Fitness Diet

The term "fitness" refers to a set of physical exercises that are conducted in gyms or sports facilities with the goal of improving general health and physical condition.

It is continually changing and evolving, with new trends, materials, and activities emerging, but the goal remains the same: to find harmony and balance in the entire body through cardiovascular resistance, strength, and flexibility practice.

To be "fit" or fit, you must practice on a global level, including functional and varied activities, while avoiding specialization. That is, someone who primarily engages in aerobic activities will have a lot of endurance and cardiopulmonary capacity but will be lacking in other, equally vital physical abilities.

Training to increase protein synthesis at the muscular level and thus muscle development will vary depending on the person's experience and stage of preparation; additionally, there are various specific training methods to work on hypertrophy, but the general guidelines for developing muscle mass are as follows:

 – 3 – 4 sessions per week.

– 6 – 8 exercises.

– 3 – 6 sets of each exercise.

– 8 – 12 repetitions.

– 60”- 90” rest between sets.

Furthermore, rather of activities that simply use one muscle group (e.g., pull-ups), it is vital to conduct activities that include multiple muscle groups (e.g.: biceps curl). Pay special attention to and maintain control over the eccentric portion of the exercise, as exercising this phase correctly aids in the development of more muscular growth, for example:The eccentric phase of a bench press relates to the lowering of the bar. For the optimum outcomes, the range of motion should be as wide as possible.

Also, keep in mind that every 2 months or so, you must provide new stimuli to the muscle in order for it to continue to evolve, which necessitates changing the exercises and/or training approach.

 Nutrition for muscle mass gain

What is the importance of nutrition when you want to increase the volume of your muscle mass?

A diverse and balanced diet matched to the person's physical traits and activity will maximize the adaptations created by physical exercise, i.e., the outcomes and physical performance will be improved.

To boost protein synthesis and muscle mass gain, an extra contribution of 400 to 500 kcal per day will be required in the calorie intake.

A high carbohydrate diet (cereals, bread, potatoes, legumes, fruits, vegetables...) is vital because it boosts protein retention and promotes protein balance, preventing proteins from being used as a source of energy. This carbohydrate consumption for women should be greater than 4 g/kg body weight per day, while for males it should be greater than 6 g/kg body weight per day.

Ingesting this nutrient before, during, and after exercise minimizes the consumption of protein for energy generation, because maintaining proper muscle glycogen levels prevents muscular catabolism, or the loss of muscle mass.

Protein intake for muscle mass increase

Protein requirements will also rise (poultry, meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, legumes, nuts...), with a maximum requirement of 1.7 g/kg of body weight and day at the start of strength training. It's also true that the body adapts to stress and protein requirements decrease over time, and in many circumstances, 1.5 g/kg of body weight is sufficient.Thus, an intake of 1.5 to 1.7 g/kg body weight per day would suffice, and it is also beneficial to consume both animal and vegetable protein (poultry, meat, fish, eggs, dairy products) (legumes, cereals, nuts).

If protein intake surpasses 2 g/kg of body weight per day, it will not only be of no value to the body, but will also have a detrimental impact on it, as uric acid, ammonia, and urea levels will be significantly elevated, damaging and directly overloading the liver and kidneys.Organs in charge of digesting and removing these chemicals, which are hazardous to the body in excessive quantities. Furthermore, an excessively high protein intake will have a negative effect on calcium absorption.

Fat intake will be around 25-30% of total daily diet; a lower consumption is neither appropriate nor healthy, since it puts liposoluble vitamin absorption, among other functions, at risk. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (oil, avocado, nuts) should be prioritized (nuts, seeds, oily fish).

Is there anything to eat at the end of training?

To take advantage of the metabolic window, eat a carbohydrate and protein meal between 1 and 4 hours after exercising, including some high-glycemic-index foods like skimmed milk or juice to boost protein retention. The optimal ratio is 3:1 or 4:1, with 1 gram of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight and 0.3 gram of protein per kilogram of body weight.To put it another way, a 75 kg athlete should consume 75 g of carbs and 22 g of protein at the end of his workout.

What other supplements can be effective for muscle gain?

Other supplements, in addition to hydrolyzed whey protein, have demonstrated to be beneficial in training to boost strength and muscle mass. These are creatine and OH-methylbutyric acid, also known as HMB (leucine metabolite), both of which can be present in meals.

Creatine increases the levels of phosphocreatine in the muscle, allowing for the production of more ATP, the fuel required to conduct muscle-building workouts, resulting in increased strength and, as a result, muscular mass. It is critical for those who supplement with creatine to consume enough water because it induces fluid retention.And HMB prevents muscle breakdown and increases protein synthesis, promoting increased strength.

Supplements can only offer benefits if the training (order of exercises, intensity, speed of execution…), nutrition and hydration and rest are optimal. In addition, before taking any supplement it is advisable to receive advice from a specialized dietician-nutritionist, to know if it is appropriate to take it, and if so, to know how, when and during what period it should be taken.

Finally, it should be noted that each person has a genetic component and hormone levels (testosterone, growth hormone, IGF-1 and cortisol) that condition and vary the response to the same training from one individual to another.