Pre, Intra, and Post-Workout Nutrition

You may be led to believe that what you consume before, during, or after your workouts is one of the greatest contributors to your physical progress. I don’t disagree completely, but of course there are many other contributing factors. On that note, let’s dive into it a bit deeper.

First things first, your individual needs will be dependent on your body (height, weight, age, sex, diet history, genetics, etc.), your goals (gain, maintain, lose, or athletic performance), and your workout (type, intensity, and duration). For example, if you’re going to the gym to do cardio and abs for 45 minutes, you don’t need as much fuel compared to if you were weight training intensely for the same amount of time (there’s nothing wrong with the former if that’s what you enjoy doing and what gets you moving. I’m just using it as an example because it’s something I would personally NOT enjoy doing). Furthermore, A 200 lb male will have different energy needs than a 140 lb female training for the same amount of time, at the same perceived intensity due to their bodily differences.

Secondly, do not get caught up on what you eat immediately before, during, or after your workout if you cannot maintain a well balanced, healthy diet the other ~20 hours of the day. Eating a diet that consists of a variety of minimally processed, whole foods comes first. Fueling for activity specific recovery comes second. With that being said, I’m going to give general guidelines of what to focus on with each meal. Pre-workout meal (1-2 hours prior) Include carbohydrate-dense foods, lean protein, small amount of healthy fats, 2-4 cups of water.

The closer this meal is to your workout, the faster digesting carbs you will want to consume (fruit, other simple sugars, or more processed carbs*). The further the meal is away from your workout, aim to consume less processed, high fiber, slower digesting carbs (beans, lentils, whole grains + vegetables).

*I’m not advocating processed carbs, but I do understand that they: 1. Are often the most convenient thing, especially when pressed for time and in need of an energy boost NOW. 2. Usually taste yummy.

Supplements: A supplement something that completes or enhances something else when added to it, e.g. supplements can help make good workouts better. Supplements themselves do not make good workouts.

I hope everyone knows this one is a joke. I just wanted to emphasize how dangerous some pre-workouts can be. Pre-workouts are not necessary; do not rely on them. If you choose to take pre-workout or any other supplement, do your research and choose wisely, as supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. I suggest natural, organic options to ensure the safety of your supplements.

Here‘s a link to the top 10 natural, organic pre-workouts of 2017 just to show how you can easily search ingredients and reviews of any other supplement you are interested in taking.

Intra-workout (during) For those who have a high caloric need, are looking to gain weight, performing high intensity activity for longer than 1 hour, or performing moderate intensity activity for longer than 2 hours: Consume protein + carbs during workouts (~ 30-45g carbs + 15g protein + ~2 cups WATER per hour). (Berardi, John, et al., 2017)

For those looking for extra recovery or fat loss while maintaining lean muscle: 10-15g BCAAs (helpful, but by no means necessary. FOCUS ON GETTING ENOUGH PROTEIN IN YOUR DIET BEFORE SPENDING $$ ON BCAAs).

For everyone: WATER

Post-workout meal (1-2 hours after) Include carbohydrate-dense foods, lean protein, small amount of healthy fats, 2-4 cups of water.

If you’re looking to lose fat or gain muscle with minimal fat gain, you may want to focus on consuming a good amount of your daily carbs here (especially for those performing intense weight training).

If you’re going to “treat yourself” this is the best time to do it IMO. I’m not saying go treat yourself after every workout, definitely do not use training as a means to reward yourself.

Although when you do feel like you deserve to be treated (in moderation, of course), I suggest you take advantage of your body’s metabolic response to exercise and structure your treats accordingly. Your body will respond much better consuming a little extra carbs post workout then if you consume them while sitting on the couch all day.

On that note, it’s time for me to go fuel today’s training, train myself, fuel my recovery, train my clients, then treat myself a lil bit.

Hope ya’ll have a good workout & have a good weekend Sydney

Resources: Berardi, John, et al. The Essentials of Sport and Exercise Nutrition. 3rd ed., Precision Nutrition, 2017.