“What is after training?” – material about the most effective nutrition after training for gaining muscle mass. You will receive a list of the best protein and carbohydrate foods, and also learn how and when to use them.
“Banana after training?” Better a few! ”- about the benefits of bananas after training. Due to what properties do bananas allow you to build muscle?
“The essence of the Kremlin diet” – talk about the principles of the Kremlin diet. Kremlin diet – benefit or harm? Find out in this material!
“Sports diet for men” – we make a sports diet for men, taking into account many features. We are gaining muscle mass, losing weight, improving the functioning of all body systems with the help of a sports diet.
“How to quickly gain muscle mass?” – We reveal the principles of nutrition for a set of muscle mass. With this diet, muscle gain will be as fast as possible!
“The effect of alcohol on muscles” – why does alcohol not fall into the “sports nutrition” section? We learn about the harmful properties of alcohol, which are incompatible with sports.
“Raw food. Where to start? ”- is it possible to combine raw food diet with training? We build a sports diet on raw-eating principles.
“The most healthy fruits” is a list of the best fruits that not only benefit the body, but also help to gain muscle mass or lose weight.

What is sports nutrition?

Sports nutrition is a separate industry in bodybuilding, which includes:

Food for mass recruitment.
Fat Burning Nutrition.
Special sports nutrition as a supplement to the diet.
Quality Steroids that allow you to achieve any personal goals.

Sports nutrition in the broad sense of the term is a diet that you supplement your workouts to accelerate progress. In the narrow – sports supplements that complement the main diet.

Today we will consider the term “sports nutrition” comprehensively. You will learn:

About what sports nutrition is.
On the use of sports nutrition to achieve various goals.
On the combination of familiar foods with additives.
What foods and additives to make a diet to achieve your personal goals.
On the benefits and harms of various types of sports nutrition.

The diet of the athlete. Basics of Mass and Fat Burning

The athlete’s diet for mass gain should include:
Calorie surplus. From food, you need to get more energy than the body spends on maintaining life and training.
A mixture of fast and slow carbohydrates. We focus on slow carbohydrates to maintain high energy throughout the day.
A mixture of vegetable and animal protein. At least 1 gram of animal protein per kilogram of body weight.
Vitamins and microelements that improve the functioning of all body systems reduce the risk of injury or illness.
Raw materials for the hormonal system. Food cholesterol, zinc and other important trace elements.
Special additives for the correction of hormonal levels, increase testosterone levels.

Nutrition for weight loss (fat burning) is different from the mass-gain option. Be guided by these postulates:

Fat burning is impossible without a calorie deficit! Less energy is needed from food than the body consumes to support life, exercise, and other activities. The deficit should not be excessive.
Slow carbohydrates become the main source of energy. Refusing to consume carbohydrates in general is a huge mistake that leads to a terrible physical and mental state after a few days. Over 80% of carbohydrates are slow. We consume at least 1 gram of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight.
We use high-quality animal protein with a moderate amount of fat. We use low-fat fish or meat, eggs, cottage cheese, low-fat or moderately fatty dairy products as a source of protein.
You can’t refuse fats. The number of harmful “trans fats” is reduced to zero. In their place should be useful animal sources of fat. Eggs (Necessarily with yolks! Refusal of food cholesterol causes huge damage to hormonal and cardiovascular systems), fat from fish, meat and dairy products will preserve your health with intensive fat burning.
We actively use vitamin and mineral complexes. On a deficient diet, the body cannot get all the necessary nutrients from food, and therefore health deteriorates and metabolism slows down. In this situation, the vitamin-mineral complex plays the role of a fat burner!

We use special additives, which we will talk about below.

The items listed above are the basis of nutrition in bodybuilding, on which we will “put on” food and sports supplements.

Essential Bodybuilding Products

We use these protein products on an ongoing basis:

Chicken eggs. The best and cheapest source of quality animal protein. Chicken eggs are a source of healthy fats and cholesterol, without which it is difficult to gain and lose weight.
Pollock fish and / or chicken breast. Cheap source of low-fat protein, which allows you to gain maximum fat-free weight.
Milk (if you have no problems with the assimilation of the “white elixir”) or (and) other dairy products like kefir and fermented baked milk. It is an excellent source of protein, fat and carbohydrates. “Stagnation” in muscle growth can “break through” a regular package of milk, added to the diet on a daily basis.
Cottage cheese. An ideal source of protein, the most affordable option for the ratio of pure protein-price for a bodybuilder. Cottage cheese and eggs make up the basis of the protein diet in the budget option.
Other types of meat and fish. Fatty types of meat and fish are an excellent source of high-quality fats, but are not suitable for fat burning.

The remaining protein products of animal origin are selected based on their taste preferences.

The best carbohydrates in bodybuilding:

Cereals. And any. Oatmeal, buckwheat, rice, corn, pearl barley, wheat and other cereals should be an integral part of your daily diet. Porridge is an ideal source of slow carbohydrates, which are the basis of the diet both in the phase of mass collection, and during the fat burning.

