Bodybuilders know better than anyone, there’s no such thing as perfection. If there were, we’d have attained it some time ago and all we’d have left to do is maintain our impeccable physiques. But honestly, isn’t it much more interesting to be permanently in pursuit of absolute precision? There’s always another inch to add here or there, always a new exercise or training technique to help you get there.
The only realm in which it’s possible to get extremely close to achieving perfection is with your diet. To help, we’ve deconstructed some old-school bodybuilder nutrition myths while engineering what we consider to be the perfect daily diet: A low-fat, medium-carb, high-protein meal plan that should drive you closer to your goals than ever before.
THE PERFECT MEAL PLAN
BREAKFAST
3 whole, large eggs
3 large egg whites
1 cup cooked oatmeal
2 tsp. sugar
Ask a bodybuilder what he had for breakfast in 1999 and odds are he’ll tell you egg whites and oatmeal. Why? Because those foods are high in the lean protein that muscles need and slow-digesting carbs that won’t spike insulin levels, keeping hunger at bay for a good stretch of time.
It seems slightly ironic for us to be suggesting you add fat and sugar to today’s breakfast, right? But here’s the deal: Egg yolks contain all of the key nutrients (minerals like calcium and potassium, antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin, vitamins like A and E), and the scientific community has finally accepted that not only is cholesterol important, but the type in egg yolks is not stored as fat. More compellingly, eating egg yolks can increase muscle size and strength.
Also helping to promote muscle gains is the sugar we recommend sprinkling on top of the oatmeal. In the morning, your body is essentially starving for protein, and it has one source: your muscles. This is why your primary goal upon awaking is to give your body not only some protein but fast carbs as well to replenish your glycogen levels. Table sugar is an ideal substance for that purpose, traveling straight to the liver to be metabolized.
NEXT: Muscles need a constant flow of nutrients and oxygen.
LUNCH
1 can light tuna in water
1 tbsp. fat-free mayonnaise
2 cups salad
1/2 tomato, chopped
1 tbsp. fat-free Italian salad dressing
Let’s say you eat lunch at 1 p.m., return to your cubicle and sit on your butt for another 4–5 hours until you leave work and head to the gym. Can you see why a high-fat lunch might not be the best plan? But even if you’re not particularly concerned about your abs, eating higher amounts of dietary fat can reduce blood-vessel dilation, thereby decreasing blood flow to your muscles. That’s a problem. Muscles need a constant flow of nutrients and oxygen to grow.
PREWORKOUT
1 scoop whey protein powder
1 slice whole-wheat bread
In the past, bodybuilders thought whole foods were ideal any time of day. Thanks to scientific research, we now know differently. Chicken takes too long to digest, while potato digests too quickly.
Whey protein, on the other hand, is fast-digesting and hits your muscles right when needed, and a slice of slow-digesting whole-wheat bread will keep you energized all the way through to your post-workout meal.
POST-WORKOUT
1 scoop whey protein
1 scoop casein protein
35 Jelly Belly jelly beans
Remember, fast- and slow-digesting proteins and carbs are essentially the keys to pre- and post-workout nutrition. The only difference for post-workout is that you should aim to consume closer to a 1:2 protein to carbs ratio. Whey provides muscles with an immediate protein infusion after workouts. Casein, traditionally shunned after workouts because of its slow digestion rate, has recently been shown to promote increases in lean mass after workouts.
Meanwhile, traditional nutrition tenets held that fruit juice is a fast-digesting carb, just what you need after workouts to spike the anabolic hormone insulin, which also pushes protein into muscle cells. However, fruit is half fructose, a slow-digesting sugar that detours to the liver instead of immediately hitting your muscles.
Jelly beans, which consist primarily of extra-fast-digesting dextrose, provide another near-instant insulin rush, not to mention a treat for your sweet tooth. That’s good news, but remember, they’re only for after workouts.
DINNER
6 oz. top sirloin
1 medium sweet potato
1 cup broccoli
If you planned your post-workout meal properly, by dinnertime you’re all carbed up. Since you’ve already done your exercise for the day, and because your glycogen stores are all pretty well topped off, any extra carbs you eat now will not be burned but stored as fat. You may think you’re choosing a low-carb meal, but not all vegetables are truly low-carb. Peas, for example, are surprisingly rich in carbs, packing 21 grams in a single cup. Eating that with a cup of pasta would put you way over the top carbs-wise. Opt instead for a slow-digesting sweet potato and a cup of broccoli (only 6 grams of carbs per cup).
And while a lean chicken breast may be every bodybuilder’s go-to protein source, it’s not the only option. Lean cuts of beef, like top sirloin, provide a welcome alternative without too much extra fat.
BEDTIME
1 cup low-fat (1%) cottage cheese
2 tbsp. roasted flax seeds
Bedtime poses a similar challenge as dinnertime — you don’t want to eat anything that will feed fat while you’re lying on your back for eight hours. But you do want to get enough protein to delay catabolism for as many of those eight hours as possible. The answer lies in casein-rich cottage cheese and the healthy fats in flax seeds, which will further slow digestion of the casein, ensuring a steady amino acid drip all night long.
“6 Perfect Meals” has been edited for emusclemag.com; the complete story appears in the April 2009 issue of MuscleMag.
