WEEK THIRTY-SEVEN :: What Is A Proper Pre, During, And Post Workout Nutrition Diet?

[Boridi]

I would hope that any reputable school/teacher would give a 0 for such an obvious act.

[Blap Blaow]

I would hope that any reputable school/teacher would give a 0 for such an obvious act.

I went to a top 10 university and the tutors would probably let you off with a warning- mainly because they don't want it to effect their average class marks and the juicy bonuses that await them at the end of the year!

But yeah, it's a pretty blatent cut and paste job!

[sword chucks]

man this is terrible. I still have about 1000 words to write and then post it and only like 1:30 left until the deadline lol

[live4this13]

Proper nutrition to maximize gains.

With all the information out there it is hard to know what is right. Do I need a high or low GI carbohydrate? What is the best ratio? Do I need fats? What exactly is GI?

If you find yourself wondering these things you have come to the right place. In this article I will touch on everything nutrition in order to maximize your gains.

How important is eating correctly pre, during and post workout?

When all is done at the end of the day and you look back and realize “man I really busted it in the gym today, gave it everything I had, hope this gives me good results…” Well you may have had one of the best training sessions of your life but to be honest, if you don’t feed your body the proper nutrition for that workout you will not see gains. It is a must to properly feed your body. Not only to increase gains but it will also speed recovery and prevent muscle catabolism.

What is the Glycemic Index.

The Glycemic Index or G.I. Is a measurement of how fast or slow carbohydrates are digested. It also shows the affect a carbohydrate has on blood glucose levels. It is important to know the G.I. of carbohydrates to time them right in your meals.

High G.I. Vs. Low G.I.

This has been argued over and over. To be honest, I feel that there is no correct answer. However everyone has their own preference. When it comes down to post workout I believe an individual should consume what ever they feel is best for them. I encourage everyone to read some of the studies and make their own decision. Personally I have a hard time eating after a workout. I just go for something easy to eat, usually a bowl of cereal.

However for the rest of the day, I recommend you stick to low G.I. carbohydrates as they seem to work best in a bodybuilders diet.

How does the G.I. Work?

As mentioned before, foods are listed based on how carbohydrates affect blood glucose levels. The foods are classified as: low=1-55 mid=56-69 high=70+

The Glycemic Load


The Glycemic load takes into account the amount of “available” carbohydrates. Available carbohydrates are those that provide energy, i.e. starch and sugar, but not fiber. The main reason for the G.L. is to let people know how much of the carbohydrates they take in will actually be used for energy.

Pre workout nutrition

Pre workout nutrition is vital to performance. How many times do you get up and drive into work or school on an empty tank? Exactly you don’t, so why would you put your body through a workout without the proper fuels.

Pre workout meal should be consumed 45-60 minutes before workout. Again everyone digest and adapts to things differently and this should be taken into consideration. If you find yourself bloated an hour after eating a meal you may want to push that pre workout meal to 90 minutes before.

What should I eat?

Now that you know when you should eat, the question is what should you eat. Pre workout meal is the main time you will be needing carbohydrates to fuel that killer workout. I suggest Low G.I. carbohydrates to provide maximum energy and low to moderate protein consumption. Around 50-70 grams of carbohydrates and 25-40 grams of protein should be ideal. I suggest that the protein come from whole food sources, not powders.

Sample Pre workout meals

Average sized chicken breast with 2 cups of brown rice and vegetable of choice

8oz of steak or fish with 2oz wheat pasta.

4 egg whites 2 slices wheat toast with natural peanut butter

Pre workout Supplements

Whey protein-While I suggest pre workout meal protein come from real food, whey protein can still be helpful when getting a full meal in is hard.

Primaforce Substance WPI- http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/prima/wpi.html

Dymatize Elite Whey- http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/dym/elite.html

Creatine- Creatine can give you increased energy and endurance when taken pre workout. Creatine boost the body’s ATP levels increasing endurance, allowing you to lift more when it counts.

MAN Clout- http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/man/clout.html

HP CEE- http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/hp/ester.html

Branch Chain Amino Acids- Or BCAA’s increase protein synthesis and improves recovery.

Scivation Xtend- http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/sv/xtend.html

Xtreme formulations ICE- http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/xf/ice.html


What to eat during my workout?

Well technically I do not recommend eating during your workout. However I am a big supporter of sipping on a shake during my workouts. I personally don’t recommend anything fancy. I like getting an extra 40 grams of protein down. I personally use Primaforce Substance WPI do to the great taste of watermelon. You could also try sipping on a Gatorade to keep the body’s glycogen stores up.

A shake is not really needed if your workouts are kept around 45 minutes. However anything over that, I believe a shake is a must.

During Workout Supplementation

Substance WPI- http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/prima/wpi.html

Branch Chain Amino Acid- Or BCAA’s increase protein synthesis and improves recovery.

Scivation Xtend- http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/sv/xtend.html

Xtreme formulations ICE- http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/xf/ice.html


Post Workout Nutrition

Post workout nutrition is just as important as pre workout nutrition. Your body is severely broken down during your workout and you have to eat to replenish the glycogen stores you lost. Your body is also in desperate need of protein to help repair those torn muscles.

Again this is where the carbohydrate source comes into question. Many say “oh high G.I. or sugar is the only way to go as it converts into glucose sooner.” However I think that sugar is more of an empty calorie and is not ideal. I recommend aiming for a moderate to low G.I. carbohydrate for the best nutritional stand point.

I also suggest avoiding fats post workout due to there ability to slow down the release of nutrients.

Sample post workout meals

2-4oz wheat pasta with 2 scoops whey (around 40-45 grams)

1 cup oats with 2 scoops whey (40-45 grams)

Post workout Supplements

Whey protein-The most important thing you can have after a workout. Helps repair muscles and rebuild them stronger. Without protein you leave your body nothing to build on. Whey powder is the simplest form of protein to digest post workout.

Substance WPI- http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/prima/wpi.html

Dymatize Elite Whey- http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/dym/elite.html

Branch Chain Amino Acids- Or BCAA’s increase protein synthesis and improves recovery.

