3 Reasons Why Bodybuilders Need More Fiber

Most people understand that fiber plays an important role in the overall health and wellness of the body, but this form of carbohydrate is actually quite beneficial to bodybuilders as well.

Fiber is found in the cell walls of plants and can be obtained from food sources such as fruits, vegetables, oat bran, beans, grains and psyllium. Because of its chemical structure, fiber is indigestible to humans and remains completely intact as it travels through the body. It is actually a carbohydrate, but acts differently since it cannot be broken down into its basic glucose building blocks.

If fiber can’t even be digested, what could possibly make it so important to bodybuilders? Well, even though fiber is considered a “nonessential” nutrient, it still plays an important role in building muscle, gaining strength and maintaining your overall health.

Fiber is most well known for its ability to induce regular bowel movements.

Why is this so important to bodybuilders?

Well, since you are trying to build as much muscle as possible, you will probably be consuming at least one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight each day. One of the main sources of this protein will come from animal meat such as chicken and beef. The problem with this is that if meat stays in the digestive tract for too long it can produce toxins that pose long-term negative health consequences. An adequate amount of fiber each day will ensure that foods are moving along smoothly through your digestive system.

Fiber is also beneficial in its effect on slowing down the rate of gastric emptying. Gastric emptying is the process where foods are moved from the stomach to the small intestine. When you consume foods containing fiber, they become “gelled” in your stomach and slow down this process. The small intestine is where most nutrients are absorbed and pumped into the bloodstream. By slowing down the transfer of food to the small intestine your body will be able to extract the nutrients much more efficiently. This “timed-release” effect will also keep your body in an anabolic state for longer and decrease the chances of muscle catabolism setting in.

Along with its digestive benefits, fiber has also been known to regulate blood sugar levels. This will result in a more gradual release of sugars into the bloodstream and will decrease the chances of unnecessary insulin spikes and unwanted fat storage. This will also allow your body to increase its natural production of this powerful anabolic hormone without having to increase the consumption of simple carbohydrates.

As you can see, fiber is a fairly important carbohydrate form to incorporate into your diet. I would highly recommend that you focus on consuming around 25-35 grams of fiber each day for maximum benefits.

To learn the complete inside scoop on proper muscle-building nutrition, go ahead and visit my website by clicking the link below. You’ll learn everything you need to know to structure the most effective nutrition plan possible in order to maximize your muscle and strength gains. You can also download my “Empowered Nutrition Mass-Building Meal Plans” to take all of the guesswork out of your diet…

About The Author

Once an awkward, pencil-necked “social reject”, Sean Nalewanyj is now a renowned bodybuilding expert, fitness author, and creator of the most celebrated natural bodybuilding program online today: “The Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System”.

If you can spare just 24 minutes a day, then you too can build a powerful new head-turning body that will skyrocket your confidence, drive gorgeous women crazy, and leave your friends, family and co-workers staring in disbelief… ALL in just a matter of months: Muscle Gain Truth!

Want free lessons from Muscle Gain Truth, and to read the review that changed my life so you can change yours?

Great! Then check this out:

http://www.Body2Envy.com/MuscleGainTruth

Be sure to sign up for their email course, because it’s awesome! They give you tons of great tips to maximize your muscle gains, a free book, sample chapters from Muscle Gain Truth and tons more…

Bodybuilding Diet Meal Plan: 5 Tips For Creating Your Flawless Bodybuilding Diet Plan

Developing the perfect bodybuilding diet meal plan for you will boost your muscle gains and healthy fat loss by 1000% or more! All the perfect lifting can only get you so far without the right diet plan. Think of it this way: by driving your car properly, you will keep it in good shape. But without putting the right fuel and oil in it, it will never perform as well, and it certainly won’t last as long. As you know, working out is vital, but utilizing a solid bodybuilding meal plan is essential to getting ripped. The key here is to work harder and smarter to maximize your results.

Some key points to consider when creating your bodybuilding meal plan:

1. Eat 5-6 small meals per day, about 2-3 hours apart to keep your metabolism and energy up, cravings down and muscles fed constantly which encourages growth.
2. Determine how many calories you should consume each day, and stick to it. You must consume more than you burn to gain muscle!
3. Shoot for 40% protein, 40% carbohydrates and 20 % fat of all calories consumed.
4. Get 10% of your target calorie intake in grams of protein. (E.g. 3,000 calorie diet: 300 grams of protein per day. 6 meals: 50g or protein each)
5. Drink water in ounces equal to 60% of your body weight in pounds. (E.g. 180 pounds: 108 oz. per day, or 3.2 liters)

These are all widely accepted fundamentals of a proper bodybuilding diet plan, so keep them all in mind when planning your meals. It can get really tough to find the time to meet all of these criterion properly, and follow the plan to perfection, but luckily there are pre-made meal plans you can tailor to your specific needs.

