Pre/Post Workout Meals

As more people start getting interested in nutrition and fitness, more people get confused on what exactly they should be eating every meal. The talk about pre- and post-workout meals has become really confusing for some. So here it is, simplified:

Pre-workout Meal

This meal is the meal eaten BEFORE a workout. It supplies your body with the nutrition needed to ensure optimal performance during the workout. There are 3 things you need to do to ensure optimal performance. First, you need to reduce muscle glycogen depletion. Second, you need to reduce muscle protein breakdown. Thirdly, you need to post workout cortisol levels. You are probably thinking that is too much science for me. BUT it is really easy to do these three things. All you need to do is provide your body with two things:

1. Carbohydrates
2. Proteins

All you need in your pre-workout meal is that: carbs and proteins. As long as you provide your body with that, you are on the right track. If you want to get specific, you need approximately a quarter of your body weight in each IN GRAMS. You can either have it in solid form 60-90 minutes before your workout, or you can have it in liquid form (like a protein shake) 30 minutes before your workout.

Post-workout Meal

This is the meal eaten AFTER a workout. It supplies your body with the right nutrition to aid in repairing, rebuilding, and recovering. You need to accomplish a few more than 3 things with this meal. You need to:

• replenish the muscle glycogen that was lost
• reduce the muscle protein breakdown
• increase muscle protein synthesis
• reduce muscle soreness and fatigue
• greatly enhance overall recovery
• reduce cortisol levels

It is exactly the same, though. To provide all of this to your body you need to give it 2 things:

1. Carbohydrates
2. Proteins

It is that simple. This meal should be eaten within the hour after your workout to ensure proper nutrient intake. Again, if you want to be more specific you need about a quarter of your body weight in each but you can up the carbohydrates to about half of your body weight in grams.

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