sports diet

When playing sports, the right diet is important for maintaining health and new achievements. Both professionals and amateurs will need a special menu. A sports diet meets any needs of athletes: with its help, you can gain or lose weight, quickly get yourself in the right shape, eat delicious food without harming your figure. In this article, we will learn how to use nutrition to increase the efficiency of power loads.

Rational sports nutrition

A sports diet should saturate well, fill it with useful components for building muscles, contain the right amount of vitamins and minerals. Any technique that requires the rejection of carbohydrates or fats should be taken as a joke. With increased loads, the body needs all the nutrients, and a deficiency of even one of them can cross out all the efforts in the gym.

A rational diet is a way of eating to keep fit. It is designed for those who do not have a desire to lose weight or a special need to gain weight. The diet is designed to maintain the results achieved and improve the effect of power loads. In the intervals between “drying” or, conversely, breakdowns for tasty, you definitely need to return to a rational diet.

This model of nutrition is suitable for people involved in sports or just hard physical work. In its composition, it is a completely balanced and complete diet. None of the components are excluded: the daily calorie content should be 30% fat and 20% protein, the remaining half comes from complex carbohydrates. Protein food must contain both vegetable and animal protein.

In recommendations for sports nutrition, you can often find a negative opinion about fats and carbohydrates. Often, professionals and amateurs switch to a protein diet, practically giving up other important nutrients. Carbohydrates play an equally important role in building and maintaining muscle mass as protein. If you deprive the body of the main source of energy, it will begin to draw it from the muscles, so cereals, potatoes, beans will be an excellent help in the process of relief formation.

A deficiency of saturated and unsaturated fats leads to metabolic disorders, slows down tissue repair, and worsens resistance to inflammatory processes. For athletes, the lack of fat is especially dangerous for the destruction of the joints. Saturated fatty acids are recommended to be obtained from dairy products and eggs. You can replenish the required amount of unsaturated fats from oily fish, nuts, vegetable oil. Vegetable fats are destroyed under the influence of heat treatment, so it is important to use them cold: as part of freshly squeezed juices, raw purees, smoothies.

The recommended ratio of proteins, carbohydrates and fats may vary depending on the physique and sport. For men and women, these figures are almost identical. Ladies are advised to give more preference to vegetable fats from fats, since women are more prone to the accumulation of a fat layer. And for men, animal fats are required, as they contribute to the production of testosterone.

To always stay in shape, you need to calculate your real need for calories. To do this, use a special formula:

• women: 65 + (9,6 * personal weight) + (1,9 * own height) – (4,7 * own age);
• men: 66 + (13,8 * personal weight) + (5 * own height) – (6,8 * own age).

The result will show how many kilocalories you need in a calm state. That is, this is the amount of energy that the body spends only on vital processes: respiration, blood flow, etc. A special coefficient must be added to the resulting figure, which depends on the level of stress. The coefficients are as follows:

• 1,2 – minimum load, bed rest;
• 1,3 – sedentary lifestyle, sedentary work;
• 1,5 – average level of load, periodic exercises in the gym;
• 1,7 – high level of exercise, sports, training 2-3 times a week;
• 1,9 – very high load, constant exercise and training, going to the gym every day.

To the amount obtained as a result of calculations, you need to add another 10%. This “additive” of energy is spent on the process of digestion of food. The calculated number of calories and following the rules of the diet for athletes will always stay in shape.

The choice of products should fall only on natural and fresh names. Food must be cooked at home, reduce the amount of salt and other spices, exclude synthetic additives.

Be sure to eat raw and cooked vegetables, lean meat and fish, nuts, and dairy products.

Creating a menu to maintain weight is not difficult. You can eat everything except obviously unhealthy food: any carbonated drinks, too fatty, fried in a lot of oil. Confectionery and refined sugar should be kept to a minimum. For dinner, it is better to give preference to proteins, since at night carbohydrates can go into fat reserves.

Traditional for all diets is attention to the drinking regimen. Athletes are advised to drink eight glasses of water a day. The main thing is not to drink food, you can drink a maximum of 20 minutes before a meal and 40-60 minutes after it. You can use ordinary mineral water, decoctions of fruits and herbs, teas, unsweetened coffee.

