Known as the iron guru, famous for bodybuilding himself, he became well known for assisting others aspiring for the perfect body. His list of followers from the period of 1950′s though to 1997 is a virtual who’s who of the bodybuilding world.

Gironda firmly believed that adhering to specific muscle building diets was the key to bodybuilding success, and spent all his time espousing this principle to his devotees for the many years that he was the most well known champion trainer.

Though all basic muscle building diets focus on the most useable source of naturally occurring carbohydrates and protein, that being fresh fruits, leafy vegetables, a variety of fats and select oils, as well as nuts, some supplements are needed to really grow muscle tissue, and reduce the bodies subcutaneous fat levels.

Bernard Beverly, a well known biologist, made the statement, “human tissue is 100% biological”. What does this really mean?

Many bodybuilders confuse eating foods high in biological content with foods high in protein, but that is not necessarily true. Biological content means that food contains protein that is structured to be quite similar to the protein contained in human tissue, therefore eating foods with a high biological content is key to successful building of muscle tissue.

Quite surprisingly to many, the highest biological content food, is the lowly egg! Other high biological content foods include organ meats (sweetbreads, kidneys, heart, liver) and other meats such as your staple beef, mutton, poultry and of course, fish. Legumes, (particularly beans) and dark green colored vegetables are also great protein sources and it makes sense to include lots of these in your muscle building diet.

However, though notoriously high in protein, the soybean actually only has a 23% biological content, so in order to equal the amino acid contained in the previously listed foods, one would have to eat huge quantities of soy.

In order to equal the effects of anabolic steroids, the “Iron Guru” suggested eating up to 30 eggs a day when preparing for competitions. The rationale behind this suggestion is that this quantity will give your muscle a massive influx of biological protein, from which they can draw strength, then repair any damage rapidly. As you achieve your goal, (usually within six or eight weeks), the daily quantity should be reduced to one or two however.

On the other hand, there are diets that are focused on red meats and fresh vegetables. These serve a similar goal, that is to loading massive amounts of protein into the system, in order to repair and replace muscle tissue that has been torn down by strenuous workouts. However, these shouldn’t be regarded as long term muscle building diets.

Supplements recommended by Gironda for basic bodybuilding included desiccated liver (yuk), kelp tablets, and the lipotropic amino acids such as choline,betain, methionline, and inositol. All these aid the body to assimilate and metabolize protein. Wheat germ oil is another supplement he suggested, and he always had his students embark on specialized diets prior to a contest, specifically to rid themselves of any subcutaneous fat.

This plan was zero carbohydrates for four full days, then eat as normal on day five. Then for the next four days, zero carbs again, then normal eating on the tenth day. Practicing this for three to eight weeks would result in every vein literally popping to the surface, along with great muscle separation.

All great muscle building diets will focus on the right amounts of good carbs, fiber, fats, and of course protein. The split should be 40% natural carbohydrates, 24% protein, with the balance in fiber and fat. Absolutely no sugars or refined starches! Remember to cycle the zero carbs method on the 4 day plan. followed by a day off. Take the correct supplements and follow this for eight weeks, maximum.