What to eat before and after weight training?

[larry123]

I want to gain some weight in the form of muscle. I've been trying to find out if I should eat before and/or after weight training, but there are just too many conflicting sources of info out there. So what should my plan be for eating for easier weight gain? Is it better to eat protein before or after weight lifting? Or should I eat it at both times?

[JeromeWeinberg]

Nutrient timing isn't of great importance as long as you hit your macros before the end of the day. There is no "anabolic window" post workout that makes consuming protein two seconds after your last rep more beneficial than consuming it five hours later. The "window" actually lasts 24-48 hours. You also don't have to eat every two hours to avoid going catabolic. Again, the most important thing is simply hitting your macros/caloric requirement before going to bed, whether that be in one meal, three meals, or six meals and when you eat them is entirely up to you. All you have to do in order to gain weight is be in a caloric surplus, and assuming you set up your macros correctly to be 10-20% over maintenance, you will gain weight if you hit your macros before the end of the day.

[fatbencher]

Nutrient timing isn't of great importance as long as you hit your macros before the end of the day. There is no "anabolic window" post workout that makes consuming protein two seconds after your last rep more beneficial than consuming it five hours later. The "window" actually lasts 24-48 hours. You also don't have to eat every two hours to avoid going catabolic. Again, the most important thing is simply hitting your macros/caloric requirement before going to bed, whether that be in one meal, three meals, or six meals and when you eat them is entirely up to you. All you have to do in order to gain weight is be in a caloric surplus, and assuming you set up your macros correctly to be 10-20% over maintenance, you will gain weight if you hit your macros before the end of the day.

The general reaction will be: "Them's fightin' words!"


Some rationale or evidence would be nice.

[JeromeWeinberg]

The general reaction will be: "Them's fightin' words!"


Some rationale or evidence would be nice.

cbf linking 394832493 studies and links. not here to start a ****storm or ague with anyone. of course eating a nice meal before lifting and eating some decent food post workout would be nice. I'm just saying your arms won't fall off if you don't have a protein shake 2 seconds post workout, and you won't die if you haven't eaten in five or six hours.

[fatbencher]

cbf linking 394832493 studies and links. not here to start a ****storm or ague with anyone. of course eating a nice meal before lifting and eating some decent food post eating would be nice. I'm just saying your arms won't fall off if you don't have a protein shake 2 seconds post workout, and you won't die if you haven't eaten in five or six hours.

Not saying I disagree. Just saying that such a generalization needs more than just your word to be taken seriously.

[PaulSavage]

JeromeWeinberg - It seems you are not educated enough to post in this thread, but everyone is entitled to there opinion.

OP - You can take a weightgainer (with milk) before and (with water) after your workout, serious mass from optimum nutrition is the one i would recommend. However for me personally taking a weight gainer before training makes for a sluggish workout. I prefer taking a weight gainer in the morning / after training. Before training i like to have porridge oats, this gives me the best energy for a workout. It's important to wait 45-60 minutes to train after your pre workout meal / post workout should be immediately following training.

[JeromeWeinberg]

JeromeWeinberg - It seems you are not educated enough to post in this thread, but everyone is entitled to there opinion.

OP - You can take a weightgainer (with milk) before and (with water) after your workout, serious mass from optimum nutrition is the one i would recommend. However for me personally taking a weight gainer before training makes makes for a sluggish workout. I prefer taking a weight gainer in the morning / after training. Before training i like to have porridge oats, this gives me the best energy for a workout. It's important to wait 45-60 minutes to train after your pre workout meal / post workout should be immediately following training.

i wonder why you're red

[PaulSavage]

i wonder why you're red

Because i advised a bodybuilder to use good form in order to prevent injuries.

[coachdeez]

I don't spend much time paying attention to nutrition because I really don't care that much, but from what I understand everything Jerome is saying is what is being preached all the time in the nutrition forum. From everything I've heard a lot of people are saying that nutrient timing doesn't really matter and you just have to make sure to hit your macros each day. I'm sure you'll find more info and sources over there if you're interested enough to check it out.

[.aeterna]

JeromeWeinberg - It seems you are not educated enough to post in this thread, but everyone is entitled to there opinion.

actually, he is correct on all accounts

[PlaySmart]

Timing matters, and timing doesn't matter.

I'm sure there are numerous studies proving both, and each with their own set of biases I'm sure.

In short, do what you can, if you feel like eating every 2 hours will help you, by all means do it. If you feel like eating a box of pasta before and after workout, and a snickers during, do it.

I personally can't eat every 2 hours, and I usually eat something small before my workout, and usually a meal after, otherwise I'm shaky and exhausted. I am still gaining strength, so I think I'm fine.

[PaulSavage]

actually, he is correct on all accounts

So what your saying is metabolic rate does not exist? i am about to go train so not gonna get into that.

