Eight professional bodybuilders and fitness models talked about their diet when cutting their bodies. Let's figure it out, because there is a lot to learn from them!
- Lane Norton on diet and nutrition while cutting The principles of nutrition on a diet
- A typical diet day out of season?
- Cutting diet plan
- Nutrition tips
- Principles regarding nutrition
- Diet
- Diet principles
- What is more important for burning fat?
- Principles of nutrition
- What and how to eat
Keep a training diary
It is very difficult to track your own progress based only on your reflection in the mirror. Therefore, the first thing a novice bodybuilder should do is keep a training diary. You can conduct it in any order, but the following points should be present: results, training, sample training programs. It is thanks to such a diary that a bodybuilder has the opportunity to regulate his progress, set new goals, and analyze the results. Plus, recording your results will be great motivation!
Without proper nutrition - nowhere
Bodybuilding is not only about intense training, proper distribution of load and recovery. This is also a rational approach to nutrition. It is necessary not only to create a training program, but also to review your daily menu. It should be based on the following rules:
- Do not mix several foods at once and separate sources of carbohydrates and proteins.
- You'll have to train yourself to drink a lot of water; here you won't get away with just two liters.
- You will also need to stock up on food scales and control each portion by weighing.
- Avoid foods rich in fats and carbohydrates.
- Salads are your friend, but now you need to season them not with sunflower oil or mayonnaise, but with olive oil.
- Minimize your intake of empty calories. This is carbonated water, chips, packaged juices and so on.
- It is also prohibited to have meals two to three hours before the start of training.
Experts recommend managing hunger pangs with snacks. An apple or other light fruit will do. The main thing is to have a snack at least half an hour before training, but not before it.
Lane Norton on diet and nutrition while cutting
Principles of nutrition on a diet
Again, I repeat that it depends more on the person himself, his preferences and character. As for me, I prefer moderation in everything. My diet, like everyone else’s, includes proteins, fats and carbohydrates. I usually eat about 1-1.15 g of protein per body weight, fat makes up about 20-30% of the total amount of kcal, and the rest of my daily intake has to be supplemented with carbohydrates. In the off-season, this is about 240 g of protein, 80-90 g of fat and 450-500 g of carbohydrates.
A typical diet day out of season?
The macronutrients that I consume are always the same, but at the same time I try to diversify my menu as much as possible. To be honest, I don’t really believe in all this red tape around planned meals. Although most people simply go crazy about chicken and broccoli, considering them somehow “magical”. But the fact is that the body does not see the foods you eat; it divides everything into amino acids, carbohydrates, lipids and fiber. In other words, your body still gets amino acids from chicken breast or steak, as long as it gets the right amount.
Cutting diet plan
It depends on how my body reacts to what is happening and based on this I try to choose the most comfortable option for myself. I usually try to consume around 250-300g protein, 150-200g carbs and 45-60g fat per day. But on top of that, I always set aside two days a week when I gradually increase the amount of carbohydrates to 300-350 g, while reducing the percentage of protein and fat by 10 units.
Nutrition tips
Nutrition, like training, should be constant! I don’t believe in various kinds of dietary restrictions that make a person feel unhappy, but I also don’t believe in various cheat meals. Like I said, I believe in moderation and consistency! And speaking of moderation, read the book “The Hare and the Tortoise.” The turtle always wins!
What is considered a healthy food for a bodybuilder?
If your goal is to build muscle mass, you need to make sure that your diet contains foods high in protein:
- veal or chicken fillet;
- cottage cheese and chicken eggs;
- seafood;
- legumes.
It is this food that is considered a building material for muscles, because it contains a lot of protein. But you can’t go far on protein alone; a bodybuilder needs energy, which is very useful in training. It enters the body along with food that contains carbohydrates. These include cereals, buckwheat is best, do not forget about durum wheat pasta, as well as apples, cucumbers, herbs, and tomatoes.
Dickens Lambert on food for drying the body
What is more important for burning fat?
I believe that 80 percent of your appearance and your health depends on your diet.
How to eat before drying
I usually eat the same thing every day, but sometimes I can diversify my menu a little. I eat 6 times a day.
