Workout Nutrition
Most of us know that what we eat is important, but do you ever think about when it is important to eat? If you are someone who exercises regularly, you may have questioned what you should eat before and after your workout. Maybe even what you should eat during training if you are an athlete or training for a competition.
Eating protein, carbs, and fats within three hours before exercise will help you improve performance, a speedy recovery, and preserve muscle mass. If you opt to eat 2-3 hours before your workout, a mixed meal of protein, carbs, vegetables, and fat will do the trick. If you eat within an hour of your workout, a smaller meal would work best given less time for digestion. Generally a smoothie or shake would be recommended.
Here’s an example of what that might look like:
1 scoop protein powder
1 fist of veggies (spinach works great in smoothies)
1-2 cupped handfuls of carbs (berries or a banana work great)
1 thumb of fats (like flax seeds or avocado)
low-calorie beverage like water or unsweetened almond milk
Post workout nutrition will vary based on your pre-workout meal. Did you eat a small meal beforehand, or has it been several hours since your last meal? You will most likely want to get that post workout meal within an hour. This would also benefit someone who may have worked out before breakfast(a fasted state). If you had a normal sized meal a couple of hours before your workout or a smoothie/shake right before your workout, then you have 1-2 hours after training to eat your post workout meal and maximize the benefits of workout nutrition. Eating after your workout can help with recovery, rehydration, building muscle, and improving future performance. Just like the pre workout nutrition, a mixed meal of whole foods is suggested. If you are wondering about protein powder vs. whole food protein, there is no real evidence that protein powders, especially fast digesting ones, are better for us than whole food protein after training.
Whether or not to eat during your workout depends on when you ate last and the length/type of workout you are planning. Hydration should be your main focus if you are working out for two hours or less,especially if you are practicing good pre and post-workout nutrition. Exceptions would include exercising in the heat and sweating a lot, competing or training again in less than eight hours, and trying to gain maximum muscle. In these cases it wouldn’t be a bad idea to include a sports drink that includes electrolytes to help speed up rehydration and recovery. If you are trying to gain maximum muscle, including a protein+carbohydrate drink may provide a small advantage.
If you are training longer than two hours, sports drinks can be very beneficial. Every hour you will want to consume 15g of protein and 30-45g of carbs in the form of liquids, gels, or solid foods. This will ensure you are getting enough protein, carbs, electrolytes, and sodium.
If you are competing for longer than two hours, you’ll most likely want to lower the protein and up the carbs, so every hour you’ll want to consume 5g of protein and 45-60g of carbs.
More protein during training to emphasize recovery, and less protein during competition to emphasize performance.
What works for one person may not work for the next. For those of us who are active and are not moving towards a competition, the best pre- and post- workout will be the mixed meals with high quality protein and carbs, vegetables/fruits, and healthy fats.