The purpose of nutrition:
(1) We all know the importance of nutrition for supporting our performance and our recovery and therefore how we achieve our fitness-related goals. But with so much nutrition advice circulating social media, it can be easy to get confused with what nutrition advice to follow. My name is Elle specialist in eating disorders and sports dietitian and I'm going to break down the purpose of pre, intra and post-workout fueling. Let's start by taking a look at
(2) pre-workout. The purpose of pre-workout fueling is to ensure that your body is prepared for the workout ahead. The importance of pre-workout nutrition will depend on your goals. Are you training for performance or is this leisure the requirement of your sports for example, is it power or endurance based the intensity, this will dictate which substrate will be the
(3) predominant fuel provider. The duration will influence how much energy you need. The timing of the day is your pre-workout meal the first meal you've eaten, or have you been eating regularly throughout the day in the lead up to the session, your digestion and preferences, you should be doing what works for you and of course your overall energy requirements and intake.
(4) In many sports, especially high intensity ones. Carbohydrates are the preferred fuel source, we can store carbohydrates in the form of glycogen in our muscles and our liver, glycogen is converted back to glucose and is drip fed into the bloodstream in the absence of foods. When glycogen stores are at full capacity, they can normally provide us with energy for up to 24 hours. However, the rate at which we use glycogen is much higher when we are exercising and
(5) glycogen can be used up pretty quickly throughout some sports, especially high intensity ones and this is why it is important to ensure that these stores are topped up before we go into a training session. When it comes to pre-workout nutrition, the timing of the meal is really important to consider if you are eating two to three hours prior to a session. The meals should be high in We all know the importance of nutrition for supporting our performance and our recovery and therefore how we achieve our fitness-related goals.
(6) But with so much nutrition advice circulating social media, it can be easy to get confused with what nutrition advice to follow. My name is Elle specialist in eating disorders and sports dietitian and I'm going to break down the purpose of pre, intra and post-workout fueling. Let's start by taking a look at pre-workout. The purpose of pre-workout fueling is to ensure that your body is prepared for the
(7) workout ahead. The importance of pre-workout nutrition will depend on your goals. Are you training for performance or is this leisure the requirement of your sports for example, is it power or endurance based the intensity, this will dictate which substrate will be the predominant fuel provider.The duration will influence how much energy you need.
(8) The timing of the day is your pre-workout meal the first meal you've eaten, or have you been eating regularly throughout the day in the lead up to the session, your digestion and preferences, you should be doing what works for you and of course your overall energy requirements and intake. In many sports, especially high intensity ones. Carbohydrates are the preferred fuel source,
(9) we can store carbohydrates in the form of glycogen in our muscles and our liver, glycogen is converted back to glucose and is drip fed into the bloodstream in the absence of foods. When glycogen stores are at full capacity, they can normally provide us with energy for up to 24 hours. However, the rate at which we use glycogen is much higher when we are exercising and glycogen can be used up pretty quickly throughout some sports, especially high intensity ones and this is why it is important to ensure that these stores are topped up before we go into a training
(10) session.When it comes to pre-workout nutrition, the timing of the meal is really important to consider if you are eating two to three hours prior to a session.The meals should be high in.
What is a pre-workout meal?
- carbohydrates, preferably starchy carbohydrates to provide longer lasting energy. It should also contain a source of protein to support your overall daily requirements and ideally be low in fat and fibre to prevent digestive issues. If you're eating 30 to 60 minutes prior to training, the meal should be rich in carbohydrates, but preferably simple carbohydrates for fast acting
- energy. It should also contain minimal amounts of fat as this slows down the digestion and the release of energy and ideally it should be low in fibre to prevent digestive issues. Now protein is the one macronutrient that we cannot store in our body which is why it is important to spread our intake out across the day considering that the purpose of pre-workout feeling is to provide
- energy the importance of protein in this meal can depend on a few factors. Protein can take longer to digest and slow to provide energy but you may choose to include some protein with your pre-workout meal in order to support your overall daily protein requirements. Some research has actually shown that the ingestion of protein prior to workout can increase the amount
- of amino acids in the amino acid pool, which may improve muscle protein repair. My protein has some snacks which can be useful for pre-workout feeling like protein, flapjacks and oat bakes. Caffeine is also something that may be considered as part of your pre-workout regime to experience the benefits of caffeine such as improved alertness, it is recommended to take between three to six
- milligrammes per kilo of body weight at least 30 minutes prior to your session. This would look like 210 to 420 milligrammes for an individual who weighs approximately 70 kilos, and you can get this from a scoop of my protein pre-workout or a strong coffee. Everyone responds differently to caffeine so the timing and dosages will differ among individuals.
- Remember, your pre-workout meal is a small window within the day and your overall energy intake is important. Not feeling adequately prior to a session can lead to fatigue and quicker and feeling weaker, which can impact our performance and our progression. Coming into sessions fasted can be counterproductive for this.
