Your
Goals: Speed, Strength
& Power
Carbohydrates
provide our bodies with energy which is stored up for use before
exercise, converted to energy whilst exercising, and to replace
energy after exercise. Muscles literally crave nutrients when we are active, and the products in this
category ensure that all the right nutrients are provided in a refreshing,
convenient form.
Speed, Strength, Power
Being an athlete is dangerous
to one’s health
!. In fact, couch potatoes often live longer than
athletes. The scientific explanation is that because of higher
activity levels, there have been extra, unmet nutritional demands
on athletes.
Athletes use up more minerals than do people
who are sedentary. An athlete sweats more in 5 years than couch
potato's do in 75 years. And when a person sweats they are
not just losing water... their sweat contains 60 essential
minerals. They are called essential minerals because if any
of them are missing for any length of time, the result can
be a degenerative disease, many of which are life threatening.
So, if athletes don’t get additional
nutrients in their diets, their very lives can be at risk.
If too much of an athletes’ food is empty calories then
their vital organs and cells become depleted of minerals and
other vital nutrients. Athletes need more minerals, more amino
acids, more enzymes and more phytonutrients and vitamins. They
need more antioxidants to protect against the by products of exercise.
They need more natural Cox-2 inhibitors to protect against inflammation.
When these nutrient needs are not met, cells are damaged. So, if
you are active, you need more, not less nutrition.
The more intense the exercise or sport,
the greater the body's nutrient needs. Athletes who participate
in endurance sports—those
that involve more than one hour of consistent activity—have
specific needs because of what they demand from their bodies.
For example, athletes lose more electrolytes, such as magnesium,
potassium and sodium, through perspiration and must diligently
replace them. The wear and tear of intense activity may necessitate
increased intake of antioxidants such as vitamin E, which can
help protect muscle cells from oxidative damage. Since muscle-tissue
breakdown is common during intense exercise, athletes also need
more proteins to repair the tissues.
Premium quality protein is
available in “Muscle
Fuel”, as well as complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and other
nutrients.
Want to bulk up?
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Diet and Nutrition:
Eat the right types of food
In order to build lean muscle mass you need to combine an
adequate calorie intake with a solid muscle strengthening program.
A large number of calories are needed to fuel both workouts
and muscle tissue building. Whilst eating enough calories is
important, it is also important to eat the right kind of calories.
Carbohydrate - this is
the predominant energy source for strength training. Stored
as glycogen in the muscles, it is the fuel used to supply energy
for short, intense bursts of power or long duration exercise.
Consumption should be around 2g per 1lb of bodyweight. You
can find out more about carbohydrate here »
Protein - this is the basic building material
for muscle tissue, and is critical for anyone engaging in
high-intensity resistance exercise since increased amounts
of protein become necessary to support muscle growth. Try
to eat at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight
daily. This daily requirement can be easily achieved by supplementing
your diet with protein supplements.
Essential Fats - After
taking care of your carbohydrate and protein needs, there is
a little room left for healthy, essential fatty acids. The
right kind of fat is an essential nutrient, however, you only
require a small amount of it to remain healthy. Less than
30% of your total daily calories should come from unsaturated
fat sources.
Eat Several Small Meals A Day
Eating this way ensures you are providing your body with adequate
nutritional support. Frequent, small meals provide a consistent
supply of nutrients for efficient muscle growth, and also helps
maintain a faster metabolic rate. To gain muscle, you should
be consuming at very least, about 500 calories above your daily
requirements.
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COMMITMENT & FOCUS
Try to visualise your goals and work towards them each time
you train. Set realistic short and long-term goals with rewards
as each goal is accomplished. Thinking positively can also
enhance the muscle-building process in a number of ways.
Quality of training will improve if one is able to approach
each session with confidence and an expectation that you
will achieve your training goals.
Training Guidelines & Tips
1.Training
Journal
Write down the daily routines and weights you used. Pick a
few every week to improve on, not only in weight, but in any
of the above training principles. Routines that put unnecessary
strain on weak areas, like the back, can then be eliminated.
2. Eat
several small meals per day
Glycogen production and supply depends heavily on the constant
supply of carbohydrates, and a constant supply of carbohydrates
boosts the metabolism. Constant flows of amino acids ensure
nitrogen retention and muscle repair. Water-soluble vitamins
constantly leave the body and need to be replaced to fulfill
its synergetic function. A good exercise routine will not counteract
poor eating habits.
3. Vary
your Program
Vary the order, and type of exercises you do, also switch the
muscles you train on the same day. This created muscle confusion
which leads to renewed gains.
4. Increase
the Weight
Eventually, you also need to increase the resistance which
forces muscle to compensate by renewed growth.
5. Train
Smart, not Long
45 to 90 minutes is all you should spend in the gym, longer
than that you either waste your time, or you over train. Limit
time between sets so the body "thinks" the whole
exercise is one long set. Rest roughly two times the time it
takes you to complete a set. Focus on your form, you can rather
use a smaller weight, but do it with great form, no swing,
no cheat, high intensity, and work on the negatives/eccentric
(going down). If your next machine is occupied, proceed to
the next and come back later, don't hesitate to ask how many
sets a person has left.
6. Aim
at a complete physique
Concentrate more on the parts of your body that lack, and less
on your strong points. Abs, calves, and shoulders are common
weak points. If you have excess fat, work a cardio session
into your routine, it's no use having a good physique under
a camouflage of fat!
7. Isolate
the applicable muscle
Do the exercise in such a way that it is not as easy as can
be, but that it strain the targeted muscle as completely as
possible. Like when you do a bench press, lower the weight
slowly to the end of your chest as close to your throat as
possible, turn the elbows as far out as possible, pause at
the bottom to stretch the pectoral muscles through its full
range of motion. Finish the movement at the top by pushing
all the way up to fully contract the pectorals.
8. Breathing
However you choose to breath, exhale on the up or down movement;
never hold your breath against force. This causes an increase
in the blood pressure in the brain and poses a danger to health.
9. Do
not lock
Keep constant tension on a muscle by avoiding the lock at the
top of a lift. This "resting time" interrupts a set.
10. Peak
Contraction and Range of Motion
Always squeeze at the point of fullest contraction, and move
through the whole range of motion to the point of maximum stretch.
11. Rest
A muscle should rest for 72 hours after a strenuous training
session.
12. Cross-train
Legs
All of the muscles on the upper body get the chance to cross-train
with other muscles, like when you do chest, you also use triceps
and front delts, and when you do shoulders, the chest and triceps
work hard too. The legs however very seldom get the change
to cross-train, which is the main reason why most men have
under developed leg muscles compared to their upper bodies.
Work in an extra set of heavy lunges on another day.
13. Positive
Muscular Gain vs. Negative Skeletal Strain
Each person differs, many routines may suit one person, but
not another, but don't decide a routine doesn't suit you just
because it is working on your weak point. There is a healthy
trade-off between positive strain on the muscular system, and
negative strain on the skeletal system. Routines like Squat,
Dead lift, and Stiff leg dead lift must only be done by advanced
athletes involved in a sport where it forms a critical part,
like Power lifting, Weight lifting, Strongman etc. Otherwise
the negative skeletal strain outweighs the positive muscular
gain.
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