Diet is part of fitness and leucine is one of the essential amino acids . One thing is clear.
If you are not ready to adapt your diet (unless it is already appropriate) to your workout, you will most likely have to quit your “big” fitness career. However, if you have the discipline to change your diet, you can achieve a lot. This doesn’t just mean easy muscle growth – your libido, concentration, and general fitness will also improve. So let’s go for the bacon! From now on it has nothing to look for in your nutrition plan.
Nutritional plans for muscle building are created to provide the best possible support for the biochemical processes that take place in the body during muscle training and recovery phases. Almost any change in diet can have major effects on muscle growth, physical fitness, and general wellbeing. Our goal is to align the nutrition plan effectively with our fitness and muscle training and thus to derive the highest possible profit from the combination of adequate nutrition and intensive muscle building training. We can only do this if we learn to understand our body and the processes that take place in us and if we adapt our diet and training to what promises success.
So that the article remains understandable, we only briefly describe the most important nutrients that must be considered in a nutrition plan. You can find a detailed nutrient plan in the corresponding section.
Proteins are molecules made up of amino acids and linked by peptide bonds. As the main building block of cells, bones and muscles, proteins are largely responsible for the cell structure; they transport important endogenous substances (e.g. testosterone) and intermediate products of enzymatic conversion and function as a biocatalyst for many metabolic processes. In addition, proteins also serve as a source of energy for the body. There are currently 21 known amino acids that make up proteins. Eight of these amino acids are essential (vital) because the body cannot synthesize them from other substances through protein biosynthesis.
The essential amino acids must therefore be supplied to the body through protein-rich food (meat, fish, legumes, etc.) or special dietary supplements such as protein shakes (e.g. whey protein or casein), otherwise deficiency symptoms occur, which can restrict the metabolic processes in the body. In addition, the muscle cannot grow effectively without an adequate supply of protein. Proteins are at the top of the nutrition plan!
In the world of nutrition, misinformation is often given about fats or it is suggested that fat is generally bad. But this opinion is wrong! The so-called mono- or poly-saturated and unsaturated fatty acids are indispensable for the human organism. Fatty acids occupy important key positions in the metabolism, act as energy suppliers and energy stores (depot fat), are part of the cell membrane and have biochemical properties that can influence and protect body functions. The saturated fatty acids differ from the unsaturated fatty acids in the lack of a double bond between the carbon atoms in the molecular structure. The unsaturated fatty acids have at least one C (carbon) double bond in the chain, polyunsaturated fatty acids even have two or more.
Some of these unsaturated fatty acids are essential for the human body (similar to some proteins) because they cannot be synthesized on their own and must therefore be ingested with food. A fitness-oriented nutrition plan must therefore also take unsaturated fatty acids into account. The so-called “omega fatty acids”, which have a typical C double bond at precisely defined points and are more common in foods such as fish, vegetable oils or legumes, are particularly important. The daily fat intake should consist of about 3/4 unsaturated fatty acids and 1/4 saturated fatty acids.
Saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, however, play a far greater role in metabolism than you might think. The body’s own synthesis of cholesterol is controlled by the fatty acids and, above all, the unsaturated fatty acids are largely responsible for the testosterone production in the body. Of course we have written another article for you that deals with the complexity of cholesterol, testosterone and their importance for fitness and weight training.
Monosaccharides or single sugars (e.g. fructose and glucose), double sugars or disaccharides (e.g. lactose) and multiple sugars ( polysaccharides such as starch) all belong to the group of carbohydrates and are an important building block and temporary energy supplier for the organism. The energy content of carbohydrates and proteins is at the same level, but only about half as high as that of fats.
In order for the body to be able to use long-chain carbohydrates (especially for supplying energy to the brain), they have to be split back into monosaccharides in the digestive tract before they can get into the blood. The hormone insulin is then responsible for transporting nutrients such as proteins and carbohydrates through the blood to the appropriate cells. The different carbohydrates have different effects on the blood sugar level. Large amounts of glucose (as found in grape juice, for example) cause the blood sugar level to rise rapidly and result in increased insulin secretion.
Simple and double sugars (such as those contained in energy drinks, fruit juices or gummy bears) temporarily supply muscle cells with energy, but this effect does not last very long and only leads to an excessive increase in blood sugar level, which is just before you Workout tends to have destructive effects. Multiple sugars or long-chain carbohydrates are particularly important in fitness, as the body can access these energy reserves over a longer period of time and thus a constant and long-term energy supply is guaranteed. For this reason, many athletes (mainly endurance athletes) consume foods containing very polysaccharides (pasta, potatoes, etc.) 1-2 days before an intensive exercise. The effects of carbohydrates on strength training are varied, which requires a nutrition plan that is ideally suited to strength training.
- Vitamins, minerals and fiber
These so-called supplements or micronutrients should be provided to the body mainly through a healthy and balanced diet. A professional nutrition plan can do without the (over) covering of the basic requirement of vitamins, minerals and fiber through dietary supplements, because an extreme and excessive consumption of supplements can (as with all nutrients) have negative effects. The additional intake of vitamins and minerals such as Zinc or vitamin D are of course not directly harmful to health, but should be done with caution.
Vitamins are organic compounds that are required for vital biochemical processes to run in the body. As with proteins and fats, vitamins include some essential vitamins that must be taken in through food. Depending on dietary preferences (e.g. vegan or vegetarian diet), a lack of vitamins can occur, which can only be covered by targeted supplementation. Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12 and minerals such as calcium and iron are mainly found in animal foods in sufficient quantities. It should be clear to everyone that vegans and co. Like to do without these. Often only a sensible supplement with micronutrients can prevent one’s own nutritional preferences from leading to severe deficiency diseases.
minerals such as calcium, zinc or magnesium are inorganic elements or compounds that are required for the regulation of important body functions, but must be consumed in very different amounts. A distinction is therefore made between bulk elements (at least 50 mg per kg body weight) and trace elements (less than 50 mg per kg body weight). A deficiency in certain minerals can have serious effects on muscle function or the cardiovascular system.
Dietary fiber usually fulfills only a digestive function. They do not serve as a cell building block or energy supplier.
As you can see, a professional nutrition plan not only includes sufficient protein shakes, but also a lot of knowledge and a perfect coordination between training plan and nutrition plan, which takes all factors into account to ensure maximum success.
Our nutrition plans take health into account, are optimized for different types of training and maximize your success.
