Bodybuilding Truths

[Xenoxorph]

---

Here are some truths about building...... I apologize for the information i have given earlier this year or last year. It seems that those information were theories and have not been backed by science. Again i am sorry for those misinformations.

No credits shall be given to me as all of these information are copied straight from the forums of bodybuilding.com

Time to Debunk Bodybuilding Nutrition Myths

Fruit Avoidance

Questions regarding whether or not fruit is acceptable in a bodybuilding nutrition regimen are the most common here in the nutrition forum. It's just a myth that fruit will make one gain unwanted pounds of fat because of the high amounts of sugar it contains. What makes one gain weight is excess calories, not fruit. Simple. What many people don't know is that all fruits are calorically sparse and rich in nutrients, vitamins, and fiber. Most fruits only contain 4-7g of fructose per serving. The fructose in fruits keeps the liver in a "fed state" which conclusively keeps the individual in an anti-catabolic state. Unlike other food sources, fruits are rich in antioxidants and other phytonutrients that go a long way in aiding in recovery from brutal, grueling, intense workouts. It would take a HUGE QUANTITY of fruit to experience any negatives associated with fructose. Bottom line: eat your fruit!


Carbohydrates At Night

If I had a dollar for everytime a member of the message boards asks "Will eating carbs at night make me fat?", I'd be a rich man. The truth is, eating carbohydrates at night is perfectly fine, but you must analyze a few factors first. Calories are what determines whether one gains or loses weight. If one exceeds their caloric matience level, more than likely, the individual will gain weight. If one creates an energy deficit, preferably through cardiovascular activity/restriction of calories/weight training sessions, the individual will more than likely lose weight. Simple as that! It all depends on one's overall calorie total that determines body composition, not the time carbohydrates were eaten. Carbohydrates have many anti-catabolic properties and should not be eliminated at any time of day. They can be very beneficial at night, bulking or cutting, by pulling out all the theoretical stops related to anticatabolism. In conclusion, carbohydrates should not be restricted at night in attempt of preventing one's body of storing them as adipose tissue because the true factor that determines weight gain is a calorie surplus.

Food Separation Techniques

Ah, the infamous food separation techniques of sticking solely to protein+fat and protein+carbohydrate meals. How foolish is that? Separating out carbs from fat fails to to prevent unwanted fat gain, although it would be pretty swell if it did. If this was true, one could ingest as much fat as one wanted on a ketogenic diet and not add an ounce of adipose tissue. And guess what? That doesn't work either. Conclusively, the potent combo of protein+carbs is much more anabolic than protein+fat alone. Again, it all comes down to calories in vs. calories out that determines whether one gains or loses weight. The optimal choice is to eat balanced meals consisting of protein, carbohydrate, and fat, as food separation methods truly fail in offering prevention of fat storage and are virtually silly to abide by.

Milk Avoidance

Milk and bodybuilding go hand and hand, right? Well there's a ton of myths out there that claim milk makes individuals add and store fat. Before I go into detail, I just want to say that whether or not you consume milk is your own personal preference and you should continue avoiding milk if you're lactose intolerant, bloat due to milk consumption, or have some other milk allergy. But if you're a bodybuilder that has none of these characteristics and you avoid milk due to the myths and speculation, listen up! The truth is, milk is great for bodybuilding purposes. Milk contains cogent anti-catabolic properties, insulinogenic properties that are ideal for the post workout period, a quality amino acid profile, and a wide array of vitamins and minerals. It's also a cheap protein source, and even makes your protein shakes taste 10 times better. Milk is so anti-catabolic/anabolic that it has outperformed whey protein in human research thus far! In conclusion, it all comes down to your personal preferences. If you bloat when drinking milk or have a milk allergy, then by all means, avoid it. But if you're simply avoiding this anti-catabolic substance because of the misinformed media and foolish speculation, then you make want to think twice about milk.


Whole Egg Avoidance

Another myth: refraining from ingesting the yolk portion of the egg. Many bodybuilders opt for the egg white and ditch the egg yolk for whatever reason. The truth is the egg yolks are the most nutrient-dense portion
of the egg. All of the egg's Vitamins A, D and E are in the yolk. Egg yolks happen to be just one of the few foods that naturally contains Vitamin D. The yolk portion also has more manganese, phosphorus, iodine, copper, calcium, zinc, and iron than the egg white itself. Egg yolks should not be avoided because of the high amounts of cholesterol either as high cholesterol levels are correlated with diets high in Trans Fat and Saturated Fat, and genetics play a big role in cholesterol levels. Egg yolks are also anti-catabolic because of the Arachidonic Acid found in them. Overall, there really isn't a reason to avoid whole eggs.