Many professional bodybuilders have come up with bodybuilding diet meal plans, but very few have done so for every level of caloric intake. So, you need to first figure out how many calories you’re going to consume, then work with a diet plan that will work well for your level.

Typical sample bodybuilding diet plans look something like this:

Meal 1 (Pre-workout): 6 egg whites, 1 cup oatmeal
Meal 2 (Breakfast): Meal replacement bar/shake, high in protein and flaxseed oil
Meal 3 (Mid-morning): 8 oz. lean meat, 2 cups green vegetables, 1 cup brown rice
Meal 4 (Lunch): Tuna in water, leafy salad, whole-wheat bagel
Meal 5 (Dinner): 8 oz. lean meat, 2 cups green vegetables, 1 baked potato
Meal 6 (Snack): Meal replacement packet, flaxseed oil

This type of bodybuilding diet meal plan will greatly increase your muscle gains, but it is difficult to tell how much of each item is right for your caloric intake. It is also hard to know what you can substitute when you’re bored of this regimen after a couple weeks of eating the exact same things every day.

Thankfully, there are some programs that provide detailed meal plans that stick to rock-solid diets like the one above, but allow you to mix up the meals as you see fit throughout each phase of your workout plan, all suited to your level.

It is an excellent idea to start by eliminating bad fats and processed sugars from your diet if you have not already. Do not try to jump into your new bodybuilding diet meal plan right away, either. It will take some getting used to, but by steadily building up to your perfect meal plan, and following the system, you’ll get ripped and stay that way!

Like the old saying goes:

“Plan your work, and work your plan!”

But keep in mind that it’s a lot easier when you can take out the guesswork by following a professional natural bodybuilder’s advice when coming up with your bodybuilding diet plan. Either way, once you have your plan, just stick to it, and you’ll love the result!

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Do Bodybuilders Really Need Supplements?

To supplement or not to supplement? That is the question, and an important one at that.

“Do bodybuilders really need supplements?”

Let’s examine that question.

The first thing to look at when trying to answer the million-dollar question about supplements (with the ever-increasing revenues of the supplement industry I should more accurately call it a “billion-dollar question”) is what do we define as “need”?

The question seems to be, “do we really need supplements”? But the answer to that completely depends upon what it is that we do or do not need them for. Let’s examine a couple of different definitions.

“Do bodybuilders need supplements to become bigger and stronger?”

The answer to this question? No!

Regardless of what the million-dollar supplement companies would have you believe, supplementation is not mandatory in the pursuit of increased muscle mass and strength. Anyone who trains hard and focuses on consuming adequate amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fats from whole foods can and will see a significant increase in muscle size and strength.

If you want to become bigger and stronger, supplements are not mandatory. Period.

So given this fact, bodybuilders shouldn’t use any supplements, right?

Wrong.

Let’s examine the second definition.

“Do bodybuilders need supplements to become as big and strong as they possibly can?”

The answer to this question? Yes!

Although supplements are not mandatory to become bigger and stronger, they ARE mandatory if your goal is to become as big and strong as you possibly can. By investing in the right products and using the proper amounts, you can definitely gain an extra edge and see superior gains than a person who has chosen not to go the supplement route.

With the endless hours of hard work and dedication that you put in at the gym and at home on your quest to achieving the physique you desire, it only seems logical that a few extra bucks should be spent each month on a few reputable products in order to maximize your gains.

The question you simply have to ask yourself is, “how much are my muscle gains worth to me?” If an extra boost in strength at the gym and lean muscle tissue is worth the price of that bottle of creatine, then it makes sense to purchase it. If a minimization of muscle breakdown and increased immune system strength is worth the price of that bottle of glutamine, then it makes sense to purchase it.

“Do bodybuilders really need supplements?”

If you’re serious about achieving the most significant muscle size and strength gains that you possibly can, then I definitely would recommend a basic and straightforward supplement plan to maximize your results. Here are the 5 most basic supplements that I would recommend:

1) Whey Protein
2) Creatine
3) Glutamine
4) High-Potency Multivitamin
5) Essential Fatty Acids

This is a great place to start and will go a long way in increasing your lean muscle mass, strength and fat burning capabilities. There are definitely a lot of worthless, ineffective supplements out there, but these 5 basic products have been shown time and time again to be both effective and worth the cost. If you’re looking to gain an extra edge and are serious about reaching your muscle-building goals, they are definitely worth looking into.

To learn the details of these 5 supplements including proper dosages and product recommendations, visit my website using the link below. You can also access my honest and unbiased reviews of over 20 of the most popular muscle-building supplements on the market today. This could potentially save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars, so I would strongly urge you to check it out…

About The Author

Once an awkward, pencil-necked “social reject”, Sean Nalewanyj is now a renowned bodybuilding expert, fitness author, and creator of the most celebrated natural bodybuilding program online today: “The Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System”.

