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60 ways to eat for Muscle Growth part 3
41 REPAIR WITH GLUCOSAMINE AND CHONDROITIN
Glucosamine is the major building block of the solid parts of cartilage. Chondroitin is a major component of connective tissue, especially cartilage. Often, these two ingredients are combined in one supplement. Bodybuilders should use glucosamine and chondroitin for joint injuries, and for injury prevention. Take 1,500 to 2,000 mg of glucosamine and 800 to 1,200 mg of chondroitin each day. Split that amount into a morning and evening dose.
42 BCAAs
Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are essential aminos: leucine, isoleucine and valine. They're important for bodybuilders because they can help with energy production, fat burning, muscle growth and recovery. Those who take BCAAs may note increased bodyfat loss and improved maintenance of muscle mass. Take 3-6 g per day.
43 VITAMIN C CAN REVITALIZE YOU
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps in the synthesis of hormones, amino acids and collagen. It also protects immune-system cells from damage and allows them to work more efficiently. The body cannot store vitamin C, so it must be frequently supplemented. Multivitamins contain C, but additional supplementation will ensure that you don't have a deficit. Take 500-1,000 mg per day.
44 VITAMIN E IS EXCELLENT
This antioxidant is especially Vitamin protective of body tissues. Vitamin E acts as a preservative that prevents many substances from destructive breakdown in the body. Vitamin E also prolongs the life of red blood cells and is necessary for the proper use of oxygen by the muscles. Bodybuilders should supplement with 400-800 IU per day.
45 GO FOR GREEN TEA
You can drink green tea or take it as a supplement in place of a formal thermogenic. To minimize production of estrogenlike compounds, look for a brand that contains at least 50% polyphenols and/or 30% epigallocatechin gallate.
46 EAT A LARGE BREAKFAST
bodybuilding diets mostly recommend a substantial breakfast loaded with protein and complex carbs. Whether you're cutting bodyfat or building muscle mass, a large breakfast jump-starts your metabolism, providing you with the calories and nutrients you need to get your day started and keep you going. Of course, if you train in the morning, you should eat the bulk of your calories after your workout (or at least an hour and a half before). In that case, a small preworkout meal is fine and may even be beneficial.
47 EAT SEVERAL MEALS EACH DAY
All bodybuilders should eat as many meals as possible, striving for a minimum of five a day. Eating multiple meals serves many functions. It provides your body with a constant stream of micro-and macronutrients to facilitate the muscle-building process. A constant supply of calories helps keep your metabolic rate revved up so that you are more likely to use that energy instead of storing it as bodyfat.
48 TAKE IN PROTEIN AT EACH MEAL
In addition to eating several times a day, it's a good idea to stay focused on your protein consumption at each meal. By making certain that you take in a minimum of 20 g of protein at each meal, 20-40 g preworkout and 40-60 g postworkout, it will be easier to get your daily total of at least 1 g per pound of bodyweight. As an additional benefit, the constant stream of aminos this provides will help prevent your body from burning muscle tissue.
49 ADD A SMALL PRE WORKOUT MEAL
The word used to be that should train on an empty stomach. Research has shown that a small meal, preferably liquid, taken 15 to 20 minutes, or right before training, may aid postworkout recovery. Providing your body with simple carbs and whey protein is an ideal way to kick-start recovery before these nutrients are even needed. Keep the calorie count on your preworkout meal low -- 200 calories or less, equal to about 20 g of protein and 25 g of carbs -- so digestion doesn't interfere with your workout.
50 TAKE IN SIMPLE CARBS AND PROTEIN POST TRAINING
Postworkout is one of the most crucial nutritional windows. At that point, your body needs simple, fast-digesting carbs - 50-100 g, depending on your size, diet and workout -- to rapidly replenish glycogen stores depleted by weight training and to increase water uptake and protein synthesis. By adding 20-50 g of protein immediately after a workout, you provide your body with the raw building materials for repairing and constructing new muscle mass. A protein shake with simple carbs is ideal at this time because it's easily digested.
51 TAKE GLUTAMINE
Known for its immunity-enhancing properties, glutamine is not only one of the most prevalent aminos in the body, but also one of the most important for bodybuilders. If you are overly stressed from dieting or training, supplementing with glutamine allows your body to maintain its storage supply of glutamine in muscle tissue, enhancing overall muscular growth and recovery. Take 10-40 g of glutamine a day, spread over 3-4 servings, with food.
