End Zone Athletics

An excerpt from our Performance Nutrition 101 booklet by Dr. Susan Kleiner...

The most important factor in having enough energy is eating enough energy. Consuming adequate calories is one of the keys to a high-performance diet. Without enough calories, athletes won’t gain muscle, will feel tired and weak, and will be more prone to injuries and overtraining. Performing at a high level and building muscle requires tremendous energy: energy to do the muscle-building exercise, plus the energy to build the tissue itself..

In a 1990 study, researchers determined that the energy requirement for trained strength-trainers to maintain their muscle mass was 44 kilocalories per kilogram body weight (20 kcals/lb)..... Further research has shown that to build muscle, improve performance, and maintain cardiovascular fitness, serious athletes need at least 52 kcals/kg (23.6 kcals/lb.) or more. This means that if you weigh 165 pounds right now and you’d like to weigh 185 pounds, along with your training program you need to eat more food. You can figure out your calorie needs by taking your current body weight and multiplying it by 23.6. For example: 165 x 23.6 = 3894 calories per day. If your current diet is well below this level, it is not necessarily a good idea to bump up your calories all at once, it will probably be difficult to consume that much food so suddenly. Start out by increasing daily intake by a smaller amount like 400 calories and gradually increase calorie intake from there.

EZA Technology Tip: 

Thanks to cutting-edge technology, it is now possible to determine the exact number of calories you burn each day just by wearing a simple armband. Made by a company called Bodymedia, the armband uses 5 different sensors to measure calories burned both at rest and through activity to accurately determine how many calories you need to eat. To learn more visit their website or come to EndZone Athletics to learn more and find out for yourself how many calories you should be eating.