In many sports, special training of muscle strength is important for good form or sporting success. Some women and men want to use strength training to define the shape and size of their muscles, while others focus on the preventative aspect of strength training. Healthy nutrition is an important basis for the success of individual and club administration (vereinsverwaltung) training.
An increase in strength and muscle mass can only be achieved through regular, targeted training and subsequent regeneration. The protein components of food are building blocks for cells and various tissues as well as those of muscles. Therefore, the muscles need a sufficient supply of protein after training. This is usually provided by a balanced diet.
What role do carbohydrates play in weight training?
People often underestimate the importance of carbohydrates in weight training, even though they are just as important as protein. If too few carbohydrates are consumed during intensive training, the body draws on the protein from food and muscles to generate energy. The same problem arises when exercising intensely and depleting carbohydrate stores. Sufficient carbohydrate intake can therefore protect the muscles.
In addition, carbohydrates have an anabolic effect on the body by releasing insulin. It is, therefore, best to eat carbohydrates and proteins at the same time and shortly after training. Suitable meals after training are, for example, banana milk, egg dishes with bread and unsweetened cornflakes, porridge with buttermilk or milk or curd cheese with fruit.
How high is the energy requirement for weight training?
Although strength training is often highly intensive and exhausting, the energy consumption is often overestimated. The short duration of the individual exercises and the many recovery phases between the sets lead to rather low energy consumption. For example, men consume only about 200 kcal and women about 150 kcal for an hour of strength training on machines with an effective load time of 15 minutes. In comparison, running for an hour burns around 600 kcal, depending on gender, weight and running speed. Of course, these values can vary depending on the duration and intensity of the load.
How does the ideal weight training nutrition succeed?
The ideal diet, also for a strength athlete, is a varied mixed diet based on the food pyramid. You can usually cover the protein requirement in weight training without any problems. The additional supply in the form of special protein or amino acid preparations is almost always unnecessary. When choosing food protein, quality should come before quantity.