| Add
Calories to Add Muscle |
 |
|
If you want to gain muscle
there is no magic formula or supplement or powder,
it's simple: train hard and eat a lot! To enhance
muscle size, athletes need to push themselves with
a challenging strength-training program, and eat
an extra 500-1000 calories a day on top of what
they |
are currently eating to maintain their weight.Keep in
mind that the body needs food to grow from; extra food
will make extra muscle, as long as a consistent strength-training
stimulus is present. If you continue eating the same amount
of calories, your weight will remain the same. The body
needs 2000-3000 extra calories from all nutrients, to
build a pound of muscle. Total energy with calories from
all three macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fat)
are necessary.
Contrary to what many athletes believe, the extra calories
needed for lean muscle mass do not have to come from protein
exclusively. The body will use dietary protein to build
muscle, but if athletes don’t eat enough total calories
the body’s protein stores are used for energy and
muscle gain is limited. Carbohydrates are essential to
fuel intense work-outs (to stimulate muscle growth), and
both fat and carbohydrates provide energy for the body
to "grow" more muscle. Protein is also needed,
but not in excessive amounts, as the dietary supplement
industry has lead us to believe.
Keep your same calorie ratios: Carbohydrates 55-65%, Protein
12-15%, Fat 20-25%, but eat more TOTAL calories. Next
month learn how to calculate your protein and carbohydrate
needs based on your weight and your performance goals.
Interested in more?
Get your nutritional competitive edge,
book an appointment! Nanci S. Guest BSc, MSc (c) –
Sport Nutritionist – reach her at www.powerplayweb.com
 |
Nanci
S. Guest is a certified personal trainer &
nutritionist, and is completing her Master of
Science degree in nutrition this June. She owns
"Power Play: Nutrition, Fitness, Performance"
in Vancouver, BC, and for the past 8 years she
has been providing individuals, sports teams
& the community with nutritional consulting
& personal training services, as well as
research services, seminars and article writing
for local & national publications. |
Her specialization
is sports nutrition, catering to a variety of
athletes of all levels. Some of her elite athletic
clientele include members of the Vancouver Canucks,
the Vancouver Giants & the BC Lions, the
Canadian National Freestyle Ski Team, Iron Man
participants, athletic teams from BC high schools
and universities, and a variety of other provincial
and national team members.
Nanci can be reached at
www.powerplayweb.com
and
by email at nanci@powerplayweb.com.
|
|
