Fine-tuning your diet
Every advice related to bodybuilding nutrition needs to be treated as a guideline first and foremost. The reason for this is that there are so many other factors that can have an impact on weight gain like your genetics, how often you train, intensity, training volume and many others. You could be on of those people who have an extremely hard time gaining weight and would need to add additional 500 calories. Who knows, maybe even 1000. But, eventually, you’ll reach a point where a certain weight will become your new normal weight.
You will reach that number on the scale. That’s why the most important takeaway from this article is experimenting and seeing what works best for you. Listen to your body. Study how different foods or calorie decreases or increases affect your mood. Try to see patterns in the chaos and eventually you’ll start seeing the results you’re after. Bodybuilding is not a race, it’s a marathon. And it needs constant analysis. Another reason why it’s essential that you keep a journal of what you eat, how many calories you consume, grams of protein, grams of carbs etc.
In this regard, bodybuilding is akin to the scientific method. You change a specific parameter and you see how it affects the whole system. Then you change something else and again observe if there are any different outcomes. With testing and experimentation, you will find what works best for you. Eating for muscle can be as hard as training for muscle. This is not for regular people, who just want to stay in shape. This is for dedicated lifters who are always seeking to take their physique to a more advanced level.
Let’s assume consuming 15 calories per pound of bodyweight for 4 weeks did not give you the results you expected. You feel energized and strong, but the number on the scale hasn’t moved at all. Then you bump it up to 18 calories per pound of bodyweight. Again, you do this for additional 4 weeks and observe the outcome again. Keep at it. Analyze the results. Reanalyze if need be. You either do this or guess like the majority of people do. If you’re serious about bodybuilding guessing is something you can’t afford. Yes, measuring everything takes time, but if you aren’t willing to put the effort, you’re not going to reach your goals.
