Food And Gym

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

With intensive workouts in the gym, nutrition has its own characteristics. Since in this case we are talking about a set of muscle mass, then not only and not so much the total daily amount of calories, as the amount of protein consumed, is of particular importance.

The principles of good nutrition for athletes

The daily requirement for calories and protein directly depends on a person's physical activity. However, regardless of lifestyle, to gain muscle mass, you will need to consume 15% more compared to spending.

One of the basic principles of proper nutrition for athletes is compliance with the daily protein intake. On average, it is 1.5-2.5 grams per 1 kg of body weight. It should be understood that it is protein that is a muscle building material and cannot be replaced by any other calories.

When exercising in the gym, eating with a 15% excess of calories should lead to an increase in body weight. If, with due observance of the nutritional and training regime, this does not happen, then the daily diet is increased by another 10%. If this measure does not bring the desired results, the reason should not be sought in nutrition.

Organization of proper nutrition during exercise

The importance of proper exercise nutrition cannot be overstated. In situations where, while observing its principles, muscle growth cannot be achieved, you should pay attention to the training regimen. Quite often, there is a small time interval between classes, when the body does not have time to recover. This also includes training with high intensity and frequency, as well as insufficient amount or quality of rest.

Obviously, with regular exercise in the gym, nutrition as an independent measure is not always able to ensure the growth of muscle mass. The emotional state of the athlete is also of great importance. With systematic experiences and stress, the body secretes an excessive amount of hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which, in turn, prevent weight gain. Therefore, it will be necessary to level the sources of stress.

Also, when exercising in the gym, eating according to the rules will not lead to an increase in muscle mass if the training is organized incorrectly. For example, this happens at high intensity with small weights, as well as in cases where an insufficient amount of basic exercises is included in the complex.

Thus, proper nutrition and sports are two absolutely inseparable components of achieving effective results when exercising in the gym. While exercising in the gym, you should also eat as early as possible after training, eat at least four times a day, and consume approximately equal calories daily.

Pre-workout nutrition

Pre-workout meals are also designed to help promote muscle growth. This meal should include proteins and carbohydrates; some limitation of the amount of fat will also be required. In total, it should contain about 20 g of protein and 50 g of slow carbohydrates. An approximate diet for such a meal might look like this:

lean poultry with a complex carbohydrate side dish;
lean fish with baked potatoes;
lean meat with a side dish;
cottage cheese with whole grain bread;
eggs with a side dish.

The serving size should not exceed the size of the average breakfast.

The last pre-workout meal should be about two hours before the start. Eating at a later time will cause numerous negative processes in the digestive system. The exception is the protein geyser - you can drink it one hour before starting your workout.

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