If you can spare just 24 minutes a day, then you too can build a powerful new head-turning body that will skyrocket your confidence, drive gorgeous women crazy, and leave your friends, family and co-workers staring in disbelief… ALL in just a matter of months: Muscle Gain Truth!

Want free lessons from Muscle Gain Truth, and to read the review that changed my life so you can change yours?

Great! Then check this out:

http://www.Body2Envy.com/MuscleGainTruth

Be sure to sign up for their email course, because it’s awesome! They give you tons of great tips to maximize your muscle gains, a free book, sample chapters from The Truth About Building Muscle and tons more…

Fuel Your Training With Proper Pre-Workout Nutrition

The saying says, “if you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail”, and the same holds true for each and every one of your workouts. Every session in the gym should be treated as a battle, and just like any other battle in life you must enter it with proper mental and physical readiness.

This article will deal with the physical side and will teach you exactly how to prime your body before battling the weights with proper pre-workout nutrition. A carefully planned pre-workout meal will ensure that you always enter the gym at peak strength and will provide your body with the necessary tools to battle the weights as effectively as possible.

The 3 main goals of the pre-workout meal are as follows:

1) Maximize your strength potential.
2) Provide a steady stream of balanced energy for your mind and muscles throughout the workout.
3) Minimize muscle breakdown and provide the raw tools for your body to begin the recovery process once the workout is over.

The first thing to make sure of is that you are properly hydrated before beginning your workout. Water plays a vital role in keeping strength and energy levels peaked, so always ensure that you’ve consumed an adequate amount of water in the few hours before you train.

Around 30-45 minutes prior to entering the gym you should consume your pre-workout meal. The first component of this meal is, you guessed it, protein. This protein will keep your body in an anabolic state throughout your workout and will help to prevent muscle breakdown as you train.

I would recommend that you consume 30-40 grams of high quality protein, ideally coming from a mix of whey protein and casein. This can best be accomplished by mixing 25-30 grams of whey protein in 300-400ml of skim milk.

Whey protein makes for a great pre-workout choice because it is naturally high in BCAA’s, which help to prevent muscle catabolism during your workout. Mixing your whey with milk is a good idea because this will slow down the release of the protein and provide your body with a steady stream of amino acids throughout your workout.

Along with your protein shake you should also consume 1-2 portions of low-glycemic carbohydrates. Low glycemic carbohydrates are ideal before the workout because they are broken down and absorbed gradually in the bloodstream, providing your body with a steady stream of energy throughout your workout.

When you consume high glycemic carbohydrates that are rapidly released into your bloodstream, your body will release a surge of insulin in an effort to level out your blood sugar. This will result in a quick rise in insulin levels followed by a sharp fall. The fall in insulin levels will leave you feeling weak, tired and sluggish. This is the last thing you want in the middle of a high intensity workout, so choose carbohydrates that won’t cause this rapid fluctuation in insulin levels.

Pre-workout carbohydrate choices such as oatmeal, apples or brown rice will provide your body with a steady stream of sugars throughout the workout and will keep your energy levels peaked at all times.

This pre-workout meal should be fairly small to allow for easy digestion and to prevent you from feeling sick when you train. You should never workout without having a meal in you first.

So, just to recap:

30-45 minutes before your workout:

1) 25-30 grams of whey protein mixed with 300-400ml of milk
2) 1-2 servings of slow release carbohydrates (i.e. Oatmeal, yogurt, apple)

I also like to throw in a cup or two of coffee before my workouts as I find that this increases my energy and amplifies my focus nicely.

There are also 3 other highly important times throughout the day to pay special attention to the foods and supplements that you consume. Visit my website by clicking the link below to find out what they are, and how to properly approach these periods for the best possible results…

About The Author

Once an awkward, pencil-necked “social reject”, Sean Nalewanyj is now a renowned bodybuilding expert, fitness author, and creator of the most celebrated natural bodybuilding program online today: “The Muscle Gain Truth No-Fail System”.

If you can spare just 24 minutes a day, then you too can build a powerful new head-turning body that will skyrocket your confidence, drive gorgeous women crazy, and leave your friends, family and co-workers staring in disbelief… ALL in just a matter of months: Muscle Gain Truth!

Want free lessons from Muscle Gain Truth, and to read the review that changed my life so you can change yours?

Great! Then check this out:

http://www.Body2Envy.com/MuscleGainTruth

Be sure to sign up for their email course, because it’s awesome! They give you tons of great tips to maximize your muscle gains, a free book, sample chapters from Muscle Gain Truth and tons more…