High Protein Off-Season Diet

High protein diets have been the subject of slight controversy in recent decades about exactly how much protein should be consumed by athletes and bodybuilders. However, as better studies have been conducted, and greater evidence has been produced over time, it seems that athletes and bodybuilders who intend to maximize their lean muscle mass required protein amounts that are much higher than average.

Body Building and Protein

• High protein off-season diets are generally associated with body builders. The off-season is when bodybuilders focus on gaining mass in order to later trim fat and maintain lean muscle for upcoming contests. In the same vein, athletes who require a high amount of lean body mass may also focus on increasing their gains in the off-season. As most athletes and bodybuilders would tell you, protein is essential in muscle rebuilding and as one of the three forms of energy. As research has developed, it is now more commonly believed that these groups of people definitely do need more than the recommended daily allowance of protein which is .8 grams per 2.2 pounds of body weight per day.

  As identified by Judy Driskell and Ira Wolinsky in "Energy-Yielding Macronutrients and Energy Metabolism in Sports Nutrition," the general recommendation that has emerged is actually a minimum of one gram of protein per pound of body weight per day. Furthermore, Driskell and Wolinsky indicate that for strength oriented persons such as bodybuilders in the off-season, 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day may be more adequate.

Achieving a High Protein Diet

• Achieving greater lean muscle mass through the use of a high protein diet requires careful planning. For bodybuilders this means figuring out appropriate diet cycles. Professional bodybuilder Tom Venuto on Chetday.com states that maintaining a low body fat, high lean mass body requires calorie restriction and is ultimately useless to maintain after the season ends. So, all bodybuilders who pack in lean mass will also increase their body fat during the off-season and then work to trim the fat as contest season nears.

  Calorie restricting is a cold hard fact that occurs at some point in a bodybuilder's or athlete's yearly cycle. Gain-weight-muscle-fast.com further expounds that as calories decrease, the quality and quantity of protein in the diet is the most important variable for maintaining muscle tissue. This is why protein supplements are now commonplace. Eating protein rich foods such as chicken, turkey, fish, egg whites and beef is fine but can often compromise low-caloric diets when meal preparation is not managed wisely. Like Muscleblitz.com's off-season protein oriented diet, the breakfast, pre-workout, post-workout and pre-bed meals are the most heavily protein laden meals of the day, which can contain up to seven total meals if you're really serious about lean muscle mass. These diets contain the usual natural protein rich foods along with healthy fishes, healthy amount of water, moderate amount of carbohydrates and various vitamin, mineral and protein supplements.