Eating frequently throughout the day plays a major role in maximizing your gains in muscle size and strength and is an incredibly important part of any bodybuilding nutrition program. By creating a bodybuilding nutrition program based on a well balanced muscle building meal that is consumed every 2-3 hours, we will keep the body in an anabolic state, increase the fat burning metabolism, stabilize energy levels, and improve digestion, all at the same time.

Let’s assume that we consume the last meal of our daily bodybuilding nutrition program one hour before heading to bed… sleep for 8 hours… and then have our breakfast half an hour after awakening… That’s a full 9.5 hours with absolutely zero muscle building nutrition!

Not everyone will want to take this step, but if you eat a balanced muscle building meal at some point, preferably midway, through the night you should be able to noticeably speed up your results.

First off, we’re not talking about a typical solid-food meal here. I’m not saying that you have to sit down to a full plate of steak and potatoes or chicken and rice here. Taking in solid foods in the middle of the night is probably a no-go in terms of a good night’s sleep, and it’s not something you can stick to over the long haul as part of a bodybuilding nutrition program.

Stick to a liquid meal that you can drink quickly; that way you can get it down fast and get back to sleep easily. My recommendation is to mix 30-40 grams of whey protein (or any other high quality form of protein powder, such as casein or egg) with 1-2 cups of skim milk.

This will provide you with a good shot of slow release protein without forcing you to be awake for long or worry about any unnecessary chewing or meal preparation. You might also want to try adding an unsaturated oil source like flaxseed oil or extra virgin olive oil by mixing one tablespoon of oil into your shake. Adding these fats will keep your body in an anabolic state for a longer period of time by slowing down the release of the protein and helping your muscles grow and recover.

When should you consume your midnight liquid meal?

Ideally, you should aim for halfway through the night, but if you wake up naturally at another time that will work too.

When adding this into my own bodybuilding nutrition program and my clients’ programs, I’ve discovered that most of the time, the effects have been good. For most people, waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom is pretty common, so taking a quick moment to drink a protein shake is easy.

That one shake alone might be the key to improving your bodybuilding nutrition program. If you really want to get the most out of your bodybuilding nutrition program, this is a method you should definitely try.

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