Andy Cullen’s True Strength training plan: Nutrition

Optimum Nutrition athlete Andy Cullen discusses how nutrition helps him achieve his physique and fitness goals.

JOE

Andy Cullen’s True Strength training plan: Nutrition

Optimum Nutrition athlete Andy Cullen discusses how important nutrition is in achieving physique and fitness goals.

Nutrition is the most important aspect of achieving your ideal physique or performance related goals. Having a solid nutrition plan is essential for maintaining a healthy body and also for growth and repair. In my personal nutrition plan, I ensure to include a range of lean protein sources, low-glycaemic carbohydrates and healthy fats.

Proteins

Protein is one of the three macronutrients. Proteins are made up of amino acids which are essential for protein synthesis (muscle building and repair) to occur in the body. The main sources of protein I regularly consume are beef, chicken breast, turkey & fish, I supplement my protein intake with high quality shakes from Optimum Nutrition such as Gold Standard 100% Whey and Gold Standard 100% Casein shakes.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are another macronutrient and they are the body’s preferred fuel source. In order to keep myself in fat-burning mode and to maintain stable blood sugar levels I tend to use low-glycemic carbohydrates such as rice, sweet potato, quinoa and oats. The only time I use simple sugars is post-workout. Insulin is the body’s most anabolic hormone; simple sugars cause the body to secrete insulin which stimulates protein synthesis, muscle growth and repair. Common sources of simple sugars I use include fruit (such as apples oranges etc.), carbohydrate drinks and sweets.

Healthy fats

Fats are important for maintaining optimal hormonal function. Healthy essential fats such as omega 3 will help the body maintain cardiovascular health and regular blood pressure levels. Common sources of healthy fats I use in my day to day diet include coconut oil, Omega 3 fish oils, nuts/nut butter and avocado. I tend to mainly consume fats first thing in the morning, in my pre-workout meal and in my last meal of the day.

Keeping a food diary

It’s necessary for me to track my intake of food everyday so I can manage my conditioning and performance levels. By constantly tracking my daily food intake I can work out what dietary changes I need to make as my goals vary. I find it very helpful using apps such as myfitness pal to help me to update and maintain my food diary.

As a guide, at the end of this article, I’ve included a sample of what my food diary will look like on a regular training day, including the times at which I eat each meal and how it fits it into my training plan.

Now that you know the expert’s approach to diet and nutrition, here’s what you can do to get yourself on the right path to a healthy diet that complements your training regime.

Figure out your current calorie & macronutrient intake by using My Fitness Pal for a 3-4 day period.
Analyse the type of food you eat. Is it suitable for achieving your desired body shape or your fitness goals? For example, if I want to bulk up, I’ll slowly increase my carbohydrate intake in a day while keeping my protein and healthy fats at a sufficient level for recovery and hormonal support. A tip to work out protein intake for a day is to take your weight in kilograms and multiply by 1.8-2 (for example, for an 80kg man, 80 x 2 = 160, so roughly 160 grams of protein per day). If I want to cut weight, I’ll slowly decrease my carbohydrate intake in a day but I will slightly increase my healthy fat intake. My body will use the extra healthy fats for an energy source and I will maintain regular protein levels for optimal recovery.
Plan your meals in advance. What are you going to eat and when? To be successful in your personal diet or lifestyle change it is imperative that you are prepared everyday. The old saying ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ comes to mind here. I personally prepare my food for the next day every single night, this is the most efficient way of sticking to my diet plan and monitoring my nutrients.
Remember, nutrition is the most important aspect of training and achieving your ideal physique, so preparing meals is key to achieving your individual goals.