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Proper nutrition is critical for athletes, and ignoring it can seriously damage their health and negatively affect their performance.
The importance of nutrition in athletes' diets is so significant. Many professional athletes owe up to 60% of their success to a good diet.
The composition of the athlete's diet is different from the diet of normal people, and we must choose the type of foods in the athlete's online diet that meet her/his body's needs.
This article will look at the general principles of a good diet for athletes and set up an online diet to gain muscle.
Macronutrients are nutrients that you need in large quantities in your online diet for gaining muscle. Macronutrients include three groups: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. In the following, we will explain these macronutrients and the importance of using them in the online diet for muscle building.
Carbohydrates are the first and best energy source for athletes because they need less oxygen to produce energy than fats and proteins.
If we use enough carbohydrates in the athlete's online diet, he/she will be able to exercise more intensely. About 45 to 55% of a standard online diet for athletes consists of carbohydrates, which can increase up to 60 to 70%. Note that at least 45% of the athlete's online diet for gaining muscle should be from carbohydrates.
Suppose you exercise for more than 90 minutes. In that case, the carbohydrates of muscles (Glycogen) are depleted, and the athlete must rebuild the carbohydrate sources in the muscles by eating carbs at the end of the exercise.
In the first 6 hours after exercise, the use of simple carbohydrates better rebuilds glycogen stores. But in the next 24 hours, it is better to use complex carbohydrates in the online diet to replenish muscle glycogen.
The main pre-workout meal should be eaten about 3 to 4 hours before exercise and include 4 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight in the online diet. The closer we get to exercise, the fewer carbohydrates we should eat. So that in the 1 hour left to exercise, you should not eat more than 1 gram of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight.
About 30 minutes before exercise, eat a light snack with about 30 grams of carbohydrates.
Suppose you exercise for more than 1 hour; you should drink about 25 to 30 grams of carbohydrates in the form of a 7% sports drink for every 15-20 minutes of extra exercise. (You can prepare a sports drink by adding two tablespoons of sugar and half a teaspoon of salt and a little lemon juice to 400 ml of water.)
As mentioned, it takes about 20 hours after exercise to rebuild muscle glycogen stores, and the amount of carbohydrates in an athlete's online diet differs according to physical parameters.
In the past, athletes believed that the more protein they consumed, the better their performance. But today, we know that this is not true, and eating more protein in the online diet does not certainly increase the athlete's performance.
The amount of protein required in the athlete's online diet depends on various factors such as type of exercise, the intensity of exercise, duration of the training, physical parameters of the athlete, and some other factors.
Therefore, we need to calculate the amount of protein required by each athlete's body separately.
The recommended amount of protein for endurance exercise is about 1.2-1.4 grams per kilogram of body weight, and in the strength exercises is about 1.2-1.8 grams per kilogram of body weight.
Of course, the amount of protein intake can be higher in the online diet for athletes, depending on the condition of each athlete.
About 25-30% of an athlete's calorie intake should come from fats. Eating less than 20% fat in an athlete's online diet can have serious side effects, including dry skin, decreased absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), lack of concentration, decreased libido, hormonal imbalance, reduced fertility, etc.
Therefore, it is essential to use healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, olives, avocados, etc., in the online diet.
Dehydration among athletes can be caused by insufficient water consumption during the athlete's diet or exercise and can reduce athletic performance. Weight loss of more than 2% of body weight per day for athletes can sign dehydration. Dehydration in athletes' bodies can lead to severe dangers such as kidney damage, heart disease, decreased cell efficiency, and reduced athlete performance. The amount of water that an athlete should drink during the day depends on various factors such as the type of exercise, duration of the training, physical parameters, etc. But in general, athletes should drink at least 2.5 liters of water and fluids daily.
The most important electrolytes for athletes are sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
In typical cases and when the athletes have a proper diet, they do not suffer from a deficiency of these electrolytes. But, if the athlete does not have adequate nutrition, we should pay special attention to these electrolytes' food sources.
Sodium and potassium are important electrolytes, and if their levels in the blood decrease or increase, they can cause serious problems such as high blood pressure or heart attack. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables in an athlete's online diet can satisfy the athlete's body's needs for sodium and potassium.
