By Brian St. Pierre, CSCS, CISSN

Lunch is definitely one of those meals where people often have the best intentions, but things often go awry. If you don’t prep and pack your lunch in the morning for the day, and instead, rely on your ability to make good decisions when you are starving and faced with multiple opportunities to stray from your usual intake, you are in trouble.

While some people do have an iron will, resist the temptation and make good choices, that is not most of us! This is where packing your own delicious and healthy lunch can come in and prevent that from ever being an issue in the first place.

Since time is always an issue, here are 5 quick lunch recipes that you can make in 10 minutes or less before you head off to work and take with you.

One quick note is that many of these recipes call for pre-cooked chicken breasts, as this can be a HUGE timesaver. In a large Pyrex dish, cook chicken breasts that have been cut in half (so they are half as thick) or chopped at about 350°F for approximately 20 minutes, or until done. To retain moisture, cover dish with tin foil. Season these breasts to taste with sea salt, garlic powder, Montreal chicken seasoning, or anything you like prior to cooking.

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Question: What Are Dextrose And Maltodextrin And Why Are They In Prograde Workout?

Answer: Dextrose is a simple carbohydrate compound derived from starch (usually corn), but is also found naturally in foods such as honey and some fruits.

It’s often called glucose since dextrose and glucose have the same molecular form (C6H12O6), but glucose has several different isomeric forms, while dextrose is the biologically active form.

Dextrose looks like a fine white crystalline powder when it’s produced and has a sweet taste. When it’s mixed in water, dextrose dissolves instantly, leaving no lumps or clumps.

Dextrose is also absorbed very rapidly by the body when consumed, resulting in a high glycemic response (produces a high glucose response in the body when ingested). This high glycemic response makes it an ideal carbohydrate for exercising athletes following a workout in order to restore muscle glycogen concentrations, stimulate protein synthesis and halt protein breakdown.

Maltodextrin is also a carbohydrate manufactured by breaking down starches found naturally in corn, wheat, rice or starchy vegetables (like potatoes).  When these foods are cooked, the starch breaks down, aided by the release of natural acids and enzymes, in a process called hydrolysis. Maltodextrin is then isolated into its purest form, which looks like a simple white powder.

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I've written about this before, but it bears repeating–your most important meal of the day most likely is NOT:

• Breakfast or
• Dinner

On off-days, it could very well be lunch.

But on workout days, your absolute most important meal is your post-workout shake.

There, I said it.

Here's the proof.

Guest post by Tank Armstrong

Before we go into this any further, I would like to mention a few things. I am NOT a sports scientist or a physiotherapist. I'm just a ruthless experimenter. While years of reading have helped me understand the science behind what's going on inside my body, I do not wish to engage in theoretical debates. Some people will only take advice from someone with a few letters in front of their name. Fair enough. I don't have any. But my results have been staggering thus far. I'll leave the bro science to the nerds. Let's get stacked…

2011 has been a good year so far! Why? Well it is mostly because I have already put on 15lbs. Most of it is muscle as I am very careful with my diet. Keep in mind that prior to this, I'd been struggling to gain even a single pound. For lack of a better word, I'd hit a seemingly insurmountable 'plateau'.

So what made the difference? Why am I 15lbs heavier today than I was just two months ago? Why are my arms just over an inch thicker? Why do my trousers fit so tightly around my thighs and I've had to start investing in a new wardrobe? Well, it seems my secret lies in a radical decision I made at the beginning of the year. As part of my new years resolutions, I decided to attend the gym a LOT more. I then joined an Olympic weightlifting club after a friend invited me to a session and I was instantly hooked.

I liked the atmosphere, the encouragement, and the discipline. Everyone was your teacher and they all offered input on how I could improve my form. A single set of squats would be scrutinised by 6 different people. In truth, the changes weren't many as a lot of the exercises I am doing now, I was already doing before joining the club. But a few minor changes made the difference. So my first tip is this:

1. Join an Olympic weightlifting club or get a partner. You can push to the very limit and not fear getting stuck under the bar. You can perform that one extra half rep. You just go that bit further. The other benefit to this (if you join an Olympic Weightlifting Club) is that you learn how the Pros lift their weights. My coach happens to be a former world champion and was British Champion for 8 years in a row. It's safe to say he knows a thing or two about proper weight lifting and strict form.

