A video clip is circulating the Internet. One of the top bodybuilders in the world takes you on a trip through his kitchen. And unlike past such tours by other athletes - where they brag about their completely clean eating habits - this bodybuilder spills the beans on what bodybuilder really eat.
Chicken. Fish. Steak. Rice. Beans. Pasta.
Those are the bodybuilding staples that we expect to see in the kitchen of a top athlete, and he has them. However, next he breaks down the other foods he eats every day in order to reach the 5000 to 6000 calories he consumes in order to maintain his high levels of muscle mass.
Raisins. Peanuts. Waffles. Cookies. Ice cream. Even candy.
He eats fast food. He chews on chocolate chip granola bars. He loves potato chips.
While it might be hard to defend such a diet in terms of long-term health effects, this diet certainly does meet the requirements for bodybuilding success. This bodybuilder consumes 50 grams of protein at each of eight daily meals, giving him 400 grams or protein and 1600 calories from protein source, which is plenty. The remainder of his food sources contains the required fats and carbohydrates to round out the 5000 to 6000 calorie daily requirement, in both clean and non-clean sources.
How can he get away with this? First of all, he is a top bodybuilder weighing over 300 pounds. His body carries a lot of muscle, and muscle burns a great deal of calories. Second, he possesses an anabolic advantage. The compounds he uses give his body the ability to burn just about anything he consumes. Even ECA or Clenbuterol provide enough edge so that one can burn fat and gain muscle while eating almost anything. Third, the hours of weight training and cardio this athlete endures each week should be taken into account. Finally, his unique metabolic rate cannot be discounted.
Additionally, there is a whole 'nother school of thought which says that barring basic body requirement, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. This is still widely disputed and has obvious limitations (we all know that 1000 calories of marshmallows cannot be as effective as 1000 calories of steak, right?) but it's an interesting point of view.
Consuming 5000 to 6000 calories each day would lead most of us to certain obesity. However, this athlete provides proof that some "junk" food is acceptable and useful in a bodybuilding diet plan, provided other factors are in place.
Dane Fletcher is the world's most prolific bodybuilding and fitness expert and is currently the executive editor for BodybuildingToday.com. If you are looking for more bodybuilding tips or information on weight training, or supplementation, please visit , the bodybuilding and fitness authority site with hundreds of articles available FREE to help you meet your goals.
