Massive physique: Günter Schlierkamp’s nutrition plan
Günter Schlierkamp is a massive man in every sense — 182–183 cm tall, with a contest weight of 135 kg and up to 148–150 kg in the mass phase. The German bodybuilder, who grew up on a farm and won the heavyweight World Championships in 1993, talks openly about how he eats both while building mass and during pre-contest dieting. His approach isn’t complicated — but it demands consistency.
Unless you’re preparing for Mr. Olympia or trying to knock Ronnie off the throne, you don’t have to eat eight chicken breasts a day or get up in the middle of the night for a protein shake. But every bodybuilder — from beginner to enthusiast — can learn a lot from Schlierkamp.
A massive foundation: protein every 2.5 hours
Schlierkamp started bodybuilding with no nutritional discipline at all. He ate french fries and other junk food — as much fat as protein. Thanks to a good metabolism, he stayed lean anyway. It was only when he began to watch what he ate, and especially to control his protein intake, that he saw visible improvement.
By 1993 he was good enough to win the heavyweight World Championships — and he did it during a period when he was eating whole-wheat bread and dairy products. Foods that nobody in America recommends. When he moved to America in 1996, they had to disappear from his menu, although getting used to that was hard. But the principle stayed the same: protein regularly, every 2.5 hours.
Today he takes in 80 grams of protein per meal — he weighs 148.5 kg. He has also experimented with 100 grams per meal, but then he feels bloated and overfed. “Even my 150 kg body can’t process 100 g of protein in two and a half hours,” he says. The goal isn’t the maximum amount at once, but a steady supply.
Why so often? Our body can’t store protein. Every 2.5–3 hours it needs a new dose. If you eat half a kilo of meat in one sitting, the body uses some of it and the rest is either excreted or converted to energy — after 3–4 hours the protein supply is empty and muscle growth stops. It makes more sense to split those 500 g into three or four meals and spread them evenly across the day.
Schlierkamp stresses that most people think only the daily total matters. Nutrient timing gets forgotten. “When I ask what people eat and how much, they say: in the morning a couple of slices of bread with a couple of slices of cheese. Come on — a couple of slices of cheese don’t even give you 10 grams of protein, and then people come to me saying they’re not growing. Muscles only grow if you supply them with protein throughout the whole long day.”
When it comes to carbohydrates, he is more relaxed in the mass phase: he doesn’t keep an exact count, but tries to take in protein and carbohydrates in roughly equal amounts. The lion’s share of his carbohydrates comes from complex sources — oat flakes and potatoes. Simple carbohydrates are kept to a minimum. His off-season menu also includes a day once a week with freer choices, when he allows himself some lower-quality food too.
Massive condition through carbohydrate manipulation
Schlierkamp’s pre-contest diet lasts 12 weeks. It begins by limiting saturated fats — not with a drastic cut, but with gradual control. In the early phase of the diet, he allows himself an oat cookie or sushi once a week. Nothing more. He weighs himself every day after his workout and “listens to his condition” — an expression meaning that the numbers dictate decisions, not a fixed plan.
The goal: not to lose more than 2 pounds, or about 900 g, per week. The diet starts at 146–148.5 kilos, and contest condition is 135 kg — he has 12 weeks to get there. Losing weight too fast eats away at muscle, not fat.
He manipulates carbohydrates constantly. Sometimes he uses a four-day cycle: three days of low carbohydrates, the fourth day with slightly more. Sometimes a five-day one: four low days, one high. The daily amounts vary — 200 g one day, 300 g the next, 250 g on the third. “I keep my metabolism confused — carbohydrates vary, but the amounts are low, so fat burns.”
He used to keep carbohydrates steadily low, but that strategy cost him too much quality muscle. His current approach — varying amounts, periodic loading — keeps his metabolism active and his muscles full.
He varies his aerobic training too: sometimes three 20–30-minute sessions a day, sometimes one 60-minute session. Here, too, everything depends on his condition and how he looks.
In the last week before the contest (if the contest is on Saturday): from Sunday to Tuesday, almost 0 carbohydrates — a depletion phase during which water also leaves the muscles. By the end of this period, the muscles literally go flat. From Wednesday to Friday comes the load: oat flakes, dried fruit. The muscles fill with glycogen and water and become full — but the dryness and definition don’t disappear. During the final depletion phase he cuts sodium from the menu; during the load he gets it back along with the fruit.
