Natural Bodybuilding and The Secret Keys to Building a Great Physique Part II

In the first part of this installment we examined how to build a road map to get to your destination. We talked about training the nervous system with a foundation style routine. Then we moved on to strategic body part training to build symmetry, balance, and the optimum proportions of your physique.

The final stage we looked at was the advanced stage where a combination of size and symmetry training would be employed to maximize the development of the whole body. Keep in mind it?s best to follow a systematized scientific training regime in order to advance through the three stages of training.

In Part II of this series we are going to examine the most common challenge bodybuilders face, which is nutrition. Unfortunately there is so much confusion about what to eat, when to eat, how much to eat and on and on that it is almost impossible to sort out what to do. Also eating to grow is very different than eating to get shredded, so the key point to remember is that your diet needs to evolve with your physique.

The Importance of Consistency And Self-Discipline

Consistency and self-discipline when it comes to your eating are the two biggest keys to long-term success. Bodybuilders who are successful always plan ahead and have meals prepared well in advance.

If you don't plan out your meals and have them with you at all times you will invariably fail in giving yourself the best possible gains. Hoping that restaurants, or friends or relatives will be serving "bodybuilding food" is unrealistic and leads to frustration as well as no progress.

Almost every person I have every met that could not gain or lose weight did not prepare there food in advance. It sounds simple, and it is simple but few overlook this critical point. Don't be one of those people who don?t prepare their meals in advance.

In every training course I create there is a whole section on food prep to keep you on your eating program. I learned these food preparation and food avoidance skills over years of trial and error. Fortunately, you don?t have to you can simply learn from someone who has already learned the hard way.

Many people think that sticking with a diet or specialized eating plain is a matter of will power or won't power but in reality it?s all about having the right food ready and available when you need it. The old saying of ?Be Prepared? is the Mantra of every successful eating program whether you looking to gain mass or to lose fat.

Here is a few simple Food preparation Rules that I have learned. I suggest you print this list out, stick it on your fridge, or put it somewhere you can review it until you have the list memorized and the actions become automatic. You will be surprised how easy following your eating program can be when you follow these simple guidelines.

7 Strategies To Stay On Your Eating Program

1. Always carry 1-2 meals with you more than you think you will need. This way any delays in your schedule will not throw your eating off.

2. Always eat before you go shopping, to the movies, or to other social occasions where non-nutritious food will be served this way you will reduce any cravings for junk or hunger induced binging.

3. Prepare food in bulk and use Tupperware containers so that you can grab quick meals at any time. You will find it takes very little extra time to prepare 10 meals as it does to prepare one meal. This savings in time will actually make your life way more efficient and your eating plan easy to stick too.

4. Get off all artificial sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners cause cravings for sugar, mess up your metabolism and brain function, and may have negative effects on your overall health. Cut them out of your diet immediately and switch to Stevia, or Raw Honey for sweetening. NO Diet Sodas.

5. Drink plenty of water each day. Most often dehydration is misinterpreted as hunger. Slug back a liter of water 30 minutes before eating or when you feel hungry and you will see how it curbs appetite significantly.

6. Place nutritious snacks in you car, your office desk at your house basically everywhere that you spend a considerable amount of time. You will quickly develop the habit of eating healthy and junk foods will quickly lose their appeal.

7. Schedule a regular junk food meal once per week. This is a powerful lesson that starts building the will to understand delayed gratification. Every time you have a craving for junk food simply write it down and schedule to eat it on a set day. By the end of the week you can review the list and go eat those foods guilt free. Often times by the junk food day you won't want the food or it won't taste as good as you anticipated. Over time you will develop more control over your cravings and reduce negative guilt associations with food.

This list isn't ?the be all and end all? of eating but it gives you a basic understanding of exactly what is needed for you to successfully stay on your eating plan.

The Evolution Of Your Diet

Keep in mind that your eating program will evolve over time. Your body will naturally adjust from desiring different types of foods depending on a variety of factors such as season, nutrient levels, PH balance of the body, training demands, and conditioning levels to name a few.

Recording how food affects your body, your moods, and your performance is critical. I call this information biofeedback and it is critical to monitor your biofeedback so as to develop a greater understanding of the powerful effects of food on your mood and your performance.

Review your eating journal regularly so you become aware of your eating patterns as well as developing awareness of how each food affects your body. Clients are always surprised at how much they can learn about food just by charting their eating patterns for a few months. Having a coach, or someone who monitors your biofeedback regularly is also a great way to stay accountable for what you put in your mouth.

One final note on successful eating practices is to remember you must master eating and training first before supplements can be effective. So many people try the other way around and wind up frustrated. The only supplements that needs to be considered when learning to master your diet is: Enzymes and probiotics, Live Proteins, Minerals, Vitamins, and Essential Fatty Acids.

I call these ?Whole Food? Supplements. In other words these food supplements are a whole food themselves and a requirement for the proper functioning of your digestive tract, your immune systems, and your metabolism. Whole food supplements are essential to building the best physique possible and will ensure you stay healthy, and happy for many years to come.

Avoid Becoming A Shot-Gun Supplement Victim

?Shot-Gunning? a random bunch of herbs, hormonal precursors, ?blood volumizers?, ?fat-burners?, testosterone enhancers and the endless list of products hawked at you mercilessly by ?Snake Oil Supplement Companies? is a surefire way to waste your money and become another victim of the Snake Oil Supplement Gang.

Whole food supplements will always outperform these ?One Hit Wonders? short-term, and over the long haul.

No supplement can make up for a poor diet or poor training so vow to master these two facets first before wasting money on supplements. Once you master your diet then the right supplement at the right time can do wonders to improve performance, but seldom does the supplement deliver when the diet is poor.

In the third part of this series we will look at the importance of having a ?Big Reason Why?. This is the final and the most important key, for you to realize your full physical potential.

Wade McNutt is a Natural National Bodybuilding Champion and an IFBB Mr. Universe World Champion. He combined the secrets of Eastern Yoga Masters with, scientific, muscle building to produce a revolutionary new health system, called Freaky Big Naturally, find out more at http://www.freakybignatural.com