Bulking up AFL style

Australian Football is a game of contests, knocks and bumps.  Size, strength and speed are essential characteristics for elite performers to compete against the best.

A major dilemma faces young, growing footballers who are competing for a spot in the senior side - to gain muscle they need to consume a lot of kilojoules!  Energy needs just for training and natural growth can be huge, and the amount of kilojoules needed on a daily basis for muscle mass gain can be almost impossible to achieve. 

One player who is meeting the challenge is 21-year old Zac Dawson. Zac is a young Hawthorn player who has realised the importance of adequate kilojoule and protein intake for achieving weight gain goals. Zac arrived at the club as a 17 year old nearly 4 years ago and over this time has increased his weight by more than 13kg, from 78.9kg to current weight of 92kg. Zac's body fat level has not changed at all over this time, which tells us that the weight he has gained is mostly muscle.  This is the ideal outcome for an athlete, because it is often difficult to put on muscle weight without gaining fat at the same time. 

Zac brings food to training with him each day to ensure he eats every few hours.  Eating snacks between meals was initially a challenge for Zac, but he is now in a routine of snacking on a range of higher protein items such as yoghurt, tuna, nuts, eggs and Aussie Bodies Protein FX bars and Aussie Bodies PC's.
When Zac was in his first few years at HFC, he used Aussie Bodies Mega Weight Gainer, 2-3 times per day mixed with milk.  This year he has also included Aussie Bodies Perfect Protein Strawberry as a regular protein drink.  Zac has a consistent regime for weights sessions – 'I have a Protein Revival tetra pack while I train, followed by Aussie Bodies Perfect Protein Strawberry straight after'.  Zac also has the Aussie Bodies Perfect Protein in the evening before going to bed.   In addition to the Aussie Bodies supplements, Zac has ensured a high kilojoule diet with plenty of good quality protein to promote optimal growth and recovery from training.

Practical nutrition strategies that Zac has followed to promote muscle mass gain include:

• Eat frequently: at least every 2-3 hours
  
• Consume 6 meals/snacks per day
  
• Choose foods that are high in kilojoules, carbohydrate and protein
  
• Include protein in most meals/snacks
  
• Keep total fat intake low, but include small amounts of healthy fats
  
• Use Aussie Bodies products during and after weight training sessions
  
• End the day with a high protein drink in the evening

It can sometimes be difficult to tolerate large amounts of food, Zac says 'I felt really over-full when I first started increasing my food intake, but it gets easier.  Now I can easily eat heaps more'.

Zac knows that he needs to be consistent to reach his goal for next season of 95kg, which will bring his weight gain to a total of 16kg since starting at Hawthorn FC, an increase of 20%.  Put the effort in and you will get results!

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