If you wnat to build muscle, you have to train hard. What you eat before your workout dramatically influences the amount of energy you have to be able to train as hard as you possibly can. Learning what to eat and at what times will help you become a better bodybuilder. This article will cover these things and will also discuss the controversy of whether or not you should consume a meal before cardiovascular exercise.

Exercise causes significant changes to the metabolic environment of muscle tissue. Exercise also causes an increased blood flow to working muscles. These changes allow for catabolism during exercise and anabolism afterwards. Because of these changes, certain pre-workout nutritional strategies need to be considered to keep your body in an anabolic state and to ensure that your body is getting enough energy throughout your training session.

Intensity of your workout will help determine what is best to eat. High intensity exercise puts high demand on glycogen stores. This is why a meal rich in complex carbohydrates and protein, eaten fifteen to fourty-five minutes before training is crucial. Protein also increases blood flow to certain muscles of the body and the availability of amino acids is often the decisive factor in the body`s ability to create protein synthesis during training.

Another issue being debated by bodybuilders is whether it`s best to do cardiovascular exercise on an empty stomach or if you should eat a meal prior to doing cardio exercise. One person will say it`s best to do cardio in the morning on an empty stomach if you want to lose fat while another person tells you that idea is stupid because doing so will cause your body to be in an extreme catabolic state, making you lose muscle mass at an alarming rate. So which person is right? I`ve tried both methods and with my experience and body type, it is best for me to eat a regular meal fifteen to fourty-five minutes prior to cardiovascular exercise.

This article was written for educational purposes only and theory based on my own personal opinion. You should never follow any person`s advice word for word and believe that their ways are the finished product. Always keep yourself educated and if an idea from one article doesn`t work for you, read another one on the same topic until you find what works best for you. Until next time, later.

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