The obligatory point of observing such a diet is the sport itself. The consumption of even useful components in excess without power loads will lead to banal obesity.

Nutrition for mass gain

To achieve maximum results in building muscle mass is possible only in a complex combination of proper nutrition and strength training. Any athlete, regardless of the state of his muscles and experience, should be familiar with rational sports nutrition. The diet for weight gain is characterized by high calorie content with an emphasis on protein foods. Although other nutritional components are also present here.

An increase in calories is necessary, because in order to gain weight, the power loads themselves must increase. To cover the body’s need for energy, the athlete must consume more of the right food. The basic principles of such a diet are:

1. More calories. To build muscle, it is high-calorie foods that are needed, the percentage of vegetables and fruits should be only 30% of the total amount of food. Vegetable fiber enhances intestinal motility, which is why most of the protein and carbohydrate foods will not be absorbed properly. Therefore, fruits and vegetables should be present in the diet, but it is not necessary to focus on low calorie content.
2. Compliance with proportions. Of all the food consumed, half should be carbohydrates, proteins – 35%, fats – 15%. These numbers apply to most athletes and bodybuilders, but the precise way to determine individual needs is through observation through personal experience.
3. Equal distribution of food throughout the day. It is desirable that all meals are the same in volume. You can also determine your optimal portion, over time, by observing the body. There is no such portion that would be equally suitable for girls and men.
4. Fractional nutrition. For athletes, more than anyone else, it is important to eat in small portions throughout the day. So nutrients, vitamins, proteins enter the body in a normal amount. Such a frequency of receptions does not overload the digestive organs and gradually assimilates food, processing it into useful energy. If you eat the same amount of food, but in 2-3 meals, the excess nutrients will go into fat reserves. It is very difficult to remove them from there in a high-calorie diet.
5. Nutrition before and after workouts. 1,5-2 hours before the start of the workout you need to eat. It is recommended to eat more protein foods and complex carbohydrates. The greatest need for nutrients comes after strength training. During this period, you can even eat some fast carbohydrates for a quick recovery of energy and strength.
6. Standard drinking regime.

Muscle building can happen when more energy is taken in than is expended. It is recommended to gradually increase the calorie intake, watching your weight. The optimal increase should be up to 600 g per week. If the indicators are higher, then you need to reduce the amount of food, less – you can increase. It is recommended to weigh yourself at least once every three days.

Beginners can start with the classic ratio of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, and over time adjust these indicators to fit personal needs. As with any diet, a muscle-building menu should contain fortified foods, lean meats, fish (fatty), and dairy products. At will, protein shakes, gainer, creatine are introduced into the diet, but moderation in this matter is very important.

Be sure to minimize the amount of salt and refined sugar. Herbs and hot spices can be used to taste, but without excess, as they provoke appetite. In addition to healthy food, it is recommended to take complex vitamin formulations and Omega-3 fatty acids.

The rules for gaining mass are typical for both men and women.

Sports nutrition for weight loss

The need to lose weight may appear before the competition, for passing into the desired weight category, for beginners at the beginning of the sports path. A sports diet for weight loss is also used before the “drying” process.

The main task of such a diet is to provide the athlete with a sufficient amount of protein in a low-calorie diet. The daily calorie intake for burning fat must be calculated independently. To do this, you need to calculate the formula that we considered above, and the resulting figure should be multiplied by 0,8. The results of such an equation will be the required number of calories individually for women and men.

To lose weight faster, you can reduce calories even more, but only under the supervision of a nutritionist. Healthy nutrition experts believe that men should not reduce calorie content below 1800 kcal, and for women this figure is 1200 kcal.

Too critical restriction in nutrition is strictly prohibited.

Diet rules and a set of products are typical for a healthy lifestyle. Everything that does not bring benefits and can be dangerous to health should be abandoned. In the morning, slow carbohydrates rely, after training and for dinner, proteins are a must. Almost 70% of the total amount of food should be consumed before 16:00, as the body absorbs nutrients faster during the day.

