Contents
Nothing makes such an impression on a woman as a well-built male chest and a perfectly sculpted belly. That is why at gyms, younger and older men work on it in the sweat of their brow. However, exercise alone is not enough. For a muscle to grow, you need to feed it.
A muscle actually grows through irritation and damage. Its superstructure occurs in the regeneration process. During this time, he needs to be fed. For it to grow, it primarily needs protein and carbohydrates.
A meal for the muscle
When we start exercising in the gym, the diet we have used so far may turn out to be insufficient. It is generally accepted that when training several times a week, the daily calorie requirement should be exceeded by 25%. Carbohydrates must make up at least half of the total diet. It is calculated that it is best to consume 6-10 g of carbohydrates per 1 kg of body weight. Proteins should account for 25 percent. diet, daily 1,4 – 2 g per 1 kg of body weight. Fats are also needed for the development of muscle mass. When planning a diet, 1 g of fat should be assigned to each kilogram of body weight.
Powdered lunch
Specialized stores offer protein and carbohydrate supplements for athletes and gym exercisers. Some of them are enriched with creatine that increases strength and the amino acids needed by the body, as well as vitamins and microelements. Before buying a conditioner, it is worth consulting a trainer. The preparations have the exact content of protein, carbohydrates and other ingredients. When selecting the dose, we convert the demand per kilogram of body weight.
Nutrients from the butcher
Mariusz Czech – a physical therapist believes that a well-balanced diet can replace nutrients, especially if training in the gym is limited to three times a week. “There are no exact studies on protein overdose in healthy athletes, but you have to remember that too much protein intake puts a strain on the liver and kidneys,” he explains. – If we are not vegetarians, everything that is in nutrients can be found in our food – he adds. The main sources of carbohydrates are rice, pasta, potatoes and bread. Protein, on the other hand, is primarily meat. On average, it is about 20 percent. of this product – Five pork chops satisfy the daily protein requirement of a person exercising three times a week in the gym – says the physical therapist. He explains that the point is not to eat five chops for dinner, but to eat about as much meat throughout the day. It is good to arrange the diet in such a way that you eat a meal every 3-4 hours so that there are 4 to 5 of them a day, then the necessary substances are absorbed evenly. With systematic training, muscle growth will be visible after six weeks.
Testosterone only its own
Mariusz Czech warns everyone against testosterone supplements, i.e. anabolics, which are illegal in Poland. – The effect of muscle growth is electrifying, but the losses are just as turbulent – he explains. Artificial delivery of testosterone causes the testes responsible for its production to stop working. They become smaller and smaller and the quality and quantity of sperm decreases. Nightmare acne is perhaps the slightest complication of anabolics, because by taking them, we destroy our own liver and heart.
Good training
Physical therapists remind you that just feeding your muscles is not enough. Correct training is also needed. – It is best to use the services of professionals and at least at the beginning of the exercises, prepare a training plan together with the trainer. For starters, it’s best to exercise 2,3 times a week for an hour and a half. Each training session should begin with a warm-up. – Increasing the body temperature improves blood circulation, which makes the tissue more elastic. This protects us against muscle injuries – says the Czech. He adds that it is equally important to warm up the joints, ligaments and tendons.
The physical therapist reminds that it always starts with exercises on the largest muscles (the heaviest exercises) and ends with work on the smaller muscles (lighter exercises). – Each training session must be completed with stretching. The muscle after strength training is very compact and needs to be stretched – he explains.
There is no gain without regeneration
Adequate recovery time is equally important. A muscle only grows when it rests. Large muscles, such as the back or legs, take up to several days, shorter muscles – such as the biceps or shoulder muscles – about two days. – That is why the breaks between trainings are extremely important – explains the physical therapist. He adds that you can plan the course of training so that the right group of muscles rests the right amount of time. – Overtraining is harmful. There is a decline in form, fatigue and irritability. It is also the easiest time to get injured – explains the Czech.
The World Cup will not be
It must be remembered that development in sport is not mathematical. “At the beginning, the performance always increases regularly from training to training, and this is very optimistic,” says Czech. “But it would be wrong to conclude that such an increase in performance in a few months’ time would lead us to the title of world champion,” he explains. Anyone who is just starting their training has an untapped resource of physical abilities. – The depletion of this resource usually occurs after 2 months and then the real training begins, the effects of which come much slower – says the Czech. The trick is to arrange the exercises so that the muscle does not “get used to” a specific work or load. He has to adapt again all the time. This can be achieved in various ways, eg by changing the exercise for a given muscle, the angle of the movement, but also by increasing the weight in various ways, including varying the number of series, repetitions, etc. You have to adapt them to the body’s capabilities. Otherwise, we risk an injury and, instead of achieving a divine appearance, we may become crippled.
Text: Maria Janiszewska