Training is critical in building muscle, but as the saying goes, you cannot outtrain a poor diet. Providing your body with the correct nutrients at the correct time can bring about muscle development and help you achieve your goals. Timing nutrients to build muscles is a new concept of how to power your diet to build muscle.
Step 1
According to John Ivy, Ph.D., and Robert Portman, Ph.D., of Nutrient Timing, your muscles need energy to fuel your workout and promote the strongest muscle contractions possible. Without sufficient energy, your workout ability will not be 100 percent. Most people know they should have a pre-workout snack, but focusing on carbohydrate along with protein can substantially increase your ability to work harder in the gym. Ivy and Portman recommend fueling your workouts with both carbohydrates and proteins to spare your muscles' energy stores, thereby reducing muscle fatigue and enhancing muscle recovery after your workout.
Step 2
Your muscles are at their hungriest 45 minutes immediately following your workout session. This is the best time to provide protein to repair muscle tissue. Insulin is a hormone that shuttles needed energy to your muscles and your muscles are very sensitive to its action during this window, according to Ivy, and Portman. During this post-workout period, you will need to focus on consuming lean meats like chicken/turkey, fresh or frozen fish, flank steak, or sirloin to provide essential protein and amino acids to build muscle.
Step 3
Counterintuitive as it may sound, your muscles need carbohydrates to build muscle as well. Insulin will shuttle glycogen into your muscles to replenish your energy stores. These stored carbs will fuel your next workout, allowing you to do more work during your next workout. In addition, your anabolic machinery is primed to enhance protein absorption at the muscle level with carbohydrates present, according to Ivy and Portman. Eating potatoes, rice, quinoa, and pasta are carbs you need to focus on after your workout.
Step 4
According to William D. McArdle and Victor and Frank Katch, authors of "Essentials of Exercise Physiology," you will need to consume 2.5g of complex carbs per kilogram of body weight--divide your total body weight by 2.2 to convert pounds to kilograms--each day to provide enough fuel for your works and replenish your glycogen stores. Optimally after your workout, you should consume 40 to 50g of carbs and 13 to 15g of protein during the immediate post-workout window. After this window has closed, you will still need to fuel your muscles for growth. Ivy and Portman recommend a protein intake of 0.91 to 1.2g of protein per pound of body weight to continue your muscle tissue repair and growth, in addition to the carbohydrate requirement for the day.
References
- "Essentials of Exercise Physiology, Volume 1"; William D. McArdle, Frank I. Katch, Victor L. Katch; 2006
- "Nutrient Timing: The Future of Sports Nutrition"; John Ivy, Ph.D., Robert Portman, Ph.D.; 2004
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