The Importance of Your Pre/Post Workout Meals

Whether it is losing weight or mass gain, eating is one of the most important things you must do properly. You pre and post workout meals are very important to get the most out of your body for your workout. Anything else would be cheating yourself and your body out of maximum potential. Your body must have the proper nutrients to work at its maximum capabilities. Do not get sucked into “vegging” on the couch for a couple of hours before your training.
For resistance training you may only be in the gym for about an hour, but in reality there is the “four hour window.” You have to be fully aware of the most important 4 hours for your body to be in tip top shape. 90 minutes before, 60 minutes during and 90 minutes after for muscle growth. The 90 minutes after your workout is important because that is when your muscles are the most receptive.

Workout Day Schedule

90 minutes before – Pre-Workout Meal
15-30 minutes before – Quick Energy(Simple Carbs)
60 minute workout
0-90 minutes after workout – Post-Workout Meal
90 minutes after workout – Next regular meal

Pre-Workout Nutrition

Why is My Pre-Workout Nutrition Important?

Your pre-workout meal is the second most important meal of your day. This meal is second to your post meal of course. Your pre-workout meal is your nutrient supply for your muscles during your workout.
The term “glycolysis”  is very important for the understanding of why you need the nutrients from your pre-workout meal. Glycolysis is the conversion of sugars to create ATP. ATP is used when your muscles are contracted during your workout. Without ATP your workout would not be very productive. The sugars that are converted to ATP are from the carbohydrates consumed during your meal.

What should my pre-workout meal consist of?

Your pre-workout meal should consist of a lot of protein and complex carbohydrates. Both of these are very important to have before your workout. This meal should be at least 60-90 mins before your workout to allow digestion of the nutrients, so they are readily available during your workout.
Simple carbohydrates are also a good practice to get into. Simple carbohydrates are things like fruits, fruit juices, etc. Simple carbohydrates should be consumed 15-30 minutes before your workout and a quick protein drink will both allow for an immediate energy source for the start of your workout.

Post-Workout Nutrition

Why Is My The Post-Workout Meal Important?

When weight training for mass building there are two things your body will do. While training your body if successful your body will receive small tears in muscle fibers. This is known as catabolism. The time after your workout whether that be hours or days, your muscles will attempt to rebuild. This is known as anabolism. Your muscles will also become stronger (adaptation) so that next time you will be able to lift more. Notice I mentioned “attempt” to rebuild, I said this because without your post workout meal this process will not take place.

What Should My Post-Workout Meal Consist Of?

After your workout your body/muscles have used up the nutrients it had and you must replenish these in or for your body to start rebuilding your muscles. Your body and muscles need a meal loaded with carbohydrates and protein once again. Protein is needed for the rebuilding of your muscles. Carbohydrates are needed for replacing muscle glycogen and used to transport the protein to the muscles for rebuilding.
The sooner your body receives the nutrients from your post-workout meal, the sooner your body can begin rebuilding. The better the fuel in your post meal the better the result you will get.
The main objective of your post-workout meal is for your muscles to receive the required nutrients quick and efficiently so your muscles can grow bigger and stronger.
For mass gain you want your post-workout meal to contain about 15-25% of your daily caloric intake. Please remember you want quality carbohydrates and protein mix (quality over quantity).

Quick Post-Workout Replacements

These are not replacements for your post-workout meal. They are simply a quick fix to hold you over till the real thing. Sport drinks are a great first step to have after your workout. Sport drinks supply your body with a quick replacement of energy stores and some lost nutrients.

They also create an insulin spike. High glycemic index fruit or creatine can also help with this. After a sport drink a protein drink should follow or some meal replacements could suffice. If you are serious about gaining mass weight gainers will also work well.
Remember the sooner your body gets the nutrients the better. The sooner your body gets the nutrients the sooner it will exit catabolic state and enter anabolic. Getting the nutrients sooner will result in less muscle lost and the building process to begin.

The longest you should wait to have your post-workout mean is 90 minutes. Ideally you should have the meal in the first 30 minutes after workout completeion. The muscle rebuilding process is extremely affected by your post-workout meal. This is the most important meal of your day so do not forget about it.
To put the post-workout into perspective it is known as “free time” to bodybuilders. The meal is known as this because bodybuilders do not have to worry about what they eat turning into fat. Your muscle cells are hungry for nutrients and will attempt to use all of them (more than usual) not giving any of the meal a chance to turn into fat cells.

How Should I Increase My Caloric Intake On Workout Days?

To gain mass effectively the simplest method for workout days is to use “cycling.” Cycling means on workout days in your caloric intake you will not count your post-workout meal. This means you will get 15-25% more calories on workout days. This method allows for the body adjust and grow.