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 Nutrition
for Muscle Recovery
by
Doug Miller, Natural Pro Bodybuilder
“You don’t grow in the
gym, you grow outside the gym.” Many people have the
misconception that you build bigger muscles by spending hours in
the gym each day pumping iron. The truth is you actually grow by
resting and feeding the body with the proper nutrients. You may
bust your ass in the gym, day-in and day-out, but if you are not
getting adequate rest and fueling your body with the proper
nutrients, you are simply wasting your time.
Along with brief and efficient high intensity training sessions,
proper rest and nutrition are critical in repairing your
muscles. Your muscles undergo microtrauma when you train with
weights. You are actually creating microtears in the muscle
fibers. It is these microtears that contribute to the muscle
soreness felt after exercise. The resulting muscle growth comes
through a phenomenon known as supercompensation.
Supercompensation is simply your body adapting to the stresses
you place on it (through high intensity training) by rebuilding
muscle tissue to a state stronger than they previously were.
This allows your body to meet the demands and stresses of future
workouts. This rebuilding can only take place if sufficient
enough time is allowed before training that particular muscle
again, and if sufficient nutrients are supplied. When the
rebuilding is complete, the muscle fibers will become thicker
and stronger than they previously were.
Although every body is different and has different recovery
ability, there are a number of things you can do inside and
outside the gym to optimize your chances of achieving super
compensation and muscle growth:
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Avoid workouts with
too high of volume. Keep workouts short and intense.
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Avoid training a
body part too frequently. Allow enough time between body
part-specific training sessions.
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Minimize external
stress in your life.
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Get enough sleep.
Shoot for 8 hours a night and incorporate naps and relaxing
meditation if possible.
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Incorporate total
body rest days (no cardio, no training) to give your central
nervous system a rest and to minimize the accumulation of
stress.
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Supplement your diet
with the essentials: Protein powders, glutamine, creatine,
multi-vitamins, and balanced meal replacement powders (such
as Core Nutritionals’
Core MRP).
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Incorporate high
performance nutrition “24-7”. This includes not only pre-
and post-workout nutrition, but other meals throughout the
day too.
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Have a proper post
workout (PWO) liquid meal containing adequate fast acting
carbs and protein immediately following training. A good
recommendation is 0.4-0.6g protein and 0.8-1.0g of carbs per
kg of body mass.
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In addition to your
PWO meal, consume at least 5-7 additional balanced meals
throughout the day. These meals should be rich in slower
digesting proteins and carbs, fiber, and essential fatty
acids.
The fast paced lives of
many of us today make eating balanced meals every 2-3 hours very
difficult. This is why Core Nutritionals has developed
Core MRP.
Core MRP is the perfect anabolic meal replacement powder for any
active person seeking to look and feel great without hassle.
Core MRP is made with only the finest ingredients to create the
optimum anabolic environment for one’s body. Here is a closer
look at the balance of
Core MRP:
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40 g blend of fast
and slow digesting proteins
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Whey concentrate and
isolate
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Caseinate
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Egg albumen
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L-Glutamine
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40 g of low glycemic,
whole-grain carbohydrates (oat and barley flour).
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Highest fiber
containing MRP on the market: 9g of natural fiber
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Does Not Contain:
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Aspartame
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Fructose, Sucrose,
Corn Syrup Solids or Hydrogenated Oils
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High glycemic index
dextrose or maltodextrin
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Soy or other low
quality proteins
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