Scivation Xtend- http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/sv/xtend.html

Xtreme formulations ICE - http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/xf/ice.html


Bonus Question: What carbohydrate source is best?

I think it is pretty say to say that low G.I. carbohydrates are the best. Higher G.I. carbohydrates such as sugar are empty calories. I give the nod to low G.I. due to being more nutritionally dense.

Good luck with your goals.

Sources and G.I. Chart

http://www.healthchecksystems.com/glycemic.htm

http://www.diabetes.ca/Section_About/glycemic.asp

[hepennypacker52]

man this is terrible. I still have about 1000 words to write and then post it and only like 1:30 left until the deadline lol

You know it's not required that you have to write a 30,000 word article every week, right? Lol I'm not ragging on you but if you've been busy and have had no time this week, then just don't enter. You've already got like $1k in credit, so one week won't hurt.

[sword chucks]

You know it's not required that you have to write a 30,000 word article every week, right? Lol I'm not ragging on you but if you've been busy and have had no time this week, then just don't enter. You've already got like $1k in credit, so one week won't hurt.

well i had already started it on last thursday. might as well finish

Im starting to wonder what you do all day, since your always around to joke about my TOTW obession, lol

[sword chucks]

ok I have about 10 minutes to post this. lol

ill still add in HTML though but heres the word doc

[sword chucks]

ok heres the deal. I have 4 min left, and the 60 second rule means that even if I rush to put the HTML in, I would still finish at 12:02. The word document is already there, though, so I;m not late lol.

[sword chucks]

Feeding the Muscles With Proper Pre, During, and Post Workout Nutrition!

Let’s talk about eating. Eating is something that all successful bodybuilders have to pay complete attention to. To really succeed in this activity, though, it takes more than just being a mindless appetite. First, you must know how much you are eating, and not eat too little or too much. But if a bodybuilder wants to see maximum results in the shortest time period, it requires that they put some effort into nutrient timing.

If you could pay attention to just one particular time of day to eat well, it would have to be around your workout. I want to make it clear that if you want to make results happen as fast as possible, you should eat well at all times, and consume food every 2 to 3 hours that you are awake. But around workout time is when the MUSCLES are hungry.

By paying special attention to nutrition around your workout, you can maximize how much of your food is used to build muscle, and minimize how much of it is used to fill up your fat stores. The workout nutrition can be broken into three categories- what you eat before a workout, what you eat (or drink preferably) during a workout, and what you eat after a workout session. Eating before a workout and during a workout is necessary to fuel the body for ideal performance and maintain an anabolic state during this time of muscular stress. Eating after a workout will ensure that your muscles can recover from your intense workout session and come back stronger for the next one!

This article will go more specifically into how to feed your muscles before, during, and after an intense workout, and why. I will suggest several ways to make pre, during, and post-workout nutrition easy for you. I will not leave out cardio, either- I am going to describe how you should decide what to eat before and after cardiovascular activity. I am about to share these advanced bodybuilding diet techniques with you, and I am sure that you will speed up gains noticeably, just by feeding the muscles with proper pre, during, and post-workout nutrition.

Priming the Body for Performance: Pre-Workout Nutrition

Eating before a workout is the best way to improve energy levels. Having a large meal before a workout will fill the body’s important energy stores, allowing you to move maximum poundage and finish your muscle building workout strong!

For example, if you have ever been on a very restrictive cutting diet, you have to have experienced a few days where you limited the amount of carbohydrates in the pre-workout meal to “consume less calories than you use”. There is no way around this, but I guarantee your workout was not as good as it would have been without having a big carb-meal beforehand. Without having a decent pre-workout meal, my muscles just feel empty.

Besides using food for energy pre-workout, you can also use a few effective supplements. There are supplements to boost energy levels, mental focus, and provide more blood flow to the muscles out there- all of these things will contribute to a better, more energized workout.

Working Out Hungry – Not a Good Idea!

For me, having a pre-workout meal is so important that, if I can’t get in some food before my workout, I just put it off until I am able to. Having the right foods before a workout makes all the difference. You may not notice it in a less taxing exercise, such as a bicep movement, but on a very taxing movement like a deadlift your strength will really take a hit if you are not properly fed before a workout.

The Body’s Energy Stores

This isn’t just luck of the draw though. Consuming food before a workout serves one main purpose which gives you energy- refilling your body’s glycogen (metabolized carbohydrate) stores. When you consume carbohydrates, the body breaks them down into glucose, which goes to refill glycogen stores in the liver and the muscles. If you want to perform at your best, make sure both of these stores are loaded with carbs.

Using Protein as Energy?

Working out hungry will cause more than just temporary weakness. By not fueling the body before a workout, your body will look for another energy source to burn when working out. The body’s choice energy source is going to be amino-acids. Amino acids are readily converted into glycogen in the absence of carbohydrates, through a process called gluconeogenesis. Whether these amino-acids come from your stomach, your protein shake, or your muscle tissue, your growth is going to be compromised. That is why working out without eating beforehand is not a good idea!

How to Build a Pre-Workout Meal

Structuring your diet to include a pre-workout meal, or possibly two meals leading up to the workout for extra energy, is very straight-forward. The three macronutrients that you must pay attention to are carbohydrates, protein, and fats. A calorie is not just a calorie here- each nutrient plays a particular role in providing the body with energy and maximizing your performance.

Pre-Workout Carbohydrates

You are going to want to include a good deal of complex carbohydrates for superior glycogen levels to start. “Glycogen is the form in which carbohydrate is stored in the liver and in muscles to be used as fuel for exercise.” (Schwarzenegger, 728) Even old-school bodybuilders like Arnold relied on carbohydrates as their main fuel for an intense workout! Some great complex carbohydrate sources that have minimal fat content are oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and other whole grain foods.

Pre-Workout Protein

Next, you will want some protein, since your body will use it to rebuild muscle tissue as you work out. You should be consuming protein at least every 2 to 3 hours as the day goes by, so this one is a no-brainer. Shoot for 20 to 30 grams of protein, coming from a high-quality lean protein source. Some good lean protein sources are chicken, turkey, tuna fish, and salmon.

