Best Pre Workout Meal to Fuel an Intense Workout
When it comes to packing on pounds of solid muscle, it is extremely important that you consume the best pre workout meal possible. A well balanced pre workout meal will allow you to release a steady stream of energy throughout your gym session, keep your body in an anabolic state, and assure you are performing at your peak strength. However, if you fail to consume the correct nutrients before your workout, you could not only lack strength and energy but you will ultimately be sent into a catabolic state and suffer from muscle wastage.
Before we go straight into what nutrients make up the best pre workout meal to fuel your intense workout, one extremely important rule is that you must be hydrated. Make sure you are drinking a good amount of water throughout the day. Regardless of how perfect your pre workout meal may have been, if you are not properly hydrated you will be doing your workout a huge injustice.
Item # 1 Protein: Consuming the proper amount and type of protein will allow your body to stay in an anabolic state and avoid muscle wastage during your workout. I recommend getting this item from whey protein because it is quickly absorbed. 30-40 grams of protein makes for a good pre workout meal, however, adding casein makes it the best pre workout meal. The reason the casein is so important is because it will slow down the release of the protein to give you a steady stream of energy.
Item # 2 Complex Carbohydrates: You want to avoid simple carbohydrates because they will result in a very fast rise of energy that will end quickly. When this happens in the middle of your workout, you will become weak and exhausted. To avoid not performing at your peak, consume some complex carbohydrates from oatmeal, wheat bread, or apples.
Fuel Your Intense Gym Session Your pre workout meal is best taken about 45 minutes to 1 hour before your workout. This way you can avoid feeling nauseous because you would have given the food enough time to settle. It is very important that you NEVER skip this meal on training days. Also, you want to make sure that you don't make this meal so large that you feel extremely full or bloated.
My Personal Preference I typically have my pre workout meal about 1 hour before training. It usually consists of a shake that contains 1 scoop of whey protein (25 grams of protein), half-one cup of low fat milk, and one serving of oatmeal. I try to consume about 1 gallon of water on a daily basis to make sure that I am properly hydrated as well. This formula works well for me, not to mention its simple to make and easy to consume.
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