There's More To Good Exercising Than Physical Activity
Eating for muscle gain - pre-workout nutrition
A wise man once said "If you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail", and this is also true for your workouts.
You should enter each session at the gym as though you are going to war and your mind and body should be ready to win this war.
In this article, I will cover the physical side of preparedness by teaching you how to prime your body by eating for muscle gain before lifting the weights.
If you are eating for gaining muscle mass prior to your workout, you will enter the gym at peak strength and will provide your body with the necessary tools to lift the weights as effectively as possible.
There are three main goals that you want to achieve when eating for muscle gain before a workout:
1) Increase strength potential to the maximum.
2) Maintain a continuous flow of balanced energy for your muscles and mind all through your workout session.
3) Minimize the breakdown of muscles during the workout and provide your body with all the ingredients necessary to start the process of recovery after your gym session.
Solid food should not kick off your eating for muscle gain routine before a workout. First, you need to get hydrated before your workout. Before you hit the weights, it's critical to hydrate because water plays a vital role in keeping strength and energy levels peaked.
About one hour before your workout, you need to ingest the 'eating for muscle gain' pre-workout meal. Protein should be a major part of this meal. To prevent muscle breakdown during your workout you must keep your body in an anabolic state and protein helps you do this.
The ideal amount is about 30-40 grams, created from a mixture of casein and whey protein, two high quality proteins. You can make this mixture by combining around 300-400ml of skim milk with 25-30 grams of whey protein.
Since whey protein is packed with BCAA's, amino acids that prevent muscle catabolism during workouts, it is a natural choice when you are eating for muscle gain. Mixing whey with milk helps to slow the release of protein. It also ensures that your body gets a steady stream of amino acids while you lift weights at the gym.
The next step is adding 1-2 portions of low-glycemic carbohydrates along with your protein shake. Carbohydrates that are low on the glycemic index are such a great choice because they are broken down and absorbed by the body at a gradual pace and give you a constant source of energy to sustain your workout.
Whenever you are eating for muscle gain don't waste your time by eating high glycemic carbohydrates before your workout; high glycemic carbohydrates release rapidly into your bloodstream, so your body will release a surge of insulin in an effort to level out your blood sugar. This causes a spike in your insulin levels followed by a rapid crash.
This insulin crash will cause you to tire mid-workout. This is definitely not how you want your body to react in the middle of a high intensity workout. Therefore choose carbohydrates that won't lead to fluctuating insulin levels.
To maintain an even stream of sugars throughout your workout, choose pre-workout carbohydrates that ensure steady energy levels, e.g. oatmeal, apples, or brown rice.
The key to pre-workout nutrition, when eating for muscle gain, is to keep the portions small so that they can be easily digested and you don't feel sick during your workout. You should never hit the gym without consuming a pre-workout meal.
In conclusion:
Around 60 minutes before your workout:
1) 300-400ml of milk blended with 25-30 grams of whey protein.
2) 1-2 servings of oatmeal, brown rice, apples, or other slow release carbohydrates.
Coffee also helps. I drink a cup or two of coffee before my workouts as I find that this increases my energy and amplifies my focus nicely.
Find out more about proper nutrition and effective exercises to gain muscle mass fast.
One of my Blogs is MuscleGainAdvice Blog, where you can find out how to get big muscles fast.