Food For Bodybuilders And Athletes

In this article we will be looking at the best bodybuilding foods you can eat. Very few normal people have the willpower, dedication or money to eat like this, and consequently they will suffer from poor results in the gym and poor health. It takes real dedication and passion to be able to eat a clean diet all year round, especially with so many temptations being forced your way everywhere you go. Most of the people around you will see a bodybuilding diet as strange but the reality is that eating a bodybuilding diet will give you a longer, healthier and happier life.

Eating a clean diet is perhaps the most important aspect in gaining muscle, keeping fit and helping prevent all kinds of diseases in later life. I will not go in to too much detail on what to eat and when, but in order to gain muscle or lose fat, you should be eating six or seven small, protein and nutrient rich, meals every two to three hours every day. Along with the six or seven nutrient rich meals, you should also consume between two and three litres of pure water every day.

With so much talk about supplements in the media, it’s easy to understand why many inexperienced bodybuilders, powerlifters and fitness enthusiasts think that supplements are the key to gaining muscle mass, but this could not be further from the truth. The reality is that supplements will do almost nothing at all to add muscle mass to your frame if your diet and training is not good, with the only exception being a good whey protein supplement and anabolic steroids. This is something most of us find out after wasting hundreds of pounds on the latest fad supplement promising rapid muscle gains and getting no real results. Some FDA reports, estimate the health supplement industry alone to be worth 20 billion dollars and growing and so it’s easy to see why there is so much misinformation flying around when it comes to bodybuilding supplements. Not surprisingly many so called experts will be happy to lie to you about the latest supplements when money is involved. Food is far, far more important than any supplement money can buy. If you think top bodybuilders got big by taking the latest creatine supplement then you are very, very mistaken. Professional bodybuilders are paid to endorse supplements that most of them will never use. The freaky physiques you see in muscle magazines were built with a great diet, steroids, almost perfect genetics and years of hard training and discipline.

Diet is probably the most crucial aspect of gaining muscle mass or losing body fat, besides training, and a good knowledge of these essential bodybuilding foods will help you gain the physique you desire. If everyone ate these wonderful foods everyday and nothing else, obesity would be almost non existent and we would see a massive decline in all kinds of diseases around the developed world. A good bodybuilding diet is also one that is extremely good for your overall health and well-being. There is nothing complicated about muscle building nutrition and for the most part it relies on a common sense healthy diet with plenty of protein from lean meat and lots of vegetables and complex carbohydrates.

The Best Foods For Bodybuilders And Powerlifters

The following foods should form the main part of every bodybuilder and powerlifters diet. If you base your diet around these foods you will gain more muscle, stay stronger and feel much healthier.

Oatmeal: Oatmeal is without doubt the carbohydrate of choice for bodybuilders and should be one of your main sources of carbohydrate.

Brown rice: Another really useful complex carbohydrate that should be a stable in your bodybuilding diet.

Egg whites: Egg whites are a fantastic source of protein rich in all the amino acids needed for muscle growth.

Steak: Steak is one of the best sources of protein for anyone looking to build muscle. It is rich in iron, creatine and protein.

Chicken breast: A fantastic source of protein that contains little to no carbohydrate or fat

Salmon and tuna: Both salmon and tuna are full of protein, have very little carbohydrate and are full of heart healthy omega oils.

Turkey breast: Turkey is a great alternative to chicken and it is often significantly cheaper.

Fat free cottage cheese: Fat free cottage cheese is the perfect food to have before going to sleep. It is full of casein protein which is released slowly throughout the night, and contains almost no fat or carbohydrate.

Whey protein: Whey protein is one of the only supplements that you really do need as a bodybuilder. It is the number one choice for post exercise protein and you can consume two or three whey protein shakes throughout the day to easily increase your daily protein intake.

Broccoli: You should try and have at least two servings of these vegetables every day. You can eat broccoli cooked but I prefer to eat it raw.

Spinach: Spinach is a great tasting addition to a healthy diet.

Asparagus: Asparagus is one of the best green vegetables to eat if you are a powerlifter or bodybuilder.

Water: An often neglected aspect of a healthy diet. You should aim to consume around two to three litres of pure water every day

Low fat milk: Milk is full of calcium and contains a mixture of whey and casein protein.

Flaxseed oil: Flaxseed oil is a great addition to a healthy bodybuilding diet.

If you focus your diet around a good selection of the foods above you will find your progress in the gym improves dramatically. A healthy nutrient rich diet is perhaps the most important aspect of gaining serious muscle or losing fat and is what really separates the men from the boys when it comes to serious strength and muscle gains.

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Owain Lewis
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Hanging Leg Raise

1. Hang from a chin-up bar with both arms extended at arms length in top of you using either a wide grip or a medium grip. The legs should be straight down with the pelvis rolled slightly backwards. This will be your starting position.


2. Raise your legs until the torso makes a 90-degree angle with the legs. Exhale as you perform this movement and hold the contraction for a second or so.


