As you can see, the range here is huge! So, how much of each macro should you be eating? This should be determined by your goals.

First, decide if you want to build muscle or lose weight. You can use an online calorie calculator to estimate how many calories you need for either goal. You can then determine what macro split fits best with your daily calories. Consider using a calorie-tracking app like MyFitnessPal to make sure you’re hitting your macros every day. Also, be sure to regularly track your weight to measure your progress.

To build muscle, we recommend eating in the higher range of carbs and fats to reach a moderate caloric surplus. To lose fat, cut the carbs and fats to the lower range to stay in a moderate caloric deficit instead.

Of course, the most important macronutrient for bodybuilding is protein. While you may want to go slightly higher with protein when losing fat, most people will get great results staying in the lower end of the recommended range – around 1.6-2g/kg of body weight. Your GI tract will probably thank you for this as well.

Diet for Competitive Bodybuilding

If you plan on becoming a competitive bodybuilder, understand that diets change a lot when getting contest-ready. Before stripping down to their underwear and getting oiled up on stage, bodybuilders try to get as shredded as possible. This involves a “prep” period, where protein intake is increased, and calories are heavily restricted (Helms ER, 2014).

Such intense dieting is not necessary if you don’t plan on competing in bodybuilding. Instead, focus on eating in a small caloric surplus or deficit depending on your goals (ie. losing fat or building muscle), and aim to maintain a healthy body fat percentage.

Meal Frequency

Ideally, you’ll be splitting your macros over 3-6 meals a day for optimal nutrient intake (Helms ER, 2014). Having multiple well-planned meals throughout the day may make it easier for you to hit all your nutrient goals without having to force-feed yourself protein shakes at the end of the night.

Supplements

Some supplements may also have benefits to your training, with caffeine, creatine, and beta-alanine being some of the most research-backed options out there (Chappell AJ, 2018). 

Keep in mind that for most lifters, supplements don’t make a huge difference – pre-workout isn’t going to turn you from Peter Parker to Spider-Man. As a result, we recommend putting most of the focus on your diet and training technique instead.

Micronutrient Intake

Remember that macronutrients aren’t everything! Don’t forget about micronutrients (ie. vitamins and minerals) as well. Make sure you’re eating a balanced diet of nutrient-dense foods to ensure you’re getting everything you need. Many bodybuilders are deficient in certain micronutrients (Helms ER, 2014), so follow your mom’s advice, and eat your veggies!

Steroids 

Finally, let’s address the dark side of bodybuilding. Virtually all pro-bodybuilders use anabolic steroids to enhance their physiques. However, these practices can have serious consequences on your health (Chappell AJ, 2018). We recommend always prioritizing your health over your physique, and staying away from all performance-enhancing drugs.

Conclusion

If you want to build an impressive physique, understanding how to eat properly is crucial. Proper training technique is important, but as the old bro-science adage goes, “You’ve gotta eat big to get big.”

For beginners, aim to eat a well-balanced diet where you’re getting enough protein, and a decent amount of carbs and fats as well. This combined with hard training will get you awesome results. As you progress, you can get more into the nitty-gritty – including nutrient timing, supplements, and potentially even the extreme diets necessary for competitive bodybuilding.

Hopefully, this guide helped you better understand basic nutrition for bodybuilding! Stay consistent with these principles, and you’ll be jacked in no time.