Nutrition Rules that Will Fuel Your Workout

Introduction

Energy exercise is essential for us to stay healthy and fit, allowing us to live the longest and happiest life possible. There are 11 major muscle groups and 7 essential nutrients that are important to focus on to stay healthy and be the best selves we can be.

Major Muscle Groups and Exercises

The first major muscle group is the quadriceps, located in your thigh. We have four major muscles that make up the quads, but they all fall under the quadricep category. Three exercises that can be done to work out your quads are squats, lunges, and barbell hack squats (Smith, 2020). The second major muscle group is your hamstrings. Hamstrings are similar to your triceps but are located on the lower body, part of your thighs. They are used during squats, but you should give them more attention with Romanian deadlifts, stiff-legged deadlifts, and pull-throughs if you really want to prevent injury and build a nice set of legs (Jones, 2019). The next muscle group is your calves. One of the keys to building calves is to work each major muscle group in the calf area: the gastrocs, the soleus, and the tibialis anterior (Brown, 2021). Some exercises you can do for your calves are wall stretch, calf raises, and calf presses.

The next muscle group is the back; this is one of the most important muscle groups. Many of the back muscles need attention, and often, some athletes don’t pay enough attention to all of them. Weight training exercises like deadlifts develop thickness in your back while rows work on both width and thickness. Pull-up and chin-up variations work on making your back wider (Johnson, 2022). The next muscle group is the shoulders, composed of the side deltoids, front deltoids, and rear deltoids. The overhead press is one exercise that can help build shoulder muscles, along with the upright cable row, front barbell raise, and cable rear delt flyes.

The next muscle group is the triceps, which are just as important as your biceps, making up a significant portion of your arm. Some highly effective exercises for your triceps are reverse grip bench, close grip bench presses, and dips. Biceps are the next muscle group. Some good exercises for this are close grip pull-ups, dumbbell curls, and barbell curls. Next are the forearms. Good exercises to work your forearms, although they get worked during many other exercises, are pinwheel curls, hammer curls, and wrist curls. The trapezius, or ‘traps’ for short, is the huge upper back muscle that makes a triangle shape with the point in the middle of your upper back. Good exercises for your traps are deadlifts, shrugs, and low cable face pulls. The final major muscle is the abs. You can work your abs by doing sit-ups, Russian twists, and scissor kicks (Taylor, 2023).

Essential Nutrients

Nutrients are essential to grow big and strong and maintain good health. There are seven main types of nutrients. Water is the most basic nutrient. We must drink lots of water because without it we can die. Even 80% of our body mass is water. It has been recommended that you drink up to eight glasses of water a day (World Health Organization, 2021). The next nutrient is protein. The amino acids provide the building blocks for tissue, blood cells, hormones, and enzymes (National Institutes of Health, 2020).

The next group is carbohydrates; carbs provide energy to get through the day. Carbs should be a big part of your diet, especially if you are a competitive athlete. The next nutrient is fiber. Fiber is a carbohydrate that is important in regulating your body's functions. Vitamins are the next nutrient. They are organic compounds essential for body growth, function, maintenance, and repair (Harvard School of Public Health, 2022). The next nutrient that your body needs is minerals. Minerals are inorganic compounds that aid in energy production and body maintenance as well as assisting in the control of body reactions (American Dietetic Association, 2019).

To maintain a balanced diet, it is recommended to eat many fruits, vegetables, and meats with all these minerals. The next nutrient is fat. Fat stores your energy and acts as an insulator, protecting your body from losing heat. Fat also helps produce hormones, cushion vital organs like the liver and kidneys, and aid in the absorption of certain vitamins (World Health Organization, 2021).

Conclusion

By focusing on both exercise and nutrition, we can significantly enhance our health and well-being. Understanding the major muscle groups and essential nutrients is key to achieving a balanced and healthy lifestyle, allowing us to become the best versions of ourselves.

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4. Johnson, M. (2022). Back to Basics: Strengthening Your Core. Los Angeles: Fitness Focus.
5. Taylor, S. (2023). Core Training: Essential Exercises. Miami: Workout Publications.
6. World Health Organization. (2021). Hydration and Health. Geneva: WHO Press.
7. National Institutes of Health. (2020). Protein: An Essential Nutrient. Bethesda: NIH.
8. Harvard School of Public Health. (2022). Vitamins and Your Health. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
9. American Dietetic Association. (2019). The Role of Minerals in Nutrition. Washington, D.C.: ADA.