When you're doing physical activity, especially when you're working out, your body needs to be in tip-top shape if you want to improve your performance and achieve your goals. A protein-rich diet, a consistent calorie intake and the right lifestyle will increase the chances of success and allow for steady and increasing muscle development. This is why you need to adopt a sports nutrition.
According to recent scientific studies, nutrition has the greatest impact on our physical fitness. It is recommended to consume 4 to 6 meals a day, and to ingest 1. 6 to 2. 2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight depending on your goal. For example, if you weigh 70kg, and your goal is to maintain your muscle mass, you should consume 70(kg) x 2 (grams of protein) or 140 grams of protein per day.
What to eat around training?
The ideal time to eat is between 1. 5 and 3 hours before your workout. This will depend on your basal metabolic rate and digestion time and you may need to experiment to see what works best for your body. However, if you are able to work out immediately after eating, one study shows that taking 20g of protein increases metabolism for 24 hours.
Focus on carbohydrate foods, such as whole grain cereals, whole grain toast, low fat yogurt, brown rice, and of course fruits and vegetables. If you work early in the morning, and only have 5-10 minutes before you exercise, you probably won't be able to eat a whole meal before you go to your workout. In this case, a mini-breakfast should suffice, such as a banana or an apple.
Fruit or dried fruit is an interesting source of carbohydrates that will give you energy and, above all, reduce the feeling of hunger. As far as the post-training snack is concerned, eating protein immediately after a sports session helps to rebuild glycogen reserves more quickly and strengthen muscle tissue, thus maximising the effects of the muscle building session.
Hydrate your body
Hydration plays an essential role during muscle recovery, as the body is 60% water, it is important to hydrate regularly. One way to determine your overall hydration status is to check the colour of your urine in the morning. Clear urine is a sign of adequate hydration, while dark coloured urine (think apple juice) indicates an urgent need to hydrate.
You should also try to stay hydrated throughout your workouts. Consider drinking a cup of water for every 15-30 minutes of intense physical activity, especially if you are sweating profusely or training in a heated environment. Again, this may take some time until you find your balance.
Food supplements for bodybuilding
There are a multitude of food supplements for athletes. BCAA, Glutamines, Proteins. . . there are dozens of them. However, only one can provide a real plus: whey protein.
It's a protein-rich powder that can be consumed quickly and easily, ideal if you have a very active lifestyle and don't have time to take snacks for example. Whey protein will help supplement the protein intake needed to promote muscle development.
Examples of a diet program for bodybuilding
The diet in bodybuilding is therefore essential. In order to have a sufficient caloric intake, it is necessary to have an adapted food plan. It is therefore important to understand how the human body works. To put it simply: to maintain your weight you must eat as many calories as your body consumes. Some of the calories are burnt by your basic metabolism (breathing, thinking. . . ) and some by your daily activity.
For example, it is estimated that a 30 year old man doing 3 weight training sessions per week needs about 2250 calories per day, while a woman of the same age and with the same activity needs 1950 daily calories.
Men's programme 2250 calories
| Food | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Oat flakes | 80 gr |
| Vegetable milk | 200 ml |
| Orange | 1 unit |
| Whey protein (optional) | 1 dose (25gr) |
| White cheese 0% | 200 gr |
| Peanut butter | 30 gr |
| Chicken/turkey scallop | 200 gr |
| Cooked rice | 200 gr |
| Olive oil | 20 gr |
| Illimited | |
| Apple | 1 unit |
| White cheese 0% (or whey protein) | 200 gr |
| Dried fruit | 30 gr |
| Meat/Fish | 200 gr |
| Cooked potato | 200 gr |
| Vegetables | Illimited |
| Banana | 1 unit |
Women's program 1950 calories
| Food | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Oat flakes | 60 gr |
| Vegetable milk | 200 ml |
| Orange | 1 unit |
| Whey protein (optional) | 1 dose (25gr) |
| White cheese 0% | 150 gr |
| Peanut butter | 30 gr |
| Chicken/turkey scallop | 150 gr |
| Cooked rice | 120 gr |
| Olive oil | 20 gr |
| Illimited | |
| Apple | 1 unit |
| White cheese 0% (or whey protein) | 200 gr |
| Dried fruit | 30 gr |
| Meat/Fish | 150 gr |
| Cooked potato | 150 gr |
| Vegetables | Illimited |
| Banana | 1 unit |
These programmes are rich in protein so that the protein intake reaches about 145 grams per day for men and 125 grams for women.
Fruits and vegetables are also very much present to have an additional intake of carbohydrates, but also for their health benefits. Thus, by following this diet plan adapted to bodybuilding, you will eat a sufficient quantity of proteins to progress.
Depending on your goals (mass gain, weight loss, lean) the amount of macronutrients and therefore the total number of daily calories to be consumed will vary.
Bibliography
*Medicine and Science In sports & Exercise
. **Tipton KD,
Elliott TA, Cree MG, Aarsland AA, Sanford AP, Wolfe RR. Stimulation of
net muscle protein synthesis by whey protein ingestion before and after
exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab.
