Dane Fletcher is the world's most prolific bodybuilding and fitness expert and is currently the executive editor for BodybuildingToday.com. If you are looking for more bodybuilding tips or information on weight training, or supplementation, please visit www.BodybuildingToday.com, the bodybuilding and fitness authority site with hundreds of articles available FREE to help you meet your goals.
Bodybuilders often go to extremes with everything they do. They obsess over measuring grams of protein, inches on their arm, or number of pounds they can move in a given exercise. When it comes to nutritional breakdowns, they often go to extremes as well. When it's time to gain muscle, they often eat all the protein they can find. When it comes to dieting, they often remove all fats from their diet. Both ideas are counterproductive to bodybuilding success, and overall health goals as well.
There are three macronutrients - protein, carbohydrates, and fat. All three are essential for bodybuilding success, as well as everyday bodily function. Bodybuilders need to ensure they consume an appropriate percentage of their total daily calories from each of these three sources.
Carbohydrates - 50%
Fifty perfect of daily calories should come from carbohydrates. Despite the popularity of low-carb diets and the long-believed theory that carbs make people fat, carbs are actually the fuel which allows bodybuilders to build muscle. Carbs should be divided into near-equal portions, with a slightly higher percentage being consumed before and after daily training sessions.
Protein - 30%
Only thirty percent of daily calories should come from protein sources. In a 3500-calorie diet, that's still nearly 200 grams of protein per day. Protein should be present in the bloodstream as frequently as possible, broken down into at least 6 daily servings of at least 30 grams.
Fat - 20%
This number may surprise some people, as fats carry a stigma of being "bad for you". The truth is actually the opposite - fats contain vital building blocks for not only building muscle, but also healthy organ function. Without any fats, a bodybuilder would shortly be going tombstone shopping. Fats keep you alive. Twenty percent of daily caloric intake should come from fats - the healthy kind found in oil, meat, and nuts.
Breaking down the numbers...
For your calculation reference, each gram of protein contains 4 calories. Each gram of carbohydrate contains 4 calories as well. Fat contains 9 calories per gram. Find your baseline daily caloric requirements, multiply by the % above, and then divide by the number of calories per gram. This will give you the daily estimation of grams of each macronutrient required. Find a healthy balance between the three macronutrients, and you will find long-term bodybuilding, and health, success.
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
- Successful Bodybuilding Diet: The Number One Secret
- The 4 Secrets to Fast Muscle Growth - Tips for Successful Bodybuilding
- How To Develop A Successful Bodybuilding Training Routine
- The Successful Bodybuilders Secret to How to Gain Muscle Mass Fast
- Know Your Blood Work to Become Successful Bodybuilder
- Bodybuilding: Eating Properly
- Adapt Your Bodybuilding Routines For Your Body Type
- Bodybuilding Advise and Tips for Better Workout Performance
Chiropractor in Lakewood CO | Common Injuries Associated with Winter
By: Mike McCoy | 15/12/2009Dr. Steve Tashiro Present Chiropractor in Lakewood CO, Today's Topic, "Common Injuries Associated with Winter." For A Chiropractor In Lakewood CO Visit: www.HealthSourceofLakewood.com
Health Concerns and Their Remedies For Good Health
By: Reeva | 15/12/2009Women, who lead busy, stressful and demanding lives, putting other’s needs first and their own last, should consider taking women health supplements to prevent nutritional deficiencies in their bodies. When considering which of the many supplements for women on the market are best for you, you need to know what nutrients to look for.
Effective Home Remedies for Dandruff For All hair types problems
By: Reeva | 15/12/2009There are many dandruff remedies on the market but some may contain chemical you necessarily might not want on your head. There are a few natural remedies you should give a try before going to the grocery store and picking up a bottle of dandruff treatment.
Life Cell - Young Looking Skin Review
By: Susan Andrews | 15/12/2009This not just an ordinary review that triggers and points out the benefits of a certain product But it also caters how the balancing goes with everything for you to be able to manage and make your strategies more effective. With everything can be known. All your with Young Looking Skin Review question will be answered.