Basically he has said you can put eating off for 5-6 hours and eat the same amount of food and you will get the same results. Ok, so i go train now, i don't eat for 5 hours. I just completely broke down my muscles and i have left myself starving for 5 hours. Sounding like a good idea? we really don't need 'bro science' on this one, but to sum up, i just wasted 5 hours when my body could have been working on recovering for the next workout, put myself in a catabolic state for no apparent reason, and on top of that i now have to make up the missed calories with a big meal. Great, so lets just eat a 1,500-2000 calories and everything will be perfect. Body says 'slow the f*ck down, i have already adjusted to the lack of calories earlier, what the heck are you doing to me!?' stuff face some more 'fine, if you want me to store the excess as bodyfat, so be it'. So not only am i recovering slower, but i am also fatter...???

[.aeterna]

i didnt even read that, but go to the nutrition forum and read something or even post up your "ideas"

[Jorate]

Just get a good enough amount of carbs in your system a couple hours before hand and a bit of protein too so your body when using its energy system is breaking down the carbs for energy and not your protein sources. After your workout have more protein than carbs but keep them hovering around the same amount.

[PaulSavage]

i didnt even read that, but go to the nutrition forum and read something or even post up your "ideas"

Yeah, or you could open your mind up to what's CLEARLY a tiny little possibility that you could be wrong, actually read what other people say, then go to my college where i got my diploma in nutrition, and post your 'ideas'.

[BombDonald]

Without getting complicated,

Pre-workout: eat a fairly easily digestible meal if you are eating within 2 hours of working out.
Post-workout: If you want to have a protein shake, go ahead. Always drink plenty of fluids though.

[SEOINAGEbb]

Jerome is right. I personally train after dinner a little while, if i trained before I would do fine, but it would have been 6 hours since lunch and dinner would be much later. Another reason I wouldn't is because I would feel hungry, and constantly thinking about it at the start of the work out. But people would be surprised how resilient your body is, I used to be anal like a lot of others and think just because i waited an extra hour on a meal i wasn't going to be gaining muscle, and I would be losing muscle till I got that meal. Its all a load of crap, studies can show one thing is of a benefit simply because a lot of studies are done on fasting subjects, and don't even take into account anything long term.

[.aeterna]

Yeah, or you could open your mind up to what's CLEARLY a tiny little possibility that you could be wrong, actually read what other people say, then go to my college where i got my diploma in nutrition, and post your 'ideas'.

firstly, nobody claimed that the metabolic rate doesnt exist, you made that assumption all by yourself

please take your diploma and ideas to the nutrition forum and explain to them the concept of the anabolic window (30 mins post workout). im pretty sure they havent debated that topic before,

better yet, you should PM "alan aragorn" and flash your diploma

[Torrtrefireto]

Yeah, or you could open your mind up to what's CLEARLY a tiny little possibility that you could be wrong, actually read what other people say, then go to my college where i got my diploma in nutrition, and post your 'ideas'.

My degree in Kinesiology I learned that the valsalva maneuver was inherently bad and should never be performed by anyone in any situation

Needless to say, formal education is not always the pinnacle of learning.

Not to agree or disagree with you on the matter

[Doollas]

Anyone in the nutrition section will tell you (and I don't disagree) that nutrient timing means nothing. Then again, about two thirds of the people in that section are <180 lbs.

Although nutrient timing doesn't matter, no one likes to have a crap workout because they are hungry or too full. Eat something tasty with calories enough time before your workout to not make you puke and will keep you fullish for a while. Afterwards just eat a lot.

[Tyler_Durdin]

A nice big glass of chocolate milk after working along with some solid food that contain moderate protein and is higher in carbs. Carbs are more important after lifting as you need to replenish your glycogen stores, the chocolate milk will cause a huge insulin spike and shuttle all those nice carbs back into your muscles

[zmcdole]

Anyone in the nutrition section will tell you (and I don't disagree) that nutrient timing means nothing. Then again, about two thirds of the people in that section are <180 lbs.

Although nutrient timing doesn't matter, no one likes to have a crap workout because they are hungry or too full. Eat something tasty with calories enough time before your workout to not make you puke and will keep you fullish for a while. Afterwards just eat a lot.

Pretty much this. Make sure you're getting enough. That's the bottom line. You really need to be consuming 1 gram of protein per lb of bodyweight. A lot of people recommend that you eat .4 - .5 grams of fat/lb of bodyweight. Carbs will be different from person to person. I function/perform best on a high carb diet (400+ grams a day) others do better on a lower carb diet. Figure out what works best for you and do that. Just make sure you're getting enough so that you're giving your body what it needs to run/perform at it's highest level AND recover properly.

[go0ber]

JeromeWeinberg - It seems you are not educated enough to post in this thread, but everyone is entitled to there opinion.

not a single thing he said was incorrect.

