Nutrition
Nutrition is an extremely important part to the development of an athlete. When an athlete works out, they are breaking down their immune system. Proper nutrition and adequate rest are how the athlete repairs his immune system and is able to gain strength. During weight lifting, tiny tears are made in the athlete’s muscles. As these tears heal, the muscle increases in size and strength. In order for muscles to heal effectively they need proper amounts of nutrients.
The concept of gaining muscle mass is simple. In order to gain muscle mass an athlete must eat in a calorie surplus. This means that he must consume more calories than he burns. This is very difficult for many student athletes because they burn an extremely high amount of calories. Due to their high levels of activity, athletes must continually eat throughout the day. Here is an example of what an eating schedule for a student-athlete that is trying to gain muscle mass should look like.
Breakfast (at home) – Eating a big breakfast if very important because when a person wakes up their body is craving calories. Calories are equivalent to energy, so eating a healthy breakfast is essential to starting off a productive day. Option: Eggs, bagels, oatmeal, sandwich. Snack 1 (before lunch) – This can be a sandwich, protein bar, or some type of fruit or vegetable. It is best if this is easily consumed and can be brought to school in a book bag. Lunch – School lunch. If a student brings their lunch to school, they should pack food that will fill them up. Options: Sandwiches, Chicken, Turkey, Hamburgers, Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Fruit, Vegetables, Peanut Butter, Pizza, etc… Snack 2 (before school is out, before practice) - This can be a sandwich, protein bar, or some type of fruit or vegetable. It is best if this is easily consumed and can be brought to school in a book bag. Dinner (at home) – This is whatever is prepared at home. Hopefully this contains a large amount of protein and carbohydrates. Snack 3 (before bed) – This snack is very important. As we sleep, our body repairs our muscles and immune system. Because of this, it is vital that we give our bodies calories before we sleep. If calories are not consumed before bed, the body will go into a starvation mode and it will begin to use muscle tissue for energy.*
It should be noted that drinking water throughout the day is imperative as well. Muscles are composed mostly of water and need to be hydrated in order to function at a high level. If an athlete becomes dehydrated they are more susceptible to muscle strains and tears.Supplements
What is a supplement?
A supplement is defined by Congress in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, which became law in 1994, as a product that is intended to supplement the diet. It contains one or more dietary ingredients including vitamins, minerals, herbs, amino acids or other botanicals; and other substances). A supplement is intended to be taken by mouth as a pill, capsule, tablet, or liquid.
The biggest misconception regarding supplements is that they should take the place of eating meals. Supplements should simply be supplementary to a well-balanced diet. An athlete that intends to take supplements needs to make sure that he is first eating a sufficient amount of calories and nutrients. Supplements should not exceed 20% of an athlete’s daily calorie intake.
When should supplements be taken?
Supplements should be taken when it is too difficult to consume the proper amount of calories to build muscle. In order to gain muscle an athlete needs to eat in a calorie surplus. In other words, they need to consume more calories than they burn. If an athlete does not eat enough calories it is impossible for him to gain weight and strength.
Many times it is hard for students to eat adequate amounts of calories throughout the day because of the time demanded from school and athletics. Because athletes burn a high number of calories, it is essential for them to eat throughout the day. Supplements such as shakes and bars are easily brought to school and can be consumed quickly, thus making them a very good option for athletes.
If a student is not able to bring a shake, or bar to school, then they should bring sandwiches, fruits and vegetables to fill their diet with enough calories. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are an affordable and easy way to get extra calories into a student- athletes diet.
What supplements are beneficial?
There are a number of supplements being promoted today, however only a few supplements are actually beneficial. For high school athletes, protein, creatine, glutamine are the 3 major supplements that can be taken. Any other supplement is simply unnecessary at this stage of their lives.
Protein
What is protein?
A protein is a long strain of amino acids linked together. Proteins have different functions; they can provide structure (ligaments, fingernails, hair), help in digestion (stomach enzymes), aid in movement (muscles), and play a part in our ability to see (the lens of our eyes is pure crytalline protein).
The most important function of protein is to build up, keep up, and replace the tissues in your body. Your muscles, your organs, and some of your hormones are made up mostly of protein.
When athletes are in training, it is crucial that they consume a large amount of protein. Lifting weights breaks down muscles and creates small tears in the muscles. Protein is key in the rebuilding of those muscles. It is because of this that athletes need to consume more grams of protein than the average person.
