AnimalPak: The "Power" Diet

Power Bodybuilding Diet For Building Muscle Mass!

AnimalPak: The "Power" Diet

Power Bodybuilding Diet For Building Muscle Mass!
AnimalPak: The Power Diet
Author Writter Image By: J-Rock

Power bodybuilding diet for building muscle mass off season and on season.

Most want to be as cut as possible on stage while holding on to as much muscle mass as possible, most powerlifters want to drop a weight class if possible be keep ever once of strength and power gained during training...

food

As much as powerlifting differs from bodybuilding, nutritional guidelines for each of these are just as diverse as the sport itself. While both sports have a lot of similarities in the lifts and training themselves (as well as personal preferences as far as training is performed), there are just as many differences in diet. For example, I am a powerlifter specializing in bench press but have a very “bodybuilding” routine in that I work a body part per day, killing each muscle group throughout the week. My main reasoning in this is to create a well balanced physique and in turn, prevent injuries due to imbalances in muscle groups such as shoulder blowouts. Don’t get me wrong, injuries are a part of the sport, just as much as anything else, and they make most people feel more like a “veteran” the more they accumulate. However, if they can be prevented by changing a few things, I’m all for it.

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Most people assume that the main difference between a powerlifter and a bodybuilder is that a bodybuilder diets two to three months a year and gets cut up while powerlifters stay fat. That is partially true in that a powerlifter generally doesn’t have to drop a lot of weight for a show and in most cases shouldn’t due to strength loss. Coming from a bodybuilding background, the last thing I want to do on stage is bench press. My main focus is trying to flex every little muscle group, smile, and not pass out. However, aside from the big boys, most people in powerlifting are going to try to drop a few pounds to get into a lower weight class safely without losing strength. Depending on the weigh-in times, this can vary anywhere between five to twenty pounds simply by sitting in a sauna. However, a proper diet along with the necessary workout regimen can and will give optimum results in strength without making someone fat.

The diet of a powerlifter and a bodybuilder will vary for a few reasons such as bodybuilders doing lighter weight, more reps and powerlifters doing fewer reps, heavier weight. There are many techniques acquired throughout the career of an experienced powerlifter. Explosion off the chest, control in the negative, and lift specific techniques such as arching on bench and squatting wide for hip power all come into play affecting the necessary diet of each lifter. Finding out how your body reacts to these changes is an individual thing. Unfortunately there is trial and error for a lot of it, like discovering how your body will react to an extra shake here or five extra grams of glutamine there. Just as there is no one way to diet for a bodybuilding show or drop your water weight, finding the correct balance of everything will vary from person to person. However, there are some guidelines that I, along with most other powerlifters, will follow that will lead to an increase in strength.

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Starting with a little background in nutrition, the main things you’ll hear about or need to concern yourself with as far as food and supplements is the amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. There are different types and forms of each that will have a slightly different effect, but we’ll start off keeping it simple. All three of these are different amounts of calories and are absorbed into the body at different speeds, used differently, and stored differently. Protein has 4 calories/gram, carbohydrates have 4 calories/gram, and fats have 9 calories/gram. Although fats have more energy per gram, they are stored the easiest in the body. Therefore, carbohydrates should be your main source of energy with protein being used for muscle repair and growth. All three of these are necessary in their own way. For example, carbohydrates help drive protein to muscle cells. That means everyone that’s aspiring to be a great powerlifter and is on the “carbs are the enemy” diet, cut that shit out now.

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Even though bodybuilding and powerlifting are 2 weight training sports the 2 are very different in their nutrition goals.

Here are the basics that I try to stick to throughout my contest diet cycle. I go through a gain cycle and a cut cycle in my diet. When I’m gaining, I’m trying to get a ton of calories each day to make sure I’m getting ample energy and minerals from food. In this phase, I shoot for one and a half grams of protein per pound of bodyweight, two and a half grams of carbs per pound of bodyweight, and don’t intentionally eat fats but if I get them, so be it. I never really eat really bad food like candies, cakes, etc. because I’ve honestly never really had a bad sweet tooth. However, if it comes down to eating nothing or eating two Big Macs, super-size me. Bad food is better than no food in this stage. The last thing you want to do is metabolize muscle because you’re afraid of getting too many calories.

Metabolism is very important as well. Eating at least five to seven food meals a day is very important. This doesn’t include the protein bar you ate on the way to school or work. Supplements are good, but they are that and that alone: a supplement to food. I shoot for a good balanced diet of proteins and carbs in every meal throughout the day. Some of the proteins I eat daily are steaks, eggs, and chicken and every now and then I throw in beef and turkey as well. As far as carbs, I eat a ton of oatmeal, potatoes, yams, grain cereal, brown rice and pasta. In fact, normally about two hours before the gym, I’ll cook up two chicken breasts and a box of macaroni and cheese and mix it together. Tastes pretty good and isn’t as bad for you as you think--look it up.

As far as supplements, they are very easy and convenient to take. It is way easier to drink a hundred grams of protein than to eat a hundred grams of protein. However, I divide the grams of protein I take in protein shakes in half because they are easily digested and often times will flush out. Therefore, don’t drink three shakes with a hundred grams in each and think you’ve hit 300 for the day. In all reality, you might have only ingested 150. The other supplements that are important to powerlifters are glucosamine, creatine, and a multivitamin. Luckily, these are easy to take in the form of Animal Flex, Animal Pump, and of course Animal Pak. Those are the important supplements in my opinion and these three are honestly all I ever really take throughout the year aside from protein supplements.

A normal day’s diet for me consists of a schedule similar to this:

This is my normal diet schedule most of the year throughout my gaining phase. I gauge this by weight and the mirror. If I feel like I’m starting to get a little heavier, I throw in cardio a few times and week and clean up the diet a little more. Also, it is very important to drink lots of water shooting for at least a gallon a day if not more. With this diet, you should see great results in strength as well as overall gym performance. Powerlifters don’t have to be the big fat bald guys. Fat does not lift weight. However, getting the necessary amounts of calories per day are crucial to getting to the next level. Your workout tomorrow will be dependent on your diet today.

Tags: Supplements Protein Muscle Builder Whole Foods

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