The Bodybuilding Diet For Beginners

By Curt Morgan

As anyone takes their first few steps into the world of bodybuilding, the first recommendation they usually receive is to, above all, learn the fundamental basics of training. Rule number one is to learn the correct form for each exercise. The second is to understand which muscles are stimulated by each movement and how. And the third rule is to start by prioritising compound movements.

That’s all very well, but I think the very first step should actually be to establish an adequate diet for training. If, as the experts say, diet accounts for 80% of bodybuilding success, then this is the issue that should take highest priority for anyone starting out on the long journey into bodybuilding.
Obviously anyone coming to the gym for the first time in order to build up their muscles needs to know how to go about weight training, because otherwise they will not be able to stimulate muscle growth. We go to the gym to exercise, so learning how to do different exercises for the various parts of the body, and how to do them properly, is a logical first step. No arguments there.
However, I strongly refute the idea that this is the only aspect of training that beginners should take on board, because eating habits ought to be evaluated and corrected in the very first stages if you want to start out with your best foot forward.
Often, in the beginning, nobody has any idea how far they want or are able to go in this sport, but the initial motivation is usually the same: to improve physical performance and appearance. There are, of course, many possible reasons for wanting to train, but the main ones are these two, that is, to get a better physique and look; to build muscle and lose fat.
Statistics show that most people who get themselves in to the weight room are ectomorphic or endomorphic in body constitution. The former are those who are eternally thin and find it very hard to bulk up, and the latter those with a metabolic tendency to put on weight. Thus, the most common reasons people set to training are to build up a few kilos of muscle, or shed a few kilos of excess body fat.
With either of the above goals in mind, diet is actually much more important than exercise in achieving optimum results. So, it would more than useful to show people how to adjust their diet rather than how to work out first off, because without exercising at all they could make some progress towards their goal simply with the right nutritional plan.
While it is true that people do have metabolic tendencies toward particular body shapes, it is no less true that problems may often be exacerbated by bad eating habits. And although cardio and weight training are excellent tools for modifying body composition, diet is definitely the key factor.
So, at the same time as learning different exercises for the various muscle groups of the body and how to perform them correctly, a beginner should also be learning what and what not to eat, how and when to do it.