Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Bodybuilding Diet Plans For Skinny Males



If you have a high metabolism rate, you may have trouble adding mass to your body. Obviously you need to consume more calories than you use in order to gain weight. However, pigging out on ice cream and potato chips will put that weight straight onto your gut. The trick is to eat sufficient quantities of the right foods, while maintaining a high level of activity.

Food can be broadly categorized into three groups – carbohydrates, proteins and fats. These, combined with nutrients (vitamins and minerals) and water, form the majority of your nutritional needs. Carbohydrates are materials that the body can break down easily for energy.
They consist of starches and sugars. Unlike what some diet plans would tell you, carbohydrates are essential and should not be eliminated from your diet. Fats contain some essential nutrients as well, and a portion of the right fats, mainly unsaturated and omega 3 fatty acids, are necessary for good health.

Protein forms the main building blocks of muscles. It is important when bodybuilding to consume enough protein to allow the muscles to repair themselves. The body is able to produce many, but not all of the amino acids that make up proteins.
Many bodybuilders believe that a diet high in protein is necessary to build muscle mass. However, consuming high levels of protein without doing sufficient exercise will cause the body to convert the protein to fat, which the body uses for long term energy storage.
In order to gain muscle mass you should consume just enough calories to satisfy your body’s metabolic needs and muscle growth requirements. The best way to do this is to carefully monitor your weight, body fat index, exercise level and calorie intake. What you want is a gradual increase in your body weight while maintaining a healthy body fat index.
There are no specific foods for gaining weight while body building. The best solution is just to eat more of the healthy foods that all bodybuilders eat. Conversely, bodybuilders trying to lose weight should still eat the same foods, just less of them.

Good sources of protein include:
- Egg whites
- Fish
- Chicken
- Beans and lentils
- Whey protein powder

Protein shakes are very popular among bodybuilders. They can be bought pre-made, or you can make them yourself by adding protein powder to a smoothy. Protein powder is available in many forms, with the two most popular being whey or milk based protein and soy based protein. Whey protein is generally considered superior due to its content of essential amino acids and the body’s ability to absorb it.

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