I get asked regularly if I know any tricks or have any secrets to better gains, secret weapons in the arsenal of bodybuilding lifestyle.

My answer is always YES and its very simple.

As everyone is fully aware of, your diet and nutritional breakdowns are the single most important thing to our success as avid bodybuilders. It sounds very simple to sit down and say eat healthy, keep protein high, with carbs and fat in check. How many times have you seen that advice out there?

Well as simple as it sounds, its not so simple to execute. I have figured out a diciplined way of keeping track of my nutritional intake along with keeping what I consume to a near perfect balance in my daily diet.

To start this program out, all you need is a notebook and a pen. All you do is wriet down every single item that you consume including water, coffee sweetners etc. Once you do this and see exactly what you are eating and the exact breakdown of cals/protein/carbs/fats it will open your eyes like nothing else.

Now, the most important part to my diet success. I pre-plan every single meal that I eat, every single day 1 week out. Again, I utilize a notebook and write it down. Once all is planned, I then pre-cook 4 days worth of meals and store them in microwave safe rubbermaid containers. I always take 2 hours on sunday and 2 hours on wednesady to do this.

Today I spent 2 full hours and look what I accomplished. I cooked 7 pounds red potatoes. I cooked 3 pounds green beans. I cooked 2 pounds steamed broccoli. I cooked 4 8oz chicken breasts with a slice of ham and slice of swiss cheese on top. I barbecued 2 large lean steaks. I also barbecued 3 large, lean pork chops. I also made wraps consisting of a whole wheat tortilla, scrambled eggs, turkey breast, and grated swiss cheese.

All of my breakfasts and dinners are cooked fresh daily as well. But as you can see, I am now set with a perfect balance of solid meals, combined with my daily protein shakes.

Now some of you will say that you dont have time to do this. My answer is this, I am a husband, a father of 2 children, I own a very successful real estate company, and my wife owns an accounting and tax company. We are as active and busy as anyone else, I just prioritize the pre-cooking and reap the benefits.

Now I ask all of you, what are you doing to maintain the nutrition and diet that a serious bodybuilder requires?

good post..consistency and timing of supplements is the secret.

Rex

yeah thats true... the ironic part is im reading this while taking a bite at some triple chocolate cake at 1am.

A+ post! got me motivated to get in the kitchen

What do you guys think of cheat days?

Without them I would die! I use the same day every week and its usually the last big meal of the day so I am not tempted to cheat more than once. The other positive for the cheat meal is to keep your body guessing and adapting.

Great post.........love the discipline, thats what its all about!

me too, gotta cheat once in a while, but if you look at my diet from a competitors veiw I cheat probobly everyday...LOL.

Rex

Awesome post bro! This is exactly the kind of dedication it takes to maximize your gains to the greatest extent! I do something similar expect mine is cooked on Sunday for Mon-Fri and Sat and Sunday i cook all the food fresh and speaking of cheating my girlfriend made a bunch of cookies last night...damn it was hard to resist them until this morning i try to save the cheats for the morning so they do the least damage to the body lol unless of course its terriyaki chicken then its good ANYtime

Look at your genetics you freak! LOL! I do love my cheat day and meal, sometimes I over do it and pig out and feel like dirt for 24 hours but still well worth it!