- Breakfast: oatmeal with protein
- Second and fourth meals: horse meat, sweet potatoes and any vegetables (raw)
- Third and fifth meals: chicken, basmati rice and vegetables
- Post-workout: Protein with orange or banana juice.
I also have a cheat meal once a week, usually on Saturday or Sunday, depending on my plans with family or friends
Cutting diet plan
The same as during the breaks... I try to achieve the shape I need, focusing on cardio exercises
Adviсe
Food is generally our fuel and our nourishment. Therefore, try to eat quality foods to feel good, both physically and mentally.
Philip Ricardo JR about the drying menu
What you need for a sculpted body
As for me, in order to achieve the desired shape, while losing as little muscle mass as possible, you need to watch your diet.
I used to start preparing for competitions 4-6 weeks in advance, but recently I decided to increase this period to 8-12 weeks. After all, the extra time allows me to get used to the new regime gradually (it’s very difficult for me to give up burgers and pizza so quickly) and maintain as much muscle as possible, while losing about a kilogram per week.
By the way, sometimes this weight loss can cause you to look less ripped during a photo shoot or competition. To avoid this, you need to try to consume the right amount of macroelements that the body needs so much, and then even after losing weight, you will look much better than you look during the breaks.
I usually support my body with diets that include high protein content. As for carbohydrates, the amount in my diet depends on my daily routine, for example, I have high carbohydrate days (200 grams), on such days I usually do cardio and strength training.
And on those days when I try to eat as few carbohydrates as possible (50 grams), I sit at home, watch TV or just read.
Like everyone else, I give myself a cheat meal, allowing myself to eat whatever I want. Also, once a week I allow myself to eat a delicious, juicy steak.
Oh yes, don’t forget about water, I try to drink about 5 liters of water a day.
Meals for the day during preparation and during the break
My menu during drying:
- 6:00 - oatmeal pancake (8 eggs, (1-2 yolks), half a cup of oatmeal)
- 8:30 – protein shake with water, amino acids and flaxseed oil
- 10:30 – can of tuna with mustard, brown rice and 5 grams of glutamine
- 13:00 (pre-workout) - protein shake with glutamine and vitamin (C/E)
- 16:00 – 2 chicken breasts and brown rice
- 19:00 - chicken breasts or fish, broccoli, green salad dressed with vinegar or olive oil
- 21:30 - steak and salad
- before bed - a protein shake
During breaks, I eat almost the same thing, but I just increase the percentage of carbohydrates.
What is a bodybuilder prohibited from eating?
You can achieve the desired results only by avoiding harmful foods. Smoked products, sweet soda, pickles, baked goods, processed foods and sweets will have to be left in the past. Proper nutrition is already half the way. Intensified training will not have a visible effect if you do not take care of eliminating harmful foods from your diet. You should start not with a training program, but with a nutrition plan. As for carbohydrates, the maximum benefit from them is after a workout, especially during the first 30 minutes, while the metabolism is working at its maximum.
Daniel Grissom at food
Principles
Try to maintain the diet constantly without breaking down. Yes, of course, you can sometimes arrange a cheat meal for yourself, because you can’t live without it.
What and how to eat
During this period, I try to eat about 300 grams of protein per day, so I eat turkey, chicken, tilapia, proteins and drink various protein shakes
Drying day
So, before preparing for a competition, I try to eat the amount of protein that is necessary, taking into account my body weight. I usually start with 210 grams and as I lose weight, I reduce the amount of protein, but this figure never drops below 190 grams.
As I do during the break, I eat chicken, fish and protein shakes.
As for carbohydrates, I start with about 185 grams, gradually reducing this parameter.
Normalization of the graph
Bodybuilding is not just a training and nutrition program, it is a lifestyle. Therefore, in addition to harmful foods, you will have to leave bad habits in the past in order to get the maximum benefit from your classes. Cigarettes, alcohol, lack of sleep, a wild lifestyle - all this is taboo. The daily routine is also important; it is recommended to eat and exercise at approximately the same time. Sleep - at least eight hours so that the body has time to recover. You need to go to the gym only when you are rested, otherwise the workout will not have the desired effect. Everything should be in moderation, and you shouldn’t push yourself to the point of exhaustion.
