The challenge of weight gain

FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2008

by Lisa Sutherland, Sports Dietitian, Hawthorn FC

Head down to your local gym any night of the week and you'll find a cluster of young males hitting the weights. They have one common goal in mind– to 'bulk up'. The world of elite sport is no different and there are a population of athletes who face the same challenges when trying to increase weight. While AFL players may have the added benefit of high quality facilities, support staff, and time, the reality is that they still need to consume the right foods and fluids, at the right times, to achieve results.

Pre-season can be a particularly challenging time for players trying to increase muscle mass. With their high training loads, it can be difficult to simply maintain weight. Many of the young players are desperate to gain muscle mass in order to compete physically with the more experienced senior players. It is a competitive business, and physical presence is often an important element of optimal performance. For the young 1st and 2nd year players, the effort to gain weight can be an ongoing source of frustration as their growing bodies burn more fuel then they would naturally consume!

Mitch Thorp is in the middle of his second pre-season at Hawthorn Football Club. He arrived at the club as a 17 year old with a goal of increasing his weight from 84kg to 87-88kg. He has already exceeded this. Mitch's journey has been frustrating at times, with a few setbacks along the way, but not enough to deter him from his goals.

In his first pre-season, Mitch actually lost weight, dropping to 83.5kg. The weight loss was predominantly body fat, but Mitch was pretty keen to start putting on some muscle. A major obstacle to Mitch's goals was a severe stomach bug that affected his appetite and stopped him from tucking into a steak for a number of weeks. As he recovered, and the running loads dropped off towards the start of the season, his weight started to increase again. Combined with improved nutrition patterns, his weight increased to 87kg, reaching a maximum of 89kg by late in the season.

During the off-season break Mitch's weight once again dropped down a little, returning for start of pre-season at 87kg. Having his tonsils out during this time added to the challenge but with the help of Aussie Bodies protein drinks it didn't take long for his weight to start coming back on. The Club trip to Kokoda in early December, which all players complete within the first few years at the club, was the next challenge. A week of trekking through the jungle on soldier's rations is not the ideal program for an athlete trying to put on muscle, but the players didn't do it quite as hard as the soldiers! They worked quite hard, but efforts were made to ensure extra foods were available throughout the trek. Mitch dropped only one kilogram and was soon back up to 88.5kg just prior to the Christmas break.

At present Mitch knows that this stage of pre-season is the time where the risk of weight loss is high. He has made the effort to eat more often and is bringing foods to training to snack on between training sessions. Mitch ensures he eats at least every 2-3 hours and consumes 6 meals/snacks per day, and includes protein in most meals/snacks.

The move this year to share an apartment with a team-mate has been a positive one, allowing a good routine with co-shopping and cooking. The cupboard is stocked with a range of high energy items such as yoghurt, tuna, nuts, meat, cheese, milk, Aussie Bodies Perfect Protein and Aussie Bodies Mega Weight Gainer.

Mitch uses a wide range of Aussie Bodies products to help him meet his high energy and protein needs. Protein Revival tetra pack drinks are always used immediately after gym sessions, with Aussie Bodies Perfect Protein mixed into a smoothie as a snack, with breakfast, and also after dinner.

Mitch is still young and will achieve natural weight gain through training and growth, but he knows the importance of the right nutrients to allow his body to build muscle. Mitch has recently reached 90kg, and is confident he can maintain this with Aussie Bodies products as part of his overall nutrition plan.

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