The right breakfast for a bodybuilder: all the subtleties and secrets

A beautiful, toned body and excellent physical shape depend 80% on nutrition. How often the bodybuilder’s energy reserves will be replenished for the bodybuilder’s strength training depends on how balanced and timely the daily food intake is. It's no secret that bodybuilders' metabolism occurs much faster than that of other athletes, so it is important to properly formulate and provide the body with a source of strength and nutrients. We’ll talk about all the intricacies of proper nutrition for a bodybuilder in more detail in the article.

The importance of morning nutrition for the human body
Why don't you feel like eating in the morning?
What are the consequences of skipping breakfast?
What you can and cannot eat for breakfast Healthy foods
Not recommended

Popular myths

Breakfast examples

The importance of morning nutrition for the human body

It is no coincidence that there is such a saying among bodybuilders - “breakfast is the head of everything.” First of all, you need to remember that before the morning meal, the body spends at least 7–8 hours without receiving any nutrients from the outside.

And although it seems that the body is resting at night, in fact, many of its systems are working in full: cells continue their restoration processes, the liver actively cleanses the body of toxins, the brain processes a huge amount of information, and the stomach digests food and releases nutrients into the blood, which are then carried to other organs.

Therefore, it is quite natural that in the morning the body requires to replenish those energy reserves that were used up during sleep, so the main task after waking up is to feed yourself a proper, healthy and nutritious breakfast.

Find out about the best vitamins for bodybuilding.

In addition to replenishing energy reserves, the body, with a morning meal, begins to launch those processes that were not active at night (in particular, the metabolic process is further enhanced). A morning meal (especially if it is oatmeal or any other food containing coarse fiber) helps cleanse the stomach of processed food residues and toxins.

In addition, the bodybuilder’s weight directly depends on how nutritious the breakfast was - if the body has received a sufficient amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, it will feel full and will not require a harmful snack after that. The morning meal is especially pleasant because at breakfast you can even allow yourself to eat baked goods or sweets without worrying that they will go into fat deposits.

Did you know? According to the Institute of Nutrition, an ideal breakfast should include grains to restore energy, seasonal fruits for an instant vitamin boost, and dairy to replenish protein and calcium. The closest thing to this definition is the English breakfast - as you know, in the morning hours of eating, the British prefer oatmeal, a boiled egg, strong tea and a glass of freshly squeezed juice.

Take that, Atkins!

Clearly, carbohydrates are a big part of Jay Cutler's off-season diet. He eats about 200g at breakfast and at least 300g after training. If there are two workouts per day, then after the second one, 200-250 g of carbohydrates are also provided. Bodybuilders knew about the "secret" of weight control with carbohydrates long before the general public began buying low-carb foods. An ordinary person would have been treated for obesity long ago if he ate such a huge amount of carbohydrates. But don't forget: Jay trains hard - sometimes twice a day, not counting cardio training. In addition, one should take into account the huge amount of muscle already built, which turns his body into a perpetual fat-burning engine. Thanks to them, metabolism and fat burning continue even during rest. It seems that Jay, even just sitting on the couch, processes more calories than the average person does during a daily run.

Why don't you feel like eating in the morning?

An excellent appetite in the morning is rare: according to researchers, most often a person does not feel hungry within 40-60 minutes after waking up.

The reason lies, oddly enough, in violation of the rules of nutrition and daily routine. Namely:

too much caffeine in the morning - if you drink a cup of coffee on an empty stomach at night or in the morning, it begins to have a strange effect on the nervous system: at first activity intensifies, energy is aroused, but after 10-15 minutes there is a dullness and inhibition of all processes in the body, in including the one responsible for the appearance of appetite. Eliminate coffee in the morning - we get a healthy appetite;
violation of the daily routine, waking up too late. If a person went to bed late, did not get enough sleep and has difficulty getting up in the morning, then there is no appetite;
too much dinner - if an excessive amount of food enters the body before going to bed, it simply does not have time to process it overnight, therefore, in the morning you will not get a feeling of hunger, but only a heaviness in the stomach (and on top of that, heartburn, an unpleasant aftertaste, and sometimes nausea);
stress, haste, lack of order;
excessive accumulation of intestinal mucus. During sleep, when food does not enter the stomach, it continues to produce mucus, which neutralizes the secretion of intestinal juices that promote digestion. If the last meal was taken more than 5 hours before bedtime, then the body simply has nothing to digest at night, and a special mucous substance forms on the intestinal walls, which dulls the feeling of hunger in the morning.