Vegetables and fruits. The mass collection phase is an additive to slow sources of carbohydrates. With fat burning – the basis of the diet along with cereals.

Durum wheat pasta. Or whole grain pasta. It can be used for weight loss, but in small quantities. In the phase of mass collection, pasta is the best way to gain calories when an emetic reflex appears from an excess of cereals.

Potatoes. Potato is a carbohydrate with a high glycemic index, therefore it is better not to use potatoes during the period of weight loss. In the mass-collection phase, potatoes are a good alternative to pasta, but do not replace cereals, vegetables and fruits.

Other sources of carbohydrates to taste. Bakery products, chocolate (we use it after training in the mass-collection phase) and other carbohydrate foods are acceptable in the mass-collection phase, but unacceptable during fat burning.

The best sources of fat in bodybuilding

The list of the best sources of fat in bodybuilding is as follows:

Fatty fish and seafood that have omega-3s. Omega-3 or fish oil is the highest quality and scarce source of fat. Omega-3 accelerates muscle growth, and also has a number of useful properties. Fatty fish is an indispensable element of a healthy diet for athletes who do not get omega-3s from supplements.
Chicken eggs. Attention: the yolk from the eggs must not be thrown! It is one of the best sources of fat in bodybuilding, and also contains food cholesterol – a substance that regulates the hormonal system, and is the raw material for building a testosterone molecule.
Vegetable oils. They contain omega-6 and omega-9, which are necessary for the full functioning of the hormonal system. The combination of oily fish, vegetable oils and chicken eggs is the best option for building a weekly “fat” diet.
Milk, cheese, cottage cheese, dairy products are an excellent addition to the source of animal fats.
Fatty meats. Contain cholesterol. They are inferior in value to chicken eggs, but superior to dairy products. The cost of fats from meat is significantly higher than from dairy products, and therefore bodybuilders rarely “rely” on this source of fat.
Fats from plant sources. Peanuts, walnuts – as an example. The digestibility of these fats is significantly lower, but they are cheaper and benefit the body.

The combination of the above sources of fat in a weekly diet is ideal for the correct functioning of the hormonal system and muscle gain.

These products are the basis of sports nutrition, which lays the “base” in the process of muscle growth and weight loss.

Now let’s talk about the term “sports nutrition” in the narrow sense of this expression – we’ll fasten sports supplements to the “base” that accelerate the process of achieving results.

Types of sports nutrition

Sports nutrition can be divided into several types:

Sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass. These are supplements that contribute to weight gain, allow you to gain the necessary number of calories to go into an anabolic state. Such additives include such additives:

A mixture of fast and slow carbohydrates with protein. If you have problems with eating the right amount of calories, then a weight gainer is the first sports supplement to which you need to pay attention.
The best supplement for mass collection in terms of price and quality. Creatine increases muscle performance, which allows you to gain several kilograms of muscle mass. If there are no problems with consuming the required number of calories, then creatine belongs to the title “the best sports nutrition for gaining muscle mass”.
Universal sports nutrition. The use of these additives increases the effectiveness of training for both weight gain and weight loss:
Powder, which is a product of the processing of natural high-protein food. Protein is a protein without which it is difficult to build muscles and it is almost impossible to maintain them when losing weight. Protein can save time on the preparation of a large number of protein products and not overload the digestive tract. Using protein, an athlete can get pure protein without impurities in the form of fats and carbohydrates, which is especially important during fat burning.
Vitamin and mineral complexes. The lack of vitamins and minerals inhibits the set of muscle mass and slows down the metabolism, which harms weight loss. A full-fledged vitamin-mineral complex improves the hormonal system, improves mood and improves performance. Vitamin-mineral complex is especially necessary for weight loss, when the body does not receive the required amount of nutrients from food.
Complex amino acids and BCAA. The advantage of amino acids over protein lies in their rapid absorption in the blood and the ability to get the perfect amino acid composition without increasing the calorie intake. In the mass collection phase, amino acids are used immediately after training to stop catabolism. When losing weight, amino acids are also anti-catabolics, but are used on an ongoing basis to maximize muscle preservation.
Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 is an indispensable element for the correct functioning of the hormonal system, and also allows you to improve health, normalize metabolism, improve the condition of the skin and hair. This supplement is required for athletes who do not use fatty fish in their diet on an ongoing basis.