We have already paid quite a lot of attention to the issues of building muscle volume and nutrition. However, issues of appearance, relief and drawing of the body fell out of our field of vision. Today we will talk about such a process in bodybuilding as muscle drying.
Cutting goals for bodybuilders
First of all, this is reducing the percentage of fat in the body as much as possible. At the end of the diet, the bodybuilder should look “lean”, as if he consists only of muscles. Here you can see pronounced abs, oblique abdominal muscles, and so on. Another goal of cutting for bodybuilders is to preserve all the muscle gains. The drying process is based on three components - a special diet, a training program, both strength and aerobic. To understand what we are talking about, you just need to look at the photo of the bodybuilder before and after drying, given below. Such results deserve respect.
How do bodybuilders dry?
The first goal is to get rid of every last drop of fat. There are two ways to do this. First of all, when cutting, a “muscle” needs to spend more calories than he consumes. Secondly, to replenish the lack of sugar in the blood through the processing of fatty acids into ketone bodies, since consuming sugar is not recommended, and glucose is fuel for the body. A standard bodybuilding cutting diet includes the following aspects:
- Don't lie in bed, you need to get up before 7 am.
- Don't forget about two glasses of water on an empty stomach.
- The first run is 40 minutes.
- After it, you need to provide the body with a protein-carbohydrate breakfast. The optimal ratio is 60/40.
- Next is a second run, if your schedule allows.
- For the rest of the day, follow the nutritional rules described above.
Following these simple rules will help you achieve the results you want quickly and efficiently.
The truth about cutting bodybuilders
For some reason, some income hardgainers (or rather, almost all) dream of not only pumping up muscles, becoming stronger, increasing muscle mass, but also immediately getting sculpted abs. And in general, a figure like that of the jocks from the Internet and fabulous fitness magazines. I’m writing about “drying” especially for you. I'll break your rose-colored glasses.
Spring has come, summer is coming, there are more and more people in fitness clubs, soon it will be like herrings (pigs) in a barrel. Everyone is starting to urgently lose weight - “get dry”, and even me. The result is needed as quickly as possible, within two weeks, preferably by the sea. I won’t say anything about the fact that we should have been thinking about summer since the fall; this is a separate topic.
But what do you imagine the result to be?
Summer, sea, beach...
And I’m walking along the beach, so pumped up, with large but defined muscles! All so athletic, strong, I can swim, run, rock!
Or I walk like this, slender, with beautiful breasts, but with a toned stomach (maybe even with abs) and an elastic butt!
So can you imagine the result of shock spring drying?
Now I will break your rose-colored glasses, hopes and dreams!
Begin?
Go!
Where did you see this?
- In the journal?
- In the Internet?
- On TV?
- Large and prominent muscles are unnatural!
Once again, where did you see this?
Ah, bodybuilders and models!
You see them only after severe drying, naturally with “chemistry,” and the loss of 20-30 kilograms of fat and muscle. And for those curious, no one has ever died from steroids, but during the “drying” period many people died from “chemistry”...
For the female body, the main problem of drying is the breasts. Only fools from Instagram and VK think that running and squats strengthen the chest. They didn’t learn anatomy well at school and don’t know how much fatty tissue there is in a woman’s breasts.
According to these girls: “Thin people also have breast size 3, from this we can conclude that normal breasts do not consist of fat, only fat people have breasts made of fat.)”
- When drying the female body, the breasts “go away” first, and the fat from the abdomen, legs and ass is the last.
All the sculpted fitness models with large breasts that girls from Instagram like so much are the fruits of silicone or Photoshop.
Now let's move on to men.
If you have a sculpted friend who says he doesn’t eat chemicals, he’s lying. I respect those who honestly say that they are on the “course”. Remember, big muscles without fat are unnatural.
Of course, there are exceptions; 2% of the population are classified as “athletes”. These are genetic mutants, they have thin skin, but developed muscles.
