19 rules for the optimal diet

Anyone who does fitness training knows exactly how important the right diet can be for sporting success. The best training is useless if the body doesn't get enough energy from food. Below we have put together 19 tips to show you how you can significantly accelerate your muscle growth with intelligent nutritional rules.

1. the right pre-workout meal

Consume 20 grams of fast-digesting whey protein and 20-40 grams of slow-digesting carbohydrates in the form of fruit, sweet potatoes or brown rice around 30 minutes before your workout.

2. fat burner before training

Coffee and tea (green or black) are suitable pre-workout fat burners. Drink one to two cups without sugar and milk about 30 to 60 minutes before training.

3. only certain carbohydrates

The basis of your daily carbohydrate intake should mainly consist of carbohydrates that are difficult to digest, such as beans, wholemeal pasta, oatmeal or brown rice.

4. the right snacks

Natural yogurt and cottage cheese are perfect as a protein snack between meals, as they keep you full for a long time and also ensure that your insulin levels do not rise too high.

5. drink tea regularly

A continuous supply of fluids ensures a constantly high metabolism. You should therefore drink plenty of water as well as teas such as green tea or ginseng so that your body is regularly fueled to burn fat.

6. the right fat

It is important that you also consume enough fat during your muscle-building phase. Fat is responsible for many important functions in the body. The right sources of fat for a strength athlete are olive oil, avocados, nuts, fish and eggs. However, you should avoid low-fat milk and cheese as a source of fat. Make sure that the nutrient fat makes up at least 30 percent of your daily calorie consumption.

7. sin occasionally

It is important that during a muscle-building phase you also have a week in which you are allowed to sin with your meals. This takes the pressure off you to make mistakes during the diet phase and also prevents a yo-yo effect after the diet.

8. use protein powder

Protein is still the No. 1 supplement for building muscle. You should drink a protein shake twice a day so that you can cover your daily protein requirements even during an intensive training phase. On training days, we recommend taking around 20 grams of protein before and 40 to 60 grams after training as a protein shake.

9. vary your carbohydrate consumption

A long-term constant diet can quickly lead to stagnation in performance levels. It is therefore important to have a varied diet plan that is changed regularly. For example, eat 400 grams of carbohydrates per day and then reduce your carbohydrate consumption to 250 grams per day for ten days. Then increase your consumption to 500 grams per day for a short time and then return to the original 400 grams. With this method, the body becomes accustomed to different energy supplies from food and can then maintain its performance level in the long term even if it receives less carbohydrates as an energy source in the short term.

10. do not avoid salt

Many athletes often avoid salt during the diet phase because they believe that salt can block the muscle-building phase. However, too little salt in the body reduces glycogen formation, which results in slower muscle growth.

11. eat meat

Almost all strength athletes eat meat as a natural source of protein to build muscle. Low-fat meat contains vitamin B, creatine, iron, zinc and, of course, lots of protein.

12. eat fish

Around 170 grams of fish meat, such as sardines or salmon, contain around 32 grams of protein and around 18 grams of the important omega-3 fatty acids.

13. watch your protein consumption

If you have plenty of energy for your training, but are still unable to gain mass in the long term, your daily protein intake may be too low. Therefore, take at least 2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day and increase the dose to 3 to 4 grams per kilogram of body weight if you are training particularly intensively.

14. have a cheat day

So-called cheat days are days on which you are allowed to sin when eating. On a cheat day, you can theoretically eat anything you want. Nevertheless, you should make sure that you choose a steak with salad instead of pizza or pasta.

15. prepare your meals

The intelligent athlete prepares his meals the day before the next training session. This has the advantage that they are not reliant on meals from the restaurant and can eat exactly what they actually need for a training day.

16. the right snack

Snacks are the ideal meals for in-between meals. They fill you up and keep your blood sugar levels constantly high. All kinds of fruit, nuts or protein bars are ideal for this.

17. eat a hearty breakfast

Forget the people who skip breakfast in the morning. You have already fasted for around 6 to 8 hours during your night's sleep, so your body now absolutely needs the energy it needs for the day ahead. Without breakfast, your metabolism will quickly drop during physical exertion and muscle growth will be significantly inhibited. Eat at least 30 grams of protein and around 30 to 50 grams of carbohydrates for breakfast to provide your body with the nutrients it needs.

18. lots of water

Water flushes toxins out of the body and ensures that all the important ingredients of the individual supplements are quickly transported to the muscles. Drink at least 2 liters of water per day.

19. be disciplined

Success only comes with the necessary training, the right diet and constant discipline. Pay attention to the times for your pre- and post-workout meals and adhere exactly to the daily nutritional rules, otherwise you will not achieve lasting success with muscle building.