A successful bodybuilder dedicates most of his time to develop an effective game plan in which the main focus is building the best physique possible, a goal that can only be achieved by balancing three factors; diet, training, and rest. Dieting is by far the most important piece of the puzzle when it comes down to successfully building a physique.
Let’s take an in-depth look at the most common bodybuilding diet mistakes and the reasons behind why they should be avoided.
Extreme Diets
Professional bodybuilders often speak about how they attribute their size and definition to their extreme diets; these absurd claims slowly make their way into the ears of young aspiring athletes who don’t know any better.
It’s no secret that following a high-nutrient diet will eventually lead to an influx of fast-acting results like mass building and strength gaining but going overboard can in return generate a series of negative health risks that can potentially affect someone’s well-being.
Everyone needs to remember that professional bodybuilders and even athletes from different sporting fields rely on anabolic steroids, hormones, and many other performance enhancement drugs to maintain a physique they artificially built.
A natural athlete can’t eat a 7,000 calorie diet without gaining excess body fat and placing his body at risk, the same goes for extreme caloric deficits that leave the physique at its weakest.
The correct way to go about properly building and showcasing a physique lies within understanding one’s body and how it reacts to certain foods. The recommended rule of thumb is to practice a high protein, high carbohydrate, and a low-fat diet to maximize muscle building and fat loss.
Once the body is in a neutral state in which it slowly begins to acquire shape one can decide to slowly increase or lower these to achieve a different look. Extreme diets only work for extreme and enhanced human beings who disregard health for looks.
Cutting for too long
Just like many folks out there who like to bulk for prolonged periods of time so they can gain greater amounts of muscle, there are other individuals who like to stay on the other side of dieting.
Cutting is definitely the hardest dieting method out there as it requires a caloric deficit combined with cardio in order to properly work, that said, it is often taken to unnecessary extremes that bring nothing but headaches.
People who bulk too long do so because they enjoy being big and strong, individuals who cut enjoy being in a caloric deficit so they can showcase their lean physiques at all times. Being lean is often glorified amongst the world’s best selling muscle magazines as the ultimate human form yet this claim couldn’t be farther away from the truth.
Going on a cutting cycle for too long is probably the worst of the world’s most common bodybuilding dieting mistakes, not only because it leaves the human body in a vulnerable state in which it is always tired, drained, weak, and low on stamina but also because it can’t gain muscle, strength or even have good pumps.
Cutting for extended periods of time not only restricts progress but it also hinders many of the body’s natural abilities and reduces them to dust.
Many athletes have expressed their thoughts on being “shredded” and have concluded that having a lean and muscular physique year round is not only counterproductive but it’s also dangerous and nearly impossible to maintain. Excessive cutting is, therefore, one of the most popular and common bodybuilding dieting mistakes ever.
Using If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM)
One of the most common bodybuilding dieting mistakes today is the wrongful use of the If It Fits Your Macros diet. Many famous fitness “Youtubers” claim to use this revolutionary dieting method as a way of successful flexible dieting that allows them to reach their goal physique.
If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) is definitely a simple and smart alternative to old school dieting that has a lot to offer, the problem is that many seem to completely disregard their food sources and favor the food labels instead.
These internet personalities mistakenly promote an unhealthy diet in which they consume garbage products that fit their daily macronutrient intakes while disregarding important factors like macronutrients, sodium, sugar, caffeine, hydrogenated oils and many other artificial ingredients that can have a negative effect on the human body and its health.
IIFYM was intended to be used with real foods made from real ingredients. If used properly IIFYM can be the key to practicing constant healthy dieting habits in which both the physical and psychological parts of the human body are satisfied, the latest being the most important factor during a tough diet.
As a whole, the IIFYM diet shouldn’t be a part of our common bodybuilding dieting mistakes article but its misuse speaks otherwise.
Incorrectly using IIFYM to consume junk food can lead to serious health risks like high blood pressure, cardiovascular abnormalities, irregular sleep cycles, inconsistent progress, and lethargy.
If you plan on ever using this dieting method it is highly recommended to be properly informed on the subject so you can correctly learn to listen to your body and what it needs.
Always remember that as important as macronutrients are the place where these come from is even more so, think about it this way; what do you think would benefit your body more, thirty grams of protein from a chicken or the same amount of macros from a slice of pizza?