Intra and post-workout:
(1) reason, especially if your goal is to improve your performance or strength. Next up intra-workouts. The purpose of intra-workout feeling is to provide an additional source of energy so that performance can be sustained. In some cases, Intra workout nutrition can be essential. In other cases, it may be beneficial and in some it's just not necessary at all. Intra-workout nutrition may be required when sessions or events last longer than 90 minutes or 60 minutes if they're at a high
(2) intensity if you haven't had adequate fueling before a training session. If you're training twice in a day or having sessions close together as this makes it harder to ensure glycogen stores are primed again for the next session. Or if you are participating in multi day events, where again the time for glycogen resynthesis is limited. Intra-workout nutrition is similar to pre-workout nutrition except the emphasis is really on the consumption of carbohydrates in order to provide fast acting energy.
(3) Digestion is also an important factor to consider with intra-workout nutrition. As changes in art digestion is common with exercise. Examples of suitable intra-workout foods include dried fruit like dates or raisins, fruit toast and rice cakes and honey. Sports drinks and energy gels can also be useful or you could add carbohydrates to your drink throughout the session by using Myprotein dextrose glucose current mix and finally post workout. The purpose
(4) of post-workout nutrition is to enhance the recovery process. Exercise is a stress on the body especially if it's intense. So it's important to support recovery through nutrition and hydration. What you do in the hours following one session can really play a crucial role in how you perform in subsequent sessions. And this applies to both recreational gym goers and athletes. I often
The four R's:
(1) advise that there are four R's to remember when it comes to recovery. Number one repair. Our body is in a constant state of muscle protein breakdown and repair but the rate of this is elevated after exercise. In order to promote muscle protei synthesis, AKA repairing growth a certain amount of amino acids from protein is required.
(2) The quantity of protein consumed is not only important for recovery, but also the quality of specific amino acids play important roles in muscle growth and recovery. For example, three to four grammes of Leucine is required to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. This is usually easily obtained through animal protein sources such as whey protein, milk, yoghurt and chicken.
(3) A multitude of studies suggests that approximately 20 to 40 grammes of protein is a sufficient amount to maximally stimulate muscle protein synthesis post-workout this looks like one to two scoops of my protein impact whey, which provides 20 grammes of high quality protein per scoop number to replenish. During exercise, muscle glycogen stores become depleted, and the body's ability to resynthesize glycogen is at its peak during the initial few hours following exercise, but this can continue over a longer period.
(4) It is important to consume carbohydrates within this post-workout window to replenish the stores in order to prevent fatigue and promote recovery. Number three, rehydrate depending on how much we sweat, there is a loss of both fluid and electrolytes during training and it's important to rehydrate after to prevent electrolyte imbalances. And number four renourish exercise can cause increased levels of oxidative.
Fruit and Veg:
- stress which produces free radicals, which can cause inflammation and play a role in impaired muscle repair and thus performance. Antioxidants are molecules found in fruit and vegetables and can help to protect against free radical damage by neutralising free radicals. Fruits and veg are often overlooked when it comes to post-workout nutrition as we can become very focused on macronutrients like carbs and protein and forget about the micronutrients. However,
- these are so important for providing vitamins A, C and E, which are all antioxidants. I know it sounds as though fats are not important when it comes to fueling workouts. But the main reason as to why fats are limited around training times is because they are slow to be digested, which isn't ideal when we need fast-acting energy for performance, or we want carbs and protein to start the repair process. ASAP. Fats are super important in our diets though, and should be included in all.
Fats:
- of our other meals. Fats provide us with energy but are also a key nutrient for supporting our Hormonal Health. So I hope this simplifies the aims of pre intra and post-workout nutrition.
Got any more workout nutrition questions?
- gives you some ideas of how your diet can support your goals. As always, if you have any questions, please let me know in the comments below. And remember to like, and to the Myprotein for more great evidence-based nutrition information.
Nutrition Guide for Workouts Table:
| Timing | Pre-Workout | During Workout | Post-Workout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timing | 1-2 hours before exercise | Every 15-30 minutes during prolonged exercise (if needed) | 30 minutes to 2 hours after exercise |
| Pre-Workout | - Complex carbohydrates (whole grains, oats) | - Hydration (water) | - Lean protein (chicken, fish, tofu) |
| - Lean protein (chicken, fish) | - Simple carbohydrates (sports drinks, energy gels) | - Complex carbohydrates (sweet potatoes, brown rice) | |
| - Moderate to low fat | - Small amounts of protein (protein bars, shakes) | - Healthy fats (avocado, nuts) | |
| - Hydration (water) | - Electrolytes (sports drinks, coconut water) | - Hydration (water) | |
| During Workout | - Hydration (water) | - Carbohydrates (sports drinks, energy gels) | - Hydration (water) |
| Post-Workout | - Protein (chicken, fish, eggs, protein shake) | - Hydration (water) | - Protein (lean meats, eggs, protein shake) |
| - Carbohydrates (fruits, whole grains) | - Carbohydrates (fruits, whole grains) | ||
| - Healthy fats (nuts, avocado) | - Healthy fats (nuts, olive oil) | ||
| - Hydration (water) | - Replenish electrolytes (sports drinks, coconut water) |