No-BS Workout Nutrition
99% of pre-workouts on the market are worthless.
The supplement industry is filled with companies more concerned with their marketing than the products they’re actually putting out. There really aren’t a lot of well-researched, effective, and useful workout supplements out there.
My approach to workout nutrition has been through major changes. I’ve gone from carefully calculated ratios of carbs and protein with several extra supplements, to absolutely no specific workout nutrition at all, to somewhere in the middle. Factors like time of day, previous food consumption, the intensity of a workout, an even mood can all contribute to what you need.
Endurance Exercise
Long distance running is maybe the most popular way to compete in athletics outside school or professional areas. Triathlons are also very popular and benefit from the same sort of nutritional strategy.
Prior to any endurance activity, consume some sort of carbohydrate source. This will preferably be something that digests fairly slowly, though it’s not a good idea to load up on oatmeal immediately before a run or swim. You also will want to consume a small amount of protein to mitigate any muscle breakdown. One useful supplement is branched chain amino acids, or BCAA’s. These amino acids are preferentially converted to glucose and burned by the body if it is forced to tap into protein stores for energy, so having extra BCAA’s circulating in the blood can effectively lessen muscle breakdown.
Timing of pre-exercise eating or supplementation is a matter of personal preference. The NSCA recommends anywhere from 4 hours to 30 minutes pre-workout, which isn’t much of a recommendation, so just figure out what works for you. Foods should be well-tolerated and contain moderate amounts of carbs and protein, with little fat.
Make sure you stay hydrated during training. This is especially important during endurance activity because you sweat so much. It may be difficult for some people due to nausea issues, but it’s extremely important to prevent dehydration and maintain performance. The NSCA recommends 0.4-0.8 liters of fluid per hour.
After your workout/run/swim, you should immediately (or as soon as is feasible) consume a fast-digesting carbohydrate source. This can be something like Gatorade, or a supplement like pure dextrose or waxy maize starch. If you want to eat, potatoes are a good option. Your body stores carbs as glycogen in the muscles and in the liver, and these stores are depleted with exercise. It’s important to refill them as quickly as possible, especially if you performed a high-intensity training session such as a tempo, race-pace, or fartlek run, or interval training. You should also consume a small amount of protein.
Strength Training
There are an abundance of pre- and post-workout supplements marketed to bodybuilders and strength athletes. Most of these aren’t necessary or useful. You can get better benefits from whole foods or simple, cheap, readily available supplements. There is a ton of info out there regarding specific supplement recommendations. Just keep in mind the source of your information and what financial interest they might have in their recommendations.
About 30 minutes pre-workout, you should consume both fast-digesting carbs and a quickly-absorbed protein. This will put lots of nutrients into circulation in your bloodstream, providing plenty of fuel for your training session. BCAA’s are a good idea, especially L-Leucine. L-Leucine is a BCAA that has been specifically linked to increased protein synthesis, and you can get it isolated from all other amino acids in supplement form. Also consider beta-alanine, which acts as an acid buffer and can increase muscular endurance. Caffeine is also useful, though I would encourage you to think about why you’re taking it. If you absolutely need it to get through a session, re-evaluate your sleep, nutrition, and training habits. You might be training yourself into the ground.
During your workout, sip on a similar drink to your pre-workout. If nausea is an issue, try fast-digesting carbs with BCAA’s. Gatorade is a good option, but you can find cheaper carb supplements if you look hard enough. I find that excessive amounts of Gatorade make me nauseous, but waxy maize does not. Waxy maize is a little-known carbohydrate (only available as a supplement) that is digested extremely quickly like a simple sugar, but is actually a complex carb. It has a very low osmolality, meaning that it can be absorbed extremely quickly, and actually can “pull” other nutrients into the bloodstream along with it.
Post-workout, consume some sort of shake or whole-food meal within about an hour of training. This should contain a VERY large quantity of fast digesting carbs (dextrose/Gatorade/waxy maize/etc.), protein, and creatine. Again, your body will need to replenish glycogen and begin repairing muscle tissue, and it will be primed to take in lots of nutrients right after you’re done training. Food options would include potatoes, oatmeal, or rice, with a lean protein like turkey or chicken. If you want to gain muscle, consume a shake right after training, and eat a whole food meal 60-90 minutes later.
Quantities of food and supplements will need to be adjusted based on your needs and goals. For example, someone who is trying to lose fat would not load up on carbs, and may increase quantities of BCAA’s.
Don’t be too worried about what kind of protein you’re consuming post-workout. There are a lot of options, whey protein being the most popular, but there are numerous varieties at different price-points. There’s hydrolyzed, multiple versions of isolate, and concentrate, as well as various combinations with other things. My opinion is that unless you have your diet 100% dialed in, none of that matters. There are certainly benefits to different types of processing, but if you’re eating cereal for breakfast and pizza for dinner, changing your protein is not going to change your body. If you have the money, go ahead and buy a $20/lb hydrolystate, but if not, it doesn’t matter in the long run. I use a simple whey isolate. If you are on a limited budget, stock up on healthy foods, not supplements.
Let me say that again: if you’re on a limited budget, stock up on healthy foods, not supplements.
Your workout nutrition is just a small piece of your overall nutritional strategy. Don’t spend money on workout supplements if you aren’t already practicing good nutritional habits during the rest of your day. Focus on the big picture.
If you’re looking for a fitness trainer in the Mt Juliet/Hermitage/Nashville TN area, online fitness training, or just need some advice to get your fitness program started, contact me