Special cases

Recommendations for girls

It is more difficult for a girl to gain weight than for a man for two reasons. Firstly, female hormones predominate in the body, while only male ones are anabolic and affect muscle pumping. Secondly, muscle fibers are of the slow type - they are durable, but have weak strength potential and cannot grow.

But this does not mean at all that it is impossible to do this. What rules to follow:

Daily calorie content is from 2,500 to 3,000 calories.
Alternating strength training and cardio is mandatory.
Eat foods rich in testosterone.
First, gain weight, and then gradually dry.

The main thing is not to overdo it.

Recommendations for an ectomorph

We can recommend the following:

you need to eat a lot: daily calorie content should not be less than 3,500 kcal;
gaining muscle mass will be slow, so you will have to be patient;
every attack of hunger must be immediately blocked with a small snack;
the time of one training session should not exceed 1 hour;
repeat each exercise up to 8 times;
no cardio exercises;
avoid stressful situations, worries and nervous breakdowns.

Without properly organized nutrition, gaining muscle mass is almost impossible. You can exhaust yourself in the gym every day, but you will not achieve any results if the wrong foods are present in your diet. Therefore, before you start exercising with the goal of defining your muscles in relief, you first need to decide on your diet. Creating a menu, choosing dishes, consulting with a sports nutritionist and trainer are mandatory steps on the path to achieving an ideal body.

What are the consequences of skipping breakfast?

Skipping breakfast can have very serious consequences. Thus, according to researchers, people who eat a large breakfast experience fewer problems with excess weight - having correctly distributed the intake of nutrients into the body, in the evening a person will not experience an increased feeling of hunger and, accordingly, overeat at night (which is especially harmful for bodybuilders) .

In addition, the lack of a morning meal contributes to the appearance of clots in the blood, which then cause various diseases of the cardiovascular system. If you skip breakfast, your metabolism will begin to deteriorate, and, as a result, the level of cholesterol in the blood will increase, which can lead to atherosclerosis. All these problems can be avoided in a very simple way: simply provide yourself with a nutritious and healthy breakfast.

Important! Even if the body does not feel hungry in the morning, it is necessary to force it - at least drink a glass of clean water. After 20-30 minutes, eat some cottage cheese, porridge or cook scrambled eggs - if you gradually accustom your body to breakfast, you will notice that after 10-12 days your health will improve much, and the problem of lack of appetite in the morning will no longer appear.

Daily norm and ratio of proteins, fats, carbohydrates in the diet

A muscle-building diet should primarily stimulate metabolic processes and only as a supplement, muscle growth. To create a menu, determine the proportions of BJU (proteins, fats, carbohydrates), select products and divide them into several meals.

What you can and cannot have for breakfast

The optimal balance in an ideal breakfast is 50% proteins and 50% carbohydrates, and the percentage of daily calories in the morning meal is up to 30% of the daily value.

Healthy foods

The most useful breakfast foods for any athlete, including bodybuilders, are:

eggs (up to 3 pcs) - this product makes a tasty and nutritious omelette with vegetables;
porridge - preferably buckwheat, oatmeal and wheat;
dairy products - especially cottage cheese (not low-fat);
boiled chicken meat;
fresh vegetable salads seasoned with olive oil;
some fruits - baked apples, pears, peaches, oranges. It is important to remember that citrus fruits should not be consumed on an empty stomach;
nuts;
honey.

Of course, one meal should not include all of the listed ingredients, but the main part of breakfast should be based on these products.
An excellent addition would also be herbal tea, toast with butter and cheese (a source of fat), coffee with milk and even some kind of sweet (only one unit, you shouldn’t get too carried away). We advise you to read about how to take Proviron for bodybuilding.

