000 maintenance calories
Total calories needed: 3000-500 per day= 2500 calories
2500x60%= 1500 calories from protein (375 grams)
2500x30%= 750 calories from carbs (188 grams)
2500x20%= 500 calories from fat (56 grams)



Now that you have the run down of calories, its time to MAKE THEM COUNT!!

Great read Rick! Quick question in regards to Test levels and protein. Can someone who has above physiological normal test level use/process more protein than that of someone who has normal test levels?

 

[Testdude63]

Great read Rick! Quick question in regards to Test levels and protein. Can someone who has above physiological normal test level use/process more protein than that of someone who has normal test levels?

You will certainly make better use of the protein since aas increase protein synthesis.