I joined the club nursing a troublesome left thumb and left wrist injury. Both injuries have healed nicely. Why? because I was taught how to lift weights in a more graceful and efficient manner. In a way that didn't exacerbate the injuries I was already carrying. I do accept that some injuries will not allow you to work around them. But my point is, through my ignorance and that of the 'personal trainers' at my gym, I was working out in a way that worsened my injuries. Therefore, I had to learn how to lift weights all over again. It was a humbling experience.

2. My second tip is an important but largely neglected exercise. The Powerclean. Some of you wonder why I may have picked this and not the clean and jerk. The Clean and Jerk is too involved. You can do a set of 4-6 power cleans in the time it takes to do a single well executed Clean and Jerk. Besides, it's way too complex for the average trainee. So why the powerclean? Because if done properly, it can do wonders for your physique. Shoulders and traps can be the most frustrating muscle groups to work on as they can be utterly non responsive. Incorporating powercleans into your routine can return positive results within a few months.

Powercleans are quite difficult to master. The hip movement has to be explosive and the arms mustn't bend during the shrugging part of the exercise. Also, trainees need to have very supple wrists. If I've completely lost you, go on youtube and perform a search for the term 'power clean' and it will all make sense.

3. My third tip is another largely neglected exercise. The front squat. Why do so many people neglect the almighty front squat? Because it is so difficult to do. For novices, Front Squats can be downright painful because the bar rests on your shoulders with your wrists in a supine position (clean grip) acting as a support. Therefore, they need to be very flexible. Other trainees may find the 'arms crossed' grip more comfortable.

However, most trainees will not have that flexibility right off the bat and will need to perform flexibility drills on their wrists to improve wrist mobility. Overlooking the minor drawbacks, the front squat is particularly good for leg development as the majority of the weight is emphasized on the legs (the lower back takes some of the load during a back squat). This is especially good for anyone with any back/spinal issues.

An added benefit of the front squat is the core stability training. The need to keep your torso erect works your abdominals and the heavier you go, the harder they work and the stronger they get!

So what I've given you is a very condensed version of what has made 2011 especially successful for me. I deliberately simplified my suggestions so that they could be applicable TODAY. Go out and incorporate power cleans and front squats into your routine and watch what happens. Of course, you still need to seek advice on strict form (not just good) and you will still need a comprehensive, balanced, and effective muscle building program. The rest of the information on this blog can help you.

I also do not discount my diet for one second. I can eat a lot of food. I'm careful with what I eat. I try to avoid carbs, I eat a lot of nuts plus I LOVE greens and beans. In other words, I'm very careful with my food and so should you. Without it, a lot of my hard work in the gym would have been rendered useless. I've simply offered a bit of information that has taken me from one level to the next. Nothing revolutionary… but, I now have the slight problem of purchasing new clothes.

Granted, it IS a nice problem to have… one I know a lot of trainees wish for. Except, they don't have to keep wishing because I've laid it out here for you to see. As a bonus, I'll give you my very simple workout plan which my weightlifting coach created for me. There's nothing complex about it, but it has worked very well.

Powercleans – 5 sets. 8-10 reps each
Benchpress – 4 sets. 10-12 reps each
Cheat DB rows – 4 sets. 10-12 reps each
Front Squat – 5 sets. 8-10 reps each
Hyperextensions (weighted) – 3 sets. 12-16 reps each.
Any arm exercise – 3 sets. 8-10 reps each.

So if you were sitting on a couch hoping things will change for you. They wont. I've given you a very basic plan. Put it into action. Go on! What are you waiting for?

Tank Armstrong is a fitness enthusiast and official member of the British Weightlifters Association. He runs his own muscle building product review website that offers the most solid, honest and realistic advice in the midst of all the lies and marketing garbage that is clogging the Internet. His approach is simple and old fashioned because 'old school methods ain't broke, so why try and change them?'