[cheeseman182]

Yeah, or you could open your mind up to what's CLEARLY a tiny little possibility that you could be wrong, actually read what other people say, then go to my college where i got my diploma in nutrition, and post your 'ideas'.

brb obsessing about the stuff that's only getting me 5% of my results
brb listening to supplement companies for supplement advice

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=122509811

[PaulSavage]

not a single thing he said was incorrect.

Ok, without getting too much into it..

- train/break your body down, get hungry
- choose to ignore your body or give it what it's asking for?
- wait 5 or 6 hours between meals, your metabolism slows right down
- eat fewer, larger meals
- do fat people get fat from over eating, or by using portion control?
- you eat two big meals a day, a total of 350g protein
- can your body absorb 175g of protein in one sitting?
- what happens to what your body can not absorb?

Basically, if this were a sumo forum and the op wanted to gain fat and not muscle, this would be a good idea.

brb obsessing about the stuff that's only getting me 5% of my results
brb listening to supplement companies for supplement advice

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=122509811

Nutrition is only valued @ 5% of results - interesting comment..painful, but interesting.

[.aeterna]

Ok, without getting too much into it..

- train/break your body down, get hungry
- choose to ignore your body or give it what it's asking for?
- wait 5 or 6 hours between meals, your metabolism slows right down
- eat fewer, larger meals
- do fat people get fat from over eating, or by using portion control?
- you eat two big meals a day, a total of 350g protein
- can your body absorb 175g of protein in one sitting?
- what happens to what your body can not absorb?

Basically, if this were a sumo forum and the op wanted to gain fat and not muscle, this would be a good idea.

martin berkhan and the IF protocol completely disproves everything you believe

prepare to have your mind=blown, www.leangains.com

omg fasting 16 hrs a day? brb catabolicismsdimsimskm!!!!

[go0ber]

Ok, without getting too much into it..

- train/break your body down, get hungry
- choose to ignore your body or give it what it's asking for?
- wait 5 or 6 hours between meals, your metabolism slows right down
- eat fewer, larger meals
- do fat people get fat from over eating, or by using portion control?
- you eat two big meals a day, a total of 350g protein
- can your body absorb 175g of protein in one sitting?
- what happens to what your body can not absorb?

Basically, if this were a sumo forum and the op wanted to gain fat and not muscle, this would be a good idea.


Nutrition is only valued @ 5% of results - interesting comment..painful, but interesting.

Your post is full of broscience and fail.

[PaulSavage]

Your post is full of broscience and fail.

So that would be why in the past 3-4 months i have been able to lose almost 7 inch off my waist whilst getting a lot stronger (naturally) / why i have in the past gained 82lbs in 9 months. Obviously epic fail.

Hell, all pro bodybuilders and trainers are wrong because the bodybuilding.com nutrition section said so. Hell the whole nutrition industry and hundreds of years of studies are wrong too. Post workout? what post workout? breakfast, what breakfast? why break the fast? the body does not need consistent amounts of protein to grow. F*ck taking my protein today, i will just take in 2000g at the end of the week, theres no difference.

[wick]

So that would be why in the past 3-4 months i have been able to lose almost 7 inch off my waist whilst getting a lot stronger (naturally) / why i have in the past gained 82lbs in 9 months. Obviously epic fail.

Hell, all pro bodybuilders and trainers are wrong because the bodybuilding.com nutrition section said so. Hell the whole nutrition industry and hundreds of years of studies are wrong too. Post workout? what post workout? breakfast, what breakfast? why break the fast? the body does not need consistent amounts of protein to grow. F*ck taking my protein today, i will just take in 2000g at the end of the week, theres no difference.

lols, no wonder you're red.

Please read below.

Hierarchy of Importance

When speaking of nutrition for improving body composition or training performance, it's crucial to realize there's an underlying hierarchy of importance. At the top of the hierarchy is total amount of the macronutrients by the end of the day. Distantly below that is the precise timing of those nutrients. With very few exceptions, athletes and active individuals eat multiple times per day. Thus, the majority of their day is spent in the postprandial (fed) rather than a post-absorptive (fasted) state. The vast majority of nutrient timing studies have been done on overnight-fasted subjects put through glycogen depletion protocols, which obviously limits the applicability of the outcomes. Pre-exercise (and/or during-exercise) nutrient intake often has a lingering carry-over effect into the post-exercise period. Throughout the day, there's a constant overlap of meal digestion & nutrient absorption. For this reason, the effectiveness of nutrient timing does not require a high degree of precision.

The Primary Laws of Nutrient Timing

The First Law of Nutrient Timing is: hitting your daily macronutrient targets is FAR more important than nutrient timing.
The Second Law of Nutrient Timing is: hitting your daily macronutrient targets is FAR more important than nutrient timing.


http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=123915821

If you disagree, please go ahead and debate Alan. You'll lose, and lose badly.

[Doollas]

Not being brainwashed anymore was the best thing that happened to me and my quality of life.