|
| Pre and Post-Workout Nutrition |  In order to gain your mass maximally productive, your pre and post-workout nutrition must supply the body with the correct nutrition at the correct time.
Pre and post-workout nutrition can determine how effective your hard work will be at moving you towards your goals.
The most important period of time in your program in terms of feeding your body for muscle growth is “four hour window”; it includes 90 minutes before workout, 60 minutes while exercising and 90 minutes after workout.
During these four hours you can significantly enhance your ability to build muscle mass. The body will be both most in need of muscle building nutrition and most receptive to it.
Pre-Workout Nutrition
 You have to remember that your pre-workout meal is the second most important meal of the day. The aim of this meal is to prepare the body for the assault you will soon be putting it through.
During intense exercise, your body use stored energy. Therefore, the body will turn to glycolysis to replace this energy. Glycolysis is the process when sugar (carbohydrates) ultimately converts into the energy you need to contract a muscle. Consequently, you have to consume products that make energy to be readily available. Lack of them will impair your ability to workout to your full potential.
The pre-workout meal should be focused on protein and complex carbohydrates. These both macronutrients must be present. Remember that the meal should be consumed about 60-90 minutes before exercise begins. This will get the body time to digest and make the nutrients available to the body during exercise.
Complex carbohydrates will help ensure you have adequate energy levels for your physical activity. One more practice to consider is consuming simple carbohydrates (fruits, fruit juices) 15 to 30 minutes previous to the workout. Simple carbohydrates are present in fruits and fruit juices. They will provide the body with an immediate energy source.
Post-Workout Nutrition
The basic aim of weight training for mass gain is to make the muscles to break themselves down and then rebuild. The first process is called catabolism, and the second is anabolism. The intense workout provides sufficient trauma to the muscles. Small tears in the muscle and connective tissue are created. While following hours and days the muscles will attempt to rebuild themselves and become stronger and better able to deal with such trauma in the future. This process is called adaptation.
As you have noticed muscles will attempt to rebuild themselves to be stronger. In order to achieve this aim, they need to be provided the raw materials to do the job. They need good post-workout nutrition.
Carbohydrates are needed to replace muscle drained fuel sources (muscle glycogen). Muscles also need protein to begin the rebuilding process.
The aim of proper post-workout nutrition is to quickly and rationally refuel the muscles and then provide them with the raw materials they need to rebuild themselves to be stronger and bigger.
Post-workout nutrition should contain about 15-25% of your total daily caloric goal. It should contain a quality carbohydrate mixture and a quality protein source.
The first step in post-workout nutrition is a sports drink. It will replace lost nutrients and also create an insulin spike more on the importance of insulin. Fruit or fruit juice can also address this need.
Also you have to provide your body with a quality protein source. It is better to use a liquid source because it can be processed and utilized by the body quicker.
|
|
