How to Build Muscle Faster With Proper
Pre and Post Nutrition






Many avid fitness enthusiasts spend hours at the gym in an effort to build muscle only to end up frustrated when their muscular development is nowhere near the number of hours they are putting in. If you are caught in a rut and can’t seem to gain any benefits from your workout, perhaps its time you took a closer look at one of the crucial elements to build muscle that is easily overlooked – nutrition.

Nutrition usually takes a back-seat in the gym. Most often, it is neglected due to ignorance of the level of proper nutrition required to build muscle. Others feel a little overwhelmed by the amount of information that is available. This article will help to dispel the ignorance and confusion and tell you how to build muscle faster with proper pre and post workout nutrition.

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The four most important hours. Assuming that your workout lasts for one hour, the time period of one and a half hours before your workout and one and a half hours after your workout is crucial if you want to build muscle. These one and a half hour windows are the pre and post workout nutrition phase. During the pre-workout phase you will be providing your body with adequate nutrition so that you are able to maximize your workout in order to gain the utmost benefits that are necessary to build muscle. During the post-workout phase you will replenish your body with nutrients so that the energy expended during your workout can actually be used to build muscle.

Pre-workout nutrition. The two most important ingredients of pre-workout nutrition are protein and complex carbohydrates. Proteins help to build muscle and are the single most important nutritional weapon in a body builder’s arsenal. Complex carbohydrates are used by the body to provide energy and ensure that you have sufficient energy levels to complete your workout. Another reason why complex carbohydrates are so important is because when the body runs out of a readymade supply of carbs during periods of intense activity, it starts to draw energy from the proteins stored in your body, and these proteins actually help to build muscle. Thus, if you do not have adequate carbs stored in the body you will not build muscle.

An ideal time to consume a pre-workout meal is approximately one and a half hours before your workout. This gives the body sufficient time to digest the food and extract the necessary nutrients.
Many people who have all this information still fail to maximize the potential of their pre-workout meal to build muscle because they are unsure of what food to eat. Well, the best idea is to consult your fitness instructor or a professional nutritionist to help you achieve your goals. If you want to try an inexpensive, home-made option, a large bowl of oatmeal with banana slices is highly recommended.  This should be topped up with a protein shake.
Generally speaking, fruit is a rich source of carbohydrates. Brown rice or brown bread also provides carb and fiber. If you do not like protein shakes, try eating eggs as they are very rich in protein and help build muscle.

Pre-workout nutrition allows you to maximize your workout.
Post-workout nutrition actually helps you to start the muscle building process after your workout. This meal is the single most important meal if you want to build muscle fast. I know many people whose idea of post-workout nutrition is lying in front of the television with a bag of tortilla chips and a beer. These are the same people who keep complaining about how their workout routines have stopped having any effect. Since you have invested so much of time, effort and money to workout, build muscle, and develop a good physique, why not spend a little more time and build muscle faster by spending just a little more time on a proper post-workout meal.

In order to fully appreciate the importance of post-workout nutrition, we need to understand the basics of how to build muscle. When you train with weights, the muscle fibers are actually broken down due to the intensity of the workout. After the workout, new, stronger and bigger muscle fibers are created as the body adapts itself. However, the body requires proper nutrition to effectively complete this process, thereby helping to build muscle.

Once again the two key nutrients that the body requires are carbohydrates and proteins. Carbohydrates are used to replace the stores that were burnt during the workout and protein is required to help build muscle. If you want to gain mass and build muscle your post-workout meal should contain both these ingredients. Fruit juices, sports drinks, protein shakes and nutritional supplements help nourish the body with protein and carbohydrates, and build muscle. These should be consumed immediately after the workout. In order to build muscle effectively, you should also consume a small meal within one and a half hours of your workout. This meal can consist of fruit, vegetable, pasta, whole wheat bread or brown rice. You should aim to consume approximately 25% of your daily calorie intake in this meal.



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