Gaining muscle weight for football requires training and eating to gain functional muscle that will not only give you power but heft to act as a human barrier to tackle. Resist slurping down protein drinks and eating steak and eggs for breakfast. Instead, eat a varied diet with different kinds of lean protein. Eat several smaller meals and snacks to keep yourself fueled and to build lean muscle. Training should consist of resistance training of super sets, abs, sprints and targeted exercises to protect joints, neck and low back: areas at risk during the game.
Eat Different Kinds of Protein
Step 1
Eat at least 0.8g of protein for every pound of body weight. That means if you weigh 160 lbs., aim to eat about 80g of protein. Consume lean proteins such as lean cuts of beef, poultry, fish, eggs, low-fat dairy foods, legumes and whole grains.
Step 2
Go for variety and follow the dietary guidelines provide in My Food Pyramid designed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). They recommend eating whole vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy and non-saturated fats.
Eat four to five smaller meals and two tiny snacks that always have a protein component to keep blood sugar level and replace glycogen used during training.
Step 3
Consume non-saturated fats to stay lean and powerful. USDA recommends eating no more than 30 percent of daily calories from fat and of that percentage no more than 10 percent from saturated fats. These are solid at room temperature: beef, poultry, pork and coconut fat are some examples.
Instead, eat non-saturated fats such as olive, canola, flax seed, hemp seed and fish oils. Eat roasted, non-salted nuts and seeds of all kinds. Eating too much saturated fat contributes to increasing the risk for developing high blood pressure and obesity (or weight gain off-season).
Step 4
Do at least four sessions of resistance training a week and include one session that includes exercises that will protect the joints, neck and low back. For example, work chest, arms and back on one day and legs, hips and abs on the next day. Work antagonistic (opposing) muscle groups for symmetry and to prevent injuries. Avoid locking out the joints and work the muscles to protect joints.
Step 5
Super set it by doing two to three sets that work the same muscle group to build muscle density. An example is chest press for a set of 12 to 15 reps, flys for another 12 to15 reps, classic push-ups for 25 reps and single-handed push-ups at 10 reps per hand. This super set will exhaust pec major of the chest, front an back deltoids of the shoulders and build the muscularity of the chest needed for blocking in football.
Tips and Warnings
- Always eat some kind of protein within an hour after every workout. This will build muscle and keep you from eating huge meals that will be hard to digest.
- Avoid the tendency to focus only on chest press to build pecs and bicep curls and flys to build biceps and deltoids. Develop all the muscles of the chest, back, arms, legs and work abs for spinal stabilization.
Things You'll Need
- Whole vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes,
- low-fat dairy foods
- Lean proteins: lean beef, poultry, fish, eggs
- Non-saturated fats: olive, canola, flax seed, hemp seed oil, fish oils
- Water
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