Not recommended

The list of foods that should not be consumed in the morning includes:

potatoes and pasta are sources of fast carbohydrates that quickly fill you up, but do not benefit the body;
cold carbonated drinks and freshly squeezed juices. It is strictly forbidden to drink citrus juice on an empty stomach: they greatly increase the acidity of the stomach. Cold carbonated drinks are not only a source of unnecessary sugar, but also impair the blood circulation in the stomach, which as a result will negatively affect digestion;
spices. You should not heavily season your food at breakfast - spices can greatly irritate the walls of the gastric mucosa;
cereals - contain a high amount of sugar and fast carbohydrates;
baking - it is strictly not recommended to eat on an empty stomach;
sandwiches with mayonnaise, sausage and smoked meats - such products do not bring any benefit to the body.

Of course, if at any morning meal you replace cottage cheese with a sandwich with cheese and sausage, the body will not experience any significant harm.
However, to maintain good physical shape and excellent health, it is still recommended to try to adhere to the principles of proper nutrition. Did you know? Eating breakfast not only helps saturate the body with nutrients, but also improves memory: American scientists came to this conclusion. According to their study, schoolchildren who did not skip breakfast performed on average 30% better on tests of attention and memory than those who skipped breakfast.

Products for muscle growth

When creating a menu for weight gain, it is important to take into account that for the complete absorption of proteins, they must be properly combined with amino acids. Carbohydrates play a leading role in nutrition aimed at weight gain, since if they are deficient, the body will “eat” muscle tissue during periods of increased physical activity

Products containing protein

Proper nutrition in bodybuilding is unthinkable without protein-rich foods. These include:

Nuts;
Beans, chickpeas, lentils and other legumes;
Low-fat cheese, cottage cheese;
Lean varieties of meat and poultry.

Soy is the record holder for protein content (about 36 grams per 100 grams of product), but it contains a high percentage of female hormones phytoestrogens, which slow down muscle growth.

High fat foods

To gain muscle mass, your weekly diet must include foods rich in unsaturated fats. Fats are considered the most readily available source of energy, but if saturated fats are overused, health problems appear such as: decline in immunity, wrinkled skin, increased wear and tear on joints and destruction of muscle tissue. Foods rich in unsaturated fats include:

Hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds;
Wheat sprouts;
Sunflower seeds;
Soya beans;
Soy cheese (tofu);
Seafood.

Fats, despite their high energy potential, are characterized by a long process of breakdown, therefore they make the body lethargic and reduce vitality. Proper nutrition consists of food that is prepared without frying in butter or vegetable oil. It is preferable to steam or bake products in the oven.

Carbohydrate-rich foods

The diet of a natural bodybuilder for mass should include predominantly complex carbohydrates

Therefore, you should pay attention to the following products:

Oatmeal, buckwheat, corn and pearl barley;
Rice (roughly processed);
Asparagus, green beans;
Raisins, dates and other dried fruits;
Durum wheat pasta.

Fruits and vegetables are a source of carbohydrates, as well as useful fiber, necessary for the high-quality digestion of animal proteins. In addition, they contain a lot of vitamins, microelements and amino acids, without which one can only dream of gaining muscle mass.

Nutritional supplements

Most modern sports involve the use of special supplements that are useful for both girls and men.

With the help of high-quality whey protein, you can increase your muscle mass gains.
Gainer is a super-calorie mixture consisting of carbohydrates and easily digestible proteins. You can consume it either immediately after training or during your first meal.
Creatine doesn't need much introduction as it is one of the most popular muscle building supplements. You can take a few grams of it both on training days and during rest.
Vitamin-mineral complexes accelerate metabolic processes and have a positive effect on the process of weight stabilization.

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Popular myths

There are some judgments regarding the morning meal that turn out to be absolutely false. Let's look at the most common myths about breakfast:

Promotes weight gain. Remember - all food eaten in the morning will be digested and converted into energy that you will need during the day. The stomach will have time to process all the fats and carbohydrates received during the morning meal within 5–6 hours.
You can eat whatever you want for breakfast: This is an incorrect statement. If you have a very hearty and plentiful breakfast, then the calories received in the morning will not have time to be “used up” by the lunchtime meal. There are also foods that are best not to eat in the morning (list above).
A proper breakfast cancels out a proper lunch and dinner. To maintain physical health, you need to be aware of what and how you eat throughout the day, not just in the morning!
Coffee and muesli will provide a “charge” for the whole day. Coffee is a source of caffeine, which will indeed provide energy, but only for 15 minutes. The composition of instant muesli, as a rule, includes a large amount of sugar, so the effect of such food will be very short-term: sugar, entering the blood, will cause rapid saturation and produce energy, which will disappear in the next 30-40 minutes, and the body will again require next portion.

