Advanced Nutrition Guidelines for HardGainers

As mentioned in the Basic Guidelines, your entire caloric intake should be spread across 6-7 smaller portioned meals eaten every 2-3 hours. If you are serious about bodybuilding, and packing on some serious muscle, the days of a simple 3 meal approach of breakfast, lunch, and dinner are over. Frequent feedings throughout the day are crucial in that they provide a constant flow of nutrients to your muscles, and deny your body the chance to enter a catabolic state, a state when your body breaks down its own muscle for food.

Preparing 6-7 solid food meals every day is quite an undertaking. Thats why we can substitute protein shakes and weightgainer shakes as liquid meals. Heres some details on a typical 7 meal workout day:

Meal #1-Breakfast: 8:00am

* Protein Shake
* Carbohydrate source

Meal #2-Snack: 10:00am

* Protein source
* Carbohydrate source
* Fat source

Meal #3-Lunch: 1:00pm

* Protein source
* Carbohydrate source
* Fat source

Meal #4-Snack: 4:00pm

* Protein source
* Carbohydrate source
* Fat source

Workout: 5:00pm

Meal #5-Post-Workout: 6:00pm

* Protein Shake
* Carbohydrate source

Meal #6-Dinner: 8:00pm

* Protein source
* Carbohydrate source
* Fat source

Meal #7-Before Bed Snack: 11:00pm

* Protein Shake (if above 200lb)
* Protein source

Stay tuned for specific articles focusing on quality protein, carbohydrate, and fat sources to meet your dietary needs!

Visit HardGainer's Guide for more great articles!