Contrary to popular belief, vegetarians who obviously don’t eat meat, thus not getting a large amount of protein, can still be successful when it comes to personal training for muscle gain. With a muscle-building workout planned for you by your personal trainer, back it up with these 8 muscle gain foods:
1. Avocados
Avocados are full of antioxidants and heart healthy fats, including saturated fats that help support the production of testosterone, the hormone you need to produce muscle.
2. Almonds
Try always bring almonds when you leave the house. They taste great, and are high in fiber, protein, and minerals, making them the perfect snack for satisfying late-morning hunger.
3. Broccoli
Brocolli is nearly 40% protein and high in fiber and low in calories making it a great source of nutrition out of food that’s easy on the waistline.
4. Coconut Milk
Coconut milk is now readily available in a low-calorie, high nutrient product that tastes great in coffee, on cereal, or by the glass. Coconut milk is higher in calcium and lower in calories than traditional milk and generally fortified with plant-based B-12.
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Munching on your food cravings before hitting the sack may be hard to resist, especially knowing that your personal trainer won’t find out. The good news is that it’s okay to have a late night snack before bed, just as long as you choose foods that will promote muscle gain and body fat loss. If you’re under a personal training program with a strict diet, that doesn’t mean that you have to torture yourself and starve your way until breakfast. Regardless of whether you’re dietary goal is muscle gain or weight loss, there are certain foods that should always be avoided after 9 p.m. Remember that you’re about to embark on an eight-hour fast otherwise known as sleep. That’s why if you do make a big dietary blunder, your body has no chance to compensate by burning additional calories. Repeating these mistakes habitually will ruin your fitness plan and jeopardize your health.
1. Milk
Though considered to be a relatively healthy source of protein and calcium, the problem with downing a glass of milk before bed is the lactose content that’s found in it will often keep you up due to digestive issues. Lactose is a sugar and you don’t want large amounts hitting your system before going to bed. As a replacement for milk, mix up a lactose-free protein shake. It will still have the creamy taste that you’re craving for while being even higher in protein content than milk, so you can build muscle while sleeping soundly.
2. Pasta
If you're in mass-gaining mode, consuming some carbohydrates before sleeping can help out. But there are much better choices than insulin-spiking pasta before bed. Those calories will be highly prone to settle around your waist. Pasta is one of the more calorie-dense carbohydrate sources around, you can easily consume 400 calories or more in a single pre-bed sitting. Pasta does less damage earlier in the day, before or after working out, when your body actually requires a much higher overall carbohydrate intake. That's when your body is actually primed to use those carbohydrates to fuel your activity and replenish the high energy storage in the muscle cells. If you're craving pasta before bed, eat spaghetti squash instead. It'll give the same taste and texture as pasta with just a fraction of the carbs.
When it comes to personal training, a workout program designed for every individual always must go hand in hand with the proper diet. Without these power combo, muscle gain or weight loss will not be successfully achieved and maintained. Weight loss experts and personal trainers have long been debating over which diet works best with workout programs. However, sticking to certain diets like low carb or low fat may not be the best because that are important macronutrients in muscle gain are protein. Aside from muscle gain, protein can help boost metabolism, slow digestion, and decrease hunger.
There are three basic things to be accomplished to build muscle. First, strength train to break down old muscle fibers and encourage your body to replace the old one with even more new muscle fibers. Second, eat enough calories to discourage your body from using your muscle fibers for energy. Last but not the least, eat enough protein to provide your body with the building blocks it needs to repair old muscle fibers ad build new muscle fibers.
The best sources of protein include:
Whey – One of the two major proteins found in the milk of humans and other mammals, such as cows. Nature selected it as one of the best proteins to help babies grow. It’s the perfect post-workout protein because whey is digested and used quickly. It has all the amino acids you need.
A disciplined workout regime is the key to weight loss and muscle gain. However, this should also be accompanied by a proper diet. Your hard work at the gym will only be put to waste if you don’t eat the right food. Take note of these following nutrients that your body needs to successfully keep off the weight or pack muscles:
1. Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the body’s primary source of energy. You need carbohydrates to do just about anything, from opening the door to walking out of the house, and of course to complete your workouts. Carb-enriched food should form the bulk of your daily meals, but when your goal is muscle gain, carbs should only make up about 60-65% of your daily diet. Carbohydrates are either simple or complex. Simple carbohydrates are basically sugars that give you an instant energy boost, complex carbohydrates on the other hand are essentially starches which can be found in pasta, breads and vegetables. Complex carbohydrates provide the body with a slower release of energy. Both types are broken down in your body into glucose, which is absorbed by the cells to be converted into energy. The energy that your body doesn’t use is stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen. This can only be stored in limited amounts and when they drop too low, you’ll suffer fatigue or, worse, your body will take proteins from other parts of your body, which will result in loss of muscle mass. Your muscles need glycogen after a workout, they can refuel their glycogen stores twice as fast as normal. Eat a carb-based snack mixed with some protein within 45 minutes of finishing your workout routine.
