What is the most important nutrient for exercising muscles?

Answer 1

Carbohydrates are not your enemy. You are better off eating the right kinds of carbohydrates at the right time. Your body depends on carbohydrates as a primary fuel source, especially during intense strength workouts. After a tough strength workout, a post-workout drink with fast digesting carbohydrates and protein will help your body recover and rebuild your muscles. Carbohydrates will replenish your glycogen stores for the next workout and spare your protein to rebuild your muscles.

What Should You Eat Before a Strength Workout?

Its important to remember that you should keep your body in an anabolic state. If you don't do this, your pre-workout meal won't be very effective and you're defeating your purpose for working out: muscle gain and fat loss.

What does "anabolic state" mean? Here are 6 points:

a. When your body is in an anabolic state, the metabolic processes which build up body tissues, such as muscle growth, are working properly.

b. The catabolic state is just the opposite. Your body goes into a catabolic state when you don't eat enough or when you workout hard. The micro tears in your muscles can't be avoided during a tough strength workout.

A post-workout meal containing mainly quickly digesting protein and carbohydrates will minimize the catabolic state and begin the repair and rebuilding process of your muscle tissues. To get maximum benefits, this meal needs to be 30-45 minutes after your strength workout. Protein shakes or smoothies are ideal for this purpose.

c. Rest and recover between workouts for your body to remain in an anabolic state. Recovery is just as important as the workouts if you want your muscles to grow and to prevent injuries and general body breakdown.

d. Eat the right way most of the time. That means including the macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, healthy fats) in your diet. You should not go long periods without eating. Eating every 2-3 hours will do the trick. When your body senses starvation, it begins to feed on itself and your precious muscle mass usually takes the hit.

Make a habit of eating mainly whole, natural foods with one ingredient, the food itself. Fruits, vegetables, nuts and fish are examples.

e. Dietary supplements are also part of the anabolic puzzle. Multivitamins and krill oil are two examples of supplements to take.

f. Drink enough water every day so your body's metabolic processes will work properly. Dehydration is big trouble, of course. Drink about an ounce of water for every pound of your body weight. So, if you weigh 210 pounds, drink about 105 ounces of water a day. Foods high in water content count towards your water consumption.

Eat 1-2 hours before your strength workout. I will usually eat about 1 hour before a workout. Everyone's body reacts differently to foods, so you decide when to eat.

Your body primarily needs carbohydrates and protein (very little fat) in a pre-workout meal of 250-300 calories. Here are 5 good examples for a workout lasting one hour or less:

1. Smoothie with Greek yogurt, chopped peach and sprinkled nuts

2. All natural peanut butter with banana or apple on whole wheat bread

3. Ripe banana, 1 scoop of whey protein, 1 Tb of all natural peanut butter

4. All natural fruit energy bar (not protein bar), no trans fat, low saturated fat

5. Fat free chocolate milk