I hate it when trainers try to convince you that all you need is the right workout, then nutrition experts try to convince you that all you need is the right supplement. What you need is the right combination of both. Or they debate what percentage of your training results are due to your workout and what is attributable to your nutrition.
Don’t you think it is relative? I mean, if your nutrition completely sucks, then probably your nutrition contributes 60% to your success. If on the other hand you actually eat very well, but your training program or consistency sucks, then your training will contribute more.
The key is that they work together and both need to contribute. If you think you can out-train bad nutrition, you are….hmmmmm how shall I say this nicely….WRONG!
I constantly bombard you with off-ice training, so today I am going to share some nutrition tips with you.
How many of you have trained hard, but failed to see the transformation you were expecting? You might add some muscle mass and drop a bit of flab, but for all the effort, it does not seem like much.
The secret is that you are not fueling your training properly. Your body wants to build more lean muscle which is what gives you the speed and strength you are looking for, but it simply does not have the building blocks, so instead of your training building you up, it is actually breaking you down.
Add to this the fact that some of you spend WAY too much time working hard on the wrong things – which actually breaks down your muscle and encourages your body to store more fat thanks to the stress hormone Cortisol (and it is much worse for those of you who are over 30 – sorry).
So make sure you are getting the right building blocks by starting with a post workout snack. This is essential and if you are not having something immediately after your training, then this will give you a huge boost.
You can eat anything you wish, your goal is to get 40 grams of carbohydrate and 20 grams of protein. Here are FIVE snack ideas for immediately after your workout….
- Post workout shake (you might need to add some fruit juice to bring the carbs up a little). EAS Myoplex is a good place to start or check out Muscle Milk – the chocolate is really good.
- Chocolate milk – yep, it’s true this is a good post workout snack – just don’t drink it all day long
- Pita Bread + 3-4 tbsp of Hummus
- Two Slices of Bread with Peanut Butter
- Small Turkey Sub – go easy on the sauces and no cheese
For more snack ideas, plus some key information on choosing the right post workout shake, figuring out how many calories you need and all things nutrition, check out the Nutrition for Hockey Players interview I did with Registered Dietician Lisa Cianfrini, MSc. We talked for about 30-minutes, so I split it up into three parts for you…
Nutrition For Hockey Players Part One
Nutrition For Hockey Players Part Two
Nutrition For Hockey Players Part Three
This is just one element for players trying to add muscle mass. You will need to eat 4-5 times per day – even just a half peanut butter sandwich or an apple and yogurt or a hard boiled egg and slice of cheese, you get the idea.
If you are doing the right training – like you will find HERE – and you are not gaining muscle then you are either quite young and your body is not developing sufficient amounts of testosterone (yet) or you are not eating enough. That is all.
Cheers,
M
