Muscle Building Nutrition

After a workout, do you wake up too sore to even think about doing another one?  Chances are that you are not feeding your body with the right muscle building nutrition to help it recover. What you eat and drink within two hours after your workout is just as important, if not more important, than the workout itself. 

There are four things that you need to do for a quicker recovery.  The first thing that you need to do is replenish your carbohydrates as soon as possible.  Within two hours after exercising you must eat something to supply quick energy such as a baked potato, whole wheat bread, or a sports bar.  Doing this after your workout today will help improve your performance for tomorrow’s workout. 

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Next, for your muscle building nutrition, you must rebuild your protein supply.  This must also be done within two hours of finishing your workout.  This is very important to rebuild muscle tissue and give your immune system a boost.  You should try to have the carbohydrates and protein together after your workout using the 4 to 1 ratio.  You should consume four grams of carbohydrates for every one gram of protein.  You could do this by having peanut butter on whole wheat bread. 

Restoring electrolyte balance and water is also important.  This should be done before, during, and after your workout.  You can drink just water as long as your workout isn’t longer than an hour.  If your workout is longer than an hour, or very intense, you should choose a sports drink to replenish lost electrolytes.  You should consume at least 20 ounces of liquid within the two hours after exercise.  By doing this, you are preventing your body from overheating. 

Muscles get stressed when you exercise.  You must eat certain vitamins and minerals as part of your muscle building nutrition to help reduce your soreness and recover sooner.  Vitamin E is a must, which includes foods such as green leafy vegetables, beans, whole grains, and seeds.  Vitamin C is also very important and can be found in foods such as; oranges, broccoli, strawberries and potatoes.  Try also to eat some type of glutamine which can be found in sports drinks, sports bars or whey protein powders. 

If you are going to put forth the time and energy to complete a great workout, you might as well see it through by following these guidelines for muscle building nutrition.  You don’t want to do the ‘hard part’ and then leave out the ‘finishing touches’.  So next time you hit the gym, make sure that you pack your after workout snacks and drinks.

FOR A DETAILED MUSCLE BUILDING MEAL PLAN CLICK HERE

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