Pre-Workout Fats

Leave fats to a minimum, though. Fat consumption will slow food absorption, and before a workout, you want all of that food to go right to the muscles for energy without slowing down. Fat should only come in the form of trace fats. This means that the only fats that you will consume before a workout are the grams that are already in your carbohydrate and protein sources.

How Much?

So how much of these nutrients should you eat? Well, I am not exactly a believer in calorie counting. You should not go by a set number of calories. Instead, with this meal, just eat carbs until you are satisfied. This way you will have ideal energy stores, but you won’t get that lethargic feeling. If you are trying to drop body fat, it is a good idea to lower carbohydrates from this meal to some degree. You will still want to try to get in at least 1/4 to 1/3 of the day’s carbs in this meal, to get the most energy as possible out of them.

Doubling Up on the Pre-Workout Meals

In order to ensure that your energy levels are ideal for a workout, if you have room for the extra calories in your diet, try to get solid carbs in both the meal before a workout, and the one before that. This way, your muscle glycogen stores will have a good level of carbs in them at all times leading up to a workout, to further maximize energy!

Don’t Forget to Eat for Cardio!

Intense weight lifting is not the only form of exercise for which you need to pay attention to your pre-workout nutrition. You should also be sure to fuel the body when doing cardio. In this section, I will go into how you should eat to provide the body with the necessary fuel for different types of cardio. By incorporating cardio, even on a mass gaining phase, you can use it to stimulate new muscle growth by fueling yourself with proper nutrition!

Low-Intensity Cardio

Low-Intensity cardio means a cardio session such as jogging or riding an exercise bike at an easy pace. You should stay well hydrated, and work up a light sweat.

Low-Intensity cardio has been proven to be glycogen sparing. This form of cardio uses mostly free fatty acids as fuel, so you do not need to eat all of your daily carbs before or after it. Be sure to get a good deal of protein before this activity, though, so that the body does not use existing amino acids as fuel.

High-Intensity Cardio

High-Intensity cardio is usually alternates between maximum-effort for 10 to 30 seconds, and active recovery for about a minute. The best way to perform this is to sprint out on a field, use an elliptical bike, or perform “iron cardio”. You will probably work up a huge sweat from this, so be sure to drink extra water!

High-Intensity cardio is a lot like working out, because it uses glycogen as the primary energy source. When eating for High-Intensity Cardio, eat a carbohydrate and protein-based meal, just like you would for a weight lifting session.

Continued in next post

[sword chucks]

Easy and Effective Pre-Workout Meals!

In this section, I will go into some quick pre-workout meals that fulfill all the necessities of a pre-workout meal- a good amount of carbs and protein, with minimum fats. In these four carbohydrate and protein-based meals, I do not suggest quantities of each food. The necessary amount of food will differ for everybody. Keep in mind, if you are bulking, eat carbs until you are satisfied in this meal. If you are losing body fat, just try to get 1/4 to 1/3 of your daily carbs here to get as much energy as you can for your workout.

My #1 Pre-workout meal

Oats
Chicken Breast
Wheat Bread
Cottage Cheese

This meal has my favorite carb foods, and my favorite proteins as well. What I do is cook the oats, or sometimes eat them raw. I eat the chicken by itself. I toast the wheat bread until it is very toasty, and then spread cottage cheese on it. This tastes awesome, and is my favorite protein snack for any time of day. I add it to my pre-workout meal, though, because it makes me feel full without having to eat as much, so I do not gain weight too rapidly.

Pre-Workout Meal Option #2

Whole Wheat Bun
Nonfat Turkey Burger
Oats
Lettuce

With this meal, I usually make 2 turkey burgers and have that on 2 whole wheat buns, then have some oats to top it off. Lettuce goes well on the turkey burgers.

Pre-Workout Meal Option #3

whey protein
Big Bowl of oats
cup milk

This is a really simple option. I like to mix the oats, whey protein and milk, and eat like a cereal. You can also mix this up in a blender for convenience. That way, if you are going to be out before your workout, you can slam a quick meal in the form of a shake and be ready 1-2 hours later!

Pre-Cardio Meal (for low-intensity cardio)

Tuna Fish
Whey Protein Shake

this meal is extremely simple, as you can see. Just consume some whole food protein and a protein shake and you can get to running after this meal with a steady supply of protein in your body to use for muscle building, or muscle preserving.

Using the Guidelines for a Custom Pre-Workout Meal

The meals above are definitely not the only options out there. You can use any combination of whole-grain carbs and lean protein that you like. Just remember to eat as much carbohydrates and protein as necessary.

Always Leave Time In Between the Pre-Workout Meal and Your Workout!

This might seem obvious to some of you, but you shouldn’t just chow down on your pre-workout meal, and then head right to the gym for whatever workout is scheduled. There are two reasons for this.

Allowing for Digestion

The more practical reason to give some time in between your pre-workout meal and your actual workout is that you need to give the food some time to actually be digested and get into the muscles. If you eat your meal and then start working out right away, your food will not be fully digested, and it will be sloshing around in your stomach. This leads me to the second reason to give food time to digest.

The stomach is a very sensitive thing. If you’ve got 2 cups of oats and a cup of cottage cheese on wheat toast sloshing around in there, and you go out for a jog, you are probably going to vomit. Some people can work out 10 minutes after eating a meal without feeling sick- in fact, I have done a few leg workouts which came right after a big batch of cottage cheese sandwiches without any trouble. However, I have seen people in the gym who try this, and end up rushing off to the toilet to throw up! This shows that you need to listen to your body after your pre-workout meal. If you start to feel sick right after eating, then give yourself more time.

How Long to Wait

Generally, you should try to give yourself 1-2 hours after your pre-workout meal until you start your workout. This will give the carbohydrates time to digest and be metabolized to form glycogen and prevent any sickness that might occur.

Priming the Body With Supplements

There are tons of supplements out there that are useful for before a workout. You can use supplements to give you an extra boost of energy once you have your pre-workout nutrition mastered. There are also a few supplements that promote focus and intensity. Finally, there are supplements that produce a stronger pump in the muscles, which increases blood flow to them. I will go into these supplements below, and give some recommendations!

