What’s up Ectomorph nation! I know as a serious hard gainer myself the number one thing I have always struggled with was pre workout nutrition.
As a hardgainer you probably think you should be stuffing your face full of everything in sight before your workout but this actually could seriously hinder your results.
I use to do this myself. One hour before the gym I would stuff my face full of pizza, hot wings, and occasionally a milk shake. Did I see any muscle building gains? Not one pound of muscle!
An effective pre workout meal for bulking not only means you are creating a calorie surplus – but it also means it is easy to digest, healthy, and provides optimal muscle building nutrition.
I have a top secret pre-workout meal that I’m going to share with you and I’m also going to tell you about a drink that I’ve been brewing up to replace my usual Nitraflex pre workout supplement that’s 100 percent all natural and is one of the richest antioxidant drinks in the world.
Antioxidants help to kill free radicals in your body and boost your testosterone levels (the all mighty male hormone that makes you dominant) – so make sure to take some notes and whip this one up if your trying to get huge!
Best Pre Workout Meal – The Benefits
What separates this pre workout meal from anything else you have been eating is the perfect storm of:
- High quality protein.
- Slow digesting carbs that are ALSO easy to digest.
- Rich in Omega 3 fatty acids.
- Provide huge sources of slow release energy.
- Super nutrient dense.
Let’s break it down and I’ll tell you what to avoid.
High quality protein is a must if you want to build muscle. For years I was eating really low quality forms of protein like fatty ground beef, farm raised fish, breaded chicken nuggets, and occasionally… wait for it… fried chicken!
This is not how you enter a muscle building calorie surplus. If you want to be a muscle building power-house you need high quality protein and that is exactly what you get with cans of wild caught salmon. Although its in a can its rich in omega 3 fatty acids, low in overall fat content, high in protein, and most importantly easy on the wallet! This stuff is so much better than buying overpriced and garbage farm raised salmon and farm raised tilapia.
Slow digesting carbohydrates that are easy to digest are the key to this meal. A lot of slow digesting carbohydrates are hard to digest such as lentils, black beans, oatmeal, and lots of veggies. The last thing you want before you hit the gym for a hardcore weights session is to have your stomach rumbling.
Brown rice is the perfect pre workout carbohydrates source as it releases slow and is easy to digest.
Omega 3 fatty acids are the X-Factor to this meal. Most people are deficient in omega 3 fatty acids and that is a shame. Omega 3’s are a nutrition machine and will seriously help you build muscle, increase recovery, and increase energy levels.
This meal has the perfect omega 3 storm of wild caught salmon and hemp seeds. Combine these two super foods and you have all of the omega 3’s you need for the day.
Cooking and Preparing Your Pre-Workout Meal
Step 1: Add 1 tbsp. of liquid coconut oil over medium heat in a frying pan.
Step 2: Throw in a can of wild caught salmon and season with black pepper and curry powder. Pan fry for about 6 minutes until lightly seared.
Step 3: Heat up 1 cup of brown rice in a microwave or rice cooker (I cook mine ahead of time in a rice cooker)
Step 4: Combine the wild caught salmon and brown rice. Add 1 tbsp. of hemp seeds on top. Season with more black pepper and curry powder (I lay off the sauces such as hot sauce pre workout as they upset my stomach and make it harder to digest)
Here is what the macros look like for this meal:
- Protein: 47 grams
- Carbohydrates: 55 grams
- Fat: 24 grams (All from the salmon, hemp seeds, and coconut oil)
- Total Calories: 624
Adding A Pre Workout Drink
Another thing that I have been doing is including an antioxidant rich pre workout drink with this meal. I am finding this to be really helpful. Antioxidants kill free radicals in your body and also fight cortisol, which is the stress hormone.
This drink actually contains 2 of the highest antioxidants foods in the entire world! Not only will this drink radically increase your energy levels, but it will fight off cortisol and boost your testosterone – perfect for bulking season!
Here is how you make this pre workout drink. I’m going to name this bad boy “The Screaming Komodo Dragon” pre workout miracle:
- Heat up 1.5 cups of water
- Add 1 tsp of Matcha Green tea powder
- Add ½ tsp of organic cinnamon powder
- Squeeze the juice of ½ lemon
Combine this amazing drink with the pre workout meal and you got yourself some amazing pre workout gains.
Remember, train insane or remain the same. Good luck bro!
P.S. – Ready to get the “full picture” on what it takes to build muscle as fast as possible? Then check out the Weight Gain Blueprint program here.
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