When you work out with Iron Gym, you perform a wide variety of strength training exercises, including pullups and pushups, exercises designed to build arm and chest muscles and to tone your back. A full Iron Gym workout can take half an hour and work almost all your major muscle groups, so you'll need to eat foods that will fuel a strenuous anaerobic workout, including carbohydrates and protein. You'll also need to time your food properly around your workout.
Step 1
Load up on carbohydrates several hours before you work out on your Iron Gym. Carbohydrates turn into sugar in your bloodstream and provide the energy your cells need to power your muscles during a strength training session such as the Iron Gym provides. Avoid white flour and pure sugar; instead, look for foods such as whole wheat bread and fiber-rich sweet potatoes. Minimize the fat content, too. For an excellent pre-workout breakfast, try whole grain cereal topped by fresh strawberries and low-fat milk or soy milk.
Step 2
Try a high-carb juice, sports drink or smoothie to fuel your muscles during your workout with the Iron Gym. These drinks can provide a boost of glucose for your cells without overburdening your digestive system in the middle of your workout. Drink water along with your high-carb drink, though. Although you won't sweat as much during this strength training workout as you would while performing aerobic training such as running, you'll still need to replenish your fluids, and carb-rich drinks don't help you with that, according to Iowa State University.
Step 3
Eat more carbohydrates -- up to 200 g more -- plus some protein within two hours of your Iron Gym workout to help your muscles recover and prepare for your next strength training session. Try up to three cups of pasta or seven slices of whole-grain bread, combined with a little bit of low-fat chicken or skim milk. You also can combine carb sources for some variety -- consider a cup of beans plus several cups of mixed vegetables.
Step 4
Eat protein, but not too much of it. Many Americans already consume enough protein. If you're working out with the Iron Gym for an hour every day, performing strenuous exercises, you may need to eat about 120 g to 160 g of protein each day, depending on how much you weigh. Five ounces of tuna or roasted chicken contains nearly 45 g of protein, while two slices of cheese contains 15 g, so eating several servings of each per day will net you enough protein in total.
Tips and Warnings
- You'll need to consume extra calories if you're looking to build muscle -- about 500 extra calories a day, plus a long Iron Gym workout, should help you add on about 1 lb. of muscle each week.
- Don't start an intense exercise routine without a full checkup and your physician's okay.
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