Stimulants for a Rush of Energy

A simple solution to pre-workout energy boosting is a stimulant product, and there are plenty out there to choose from. These products contain a blend of chemicals which will spike energy levels so that you can blaze through your workout!

ErgoPharm AMP is a unique product because it uses the chemical Geranamine to act like adrenaline. This product doesn’t just use Geranamine, though, it also includes Chocamine and of course Caffiene to add to your energy levels. Give AMP a shot if you feel that your energy levels are not adequate for your workouts.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/ergo/amp.html

Don’t confuse that last product with this one, Dymatize AMP’d. Dymatize has always been a very trust-worthy company, which means this product is definitely worth a shot. It is considered more of a fat burner, so those of you who are cutting might benefit from this more than people trying to gain mass. This product uses a variety of substances to maximize energy, including Green Tea and Caffeine, which are two well-known energy products. AMP’d is definitely a great product choice, and goes hand in hand with a cutting diet, because it is a fat burner and will make up for the lack of carbohydrates pre-workout as much as possible as well!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/dym/amp.html

Increase Alertness and Mental Focus

The supplement industry has come so far that not only do they sell stimulants to boost energy, but also to enhance your workouts through increased focus! Increasing focus can really make a noticeable difference in your workout. If your workouts aren’t feeling too enjoyable and you’re just waiting for them to be finished because you are so bored, this is EXACTLY what you need.

MRM Driven is one such supplement. This product gives a boost in mental focus and energy all in one! It also uses contents such as citrulline malate and L-tyrosine to add some benefits to your body composition. If you want to improve mental focus for a workout, give this product a shot!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/mrm/driven.html

SciViation NeuroStim is another product that can maximize energy and mental focus. This product combines Vinpotecine, DMAE and Huperzine A to add to energy and alertness. Acetyl L-Cartinine and Choline, which add to brain function which improves mental focus, are also included. NeuroStim will definitely deliver a boost in focus when you need it.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/mrm/driven.html

Getting a Vein-Busting Pump

Recent research has shown that a simple muscle pump is more than it is made out to be. Getting a great big muscle pump in the gym is possibly one of the best feelings, because it makes you look huge, and that does anybody’s ego good. Too many people take the pump for granted, thinking that it is nothing more than an ego trip, but according to one study, “In the case of leucine and alanine, transit between blood and interstitial fluid was potentially rate limiting for muscle amino acid uptake and release in the postabsorptive state.” (Miller) What does this mean, exactly? Well, when you get that explosive muscle pump at the end of your workout, the improvement in appearance might be temporary, but the increased amino acid uptake to muscles won’t be.

XYience NOX-CG3 is a product that caught my eye because of the detail that they put into finding quality ingredients. There are 3 different glutamines and 3 different creatines in this product. What you should notice, though, is the arginine content- the enhanced forms of arginine will really improve its absorption, and this is important because arginine is what improves that muscle pump.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/xy/noxcg.html

Controlled Labs White Blood is another awesome item that enhances blood transport. It contains a variety of substances that all work to add to the cell-volumization effect, including Taurine and Arginine. Don’t be scared off by the name, either, like I was at first. It is just another unique product containing arginine, which will really add to your muscle pump.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/clabs/white.html

A Post-Workout Shake for Every Set

Let’s talk about your average bodybuilder. Your average bodybuilder will go to the gym and hit two muscle groups, such as chest and back. They will go through the whole chest and back workout with no nutrients, leaving the muscles hungry, and then slam that post-workout shake right after the final back exercise. But what about the chest? At the end of their chest training, they had a perfect opportunity to have some protein which would travel directly to the chest to feed that muscle group, so why didn’t they take it? In fact, you can apply this logic to every set. Right after every set, the muscles are pumped with blood, a perfect opportunity to have some protein and carbohydrate and shuttle those nutrients right off to the muscles.

Keep Energy Levels Up!

Sipping your shake in this manner isn’t just to pamper your muscles with a constant supply of food, for long-term growth, though. Constantly sipping on a solution of carbohydrates and protein while you work out will keep energy levels high. Think of it as the same thing as sipping a big cup of gatorade in between rounds in sports.

Continued in next post

[sword chucks]

Reverse Catabolic processes

Consuming a carbohydrate and protein solution during the workout will also prevent blood sugar from dropping. This is very anti-catabolic. Sometimes during a workout, breakdown of muscle tissue can occur, but sipping a during workout shake actually reverses this process! So how do I make one of these magical shakes? Read on to find out.

Constructing the Workout Shake

If the world were perfect, I think a lot of us would have no problems taking a bowl of oatmeal mixed with whey protein to the gym and carrying it around with us from set to set. It’s pretty obvious that this isn’t a great way to get your during-workout nutrition in. The worst thing that could happen would be if you drop a dumbbell into your oats- or somebody else does, which might be more embarrassing!

When putting together your workout shake, you should take a few things into consideration. First and foremost is nutrient content. Next comes taste. Finally, you need to include a good deal of water. Below, I will discuss how to handle each aspect of the workout shake.

Nutrient Content

When making up your during-workout shake, you have to pay attention to levels of the three macronutrients- carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. If your stomach tends to be more sensitive, I wouldn’t load this shake up with whey protein. I would recommend getting a Branch Chain Amino Acid product, such as SciViation XTend. Depending on your weight, you will want anywhere from 2 to 6 scoops of XTend in this shake.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/sv/xtend.html

If you do not use BCAAs, use a quality whey protein. Whey protein is the next best thing because it does have a high BCAA content by itself. Try Bioplex Whey Protien- you can purchase a 22-pound container for under 100 dollars! This means it costs 26 cents per serving- wow!

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/bioplex/100whey.html

You will also want to address carbohydrate content. Carbs are what’s going to be the most anti-catabolic, as they will keep your blood sugar from dropping, and prevent hormonal changes that encourage muscle breakdown. A supplement that’s always worked for me is NOW Dextrose. This form of carbohydrate is very efficient in the body. Too many times I hear people loading their shakes up with 10 tablespoons of dextrose or more. All you need is 10 to 20 grams, or 1-2 tablespoons.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/now/dex.html

As far as fats go, we will use the same logic as we used for pre-workout- you don’t want the fats to slow down your absorption of other nutrients. This is even more true for during-workout nutrition than it is for pre-workout nutrition, actually. Also, I can’t imagine too many fat sources that would go well with dextrose and protein powder anyway.

