Nutrition and Supplements for Muscle Recovery
January 17th, 2012People say that eating is responsible for 70% of your success in the gym, and I tend to agree with this number. You can work out all you want, but if you don’t give your body the nutrition it needs, when it needs it, your results are going to suffer immensely.
When you work out in the gym, you’re actually breaking down your muscle. It’s only after the gym, while you’re at home relaxing (or doing whatever it is you like to do at home) that your muscles have a chance to repair themselves to be bigger and stronger than they were before.
Your muscles can only be fed by stores of nutrition in your body for so long, before you need to feed it with food. Without this extra nutrition, your muscles literally don’t have the building blocks to use to build up your muscles again. Rest and recovery is extraordinarily important to building muscle, and the most important part of it is nutrition. Below I’m going to go over some of the best supplements around, and why I think you should consider taking them yourself.
Protein
Protein is present in many forms, and is available to both vegetarians and meat eaters. By far the most popular form of protein is Whey, and for good reason. It’s available in powder form, so it’s quick and easy to add it to some water or milk, and bring it along to the gym with you. That way you can grab it and have it right at the end of your workout, which is important if your goal is to increase lean muscle mass.
Creatine
Creatine, like whey protein, is most conveniently taken in powder form. It’s been scientifically backed by a massive amount of research for years, and thus athletes all over the world make it a staple in their diet. What kind of benefits can you expect from creatine? Increased strength gains, faster recovery in between sets, and faster recovery between individual workouts. This is, perhaps, one of the most beneficial supplements there is when it comes to muscle recovery.
Glutamine
Glutamine has been shown to increase growth hormone by as much as 400% if you take at least 2 grams of it per day. Growth hormone helps you build more muscle, and it definitely helps with recovery. The importance of this benefit alone cannot be underestimated. Another important thing about glutamine is that it prevents depletion of lean muscle mass.