· Sports nutrition for weight loss. This type of sports nutrition allows you to burn the maximum amount of fat with minimal muscle loss. We highlight the following additives:

Fat burning complexes. Special additives from well-known sports nutrition manufacturers, which include popular fat-burning ingredients. Green coffee, yohimbine, ginger, limmonik and other natural ingredients speed up and simplify the process of losing weight. The main “chip” of these complexes is the use of components that accelerate metabolism and impair appetite. Calorie demand rises and calorie consumption decreases. Due to this, weight loss occurs.
L-carnitine and other supplements with unproven effectiveness. L-carnitine is a vitamin-like supplement that speeds up fat burning when using aerobic exercise (running, jumping rope). According to research, carnitine also speeds up recovery after exercise and improves performance. Negative reviews of L-carnitine-based supplements are a consequence of the lack of aerobic exercise, without which L-carnitine does not work.
Special additives. Sports nutrition that allows you to realize various goals. We highlight some of them:
Supplements to increase testosterone levels. Hormones are a determining factor in bodybuilding success. A man with a low testosterone level who trains on ideal programs and complies with all dietary rules will gain muscle mass more slowly than the “testosterone mutant” who comes into the gym once a week, lazily squats, squeezes, pulls himself up, and then seizes it all shawarma. The composition of the test booster includes various plant components, which in theory are able to increase the level of the main male hormone. In practice, reliable confirmation of the effectiveness of testosterone is revealed only in the improvement of potency. Whether this is due to high testosterone levels is not known.
Pre-workout complexes. Supplements that allow you to collect all the available energy in the body and “splash out” it during training. The composition of the “pre-train” usually includes caffeine, ginseng, creatine and other components that stimulate the central nervous system. A side effect of the use of “pre-workout” is emotional and physical emptiness after training, as well as the gradual wear of the nervous system.
Additives to strengthen joints and ligaments. Sports nutrition that helps prevent injury and helps treat injuries to ligaments and joints. Science doubts the effectiveness of these drugs, but in practice, chondroprotectors, which are the main component of these supplements, collect many positive reviews.

Sports nutrition. Benefit and harm

Sports nutrition is an absolutely harmless supplement to the main diet. BUT this statement has a few exceptions:

Athletes with diseased kidneys should not use protein. Excessive protein intake (this applies not only to the protein supplement, but also ordinary protein products) negatively affects the condition of the diseased kidney. Overdoses of protein have a negative effect even on a healthy kidney.

Athletes with problem kidneys should not use creatine! Taking creatine in the presence of kidney problems leads to complications as soon as possible.

For athletes with diseases of the cardiovascular system, it is undesirable (or not – depending on the disease) to use pre-workout complexes. After using the “pre-workout” it is strictly forbidden to take a hot bath or relax in the bath! When combining adverse factors (high dosage of pre-workout, hard training, the presence of cardiovascular diseases, too hot water), such a trip to the bathhouse can end fatally.

Some fat burners are undesirable for people with diseases of the cardiovascular system. There will be no fatal outcome even with an overdose, but you can “plant” your heart.

Girls should not use drugs to increase testosterone. They are not only ineffective, but also harmful to the female body.

The benefits of sports nutrition are:

Significant time savings. Diluting the protein in milk is a matter of 2 minutes, and it will take 30-60 minutes to prepare a similar dish. With a gainer, things are the same.
A shaker with a protein (or carbohydrate-protein) cocktail can be worn to study, work or to the gym. Cooking dishes every day is too tedious.
Improving the effectiveness of training. Sports nutrition provides your body with all the necessary materials for building muscle and burning fat.
Health benefits. A person who consumes less than 1 gram of animal protein per day can improve their health with protein. The benefits of vitamin-mineral complexes and other supplements will be discussed in separate articles.

This diet is designed for men with a body weight of 75-85 kg (depending on metabolic rate). In the event that your weight is less than the specified figures, reduce the calorie intake. More – increase.

This scheme is an ideal mass collection option, but it is not suitable for everyone due to the high cost of sports nutrition. You can replace expensive supplements with cheaper components.

The diet does not take into account your taste needs. You can add meat, fish and other products that we talked about above to the diet. Change your meal time, change foods, but keep the principle of building a diet and an approximate ratio of nutrients.

The number of calories, proteins, fats and carbohydrates in sports nutrition is calculated based on the use of protein and gainers from Optimum Nutrition

We will talk about how to make up a complex of sports nutrition for the fastest weight loss in a separate article.

Sports nutrition at home

Sports nutrition can be prepared at home. This provides you with the following benefits:

Unlimited choice of products. Absolutely any product can be put in a home-made protein or gainer, according to your taste preferences.

The ability to control sources of protein and protein. Purchased protein in powder form is always the risk of running into a low-quality supplier. The exception is expensive sports nutrition brands that produce a quality product for a lot of money. Homemade gainer or protein is a natural product, the preparation of which you control yourself.

The opportunity to save. The finished mixture costs many times more than the products that you throw in a blender and mix with each other.

The ability to vary the taste of the cocktail. To vary the tastes of ready-made powder cocktails, it is necessary to purchase several packages of sports nutrition with different tastes. This is a lot of money for most of us. Cooking a protein or gainer at home allows you to delight yourself with new tastes every day without excessive spending.

To prepare sports nutrition at home, you must purchase a blender. We do not recommend purchasing an immersion blender – it copes with its task better, but the capacity of such units is too small to prepare a milkshake. The minimum blender capacity is 1 liter. Better – from one and a half liters.