Taste

Yes, I said it. Taste actually is important. Jay Cutler might not think about taste, only functionality, but if he was given a 1-month supply of chocolate mint orange blueberry chalk malt gatorade protein drinks for his during-workout shake, he’d probably be eating his words, and see that protein shake in the toilet before it reaches his muscles. Try to choose a flavor of protein for your workout shake that is easy on the stomach.

Water Content

Putting a lot of water in your during-workout shake is very important for a few reasons. The main reason is that if you just mix 8 ounces of water into your shake, it’s not going to last a whole workout! An adequate amount of water is also very important to prevent dehydration. Studies show that even 3% dehydration will hurt performance. I would recommend sipping your during-workout shake in moderation, and try to go to the water fountain 2 times for every time you take a dip of your during-workout shake. This way, you don’t run out of your during workout shake, and you stay well hydrated as too.

My During-Workout Shake

This is the during-workout shake that I always use. It is heavy on the protein, but it always gives me great results, so I do not see a need to change it. Check it out:

2 scoops: ON’s 100% whey protein Gold Standard- Tropical Punch flavor http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/opt/whey.html
2 tablespoons: NOW dextrose http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/now/dex.html
2 scoops: SciViation XTend http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/sv/xtend.html

I mix all of this up with 16 to 20 ounces of water in my bodybuilding.com shaker bottle: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/shaker.html

TIP: don’t put in so much water that you can’t fit your protein and dextrose! That gets to be a mess.

Muscular Repairing and Rebuilding: Post-Workout Nutrition

So you’re all done with your workout. You have those last few sips of your during workout shake and toss the shaker bottle in the sink. That’s enough of this workout nutrition stuff, right? No way! There’s one more extremely important part of your workout nutrition plan. When it comes to pre-, post-, and during-workout nutrition, post-workout nutrition is the most unique time to take in nutrients.

Post-workout is when your body really needs the nutrients. you fought off the muscle tissue breakdown using shakes and whole food meals in the during and pre-workout segments, but now is the time when the food you eat is gonna re-build your muscles.

Your post-workout meal should come about 30-45 minutes after that last sip of your during workout shake. This is right when your body needs its second wave of food. You should make this meal consist of whole foods, mostly. Again, you must pay attention to protein, fat, and carbohydrate content of this meal.

Carbohydrates

If the during-workout shake was supposed to keep muscle glycogen levels elevated, the post-workout shake is to refill the muscles’ glycogen storage completely. This is especially important if you plan to train for days without rest in between- by refilling glycogen in the muscles in between each workout, you can make sure that you are strong for each workout, and fully fueled.

Another thing of note is that after consuming the sugars that are dextrose in your during-workout shake, your body’s insulin levels will be through the roof for about 30 to 45 minutes. Right after that, though, insulin will drop below normal levels if you do not eat a whole food meal full of complex carbohydrates to balance things out.

Another thing of note is that post-workout is the single BEST time to consume your carbohydrates. After a workout, the blood is pumped into your muscles, aiding in nutrient transport. Studies have also shown that the glut-4 receptor in the muscles, which is what signals for carbohydrates to be shuttled into the muscle tissue, is more active. Finally, with insulin levels high from your post-workout shake, the muscle cells will be taking in even more carbohydrates! By consuming a good percent of carbohydrates directly after a workout, you limit the amount of fat that is gained while maximizing lean mass gains.

Protein

Protein is another macronutrient that is very important for proper recovery. Protein and amino acids are what are going to re-build your muscle tissue so that you can come back stronger for your next workout.

I would suggest a combination of a lean meat source and whey protein for this meal. The whey protein will provide protein with a Branch Chain Amino Acid content and be absorbed a bit faster, while the lean protein source will give your muscles a more steady supply of protein.

Try not to consume any dairy products after your workout, either. Dairy will slow down your digestion, which will also slow down recovery. This is because the unique casein proteins found in dairy will create a coating in the stomach. It is alright to drink some milk with your protein shake, but don’t go crazy with the cottage cheese and VPX Micellean just yet.

Fats

Again, fats are to be minimized in this meal. You want to get those nutrients to the muscles as fast as possible, there is no time for delay!

Don’t get me wrong, fat consumption at any other time of day is not to be avoided. Dietary fat is extremely beneficial when it comes to bodybuilding and overall health. Some fats improve anabolic hormone levels such as testosterone naturally. Others will add to joint health. In fact, even the digestion-slowing effects of fat consumption has its place- especially before bed.

But let’s get back to the discussion of workout nutrition. In the next section, I will go into some meal examples for post-workout time!

Quality Meals for Maximum Recovery

Here are 4 examples of a great post-workout meal. See which one you like best! You might notice that these post-workout meals look a whole lot like the pre-workout meal examples. Well, that’s how its supposed to be. In fact, if you really like one of these meals have it both pre and post workout! Why not? The necessary contents of each meal is pretty much the same.

Remember, I do not suggest quantities of each food here, because everyone will require a different amount of carbs, protein and fats in one meal. Try to get 1/4 to 1/3 of your daily carbs in this meal, though, and get .25 grams per pound of bodyweight in protein as well.

My #1 Post-Workout Meal

Banana
Milk
Iron-Tek’s Essential Banana Cream whey protein
Oats
Sweet Potatoes
Salmon

It doesn’t take too much intuition to figure out what to do here. Mix up the salmon, sweet potatoes, and banana in water, cook the oats in milk, and eat the protein powder dry.

Just kidding! What I usually do is take out the blender throw in some ice, mix in some milk, the whey protein, the banana, and oatmeal. This tastes awesome and is great for sipping on while I eat the sweet potatoes and salmon.

Continued in next post

[sword chucks]

Post-Workout Meal Option #2

Oats- ground up
Whey Protein
Egg Protein powder

I thought this one up one day where I had to go to work straight from the gym. I just mixed up this shake in the blender, threw it in my bodybuilding.com shaker bottle, and sipped it 30 minutes after my workout was finished.