Everyone else, no...
Professional bodybuilders, mega-monsters with huge muscles, those who have long given up on their health, are on chemotherapy and eat 12 times a day. Those who eat tons of sports nutrition. And even they cannot circumvent this law.
Have you seen bodybuilders in the off-season? These are huge monsters, swollen with fat, weighing well over a hundred kilograms, with bellies like drums. For most of their lives, this is exactly what they look like. You see them only after severe drying, naturally using “chemistry”.
If you say, I don’t want to be healthy like a bodybuilder, but just pumped up like a model for a magazine like Men’s Health, I will disappoint you. The model goes through either the same 2%, or preparation for filming, the same brutal “drying”. And of course, don’t forget about the wonders of Photoshop.
A little about bodybuilders in the off-season.
Man is a machine. As you fill up, so will you go. This is a universal rule for everyone. And for the wheelbarrow, and for the locomotive, and for the human body. A large and heavy car with a powerful engine means high gas mileage. How much fuel does a jeep consume? And what quality? How much does it cost to maintain and maintain it?
Do you understand my association?!
If you didn’t understand in conclusion, I will return to this issue. How do we refuel? Let's eat. To live, you have to eat. Not to eat, as some people think, but to eat. This is the law of nutrition for an athlete. An ordinary person eats for pleasure, an athlete eats for training, recovery, and performance growth. Any, strength, mass, speed, yes, yes, oddly enough. The sprinter also eats a lot. Association with a racing car, what is the fuel consumption of Formula 1 cars?
Naturally, the food for the body and training that an athlete eats and the food that an ordinary person eats are slightly, and sometimes radically, different. The same can be said about the frequency of meals and volumes of food. If you want to achieve results, you will eat what you need, and in the right quantities.
As they say, like it, don’t like it, sleep my beauty...
Food consists of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, we don’t take the rest into account yet.
Naturally, a large body requires a lot of energy, in the form of fats and carbohydrates, and a lot of protein, to build and maintain muscles. With an average weight of 70–80 kilograms, you need to get 3500–4000 kilocalories per day. The weight of an average jock is 90-120 kilograms, naturally, the daily energy requirement is 4500–5000. The weight of a professional bodybuilder, the one from the Kachkov magazine... is 130-150 and even more kilograms in the off-season. This is a huge and most powerful jeep, this is a Hamer, only human. So how much fuel does it eat?
As an example, you can look at the menu of the famous bodybuilder Jay Cutler, 5000-7000 kilocalories:
- 12 egg whites (two whole eggs), 1 toasted French loaf, 1 bowl oatmeal (measured dry), 1 tablespoon honey, 1 banana, 1 cup black coffee, 1 serving whey protein.
- 280g beef (tenderloin or rib), 2 plates rice, 1 plate broccoli or asparagus.
- post-workout whey protein shake with creatine.
- 280 g beef, 2 plates of rice, 1 plate of broccoli or asparagus.
- 15 egg whites, 1 bowl of oatmeal and 3 rice cakes (15g carbs each).
- protein-carbohydrate cocktail.
- 280 g beef, 1 plate of broccoli or asparagus.
- 3-4 servings of sushi (dinner).
- 12 egg whites (two whole eggs), 1 bowl of oatmeal.
- whey protein and oatmeal buns (5-6 pieces).
- 280 g beef, 1 bowl of oatmeal and nutritional supplements.
- protein-carbohydrate cocktail (optional).
How does he manage to eat such a huge amount of carbohydrates and protein? He just eats 10-12 times a day! Every hour and a half plus two meals at night. His credo: “I eat not for pleasure, but to become bigger.” Mr. Olympia said it!
Naturally, what he did not say, in order for the body to process and absorb such an amount of food, instead of human blood, a pharmacological solution of a mutant is needed.
