"You can't out-train a bad diet."
The reality is you shouldn't want to "out-train" a "bad diet", you should strive to fuel your body so you can train better, recover faster and be healthier.
So, what is it you need to know about eating for performance?
1. The Right Calories
You can't build strong foundations if you don't have the right raw materials (or enough of them). If you put sufficient fuel in the tank you will not only increase performance but get stronger too.
Improve your structure, meal frequency and timing and you will see great progress over time.
2. Stimulus
If you don't train the right way, how can you expect to get stronger? You won't get the strength, size and speed you're after if you're sitting on a bike at 50% intensity. You need stimulus for growth i.e. you need to be pushing yourself regularly and training with enough frequency.
3. Food Quality
Performance nutrition is human nutrition. The better you eat, the more nutrients your body has, the better you'll feel = increased performance. That's not to say you can't enjoy your nutrition, but you need to be mindful of what you're putting in your body and what purpose its serves.
4. Protein
By now we all know that protein is essential. It's especially crucial when getting stronger to maintain a consistent intake throughout the day to support lean muscle tissue development, detoxification and metabolism. Sufficient protein intake is a non-negotiable.
Now for the good stuff.
A regular eating pattern is essential for progress.
Ensuring your body has a consistent supply of protein, fats and carbohydrates throughout the daily is optimal for lean muscle growth. The amino acids contained in protein are the building blocks of muscle while fats and carbohydrates are used for energy production. Carbs also help shuttle protein to the muscle to assist in growth.
All of the above are important for fuelling training and getting stronger, so balance your intake over the day and limit going long periods without eating.
Anabolic vs Catabolic
To see sustained success in performance we need to promote muscle protein synthesis (anabolic) and reduce muscle protein breakdown (catabolic).
This is why focusing on getting sufficient, good-quality calories is King. Shy away from over-eating less nutrient dense food as this will damage your progress over time. Everything in moderation.
Limit training on an empty stomach
Increasing strength is tough. Even tougher when you're training without fuel, overdoing your cardio or not re-fuelling after your sessions.
If you don't want too much in your stomach before a session, think liquid calories or a light snack and be sure to get enough food in when you're done.
Environment is everything
How much better do your training sessions feel when it's a great atmosphere in the gym?
You set yourself up for success by the things with which you surround yourself, and nutrition is the same. While you don't need to be maniacal, communicating with your friends, families & peers what you're trying to achieve with better food choices means everyone is on the same page, and you can all work towards better performance together.
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