Sample programs

An approximate nutritional program for gaining muscle mass will guide you in the regimen and choice of foods for each meal.

Sample daily meal plan for men:

Sample daily meal plan for girls:

Note. The approximate daily calorie content is about 2,800 kcal, the amount of protein is 180 g.

Budget diet for men:

Adjust the sample programs to suit your lifestyle and food preferences, without violating the basic rules of creating a diet for weight gain.

Muesli with variations

You cannot always vouch for the quality of store-bought products. In contrast, a breakfast prepared with your own hands will charge you with energy and vivacity. To create a culinary masterpiece you only need 20 minutes and a little patience. The most popular breakfast is oatmeal, supplemented with fruits and berries depending on the season. We have given three options: with plums, pear and blueberries.

Muesli with plums and cherries

5 tbsp. spoons of oatmeal
half a cup of plums and cherries
3 tbsp. spoons of yogurt
honey optional
3 tbsp. spoons of orange juice

Brew the flakes with boiling water, let it brew for 2 minutes. Stir in quartered plums and cherries. Top with yogurt.

Muesli with pear

half a cup of kefir
2 tbsp. spoons of wheat flakes
3 tbsp. spoons of oatmeal
half a pear
1 teaspoon honey

Mix kefir and honey until smooth. Sprinkle with pear pieces and cereal. Mix well. Breakfast is ready!

Muesli with blueberries

half a glass of yogurt
4 tbsp. spoons of oat flakes
2 tbsp. spoons of wheat flakes
half cup blueberries or currants
1 tbsp. spoon of sesame

Add berries to oatmeal and wheat flakes, top with yogurt. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Diet for a beginner

Norm: 2500 Kcal, 218 g carbohydrates, 218 g protein, 83 g fat

If you want to improve your shape and become more energetic in training, this option will be the most optimal. It limits carbohydrate intake from food and sets a high level of protein intake. It focuses on foods with antioxidant properties that can improve the condition of blood vessels and prevent inflammatory processes - these two factors activate the aging process of cells.

Meal schedule

Dish 1: Starchy-carbohydrate
Meal 2: Low/No Carb
Meal 3: Low/No Carb
Meal 4: (Post-workout snack) Starchy-carbohydrate
Dish 5: Starchy-carbohydrate

Recommended Recipes

Dish 1

Greek yogurt – one and a half cups (tbsp.)
Raspberries - 1/2 tbsp.
Muesli (vanilla, almond, or without fillers) – 1/3 tbsp.
Eggs (source of Omega-3) – 3

Dish 2: Double chocolate smoothie with cherries

Protein powder (chocolate flavor) – 2 servings
Coconut milk - 1/4 tbsp.
Cherries – 3/4 tbsp.
Flax seeds – 1 tablespoon (tbsp.)
Cocoa powder – 1 tbsp. l.
Ice – 3-4 pieces
Water – 2-3 tbsp.

Dish 3: Burger with lettuce

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Lettuce – 2 sheets
Ground beef (5% fat) – 227 g
Tomatoes – 2 rings
Red onion – 2 slices
Ketchup – 1 tbsp. l.
Mayonnaise (canola) – 1 tbsp. l.
Green beans – 3 tbsp.

Meal 4: Post-Workout Snack

Dish 5: Shrimp with spinach salad and side dish of brown rice

Shrimp – 170 g
Brown rice - 1/4 tbsp.
Spinach – 4 tbsp.
Feta cheese – 1/4 tbsp.
Half paprika
Olive oil (Extra virgin) – 2 tbsp. l.

Raspberry substitutes: 5 chopped strawberries, 1/2 tbsp. blueberries, 2/3 tbsp. blackberries or 1 tbsp. l. raisins
Instead of muesli: 1/3 tbsp. oatmeal or rolled oatmeal flakes, 3/4 tbsp. breakfast cereal Fiber One or 2/3 tbsp. organic flakes
Coconut milk alternative: 2 tbsp. l. chopped walnuts
Cherries are replaced: 1 tbsp. blackberries

Food Component	kcal/g
Squirrels	4
Fats	9
Carbohydrates	4

Men (%)	Women (%)
Squirrels	30	30
Fats	15	25
Carbohydrates	55	45