Why do bodybuilders eat several times a day?
Eddie Robinson, 1990 Niagara Falls Grand Prix winner, explains: “I divide my daily food intake into six medium-sized meals to keep my metabolism up and to improve my body’s ability to digest and use the protein I eat. An athlete eating 200 grams of protein just can’t jam it all into one or two meals. That would be a waste. But eating 5 -6 meals that include 35-40 grams of protein each will allow him or her to get more mileage out of that protein and grow without getting fat.” Many bodybuilding coaches and nutritionists follow Eddie’s approach because frequent meals can provide the body with the continual influx of amino acids from protein required to build and repair muscle tissue. This strategy also forces the bodybuilder to partition his or her carbohydrate intake into smaller portions. Consuming a steady amount of carbs through the day can facilitate recovery by enhancing the formation of muscle glycogen – the stored form of carbohydrate that provides the fuel to weight train with m