Post-Workout Meal Option #3

Non-fat Turkey Burger
Whole Wheat Bun
Sweet Potato
Whey Protein
Milk

this is another basic carb and protein meal that I like to have sometimes. Sweet potatoes are pretty much a staple in my diet. They might seem very sugary, but really, the carbs in sweet potatoes are actually more complex than those in a white potato! So eat up those yams.

Post-Cardio Meal Example

Zero Carb Isopure Whey Protein
Chicken Breast

Not too many carbs here. This meal is for after a low-intensity cardio session, when you don’t really need carbs- I discuss this below. You could always add in some sweet potatoes or oats, though, if your daily nutrient goals allow!

Supplements to Speed Recovery and Maximize Gains!

There are a few very effective supplements out there that can be taken post-workout. Surprisingly, a lot of them are your basic supplements. Here are five supplements that I recommend for post-workout consumption:

Branch-Chain Amino Acids

this term has come up a few times in this article, and I am glad, because it definitely helped out my word count. I didn’t just include it for that reason though- BCAA’s are extremely effective for helping to shuttle nutrients to the muscles after a workout.

You can learn more about BCAAs here:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/bcaa.html

Whey Protein

Whey Protein is another supplement that is great for post-workout. This is an extremely effective form of protein, and also has a high BCAA content. As I stated before, take some whey protein after your workout, but be sure to have a lean protein source from whole food as well!

Find out some great brands of whey protein here:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/whey.html

Dextrose

After a workout, or during one, dextrose is just what you need to keep your strength up. Dextrose will cause an insulin spike, shuttling massive amounts of carbs and protein to muscle cells for repair.

There is not much you need to learn about dextrose, as it is just a form of sugar. I’ll cut to the chase- here is a great brand of dextrose from NOW foods:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/now/dex.html

Creatine Products

There are tons of creatines out there, and they all boast different methods to enhance absorption. I’ll tell you what will REALLY enhance creatine absorption- consuming it post workout! With all of the insulin shutting nutrients away to the muscles, you will get the most effectiveness from your creatine consumption.

There are some creatine products that are supposed to be taken before a workout, because of other ingredients. Make sure to read the labels!

To learn more about creatine, go here:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/creatine.html

Citrulline Malate

Citrulline Malate is a product so new that the words are not recognized by spell check. this doesn’t mean that is isn’t safe or effective, though. While Citrulline Malate may have just hit the bodybuilding supplement scene, it has been used for years before this to treat fatigue and muscle weakness. This product will improve recovery from workouts and improve performance in the gym!

To learn more about citrulline malate, check out this page:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/cit.html

Post-Workout Meal for Cardio?

Just like you need to pay attention to pre-workout nutrition, even for cardio, you need to pay attention to post-workout nutrition for this form of exercise as well. I will describe how to eat after a cardio session to maximize recovery!

Glycogen Sparing low-intensity cardio

Low-Intensity cardio has been proven to be glycogen-sparing because it uses free fatty acids as an energy source- not your muscle’s stores of metabolized carbohydrate! You can get away with performing a jog and then just consuming some protein afterwards, as long as you remember to eat every 2-3 hours.

Glycogen using high-intensity cardio

High-Intensity cardio, on the other hand, isn’t so easy. After a high-intensity cardio session you are going to want to consume a pre-workout meal just like you would after a weight training session. High-Intensity cardio is more like weight training than actual cardio, so you are going to want to take advantage of the improved nutrient uptake of the muscles, and use your post-workout time to re load the muscle glycogen stores.

The King of Carbs- Oatmeal

If I had to eat just one carbohydrate source for the rest of my life, and had no other options, I would definitely think of sweet potatoes. However, I would then change my mind, because I honestly think that no carb source is as effective as oatmeal, or as cost-efficient for that matter.

There are tons of different brands of oatmeal and different flavors. For me, the only way to go is 100% stone-ground oats. This is delicious, and not sugary at all. I use Quaker Oatmeal, which contains about 22 grams of high-quality complex carbs per 1/2 cup, along with 5 grams of fiber.

Oatmeal has it all. The load of fiber will ensure that you stay healthy. Oatmeal also has only a few grams of fat per serving, and all of the fats are healthy ones. It’s protein content can really add up as well. Don’t be fooled, though- oatmeal’s protein doesn’t have the greatest bioavailability- but it still adds some more calories to the diet, which can’t hurt.

I also like the fact that oats can be blended up, to eat when time is an issue. This is not doable with most other foods. I’ve yet to try a sweet potato shake, though.

Other great carb foods include sweet potatoes, whole wheat products, and whole grain cereals. I am an avid cheerios eater, and I used to eat upwards of 4 cups of cheerios in one post-workout meal. Whole wheat products are great because there are a whole bunch of different choices- you can have whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat pretzels, and the list is basically endless from there.

While you should vary your carbohydrate sources to keep things from getting stale, you should always return to OATMEAL, and you can always rely on OATMEAL when you want a high-quality source of carbohydrates in your pre or post-workout meal.

Continued in next post

[sword chucks]

Conclusion

This article went into how to structure your meals when it comes time to work out. This knowledge will definitely make a big difference in your gains and how you feel every day in the gym. If you already knew these little things that I wrote about, you probably still learned a few things, and reading this again might be a good reminder for you. Pre-, during-, and post-workout nutrition is not all that difficult to master. Don’t forget to fuel your cardio with proper nutrition either.

To maximize lean mass gains, and minimize gains in fat, you should focus on your workout nutrition. Working out will leave your muscles like nutrient sponges through various processes. The workout nutrition can be broken into three areas- what you eat to fuel the body before a workout, what you consume to keep energy up during your workout, and what you eat to maximize muscle repair after a workout. If you eat before and during your workout, your energy levels will be ideal, and muscle breakdown will be minimized. By eating after a workout, you promote muscle growth and recovery!

While you should eat well at all times, and consume several small meals through the day, the meals around your workout are extra-important. If you have to slack on your diet all day, the least you can do is eat a whole bunch of food around your workout, because that’s when the MUSCLES needs the food most.

