ExRx.net

Well i recently (as in, YESTERDAY) started going to the gym again. I think i have a pretty solid beginning workout routine nailed down, thanks to this site. I am doing a 3 day/week, push/pull split workout and gotta say, i am SORE! But now that i feel like i am at least on the right workout path, i have to start thinking about nutrition paired WITH the workouts, and not solely by itself.

What is the best way to eat on the day of a workout (before and after), a day immediately following a workout, and a day 2 days after a workout?

What i mean by all that is before a workout on the day of, how much/what type/how long before the workout should i eat?

Same goes for post-workout. How much/what kinds of food/ how long, etc? I have heard to stay away from processed carbs except for within 30 minutes right after a workout. So does that mean eating a bag of ritz crackers would be better for me right post exercise than other, unprocessed fruits and veggies? What should the breakdown be between carbs and protein? How big should the pre and post meals/snacks be? When does it switch from eating processed carbs to something more "nutritious"? 1 hr after exercise? 2? 3? Etc.

And i definitely try to eat overall healthy and nutritiously on most days, but is there something i can be eating to promote muscle healing so i recover quicker from workouts? Like anything i could eat the day after or 2 days after?

I am not trying to slim down, or super bulk up. I would like to get some more toned, but i am mainly exercising for strength over being able to define each and every muscle. I do need to bulk up a little because i need to get better shape to hold my own on my rugby team. Sébastien Chabal from the french rugby team is an example of the kind of body style/ strength i am shooting for.

Thanks to all who post and help me figure this out!

Keep it simple.

I eat conventional breakfast lunch and dinner, no matter what day it is. I never work out until I've had at least one complete meal, and i prefer not to eat within an hour of working out.

just aim for 2g protein per kg bodyweight every day. rest is up to you. i workout in the morning about 45 min. after getting up and only eat some bread with cheese or cold meat on it before. and i eat curd cheese (quark) after every workout.

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"his hands can't hit what his eyes can't see" - muhammad ali

don't overthink it, just eat good, healthy foods. Nothing processed or sugary.

Your pre training meal should be meat and veg, post workout should also be meat and veg.

Plants and dead animals should make up 99% of your diet.

There's a lot of info out there on the benefit of having a fast digesting protein + carbs meal post workout, but in terms of actual real world results there's very little difference.

I used to buy in to the whole "protein + carbs immediately post workout" to maximise gains thing, but since I stopped doing it there's been no difference. Now I just heave a healthy solid meal an hour or so before the gym, then have a healthy meal when I get home.

Just eat well over the course of the day, all there is to it.

Yea i think that definately sounds like the easiest, safest plan... Thanks! And what about conflicting info about eat 5+ small meals every 3-5 hours vs the staple breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

The world of nutrition is very whacky. Crazy even. There is no one truth.

Some people eat meals before working out, I usually only have a shake of protein+carbs. Some people train fasted.
Some people eat low carb all the time, some backload on the day before a workout, some load carbs after workouts. And yet, every one of these produces results, no doubt. So don't stress, find the way that is most suitable for YOU and your goals, and try new things. The only condition is to eat protein. Atleast 1g/kg of bodyweigth, but I'd recommend higher.

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Prove the impossible!

the 5+ small meals a day was based on the flawed notion that it somehow keeps your metabolism revved up. That's not the case.

I personally like to eat 3 big meals and 1 snack over the course of the day. The total calories and macronutrients are the same as if it were a lot of smaller meals, there's really no difference.

Just eat when you are hungry, keep the protein high and eat plenty of fruits and veg.

I eat the peppermint patties and paydays from holloween right after a workout.
We were a very popular house but over bought.
I threw away the Baby Ruths, since they had trans fat
I'm health conscience like that.


BCAA during workout.
Maybe in my head.

I will say getting enough protein on Ameircan diet is hardest part for me. I find I have to make a concerted effort to get close. I use LBM (lean body mass) because I ain't eating 300g / day

It depends. For general fitness, looking good ("toned") etc. I'd stick to the above. If you're after more bulk then add in a load of carbs post workout. I trained for a year basically minimal carbs and then a cheat day/weekend every week. My approach for the last couple of months or so has been minimal carbs except post training (pretty much carb back loading). There seems to be no difference in gaining fat but my muscles feel more full of glycogen/feel more pumped. I felt a bit flat sometimes on semi permanent ketosis.

Either way, if you limit processed carbs you will stay relatively lean/lose body fat. Looking back at my training the last few years, I do think there's an advantage to post workout carbs though for bulk (this may just be due to increased glycogen, giving the effect of a more swollen look). Although it has made no difference on my strength.

Thanks! A guy i work with is training for strong man type events, and is doing very well... He told me if i want to gain weight, to eat like i want to gain weight. Which brings me to my next question, i'm sure he is crazy strong (he won some of his events in our area) but he LOOKS overweight, not strong. How can i eat to gain the size and strength, without gaining the gut also?

Yeah the typical strong man look is pretty massive in general, I know someone who competes internationally. They eat a ridiculous amount for many reasons. To maximise strength gains, they're not worried about an increase in body fat (if anything an increase in bodyfat is an advantage due to the extra support it gives them in the crazy events they do). To fuel their workouts.. their workouts make me wanna pass out just looking at them. The strong man I know eats a lot of carbs on training days especially.

You can't go wrong with a high protein, high fat diet with loads of veggies. Your body will soon adapt to efficiently burning fat to fuel your workouts and like I said, I noticed no difference in strength gains whether training fasted/in ketosis or eating more carbs day to day. Fasted training (BCAAS before) makes no difference to me anymore. Years ago it made me feel faint, psychologically weak etc.

I do think a cheat day is important though (physiologically and psychologically), if keeping ultra low carb during the week. One thing I've noticed is that although I'm eating waaay more carbs now (after training that is, none on off days), my bodyfat levels haven't noticeably increased from when I was eating basically no carbs all week and having a carb/cheat day once a week. I think it's definitely a hormonal thing and maybe my metabolism had begun to slow when I was low calorie, low carbing most of the time.

So what does my body burn during exercise if i work out on an empty stomach vs after eating a meal? And a noob question, but you were talking about ketosis. What exactly is that?

fasted training burns stored glycogen and bodyfat. It's a good technique to get lean although not everyone likes it.

ketosis is when your body uses fat for energy

get back in the kitchen and make me some pie !

You pay, i'll make... Only $50 per pie plus shipping and a $32.64 handling fee... Only pennies accepted minted between 1937 and 1939... :) Sound good?