The Glycemic Index

Many bodybuilders follow the gylcemic index (GI) religously, and they shouldn't! Why so? Well, the GI is based on eating carbohydrates on an empty stomach without the addition of protein, lipids, fiber, water, etc. Therefore, it obviously has it's shortcomings and is not the be all end all choice for chosing our carbohydrate sources. Truth is, it's quite irrelevant when it comes to bodybuilding purposes. Let's take white potatoes for example. This food species is often avoided mainly because of it's high GI rank. Foolish. White potatoes are a very nutritious food and should be incorporated in a sound nutrition program. See, we're already spotting shortcomings challenging the elements and principles of the GI. But wait, there's more. The GI of that white potato can be drastically altered by combining it with the addition of protein, lipds, fiber, and other carbohydrates. In conclusion, the GI should not be followed religiously by bodybuilders and nutrient-density should be the main principle in one's nutrition plan, not the GI.

Nutrition Ratios

Many bodybuilders and nutritional fanatics stress over ratios of Protein/carbs/fat. It's not necessary. The fact of the matter is that ratios are completely irrelevant. Lean mass should influence your overall macronutrient reuquirements; note calories. 'Tis true. Ratios are nothing more than an unintentional characteristic of any individual's diet following whatever modifications have been made depending on a multitude of factors such as training, goals, activities, etc. Overall, ratios are actually unplanned and unintentional and should not be practiced.

Pre, During, & Postworkout Nutrition
Hierarchy of Importance

When speaking of nutrition for improving body composition or training performance, it's crucial to realize there's an underlying hierarchy of importance. At the top of the hierarchy is total amount of the macronutrients by the end of the day. Distantly below that is the precise timing of those nutrients. With very few exceptions, athletes and active individuals eat multiple times per day. Thus, the majority of their day is spent in the postprandial (fed) rather than a post-absorptive (fasted) state. The vast majority of nutrient timing studies have been done on overnight-fasted subjects put through glycogen depletion protocols, which obviously limits the applicability of the outcomes. Pre-exercise (and/or during-exercise) nutrient intake often has a lingering carry-over effect into the post-exercise period. Throughout the day, there's a constant overlap of meal digestion & nutrient absorption. For this reason, the effectiveness of nutrient timing does not require a high degree of precision.

The Primary Laws of Nutrient Timing

The First Law of Nutrient Timing is: hitting your daily macronutrient targets is FAR more important than nutrient timing.
The Second Law of Nutrient Timing is: hitting your daily macronutrient targets is FAR more important than nutrient timing.

MEAL FREQUENCY!

Often, you see things like:

"Eat every 2-3 hours to burn more fat!" or "Your body needs a constant supply of protein to keep it building muscle."
You see these both in magazines and online, but recently this statement is being challenged more often online (usually without reason).

Effect of the pattern of food intake on human ener... [Br J Nutr. 1993] - PubMed result


This study compared 5 meals a day to 2 meals a day, both with the same total caloric intake. The conclusion of this study came to be: "With the method used for determination of DIT no significant effect of meal frequency on the contribution of DIT to ADMR could be demonstrated."


A controlled trial of reduced meal frequency witho... [Am J Clin Nutr. 2007] - PubMed result

Here's another study that may be taking this myth and completely reversing it. It showed that although eating one meal/day as opposed to three caused an increase in hunger, it actually caused a DECREASE in fat mass, it also showed decrease in the catabolic hormone cortisol.

Another common thing I hear... You MUST IMMEDIATELY take a fast-digesting protein, such as whey, prior to working out to stimulate the best gains.

Whey and casein labeled with L-[1-13C]leucine and ... [Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2011] - PubMed result

This study showed that immediate responses to whey and casein ingestion were different... But the end result was the same. They both stimulated protein synthesis equally.

Ingestion of casein and whey proteins result in mu... [Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2004] - PubMed result

This study shows almost exactly the same thing. Both proteins caused equal protein synthesis.

These findings are only compounded by having solid pre workout nutrition. A quote by Alan Aragon states: "Properly done preworkout nutrition EASILY elevates insulin above and beyond the maximal threshold seen to inhibit muscle protein breakdown. This insulin elevation resulting from the preworkout meal can persist long after your resistance training bout is done. Therefore, thinking you need to spike anything is only the result of neglecting your preW nutrition"

Another common myth deals with training frequency. ALL THE TIME people make these ridiculous splits and worry about overtraining.

The influence of frequency, intensity, volume and mode on muscle hypertrophy


Here are a few quotes directly from that article:

"Some evidence suggests that the training frequency has a large impact on the rate of gain in muscle volume for shorter periods of training."

"For hypertrophy, studies suggest that training two or three times per week is superior to training one time per week, even when volume is equal."

But you don't train for size, you train for strength?

Applications of the dose-response for muscular str... [J Strength Cond Res. 2005] - PubMed result

This is from a meta-analysis of a ****load of people. It's not a little study on a small group. It shows that maximal strength gains for beginners (which most people who ask are) are elicited at 3 days/week.... And it then moves to 2 days/week and STAYS THERE. Never does it mention the best strength gains occurring when you train once per week (I can see an argument possibly being made for the elite, but no one here is, so it's irrelevant).

[PEDR0]

Ahhh mao ba?

[Xenoxorph]

The old, 'high protein diet is bad for your kidneys.'

Dietary protein intake and renal function. [Nutr Metab (Lond). 2005] - PubMed result

One of the typical mum arguments, as has been well established, a high protein diet holds NO health risks provided there is no heridetary or pre-existing conditions.

Saturated Fats are bad

Most people I know and talk to think fats are bad and you should stay away from them.

I also have a few people in my family who think saturated fats are the worst for you, and these same people never drink full fat milk/cheese, red meats, fast food etc etc (pisses me off when I try to explain the importance of everything in moderation, and they take no interest in listening to me).

The below studies clearly indicate fats (saturated fats in particular) can make a significant impact on androstenedione, free testosterone, and total testosterone levels.

Decrease of serum total and free testosterone duri... [J Steroid Biochem. 1983] - PubMed result
Diet and serum *** hormones in healthy men. [J Steroid Biochem. 1984] - PubMed result
Influence of dietary fatty acids composition, leve... [Reprod Biol. 2002] - PubMed result
Effects of dietary fat and fiber on plasma and uri... [Am J Clin Nutr. 1996] - PubMed result

Is there a correlation between dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol?

Cholesterol intake and plasma cholesterol: an upda... [J Am Coll Nutr. 1997] - PubMed result

"The misperception that dietary cholesterol determines blood cholesterol is held by many consumers in spite of evidence to the contrary. Many studies reported over the past 2 years have shown that dietary cholesterol is not a significant factor in an individual's plasma cholesterol level or cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Reports from the Lipid Research Clinics Research Prevalence Study and the Framingham Heart Study have shown that dietary cholesterol is not related to either blood cholesterol or heart disease deaths. In a similar manner, 10 clinical trials (1994 to 1996) of the effects of dietary cholesterol on blood lipids and lipoproteins indicate that addition of an egg or two a day to a low-fat diet has little if any effect on blood cholesterol levels. This observation was noted in young men and women with normal cholesterol levels as well as older subjects with elevated plasms cholesterol concentrations."


Dietary cholesterol provided by eggs and plasma li... [Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2006] - PubMed result

"We need to acknowledge that diverse healthy populations experience no risk in developing coronary heart disease by increasing their intake of cholesterol but, in contrast, they may have multiple beneficial effects by the inclusion of eggs in their regular diet."


Influence of dietary cholesterol and fat on serum ... [J Nutr. 1981] - PubMed result

"Change in cholesterol intake related to addition or deletion of two eggs in the daily diet had no significant effect on serum triglycerides, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, or relative lipoprotein concentrations."


Serum lipid response to dietary cholesterol in sub... [Am J Clin Nutr. 1989] - PubMed result

"Reduction in dietary cholesterol below 400 mg/d produces no further substantial cholesterol lowering."

[windowshop]

thanks for the info sir,

[lestat1116]

moderation lagi.

[bodoy]

very informative.

[bloodguilt]

Here are some truths about building...... I apologize for the information i have given earlier this year or last year. It seems that those information were theories and have not been backed by science. Again i am sorry for those misinformations.

No credits shall be given to me as all of these information are copied straight from the forums of bodybuilding.com

Time to Debunk Bodybuilding Nutrition Myths

Fruit Avoidance

Questions regarding whether or not fruit is acceptable in a bodybuilding nutrition regimen are the most common here in the nutrition forum. It's just a myth that fruit will make one gain unwanted pounds of fat because of the high amounts of sugar it contains. What makes one gain weight is excess calories, not fruit. Simple. What many people don't know is that all fruits are calorically sparse and rich in nutrients, vitamins, and fiber. Most fruits only contain 4-7g of fructose per serving. The fructose in fruits keeps the liver in a "fed state" which conclusively keeps the individual in an anti-catabolic state. Unlike other food sources, fruits are rich in antioxidants and other phytonutrients that go a long way in aiding in recovery from brutal, grueling, intense workouts. It would take a HUGE QUANTITY of fruit to experience any negatives associated with fructose. Bottom line: eat your fruit!


