Breakfast is the one meal no bodybuilder (or even non-bodybuilders) should not neglect.

Importance of breakfast & bodybuilding:

What you eat for breakfast causes a chain reaction for the rest of your day. When you wake up from sleep, your body is in a catabolic state. It has high levels of cortisol (the muscle breakdown hormone). Your glycogen levels in your liver and skeletal muscle will also have been depleted after hours of “fasting” while you sleep. The only thing that can reverse the cortisol production, is insulin. Carbohydrates create the biggest insulin spike so are the most effective in halting cortisol.

Having a big balanced breakfast will give you energy throughout the day and raise your metabolism. If you don’t get enough calories in your breakfast it will effect your mood and energy for your workouts later in the day.

What Bodybuilders should eat for breakfast:

As bodybuilders, what you eat in your breakfast is important. Having a large amount of carbs is crucial to stop the muscle wasting from cortisol. Insulin tolerance won’t be a concern as much of a concern as your glycogen reserves will be low and your body ripe for a insulin spike.

You will also need a lot of protein to take advantage of the insulin spike. The insulin spike will shuttle your amino acids into your muscle. A large dose of protein also helps combat the high levels of cortisol by having it “eat” your ingested protein instead of your muscle!

Professional bodybuilders often use scrambled egg whites as their source of protein in the morning. Egg whites in a carton is a faster source of eggs to get the amino acids quicker into your bloodstream. Cottage cheese is another option. Protein shakes are a great choice as they are convenient and quickly get the amino acids into the body.

Oatmeal is the best source of high carbohydrates in a meal. Oatmeal gives a nice slow steady of carbohydrates. This will set the tone better for your insulin sensitivity for the rest of the day.