Power & Strength Diet

When eating for power and strength, sufficient high quality protein is essential, along with complex-carbs and EFA's (fats) for fuel and energy.

You need to be eating 5 to 6 meals a day, with nutritious snacks in between, to pack on ne muscle. A protein shake is the perfect way to add the extra 2 or 3 'meals' you need for growth.

Protein is incredibly important for muscle growth, as it's actually made up of Amino Acids which are the building blocks of muscle, so without them no growth is possible. Of course, you consume protein with most meals, in the form of meat, fish, eggs, cheese and milk, but to drastically increase muscle and therefore strength, you need much more protein than you would for normal day to day activity.

The amount of protein you need varies from person to person, but a good ‘ball park’ figure is 1.5 gram of protein for each pound of body weight per day. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should aim to consume 225 grams of protein a day. This will ensure your body has a large reserve of protein to call on for both day to day activities, along with fueling the growth of muscle mass.

To gain one pound of muscle, you need an increase of around 3,500 calories. So if you are aiming to gain ½ pound per week, you'll need an additional 1,750 calories per week, or 250 calories per day. That's not counting the additional calories you need to complete your workouts.

It's important to note that when you don't consume enough protein, especially when engaged in a heavy exercise regime, the body makes up for the protein deficiency by taking amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) from muscle tissue. This is called catabolism and obviously leads to muscle loss and weakness.

Protein will also make you feel fuller for longer, as it takes more time to digest. More calories are burnt due to this and your core body temperature and metabolic rate is raised, which helps to increase fat burning and prevent fat storage.

You also need complex carbohydrates, as they burn slowly keeping your blood sugar levels constant, reducing both fat storage and fatigue, while supplying quality fuel for your muscles. The 'good' fats such as Omega 3 EFAs are essential as they help to trigger the genes responsible for fat burning.

Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, as it's very important to keep your body hydrated at all times if you you want to pack on the muscle. Not only that but if you are dehydrated your workouts will suffer. You'll also need more water for your liver and kidneys to process the extra protein you'll be consuming. To know more, check out http://healthandvitality.bestbuyhealthproducts.com/