belts

Nutrition and recovery

1. Get 8-9 hours of sleep per night

  • Your major growth hormones are released for recovery during this time.

2. Eat breakfast

  • Your body is in starvation mode, since you have not eaten since supper, and needs nutrients right away. Breakfast is your most important meal of the day.

3. Post workout stretch/massage

  • This helps the body return to normal quicker and speeds up the recovery process.
  • Stretching and massage on off days, or later in the day after training, also help speed recovery.

4. Eliminate alcohol and caffeine consumption

  • Alcohol and caffeine are diuretics – they suck the water out of your cells which leads to dehydration.
  • Alcohol increases fat deposition, decreases testosterone, and decreases protein synthesis (the protein that you take in for repair of muscle tissue, caused by training, is not being utilized fully for recovery).
  • Caffeine disturbs your sleep cycles.

5. Eat five fruits and vegetables per day

  • These provide your vitamins and minerals needed each day for various functions of the body.
  • Eat the rainbow: make sure you get a variety of colors – each kind contains a different vitamin/mineral.

6. Drink one gallon of water per day

  • If your body is even 5 percent dehydrated then you will have a significant effect on your performance.
  • The best way to track your hydration is to check your urine – if it is clear you are hydrated if not you are dehydrated.

7. Consume 4-6 balanced meals/day

  • Each meal should contain a protein source (meat, fish, or dairy), a carbohydrate source (bread, pasta, etc) and a fruit/vegetable.
  • Try to squeeze in snacks (meal replacement bars, bowl of cereal, sandwich, train mix, etc) in between each meal.

8. Take one day completely off per week for mental and physical well being

  • With all the physical activity you are putting yourself through it is important to take one day completely off. Try to just kick back andsquat relax – nothing too intense. Even being in the sun all day relaxing can be taxing on your body. Make sure you are not trying to add more training in on your scheduled days off or you will overtrain. Sometimes it is better to work smarter and not harder.

9. Consume a post workout meal or shake

  • Your second most important meal of the day and it should be taken within 30 minutes after your training has ended.
  • Select something that is high in carbohydrates (preferably liquid source – it is assimilated faster).
  • You should consume 0.5 grams of carbohydrates per pound of lean body mass
  • Consume roughly 30 grams of protein after exercise.

10. Have fun

  • Make sure you are training because you enjoy doing it.
  • Do things that you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.