Pre-workout Fuel -
Post-workout Fuel -
Intra-Workout Fuel -
ALL THE TIMES - Fuel…
WHAT DO I DO?!?
Believe it or not, this is not as simple as a quick google search on “what do I eat before I workout” will make it seem. This is highly individual and subjective, though, there are some generalized suggestions that can be used and tweaked to find what works for YOU!
Informative Tid-Bit: What is anabolism?
Anabolic and catabolic processes are the opposing metabolic functions that either build up or break down muscle. Anabolic uses energy and is the constructive process, in other words it builds. Catabolic is the opposite, it produces energy and is the destructive process, or rather, it breaks down.
In this article, we have simplified some general suggestions to be easily digestible (see what we did there?!) information! However, we have also provided a few links for further exploration into the science of this subject if you are so inclined to learn more :)
Considerations:
GI Tolerance:
There are people who can eat whatever they want from pizza to a protein shake right before they walk into the gym and be fine… for others this would send them straight to the nearest trash can to lose it all!
The Big Picture:
What you are eating for the rest of the day.. Or rather, the day as a whole. How many calories do you eat each day? How many carbs, protein and fat? Contrary to popular beliefs, this should be addressed FIRST. Nailing down your overall nutrition, could improve any issues you may currently have that you may think are related to peri-workout (pre/intra/post workout) nutrition. As well, these answers could help determine what and in what amounts might be helpful for you to focus around your workout times!
If your daily carbohydrate goal is on the lower end and you feel like you’re gassed during your workouts, concentrating a higher majority of carbs around your training time, may be beneficial. If your carbs are relatively on the higher end for you, it may not make any difference at all, in fact, putting more carbs closer to your workout in this instance, may even contribute to GI distress or make you feel sluggish.
Type of Activity:
There are a few instances where pre/post/intra workout fuel is extremely important. Endurance activities lasting more than an hour, all day competitions where you may be competing throughout the day at different times and for individuals in more extreme calorie deficits. This is when choosing the wrong fuel source, eating at the wrong time and not eating the right amounts can make or break your performance.
Pre-Workout
Endurance activities lasting up to or less than 1 hour like an easy run, biking, swimming, a zumba class, bootcamp, crossfit and a gym training session.
Foods - Consuming primarily quick digesting, simple carbs about 30 minutes or so prior to the start of your workout may ensure there’s been ample time to digest it and you’ve got fuel ready to burn when you start. The longer you eat PRIOR to beginning your workout, the more you’ll want to increase the protein and fat content of your food because this will drag the digestion time out a bit longer. Still, nothing should be too heavy in fat, protein or fiber.
EAAs - Essential amino acids are gaining popularity over the more commonly known BCAAs. IF you eat enough protein each and every day, these really aren’t necessary. However, for athletes with a high protein turnover, like endurance athletes, extra amino acids can not typically ever be a bad thing! (5),(7)
Creatine - more free flowing creatine may make it easier for your body to reform ATP molecules from recycled ADP molecules meaning you may be able to squeeze out more reps or sets before fatiguing.
Pre-workout formulas - these are an easy “one size fits all” formula. You can’t really go wrong unless they don’t make you feel good. Some contain creatine, some don’t. Most have some amino acids, beta-alanine and caffeine as well as a myriad of other performance “enhancers”. However, some people may be sensitive to these or some ingredients in them. Don’t give up on the first one you try! There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of different options!
Endurance activities lasting more than 1 hour like a long run/marathon, biking, rowing, swimming, as well as many types of all day competitions.
The pre-workout on the actual day of your event won’t matter too much in the grand scheme of things, aside from just making sure you feel good. What does matter is the few days or week leading up to the event. Think of this entire time as your pre-workout! This is where the infamous “taper” comes in and becomes extremely important for more than just muscle recovery. This is the time to make sure your hydration is sufficient and your nutrient intake is sufficient. This way you go into event day with a “full tank” essentially. So what you do right before the actual event only matters in a sense of making sure it’s something that is going to sit well in your stomach and get you started off on the right foot! In long events, your intra-workout becomes the star here! (2)
Intra-Workout
*This is going to be very similar to pre-workouts with the exception of the actual fuel source. Where eating whole foods pre-workout is fine, you'll likely want your intra-workout calories to come in the form of a drink.*
Activities lasting more than 1 hour like an easy run, biking, swimming, a zumba class, bootcamp, crossfit and a gym training session.
