Pre and Post Workout Nutrition !!!

upasanaD

Hi ,

I found this info very useful. Please share if Your have better ideas.

Pre workout nutrition -

One should never hit the gym on an empty stomach. Your pre workout meal is the meal that plays the largest role in supplying your body with everything it will need to ensure optimal performance during your workout.

Carbohydrates are essential for slow and steady energy release throughout the workout. It tops up your fuel levels and boosts your brain power and concentration for the session. Protein is required to build and maintain muscles and for healthy blood cells as they deliver nutrients and oxygen to working muscles. So make sure your meal has these foods.

Sources of carbohydrates

Foods rich in complex carbohydrates, such as wholegrain pasta, roti, oats, fruits, vegetables and bread are the best sources of energy that can help you start your workout well, and keep at it without experiencing dizziness. They slowly release glucose in the bloodstream.

Sources of proteins

Make sure you buy good quality protein which digests slowly, releasing amino acids (building blocks) into the bloodstream. Good sources are paneer, eggs, chicken, fish, casein supplement.

Meals before a workout can be oats / muesli and milk or egg omelets with bread or paneer bhurji with roti or grilled chicken sandwich. Meal before cardio can be a fruit and milk or fruit and nuts.

Timing of the meal

It should be about 45 minutes prior to exercise. This allows body enough time to digest and begin nutrient absorption. The individual should not feel heavy or nauseous while under the pressure of workout. Cardiovascular training should be performed at a gap of 2- 2 ½ hours after the last meal.

Post workout nutrition

Gaining strength and muscle doesn’t occur while you workout but after, during the recovery stage. That is why post workout nutrition holds great importance. After your workout, you must try to eat a ‘recovery meal’ within one hour if possible. Your muscles are weaker after the training session because they have been torn down and have been damaged by an intense workout, so this meal is all about refuelling what you’ve lost and providing the raw materials needed for healing.

During the workout, the body has endured drop in blood glucose levels due to rapid use of glucose to fuel the workout, muscle breakdown due to overload and free radical attack due to high energy use and increase in stress levels. The sooner you start refueling your body, the better off you’ll be. Research shows that your body’s ability to refill muscle stores is higher within one hour after your workout. So make sure you eat the following.

Water
It’s important to drink fluids before, during and after your workout as it is great for rehydrating the cells. Without sufficient water during exercise, your body temperature can be extremely high, so it is very important to stay hydrated to cool your body down.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends to follow these guidelines:

Drink roughly 2 to 3 cups (0.5 to 0.7l) of water two to three hours prior to your workout.

Drink about 1/2 to 1 cup (0.12 to 0.23l) of water every 15 to 20 minutes during your workout. You may need more depending on your size and if the weather is warmer.

Drink roughly 2 to 3 cups (0.5 to 0.7l) of water after your workout for every pound (0.5 kg) of weight you lose during the workout.

Water is generally the best way to replace lost fluids. But if you’re exercising for more than 60 minutes, use a sports drink. Sports drinks provide not only fluid, but carbohydrate and sodium.

They can also help in maintaining your body’s electrolyte balance and give you a bit more energy.

BombshellPhoenix

Or...just get a proper amount of protein and caloric intake throughout the day and not worry about nutrient timing....

http://www.jissn.com/content/10/1/5

"Furthermore, the importance of co-ingesting post-exercise protein and carbohydrate has recently been challenged by studies examining the early recovery period, particularly when sufficient protein is provided. Koopman et al [52] found that after full-body resistance training, adding carbohydrate (0.15, or 0.6 g/kg/hr) to amply dosed casein hydrolysate (0.3 g/kg/hr) did not increase whole body protein balance during a 6-hour post-exercise recovery period compared to the protein-only treatment. Subsequently, Staples et al [53] reported that after lower-body resistance exercise (leg extensions), the increase in post-exercise muscle protein balance from ingesting 25 g whey isolate was not improved by an additional 50 g maltodextrin during a 3-hour recovery period. For the goal of maximizing rates of muscle gain, these findings support the broader objective of meeting total daily carbohydrate need instead of specifically timing its constituent doses. Collectively, these data indicate an increased potential for dietary flexibility while maintaining the pursuit of optimal timing."

