Proper nutrition plays a very significant role in attaining your desired results out of calisthenics.
Initially, you need to know what is going on with your body when you are properly executing calisthenics exercises. Calisthenics is a low-resistance training (meaning low-impact strength training which does not add extra stress on joints and tendons) through utilizing your own body weight as a counterforce.
Doing calisthenics is like doing cardio training except that calisthenics is not a high-intensity workout though it has similar effects on your lungs and heart. It toughens your heart, lungs, and the cardiovascular system as a whole. When you are doing cardio training, you are burning a significant amount of calories and lowering your blood sugar.
Calisthenics builds muscle strength without the use of weights and other equipment. It is effective if your goal is increasing muscle strength. This type of exercise is friendly to beginners and to those people who desperately want to lose weight at a steady rate and in a safe manner. Calisthenics is more than a perfect jumpstart.
But no matter how promising the benefits of calisthenics might be and how easy and convenient it may look, success is impossible to attain if you will not combine it with a proper diet.
The right nutrition will balance your body’s requirements, increase muscle recovery, and expedite skills improvement. It is noteworthy to mention that the kind of diet you need depends upon your body type (ectomorphs, mesomorphs, and endomorphs), current weight, lifestyle, and your overall goal.
However, here are the distinguishing qualities of a proper calisthenics diet plan to guide you on your journey, along with the best practices to remember.
Reduce Calorie Consumption
A low to medium-calorie diet is prescribed for calisthenics. Since in this exercise your primary goal is to lessen fats and gain muscles.
This table from Medical News Today can serve as your great guide on how many calories you should intake.
Food with high amounts of sugar and processed carbs can cause a sudden rise in your blood sugar level.
After reaching the summit of your glucose level, it will abruptly decrease causing low insulin levels in your blood which heightens your sense of hunger.
Focus on Protein-Rich Food
Protein is essential for maintaining and building muscles. According to the International Society for Sports Nutrition, physically active persons must take 0.64 to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.
An adult’s body must be composed of protein with 10 to 36% of total calories. Nevertheless, when you are trying to gain muscle mass your need is higher than the usual range since your muscles need protein to repair the damage done during bodyweight exercises.
A sufficient amount of amino acids found in protein is important for faster muscle recovery. Consuming the right amount of protein is essential but also it must be in proper timing. Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS) is being stimulated when you are doing calisthenics with the help of sufficient protein intake. That is the reason behind the meal prescription of incorporating a fair amount of protein-rich food into every meal and snacks all throughout the day.
Increase Water Intake
Proper hydration is essential to our body especially when you have an active lifestyle and aim to gain muscles. Increasing our energy level in order to improve in our performance an adequate amount of water is needed in our body to flush out the toxins in aid of growth.
Normally, after sleeping, our body is mostly dehydrated so it is advisable to drink water immediately after waking up. This will significantly boost your energy level. Carrying a handy water bottle is a great help in reminding yourself of proper hydration.
You can also add a little amount of lemon, apple cider vinegar, mint, cucumber for added taste and benefits.
Choose Quality Food
For your body to recover quickly after a thorough exercise you will need to consume natural foods that are high in micronutrients and fiber. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 70% of adults in the US suffer from the consequences of being overweight.
Research shows that high-earning people tend to eat more compared to those who earn less (Fast Food Statistics, 2021). Every year there is a 2.2% hike in fast food consumption. It can be inferred that when you are truly sincere in doing calisthenics you must not only muster your external body but also your appetite towards junk foods.
You must declare war on unhealthy food and shift your desire towards natural food. You can try to make use of intermittent fasting to narrow down your eating window.
Consume food within 8 hours a day except for water, decaffeinated tea, and coffee. You tend to consume more nutrient-packed meals rather than junk and low fiber meals when you limit your eating window. Calorie intake will be lessened too.
Maintain Quality Sleep
Sleep plays a vital role in the repair of body tissues including your muscles. Sleeping 6-8 hours significantly helps in the whole process of body repair when you enter an anabolic state during your sleep. Yet spending enough time for sleep is not really enough, maintaining quality sleep counts too.
This is true because Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is produced not on the first phase of sleep but on the second stage where deep sleep happens. Then at the third stage of sleep (penultimate stage) where the most extensive process of HGH is released for repair and growth.
In addition to HGH, prolactin, the anti-inflammatory hormone vital for effective joint recovery, is released also at this stage.
According to The Sleep Advisor, a reliable source training adults must have 8-10 hours of sleep for muscle recovery and growth. To achieve an ideal body and healthy lifestyle, quality sleep is the key.
Post-workout nutrition supports your body to recover quickly after strenuous activity.
It helps you refill glycogen levels, reduce protein breakdown and increase protein synthesis which is essential in attaining optimum calisthenics workout results.
To sum it up, here are the calisthenics nutritional diet planning tips to remember in order for you to maximize the results of your workout.
- Lessen or totally eliminate unhealthy and unnatural food (e.g. Junk Foods, processed foods and empty carbs foods)
- Focus on protein packed foods (E. g. Meat, fish, seafood, eggs etc.)
- Consume foods that are rich in micronutrients (E.g. Fruits and vegetables)
- Avoid high calories and low fiber food
- Take food supplements that are high in BCAA (Branched chain amino acids), Creatine and multivitamins.
In totality, doing calisthenics is not enough to achieve a healthy lifestyle. It must be combined with the discipline in food and water intake maintained quality of sleep, and most importantly, knowing your own body needs since different body forms and lifestyles are significant factors in planning your post-work out calisthenics nutrition.