Need advice - eating with exercising?

jumira01
jumira01 Posts: 2 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I could use any/all advice when it comes to diet/nutrition with my workouts. I'm not trying to lose weight, but am trying to gain muscle (and honestly, mostly in my butt... I've always had a bit of a bubble, and I don't want to lose it, and actually want it bigger but in a healthy, more solid way). Are there any suggestions as to when I should be eating and what kinds of stuff? (Female, by the way, haha)

During the week, I normally work out in the evenings, right after work, and normally do anywhere from 1.5-3 hours at the gym. Cardio pretty much every day, then cardio+weights 3-4 times a week (those are the longer days).

A couple times a week, I have to do Cardio first (I teach Zumba and that's the timing of the class) so then BodyPump and heavier area-focused weights come after. I heard that for bulking, you want to do weights first while you have the most glycogens(?). So on those days in particular, should I be eating something in between to restore some glycogens to get the most out of lifting? Should I try to get some of the heavier weights in before Zumba and what I can't get in still do after?

I love classes as they are easier for me to keep motivated and on a regular schedule, but doesn't leave much option in the order of my workouts on those days. So if there's anything I could do to get the most out of what I'm given, I'd appreciate the input!

Replies

  • cadaverousbones
    cadaverousbones Posts: 421 Member
    I have heard you should eat 1-2 hours before working out and then eating immediately afterwards. I would say to have a lot of protein to build muscle. Is there a nutritionist at the gym that you work at that you could speak to about this? You might get better advice from someone who knows more about it.
  • novaktd
    novaktd Posts: 2
    Have you ever meal prepped and stuck with macros? Personally for me it made a world of difference and I love it. I always have my meals made and ready to eat, they're all pre-measured each week to be exactly what I need for the day so I don't binge eat. Sticking with macros took my workouts to a whole new level because I wasn't having too much or too little to eat, blood sugar issues, etc. Plus I was finally eating enough protein to where I was gaining a lot of muscle.
  • jumira01
    jumira01 Posts: 2 Member
    I definitely intend to start meal prepping! (And actually start filling out my food diary.) Do you have some examples of some good macros? I've read a lot of different things and back and forth, but always like hearing ideas from real people who saw results from what they did :)

    I've also thought about doing homemade smoothies with some whey protein. If anyone's done those and has sample recipes, great!

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