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For many of you, when you encounter training problems, the first place you look is at your workout. Are you lifting enough? Are you getting enough rest? Are you doing enough cardio to make fat loss happen?
All are questions that might run through your mind. You make a small tweak here, another adjustment there and you’re off, hoping you’ll start seeing better results.
You could be missing the mark with this strategy, however. Many times, the primary reason you are not seeing the results you want with your training program is actually due to your nutritional program. Yes, it’s true -- there are nutrition solutions for training problems.
Your workouts and your diet go hand in hand, with one supporting the other. When the diet is not quite right, you are very likely to start seeing problems occurring with your workout.
Here to help you out are some nutrition solutions for training problems.
Stagnant weight gains
You’ve been hitting the gym regularly, you’re seeing good increases in the amount of weight you’re lifting and you’re giving your best effort with each session. However, that scale is not moving.
Nutritional solution: Bump up your daily calories by 250
The primary problem when you’re experiencing stagnant weight gains is likely that you aren’t eating enough. In order to build new muscle tissue, you must supply your body with more calories than it needs to maintain itself.
Keep in mind that as you gain weight, you will have to adjust your caloric intake in order to keep seeing results since your metabolism will be higher.
Try adding 250 calories a day for the next two weeks and see where you are after that. Not all nutrition solutions for training problems are this simple, but we might as well start out with the easiest.
Losing muscle mass while on a diet
If you’re currently on a fat-loss program, another issue you may run into is a loss of lean muscle tissue. This situation intensifies as you progress to lower body fat levels, making it a greater concern for those who are in the sub-10% body fat range.
Nutritional solution: Increase your protein intake
If you plan on pushing body fat levels below 10%, bump your protein intake up to 1.5 grams per pound of body weight to preserve muscle mass tissue and maintain strength.
Further, you can also offset muscle loss by including more carbohydrates in your diet because in low-calorie situations, carbs are protein-sparing (your body will not be as likely to turn to protein for fuel when carbs are present).
Nutrition solutions for training problems are often based in common sense
You’re unable to finish your workouts
When on a fat-loss diet, workout volume needs to decrease in order to accommodate fewer recovery reserves. However, if you’re still struggling to get in your last few sets of the workout, it’s time to look at the diet side of things. Likewise, if you’re in muscle-building mode and are finding that you aren’t able to do as many sets as you’d like, diet could be contributing to this problem.
Nutritional solution: Reevaluate your diet’s carbohydrate content
For the weight-loss scenario, consider adding more carbohydrates back into your day around the workout time. Some guys get too carried away with going low carb, which sets them up for big training-related problems. If you are adamant about not adding more carbs each day, consider doing a carb-up one day on the weekends to bring the body’s muscle glycogen stores back to a healthy level.
On the flip side, if you’re struggling on your muscle-building program, consider eating more red meat and poultry, or using a creatine supplement. This will help increase the creatine phosphate stores in the body, which are responsible for the development of the high-energy molecule that’s needed for proper muscle contractions.
Muscle cramps
Muscle cramps can be a big problem for some men, not only during their workouts but also later on in the day. Common places where cramps frequently occur are the calves and hamstrings, but they can happen in any of the body’s muscle groups.
Nutritional solution: Get more calcium
Calcium is one of the main nutrients that prevent cramps; if it is not being taken in through the diet in high enough quantities, you could set yourself up for a higher chance of experiencing muscle cramps.
Keep in mind that vitamin D also plays an important role in the absorption of calcium, so you need to monitor both nutrients in your diet.
Mixing your pre-workout protein shake with milk rather than water is a good strategy to help prevent cramping from taking place.
dietary dilemmas
So, if you’re finding that you’re currently suffering from any of these issues, it’s a good idea to have a look at your diet in combination with your training program to come up with a solution.
All are questions that might run through your mind. You make a small tweak here, another adjustment there and you’re off, hoping you’ll start seeing better results.
You could be missing the mark with this strategy, however. Many times, the primary reason you are not seeing the results you want with your training program is actually due to your nutritional program. Yes, it’s true -- there are nutrition solutions for training problems.
Your workouts and your diet go hand in hand, with one supporting the other. When the diet is not quite right, you are very likely to start seeing problems occurring with your workout.
Here to help you out are some nutrition solutions for training problems.
Stagnant weight gains
You’ve been hitting the gym regularly, you’re seeing good increases in the amount of weight you’re lifting and you’re giving your best effort with each session. However, that scale is not moving.
Nutritional solution: Bump up your daily calories by 250
The primary problem when you’re experiencing stagnant weight gains is likely that you aren’t eating enough. In order to build new muscle tissue, you must supply your body with more calories than it needs to maintain itself.
Keep in mind that as you gain weight, you will have to adjust your caloric intake in order to keep seeing results since your metabolism will be higher.
Try adding 250 calories a day for the next two weeks and see where you are after that. Not all nutrition solutions for training problems are this simple, but we might as well start out with the easiest.
Losing muscle mass while on a diet
If you’re currently on a fat-loss program, another issue you may run into is a loss of lean muscle tissue. This situation intensifies as you progress to lower body fat levels, making it a greater concern for those who are in the sub-10% body fat range.
Nutritional solution: Increase your protein intake
If you plan on pushing body fat levels below 10%, bump your protein intake up to 1.5 grams per pound of body weight to preserve muscle mass tissue and maintain strength.
Further, you can also offset muscle loss by including more carbohydrates in your diet because in low-calorie situations, carbs are protein-sparing (your body will not be as likely to turn to protein for fuel when carbs are present).
Nutrition solutions for training problems are often based in common sense
You’re unable to finish your workouts
When on a fat-loss diet, workout volume needs to decrease in order to accommodate fewer recovery reserves. However, if you’re still struggling to get in your last few sets of the workout, it’s time to look at the diet side of things. Likewise, if you’re in muscle-building mode and are finding that you aren’t able to do as many sets as you’d like, diet could be contributing to this problem.
Nutritional solution: Reevaluate your diet’s carbohydrate content
For the weight-loss scenario, consider adding more carbohydrates back into your day around the workout time. Some guys get too carried away with going low carb, which sets them up for big training-related problems. If you are adamant about not adding more carbs each day, consider doing a carb-up one day on the weekends to bring the body’s muscle glycogen stores back to a healthy level.
On the flip side, if you’re struggling on your muscle-building program, consider eating more red meat and poultry, or using a creatine supplement. This will help increase the creatine phosphate stores in the body, which are responsible for the development of the high-energy molecule that’s needed for proper muscle contractions.
Muscle cramps
Muscle cramps can be a big problem for some men, not only during their workouts but also later on in the day. Common places where cramps frequently occur are the calves and hamstrings, but they can happen in any of the body’s muscle groups.
Nutritional solution: Get more calcium
Calcium is one of the main nutrients that prevent cramps; if it is not being taken in through the diet in high enough quantities, you could set yourself up for a higher chance of experiencing muscle cramps.
Keep in mind that vitamin D also plays an important role in the absorption of calcium, so you need to monitor both nutrients in your diet.
Mixing your pre-workout protein shake with milk rather than water is a good strategy to help prevent cramping from taking place.
dietary dilemmas
So, if you’re finding that you’re currently suffering from any of these issues, it’s a good idea to have a look at your diet in combination with your training program to come up with a solution.
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