The best source of protein comes from animal products such as beef, steak, chicken, fish, turkey, eggs, etc…Meat products also contain creatine, which is essential in the development of muscle mass. These animal product options should always be chosen over a protein supplement. However, many people do not have the time to cook these products and this is why protein shakes can be beneficial. The shakes will provide the athlete with a large amount of protein and it only takes a few seconds to blend a shake. It is important to note that athletes should get most of their protein from real food, not supplements. Roughly 30% of an athletes protein consumption can be from supplements, it is preferred that the other 70% is from food. There are many reasons why food products are more beneficial for athletes; the biggest reason is because meat products contain creatine. Creatine is essential to the growth of muscle mass and if an athlete simply takes protein shakes he is not going to consume the proper amount of creatine. Athletes that take protein supplements often times have to take a creatine supplement as well, in order to make sure that they have the correct amount of protein and creatine.
Protein Supplements and Brands:
Protein supplements do not need to be expensive and often times can be purchased at your local grocery store. Do not think that you need to buy supplements from GNC!!! GNC has an extremely high mark up and you will be overpaying.
*Whey Protein – Mix with peanut butter, bananas, yogurt, or other fruits to get extra calories.
*Muscle Milk – Muscle Milk is a great product for athletes. It contains large amounts of calories and proteins as well as an adequate amount of creatine. Muscle Milk also contains many vitamins and nutrients that are valuable to an athletes diet.
Link to muscle milk products: http://www.cytosport.com
Creatine
What is the purpose of a creatine supplement?
Creatine gives athletes more energy during their workouts due to ATP regeneration and because of this, they are able to push themselves to the high levels needed in order to gain muscle-mass. Creatine also helps the body recover after workouts because it makes the muscles be less dependent on glycolysis and prevents the amount of lactic acid build up (soreness). Creatine also will increase an athletes weight in just a few weeks. This is because of muscle growth and the retention of water weight.
Is creatine necessary?
Creatine is not necessary as long as an athlete is getting enough creatine from his food consumption. Foods that contain creatine are: red meats, fish, and pork. It is difficult to eat these foods every single day and because of this, creatine supplements can be beneficial to athletes.
Is creatine safe?
Many studies have been done looking at the use of creatine and possible side effects. None of these studies have found any side effects to the use of creatine. However, long- term studies are only currently being done because creatine is still a fairly new product. The biggest problem found with creatine is that it can dehydrate muscles if an athlete does not drink enough water. Athletes on creatine should drink plenty of water and completely eliminate pop and high sugar juices from their diet.
Types and Brands of Creatine:
Basic creatine supplements are sufficient. Do not get caught up in the hype of creatine supplements. You do not need to spend hundreds of dollars on creatine products. Creatine is effective in pill and powder form. Our bodies tend to absorb more from pills than powder, so pills can be slightly more beneficial.
*Creatine Monohydrate
*Creatine Phosphagen
Link to EAS website. http://www.eas.com/strength/index.asp
Glutamine
What is glutamine?
As a supplement, glutamine is seen as both a ‘brain food’ and a muscle mass enhancer for athletes. Physicians have been known to use glutamine for the treatment of alcoholism, mild depression and muscle-wasting conditions. Glutamine is actually the most common free-form amino acid found floating in muscle tissues. During times of stress, the body may draw glutamine away from the muscles in order to bolster the immune system or prevent blood sugar reactions. This is why many athletes and other proponents of supplements often add daily doses of glutamine to maintain good muscle health.
What are benefits of taking glutamine?
Glutamine helps with protein synthesis, maintains cell volume, maintains hydration of muscles, replenishes glutamine levels during workouts, increases growth hormone levels, boosts your immune system and glutamine even is one of the most important nutrients for your intestines.
Glutamine helps athletes immune systems gain strength and become less susceptible to colds and sicknesses. When athletes train and break down their muscles, they become more likely get sick and this is a prime reason why glutamine is effective.
What are side effects of glutamine?
You shouldn’t worry about glutamine side effects, as studies have shown glutamine to have no adverse side effects, and because glutamine naturally occurs in your body. However, like all supplements, you should never take too much. Too much glutamine can lead to an upset stomach.
Glutamine Types and Brands:
Again, generic brands are sufficient. Glutamine supplements can be found at local grocery stores and obviously nutrition stores. When buying glutamine it’s important to know that it will most likely say L-Glutamine on the label.
Link to EAS glutamine product: http://www.eas.com/recovery/index.asp