Mens Beginner Workout

Maximize Meal Timing:
What you eat, and when you eat it, can have a significant impact on your performance in the gym. While each athlete is different, these three “rules” apply to most. Rule #1: Don’t eat anything sizable less than two hours before workouts. Doing so almost certainly ensures a bloated feeling (or worse) in the gut and sluggish performance in the gym. Rule #2: Your pre-workout meal should contain a combination of carbohydrates (mainly sugars and glucose polymers), protein, and a little fat. Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of energy; the protein helps fuel muscle recovery; fat helps keep you full and adds flavor. Rule #3: If you weren’t blessed with an iron stomach, consider liquefying your pre-workout meal. Unlike table foods, liquid meal replacements (e.g., ON Whey Gold Meal) tend to empty the stomach faster (in some cases, hours faster) than solid foods with similar nutritional contents.

Post-workout Nutrition Notes:
Post-workout nutrition’s all about timing as well as macronutrient quantity and quality. Immediately following your workout, take in a bare minimum of 25 grams of protein, and at least 40 grams of carbs to reload your supply of glycogen and amino acids. This combination of protein and carbs will also purposely raise your insulin levels. Raising insulin increases glucose and amino acid uptake, which ensures that the nutrients needed for growth and repair get to your muscles as quickly as possible. And seeing as how we want fast-acting nutrition, look for a whey protein containing whey hydrolysates and isolates. If you’re supplementing with creatine, make sure to take your 5-gram dose at this time as well. Anywhere between 30 and 60 minutes after your workout, you’ll also want a full meal containing a combination of lean protein, vegetables, and other quality carbs. Shoot for a 1:2 protein-to-carb ratio.