During the diet, he raises his protein intake not by enlarging a single meal, but by adding a seventh and sometimes an eighth meal — in the form of a protein shake at night. At night he takes whey isolate that also contains dietary fiber. The fiber slows digestion, so the body keeps supplying itself with protein during sleep too. Sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night and eats a raw salad and chicken breast. This brings his daily protein ration up to 500 grams. In general, during the diet he prefers to get his protein from food rather than shakes — but even before contests he doesn’t give up protein shakes entirely.
Supplements and recovery
Schlierkamp is a big believer in supplements, convinced that food alone can’t supply all the vitamins and minerals needed — especially for someone training on that scale. Three times a day, Schlierkamp takes multivitamins and minerals.
Right after training: 8 g of creatine and 10 g of glutamine, together with carbohydrates and protein. Creatine and glutamine speed up growth and recovery. Glucosamine is good for the joints — under heavy training loads, that matters. Coenzyme Q10 supports the immune system. Flaxseed oil — 2 tsp a day — provides essential fatty acids. Chromium increases the cells’ insulin sensitivity so that carbohydrate absorption is more efficient. CLA speeds up metabolism.
On ZMA, Schlierkamp says with a grin: “Besides its other benefits, it ensures better sleep and is good for my sex life too!” Since Schlierkamp is considerably bigger than an average man, most supplements are taken at 50–100% more than what is recommended for the average person.
| Supplement | Times per day | Amount per dose |
|---|---|---|
| Chromium | 2x | 200 mg |
| CLA | 3x | 1560 mg |
| Coenzyme Q10 | 3x | 50 mg |
| Creatine | 1x | 8 mg |
| Flaxseed oil | 2x | 14 g fat |
| Glucosamine | 3x | 2 g |
| Glutamine | 1x | 10 g |
| Multivitamins/minerals | 3x | 400 mg vitamin C, etc. |
| Whey protein | 3x | 80 g |
| ZMA | 3x | 20 mg zinc per serving |
A massive nutrition plan: the numbers on the table
Schlierkamp’s off-season nutrition plan: Between contests, Schlierkamp eats 4300–5500 kcal a day. Calorie intake is higher on so-called cheat days, when a bit more lower-quality food is allowed too. Schlierkamp tries to keep the nutrient ratio at protein 50%, carbohydrates 40% and fat 10%. During the off-season there are usually 7 meals. Daily amounts: protein 500 g, carbohydrates 380 g, fat 105 g.
Schlierkamp’s pre-contest nutrition plan: Before contests, calorie intake fluctuates between 3800 and 4500 kcal a day. The nutrient ratio is roughly 60% protein, 32% carbohydrates and 8% fat. The pre-contest period also has 7 meals, with the seventh meal coming at night in the form of a protein shake. Daily amounts: protein 520 g, carbohydrates 285 g, fat 70 g. Before contests, Schlierkamp trains twice a day. Foods: chicken fillet, salmon fillet, oat flakes, brown rice, raw salads and protein shakes.
Honestly, these numbers are out of reach for the average person — and they don’t need to be within reach. But the principles hold at every level: protein spread closely across the day, carbohydrates from complex sources, fat kept under control.
FAQ — common questions about building a massive physique
How often should a bodybuilder eat?
Schlierkamp recommends having protein every 2.5–3 hours. The body can’t store protein — if you leave longer gaps, it runs out of protein and muscle growth stalls. This applies to beginners and professionals alike.
Are dairy products suitable for a bodybuilder?
Early in the career, Schlierkamp ate a lot of dairy products and whole-grain wheat bread, and won the 1993 heavyweight World Championships during that period. After moving to America, Schlierkamp had to give them up, but in the end the result depends on each person’s individual metabolism — there is no general rule.
Do you need to restrict carbohydrates strictly during a mass phase?
No. During the mass phase, Schlierkamp doesn’t keep exact track of them. What matters is that the lion’s share comes from complex carbohydrates — oat flakes, potatoes — and that simple carbohydrates are kept to a minimum. A good physique doesn’t call for drastic restriction, but for consistent quality.
Author: Janar Rückenberg
Source: WHO – healthy eating.
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