52 TAKE CREATINE
Supplementing with creatine can provide bodybuilders with tremendous benefits, including faster recovery from intense weight training, decreased postexercise muscle soreness and increases in muscle mass
Take 5 g of creatine, once or twice a day around training.
53 TAKE A MULTIVITAMIN/MULTIMINERAL PACK
Take a multi with breakfast each and every day for insurance. Being low in any vitamin can cause breaks in the blueprint of muscle construction. A fast-food world combined with the demands of bodybuilding training can leave you short of a host of micronutrients. That's bad when you consider that many of them are needed for the things an ironhead is most interested in, such as building muscle and burning bodyfat.
54 MIX YOUR ANTIOXIDANTS
Take a mix of antioxidants; a good cocktail has an anticatabolic effect by quenching free radicals formed during and after intense exercise. In your antioxidant regimen, include FLEX's top candidates: 400-800 international units (IU) of vitamin E, 500-1,000 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C, 200 micrograms of selenium (from selenium yeast). Get the rest from 5-6 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
55 USE THERMOGENICS INTELLIGENTLY
Use thermogenic supplements sparingly and intelligently to reduce bodyfat. Supplements containing caffeine can help curb appetite, boost metabolism, enhance workouts and preserve muscle mass during a cutting phase. The side effects are irksome for some trainers, but they usually can be avoided by starting with a low dose in the morning only and working up to the recommended dose of 200-400 mg caffeine three times per day over two or three weeks. Do not exceed the recommended dose. Do this consistently for at least three months to achieve significant fat loss. Check with your doctor before taking thermogenics if you suffer from depression or other psychiatric conditions.
56 ADD ARGININE
Try adding arginine to your supplement mix. Arginine, a conditionally essential amino acid, seems promising in the muscle-building department. Arginine improves blood flow and enhances the growth of muscles lengthwise (new contractile units are built onto muscle at a faster rate when arginine is given to developing rats). Arginine may also enhance immune function in athletes, especially when combined with glutamine. Try 3-5 g before and immediately after training. If you train at night, make sure your post-workout does doesn't contain stimulants, lest you jeopardize your sleep.
57 MAXIMIZE YOUR MINERALS
Take extra calcium and magnesium. If you look at the label of any once-daily multivitamin, you'll notice a "mineral gap" - a place where certain minerals should be listed. Even if they're included, most multis contain only a small percentage of the Daily Value (% DV) of calcium, magnesium and potassium. Calcium is important for fat-burning metabolism, magnesium for training performance and potassium for muscle cell volume. A once-daily multivitamin simply doesn't cut it. Correct the situation by taking 1,000 mg per day of supplement-source calcium (or two to three cups of fat-free dairy products), 450 mg of magnesium, and five or six servings of fruits and vegetables per day (for potassium as well as other micronutrients).
58 TRY TYROSINE
Give the amino acid tyrosine a try to prevent burnout caused by lack of sleep, stress and/or use of thermogenic supplements. Taking 1-4 g of it early in the day is recommended. In studies using military personnel as subjects, tyrosine was shown to increase performance under stress. It is a precursor to fat-burning hormones that stimulate norepinephrine.
59 DON'T OMIT OMEGA-3s
Take a high-potency omega-3 fatty acid supplement such as flaxseed or fish oil. The omega-3s in fish oil capsules (EPA and DHA) are more potent than the one in flaxseed oil at stimulating fat metabolism, reducing muscle catabolism, reducing wear and tear on the joints and improving mood and cognitive performance, but both are acceptable. Take 6 g per day of 30% omega-3 fish oil extract (or 2 g per day of the newer 90% omega-3 fish oil extract) for best results, or 40 g of flaxseed oil per day added to shakes, salads or other food items.
60 TAKE ZMA
ZMA is a specifically formulated combination of zinc and magnesium. The benefits of ZMA supplementation include improved recovery due to enhanced sleep efficiency and increased anabolic hormone levels, as well as greater gains in muscle strength and power. For best results, take ZMA on an empty stomach before bedtime. Follow label recommendations for dosage.
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60 ways to eat for Muscle Growth part 1
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