Eat before or after workout? Or both?

867530hniiine

I don't know what I should do in this situation or what foods to eat. What do you do?

Azercord

Unless you are seriously looking to gain mass and muscles it doesn't really matter. You can eat before, after, wait a long time then eat, it all depends on you. If you need some food in you belly to workout on go for it, if that makes you nauseous don't do it. As far as the concern of needing to eat within a certain time frame of your workout you can throw that out. There aren't many studies that show any serious benefits unless you are really trying to bulk up. I would listen to your body and just keep a balanced diet overall and you should be fine.

If you are looking for a supplement of sorts Creatine is the recommendation. Take it whenever since you are looking to build it up in the body and it will help with working out (3grams a day should work fine).

MommyMeggo

I work out in the PM so I have dinner as soon as I can once home,nothing huge. Then about an hour or 2 later I do my lifting. Then a protein shake simply to meet macros and hit calorie goal -if I can stomach it. Im usually not too hungry but I chug, shower then sleep.

peaceout_aly

I eat a protein bar within 30 minutes post work out in order to increase gains.

apaine46

There was a program on tv the other week where they had a small trial group of equal men and women and they found that women did better (losing inches, weight etc whilst exercising) after a meal where as men got better results doing a workout before eating... Hope this helps

upoffthemat

I can't eat much before a workout or it seriously hinders my performance, so I always eat after.

kaylajane11

For me, it depends on the work out. If I'm lifting weights, I can eat a full dinner and work out 20 minutes later with no issues. If I'm doing intense cardio or boot camp, I just have a snack beforehand and eat dinner after, as I feel weighed down and a bit nauseous if I eat too much before.

tarabole

I saw a sports dietician and she advised not to eat anything for the hour prior to working out because eating right before exercise can inhibit your body's ability to use fat for energy. She advised to eat carbohydrates 1-2 hours before and when weight training eat protein within 30 minutes post workout.

lindsayh87

There are a million theories on this. Fasted cardio, timed protein ...yada yada. I think really it all just depends on what works for you. Personally, I like working out on an empty or at least light tummy. I do a fair amount of cardio and having a full belly while I'm bouncing around makes me feel yucky. For others, not enough food makes them light headed or sick. It's all about you. I often eat a regular meal 30-45 minutes post work out. However, I don't always want to eat after working out so I put it off until later. Just go by what your body tells you!

Oh and don't forget lots of water no matter when you eat!

cityruss

Personal preference.

kuroshii

Yeah, it really boils down to personal preference. I like working out right after I get home from work (do not pass go; change directly from work clothes to workout clothes without even thinking about it) and then eating dinner.

AnvilHead

roz112

I personally work out at 9pm, by the time I get home shower and get into bed its 11 ish so I don't eat anything. I just make sure i hit all my macros throughout the day and make sure I eat a really good high protein breakfast the next morning.