Eta: and I've seen many bodybuilders train in a fasted state with no ill effects.

What's important is how YOU feel. Everyone is different. Do what makes you feel best

upasanaD

Or...just get a proper amount of protein and caloric intake throughout the day and not worry about nutrient timing....

http://www.jissn.com/content/10/1/5

"Furthermore, the importance of co-ingesting post-exercise protein and carbohydrate has recently been challenged by studies examining the early recovery period, particularly when sufficient protein is provided. Koopman et al [52] found that after full-body resistance training, adding carbohydrate (0.15, or 0.6 g/kg/hr) to amply dosed casein hydrolysate (0.3 g/kg/hr) did not increase whole body protein balance during a 6-hour post-exercise recovery period compared to the protein-only treatment. Subsequently, Staples et al [53] reported that after lower-body resistance exercise (leg extensions), the increase in post-exercise muscle protein balance from ingesting 25 g whey isolate was not improved by an additional 50 g maltodextrin during a 3-hour recovery period. For the goal of maximizing rates of muscle gain, these findings support the broader objective of meeting total daily carbohydrate need instead of specifically timing its constituent doses. Collectively, these data indicate an increased potential for dietary flexibility while maintaining the pursuit of optimal timing."

Eta: and I've seen many bodybuilders train in a fasted state with no ill effects.

What's important is how YOU feel. Everyone is different. Do what makes you feel best

Thanks for your precious comment

AJ_G

Almost everything listed in your original post is either irrelevant or just plain wrong. You can absolutely workout on an empty stomach, in fact that's the only way I can workout. If I eat within 3 hours prior to a workout it's basically useless. Also you do not need to eat a "recovery meal" and there is no such thing as a post workout nutrition window of 45 minutes or an hour where you need to eat. You don't need to eat complex carbohydrates, any carbs will be just fine. Whether it's a complex carb or a simple sugar, both will be used immediately as glucose in the blood stream, stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen, or stored as fat. The speed of digestion is unimportant as long as you don't have a medical reason to be concerned with insulin.

upasanaD

Almost everything listed in your original post is either irrelevant or just plain wrong. You can absolutely workout on an empty stomach, in fact that's the only way I can workout. If I eat within 3 hours prior to a workout it's basically useless. Also you do not need to eat a "recovery meal" and there is no such thing as a post workout nutrition window of 45 minutes or an hour where you need to eat. You don't need to eat complex carbohydrates, any carbs will be just fine. Whether it's a complex carb or a simple sugar, both will be used immediately as glucose in the blood stream, stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen, or stored as fat. The speed of digestion is unimportant as long as you don't have a medical reason to be concerned with insulin.

I think you should go through the following links for better ideas -

1. http://www.acaloriecounter.com/diet/pre-and-post-workout-meal/
2. http://www.livestrong.com/article/412742-pre-post-workout-meals/
3. http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20140303/entlife/140309928/
4. http://bodybuilding.about.com/od/nutritionbasics/a/The-Importance-Of-Pre-And-Post-Workout-Bodybuilding-Nutrition_2.htm

AJ_G

Almost everything listed in your original post is either irrelevant or just plain wrong. You can absolutely workout on an empty stomach, in fact that's the only way I can workout. If I eat within 3 hours prior to a workout it's basically useless. Also you do not need to eat a "recovery meal" and there is no such thing as a post workout nutrition window of 45 minutes or an hour where you need to eat. You don't need to eat complex carbohydrates, any carbs will be just fine. Whether it's a complex carb or a simple sugar, both will be used immediately as glucose in the blood stream, stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen, or stored as fat. The speed of digestion is unimportant as long as you don't have a medical reason to be concerned with insulin.

I think you should go through the following links for better ideas -

1. http://www.acaloriecounter.com/diet/pre-and-post-workout-meal/
2. http://www.livestrong.com/article/412742-pre-post-workout-meals/
3. http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20140303/entlife/140309928/
4. http://bodybuilding.about.com/od/nutritionbasics/a/The-Importance-Of-Pre-And-Post-Workout-Bodybuilding-Nutrition_2.htm

Thank you for posting a bunch of articles from fitness websites that have no research or any for of citations attached to them. They're basically pointless...