Getting all busted out in the gym and still not seeing any change in your body can be pretty exhaustive. But then you see a heavily bulked guy working out by your side and all you can think is how on earth does he manage to have such a physique?
While the working out part is easily visible to everyone, the part where one had to supply nutrients to the body is always shadowed. But without proper nutrition supply, one can only exert muscles to push through a limit and they may not properly recover due to the absence of much-required nutrition.
Why nutrition is important?
Nutrition is the basic necessity for anyone opting for a fitness program, without having a proper diet and nourishing your body with proper nutritive components, it may lash out and deteriorate you from any positive results which you may have.
Bulking up or toning down, whichever regime you are following, requires a specific set of calorie consumption, macros and other nutritive components that may be defined according to your end goal.
There is also a persistent myth about weight loss and dieting, which were eating fewer results in getting your weight loss goals achieved. This is completely untrue and the only thing which happens from eating less and working out simultaneously is that your body may reach a famine state. In such conditions, the body feels a certain need for energy, which it’s lacking due to caloric deficit and cuts out upon your muscle mass, which is a good source of energy. The result of such a dieting is that you may not end up losing weight but muscles.
Also, upon starting weight training or any such fitness program, there are times that one is advised to intake manufactured supplements, such as muscle gainer, protein, etc. But are they really necessary? We can get back to this question at the very end but before let’s jump into some rather basic components of bodybuilding.
The basic science behind Muscle building and how diet plays an important role in bodybuilding?
Anyone who went to the gym, even once known that the muscle fibers break and then repaired in order to achieve the muscle growth, that one is working out for. The process is simple and it requires muscles to be exposed to higher levels of tension compared to that it undergoes on a usual basis and process is known as ‘Hypertrophy’.
The muscle repair happens when your body is in a relaxed state or especially when sleeping at night. The injured muscle tissues release a molecule called cytokines, which then calls for the immune system to play their role and repair the damaged tissue.
The role of exercise in bodybuilding is to perform hypertrophy and incur a break in the muscle tissues so that they can be repaired producing bigger and better functional muscles. A good sleep cycle is also necessary in order to properly repair the damaged tissues. But one more thing is prominent and that is nutrition, which plays a key role in the process.
Proteins are required to repair the muscle tissues and that’s the reason behind recommending a high protein diet to anyone opting for an intense fitness program. Along with protein, there is also one important component, amino acids which are required for protein synthesis.
The amino acids are present in abundance in animal-based products such as chicken and fish but are missing in plants based products. A vegetarian diet has to include different food sources for completing amino acid requirements while a non-vegetarian diet can match that with a good amount of chicken. That’s the reason behind vegetarian bodybuilders had to work extra hard and maintain a strict diet for seeing muscle growth. This little example is enough to justify the role of nutrition in the bodybuilding process.
How to fulfill the body’s nutritional needs?
The body’s nutritional needs can be fulfilled by following a well-calculated diet plan which is composed of the materials required to reach your goals. The nutrition cannot be skipped and the reasons must be pretty clear up to this point.
Also, the quantity and schedule of food intake matters in the Bodybuilding progression. It is said that eating two bananas in the morning will be good for your metabolism. Also, it is suggested not to eat heavy meals before going to bed as the digestive system which should be in a state of rest, keeps on churning to break down food the whole night. Therefore, when you get up the next morning, you feel exhausted due to the reason that your body was active while it should be in a state of rest.
There are two types of products that can help supply the required nutrient to the body:
Natural products
The natural products are also known as plant and animal-based products, we eat them on a daily basis. The composition of the nutrient might be different from individual to individual but the products can be obtained naturally.
Manufactured products
The manufactured products are specifically designed nutritive products that can enhance our body’s function in a short amount of time as compared to the condition where we only rely upon natural products.
- Whey Protein
- BCAA
- Creatine
- Glutamine
- Omega-3 Fish oil
These are some of the most famous supplements known to be taken by someone who is enrolled in a fitness program. The Whey Protein is the only one among these that can be taken by anyone without any repercussion and except that all the other are only necessary while going for a serious bodybuilding regime.
The common notion among people is that taking manufactured substances will harm the body, but when one gets to know how natural materials are used in the manufacturing process then all the doubts just vanishes. The water that is left after the process of curdling of panner from milk in order to make paneer is condensed under high pressure and whey protein is obtained. So, the whey protein powder is basically the purest form of protein you can consume.
Everything that claims to enhance performance is not good and some intakes might result in heavy compensation in the form of hazardous side-effects. There are some products that one should not consume, some of them are mentioned below:
- Steroids
- Mass gainer
- Fat Burner
Are there any Side effects of taking artificial nutritive components?
There are no side effects for someone who is on whey proteins but as mentioned above, if anabolic steroids or any synthetic drugs are being consumed then they are destined to ruin your health in the long term. Also, don’t go for any supplement without prior consultation from your fitness coach and do verify that he/she is having the required necessary certification to advise you so.
Who are they meant for?
While whey protein can be taken by anyone even if they are not indulged in any kind of physical activity, other supplements should be only consumed after consultation with your fitness trainer. Also, there is a certain stage when your muscles require you to provide them more nutrients as they have hit their high point, then you should start with the supplementation process.