Why Nutrition Is Needed For Workout

Proper pre workout nutrition and fuelling your body before your bodybuilding sessions will improve your workout performance and maximize your program’s results. By eating a healthy, well-considered meal 1-2 hours before exercise and another healthy, well-considered meal within 1-2 hours after exercise, most people can meet their workout nutrition needs without anything else. An effective pre-workout meal does not need to contain anything complicated or fancy. A basic combination of high quality protein and carbohydrates will easily get the job done. The protein will provide your body with the amino acids needed to facilitate recovery and growth following the session, while the carbohydrates will provide your muscles and brain with the energy needed to optimize performance.

Breakfast is a must whether you workout or not. If you are planning a workout then have a small breakfast 2 hours before as it will keep your blood sugar levels high during workout. Else your blood sugar levels will drop you will feel tires and sleepy. An egg, rice cake or a high protein toast with banana and low fat milk can be an ideal pre workout breakfast. For afternoon workout consider eating a protein and carbohydrates rich meal. If you are planning to work out in the evening then balanced carb and protein meal is best. Just make sure you chow about 30 minutes before if you have not eaten something recently. If you want to instantly boost your energy then drink a cup of coffee 30 minutes before workout. Eat large quantities of these carbohydrate foods, supplemented with protein and fats for a more complete meal. Then as you get closer, say around 3pm, take in more nutrition, something a little smaller and less heavy such as a protein bar, a salad and others. Pre workout nutrition should contain roughly 30 grams of protein and 30 grams of carbohydrates give or take a bit of each.

Your pre workout nutrition should be quite light and low in calories, a meal containing 30 grams of carbohydrates and 30 grams of protein as stated above will contain 240 calories. To optimize your performance, you need to eat. Research has established that carbohydrate intake during exercise delays the onset of fatigue and improves endurance exercise performance. This happens because carbs enhance the availability of blood glucose to active muscle. Roughly 65 percent of the energy in your pre-workout meal should come from carbs, but choose low-Glycemic carbs like oatmeal, veggies or sweet potatoes instead of simple sugars or candy to avoid wild fluctuations in your blood-sugar levels. Protein is the next important nutrient to consider to your pre workout nutrition in order to decrease muscle breakdown during and after your workout. Fat takes the longest to digest, so a pre-workout meal should be relatively low in fat.

In terms of carbohydrates in your pre workout nutrition different people respond differently to simple carbohydrates (sugars) and complex carbohydrates experiment with these and find out what works best for you.

The pre workout nutrition that you eat before your bodybuilding workout should primarily include a significant amount of complex carbohydrates. If you’re interested in improving your muscle mass, your meal should also include some protein. Do not eat foods high in fat before you workout, as they take a significantly longer time to digest. Drink some fluids during your pre-workout meal to ensure that you’re appropriately hydrated.