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Courtesy of University Sports Medicine
www.ubsportsmed.buffalo.edu
WHY IS WEIGHT MANAGEMENT IMPORTANT?
Proper diet and a good conditioning program play a vital role in athletic performance. Athletes who are under their ideal playing weight will not perform as well as they may at their ideal weight.
WHAT ABOUT WEIGHT GAIN?
How many calories you need depends on your age, sex, weight, and activity level. To maintain your weight, you have to take in the same number of calories that you burn.
It takes about 3,000 calories a day for the average 165-pound man who is 19-24 years old to maintain his weight. From ages 25-49, the daily calorie requirement for maintenance drops to 2,700 calories.
An average 127-pound woman, 19-24 years old, will have to consume 2,100 calories daily for weight maintenance. From ages 25-49, it takes 1,900 calories per day.
Your body weight will change when there is a difference between calories in and calories out. To gain weight, athletes need to consume more calories than they expend. This sounds simple but may not be easy. Most research shows that it takes longer to gain weight than to lose it. Since the goal is to increase muscle mass, be sure to increase your exercise level. Consuming more calories without exercise will increase body fat stores.
HOW MANY CALORIES DO I BURN DURING EXERCISE?
In planning your calorie needs, consult the following table. It gives the average calories burned for different activities. Multiply the number of calories burned per minute by the number of minutes that you exercise to get the number of calories that you need to replace after exercise.
Family history plays a major role in an athlete's build. Athletes from naturally thin families are less likely to be able to transform their bodies from slight, slender figures to bulky, muscular ones. With improved diet and suitable weight training, however, they can increase their chances of gaining weight. Many people naturally gain weight as they age because their metabolism slows down.
CALORIES BURNED PER MINUTE OF ACTIVITY
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120 LB PERSON
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160 LB PERSON
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ACTIVITY
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2.5
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3.4
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Walking 2 miles per hour
Bicycling 5 miles per hour
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3.3
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4.4
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Walking 3 miles per hour
Bicycling 6 miles per hour
Badminton
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5.1
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6.8
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Walking 4 miles per hour
Dancing
Calisthenics
Bicycling 10 miles per hour
Roller skating
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6
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8
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Tennis (singles)
Water skiing
Basketball (recreational)
Swimming (35 yards/minute)
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6.5
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8.7
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Walking briskly 5 miles per hour
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7.3
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9.7
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Jogging 5 miles per hour
Bicycling 12 miles per hour
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7.8
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10.5
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Downhill skiing
Basketball (vigorous competition)
Mountain climbing
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9.2
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12.3
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Jogging 7 miles per hour
Cross country skiing
Squash and handball
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12.9
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17.3
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Running 9 miles per hour
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WHAT ARE THE KEYS TO GAINING MUSCLE MASS?
Muscle mass can be gained through moderate to intense strength training several times per week, coupled with taking in extra calories. For each pound gained as muscle in a week, you will need to consume about 500 extra calories each day. These extra calories should come from a variety of foods; milk, meats, fruits, vegetables, and grains. The key is to be consistent. Eating three meals a day with snacks in between is an essential part of gaining lean body mass. If you sleep in and miss breakfast, you miss a chance to add extra calories to your diet. Eat enough to satisfy your appetite and then try to eat a little more. This can be done by:
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- eating larger than normal portions
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- eating an extra snack or meal
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- drinking commercial liquid meals or milkshakes with regular meals, or as snacks
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Some good snacks if you are trying to gain weight are:
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- peanut butter sandwiches
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- low fat milkshakes (use skim milk and low-fat ice cream)
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- dried fruit
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- cottage cheese
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- pasta with sauce
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Commercial protein supplements will not help you gain weight and will probably add too much protein to your diet. If you need a liquid supplement, make sure it provides the extra calories you need as carbohydrates, not protein.
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