A proper nutritional program is essential to achieve great results. Athletes pay increased attention to this issue. Learn about nutrition and diet for a powerlifter. Almost any person will say that proper nutrition consists in the use of natural products, it should be balanced and supply the body with the required amount of calories. But conventional diets are not suitable for athletes who lead an active lifestyle.
Today you will learn a few tips on how to organize a proper nutrition and diet for a powerlifter.
Eating every 2 hours
Scientists have found that with frequent food intake, metabolism increases and the body accumulates less fat. If you, say, consume 2500 calories during the day, distributing them into six meals, then the body will burn most of them than if the same amount of calories is taken once or twice.
Also, an important advantage of this approach to nutrition is the ability to consume fewer calories at a time. If the body receives a large amount of calories, then some of them will be stored as fats. By using smaller portions, the body will have nothing to store for future use.
More Complete Lean Protein Compounds in the Diet
Taking protein compounds with every meal is essential for three reasons:
- Every athlete knows that muscle tissue can only grow if there is enough protein in the body. According to the results of numerous studies, increasing the daily intake of protein compounds significantly accelerates the growth of muscle tissue. Most professional athletes consume at least 1 gram of protein compounds per kilogram of body weight daily.
- Protein is the most thermogenic nutrient, which means that the body will use more energy to digest and absorb them compared to fats and carbohydrates. Thus, we can say that thanks to protein compounds, it is possible to increase metabolism.
- And the final reason is that protein compounds are the most nutritious nutrients. As a result, you will significantly reduce your risk of overeating when using a high-protein powerlifter diet and diet.
Now it is necessary to give some clarifications to the title of this section. It is important to know that not every protein compound is lean and whole. Non-intact proteins do not contain a complete list of amino acids required by the body. These proteins include vegetable proteins. At the same time, protein compounds of animal origin belong to the whole group.
Not all animal protein can be considered lean. These include skinless poultry, low-fat dairy products, fish, and lean meat.
Vegetables should be present at every meal
It has long been known that vegetables are high in carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. It has also been shown that the use of high-carbohydrate nutrition programs makes it easier for the body to fight various diseases. For example, in the United States, a minimum of 5 vegetable meals are recommended daily to maintain health.
Do not think that five courses is a lot. In this context, the term “dish” refers to a cup of salad or raw vegetables. It should also be remembered that carbohydrates differ in their glycemic index. Substances in which this indicator is high are better absorbed and contribute to a powerful release of energy. Almost all fruits and vegetables have a low glycemic index, which makes them an excellent source of energy at any time. But the rest of the carbohydrates are best consumed after the completion of the training session.
Healthy fats in your diet every day
All fats are usually divided into polyunsaturated, saturated, and monounsaturated. To keep your body in good shape, you should consume all three types of fats daily. The ideal ratio of saturated to unsaturated fat is 1: 2. Thus, try to limit your intake of saturated fat and include unsaturated fat in your diet.
Eliminate high-calorie drinks from the diet
One of the ways to reduce the calorie content of the daily diet is to exclude high-calorie drinks from it. The problem of the consumption of this food product by the population is quite acute in the United States. If you care about your health, it is best to consume plain water and green tea. There is no need to talk about the need for athletes to use protein shakes, and only because of the great popularity of this fact, they have not been mentioned now.
Eat only natural foods
The human body is adapted to assimilate natural products that have not been cooked. Your nutrition program should be based on them, but you should try to avoid various substitutes. Now we are not talking about protein shakes, creatine and other sports supplements. Their nutritional and dietary benefits for powerlifters have been proven over and over again.
Plan your diet
Of course, in the modern world it is quite difficult to adhere to an exact diet, but you should strive for this. You should know in advance where you can eat. If at the moment you are at home everything is extremely simple and your task in this case is only to create a stock of food in advance, then during work it is much more difficult. You should find restaurants that serve healthy and wholesome food. This will allow you to avoid unwanted visits to fast foods.
Diversify your diet as much as possible
Each food item contains different nutrients. There is no food that contains everything the body needs, and for this reason, your diet should be as varied as possible. So you can provide your body with all the necessary substances.
The tips above will help you organize a proper nutrition and diet for a powerlifter. Try to follow them and with a combination of the right nutrition and training programs, you can achieve your goals. For more information on nutrition and nutritional supplements in the diet of powerlifters, see this video:
