Get Big... Gaining Weight the Right Way - Part II

Last month, in part 1 of a 3-part series, I discussed 10 important factors to consider when an athlete wants to gain lean body mass. Notice, I did not say just “weight” because as an athlete we want to gain lean mass (muscle) because extra body fat will hamper our on-ice speed and productivity. To review, we talked about three factors that dictate an athlete’s ability to gain weight: 1) genetics, over which we have no control 2) choice of exercises and 3) diet. We can definitely control these last two factors.

At SST we implement a 10-stage plan for our athletes:

• Post-workout high-protein plus carb shake
• Pre-workout shake
• 2 workouts per day
• NAPS!
• Multi-joint exercises
• Supplementation
• A snack before bed
• No rhythmical cardio work
• Ingest good fats
• We add little bit of scare tactics by citing alternative results!

In the last installment we covered post and pre workout shakes, 2 a day workouts and naps. If you would like to review last month’s article click here.

MULTI- JOINT EXERCISES:
At SST we often meet with an athlete who only has a short period of time (12 weeks) to train with us before their upcoming event. Therefore, we must choose the most effective exercises to give us our best “Bang for the Buck” and, no, triceps kickbacks and wrist curls do not fit that prescription!
It’s all about hormones and about recruiting more motor units in the muscle during workouts. Multi-joint exercises such as squats, deadlifts, incline press, chins, dips, etc. should be part every athlete’s workout where the desire is to become bigger by building muscle. Testosterone is an anabolic hormone found in abundance in teenagers. Performing lifts such as dead lifts will actually increase testosterone production because of the ability of multi joint exercises to recruit more motor units. Performing multi joint exercises equals an increase in testosterone production, which equals getting bigger. A word of note, keep workout times to less than 1 hour. Research shows that testosterone starts to drop after about 40 minutes while the catabolic hormone cortisol increases, which can result in the breakdown of muscle. The best method to control cortisol is to have a protein and carb post workout shake to drive insulin up thus decreasing cortisol production.
Good multi joint exercises for the lower body include: squats (all variations), deadlifts, snatch grip deadlifts, trap bar deadlifts and Olympic lifts such as the power clean. SST also likes to implement many unilateral exercises such as split squats, for younger kids, to eliminate imbalances in strength and flexibility.

SUPPLEMENTATION:
I think we could fill the whole newspaper on this topic, but here are just a few pointers. A big problem with our society is that everybody wants the quick fix, which is why the supplement business is a multi-million dollar business. At SST we instruct our athletes to get their nutrients from whole foods such as meats, vegetables and fruits. Just start eating WELL and work HARD! Go for the good foods first then you won’t be tempted by the empty calorie junk stuff. The supplements SST recommends to every athlete are: a daily multi vitamin, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. There are other supplements recommended, however, individual needs vary and I can’t give away all my secrets.
A good multi vitamin is important because unfortunately the food choices we make often don’t meet all our daily nutrient needs. Athletes stress the body with practices, games, and workouts. When you add environmental stresses to the list is just makes good sense to take a good multi vitamin for protection. We like our athletes to take all vitamins post workout/game because they are absorbed well with the post workout shake.

Vitamin C, a water-soluble vitamin, is an excellent antioxidant because it protects the body from free radical damage, which can cause disease, including cancer. Because Vitamin C boosts immunity it helps ward off colds and other illnesses. It promotes quick wound healing and protects against the effects of stress.

Vitamin E, a fat-soluble vitamin, is also an excellent disease fighter. It’s antioxidant properties help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, boost immune system function, promote wound healing (topically) and reduce the risk of cancer. Vitamin C and Vitamin E have many more important properties but the main reason I recommend these 2 vitamins is for their anti-oxidant properties. Here’s the analogy I tell our athletes: whenever there is stress placed on the body such as at a practice or workout the body creates rust and Vitamin C and E clear this rust out of the body. Vitamin C is water-soluble so it can be taken frequently throughout the day while Vitamin E dosages should not exceed 400-800 IU per day.

Stay tuned for Part 3 next month or e-mail me at sst@bellnet.ca for info regarding other factors to consider when trying to gain weight (muscle).

Larry Jusdanis, SST Director