The Body Sculptor’s Guide to Nutrition
Sculpting the body takes a good mix of muscular gain and loss of body fat. In order to gain muscle a good strength training workout must be coupled with solid, clean eating. To lose body fat a good combination of fat burning exercises and nutritious, healthy eating must be followed. There is quite a bit of overlap, and some areas that are in opposition. The key to a sculpted body is to find the middle ground that allows for good gains in musculature while keeping a lean hard look.
First, it is important to define the sculpted look referred to here. It is not the gargantuan size of many heavyweight bodybuilders and power lifters. It is also not the super lean, vascular look of a light- or middle-weight bodybuilder. It is the look of the "Greek gods." Sculpted muscles with a small amount of body fat that doesn’t hide the overall definition. Massive size is difficult to attain on a restrictive diet and the super lean look is hard on a high-calorie, muscle growth diet.
Nutrition is a key component in achieving a sculpted look. Training with weights and a good aerobic routine is important, also, but it will all be for not without quality nutrition. Unfortunately, there is not one formula that works for everyone. Some people have a naturally fast metabolism and they will be able to maintain a lean physique on almost any nutrition plan. They will struggle to put on any muscular size though. A person with a slower metabolism may be able to gain muscle very easily, but they may have a harder time shedding the excess body fat. So, each person will have to start with the basics and make adjustments that fit their body.
The basics of nutrition are the same for everyone. There are three basic macronutrients that make up the foods we eat; carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Carbohydrates and proteins contain approximately four calories per gram and fats contain about nine calories per gram. Any of the nutrients can be broken down for energy within the body, and any of them can be stored for future energy use in fat stores. The nutrients also work differently on hormones in the body. For the average Joe (or Jane) on the street the make-up of the foods is secondary to the total number of calories consumed. Since their average calorie expenditure does not change much from day to day and is not much above their resting metabolism they just need to make sure they have enough calories to fuel their system.
A person trying to build muscle and sculpt the body needs to be conscious of the fact that the muscles are made up of protein and water (with some carbohydrates stored for energy.) When weight training, protein becomes pretty important, since it is needed to repair and rebuild the muscles. Carbohydrates are important also, but simple sugars will cause an increase in insulin which, if taken in when the energy demand is low, will cause the extra energy to be quickly shuffled to fat stores. Complex carbohydrates and fibers help to slow the process and keep blood sugar, and therefore insulin, levels stable. Fats are needed in the diet as well. They serve several purposes in the body, however, they should be moderated and should be from unsaturated fats and oils.
Water is an essential part of a body sculptors diet. It is needed to aid digestion, facilitate transport throughout the body, and flush out waste. High sugar drinks and those with lots of caffeine should be avoided because they actually increase the need for water. Nice clean water is the best choice for hydration, and if you are eating properly there is no need for energy or electrolyte drinks.
When the nutrients are taken in is important, as well. It is important to note that it takes the body a while to digest and process the food that you eat. Proteins and fats take a while to go through the digestive process (up to 24 hours) while complex carbohydrates are slightly less (12-16 hours) and simple, processed sugars start to work on the body almost instantly with a very short lasting energy boost. With this in mind, if you work out in the morning then you want to get some good complex carbohydrates and protein, with some fats, at lunch and supper the day before. This will make these nutrients available during and right after the workout. Then have a good protein and complex carb meal shortly after the workout to replenish the stores. On rest days it is important to make sure to not overdo the total caloric intake since calorie expenditure will be lower. On workout days the calories can be a little higher, especially since the nutrients liberated from those foods will be needed during rest to repair and build.
Severely restricting calories is never a good idea since the body will think it is in a time of starvation and hold on to fat stores. Instead split meals into 4 to 6 smaller meals and eat every 2 to 3 hours. This tells the body that food is plentiful and it can let go of the stored energy. Right after a workout the metabolism is a little higher because the body is still recovering from the increased energy needs of the workout, so eating foods at this time will also help trick the body into shuffling the extra calories to the muscles for energy storage not fat stores.
Supplements may come in handy to boost protein intake and reduce saturated fat intake. Avoid "Bulking" powders with lots of sugar to make them taste good. The extra sugar will just increase fat stores and cause energy spikes and lulls. Whole foods are best when possible, but, when needed, a good protein shake can make the difference between muscles starving or being fed high quality building blocks.
When sculpting the body, nutrition starts with the basics and then builds from there. Understanding when and how to eat certain foods can help you ensure that the nutrients are available when the muscles need them. The nutritional plan will require constant tweaking and adjustments to balance the line between enough calories for muscle gain, but not too much, leading to fat gain. A chiseled, sculpted look requires a good workout plan coupled with sound nutritional practice.
