Most of us are aware that consuming a healthy, nutritious diet will allow any athlete to capitalize on his or her sports performance. Some athletes can be somewhat anxious about consuming more calories for fear of gaining weight, although it is almost a necessity when exerting large amounts of energy. An athletes diet should be well balanced and nutritious meals that constantly fuel the body with energy, and refuel once the body is at rest. There are six classes of nutrients that are a necessity for a healthy diet; carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins, minerals and water. The energy that athletes retract from these nutrients comes solely from the carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Specific times of nutrition intake is also essential for athletic ability. Specificity of which foods are consumed at certain times is also crucial. Athletes should understand it is important to eat the right foods at the right times in order to have enough energy to expend as needed during his or her performance. Post performance energy intake is equally as important to refuel and restore muscle tissue. Athletes have more of a responsibility to take control of their bodies and diet in order to maximize their strength and endurance.
In order to build lean muscle mass athletes should combine an adequate caloric intake along with a hard muscle strengthening program. Assuming an athlete typically expends around 2000 calories daily during a 3 hour intense workout session he or she is going to need a higher daily caloric intake in comparison to the average person. Carbohydrates are going to be their primary energy source. Although many strength training athletes are under the impression that protein intake is much more important than their carbohydrate intake, this theory can be argued. Carbohydrates are used in the body as a fuel for short, intense bursts of power and energy. With constant training, eating raw fruits and vegetables often, and consuming high carbohydrate and moderate protein snacks, an athlete will have the ability to double the amount of glycogen their muscles can hold and release.