Loading ...Despite what anyone says, I believe that whole foods are the most crucial aspect to success in any athletic endeavor, whether you are trying to add some muscle, drop some fat, gain strength, or just get in better shape. That being said, I also believe that supplementation is essential for OPTIMAL results. Who is okay with average? Hopefully you aren’t. If you want to be above average you have to look for ways to get there. That means you will have to incorporate proper diet, training, and exceptional supplementation. This article will focus on the basics of diet and supplementation.
When it comes to diet, you need some basic guidelines to go by. Hardly anyone follows a diet exactly, so I find that over complicating diets with tedious planning is not usually needed, unless you are a bodybuilder in a cutting phase for a show. When you are training just for size and/or strength, as I do, then I have found that following a basic outline is easiest, and due to my anxiety over planning, I find that it is also better because it reduces my stress.
My basic guidelines are, each meal should have two vegetables, a source of good carbs, a source of protein, a source of healthy fats, and some fruit. I aim for 6-7 whole food meals per day. A sample breakfast for me would be:
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6 whole eggs, with cheese, spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes scrambled.
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1.5 cups oatmeal sweetened with splenda
- 1 grapefruit with splenda
- 2 cups of water
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1 cup of 2% organic milk
For a sample dinner I would have something like
- Small salad
- Steak (12-16oz)
- Broccoli
- Baked Potato
- Apple with peanut butter
- 3 cups of water
Now these are of course my ideal meals, but life happens, and things change sometimes.
I also incorporate 2 cheat meals per week. I find that when gaining strength/size, cheat meals are very helpful.