Magnesium is one of the most critical minerals in the body, and its deficiency causes the athlete to feel constantly tired. If you feel tired during the day and its cause is not clear, you probably have a magnesium deficiency. Green leafy vegetables, legumes, seeds, grains, and nuts are excellent sources of magnesium.
Calcium is another essential mineral used in bone structure and is needed for muscle function. Athletes should get at least 1000 mg/day of calcium from their diet.
In some athletes, we may not be able to meet all of an athlete's needs through diet, or in certain conditions, we may need to get more of a nutrient, in which case we use sports supplements.
Here are some of the most common sports supplements used to build muscle.
Creatine supplementation became popular after the 1992 Barcelona Olympics when some winners said they used it.
Creatine is commonly found in meat, poultry, and fish. Strength athletes believe that taking creatine supplements increases muscle strength and performance in exercise, muscle growth, and increases anaerobic strength.
For better results in creatine consumption with your online diet, you should be taking it in two loading and maintenance phases.
The creatine loading phase is 5 days; during the loading phase, the athlete must consume 0.3 grams/kg of creatine. The maintenance phase begins on the sixth day and lasts up to a month; in this phase, the athlete must consume 0.03 grams/kg of creatine. After these two phases, an athlete is given a one-month rest period in which she/he does not take creatine.
Take creatine during the loading phase as follows:
• Half an hour before breakfast
• Half an hour before lunch
• Half an hour before training
• Immediately after training
During the maintenance phase, take creatine half an hour before exercise and immediately after exercise.
For more efficiency in taking creatine in your diet, pay attention to the following points.
• It is better to take it on an empty stomach for better absorption of creatine.
• Drink more fluids while taking creatine.
• If there is a delay of 5 days or more in the creatine maintenance phase, you must re-start the loading and maintenance phase.
• Eating carbohydrates with creatine increases its efficiency.
• In addition to taking creatine, you can also take vitamin B6, B12, and folate supplements.
• Avoid drinking caffeinated beverages with creatine supplements.
Taking whey protein in athletes' online diet increases their muscle mass, reduces body fat, increases the immune system's strength, and helps T lymphocytes.
The time of taking whey protein in the athlete's diet is much more important than the amount eaten. If you consume 20 grams of whey protein every three hours after a workout (4 times), you will get the best results for muscle recovery and protein synthesis.
Therefore, taking 80 grams of protein until 12 hours after training will best affect the athlete's performance.
BCAA supplement contains three branched-chain amino acids called leucine, isoleucine, and valine. All three of these amino acids are very important in building muscle, and about 20% of an athlete's muscle is made up of these three amino acids. Of course, these amino acids are also found in whey protein, but if you want to take a BCAA supplement, you should take it one hour before training and half an hour after it.
Glutamine is widely used among athletes, especially bodybuilders, to maintain muscle mass and prevent muscle wasting. If you want to take glutamine, you should dissolve the amount you need in water or juice and take half of it 30 minutes before the workout and the other half 30 minutes after the workout. If you take glutamine as a pill, you should take it one hour before training and half an hour after training.
It should be noted that glutamine can cause digestive problems in some people; if you suffer from severe digestive issues with glutamine, stop taking it and consult your dietitian.
Athletes use L-arginine in their diet plan to delay fatigue, stimulate growth hormone production, and creatine production, increase creatine stores, heal wounds and injuries, boost immune system strength, and improve heart function.
The safe dose of L-arginine in athletes' bodies is about 1000 to 2000 mg per day and the best time to take it is 30 minutes to 2 hours before training. Injured athletes can also use L-arginine for faster recovery. Note that most protein supplements are fortified with L-arginine, and you should be careful not to overdose.
HMB supplements are used for the cutting phase for athletes; Although no specific side effects have been reported with HMB supplementation, athletes should take these supplements with caution.
The permissible amount of eating HMB varies from person to person, but in general, you can take HMB three times a day, each time 1 gram with a meal.
Between different foods, meat and dairy have the highest amount of L-carnitine. Taking L-carnitine in moderation will not cause side effects for the person, but it can lead to side effects if it is consumed in large amounts. It is recommended that athletes take about 250 to 500 mg of L-carnitine in the first week after the main meal and about 1000 to 2000 mg of L-carnitine one hour before exercise in the second week.
Taking L-carnitine at night can cause sleep disorders for some athletes.
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