Posted by: Jay
People always ask what the pros do differently from everyone else. The answer is nothing. In talking to one pro bodybuilder recently, he commented on how amazed people seemed when he told them that he did nothing special for the show. He did the same exercises and ate the same foods as in the off-season. The only differences being decreased calories and saturated fats and adding a few shaping exercises.
Just last weekend, a guy had remarked how different my diet was from the BIG GUYS and pros. He rattled on, saying how the pros eat ungodly amounts of food and train for hours at a time! I let him wallow in his ignorance. He was beyond the point of saving.
Nutrition is nutrition. The pros don't have special cows, chickens, fish, fruit trees or anything else. They shop at a grocery store just like you. They cook and eat food just like you. The main difference between bodybuilders' diets and that of the average American is that bodybuilders monitor what they eat. It is best to ensure you get a good balance of carbs/proteins/fats. I don't want to get into what is the right ratio in this article. There are so many fad diets out there, I don't dare get into that.
Pros don't have any special training secrets either. Training is training. That is non-negotiable. The pros are pros because they are driven and have good gentics to work with. I don't want this to start the argument of those who say they can't get into shape because of their genetics. The guys who stagnate say they don't have the genetics. The problem is more often that the stagnant people don't understand the basics of nutrition and training principles.
People need to stop believing that pros are superhuman. If you ask the majority of the pro bodybuilders today, you will find that they all do things similar to what you do. Nutrition is the most neglected or misunderstood aspect of bodybuilding. Rest is second. These are fundamental to bodybuilding success. You must eat properly, train hard, and rest alot to grow.