You may be surprised when you hear the answer...because we have been conditioned to believe a lot of things over the years, and like many myths they are meant to be debunked. Something a lot of folks do not realize is that food is the most essential component to a fitness program, especially if you are a bodybuilder or trying to build muscle. There is an age old saying that is as true as gravity...”Muscles are made in the kitchen, not the gym”. Its a basic law of biology and physics, you can't create something from nothing...you need the materials, and those materials come from the food we eat. The better the materials, the better the building. Food provides the energy we need to lift those weights and it also provides us the energy and building materials to grow and repair our muscles. In the world of many meals a day, there is always one that is the most important. Your mom, if asked would tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and your fellow bodybuilder may tell you the one after the work out is the most important. So who is right? They both are, because the most important meal is the one you have before the workout. This is true because what you have in your fuel tank before hitting the gym will determine the kind of workout you are going to have. Just to be clear, when we talk about a pre-workout meal we mean a real meal not some supplement concoction you slam back before the gym. This meal will be one of balanced nutritional qualities, containing quality carbohydrates, proteins and fats. This meal should also be consumed about 1 to 1 and a half hours before your workout. The supplement companies would have been training us in the importance of the post work nutrition, but you might be surprised to know that the meal you ate before your workout isn't even fully digested yet. Now it's not bad to take in the post work out nutrition per se, but what I am driving at is that it's not as important as the one before the work out.
[b]Knowing the truth now, what would you eat for this all important meal?[/b]
As I stated earlier, this meal needs to be made up of quality components of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, the bulk of which could be carbohydrates. The reason for this is that your body uses glycogen as fuel and filling up the glycogen tanks is like having a nice full fuel tank before that road trip. The type of carbohydrates you will want will most likely be lower glycemic index, for more gradual release of glucose, since you will have a fair amount of time before you hit the gym. Higher glycemic index carbohydrates can cause a “crash” and nobody enjoys that. I'd suggest making the bulk of the calories in the pre-workout meal from carbohydrates. Because your body relies on glycogen stores to power you through your workout, you'll need something to fill those stores. And that something is carbohydrates. As you'll be leaving some time before you workout, choose some low-GI carbohydrates to ensure a steady flow of energy and avoid a crash before you even reach the gym. Proteins such as those found in meat or dairy are ideal in your pre-workout meal as they are slower digesting and this will keep those helpful amino acids circulating in your bloodstream during and even after your workout is over. This is one factor that is commonly misunderstood in the gym and bodybuilding world, that the protein you consume before a workout is more important than that which you get afterward. It's been proven in tests tat the delivery of amino acids is significantly greater during exercise when taken before the workout rather than afterward. Fats are also important before the workout because it helps with our blood sugar levels as well as acting as a source of energy. A final boost of simple sugars about an hour after your pre-workout meal and just before your workout, in the form of a fruit or couple squares of a chocolate bar has a glycogen sparing effect during our workout which means we can go a bit longer and harder.
The Most Important Meal To A Bodybuilder
