By Cheryl Hurd

You are committed to getting in shape. So you set your sights on a gym and vow to go every day. When you walk in, you see a row of muscle-bound men hefting monster-sized weights and wonder how long it will take you to join their ranks. Day after day you return to the gym and although you see some changes, you can’t seem to achieve the results you want. So you lift more, invest more time, and still, your workout isn’t working.

Don’t get discouraged. Take a break, go get a healthy snack, and read on.

There is a lot of information available about muscle building and many opinions on how to get results, but most agree that muscles need nutrition and rest. Health enthusiast and celebrity fitness chef Jen Arricale echoes that philosophy and shares steps to maximize muscles, naturally:

Before you Begin

It’s not just what you eat but when you eat, Arricale says. You need to properly fuel before a workout. About 30 to 60 minutes before you exercise, have a meal that includes carbohydrates for energy and protein for muscle support. Suggestions: Meals that include oats and egg whites, or sweet potatoes and chicken breast.

During Your Workout

For people doing intense workouts, it is important to fuel during exercise as well. “ I would suggest a natural sports mix you can drink that includes: whey protein, carbohydrates, glutamine, and branch chain amino acids,” Arricale says. If you are working out for 30 minutes or less, you can skip the mid-workout fueling. The most important meals are before and after a workout.

After Your Workout

Within 30 minutes of completing your workout, you want to feed your muscles again. The meal should include protein and carbohydrates. If you skip fueling during exercise, Arricale suggests adding glutamine and branch chain amino acids to your post workout meal. She explains that they are single-ingredient supplements that you can get at health store. Glutamine and branch chain amino acids work together to repair muscle breakdown. A post workout meal could include lean red meat and brown rice, or cottage cheese and chicken. Vegetables are encouraged, especially spinach, which is a muscle-building vegetable.

Resting Your Muscles

Muscles get bigger during the recovery process. When you are lifting, you are causing little tears in the muscles. Rest and the proper nutrition help speed up recovery so you will see results sooner. “If you are working out too often,” Arricale says, “muscles continue to tear down and you can actually lose muscle from working out too much.” The general rule of thumb is to rest groups of muscles for 72 hours before working them again.

Other important tips

No matter what your workout schedule, you should give your body one full day of rest. Arricale explains that does not mean sitting on the couch. “I call it active rest. Ride a bike, walk the dog, play with the kids, hike a mountain.”

All three meals need at least 16 to 20 ounces of water. Water is critical to shuttling vital nutrients to your muscles.

“I also recommend eating six times a day, not just to increase muscle but to lose weight. Eat enough on a regular basis, six smaller meals a day, to get all of your calories in instead of loading them into three or four meals. This keeps your metabolism and insulin at steady levels which are vital to muscle regrowth and fat loss. Also if you don’t eat enough and you get hungry, your body starts to eat your muscle.”

Now that you have some basic knowledge to maximize your muscles, when you return to the gym, properly fueled and rested, consult with a trainer to create a personalized program that includes the exercises, proper weight and repetitions needed to achieve your desired results.

Source: www.jenarricale.com

Photo by Mark Stout