Carbohydrates At Night

If I had a dollar for everytime a member of the message boards asks "Will eating carbs at night make me fat?", I'd be a rich man. The truth is, eating carbohydrates at night is perfectly fine, but you must analyze a few factors first. Calories are what determines whether one gains or loses weight. If one exceeds their caloric matience level, more than likely, the individual will gain weight. If one creates an energy deficit, preferably through cardiovascular activity/restriction of calories/weight training sessions, the individual will more than likely lose weight. Simple as that! It all depends on one's overall calorie total that determines body composition, not the time carbohydrates were eaten. Carbohydrates have many anti-catabolic properties and should not be eliminated at any time of day. They can be very beneficial at night, bulking or cutting, by pulling out all the theoretical stops related to anticatabolism. In conclusion, carbohydrates should not be restricted at night in attempt of preventing one's body of storing them as adipose tissue because the true factor that determines weight gain is a calorie surplus.

Food Separation Techniques

Ah, the infamous food separation techniques of sticking solely to protein+fat and protein+carbohydrate meals. How foolish is that? Separating out carbs from fat fails to to prevent unwanted fat gain, although it would be pretty swell if it did. If this was true, one could ingest as much fat as one wanted on a ketogenic diet and not add an ounce of adipose tissue. And guess what? That doesn't work either. Conclusively, the potent combo of protein+carbs is much more anabolic than protein+fat alone. Again, it all comes down to calories in vs. calories out that determines whether one gains or loses weight. The optimal choice is to eat balanced meals consisting of protein, carbohydrate, and fat, as food separation methods truly fail in offering prevention of fat storage and are virtually silly to abide by.

Milk Avoidance

Milk and bodybuilding go hand and hand, right? Well there's a ton of myths out there that claim milk makes individuals add and store fat. Before I go into detail, I just want to say that whether or not you consume milk is your own personal preference and you should continue avoiding milk if you're lactose intolerant, bloat due to milk consumption, or have some other milk allergy. But if you're a bodybuilder that has none of these characteristics and you avoid milk due to the myths and speculation, listen up! The truth is, milk is great for bodybuilding purposes. Milk contains cogent anti-catabolic properties, insulinogenic properties that are ideal for the post workout period, a quality amino acid profile, and a wide array of vitamins and minerals. It's also a cheap protein source, and even makes your protein shakes taste 10 times better. Milk is so anti-catabolic/anabolic that it has outperformed whey protein in human research thus far! In conclusion, it all comes down to your personal preferences. If you bloat when drinking milk or have a milk allergy, then by all means, avoid it. But if you're simply avoiding this anti-catabolic substance because of the misinformed media and foolish speculation, then you make want to think twice about milk.


Whole Egg Avoidance

Another myth: refraining from ingesting the yolk portion of the egg. Many bodybuilders opt for the egg white and ditch the egg yolk for whatever reason. The truth is the egg yolks are the most nutrient-dense portion
of the egg. All of the egg's Vitamins A, D and E are in the yolk. Egg yolks happen to be just one of the few foods that naturally contains Vitamin D. The yolk portion also has more manganese, phosphorus, iodine, copper, calcium, zinc, and iron than the egg white itself. Egg yolks should not be avoided because of the high amounts of cholesterol either as high cholesterol levels are correlated with diets high in Trans Fat and Saturated Fat, and genetics play a big role in cholesterol levels. Egg yolks are also anti-catabolic because of the Arachidonic Acid found in them. Overall, there really isn't a reason to avoid whole eggs.

The Glycemic Index

Many bodybuilders follow the gylcemic index (GI) religously, and they shouldn't! Why so? Well, the GI is based on eating carbohydrates on an empty stomach without the addition of protein, lipids, fiber, water, etc. Therefore, it obviously has it's shortcomings and is not the be all end all choice for chosing our carbohydrate sources. Truth is, it's quite irrelevant when it comes to bodybuilding purposes. Let's take white potatoes for example. This food species is often avoided mainly because of it's high GI rank. Foolish. White potatoes are a very nutritious food and should be incorporated in a sound nutrition program. See, we're already spotting shortcomings challenging the elements and principles of the GI. But wait, there's more. The GI of that white potato can be drastically altered by combining it with the addition of protein, lipds, fiber, and other carbohydrates. In conclusion, the GI should not be followed religiously by bodybuilders and nutrient-density should be the main principle in one's nutrition plan, not the GI.

