Nutrition is one of the most important things, if not the most important thing when it comes to building size and strength for your body. Nutrition is what gives your body its building blocks to rebuild and make itself better. Without proper nutrition, weightlifting can be more of a negative thing than a positive thing.
Your diet is made up of 3 main categories, fat, carbs, and protein. Carbs are very important for giving your body lots of energy in short periods of time. Fats serve the purpose of giving you energy as well, but they are broken down by your body slower than carbs, and give your body energy over a longer period of time. Proteins are the building blocks for your bodies muscles and are what helps repair them after a workout, without protein your muscles will get smaller and weaker. When trying to gain weight your nutrition intake should be made up of about 15-20% of protein, 20-30% of fats, and 50-60% of carbs. When trying to lose weight you should up your protein intake so that you don’t lose muscle, and lower your carbs and fats. It is also important to eat lots of fruit and vegetables so your body gets vitamins and minerals.
Choosing when to eat your food also plays a part in getting the most benefits out of weight training. Before working out you should eat a big beal within 3 hours of exercise, but you should eat a small snack that has a few carbs and protein an hour before such as a protein shake or PB&J. Within 30 minutes After a workout, you should consume about 20 grams of protein so that your body has its building blocks to repair itself, and you should consume about a gram of carbs per kilogram of your body weight so that your body’s energy is restored.
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