Pre-Workout Nutrition Is Critical To Building More Muscle

I have been a bodybuilder for over 25 years, and one of the things I have learned is that what you take before your workout can make a big difference in your workout. Certainly not every workout in the gym is going to be your best, but you should strive to get the most muscle gains possible if that is your fitness goal. I have listed some of the key things you should do or take before you workout, to maximize your workout.

Most bodybuilders focus on the post workout supplementation and nutrition and generally ignore the pre-workout aspect. The post work out nutrition is critical but this does not mean that the pre work nutrition is any less important. The first things that generally comes to mind when thinking about pre work nutrition are getting enough protein, how much creatine to take, energy intensifiers, and pro-hormones. What many lifters often overlook is the importance of pre-workout nutrition for long term muscle building goals. A solid nutrition regimen followed regularly will help you experience greater muscel gains and increased strength.

To just add a real life thought on this, think back to the last workout where you had a great pump. This most likely occurred because you ate well before the workout and your glycogen stores were high. You also had plenty of rest before the workout. The pump is crucial to expanding the muscle and taking your muscle size to new levels. So with this in mind imagine your body trying to create this pump on low glycogen stores and now it has to look for and alternative source of energy, muscle and fat. Fat is fine to burn but you do not want to burn muscle.

OK the pump aside, another big reason for proper pre workout nutrition is the negative consequences that you want to avoid. Your intensity and strength capacity suffer when you are not properly nourished. As a consequence, you're unable to push yourself to the limit, leading to a less-than-stellar performance in the gym. Could you have gotten two more reps and pushed yourself while you were in the GROW ZONE! If you can't push yourself you're unable to stimulate your muscle fibers to the breaking point at which they'll form new scar tissue and new muscle mass. If you have not heard this you should. "Make every workout count and make every rep count". Don't waste your time in the gym.

Now that I have you thinking about the pit-falls of ignoring your pre-workout nutrition you can understand why it can make a big difference between packing on more rock-solid muscle or remaining at yet another stubborn growth plateau.

Your pre-workout nutritional regimen should be broken down into 2 parts.

The 1st part consists of having a meal one to two hours before working out.

The 2nd part takes place 15 to 30 minutes before working out and consists of supplements that you will intensify your work out.

A Good Source Of Moderate or Slow Digesting Carbohydrates

In order to have enough energy to power through a tough, you need a premium source of fuel. That's why it's fundamentally important that you consume a slow to moderate digesting source of carbohydrates. Not only will they provide a source of energy, thereby preventing your body from breaking down your muscle for energy, but a slower digesting carb will sustain you throughout your entire workout. Because of this I do not recommended you use mainly high glycemic or fast-digesting carbs as you'll quickly burn out once their energy source is used up during your workout.

Here is a good list of recommended low to moderate GI carbohydrates.

Brown rice

Oatmeal

Whole grain bread

Long grain white rice

Whole wheat pasta Of course Do eat too much though, if you consume an overabundance of carbs or consume them too close to your workout, your body has insufficient time to metabolize the food, and this can result in blood being redirected to your working muscles rather than being re flowed to your stomach to aid in digestion, causing stomach cramps. I normally take in 25-45 grams of carbohydrates 1 or 2 hours before working out.

Add in Some Fruit

Fruits have more simple sugars but adding in things such as oranges, bananas, or dates make an excellent addition to your pre-workout meal. Since you already have taken in some slow acting carbs, it is also beneficial to have a small but sufficient source of fast-digesting carbs to give you work out a running start. Oranges provide this type of quick energy source. This is an old trick used by bodybuilders. I can remember 30 years ago watching the guys at the gym eating or sucking on oranges before a workout.Aside from providing a solid source of simple carbohydrates, oranges are packed with vitamin C and electrolytes. As I mentioned bananas and dates also work.

Protein

Having protein in your blood stream is essential to recovery. Your body starts to recovery from muscle damage instantly, not hours later or days later but instantly. So no pre-workout meal is complete without protein. As the building block of new muscle growth, protein composed of essential and non-essential amino acids is vital to maintaining a positive nitrogen balance necessary to stimulate maximum protein synthesis. If you do not know what protein synthesis is, it is the process by which nitrogen from amino acids is linearly arranged into structural proteins through the involvement of RNA and various enzymes. Protein synthesis equates to muscle growth. The more efficient you can make this process the more efficiently you can build muscle. Therefore obtaining the correct ratio of amino acids is vital to achieving an anabolic state and the best way of achieving this is by consuming complete protein sources such as steak, egg whites, chicken, turkey and even some bean sources.

It is impossible for most of use to consume protein as often as we should so one option for people on the run is to consume a protein shake, which provides a balanced source of quality amino acids necessary to achieve a positive nitrogen balance. As a general rule, I consume between 20 to 40 grams of protein in preparation for your training session.

Scientifically Formulated Pre-Workout Supplements:

Ok if you have followed my steps above you have your pre-workout nutrition taken care of, but there is one more step to a prefect prework ritual. The final preparation is in the form of supplements. There are plenty of supplements to choose from. If you have just worked a 8 hour shift, getting up for a 90 minute workout can be rough. Products containing a combination of caffeine, ephedra and arginine are extremely popular choices, and rightfully so. Caffeine and ephedra promote increased focus, intensity and energy. There's nothing quite liked getting amped up before a workout and knowing that your nutrition is right, and that you are going to get a huge pump and build some muscle. Arginine-based supplements are another popular choice because they are designed to activate peak vasodilation, resulting in powerful muscle pumps. As I mentioned above getting a good pump is vital to new muscle growth because it helps deliver key muscle building nutrients, oxygen and amino acids to working muscles, effectively creating an optimal anabolic environment conducive to new growth. Remember what Arnold said, "It's all about the pump!". No Xplode is one of my favorites to take before my workout, with the combination of creatine, l-arginine and other muscle building ingredients, many users of No-Xplode have reported the follow benefits:

Improves Mental Focus

Promotes Weight Loss

Increases Training Intensity

Develop Muscle Size & Mass

Enjoy Better Sex

Increase Your Strength

Supports Fat Loss

Intensify Your Workout Performance

Now you have the knowledge necessary to create an effective pre-workout nutrition plan, it's time to put it into action. I have created a list of pre-workout supplements that I like and know you will as well. Follow these simple steps and you're bound to make noticeable gains in muscle mass and strength.

Supplements I Recommend

No Xplode

Muscle Provider

Ideal Meal