8 Golden Rules of Pre-Workout Nutrition and Supplementation

8 Golden Rules of Pre-Workout Nutrition and Supplementation

The way that you treat your body prior to your workout is crucial in the results that you are going to get! That is precisely why it pays to be mindful of pre-workout supplements, including what you eat, to see the greatest results in intensity, muscle building, and overall weight loss.

What are your goals?

People workout for a number of reasons, so it pays to start out pre-workout by assessing your fitness goals. Are you hoping to tone and build strength? Are you hoping to slim down and lose weight? Are you hoping to increase your overall health? These are all very complex pre-workout goals that will directly dictate your pre-workout nutrition. Every pre-workout nutritional plan may be different, but it will still be tailored to provide exact benefits in what you need for your lifestyle.

To follow, here are the 8 Golden Rules to adhere to for the best results in pre-workout nutrition and pre-workout supplementation:

1.       3 Hours Pre-Workout: For your pre-workout plan, make sure that you have a pre-workout meal rich in protein and carbohydrates. The reason that this is highly important is because it will give you the pre-workout muscle fuel you need to workout stronger and smarter. Carbohydrates provide instant pre-workout energy, but pre-workout protein is even more important because it will give you the long-lasting strength you need to promote healthy muscle growth within the body.  This pre-workout meal is your opportunity to provide balanced nutrition as your last meal source prior to exercising.

2.       3 Hours Pre-Workout: Keep the amount of protein that you intake pre-workout at anywhere from 30 to 40 g. If you have too little protein pre-workout, then you won't experience the benefits you are looking for. If you have too much protein pre-workout, then it could overload you and slow you down instead of providing energy.

3.       3 Hours Pre-Workout: Remember to be flexible with your pre-workout supplements and nutrition. You may need to tweak what you eat, when you eat, and how much you eat pre-workout for your specific body type since every person is different. This will provide you with the flexibility pre-workout to make sure that you are getting the amount of nutrition and energy that you need for the best results in building muscle.

4.       1 Hour Pre-Workout: Use a pre-workout protein shake that is either mixed with milk or contains pre-workout casein protein. Casein protein is beneficial pre-workout because it slowly absorbs into the body, so you will see greater results for a longer period of time within your workout. Milk also naturally works pre-workout to slow down protein being digested so that you will experience greater energy within your workout. It is best to take this pre-workout protein shake one hour prior to your workout.

5.       30 Minutes Pre-Workout: Use a pre-workout supplement that contains creatine and amino acids. This will help to lower the breakdown of lean muscle mass when you are weight training, so it is ideal to use a pre-workout supplement that includes amino acids, stimulants, creatine, and arginine 20 to 30 minutes before going to the gym. Amino acids will help to supply nutrients to all of the muscles in the body, dramatically increasing muscle pump and muscle growth through added stamina. Look at your pre-workout supplement, and make sure that it contains a number of amino acids, including arginine, that will provide nutritive benefits to the body. In addition, look for a pre-workout supplement that also contains safe energy boosting stimulants, like L-Citrulline Malate and L-Citrulline Alpha-Ketoglutarate (AKG), to prevent fatigue. This will allow you to directly affect your energy levels with pre-workout supplementation to prevent your body from feeding upon your lean muscle mass as energy fuel for your workout. That will completely negate the results that you are trying to get!

6.       30 Minutes Pre-Workout: Try a specialized pre-workout supplement source that contains caffeine as an added ingredient. This will provide you a quick benefit that is supported by scientific research to increase your stamina by up to 15% because of caffeine content. Caffeine pre-workout has also been proven to give you the endurance you need to workout for longer with less muscle pain and soreness.

7.       15 Minutes Pre-Workout: Consume simple carbohydrates directly pre-workout. This will give you the quick pre-workout energy you need to have long-lasting stamina within your workout. A great idea would be to have another small pre-workout protein drink, or even pre-workout fruit juice, to give you immediate simple carbohydrates that will convert into energy. It is best to intake this pre-workout drink 15 to 30 minutes before working out.

8.       Before, During, and After Your Workout: Make it a priority to hydrate pre-workout, as well as during and after the workout. One hour pre-workout, drink two full glasses of water, which should equal around 16 ounces. If you dehydrate your muscles pre-workout, it can cause up to a 12% reduction in strength, which is highly detrimental if you are hoping to gain weight and build lean muscle mass!

The point of the matter is that it really pays to focus on your pre-workout nutrition and supplementation. This can make a dramatic difference in your workout performance and stamina, not to mention your muscle recovery. Of course, you also need to take into consideration your post-workout meal after your pre-workout nutrition. However, the pre-workout nutrition that you use will help you to last throughout your entire workout, and it also will give you the energy necessary to prevent excessive muscle soreness. This pre-workout nutrition is something that is imperative to athletes because it prevents damage to the muscles so that you can have a quicker recovery time.

Focus on healthy amino acids.

As a last note, your pre-workout nutrition should be primarily focused upon healthy amino acids, including arginine. This form of pre-workout nutrition will give you the advanced energy you need, but most of all, it will prevent your body from feeding upon its own lean muscle mass for fuel. This simple pre-workout prevention will help to maintain the muscle mass you have already created for even better results in weight training and fitness!

  • For premium pre-workout supplement choices, try Super Pump 250 and BSN No-Xplode with creatine.
  • For a caffeine enhanced pre-workout supplement, try Click Espresso Protein Drink.