Why do male runners need to eat more calories to maintain muscle mass and normal body functioning?
Running is a form of sport that depletes most of the body’s nutrition and energy and that is why runners generally are always advised to consume body building and energy giving foods so as to replenish lost nutrients after training or participating in a race. However, when it boils down to the sexes, it has been discovered that male runners need to eat more calories because they burn more calories than female runners and do it faster as well.
However, in order to maintain the body mass and restore their body back to the state it was before the workout or race, it is essential they use every means possible to take in as much calories as they can. This is not a license for male runners to gorge on unhealthy foods as that will only do them more harm than good. In achieving the goal of taking in more calories as a male runner, it should be noted that proteins are highly recommended as a medium of getting the needed nutrients for the body.
In the course of reviewing competitions and trainings, it is often rumored that one of the reasons the female runners seem to shine better than their male counterparts is because the female runners are able to draw on their reserve glycogen stores as opposed to the men whose glycogen stores deplete faster than the females. This only means that the male runners get exhausted faster during a race because of depleted nutrients and due of this, they need to take in more calories to maintain their standard muscle mass and set the path for their body recovery.
In trying to maintain the muscle mass of the body, the male runner has to learn to listen to his bodily signs. After completing a running activity, the body will send hunger signs which mostly occurs because the body wants to go back to the state and size it was before the exercise and realizes that it’s only by taking in the required nutrients that the possibility can arise. It however becomes imperative for the male runner not to load his body with just anything in order to put a stop to the hunger pangs. He should instead be deliberate with his nutrition and eat only the right food.
In taking in calories, it is advised that the male runner refuels immediately after an arduous workout or a long race. Refueling should not be limited to fluids but should be a combination of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and fluid to help the recovery process. In addition to this, is the fact that the male runner has to have a healthy nutritional plan spread across the six meals and snacks of every day. Little portions of nutrient giving food spread across the day is much more effective in maintaining body mass and normal body functioning than a bulk meal three times daily.
As a male runner, it is essential that you do not compare your nutritional plan or regimen to that of your female counterpart. As much as there is a lot of similarities, there is also some very crucial differences that you have to take into consideration as have been explained in the above paragraphs. The main difference between a male runner and a female runner is that the male runner burns calories faster and that’s why it is important he eats more calories than his female counterpart, as failure to fuel or refuel can cause unwanted weight loss, slower recovery, energy dips and constant fatigue.
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