What if you don't eat like a bodybuilder?

[4ten]

My question is simple. If you eat three meals a day, like the non-fitness crowd, are you wasting your time doing a size- building routine?

I'm 40yrs. old, 6' , 168lbs. When I was eighteen I read everything under the sun about weight lifting and worked out off and on. I never could afford eating 200 plus grams of protein a day, and drinking it sucks.

If the answer is I'm wasting my time without the food, then should I just stick with fast total body curcuit training, just to stay healthy?

 

[lookinfit75]

If you aim is to get big, you gotta eat smart and big. I don't think you're waisting your time lifting weights in the manner you speak of but just realize that you are NOT going to become super huge unless you eat enough food and that goes for strength too. Also at your age, thing don't quite grow as quickly or as big as they used to unless you're taking some kind of "juice" to help the process. If you're gonna juice then you really have to eat big to get big.

 

[grubd]

Just eat as good as you can and as much as you can afford. 3 meals a day has worked for centuries.

 

[ExtraMile]

then you wont accomplish what a bodybuilder does - increased size, strength and lower BF percent...

i dont know how good it is for building lots of muscle but if your main goal is just to look get a "beach body" you could look into the warrior diet, iv heard some good things about it and it is based around eating once per day

 

[4ten]

Thanks for the tips. I really need to do a month of total body workouts and compare results to regular bodybuilding routines.

I once watched a coworker bench 265lbs. eleven reps. He weighed 185 at 6',1" and had benched 340lbs. once. He knew almost nothing about training, and lifted Mon., Wed., Fri., total upper body(no legs ever). He would skip lunch and ate worse than me. Good genes help I suppose.

 

[lookinfit75]

Yeah that's the other variable that no one wants to talk about but we all realize is the biggest factor or all: Genetics. Some have ridiculous genetics for building muscle and can build with what would seem to be nothing and other can be juiced to the gills and never achieve a worth while physique. I always think about dudes in prison that are buff as hell and/or shredded with no supps, juice, or even a proper diet. Now THAT is a big time waste haha.

 

[liffalot]

Man eating more than three meals a day makes me fat as hell. I dont have the means availible to eat protein pancakes for breakfast every morning so I just try to make my three meals as healthy as possible and it works well enough

 

[Dial_tone]

You're going to look good and be healthy. You just won't make progress as fast but lifting heavy won't be a waste of time.

 

[CitizenKane]

I'd question the guys who are just saying outright 'you will not make gains', etc. This is a very contentious issue. There are a lot of people who say that you can only digest a certain amount of protein at a given time, and therefore in order to get in the requisite protein and kcals requirements to grow, it's necessary to split it over 5-6 meals spread throughout the day. However there are also a lot of people who would say that this is bull, and total intake per day is what's important - suffice it to say eating one gigantic meal of 250g protein and 3000kcals will not be very effective, but there are lots of people who grow just fine on 3-4 meals a day and various meal replacements/shakes/bars/snacks in between.

Personally speaking, I find it easier to get more food in during the day if I spread it over 5 or 6 meals, rather than 3 meals. But that's just because if I eat a massive portion of food I won't be hungry for hours and hours afterward, but if I eat smaller portions I stay hungry pretty much consistently throughout the day, which allows me to eat more.

 

[zedhed]

Well said CK