Drying diet

Muscle Building

Good nutrition and physical activity are important factors for building muscle. Following a diet rich in proteins is essential for gaining muscle, and fats and carbohydrates are important to provide the body with energy. In addition, it is important to eat additional amounts of calories to build muscle, and it is also necessary to exercise regularly, and there are other factors that can It affects the speed and amount of muscle that can be gained; Such as age and genetics.

Drying diet

Bodybuilding focuses on the external appearance of the body more than on physical strength, as in powerlifting. Bodybuilding is divided into the muscle bulking phase (in English: Bulking phase) and the drying phase (in English: Cutting phase); Each stage needs its own diet, as the muscle amplification stage lasts several months, and may reach several years, and requires a diet high in calories and rich in proteins. This is to increase muscle building, while the drying stage aims to maintain the muscle mass that was built in the previous stage while reducing the largest possible amount of fat. This requires following a specific diet and exercising for a period ranging between 12-26 weeks. It is worth noting that one must Reducing the amount of calories consumed by up to 15% when moving to the drying stage. The person also needs to adjust the amount of calories consumed each month according to the weight he lost. Recommendations indicate that it is best not to lose more than 0.5-1% of the weight per week. ; In order to ensure that you do not lose muscle, there are several basic steps to the diet at this stage, and the following is an explanation of these steps:

• Distribution of macronutrients: The quantities of these elements can be determined after determining the calories that the body needs, and their proportions are equal in both the muscle amplification and drying phases, and it is recommended to obtain in these phases approximately 30-35% of calories from protein, and 55-60% from carbohydrates. And 15-20% of fat.
• Focus on eating certain foods: Eating appropriate amounts of some foods helps provide the muscles with the nutrients necessary to increase their size and strength, and improve their recovery after exercise. The following are the most important foods that are recommended to be eaten during the drying stage:
  • Meat, fish and poultry; Such as steaks, chicken breasts, salmon, and cod.
  • milk products; Such as yogurt, cottage cheese, milk, and low-fat cheese.
  • grains; Such as rice, bread, oatmeal, quinoa, and popcorn.
  • fruits; Such as bananas, apples, grapes, oranges, watermelon, berries, and peaches.
  • Starchy vegetables; Such as corn, potatoes, peas, and green beans.
  • vegetables; Such as broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, mushrooms, and sweet peppers.
  • Seeds and nuts; Such as flax seeds, chia, sunflower, walnuts, and almonds.
  • legumes; Such as chickpeas, cowpeas, black beans, and lentils.
  • vegetable oils; Such as olive oil, avocado oil, and flaxseed oil.
• Avoid certain foods: It is recommended to avoid some types of foods during the drying stage, the most important of which are the following:
  • Added sugars; Which provides the body with large amounts of calories with few nutrients, and there are several foods high in sugar content; Such as ice cream, cake, candy, and sweetened drinks; Such as sports drinks and soda.
  • fried foods; Eating these foods in large quantities can lead to diseases. These foods include French fries, fried fish, onion rings, and others. It is also recommended to avoid eating foods that slow digestion and cause stomach upset before exercising. Such as foods rich in fat, such as fatty meats, foods high in dietary fiber, such as broccoli and cauliflower, and soft drinks.
• Take bodybuilding supplements: There are many nutritional supplements that bodybuilders use, some of which may be beneficial, while others have no benefit. Here are some of these supplements:
  • Whey protein (in English: Whey protein); Which helps to get good amounts of protein.
  • Creatine (in English: Creatine); Which provides the muscles with the energy they need to perform their functions.
  • caffeine; It reduces fatigue (in English: Fatigue), and thus helps to exercise better, and is available in tea, coffee, and some supplements that bodybuilders use before exercising.
  • Multivitamins and mineral supplements; These supplements can help reduce the amount of calories consumed, which contributes to reducing fat during the drying stage.

Diet to reduce body fat

The anabolic diet is one of the diets that ensures increased burning of fat in the body. It is a low-carbohydrate diet, and is suitable for people who want to increase muscle mass while maintaining a low level of fat stores in the body. This diet was given this name because of the belief that its effect is similar to the effect of an anabolic steroid. The founder of this system believes that Alternating the amounts of carbohydrates from high to low contributes to burning larger amounts of fat. In the case of bodybuilders, the body needs calories to build muscle, and a decrease in these calories can lead to the loss of part of the muscle mass.

The system begins with eating small amounts of carbohydrates during the week. This is done by eating no more than 30 grams of it daily, or 5-10% of calories, with the percentage of fat being between 60-65%, while the protein is between 30-35%, and at the end of the week, start increasing the amount of carbohydrates eaten; Their percentage reaches 60-80%, while fats and proteins range between 10-20% of calories. It is worth noting that small amounts of carbohydrates prevent the body from using them as a main source of energy, while high amounts compensate for the energy that the body lost during exercise. Exercises.

It is worth noting that this diet is not suitable for long periods of time, but it may be suitable for bodybuilders or weightlifters during their preparation for competitions. As it does not include eating vegetables, fruits and legumes; That is, it does not provide the body with enough dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and thus the body will not get enough antioxidants that are important to combat oxidative stress caused by exercise. A lack of fiber can also lead to the growth of harmful bacteria in the intestines, and increase the chance of constipation. Chronic. Some studies have indicated that high-fat diets negatively affect insulin action.