Fitness, Nutrition

"Cellucor athletes like WBFF fitness pro Jen Jewell, Karina Baymiller, IFBB physique competitor Craig Capurso, and strongman competitor Colton Leonard live the fit lifestyle every day."

The golden rule of any fitness program or lifestyle is that nutrition is king. Poor recovery between workouts can usually be traced to a lack of nutritional support. Muscle fatigue during a workout is normal; waking up and feeling like your body took a beating is not.

Without a proper nutrition regimen to complement your active lifestyle, you could be wasting your efforts, seeing the slowest—or non-existent—progress, or worse, putting your entire body at risk for a bevy of dysfunction, including injuries, hormonal imbalances, and adrenal fatigue.

Consider great champions like eight-time Olympia winner Ronnie Coleman. If he neglected to adequately nourish his body after his intense training sessions day-in and day-out, I doubt he'd be able to realize his full bodybuilding potential, nevermind winning the Olympia eight times.

While you may not come close to attaining Ronnie-esque proportions, you can still realize your own body's potential through an ideal balance of dedicated training and solid nutrition. Who better to ask for fitness nutrition advice than athletes who practice what they preach and have the results to show for it?

Cellucor athletes like WBFF fitness pro Jen Jewell, Karina Baymiller, IFBB physique competitor Craig Capurso, and strongman competitor Colton Leonard live the fit lifestyle every day. Here, they present the six pillars of nutritional success.

Pillar One

You're eating chicken and broccoli for dinner again? Carving adipose fat from your body should not be a constant drudgery of eating the same ol' things. You can still achieve your dream body by adhering to a nutrient-dense eating plan 90 percent of the time and giving yourself the occasional treat. Fitness pro Jen Jewell agrees.

"I don't always turn down invitations to eat at a restaurant, and, no, I don't bring my pre-packed meals in Tupperware. I enjoy healthy, balanced meals 80-90 percent of the time with the remaining 10-20 percent consisting of a few of my favorites, like the occasional brownie or Mexican food.