More strength is more muscle. More muscle is more calories burned, meaning a lower body fat. Strength training will make you build muscle and lose fat. But nutrition is also important.
Strength & Energy. You need energy – calories from food – for weight lifting and for daily activities.
Muscle Mass. Protein is necessary to build muscle & for muscle recovery. Nutrition can also minimize muscle breakdown.
Body Fat. Fat is emergency storage. Your body holds on to fat when you don’t eat enough calories or don’t eat enough fat.
Health. Testosterone levels, hydration, vitamins, minerals, fiber, … Your nutritional choices reflect your health.
The next 10 nutrition rules will take care of the above…
1. Eat Bre akfast. Sleeping gets you in a catabolic state. Eating breakfast stops the muscle breakdown. Eating breakfast also helps fat loss by increasing the amount of calories you burn at rest.
• Some breakfast recipes: scrambled eggs with veggies, oats & bananas, protein shakes, smoothies, etc.
If you have problems eating breakfast, read the article on how to build the habit of eating breakfast.
2. Eat Pre & Post Workout. Pre workout so you feel full of energy at the gym. Post workout for muscle recovery & to replenish your energy levels.
• Pre Workout. 1 hour before working out. Proteins, carbs, some fat. Meat, rice, veggies for example.
• Post Workout. Directly after working out. Post workout shake of whey & oats or whole meal of proteins, carbs &
some fats.
You burn more calories post workout so if you want to eat junk food, the best time is post exercise
(check rule #10).
3. Eat Ever y 3 Hours . Boosts your metabolism. Prevents cravings by keeping you filled with healthy foods. Provides you with the calories you need for energy and to gain weight.
Example meal plan:
7am Eggs with veggies
10am Quark cheese with fruit.
1pm Tuna, brown rice & pineapple.
4pm Mackerel, brown rice & apple.
5pm Workout.
6pm Post workout protein shake.
7pm Meat or poultry with potatoes & veggies.
10pm Cottage cheese, berries, flax seeds & fish oil.
4. Eat 1g Protein per Pound of Body-we igh t Daily. You need protein to build muscle & for muscle recovery. Protein also boosts your metabolism: your body burns 25kcal per 100kcal protein ingested, which is more than for carbs or fats.
Get 1g protein per pound of body-weight. That’s 2.2g protein per kilogram of body-weight.
Sources of protein:
• Red Meat Beef, pork, lamb, deer, buffalo, etc.
• Poultry Chicken, turkey, duck, etc.
• Fish Tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, etc.
• Eggs Eat the yolk, it’s full of vitamins.
• Dairy Milk, cheese, cottage cheese, quark, yogurt, etc.
• Whey Not necessary but great for easy post workout shakes.
If you weigh 150lbs/68kg, 1 can of tuna at lunch, 300g cottage cheese as snack, 300g meat at dinner and 500ml milk through the day gets you 150g protein. Check also these protein sources for vegetarians & vegans.
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