As a general rule, your intra-workout may consist of up to 20% of your total daily calories in the form of a drink during training and should be a protein to carb ratio of about 1:4.
You’ll want to tweak this based on tolerance and how hungry you are over the course of the entire day…. You may not enjoy feeling starved at 7pm because you used up a large portion of calories during your workout. As well, if your calories are on the higher end (for you) this could be A LOT of calories and not sit well in your belly. It may be smarter to start with 5-10% of your calories and adjust from there based on tolerance.
Simple carbs coming from things like gatorade, maltodextrin, pure glucose and endurance hydration formulas work well here. (6)
The quickest digesting protein is going to be a hydrolyzed milk protein like whey. Non-animal protein sources all take a good amount of time to digest, so if you only consume non-animal proteins, it may be more beneficial to have this pre-workout and stick to simply carbs during your workout.
Post Workout
I know we hear a lot about this “window of opportunity” and make sure to consume X grams of protein within 1 - 2 hours after a workout… there simply is little evidence to support these claims. This would also be geared more towards someone who doesn’t consume enough protein in general. So, really, your “post-workout” snack or meal can be just your next normal snack or meal assuming you eat enough protein (for you) on a daily basis. If you don’t, it may be a beneficial move to begin searching for a coach to help calculate your macros to get you on the path to eating enough protein!! In all honesty, your pre-workout, your intra-workout and anything else you ate in the last, let’s say, 12 hours is likely still digesting anyway. AND, whatever you consume post-workout whether it’s 20 minutes post, 60 minutes post or 120 minutes post, may not even be digested and made available for use until, well who really knows…!
While pre and intra-workout fuel amounts and sources do deserve some attention, it is important to note that post-workout, really just is not what many have come to think it is! Recovery is going to take place over many days, not just THAT day or even within those 2 hours post-workout. So what you’re eating immediately after your workout isn’t nearly as important as what you’re eating every 24 hours and whether or not it is consistent! Eat a balanced meal, make sure it has protein, carbs and fat! If you’re in a position to not have an opportunity to eat for several hours after your workout, bring a portable snack that’s balanced in all macronutrients as well.
It CAN be that simple :)
For further reading and learning, check out these articles...
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References
1. Alan Albert Aragon, and Brad Jon Schoenfeld. “Nutrient Timing Revisited: Is There a Post-Exercise Anabolic Window?” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, BioMed Central, 29 Jan. 2013, jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-10-5?fbclid=IwAR3YV3tMt5pyJB_udfjyuswfoxMTM0ke09e7QDbbIPxHrsAAbKdSIPnIf-o.
2. American, A s, et al. “American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand. Nutrition and Athletic Performance.” Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Mar. 2009, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19225360.
3. Chryssanthopoulos, C, and C Williams. “Pre-Exercise Carbohydrate Meal and Endurance Running Capacity When Carbohydrates Are Ingested during Exercise.” Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Oct. 1997, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9414079.
4. Howard, Jacqueline. “What to Eat before, during and after Exercise.” CNN, Cable News Network, 9 Mar. 2018, www.cnn.com/2016/12/29/health/what-to-eat-exercise/index.html.
5. Jackman SR, Witard OC, Philp A, Wallis GA, Baar K, Tipton KD. Branched-Chain Amino Acid Ingestion Stimulates Muscle Myofibrillar Protein Synthesis following Resistance Exercise in Humans. Front Physiol. 2017;8:390. Published 2017 Jun 7. doi:10.3389/fphys.2017.00390
6. John, et al. “Carbohydrate Ingestion during Endurance Exercise Improves Performance in Adults.” OUP Academic, Oxford University Press, 16 Mar. 2011, academic.oup.com/jn/article/141/5/890/4689142#fn-group-.
7. Walker, D K, et al. “Exercise, Amino Acids, and Aging in the Control of Human Muscle Protein Synthesis.” Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports., U.S. National Library of Medicine, Dec. 2011, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21606874.
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