For
the time being my training schedule is like this:
Day 1: Chest and Shoulders
Day 2: Front Legs (Quads)
Day 3: Back and Abs
Day 4: Hamstrings and Calves
Day 5: Biceps and Triceps
I
try to stick to this routine, but to be honest, almost every week is different
from the other..
For example; I sometimes only do chest if I don´t have enough energy
to do both chest and shoulders that day, and then add shoulders another
day, or I make it 6 days that week instead.
It doesn´t really matter if I workout 3 days and take 1 off, or
if I do 5 days in a row and then take 2 days off. It all depends on energy
and motivation.
Diet:
In
order to stay in shape even off-season I try to limit my "junkfood"
and candy-eating to Saturdays. But unfortunately I´m too fond of
eating!! Especially candy and Ice cream!! So it often ends with more than
just one eating-day...
Before
a competition I start my diet about 6 months ahead.
First of all I begin eating more often and smaller meals and get my feet
used to all the walking!
I then gradually cut calories (carbohydrates and fat, I always keep my
protein intake high!!) and add cardio-workout. The last 10 weeks I do
one hour powerwalk every morning and 30-60minutes on the bike after training.
My
best weight loss tip is 30-60 minutes power walk before breakfast.
My best weight gain tip is lots of Ice cream!
Nutritional advice
· EAT OFTEN!
Make it a rule to eat something every third hour!
Don´t ever let it pass longer than 3 hours between meals!
This will keep your bloodsugar on an even level all day, which gives you
more energy to your workout, keep your fatburning up all the time and
you will never have to get so hungry that you feel you have to overeat
like crazy at any time.
It´s better to eat small meals often, than one big "caloriebomb"!
Especially late at night
· EAT BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING!
To eat before training is of course necessary to get energy and strength
to do your workout. Depending on WHAT you have eaten before workout, but
it should not be more than 1hour between partake of a meal and training
sessions start.
Be sure to get something directly after training as well! If you let it
pass too long time before you eat something after workout your body will
get into a catabolic state, in other words, the body are breaking down
muscles instead of building!
A good idea is to at least bring a fruit or a yoghurt to the gym and take
as soon as your training is done.
Then you can have a real meal when you get home. Preferably not more than
an hour after your workout.
Without getting into this matter too deep, I can mention that there are
different kinds of carbohydrates. There are so called slow carbs (low
GI) and fast carbs ( high GI ).
If you want to be very accurate it actually has significance WHEN you
eat the different types. To make it easy: The best choice before training
is slow carbs and after training fast. There are a number of reasons to
this, but not necessary to get too deep into at this point.
To simplify it I can say that slow carbs provides you with energy for
a longer time, and therefore suits best before training, while fast carbs,
just as it sounds gives you fast energy, but also consumes quickly.
· INCREASE YOUR PROTEIN INTAKE
Getting enough protein from your food is often a problem when you are
working out.
Make it a rule to always have something with protein in, to each meal!
An increase of protein gives you several benefits.
First of all, protein is what the muscles are built of. Getting too much
protein is hardly any risk at all. Recommended daily protein intake when
you are working out is 2,5-3 grams of protein / kilo bodyweight. ( ex.
A person weighing 65 kilos should eat 195 g protein/day. This would mean
1 kilo of pure meat or chicken every day!!
This is the reason why buying a protein powder could be a good idea. It
may seem expensive, but nothing compared to what it would cost to get
your protein source from purely meat, fish or chicken! )
· DRINK A LOT OF WATER!!
Water cleans your body from a lot of bad stuff. It is good for the kidneys,
has a positive affect on the fatburning process etc. Almost all people
are drinking way too little water. I would say that you can never drink
too much! So make it a habit-start drink more water! Always bring a bottle
to the gym! And keep a bottle at your desk in school or at work.
· START IN THE STORE
!!!
Good and healthy food habits starts in the grocery store..
What you have at home is what you eat, right? So it really is very simple
;)
Only buy good stuff!
Buy a lot of protein rich groceries. ( such as egg, meat, chicken, fish,
tuna, and to some amount also dairy products. Stick to the light/diet
alternatives.)
Make it a new, good habit, to always read the ingredients/nutritional
label. ( Your new hobby!?)
You will be amazed by the stuff some things really contains. In both good
and bad ways.. Some groceries you think is good might turn out to hold
a lot of fat or sugar! And other things you never thought about turns
out to be as well rich in protein as low in fat!
· DON`T BE EXCESSIVELY AFRAID OF FAT!!
First of all, there is a great difference in fat and fat
There are so called healthy fat acids and above all, life essential!!
The fat you find in fish and vegetable groceries are example of good fats!
Too low intake of fat will, among many other bad things, in fact decrease
your ability to burn fat! The body will start saving stored bodyfat instead
of using it as energy.
Furthermore fat is necessary for a lot of important functions in the body.
(among others, it´s good for healthy looking hair and skin )
Animal fat however is something you can consume with moderation. Not only
is it´s potential of being stored as body fat higher , but also
these type of fat contains so called bad cholesterol, which increase the
risk of heart attack and cardiac diseases.
Of course, meat, even pork chops, if you cut off the excessive fat around,
is excellent food! But stuff like sausages and bacon is a good thing to
stay away from! At least don´t eat those things every day!!
Many people are very careful about avoiding fat. But what many don´t
realize is that "the villain of the piece" can be SUGAR!
The body needs all kinds of nutritional elements; Carbohydrates, protein
and fat.
But if I should say one thing that the body really don´t need in
any way, it would be SUGAR! Of course there is no harm in eating sugar
every now and then. But if you are a great consumer of sugar, such as
candy and drink a lot of soft drinks, it could be a very good idea to
cut down on this.
Author of article:
Klaudia Larson
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