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<p class="slide-count desktop-hidden">1 of 5</p><img width="650" height="431" src="/uploadfile/2024/1210/20241210130247188.jpg">Prepare to Be Strong
The meals you eat before your workouts are the most critical. Consider them an insurance policy. This is your last chance to adequately fuel your body before the big workout. Right before the workout, protein is the most critical as it will prevent the muscle from being broken down for fuel and will stimulate muscle growth and strength gains immediately after the workout. Your best bet is a 20-gram whey protein shake right before workouts, as it is the most convenient form of protein and the most easily digested which means it will get its amino acids to your body rapidly. You’ll also need about 20-40 grams of slow-digesting carbs to fuel your workout all the way to the last rep.
Follow Up
Immediately after the workout is over, you have to refuel your body with fast-digesting protein and carbs. The protein will provide your muscles an immediate source of amino acids for building muscle protein. The carbs will restock your depleted muscle glycogen stores, blunt the release of the catabolic hormone cortisol and will boost your levels of the anabolic hormone insulin. Insulin drives nutrients like glucose, amino acids and even creatine into muscle cells. Insulin also kick starts the molecular processes that turn those amino acids from the protein shake into muscle. And more muscle means more strength. Here, you need to take in 40 grams of a protein shake along with 60-100 grams of carbs, such as dextrose, maltodextrin, Vitargo, sports drink, sugar, white bread, plain bagels or white potatoes.
Be a Frequency Freak
One way to make sure you’re getting in enough calories is to eat many times per day. You should be eating every two and a half to three hours. In a typical 16-hour day, that’s up to nine meals. Eating that frequently not only ensures you get in adequate calories, but keeps your body fueled, supplies continual amino acids to your muscle fibers, and keeps your metabolism running at full speed.
Stay Wet
Getting in plenty of water is critical for strength. Research shows that just a 2% decrease in body weight from water loss can significantly decrease muscle strength. Keeping adequately hydrated is important for keeping the muscles full and large. Not only does this help them to look larger, but it can offer them a biomechanical advantage, which results in greater muscle strength. You should shoot for about a gallon of water per day.
Don’t Be a Junkie
Calories are important but it shouldn’t come from poor quality food (read: junk food). Junk food—candy candy, chips and french fries, etc.—however tasty, is bad for the obvious reason that they supply an overabundance of calories, fat, and carbs, in a surprisingly small package, which can get you fat. Less obvious is the fact that it’s not just the amount of these nutrients but the type of them that makes junk foods, well, junk.Many contain trans fats. These fats are not only associated with cardiovascular disease, but they can limit muscle growth and encourage muscle breakdown. Then there’s the sugar. While a fast-digesting carb like sugar is good after a workout, it’s horrible any other time of day for the same reason—insulin. When you boost insulin while you are just sitting around, it encourages fat storage and leads to more hunger and energy lows. A particular problem is high-fructose corn syrup, which is often used. Fructose can’t be used by the muscles for fuel. So it goes to the liver where it is converted to glycogen. But once the glycogen levels of the liver are full it converts fructose into fat.Get more tips for eating for strength >>
Get more fitness tips, advice and hacks from Jim Stoppani, Ph.D.>>
Button slide previous Back to intro Button slide nextPrepare to Be Strong
The meals you eat before your workouts are the most critical. Consider them an insurance policy. This is your last chance to adequately fuel your body before the big workout. Right before the workout, protein is the most critical as it will prevent the muscle from being broken down for fuel and will stimulate muscle growth and strength gains immediately after the workout. Your best bet is a 20-gram whey protein shake right before workouts, as it is the most convenient form of protein and the most easily digested which means it will get its amino acids to your body rapidly. You’ll also need about 20-40 grams of slow-digesting carbs to fuel your workout all the way to the last rep.
Follow Up
Immediately after the workout is over, you have to refuel your body with fast-digesting protein and carbs. The protein will provide your muscles an immediate source of amino acids for building muscle protein. The carbs will restock your depleted muscle glycogen stores, blunt the release of the catabolic hormone cortisol and will boost your levels of the anabolic hormone insulin. Insulin drives nutrients like glucose, amino acids and even creatine into muscle cells. Insulin also kick starts the molecular processes that turn those amino acids from the protein shake into muscle. And more muscle means more strength. Here, you need to take in 40 grams of a protein shake along with 60-100 grams of carbs, such as dextrose, maltodextrin, Vitargo, sports drink, sugar, white bread, plain bagels or white potatoes.
Be a Frequency Freak
One way to make sure you’re getting in enough calories is to eat many times per day. You should be eating every two and a half to three hours. In a typical 16-hour day, that’s up to nine meals. Eating that frequently not only ensures you get in adequate calories, but keeps your body fueled, supplies continual amino acids to your muscle fibers, and keeps your metabolism running at full speed.
Stay Wet
Getting in plenty of water is critical for strength. Research shows that just a 2% decrease in body weight from water loss can significantly decrease muscle strength. Keeping adequately hydrated is important for keeping the muscles full and large. Not only does this help them to look larger, but it can offer them a biomechanical advantage, which results in greater muscle strength. You should shoot for about a gallon of water per day.
Don't Be a Junkie
Calories are important but it shouldn’t come from poor quality food (read: junk food). Junk food—candy candy, chips and french fries, etc.—however tasty, is bad for the obvious reason that they supply an overabundance of calories, fat, and carbs, in a surprisingly small package, which can get you fat. Less obvious is the fact that it’s not just the amount of these nutrients but the type of them that makes junk foods, well, junk.
Many contain trans fats. These fats are not only associated with cardiovascular disease, but they can limit muscle growth and encourage muscle breakdown. Then there’s the sugar. While a fast-digesting carb like sugar is good after a workout, it’s horrible any other time of day for the same reason—insulin. When you boost insulin while you are just sitting around, it encourages fat storage and leads to more hunger and energy lows. A particular problem is high-fructose corn syrup, which is often used. Fructose can’t be used by the muscles for fuel. So it goes to the liver where it is converted to glycogen. But once the glycogen levels of the liver are full it converts fructose into fat.
Get more tips for eating for strength >>