Bodybuilding Nutrition - Lee Labrada Talks About Bodybuilding Nutrition, Part 2

by Clayton South and Lee Labrada

In this second part of Lee Labrada's extensive bodybuilding nutrition interview, Clayton South asks Lee Labrada to cover the specifics of mass building nutrition, fat loss nutrition, bodybuilding supplementation, and false advertisements.

(Note: Be sure to read Part 1 of Lee Labrada's Bodybuilding Nutrition Interview in case you missed it.)

CS: To bring us back to specifics regarding nutrition, when you were actively competing, how was your nutrition plan different when you were trying to gain muscle or when you were trying to get leaner? And, what direction can you give to our readers about making changes to their nutrition program depending on their goals?

LL: I would say that when you are trying to gain muscle tissue, obviously you are going to consume more calories. And then, as the competition comes closer, you try to strip off any unwanted body fat so you are going to want to watch your calories more carefully, so you’re going to consume less carbohydrate calories and less fat calories.

So, I would say that the calories, first and foremost, are the biggest difference between a program that is geared for muscle building and a program that is meant to get you ripped up. However, regardless of your goal, you should still consume 1 g of protein per pound of body weight. What we do, is we just manipulate the carbohydrate and fat depending upon whether we want to gain weight or we want to lose fat.

CS: Let’s expand on this a bit. We’ve established that it’s always important to control insulin levels to prevent body fat gain, that we should keep protein intake high and manipulate the total number of calories depending upon our goal…

Let’s say that we wanted to gain muscle mass. Where would the extra calories come from to fuel this growth? And, conversely, if we wanted to lose body fat, where would we eliminate calories? What nutrients would be manipulated the most in both scenarios?

LL: Fats and carbohydrates would be manipulated in both situations.

For gaining muscle mass, I would add more complex carbohydrates – more yams more sweet potatoes, more oatmeal, more rice and beans, potatoes, and a wide variety of fruits. Also add in some foods which are little bit higher in fat – avocados, some nuts and seeds, or a granola cereal in the morning that might have some good fats in it. So, for gaining muscle mass I wouldn’t watch my fat calories as tightly as I would when getting ready for show. I would add lean beef and fatty fish such as salmon to the diet.

And, when it comes to getting lean in general, I would reduce my overall fat intake as well as cut back on some carbohydrates, all the while keeping my protein intake level steady.

CS: When it comes to manipulating your calories, the prevailing belief is that you must eat a lot in order to gain muscle, and that you must dramatically reduce your calorie intake to lose body fat. What’s your take on this? Do recommend a gradual adjustment of energy intake, or do believe the dramatic changes are most effective?

LL: Well, Clayton, I’m going to give you “Labrada’s Airplane Example.” And, essentially, it goes like this:

If you are on a contest diet, you gradually cut your caloric intake slowly over a period of 12 to 14 weeks, with no rapid adjustments. It’s similar to an airplane approaching a landing strip; you know, it’s just a nice gradual descent until it lands. You don’t wait until you’re over the runway and then nose dive into it, nor do you nose dive into the field and then crawl onto the runway. You just gently reduce the calories – 100 to 200 cal off of the daily intake per week, and get yourself slowly and methodically.

Let’s say that at week one you are consuming 3000 cal per day for the entire week. In the second week you might consume 2800 cal per day during that entire week. And, as time goes on you just gradually reduce the calories weekly and once you get down to maybe 2200 or 2400 cal, you just maintain it there until the day of the show.

Likewise, gaining weight is analogous to an airplane taking off – it’s done gradually. You don’t just get off of the runway and then vertically do a climb. So, what I’m saying here is that you should just gradually increase your calories when you’re trying to gain weight, until you notice if you are putting on too much undesirable body fat. At this point, you would just cut it back a little bit. Contrary to the myth, you don’t just eat everything that’s not nailed down.

CS: And, just to reiterate and reinforced this important caveat, during this whole process regardless of what you are trying to accomplish, you achieve your protein intake steady?

LL: Yes. Protein intake stays constant, water intake stays constant, vegetable intake should stay constant. Just vary your complex carbohydrates and fats.