Weightlifting isn’t just about lifting heavyweights and pushing your body through extreme measures that
exceed your limits in the gym, you need a proper diet to get you through your workout. Without a proper diet you will not recover between sessions, which will will negatively impact your muscle
mass, strength, and energy levels. Whether you’re an Olympic weightlifting, powerlifter or strongman, a
good nutrition is the foundation to your success.
Something to think about when your a weightlifter is your meal plan. An average breakfast could be eggs
served on whole grain toast with a side of blueberries. Lunch could contain a grilled salmon salad with
chickpeas, olive oil, pumpkin seeds and miss vegetables. For a post workout dinner you could have a
large lean steak with baked potato, broccoli, green beans and cauliflower with a dessert of Greek yogurt,
banana, and oats, plus chocolate milk is always good to have after a workout. Between meals you should
always fuel up on high protein and high calorie snacks which could be milk, cottage cheese, and oats.
A good tool would be to keep a food chart to keep chart of what you eat and use your performance to see
if your diet is on target. If you are getting weaker or struggle for energy then you probably just aren’t
eating enough. Adjust your serving sizes to fit your current goals, training schedule and body weight.
Protein is a key part in a diet while being a weightlifter. You can find protein in animal products like beef,
chicken, eggs, dairy, fish and seafood as well as some plants. The main role of protein is to hold up and
repair muscles. Protein is even more important for weightlifters than cardio athletes. Athletes need around
1 gram of protein per pound of body weight each day, according to nutritionist Joel Giacobbe.