If you want to give your body the best chance to build the maximum amount of lean muscle mass in the shortest amount of time (and who doesn’t?), then you need to pay very close attention to what you put in your body leading up to your workout.
I find that my pre-workout meal will usually make or break my training intensity for that day. If you have a really high-quality pre-workout meal, you feel like an absolute beast in the gym. You have maximum energy, focus, strength, and are able to lift a lot of weight and train for longer periods of time. This is when the magic starts to happen and you are able to build a lot of lean muscle mass quickly.
There are a number of things you have to be careful about when consuming a pre-workout meal for maximum muscle growth. Many people assume that a diet to gain weight as a naturally skinny guy means to eat everything in sight. I always think about how I am going to feel after I eat something and the anabolic hormonal consequences of that meal. My main 2 goals when consuming a pre-workout meal are maximum energy and putting the proper things in my body that will fill up my muscle glycogen stores without giving me any stomach issues that will affect my training.
I want to share with you all of my favorite mass-building pre-workout meals today. This pre-workout meal is loaded with everything your body needs to plow through the most intense workouts. Not only does this pre-workout meal contain a good amount of high-quality protein and complex carbohydrates, but it also has omega fatty acids that fight inflammation and boost hormone levels, natural metabolism boosters, and a huge amount of potassium so your electrolyte levels are balanced and you can train at maximum intensity!
I like consuming foods that are higher in potassium before my workout to prevent any muscle cramping and to balance my body’s ions. Potassium will also draw in water to the muscles, allowing you to exert more of a contraction and train for longer periods of time. If you have ever been potassium-depleted during an intense weight-training workout, you would have found out quickly. You feel weak, lethargic, and are highly prone to muscle cramping. This pre-workout meal will prevent muscle cramping.
This is the perfect pre-workout meal for anyone following a diet to gain weight and lean muscle mass. Try consuming this meal about 75 minutes before your weight room session and let me know what you guys think.
Diet to Gain Weight: Mass-Building Pre-Workout Meal
Here is what you need to cook up my mass-building pre-workout muscle meal!
- 6 ounces lean grass-fed beef (I get 93%)
- 1 medium sweet potato
- 1/2 avocado (sliced and pitted)
- Cinnamon (to add to sweet potato… yum!)
- 16 ounces of never-from-concentrate coconut water
This is what I have concluded to be the perfect mass-building pre-workout meal for a naturally skinny guy. The amount of muscle-building macronutrients, omegas, and potassium in this meal is incredible!
The grass-fed beef is one of the highest quality forms of protein and is loaded with protein, zinc, natural creatine, and iron. It’s also a little higher in calories than plain chicken or fish, so it’s a perfect pre-workout protein when following a diet to gain weight.
Sweet potatoes are the perfect slow digesting pre-workout carbohydrate, and sprinkling cinnamon on them gives you a great metabolism and health boost. Cinnamon is really healthy, and the combination of sweet potatoes and cinnamon goes together better than peanut butter and jelly (well…almost!).
Sliced avocado is one of my favorite additions to grass-fed beef. You can even make your own homemade guacamole by adding a dash of olive oil, cayenne pepper, onions, and cilantro! Sliced avocado is high in omegas and adds a nutrient-dense form of healthy fats that will help slow down the absorption of everything and give you a long-lasting supply of muscle-building energy.
Last but not least, I highly recommend washing it all down with coconut water. Coconut water trumps Gatorade and other sports drinks by a landslide. Coconut water is loaded with potassium and won’t spike your insulin levels like sugar sports drinks. Spiking your insulin with a drink like Gatorade will cause you to crash 45 minutes to an hour later. Potassium also helps prevent muscle cramping and fuels optimal muscle performance. A can of coconut water contains about 600 milligrams of potassium!
This is the perfect pre-workout meal for any skinny guy following a diet to gain weight and muscle. Loaded with protein, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, omegas, and potassium, you will feel like an absolute beast during your workout!
Diet to Gain Weight: Macronutrient Calculations
Mass-Building Pre-Workout Meal Nutrient Calculations:
- Protein (grass-fed beef): 45 g.
- Carbohydrates (sweet potato and coconut water): 65 g.
- Healthy Fat (grass-fed beef and avocado): 20 g.
- Total Calories: 620
That’s my favorite mass-building pre-workout meal. If you guys want to see me cook it up and show you how to prepare this in under 10 minutes, make sure to check out the YouTube video! Let me know what you guys think in the comments below!
I thought your supposed to keep your Fats low for Pre-Workout?