Nutrition Ratios

Many bodybuilders and nutritional fanatics stress over ratios of Protein/carbs/fat. It's not necessary. The fact of the matter is that ratios are completely irrelevant. Lean mass should influence your overall macronutrient reuquirements; note calories. 'Tis true. Ratios are nothing more than an unintentional characteristic of any individual's diet following whatever modifications have been made depending on a multitude of factors such as training, goals, activities, etc. Overall, ratios are actually unplanned and unintentional and should not be practiced.

Pre, During, & Postworkout Nutrition
Hierarchy of Importance

When speaking of nutrition for improving body composition or training performance, it's crucial to realize there's an underlying hierarchy of importance. At the top of the hierarchy is total amount of the macronutrients by the end of the day. Distantly below that is the precise timing of those nutrients. With very few exceptions, athletes and active individuals eat multiple times per day. Thus, the majority of their day is spent in the postprandial (fed) rather than a post-absorptive (fasted) state. The vast majority of nutrient timing studies have been done on overnight-fasted subjects put through glycogen depletion protocols, which obviously limits the applicability of the outcomes. Pre-exercise (and/or during-exercise) nutrient intake often has a lingering carry-over effect into the post-exercise period. Throughout the day, there's a constant overlap of meal digestion & nutrient absorption. For this reason, the effectiveness of nutrient timing does not require a high degree of precision.

The Primary Laws of Nutrient Timing

The First Law of Nutrient Timing is: hitting your daily macronutrient targets is FAR more important than nutrient timing.
The Second Law of Nutrient Timing is: hitting your daily macronutrient targets is FAR more important than nutrient timing.

MEAL FREQUENCY!

Often, you see things like:

"Eat every 2-3 hours to burn more fat!" or "Your body needs a constant supply of protein to keep it building muscle."
You see these both in magazines and online, but recently this statement is being challenged more often online (usually without reason).

Effect of the pattern of food intake on human ener... [Br J Nutr. 1993] - PubMed result


This study compared 5 meals a day to 2 meals a day, both with the same total caloric intake. The conclusion of this study came to be: "With the method used for determination of DIT no significant effect of meal frequency on the contribution of DIT to ADMR could be demonstrated."


A controlled trial of reduced meal frequency witho... [Am J Clin Nutr. 2007] - PubMed result

Here's another study that may be taking this myth and completely reversing it. It showed that although eating one meal/day as opposed to three caused an increase in hunger, it actually caused a DECREASE in fat mass, it also showed decrease in the catabolic hormone cortisol.

Another common thing I hear... You MUST IMMEDIATELY take a fast-digesting protein, such as whey, prior to working out to stimulate the best gains.

Whey and casein labeled with L-[1-13C]leucine and ... [Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2011] - PubMed result

This study showed that immediate responses to whey and casein ingestion were different... But the end result was the same. They both stimulated protein synthesis equally.

Ingestion of casein and whey proteins result in mu... [Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2004] - PubMed result

This study shows almost exactly the same thing. Both proteins caused equal protein synthesis.

These findings are only compounded by having solid pre workout nutrition. A quote by Alan Aragon states: "Properly done preworkout nutrition EASILY elevates insulin above and beyond the maximal threshold seen to inhibit muscle protein breakdown. This insulin elevation resulting from the preworkout meal can persist long after your resistance training bout is done. Therefore, thinking you need to spike anything is only the result of neglecting your preW nutrition"

Another common myth deals with training frequency. ALL THE TIME people make these ridiculous splits and worry about overtraining.

The influence of frequency, intensity, volume and mode on muscle hypertrophy


Here are a few quotes directly from that article:

"Some evidence suggests that the training frequency has a large impact on the rate of gain in muscle volume for shorter periods of training."

"For hypertrophy, studies suggest that training two or three times per week is superior to training one time per week, even when volume is equal."

But you don't train for size, you train for strength?

Applications of the dose-response for muscular str... [J Strength Cond Res. 2005] - PubMed result

This is from a meta-analysis of a ****load of people. It's not a little study on a small group. It shows that maximal strength gains for beginners (which most people who ask are) are elicited at 3 days/week.... And it then moves to 2 days/week and STAYS THERE. Never does it mention the best strength gains occurring when you train once per week (I can see an argument possibly being made for the elite, but no one here is, so it's irrelevant).

Thanks for sharing this bro!

[Xenoxorph]

no prob bro

[chan2015]

thank you boss!

[nangatrad86]

Holy crap..... very informative..... thanks xeno