[I:http://lbf.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/RicardodArgence1.jpg]The saying says, “if you fail to prepare, you are preparing to fail”, and the same holds true for each and every one of your workouts. Every session in the gym should be treated as a battle, and just like any other battle in life you must enter it with proper mental and physical readiness.

A carefully planned pre-workout meal will ensure that you always enter the gym at peak strength and will provide your body with the necessary tools to battle the weights as effectively as possible.

The meal you eat before working out must accomplish three things: 1. Making you as strong as possible. 2. During the workout you should provide your mind and muscles with a constant stream of balanced energy. 3. You will be minimizing the muscle breakdown process in addition to providing the necessary tools to help your body recover post-workout.

Making sure you are properly hydrated, is the first thing you should do before a workout. Liquids are essential in maintaining strength and stamina, so be sure to drink a sufficient amount of water several hours before your workout.

Eat a regular meal around 30-45 minutes before going to the gym. The most important component of the meal is, of course, protein. This protein will aide your body in maintaining an anabolic state during your exercise session, in addition to averting the breakdown of muscle during training.

The main reason whey protein is so great when taken before a workout is because it prevents muscle catabolism that may occur while working out. If you want to slow down the release of protein and provide your body more steady amino acids through out your work out try mixing you whey with milk.

You should have one to two servings of low-glycemic carbohydrates with your protein shake. Before working out, consume low glycemic carbohydrates. As you exercise, your body will break these down and absorb them into your bloodstream, helping maintain a constant level of energy.

When you consume high glycemic carbohydrates that are rapidly released into your bloodstream, your body will release a surge of insulin in an effort to level out your blood sugar. This is the last thing you want in the middle of a high intensity workout, so choose carbohydrates that won’t cause this rapid fluctuation in insulin levels.

Pre-workout carbohydrate choices such as oatmeal, apples or brown rice will provide your body with a steady stream of sugars throughout the workout and will keep your energy levels peaked at all times. This pre-workout meal should be fairly small to allow for easy digestion and to prevent you from feeling sick when you train. You should never workout without having a meal in you first.

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This entry was posted on Friday, August 7th, 2009 at 7:07 am and is filed under Nutrition. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.