3. Go back slowly to the starting position as you breathe in.


4. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Caution: Perform this exercise slowly and deliberately as it takes some getting used to. Also, do not be hasty and try to use weights on the first time; you'll have enough in your hands by holding your weight and also learning how to balance yourself so that you avoid swinging your torso. As you get more advanced you can hold a dumbbell in between your feet. However, you have to be very careful when adding weight to this exercise as if you add too much too quickly you could get a hernia.

Variations: This exercise can also be performed using a vertical bench that makes the exercise easier by supporting your upper back in place and by allowing you to hold yourself by placing your elbows and arms on the side pads.

Exercise Ball Crunch

1. Lie on an exercise ball with your lower back curvature pressed against the spherical surface of the ball. Your feet should be bent at the knee and pressed firmly against the floor. The upper torso should be hanging off the top of the ball. The arms should either be kept alongside the body or crossed on top of your chest as these positions avoid neck strains (as opposed to the hands behind the back of the head position).


2. Lower your torso into a stretch position keeping the neck stationary at all times. This will be your starting position.


3. With the hips stationary, flex the waist by contracting the abdominals and curl the shoulders and trunk upward until you feel a nice contraction on your abdominals. The arms should simply slide up the side of your legs if you have them at the side or just stay on top of your chest if you have them crossed. The lower back should always stay in contact with the ball. Exhale as you perform this movement and hold the contraction for a second.


4. As you inhale, go back to the starting position.


5. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Caution: Perform this exercise slowly and deliberately as it takes some getting used to. Also, do not be hasty and try to use weights on the first time; you'll have enough on your hands learning how to balance yourself. Also, if balance is an issue I recommend having a spotter next to you and also placing each of your feet under a 100-lb dumbbell for added stability. As you get more advanced you can hold a dumbbell or a weight plate (held at arms length) on top of your chest. However, you have to be very careful when adding weight to this exercise, because if you add too much too quickly you could get a hernia.

Variations: You can perform this exercise with a low pulley behind you with a rope attached on its end. In this manner you can go ahead and add resistance easier. For this variation, you will need to hold on to the sides of the rope throughout the movement. I like to bring my arms forward to the point that the upper arms are almost parallel to my torso and the lower arms are facing back holding the rope.

Cable Crunch

1. Kneel below a high pulley that contains a rope attachment.


2. Grasp cable rope attachment and lower the rope until your hands are placed next to your face.


3. Flex your hips slightly and allow the weight to hyperextend the lower back. This will be your starting position.


4. With the hips stationary, flex the waist as you contract the abs so that the elbows travel towards the middle of the thighs. Exhale as you perform this portion of the movement and hold the contraction for a second.


5. Slowly return to the starting position as you inhale. Tip: Make sure that you keep constant tension on the abs throughout the movement. Also, do not choose a weight so heavy that the lower back handles the brunt of the work.


6. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: You can perform this exercise with a handle instead so that you can concentrate on each side of the abs separately by performing the exercise to the side.

Ab Roller

1. Hold the Ab Roller with both hands and kneel on the floor.


2. Now place the ab roller on the floor in front of you so that you are on all your hands and knees (as in a kneeling push up position). This will be your starting position.


3. Slowly roll the ab roller straight forward, stretching your body into a straight position. Tip: Go down as far as you can without touching the floor with your body. Breathe in during this portion of the movement.


4. After a pause at the stretched position, start pulling yourself back to the starting position as you breathe out. Tip: Go slowly and keep your abs tight at all times.

Caution: This exercise is not advised for people with lower back problems or hernias.

Variations: If you are advanced you can perform the exercise moving the ab roller to the sides in a diagonal fashion as opposed to straight forward. This version places more emphasis on the obliques.

Ab Crunch Machine

1. Select a light resistance and sit down on the ab machine placing your feet under the pads provided and grabbing the top handles. Your arms should be bent at a 90 degree angle as you rest the triceps on the pads provided. This will be your starting position.


2. At the same time, begin to lift the legs up as you crunch your upper torso. Breathe out as you perform this movement. Tip: Be sure to use a slow and controlled motion. Concentrate on using your abs to move the weight while relaxing your legs and feet.


3. After a second pause, slowly return to the starting position as you breathe in.


4. Repeat the movement for the prescribed amount of repetitions.

Caution:

• For this exercise, always select a weight that you can easily handle as using too much weight can easily lead to injury.

Crunches

1. Lie flat on your back with your feet flat on the ground, or resting on a bench with your knees bent at a 90 degree angle. If you are resting your feet on a bench, place them three to four inches apart and point your toes inward so they touch.


2. Now place your hands lightly on either side of your head keeping your elbows in. Tip: Don't lock your fingers behind your head.


3. While pushing the small of your back down in the floor to better isolate your abdominal muscles, begin to roll your shoulders off the floor.


4. Continue to push down as hard as you can with your lower back as you contract your abdominals and exhale. Your shoulders should come up off the floor only about four inches, and your lower back should remain on the floor. At the top of the movement, contract your abdominals hard and keep the contraction for a second. Tip: Focus on slow, controlled movement - don't cheat yourself by using momentum.


5. After the one second contraction, begin to come down slowly again to the starting position as you inhale.


6. Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.

Variations: There are many variations for the crunch. You can perform the exercise with weights, or on top of an exercise ball or on a decline bench.