Can I pretty much eat whatever I want? (1k+ reps)

[AriesUnleashed]

I am going to be playing d1 tennis and am looking to put on size but not much fat. The catch is I will be practicing intensely with the team 2+ hours a day mon-sat and lifting mon-fri. With this cardio should I worry about what I eat. I am obvioulsy not going to sit down and eat an entire bag of chips or anything but do i really need to watch what I eat?

[RapidFiyah]

What do you mean?

You should still get proper nutrition to fuel your cardio.

[AriesUnleashed]

Originally Posted by RapidFiyah

What do you mean?

You should still get proper nutrition to fuel your cardio.

I mean if I want to eat a couple burgers with fries should I be worried about putting on too much fat? Right now I only eat healthy things...No fries, no chips, no ice cream, no pizza, etc.

[tagun]

As long as you're getting enough protein and calories to either maintain or bulk (as you say you want to gain size) in terms of body composition - NO. Get enough protein and calories; other than that eat what you like, just don't go over you caloric surplus even more as you will gain fat.

But I recommend you make healthier choices, so you make sure you're getting EFAs, fiber and all the vitamins and minerals you need.

[RapidFiyah]

Originally Posted by AriesUnleashed

I mean if I want to eat a couple burgers with fries should I be worried about putting on too much fat? Right now I only eat healthy things...No fries, no chips, no ice cream, no pizza, etc.

You just have to fit ice cream, pizza, burgers, fries and chips into your macros.

Which should be easier considering your doing 2 hrs of cardio + lifting 5-6 days a week.

Those foods aren't going to magically cause you to put on more fat than chicken breast and oatmeal.

[AriesUnleashed]

Thanks guys, It sucks because now that I am buying my own food it seems like all of the healthy stuff costs wayyyy more haha

[jdk2006]

I played D1 tennis for two years myself until I had shoulder surgery. The fact is man, you gotta make a choice. If you want to be the best you can be at tennis you need to pound down the recovery food from all the matches and practice. I was drinking a gallon of gatorade everyday myself plus tons of food. Not talking junk but make sure you get lots of carbs, rice and beans, chicken sandwiches, pancakes and fruit, etc. But if you want to be the best you can be at tennis your not gonna have ripped abs, big arms, or a big chest. The sport just wont develop you that way. 90% of guys on tour and in D1 college have the same type of physique. They still look good, but its not a bodybuilder type physique.

To sum up my advice. Eat to recover. No need to count cals. Make sure you get plenty of carbs, high protein not as important (over 150g should be good). Try to make reasonably healthy choices.

[AriesUnleashed]

Originally Posted by jdk2006

I played D1 tennis for two years myself until I had shoulder surgery. The fact is man, you gotta make a choice. If you want to be the best you can be at tennis you need to pound down the recovery food from all the matches and practice. I was drinking a gallon of gatorade everyday myself plus tons of food. Not talking junk but make sure you get lots of carbs, rice and beans, chicken sandwiches, pancakes and fruit, etc. But if you want to be the best you can be at tennis your not gonna have ripped abs, big arms, or a big chest. The sport just wont develop you that way. 90% of guys on tour and in D1 college have the same type of physique. They still look good, but its not a bodybuilder type physique.

To sum up my advice. Eat to recover. No need to count cals. Make sure you get plenty of carbs, high protein not as important (over 150g should be good). Try to make reasonably healthy choices.

Thanks man, I just don't want to lose all the hard work I have put in so far to get to the point I am at. But really I just want to have a very good base to work with after I graduate. And I agree, Nadal is about as big as any tennis player is. Otherwise they are usually pretty skinny

[jdk2006]

Originally Posted by RapidFiyah

You just have to fit ice cream, pizza, burgers, fries and chips into your macros.

Which should be easier considering your doing 2 hrs of cardio + lifting 5-6 days a week.

Those foods aren't going to magically cause you to put on more fat than chicken breast and oatmeal.

This guy has no idea what he's talking about. No one who is good at tennis counts macros. You need to be pounding down the gatorade during practice. Its fine to have pizza or ice cream or whatever once a day but try to eat decent stuff. Turkey sandwiches are not expensive. Neither are rice and beans. Omelettes, etc.

[AriesUnleashed]

Ill be repping on recharge

[Vietgoboi]

Originally Posted by AriesUnleashed

I am going to be playing d1 tennis and am looking to put on size but not much fat. The catch is I will be practicing intensely with the team 2+ hours a day mon-sat and lifting mon-fri. With this cardio should I worry about what I eat. I am obvioulsy not going to sit down and eat an entire bag of chips or anything but do i really need to watch what I eat?

Don't worry about it, base on your activities (tennis & lifting) and avi, your maintenence is crazy high.

1. Don't worry about overeating, what you should be worry about is undereating!

2. Win and relax !

[jdk2006]

Nadal is not even that big. He just has a weird vein structure and body structure that gives the illision. His arms are not that big though.

I would just put aside bodybuilding and work hard in your tennis workouts and eat to fuel yourself. You keep some size and still look good.

[RapidFiyah]

Originally Posted by jdk2006

This guy has no idea what he's talking about. No one who is good at tennis counts macros. You need to be pounding down the gatorade during practice. Its fine to have pizza or ice cream or whatever once a day but try to eat decent stuff. Turkey sandwiches are not expensive. Neither are rice and beans. Omelettes, etc.

When I say macros, I mean calories.

[AriesUnleashed]

Thanks everyone ill be reppin you guys later on recharge

[jdk2006]

Originally Posted by RapidFiyah

When I say macros, I mean calories.

No reason to count anything. He'll be doing 3+ hours of intense activity per day. Trust me I've been there, you feel like a bottonless pit in terms of eating. Think Michael Phelps. Only thing you need to do i maybe drink a protein shake every day to hold on to more mass and try to make ur food choices clean. Eat as much as your body feels you need though. Most importantly don't stress about eating. Eat for performance.

Btw, when you graduate if you quit playing tennis you will be able to build a lean muscular physique in 6 months easy with the athletic base and fast metabolism you've built.

But ask yourself how big do u really want to be. You can look really good while playing lots of tennis. The ladies like a slimmer body than you may think too.

[2 D]

You're playing D1 tennis for a program and don't have access to a sports nutrition specialist? Ask your coaches if they can refer you to somebody, I'm sure they'll want you performing at your best and an athlete who is willing to take nutrition seriously is the mark of an athlete taking things seriously, so I'm sure they'd be willing to help.

You're not going to be bodybuilding, you're playing tennis, don't eat like a bodybuilder or train like one either.