Nutrition and Health

Sport Nutrition and Building Muscle

Let's talk about the importance of a diet and sport nutrition plan to gain pounds of quality muscle mass. The truth is, no one will ever gain muscle without food. Sport nutrition for muscle gain is simply a matter of eating choices, but that doesn't mean there isn't a lot to learn. Stuffing your face with the wrong type of food, or just eating 1 or 2 large meals a day isn't the way to gain muscle. You'll just end up with the other weight problem. That's right, even if you are lifting properly, you'll find yourself adding more fat than muscle to your body. No bodybuilder I know wants that.

High quality protein should be the center point of all your meals and body building supplementation. Intense exercise increases demand for protein to support muscle repair and growth. When you train with weights, you should eat a minimum of 1.5 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight.

If you weight 150 pounds, try and take in at least 225 grams of protein each and every day. I know this sounds like a lot, and you could probably do okay with 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. If you find it really difficult to gain muscle, however, this extra protein can help.

In terms of calories, there are also guidelines to follow for balanced sport nutrition that builds muscle. A simple, yet highly accurate formula is to multiply your bodyweight by 20. For example, if you weight 150 lbs, you need at least 3,000 calories per day to maintain your bodyweight. To grow and build muscle, however, you'll need more. Refer to the following quick guideline based on your weight. Remember, these numbers are for underweight people with high metabolisms trying to build lots of muscle quickly.

• 175 pounds and under - add 400 calories per day
• 176-200 ponds - add 500 calories per day
• 201 pounds and over - add 600 calories per day

Sport Nutrition and a Muscle Building Diet

• Eat Enough Protein
  At least 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight, preferably more.
• Eat Enough Calories
  If your goal is to gain weight fast, you most likely have little body fat and a high metabolism. While in the weight gaining stage, don't worry about adding a little bit of fat. A good rule of thumb to start is to multiply your body weight by 20 to calculate your target daily calorie goal.
  
  If you weigh 150 pounds, you should be consuming at least 3,000 calories a day. If you find after a couple of weeks that you haven't added any weight, you'll need to increase this number. This is just a starting guide. If you have a really high metabolism and you are working as hard as you should, you may need to increase your caloric intake.
• Eat 6 Daily Meals
  This makes sure your body has the protein and calories it needs at all times. It also allows you to eat the high number of calories that you need.
• Use Protein Shakes and Supplements
  This will make it easier to consume enough calories and protein, and have 6 meals a day.

Try this sample weight gain drink in your muscle building sport nutrition program :

• 100 grams of protein powder
• 2 quarts of whole or 2% Milk
• 2 cups of skim milk powder
• 2 cups of chocolate ice cream
• 4 tablespoons of peanut butter
• 1 banana