What Are The Nutritional Building Blocks Of A Good Muscle Building Workout?

There’s no denying it. Nutrition is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. The effectiveness of any workout regime is drastically influenced by the kind of diet supporting it. Perhaps more than any other kind of workout, focusing on building muscle fits that bill. After all, you need the right building blocks to make those muscles. You also need to make sure your body can recover from those strenuous sessions. Here’s what you should probably have more of in your diet.

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Energy

When you’re building muscle, you usually count calories in a different kind of way. Rather than eating as few as possible, you need enough to build mass. You need plenty of energy to do that and you also need to be able to convert that energy effectively. Adenosine triphosphate is commonly referred to as the “molecular unit of currency”. It passes energy from cell to cell, so make sure you have enough of it prior to an intense workout.

Protein

Everyone who gets into building mass knows the power of protein. It’s why protein shakes make such a large part of the average bodybuilder’s diet. For those who don’t fully understand, protein is necessary to better preserve muscles. That way, when you’re exercising, you’re losing weight, but not muscle mass.

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Recovery

Recovery is as important as the workout itself. Without the right nutrients to help you better recover, you’ll do more damage to yourself and gain less muscle in the end. Protein’s also an important part of recovery, but it’s not the only thing you need. Betaine, for example, boosts protein synthesis in the body. Amino acids are another key to aid in the muscle building and recovery process.

Growth

When you start talking about growth hormones, some people will get particularly wary. However, human growth hormone (HGH) is produced naturally in the body. It’s a vital part for growing muscle as well as improving your fat metabolism. You can also influence its production in your own body. For example, lots of sleep will help, whereas high carb diets will hinder. Intense exercises also stimulate the production of more HGH. Vitamin C high diets also do the same thing.

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Good cholesterol

A lot of people will try as hard as they can to reduce all cholesterol levels. It’s not advice we would tell them to stop following. It’s good for keeping a healthy cardiovascular system. But not all cholesterol is entirely dangerous. ‘Good cholesterol’ is also known as high-density lipoprotein. Be active and consume HDL. This carries cholesterol away from the bloodstream and into the liver, where it’s processed for removal.

Schedule

When you eat can sometimes be as important as what you eat. For example, protein consumption should occur around fifteen minutes before you exercise. Then take the protein again with betaine and amino acids fifteen minutes after exercise. Make sure you keep on top of your hydration all the way through, as well. Similarly, there’s even a best time to cheat. If you want your supply of carbs, it’s best to do it in the morning. That way they’re likely to get burned off throughout the day.