Gym Weights Are Only Half the Picture

Lifting gym weights alone is not enough to build muscle quickly

. You must also eat properly. That is, you must eat the right quantity of the right foods at the optimal time. Unless you diligently adhere to your diet, your work with the gym weights will be considerably wasted.

The right measure of food will vary with each individual but avoid using that as an excuse for eating too little or too much. The right amount will leave you feeling satisfied, not full. The right amount also needs to include 0.3g - 0.4g of protein per kilogram of body weight per meal. So for someone weighing 65kg to 80kg a suitable amount of protein per meal is 20g-30g. That translates to 100g-150g of tuna, chicken or lean red meat. To maintain energy for working out, it is also essential to include complex carbohyrdates, like rolled oats or pasta, in each meal. In order to repair and build muscles your system needs a steady provision of proteins and carbohydrates. That is why it is important to eat small servings regularly throughout the day rather than large meals infrequently.

To eat every 2-3 hours means to consume between 6 and 8 meals per day. As part of or in addition to the regular 6 to 8 meals each day, arguably the most important are the pre and post workout meals. If you skip these two meals you are only cheating yourself with respect to your muscle gains.

Before working out

Before working out you need to concentrate on giving your system the energy to sustain it through training. For that reason focus on consuming carbohydrates. If you are eating over an hour prior to working out, then one of your regular meals, will be adequate. The complex carbohydrates take longer to digest than simple carbohydrates and will continue providing your body with energy up to and throughout the workout.Simple carbohydrates like white bread or fruit require much less time to become useful and can therefore be consumed closer to training.

Post workout meal

Immediately after a work out is when your muscles need protein the most in order to begin recovery and repair. So it is imperative that you eat within half an hour of finishing your workout. You also need carbohydrates to replenish the energy you lost during your exercise and to aid in the recovery process.

If you want to see muscle gains then protein shakes are worthwhile for post workout meals. They come in powder form and are therefore easily transportable, just add water or milk.

Other good sources of protein are:

Milk, eggs, fish, chicken, lean red meat and beans and nuts.

The advantage with milk is that it is so easily consumable and readily available and transportable. One 600ml carton of milk is easy to drink and provides just less than 20g of protein.

Tuna is also a great source of protein for similar reasons. It is easily available, transportable and consumable. One 100g tin or alfoil pack of tuna will provide you with the required amount of protein per meal.

As far as red meat is concerned kangaroo meat is an incredibly good source of protein because it is naturally extremely low in fat. Compared to the lean versions of other red meats it is also inexpensive.

If you make sure your body always has enough of the right foods, especially before and after working out, your hard work with the gym weights will pay off.

Gym Weights Are Only Half the Picture

By: James Murrey

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