The more attention you give to dieting, the more results you should see, and you should have more success as a bodybuilder. Bodybuilding isn’t just eating twice as many big-macs every night to maximize your protein intake. You must pay attention to little details, such as nutrient timing.


Let’s talk about eating. Eating is something that all successful bodybuilders have to pay complete attention to. To really succeed in this activity, though, it takes more than just being a mindless appetite. First, you must know how much you are eating, and not eat too little or too much. But if a bodybuilder wants to see maximum results in the shortest time period, it requires some effort to be put into nutrient timing. It’s not what you eat. It’s when you eat!

If you could pay attention to just one particular time of day to eat well, it would have to be around your workout. I want to make it clear that if you want to make results happen as fast as possible, you should eat well at all times, and consume food every 2 to 3 hours that you are awake. But around workout time is when the MUSCLES are hungry.

By paying special attention to nutrition around your workout, you can maximize how much of your food is used to build muscle, and minimize how much of it is used to fill up your fat stores. The workout nutrition can be broken into three categories- what you eat before a workout, what you eat (or drink preferably) during a workout, and what you eat after a workout session. Eating before a workout and during a workout is necessary to fuel the body for ideal performance and maintain an anabolic state during this time of muscular stress. Eating after a workout will ensure that your muscles can recover from your intense workout session and come back stronger for the next one!

This article will go more specifically into how to feed your muscles before, during, and after an intense workout, and why. I will suggest several ways to make pre, during, and post-workout nutrition easy for you. I will not leave out cardio, either- I am going to describe how you should decide what to eat before and after cardiovascular activity. I am about to share these advanced bodybuilding diet techniques with you, and I am sure that you will speed up gains noticeably, just by feeding the muscles with proper pre, during, and post-workout nutrition. It’s not just what you eat anymore. It’s when you eat!

Sources

1- The new encyclopedia of modern bodybuilding (book)
2- http://ajpendo.physiology.org/cgi/co...ull/287/1/E136

[sword chucks]

'night

[ravadongon]

holy crap swordchucks! you don't give anyone else a chance to win do you

Is there a chance you'll be taking a break from TOTW anytime soon ...

[Blap Blaow]

Nice article man! When exactly do you go back to school....?!! Hehe

[hepennypacker52]

Im starting to wonder what you do all day, since your always around to joke about my TOTW obession, lol

Well...

Days that I'm not working, I wake up at 10am, go online for a 'lil, work on my HST article some until my friends wake up at about 12. Call them, usually go out from about 1-6. Come home for dinner, eat, and go out with friends from 7-12. Get home, go online for a 'lil, go to bed. Rinse and repeat.

But now that I've been getting closer to surgery, I have more doctors appts., so I'm staying home more and spending more time online working on my forum.

[sword chucks]

ha ha, thanks guys, Im going back to school in a couple weeks, I just use TOTW to keep my brain in shape until then, ya know?

good articles everyone, too bad there werent enough people this week to make the 2nd page though, that kinda stinks

[Big_League]

Pre, during, and post workout

You stand in front of the squat rack, staring eye to eye with the bar. The plates on the end taunt you as sweat drips down your face. Taking one last deep breath, you step into the squat rack, the point of no return. After six grueling reps, you rack the weight and are ready to collapse on the floor.

This is your battle. A daily ritual. This is bodybuilding, and it's your life. But only half the battle has been won. Each day you are in the gym, pushing yourself to new limits and conquering old records. But if you don't know what you're doing out of the gym, all of that hard work is for nothing.

Windows of opportunity

When you're in the gym, your muscles aren't really growing. That's right, they're tearing, being forced to finish those last reps, but one thing they aren't doing is growing. Your muscles are actually doing their growth outside of the gym, during your rest and recuperation period.

Think of it this way: when you're in the gym, you are opening windows of opportunity. You are creating potential for your muscle to grow bigger and stronger than before. How much of that potential you meet, and how much muscle growth you get, is all dependant on you!

If you are taking in the proper nutrients at the right time, you will meet your full potential. You will begin to see results you never saw possible, and will minimize any chance of your body burning muscle. Nothing is worse than doing all that hard work in the gym, and then depriving your body of what it needs to grow.

The first window: Pre workout

Don't even think about heading to the gym unless your body is ready for it. And the biggest part of that preparation is supplying your body with the nutrients it needs to perform at 100%.

The first essential nutrient is carbohydrates, which you will preferably get from 100% oats. You can either blend these in with your protein shake (but don't be surprised if they don't blend all the way and the taste is less than cuisine), or mix a serving with boiled water and eat it like oatmeal, adding Splenda for taste if necessary. These carbohydrates will make sure your body doesn't run out of energy during your workout, and keep you from burning protein or muscle while lifting. It's important that you get these carbohydrates from a good source, namely 100% oats, and that you avoid fats.

The next important thing is fiber, which will also contribute to energy and keeping your body from burning muscle. Although there is some fiber in oats, your best bet is to eat a banana along with that, or chop it up and have it in your oatmeal for added taste.

The third vital nutrient is whey protein. The easiest and tastiest way to get this is by mixing in a couple scoops (~40-50g of protein) with water before your workout.

Another helpful supplement to take before lifting is vitamin E, which is very cheap and comes in pill form. Vitamin E is primarily for your skin, and can help prevent stretch marks that come from your body growing faster than your skin can keep up with. Remember, the best way to fight stretch marks is to prevent them.

Now, one last thing before you're off to throw that iron around. One question often skipped over is how pre is your pre workout meal? Well, you want to give your body enough time to digest the food, but if you wait too long, you are going to run out of nutrients and need another meal before the gym. So the answer to this question is 1 hour to 45 minutes before you lift weights.

The second window: during

During your workout, the most important thing is hydration. Be sure to keep your body fueled with plenty of water. If going to the water fountain between sets becomes a hassle, bring a water bottle or even a gallon of water (no, you don't have drink the entire gallon during your workout!) with you.

