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Revised 9/06/03
SideLines
Nutrition For Muscle Mass
Rob Skinner,
MS, RD, CSCS
Director of Sports Nutrition, Georgia Tech Athletic
Association
Mr. Skinner
is a registered dietitian and certified strength and conditioning specialist.
He works with athletes from 23 different NCAA sports, as well as Olympians and players
from the NFL, NBA and MLB.
Many high
school athletes ask how they can "bulk up" to have a chance against bigger and stronger
members of their own team or the competition. Empower your athletes with knowledge about
the critical components for muscle gain - strength training and calories.
Adding Calories to Add Muscle
If the ultimate goal is enhanced muscle size, athletes need to
push themselves with a challenging strength training program and
"top off" their daily food intake with an additional 500-1,000 calories.
With calories from all three macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein and fat),
the body can use dietary protein to build muscle. But if athletes don't eat
enough calories the body's protein stores are used for energy and muscle gain
is limited. Contrary to what many athletes believe, the extra calories needed
for lean muscle mass do not have to come from protein exclusively.
Protein is Only Part of the Power
Amino acids are the building
blocks of protein. Although protein provides amino acids for promoting
muscle growth and recovery from strength training, the most important
macronutrient for strength building is carbohydrate. Eating adequate
carbohydrate fuels the body with the right kind of energy for tough workouts
and saves amino acids for muscle building and recovery. Although athlete's
protein needs are slightly higher than non-athletes, research shows that most
athletes can eat enough protein without using additional supplements or following
a high-protein diet. Protein is found in meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, eggs,
nuts, and dried beans.
Timing Can Make a Difference
Recent
research shows carbohydrate and protein eaten within 30 minutes of a workout
is an effective time to restore amino acids and carbohydrate in the muscles,
preparing them for the next workout. Adding a snack during this window is one way
to add the 500-1,000 calories needed daily for a muscle building program.
Foods like turkey sandwiches, crackers and cheese or an energy bar containing
7 to 14 grams of protein are good choices.
If you have any ideas, suggestions, comments, etc.
as to either what
is or should be on this website,
or the Mueller Center in general,
please let us know.
To contact us:
Phone: 276-2874
Fax: 276-2817
Email: mugrap@rpi.edu
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