You know WHAT to eat to build muscle mass, but what about WHEN to eat it?
If you want to build muscle mass, nutrient timing is just as important as what you eat. Timing your meals correctly will help you build lean muscle faster while also burning excess body fat for the ultimate ripped physique.
There are many benefits of nutrient timing that include maximizing your body’s response to an intense workout, giving you energy to push harder in the gym and optimising your bodies use of key nutrients.
We’ve put together this nutrient timing guide to help you time your muscle meals for better muscle results.
Nutrient Timing to increase Muscle: Early Morning
Overnight is the longest period your body goes without food and your muscles will be screaming for nutrients. Start the day with a protein shake mixed with milk for fast absorption of muscle building protein and energy to fuel your body for the day ahead.
Nutrient Timing to increase Muscle: 1-2 hours before your workout
Correct nutrition and nutrient timing pre-workout can make a big difference to the effectiveness of your body’s ability to build muscle. A combination of quality carbohydrates, protein and branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) can help fuel muscle energy, inhibit muscle breakdown and improve your body’s ability to burn excess calories and stored fat.
Try this quick and easy pre-workout shake
- 300ml water / skim milk if preferred
- 1/2 banana
- Handful of oats
- 2 scoops protein powder
Simply add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Nutrient Timing to increase Muscle: 30 mins before your workout
To boost your muscle results in the gym, load up on a quality pre-workout 30 minutes prior to your workout. This nutrient timing window will give you focus and energy while priming your bloodstream with muscle building amino acids before your workout.
Nutrient Timing to increase Muscle: Post – workout
After an intense workout protein synthesis is highest and the body’s cells are most sensitive to nutrient uptake making this the most important nutrient timing zone for lean and ripped muscle growth and repair. Within this nutrient timing zone of 30-45 minutes post-workout you should consume a high protein shake while your body is primed for fast absorption.
Nutrient Timing to increase Ripped Muscle: Before bed
Consuming a prolonged release protein before you go to bed allows your body to absorb muscle building nutrients throughout the night helping to prevent protein breakdown that naturally occurs while sleeping.
A great option during the ‘before bed nutrient timing period’ is a bowl of cottage which is high in casein protein mixed with a scoop of protein powder and a small amount of fruit to pack in the ripped muscle building nutrients before you go to sleep.
Nutrient timing strategies are based around how the body absorbs and uses nutrients at different times of the day. Eating the right foods and taking advantage of these ideal nutrient timing zones will help you get muscle mass results faster!
