Have you ever gone to the gym, done 30 minutes of cardio, lifted weights, showered, changed, gone home and eaten dinner two hours later? If you answered yes, if this is your regular habit or something pretty close then you are wasting your time and possibly doing harm - losing muscle, maintaining fat, and slowing the metabolism! To make weight training actually beneficial you need fuel.
Specifically your body burns your glycogen (sugar) stores when you weight train.
If you actually want to add lean muscle mass - not lose it - try this the next time you head to the gym: 1.
Eat a balanced meal of healthy fat, lean protein, and complex carbohydrates 1 to 2 hours before your scheduled lift.
2.
Head to the gym warm-up for 5 minutes on a full body cardio machine (eliptical or rower) and start your weight workout.
3.
Lift for no longer than 1 hour 4.
Within 30 min after your workout.
of lifting you need to intake a quick digesting carbohydrate (ex.
a piece of fruit or a slice of white bread with honey or the supplement Waxy Maize is a good choice) and a quick digesting protein (ideally a powdered whey).
5.
What this does is replenish the burned glycogen, and gives your body the fuel it needs and the building blocks to repair the muscles you just tore.
In this scenario you will burn calories, burn fat and increase muscle tone - which is exactly what we are trying to do.
If you want to increase muscle then you must use the above scenario.
Too many times have I encountered people who don't know the basics of pre and post workout nutrition.
It is time we cleared up those misunderstandings.
Lets make every workout a productive one!