gymnast

Question
I am a teenage gymnast and am building up my muscles in my stomach and my thighs by working out. I want my muscles to stand out a bit better, but. My first question is, should i lose weight to do this, or work out more? My second is, how much should i be eating and what? My third question is, how often should i work out,what should i include in my routine and how soon should i see results. Thank you very much for your time. I apologize if this is too many questions.

Answer
Hello Val!

  Thank you for your nutrition question.  My best advice to you is eat small frequent meals that contain a balance of protein, complex carbohydrates and fat. Eating small mini meals will help to keep your metabolism boosted(rate which your burn calories) and help with burning fat.  For example,  eat several times a day, all in small quantities: egg whites for breakfast, a small piece of chicken for lunch, small snacks of cheese and vegetables in between meals and maybe some fish and fruit for dinner.
  I would also suggest visiting www.mypyramid.gov in order to create a diet that is tailored to your needs. Once you visit the site simply enter your information and it will give you an eating plan specifically for you.  You can also track your calorie intake in order to see if you are meeting your daily requirements.
  You should workout daily alternating different muscle groups. Here is a short list of some body weight only upper body exercises you can do that mimic many of the movements the gymnasts perform.



?       Pushups

?       Fingertip pushups

?       Close grip pushups

?       Tricep dips

?       Tricep dips with legs extended in front of you

?       Chin ups

?       Towel chin ups

?       Parallel grip chin ups

?       Sternum chin ups

?       Pullups

?       Chain suspended chin ups

?       Chain suspended rows

?       Hanging body rows

?       Handstands

?       Handstand pushups


There is also a great supplement called Juice Plus on my website www.juiceblend.com that is made from fresh fruits and vegetables.  It would be perfect for you since you are an athlete. Why not give it a try also? Let me know

-George Rapitis, Nutritionist

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