Athlete's nutrition - let's break it down into pieces.

If you want to embellish your figure, it's time to think about proper sports nutrition. After all, people who devote time to physical activity need a special diet.



A complete, well-thought-out diet for an athlete helps his body fill with energy, and at the same time restore the functions of myofibrils (muscle cells) damaged as a result of training. It is also important that our body is supplied with a sufficient amount of vitamins, minerals and beneficial microelements. In addition to all of the above, the athlete’s nutrition must contain components that support the metabolic process at a sufficiently high level. It is advisable to use biologically active substances and high-quality natural supplements.

How is energy spent?

In the process of physical activity received in the gym, a bodybuilder spends a colossal amount of energy. This happens in order to maintain the functioning of the heart, respiratory and digestive systems. All organs and cells function at increased speed. The diet for athletes must provide optimal energy balance, otherwise the body will become exhausted. After all, people who experience serious physical activity need rich, enriched nutrition, and it must cover all energy costs.

Nutrition for athletes must be selected taking into account the general characteristics of the body, and the level of stress is also taken into account. In terms of composition, the diet can consist of 35% protein, 55% carbohydrates and 10% fat. The most important component is proteins; they perform the function of “construction” in the body. Protein is involved in the growth of muscles, tendons and ligaments. Proteins accelerate biological and metabolic reactions occurring in cells. Thanks to them, good muscle growth occurs, these substances protect the entire immune system. The diet of a strength athlete should include: fish, eggs, meat, cottage cheese and kefir.

High-quality, enriched nutrition is the key to health!

Just like proteins, carbohydrates are involved in the metabolic process. When a person experiences physical activity, carbohydrates are intensively consumed. It is healthy to eat brown rice, rye bread, fruits, vegetables, wheat, and it is recommended to replace sugar with honey. Fats are an integral part of sports nutrition; they are consumed when an athlete performs a set of slow, intense exercises. In this case, the body temperature is maintained, and all internal organs work smoothly. It is recommended to combine animal and vegetable fats. Vegetable fats are oil, and animal fats are found in fish varieties.

To maintain muscle mass, it is useful to create an individual menu. It should contain cottage cheese (about 300 grams), the same amount of fruits, vegetables, a little less bread, 400 grams of poultry meat and 30 grams of butter. Be sure to add cereal porridge. To maintain the health of strength athletes, it is necessary to increase protein consumption: you can prepare special cocktails with this powder. The girls' diet should include vegetable and monounsaturated fats, and foods should contain a sufficient amount of fiber. It is advisable that the meals be fractional: it is better to eat often, the breaks between meals should be more than three hours.

For breakfast you can prepare oatmeal, it should be about 200 grams, three eggs, and you can wash it down with milk. For lunch, cook poultry (it should not be fried). It is advisable to eat nuts with cottage cheese for an afternoon snack, fruit or salad for dinner, and drink 400 ml of kefir before going to bed. An athlete’s diet should be varied; alternate all healthy foods in your diet. It is important to remember that athletes should absolutely not overeat or go hungry. When eating, you need to chew your food thoroughly and do not rush. In addition, try to monitor your anthropometric indicators and control your own weight.

Sports nutrition and supplements.

To achieve truly impressive results, you need to dilute your regular lunch diet with sports nutrition products. It is about them that we will now talk further in this article...

Potassium regulates biochemical reactions and is involved in optimizing the acid-base balance. The main purpose of potassium is to improve muscle function, remove harmful toxins and enhance the functioning of enzymes. The body cannot fully function without potassium. The trace element replenishes glycogen reserves, thus the athlete develops strength endurance. With its deficiency, cramps, pain and spasms often occur. An athlete's diet should include potatoes, cabbage, grapes, beets, carrots and onions - these foods contain a sufficient amount of potassium.

Athletes often ask: when should you take creatine? If consumed before exercise, it can have a bad effect on water metabolism, as keratin dehydrates cells. It is not recommended to take it during training; in this case, a significant loss of strength may occur. Creatine is administered exclusively after training; you must wait 45-60 minutes before use. After the same time, it is recommended to drink whey protein; do not forget to take into account the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Today, there are many types of protein powder available, all of them are classified depending on their effect on the body. The most famous are fast, slow and complex protein. Manufacturers claim that the powder makes it possible to quickly gain muscle mass. It should be noted that the body must quickly absorb protein, only then muscle mass will grow. Casein is not as effective as the next two types; it is not absorbed very quickly, which means it takes a long time for muscles to grow. Complex protein is able to quickly saturate cells and maintain high levels of amino acids. In cheaper products, slow protein is in greater proportion, which slows down the absorption process. The whey type is of the highest quality: thanks to its properties, the athlete’s muscle mass increases significantly.

Gainers are drinks that contain carbohydrates as well as proteins, they are designed to stimulate insulin levels. Gainers are necessary to increase body weight. Athletes usually take 3 servings per day, due to this, muscles noticeably increase, and rapid weight gain is observed. Those who have been involved in sports for a long time need to take gainers before training; it is important to remember that they also provoke the growth of body fat.