[quote]MikeManos wrote:
ShadowPro, with regard to a bb’s eating habits and food selection, I have a slightly different question for you, which is one with regards to a pro’s diet and vitamin & mineral supplementation: I am curious as to how most competition bodybuilders eat and diet (generally speaking) during the off season, as well as just before a competition to get in peak shape.
Since you are an experienced competitor, with the relevant vast expertise and credentials in this field, I’d greatly appreciate your personal input and observation on this subject. I understand that this is quite an extensive question, and it can vary to significantly in degree from individual to individual, but I am trying to find out (in the most general sense) how much things have changed from 20-30 years ago, as opposed to today. In retrospect I’d like to understand how a pro bodybuilder approaches his daily dietary intake, and how most IFBB pros structure their diets throughout the course of a typical day.
For example, former bodybuilder Ric Drasin (who used to train with Arnold and the boys back in the day, andhappens to have quite a prolific following on YouTube), talks extensive about the time he used to train, and how the guys (back in the 70’s at Venice Beach) used to eat every day. It sounds like it was very simple and basic back then: a seven egg omelet for breakfast, cottage cheese as a snack, steak and lean hamburger meat w/a salad for lunch and dinner, buffet style (meat, chicken & fish) grub from time to time, and the occasional end of the week all-you-can-eat pie feast (which Arnold himself was well know for) as a treat and carb-up. In short, high protein, moderate fat, and mostly low carbs pretty much year round.
Fast forward to the year 2000, and the info I received sounded radically different (as written in online features and forums, as well as from a competitor I spoke with at the time), where things became much more varied and elaborate with food selection, as well as with attention to detail (in types of food and macronutrient partitioning) for some bb’s. I know there were guys at the time (or so I heard) that still never wandered that far off, poundage and fat wise, from stage shape, and then there were guys like Lee Priest - who were renowned for ballooning up and down during the off season and on stage - whose diet contained lots of junk, fast and sugary food, in addition to continuously devouring seemingly limitless calories throughout the day during their off-season mass phase. As such, do most pro’s still follow this “eat everything in sight” approach, namely in the off season?
As for pros your size, what constitutes the typical caloric and macronutrient ranges throughout the year? How about grams of protein, fats and carbs per day, during both a mass and cutting phase?
Lastly, strictly form a vitamin and mineral supplement standpoint, what are the primary vitamin and mineral supplements you use (and recommend) yourself throughout the year? Do you know if most pros do the same?
Your insight and feedback would be most welcome.[/quote]
Nutritional science has evolved tremendously since those days. With the introduction of Peri-Workout nutrition and higher quality supplements the game has changed. No one eats the way they used to back in the day, it was far from optimal.
As far as bodyfat percentages, most of the guys are staying around 8-10% even in the off season and still eat clean food year round just in larger amounts. The approach that most guys are using today is high protein, high carb and low fat. The amounts are individual and depends on the person, they are also changing based on training and timing around the competitions. Cheat meals are placed strategically into the meal plan, usually once or twice a week depending if it’s offseason or during the prep.
Ok, as far as supplements… Here is what I use and recommend. A lot of other guys I know are using the same but you won’t always hear about these specifically from the guys because they are obligated to promote the supplements companies who pay their bills.
All year:
Elitepro multiminerals
Calcium
Vitamin-C
Circumin
Flameout
Superfood
Plazma
MAG-10
NAC
Diet:
Indigo-3G
Micro-PA
After my competition season ends I’ll get on Alpha Male, Rhodiola , Rez-V and kidney support.
I really need to make a strong note about the MAG-10 and Plazma here… Regardless of what supplement company that anyone is sponsored by or working with. These 2 are a staple that cannot be missed.