It is desirable that the menu for the week consists of low-calorie days and one unloading. Periodically, it is recommended to resort to roller coasters, which are extremely useful for weight loss. For a clear example, consider such a menu for 7 days with a “female” calorie content.

The first day

Breakfast: carrot and seaweed salad, tea.

Lunch: sweet and sour apple.

Lunch: cream soup of broccoli and chicken, rye crackers.

Afternoon snack: fermented baked milk with a handful of blueberries.

Dinner: oatmeal on the water, boiled egg salad and lettuce leaves.

Second day

Breakfast: boiled brown rice, sweet peppers, plain coffee.

Lunch: grapefruit.

Lunch: lean borscht, some sour cream, toast.

Afternoon snack: a handful of dried apricots, chamomile tea.

Dinner: stew of zucchini and carrots with rabbit.

The third day

Breakfast: millet porridge with pumpkin, tea.

Lunch: skimmed milk.

Lunch: pickle without potatoes, bran toast.

Snack: peanuts, mineral water.

Dinner: steam pike perch, berry compote.

Fourth day

Breakfast: omelet with mushrooms, black coffee.

Lunch: kefir.

Lunch: soup with barley and vegetables.

Afternoon snack: sweet and sour apple.

Dinner: cottage cheese casserole with tomatoes.

Fifth day

Breakfast: tea, sandwiches with chicken breast and lettuce.

Lunch: orange.

Lunch: fish broth without potatoes, rye bread.

Afternoon snack: hard cheese with linden tea.

Dinner: stewed asparagus beans, boiled veal.

The sixth day is unloading: you can use kefir, Greek yogurt, a mono-diet on vegetables or fruits.

Seventh day

Breakfast: soft-boiled eggs, vegetable salad.

Lunch: two kiwis, mineral water.

Lunch: mushroom soup, natural crackers.

Snack: prunes, tea.

Dinner: unsweetened oatmeal, a piece of boiled fish.

The menu for men should be more extensive, contain more protein and a little more animal fat. It is still forbidden to salt food, and it is better to add honey to drinks if you don’t like them at all without sugar.

A fat burning diet should be accompanied by strength training. The growth of muscle mass can hide the real results of losing weight, so the weights may even increase. With proper weight loss, 2-4 kilograms per month should go away. Beginners, after achieving the desired result, need to switch to a diet to maintain physical fitness or to gain muscle mass. Depending on the goals, a weight loss diet will last from a week to several months.

Drying for the body

Drying is used for greater relief of the body and maximum fat burning. Nutrition experts emphasize that such a diet should be a short-term technique, and not an everyday eating pattern. The menu of such a diet is not balanced in terms of the content of nutritional components, so it is not recommended to stick to it for more than 4-5 weeks.

To dry the body, they build a diet in which proteins predominate. For gradual addiction and transition, it is recommended to gradually reduce the amount of carbohydrate food until complete carbohydrate starvation. During these periods, you can eat fish, egg whites, chicken and beef fillets, cottage cheese, seafood, protein shakes, vegetables and greens. The amount of bread, sweets and sweet fruits, rice and semolina should be reduced as much as possible.

Drying is a diet for a relief body. Accordingly, if there are no pumped muscles under the “fat”, it does not make sense to sit on it. The diet should be accompanied by good power loads. Two hours before training and two hours after them, it is forbidden to eat.

It is a common misconception that drying is accompanied by the rejection of water. Sometimes professional bodybuilders really don’t drink water a couple of days before a competition. This does not apply to a healthy lifestyle, and just to look at “beautiful yourself” in the mirror, it is not recommended to torture yourself with thirst. To burn the fat layer as much as possible, you need to continue to drink the amount of water that the body requires.

At the end of the drying period, carbohydrates should be gradually returned to the diet. The results of such a diet are fixed for a long time if you continue to lead an active lifestyle. To keep fit, it is better to switch to regular sports nutrition.

In conclusion

A sports diet is designed to fill the body with vitamins, nutrients, minerals. It helps to quickly achieve the desired results: to find a beautiful body and a healthy mind. Reviews of those who correctly follow this technique are only positive. But even with such healthy diets, it is important to proceed carefully. Before a diet, it is better to consult a nutritionist if there are any chronic diseases or pathologies of internal organs.