College Training

College Nutrition

As most bodybuilders know, developing lean mass takes more than training hard in the weightroom, but also eating a clean and adequate diet. In a college atmosphere, eating a clean and adequate diet is not always an option when you are at the dining halls that serve objects that barely resemble food or at a party full of people that usually drink their dinners.

Normal dining halls and meal plans offer three square meals a day, which falls a bit short for hard training athletes. So when you are at the dining hall you have to get the most for your money here. Look for foods that are fit your goals so look for lean meats, complex carbohydrates, fruits, and a good salad bar.

Some foods you can look for are:

Subs - Most colleges offer some type offer subs or a Subway type place where you can pick and choose what you would like on your sub. A good example of a sub would be a whole wheat sub bun with lean turkey breast, lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and banana peppers. If you use condiments try to stick with low fat condiments; mustard is a great option. If you construct it right a sub could yield 40 grams of protein, 50-60 carbs, 15 grams of fat, and 300-350 calories.

Eggs - Eggs are a pretty universal item in the dining halls, but make sure you choose the right kind. One eggs does not offer a large amount of protein so eating several is necessary, yet you want to keep the fat low so only eat egg whites. Stick with hard boiled eggs because it is very easy to separate the egg from the yolk and they are a great source of protein.

Chicken Breast - A small personal grille is a great item to have in college especially for cooking chicken breast. Try opting for a chicken breast instead of the cheeseburger in the dining hall because chicken contains less fat and is usually a better type of meat in a dining hall. You have to consider that the dining halls are feeding thousands of people so they usually do not have very high quality and lean types of burger so chicken is a very good alternative. One chicken breast usually yields about 20-25 grams of protein.

Milk/Cottage Cheese - Many people forget that cottage cheese and milk contain a fairly good amount of protein and vitamins. Skim milk normally yields about 8 grams of protein in 8 ounces. Fat-free cottage cheese normally yields about 12 grams of protein and is an excellent source of casein protein. I normally eat at least one serving of cottage cheese a day especially before I go to sleep because of the amount of casein protein in it. Casein protein is the most anti-catabolic protein in food and digests slowly.

Fruits/Vegetables - Fruit and vegetables are normally foods that are widespread in dining halls so stock up. Fruits yield good simple sugars and antioxidants. Vegetables provide many necessary nutrients as well. They are also easy to grab and save for later.

Cereals - This is generally an area that is easy to slip up. Dining halls generally offer many varieties of cereals but most are usually packed with sugar. Try to stick to bran cereals that will offer good carbohydrates that will properly fuel you throughout the day. Raisin bran and Crispix are good options.

It is also very important to schedule times throughout the day for training and for eating. Try spacing out your classes so that you have time for a quick meal. If you have too many classes in a row then try eating during class because most professors do not mind. Also when you are at the dining hall bring some Tupperware with you so that you can sneak some extra food out enabling you to eat every couple hours.

College Training

Make training time sacred. College is full of distractions but make sure you allot yourself at least an hour a day to do some kind training. Personally when I schedule for classes I leave at least a three hour block open for training at a time where I know the gym will not be overcrowded with people. Another option is to train early in the morning. Most people do not get to the gym before noon, so I have learned that the gym is usually empty early in the morning. This allows you to train before class and have the rest of the day to repair.