There is no specific amount of water to drink during your workout. If you feel like you drank too much and are running to the bathroom after every set, slow it down. If you feel like you're dehydrated or getting too tired, you need to drink more. A good amount would be 1-2 bottles for a 1 hour workout.

The third window: post

The final, and equally important, equation of just how much muscle will grow is your post workout meal.

There are actually two parts to post workout, one is your immediate meal or protein shake when you get done in the gym, and the other is your meal about an hour later. Remember, after a workout your body is in a glycogen-deprived state, meaning lacking nutrients for energy, and if you don't supply it with what it needs, not only will you not grow, but you will burn muscle for energy!

Carbohydrates

The first thing is restoring your glycogen supplies. Complex carbohydrates aren't going to cut it, and in most cases even sports drinks like Gatorade won't either. Fortunately, the answer is as simple as it is cheap: corn sugar!

Corn sugar, or at least the type us bodybuilders want, come in two forms: dextrose and maltodextrin. Dextrose is the cheaper of the two, and it is a carbohydrate that absorbs within 10 minutes of taking it, meaning your body will refuel its glycogen supplies in a short amount of time. Maltodextrin is also corn sugar, just a more complex form, that is absorbed within 20 minutes of taking it. The advantage of taking both is that if your body is digesting two sources at once, which means getting you more nutrients at once without compromising how fast you get them. If you just take one, I recommend dextrose.

To find out how much you need is actually pretty simple. If you are 175 pounds or less, 30g should be enough. If you are between 176-250, 50g should be enough. If you are over 250, 70g should be enough. Remember, if you take both dextrose and maltodextrin, half the portions (i.e. for 50g total, 25g of dextrose and 25g of maltodextrin).

You can mix this right in with your water and protein, and since they are sugars, they should make your protein shake actually taste better!

Protein

Protein is the building block for muscle. Without it, you won't grow. I'm sure you've heard this a thousand times, so you can imagine how important it is when your muscles need it most.

Finding out how much you need, like with carbohydrates, is pretty easy. If you are 175 or less, 1 scoop (~20-30g of protein per scoop) should be enough. If you are between 176-250, 2 scoops should be enough. If you are over 250, 3 scoops will suffice.

The important thing is quality and grade. Make sure that it's a trustworthy brand of protein, and make sure it's 100% whey. Take it with water (and your carbs).

Vitamins

Another thing your body is in dire need of after your workout is vitamins. This is probably the easiest thing to take care of because any good multivitamin will do. Remember that vitamins help your body get the nutrients where they need to be, so without these your body cannot repair your muscles!

Water

It's important to get plenty of water after your workout. Water is used to transport the nutrients throughout your body.

This is as simple as carrying a bottle of water around with you, and finishing it every hour or so before refilling it.

Your post-post workout meal

The second part is your next meal after working out. This should be about 1 hour after your workout, and should consist of protein from lean meat (think chicken, lean steak, and fish), and carbohydrates from green vegetables, i.e. green beans or broccoli.



In conclusion...

You design your body inside and outside of the gym. Proper nutrition and getting what you need pre, during and post workout are some of the biggest variables in building the perfect body.

Train hard, eat smart, stay dedicated, and the rest will follow.

[gunsnbam]

wow I am new and everything and this stuff is REALLY helping me! Thanks

[Blap Blaow]

wow I am new and everything and this stuff is REALLY helping me! Thanks

funny. A lot of the time you forget and just have your eyes on the prize, but that's what this is really about.

[gunsnbam]

lol I just got done reading the abs section and before that I was reading the "budget supplement" section. This stuff is great because for every question I got I get like 12 full essay opinions.

[live4this13]

wow I am new and everything and this stuff is REALLY helping me! Thanks

Thats great I love knowing that millions of people get to read my work, and that even if only one truely learns from it, it is still one more person headed in the right direction.

Good job guys.

[sword chucks]

live4this13 is so noble.. I just like free supps

jk, yeah this is pretty great for people to be able to read, hearing all of the different methods out there (theres a lot more than one if u read the boards) can help a lot, ya know?

[gunsnbam]

lol I sure know I'm sittin here copying and pasting the meal options and saving it so I can look at them when I need them. I'm very happy Sword Chucks posted so many.

[BigNorwegian]

fk this. Sword just to piss you off Im writting a 30 page article next week. MUUUHAHAHAHAHA

[sword chucks]

lol, good luck bro

gunsnbam remember to adjust the amount of food according to your calorie needs also people might not advice this but try eating the oats raw and then wash it down with a protein shake, this makes it so much easier to eat them plus its just as filling, just make sure to chew well

[gunsnbam]

Actually I just had a cup of oats in a glass with milk and ate it with a spoon for a post work out meal/shake thing (my whey hasnt came in yet) By the way how do I know how many calories I need?

[DSM18]

wow I am new and everything and this stuff is REALLY helping me! Thanks

Yeah, I've been training for 4 years plus, and still read through alot of the previous topics to increase my wt knowledge.

When I write something I try and teach something new. Alot of the time in magazines, which is the main source people get their wt info from, its repetitive and its hard to see something and think, "I've haven't heard of that before". Think of it, here there are over 20 different people saying what they think on each topic, and if you add up all the different tips and ideas they give, its gonna help you out heeps. In my articles, I want to be innovative, I dont want to repeat everything you read elsewhere - I try and write things that are important, but things that people often overlook.

Anyway, good luck everyone this week.

BTW, someone did a word count last week, is it possible to do it for this week again?

[sword chucks]

Actually I just had a cup of oats in a glass with milk and ate it with a spoon for a post work out meal/shake thing (my whey hasnt came in yet) By the way how do I know how many calories I need?

hmm... probably 2500-3000, somewhere in that range, i would want you getting in .25 grams of protein per pound both pre- and post-workout and .5 grams per pound of bodyweight in carbs for both times. Make sure to evenly spread out the rest of your calories.

A good guideline for calories to start is 18-20 times your bodyweight if your goal is to add muscle, its not the most accurate method but start somewhere in there and adjust as necesary

every monday after toilet-time (its important to do it at this time and only "count" this weight bc of consistency in water weight and such) weigh yourself and see if you are gaining weight, if not then add calories of course