An approximate list of a steroid course for professionals, I repeat, is approximate for Russia, it is not known what else Kater is taking:
- Anabol – around 100 mg per day
- Nandrolone – from 2 to 4 g per full week
- Winstrol injections – from 200 to 300 mg per day
- Injectable testosterone - approximately 2g per week
- Sustanon – approximately 2g per week
- Oxymetholone – 300 to 400 mg per day
- Parabolan tablets – from 150 to 200 mg per day
- Insulin – from 40 to 80 units per day
- GH (growth hormone) - from 12 to 24 units per day
- Cytadren – 2 g per day
Read more about sports nutrition, you can’t live without it. An approximate set of sports nutrition for a month for a person with a car:
- BSN Syntha-6, 5.04 Lbs. Lean Muscle
- Controlled Labs Orange Triad, 270 Tablets Iron Free
- Optimum Essential AmiN.O. Energy, 30 Servings Essential Amino Acids Including BCAAs
- BPI Sports 1.MR Powder, 224 Grams One More Rep.
- Universal Torrent, 3.28 Lbs. Anabolic Muscle Activating Supplement
- NOW Super EPA, 240 Softgels Omega-3's
- Optimum Micronized Creatine Powder, 300 Grams Minimum 99.9% Pure
You also need to add enzymes, enzymes, vitamins, and so on. It’s impossible to count everything. It’s clear to you, this is the only way, and no other way. Anyone who thinks that you can become like the guy from the magazine just by working out in a fitness club is a fool!
But anyone who thinks you can get huge muscles without steroids is simply a moron!
Drying professional bodybuilders.
If you still gain weight without chemicals, you can try (again, the result will depend on your natural data).
- It is impossible to create a sculpted body with muscles and without fat!
I’ll tell you a secret, once again, no one has died from the anabolic steroids that musclemen use when gaining weight! But, from the drugs that are used during the “drying” process, many have lost their health and even “turned up”!
To take or not to take anabolic steroids is a two-fold question; if you are an amateur, this is one question, but if you have taken on professional loads (or figures), only “pharma” will help you cope with training and not impair your health (or impair it minimally), Let’s not forget that these are initially medications. With the same success, you can raise the question about any medications.
Cruel drying theory:
- When “drying”, the body is initially in a mode of lack of energy; it cannot be any other way. This is the only way to burn energy reserves in the form of fat!
- But the body has one unpleasant feature: with a lack of energy, muscles are burned!
- To get around this they take “pharma”!
Approximate course of medications during drying:
- Anavar 3 times a day 10 mg
- Clenbuterol at a dose of 100 mcg
- Stanozolol intramuscular injections every day for 7 weeks
- Deca Durabolin at a dose of 200 mg per week
Naturally, that’s not all, post-cycle therapy is needed to prevent the jock from becoming the owner of gorgeous female breasts (gynecomastia), remember the movie “Fight Club”...
- Antiestrogens are necessary, first of all, to prevent gynecomastia. These drugs should be taken throughout the cycle and 2-3 weeks after.
- Aromatase inhibitors (Proviron, 6-OXO and others) - during the course, to block estrogen effects
- Estrogen receptor blockers (Nolvadex or Clomid) - after completing the course for 2-3 weeks, to restore the secretion of your own testosterone
- Testosterone boosters - help restore hormonal levels. The start of treatment occurs at the end of the course of steroids and continues after it for another 2-3 weeks with a gradual reduction in the dose.
- Chorionic gonadotropin - helps prevent the development of testicular atrophy. Start taking it in the second week of the course and continue for another 1-2 weeks after the end with a gradual reduction in the dose.
- Hepatoprotectors - used to protect the liver from the toxic effects of steroids. Start of use - 2nd week of the cycle, end - 3rd week after the cycle.
- Omega-3 - to normalize cholesterol levels and protect the heart and blood vessels. It is taken during the entire course and for another 2 weeks after it.
- Growth hormone - may reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression and cardiovascular complications after a cycle of anabolic steroids. However, growth hormone preparations are very expensive and therefore are not always included in post-course therapy. A standard course of growth hormone is administered immediately after completion of AAS intake.
- Cortisol blockers - these supplements suppress catabolism and keep muscles from breaking down as much as possible. The start of taking these supplements should occur at the end of the course of steroids and last 3-4 weeks.
I think now you understand what large and prominent muscles are worth.
