Nutrition rules! Here are the 75 commandments of muscle-building nutrition—everything you need to know about dieting, supplements, food and lifestyle - Supernutrition Special!

Flex, August, 2002

No matter your genetics or the goals you've set for yourself, you need to follow the rules of bodybuilding nutrition if your hard training is going to pay off. Successful bodybuilders, including many pro champions, insist that bodybuilding is 90% nutrition. It simply can't be ignored.

Granted, nutrition can be a complicated subject -- carbs, proteins, vitamins and minerals, not to mention meal timing, creatine and exotic new supplements to keep track of. It can make your head spin.

Stop spinning. FLEX has compiled 75 rules of nutrition to help guide you through the minefield of all things related to food and supplements. This comprehensive compendium of commandments gives you 75 easy-to-follow basic to advanced dictums that have passed the Team FLEX test for accuracy and efficiency. Whether you want to add mass, get ripped or simply maintain your weight, you'll find the answers here.

So get to it.

SECTION ONE MACROS AND OTHER NUTRIENTS

A bodybuilding diet can be constructed in terms of foods, but it can also be designed around macronutrient composition: protein, carbohydrates and fats. To do this effectively, bodybuilders need to be aware of how many grams of carbs, protein and fat they're taking in each day. The amounts, types and ratios of the macros consumed (and when) help assess the general adequacy of any bodybuilding diet. Other nutrients such as water and fiber are crucial for bodybuilders, and they must also be considered.

1 TAKE IN PLENTY OF PROTEIN

FLEX recommends that bodybuilders take in at least one gram (g) of protein per pound of bodyweight each day. Protein needs for individual bodybuilders may vary, but this minimum ensures sufficient amounts with which to build muscle. If your bodyweight is low or if your caloric needs for bodyweight maintenance are high, then you may need even more protein than bodybuilders of comparable size.

2 DON'T OVERDOSE N PROTEIN

Some bodybuilders develop a mentality that if some is good, then excessive amounts are better. If you're eating more than 2 g of protein per pound of bodyweight each day, then you're probably consuming more protein than your body can use for muscle building. Excess protein will simply be broken down and burned as energy (or stored as bodyfat). Protein is difficult for your body to break down because it's a complex molecule, so it's an inefficient source of energy. Keep protein consumption high, but don't go overboard. Rely on other good bodybuilding foods, including carbs, to keep weight up during growth phases.

3 TAKE IN PLENTY OF CARDS FOR ENERGY

Your body can use protein, carbs or fats for energy, but when you're training hard, it preferentially uses carbs. Essentially, carbs are chains of glucose molecules, and the body can easily absorb sugar for energy. Taking in ample carbs makes it easy for your body to fuel itself, sparing protein and fats for their more specific nutritional uses.

4 EMPHASIZE COMPLEX

CARDS Complex carbs are constructed of long chains of sugars. These types of carbs are easily digested, yet they're slow burning because the body has to break them down to use them. Since complex carbs are a longer-lasting fuel than simple carbs, there's less chance they'll be stored as bodyfat. During a mass-building phase, strive to take in 3 g of carbohydrates per pound of bodyweight per day, drawn mainly from complex sources such as vegetables, pasta, potatoes, rice, yams and oatmeal. During cutting phases, reduce total carbohydrate consumption, relying more heavily on slow-burning complex carbs, including brown rice, yams and oatmeal.

5 DE-EMPHASIZE SIMPLE CARDS

Except after workouts, a bodybuilder should minimize calorie consumption from simple carbohydrates (sugar). Simple carbs can be rapidly absorbed, especially in liquids with little or no fats or solid foods to slow down their passage through the gastrointestinal tract. Significant quantities of simple carbs provide the release of insulin, which is desired after a workout but not at other times, because it can encourage the body to store these sugars as bodyfat. Foods that are high in sugar are among the worst for bodybuilders seeking to keep bodyfat low.

6 LIMIT SATURATED FAT AND AVOID TRANS FATS

Excesses of these two types of fat increase the risk of heart and other health problems, and they can also undermine bodybuilding efforts. Trans fats are commonly found in processed foods such as crackers, cookies and other baked goods. Saturated fats are prevalent in lower-quality (fattier) cuts of meats.

7 CONSUME HEALTHY FATS

Foods containing unsaturated fats, particularly monounsaturates, are excellent for bodybuilders. Don't buy into the notion that a bodybuilding diet should be low fat -- it should only be low in saturated and trans fats. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish and flaxseed oils, are important for creating a favorable hormonal environment for building muscle tissue. Other unsaturated fats, such as those found in olives, avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive and canola oils, also provide bodybuilders with numerous muscle-building advantages. Except when cutting up, fats should represent 15-20% of your daily diet.