How To Keep Face Young - Life Cell
By: Susan Andrews | 15/12/2009There are certain instances that we really have to observe proper care of skin. now, focusing on how to keep face young, we need not only to observe the assigned tips and strategies, but also to give way on some of the things that we really need to give up in order for us to achieve what we really want to reach. We always have to remember some things that we need to realize and think upon of doing.
How To Keep Your Skin Young - Life Cell
By: Susan Andrews | 15/12/2009Everyone dreams to stay young as long as they are living. They want to attain younger looking skin and want to maintain their figure even they are getting older and adds up their age. Though occasionally everyone suffers from dry skin. Some study shows that dry skin is largely influenced by genetics and by climate and other drying factors like taking hot showers. Well here are some tips on how to keep your skin young.
Pink Eye,Symptoms and its Types
By: harryjackson9 | 15/12/2009It is quite an embarrassing and uncomfortable infection.
4 Steps To A Flat Stomach
By: Cameron Hill | 15/12/2009If you want to get a flat stomach in just minutes then you have come to the right place. Best of all I'm not going to tell you it takes a while or that you'll need to starve yourself. I'm not even going to say that you need to do situps! However what I will tell you will surely burn of that excess fat and melt away your stomach fat.
How To Increase Your Body Mass Safely
By: Dane Fletcher | 10/12/2009 | BodybuildingWhen weight training you need to make use of proper techniques such as compound movements and progressive resistance training. In progressive resistance training you gradually increase the amount of load you are using until you are able to reach muscle overload. You are therefore required to start with light weights and then increase the load progressively.
Demystifying Bodybuilding Myths To Reach Your Bodybuilding Goals
By: Dane Fletcher | 10/12/2009 | BodybuildingThere are various bodybuilding myths which will be demystified in this article. If you are a novice bodybuilder you should understand some of these myths so that you can reach your bodybuilding goal.
Benefits Of Proper Time Management During Interval Training
By: Dane Fletcher | 09/12/2009 | BodybuildingA body builder may choose between short intervals or long ones during body building. This depends on your level of fitness. If you have to rest in between intervals, the shortest duration has to be 15 minutes. The longest duration has to be one hour. If the intervals are very long, it becomes very difficult for you to handle each of the sections in which the program is divided. The main cycle involves movements that have 20 seconds of workout and 10 seconds of rest.
Bodybuilding Guide To Power Training
By: Dane Fletcher | 09/12/2009 | BodybuildingPower training is very important if you want to succeed in bodybuilding since it entails high intensity training using the ‘Big three’ movements which will be explained later on in the topic. In order to carry out proper power training you need to incorporate the three compound movements in your training routine so that you can be able to increase the stress levels in your muscles tissues.
How To Take Your Bodybuilding Career To The Next Level
By: Dane Fletcher | 07/12/2009 | BodybuildingIt is very important to visualize how you would like to look like once you have achieved your bodybuilding goals. Let the secret eye in you mind see the new you that will come out when you have obtained a six pack. Imagine how the chest would look like after you have played around with those weights for a whole year. The way the mind becomes pre-programmed to follow certain procedures is amazing. This is the most important tip for every bodybuilder to know.
The Best Advice On How To Stretch When Bodybuilding
By: Dane Fletcher | 07/12/2009 | BodybuildingStretching is one of the most important body building steps and it is very essential in all types of exercises. This is because stretching works the muscles and prepares them more for further workouts. They act as warm ups and therefore, they must be a subject in the preliminaries of a body building program. However, stretching has to be pre-planned and not haphazardly undertaken because they risk the body to injuries.
How To Recover From Cardio Exercises
By: Dane Fletcher | 04/12/2009 | HealthIf you want to improve your health you need to perform aerobic exercises. The benefits of cardio exercises cannot be overemphasized when it comes to improving your health. The best training regimens which will help you manage your weight are aerobic exercise since they will help you rev your body metabolism. If you do not rev your body metabolism you will not be able to lose weight since you will not burn more calories.
Reasons Why You Should Avoid Fad Diets To Lose Weight
By: Dane Fletcher | 04/12/2009 | HealthIf you are obese then you are in the right place because this article will guide you on how you can be able to lose weight. There is nothing wrong with wanting to lose weight if you are obese because this will help improve your body physique and composition. Apart from helping improve your body physique it will also help improve your health.