Once again, a warning for the “hard-of-brain”:
- As long as you don’t bench press a 100 kg barbell for 10 reps, there is no “drying”!
- When cutting, the body burns muscle along with fat, but first the muscles!
A few reminders for girls:
- The female body burns its breasts during drying!
- All the beautiful and sculpted girls from the Internet and magazines have silicone breasts.
- If you don't have the money for surgery, your breasts will look terrible.
- Are you ready to pay with breasts for abs?
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How to maintain gained muscles?
To maintain muscle mass, you first need to gain muscle mass, and then dry it out. To get the coveted six packs, and not a big ball on your stomach, you need not only to eat a balanced diet, but also keep in mind the following rules of cutting in bodybuilding:
- Strict calculation of calories depending on weight and individual indicators.
- There is a strict taboo on fats and fast carbohydrates, the basis of the diet is protein (up to 3-3.5 grams per kilogram of weight).
- The basis of drying is the gradual transfer of the body to a low-carbohydrate regime, where there are a minimum of carbohydrates and, on the contrary, more proteins.
To achieve visible results and admire six-pack abs, you need to reduce your body fat level to 10%. And this is the minimum indicator.
Sean Clarida about the cutting diet
Principles of nutrition
If you want to achieve results, eat right! Eat to win
Food for the day during a break
During the break, I try to get myself into my usual shape, so I eat whatever I want, but at the same time I train hard and by the start of the competition I am almost at the weight I need.
What to eat all day while working on terrain
- Breakfast: oatmeal and egg whites
- Second, third and fourth meals: fish or chicken, sweet potatoes or rice, vegetables
- Dinner: fish or chicken, vegetables
Advice to readers
And again, nutrition is an important step in achieving your goal. So try to stick to your plan and don't give up
Tips for Beginner Bodybuilders
The treasured drying forms can only be obtained if you religiously follow the following rules:
- The main principle is “breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper.”
- You will definitely have to forget about night trips to the refrigerator.
- You need to eat 5-6 times a day, and the first two of them are the most satisfying.
- Protein shakes and sports drinks will also come in handy.
- Sauces, ketchups and other “garbage” should be left in the past.
- Cake on Saturday or beer with friends on Friday is not for you.
- Take a course of vitamins.
On the one hand, such rules may seem simple, but if you are not used to it, you will need considerable willpower to achieve results.
Stu Elaine on what to eat for drying
Diet principles
Honestly, I try to keep things as simple as possible.
However, there are a lot of crazy things that people continue to believe in, and I can't wait for this nonsense to just die out. For example, if I hear something like “just eat 500 fewer calories and you'll lose weight” one more time, I'm going to break my computer. After all, it's the nutrients that matter to your body, not the calories. So it's not just about the quantity, you also have to think about the consequences it may have on your hormonal levels.
What to eat in the off-season
Of course, I relax a little during this time, but I try not to deviate too much from my desired weight.
Nutrition during the drying diet for a day
Well, in general, I usually always have a different approach to each competition, but here is my menu during one of the last fat burning diets:
- 6:00 – Chicken egg whites with broccoli/cauliflower/turkey and half a cup of oatmeal
- 9:00 - a cup of cottage cheese with sweetener and cinnamon
- 11:00 - chicken breast, green salad, half a cup of oatmeal
- 2:00 pm – Half a cup of oatmeal with two scoops of low-carb protein powder
- 16:00 - sports nutrition (before training)
- 16:30 - protein-carbohydrate shake (after training)
- 19:30 - chicken breast, oatmeal and raw vegetables
- 22:00 - 2 tablespoons casein protein and 2 tablespoons peanut butter
Adviсe
To be honest, I'm not particularly hard on myself because I don't want to miss out on anything in this life just because I have this hobby.
But, even during breaks, in addition to regular food, try to eat the right foods. I'll explain now. For example, if I know I'm going out with friends today, I'll definitely eat something before going out, whether it's chicken breast, oatmeal, or just a protein shake. I do this to make sure that I get the right amount of all the microelements I need, even if I eat not particularly healthy food with my friends.
