Table Of Contents

The Special Requirements Of Bodybuilding

They can use aerobic exercise to burn up extra calories, but not to the point where their gym workouts suffer. They need to control calories, but get sufficient protein to build and maintain their muscle tissue.

The Basic Nutrients

There are three basic nutrients known as macronutrients:

1. Protein, composed of various amino acids, provides the building blocks for muscle tissue. It is also a component of all organs, and is involved in the structure of skin, bones, and tendons as well as being involved in many bodily functions (all enzymes are proteins).
2. Carbohydrates, fuel for energy, is composed of a variety of less complex or more complex sugar and starch molecules.
3. Fats (or oils), the nutrient that contains the most densely packed energy stores.

Water is also an essential nutrient. It constitutes 72 percent of muscles and most bodybuilders drink liters of it a day.

Micronutrients, include:

• vitamins—essential chemicals that facilitate various biochemical reactions
• minerals—essential for a number of vital body functions, including muscular contraction
• essential amino acids—parts of proteins that we obtain in foods
  • L-Isoleucine, L-Leucine, L-Lysine HCl, L-Methionine, L-Phenylalanine, L-Threonine, L-Tryptophan and L-Valine
• essential fatty acids—obtained from plants or fish oils

Protein

Protein is used by the body to build, repair, and maintain muscle tissue.

The body cannot use the protein you ingest for muscle-building unless all of the necessary amino acids are present.

Protein is made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (as are the other macronutrients) and one more element none of the other nutrients have—nitrogen. If you ever hear somebody talking about being in positive nitrogen balance or negative nitrogen balance what they are referring to is whether they are in an anabolic state—able to build muscle—or in a catabolic one—losing muscle.

Complete protein—that is, they provide all the amino acids necessary to produce usable protein. Examples of these foods are milk, eggs, meat, fish, and various vegetable products, such as soybeans.