Building muscle takes more than just putting hours in at the gym. While training is obviously important, rest is equally significant. It’s during this time muscles heal from the stresses forced on them during exercise.
However, most importantly, an athlete must have the right nutrients, minerals and vitamins in their diet for adequate muscle recovery and repair. Supplementation can help boost an athlete’s protein intake or give that all-important vitamin hit post-workout, but meat should be the preferred source.
Protein
It’s imperative for an athlete to consume a sufficient amount of protein daily to support muscle growth and meat is an excellent source.
It made up of Essential Amino Acids & Non-Essential Amino Acids. The body can produce Non Essential Amino Acids naturally, whereas EAA, which is essential for protein synthesis, cannot.
Creatine
Naturally found in meat, creatine is a nitrogen-containing compound that provides muscles with energy and helps improve protein synthesis, thus encouraging muscle gain.
90% of creatine is found in the muscles with the remaining 10% in the heart and brain. Essentially, meat is well-balanced and excellent natural source of various elements crucial for muscle growth.
Vitamins & Minerals
Meat is naturally rich in multiple vitamins and minerals, all of which essential for muscle gain. It contains high quantities of zinc, B vitamins, as well as iron, in red meat.
Zinc, known for helping in the production of protein, assists in the recovery, repair and growth of muscle cells as well as boosting the body’s immune system.
B vitamins help release energy from foods meaning an athlete will have a much more energetic and worthwhile workout.
B6 and B12 even have specialised roles that directly relate to muscle growth. B6 is needed for AA metabolism and B12 is required for maintaining nerve function, thus allowing muscles to contract.