Are Weight Lifters Who Avoid Food Before Bed Harming Muscle Growth?
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By :
Francesco Castano
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Many bodybuilding opinions exist in regards to producing maximum muscle gains with the smallest possible body fat percentage, with weight lifters experimenting with diet variables, including whether to consume food prior to sleep, in order to improve progress. Some bodybuilders understand the importance of bedtime meals, but others avoid consumption of food prior to sleep, especially weight lifters who either gain fat quickly when aiming for muscle growth, or who are focusing specifically on fat loss, and wish to boost the speed of results.
The theory is that eating prior to sleep increases the risk of fat gain, and although there is no inherent harm to body fat levels when consuming a late meal, because many diet plans are structured with an incorrect use of calories and carbohydrates, not to mention improper meal division, which can detract from building a more efficient metabolism, the bedtime meal encourages fat increase for many, and some in the bodybuilding world classify later eating as harmful towards body fat control.
The common mistake made is to either use excessive carbohydrates for a bedtime meal, or consume a food intake that is beyond the body's core requirements for muscle building or maintenance, which then quickly will result in fat gain, as energy needs during an overnight fast are less than at any other time. Yet, unlike certain mistaken bodybuilding trainers may suggest, a bodybuilder is in great need of calories during sleep, as this is when muscle gains occur at their greatest proportion. In fact, since the body has a prolonged uninterrupted period to repair and grow lean muscle tissue, enough calories and protein must be present in order to fuel such progress, which is why a bedtime meal becomes critical. When nutrients are neglected prior to a lengthy sleep period, although muscles seek to grow during such hours, they are unable to do so, and if an individual is using a lower calorie diet for fat reduction, many times muscle mass will even decline dramatically.
During fat loss periods, one of the most frustrating obstacles for many weight lifters is muscle maintenance, and making dramatic changes to a diet, whether it be reducing food intake below what is necessary for fat loss due to impatience, or greatly restricting food later in the evening, will greatly increase the chance for lost muscle, which further suppresses metabolism, making future fat loss difficult. Unbeknownst to many, a properly structured bedtime meal can actually aid in fat reduction, as metabolism benefits from a frequent meal structure, and avoiding food for extended periods can cause the body to restrict calorie burn. This can occur not only when reducing frequency of meals during daylight hours, but also by skipping a moderately sized meal prior to sleep. This is contradictory to the notion that food before rest increases the risk of fat gain or slows fat reduction, but far too many who pursue bedtime meals are using a larger intake than is necessary to properly stimulate metabolism and maintain muscle mass, or are using excessive carbohydrates, as if the meal were preceding a weight lifting workout as opposed to a prolonged sleep session. A meal prior to sleep should be composed of mostly protein, as the body during sleep is seeking primarily recovery and growth (by way of protein synthesis), but eliminating carbohydrates completely will cause the body to waste protein for energy, which robs nutrients for muscle recuperation, and places metabolism at risk.
Certain weight lifters understand the importance of bedtime meals, and try to consume several during the evening, waking up once or twice for extra food, believing this will increase muscle building results, but such a technique is detrimental to overall progress, as consuming one properly designed bedtime meal is sufficient to allow for muscle gains and proper metabolic function, while waking up for another one or two meals will disrupt proper sleep patterns, which are just as critical for muscle gains and proper metabolism as the meal itself. Waking up for extra food during time which should be devoted to rest prevents the body from utilizing calories properly, so for maximum muscle gain and fat reduction, aiming for a bedtime meal with limited carbohydrate intake and sufficient protein once before a lengthy sleep session is the most efficient method.
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Author Resource:-
Francesco Castano authors MuscleNOW.com, a workout plan for muscle building without supplements or drugs. He also owns IncrediBody.com, an online fitness superstore selling fitness equipment at guaranteed lowest prices.
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2009-08-09 06:07:09
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