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The Best Pre, During, And Post Workout Nutrition Diet!

By Thomas Cain, Writer for Lakes Media Group

Introduction

Pre, during and post nutrition is the key to get optimal results in the gym and for growth and recovery. Pre-workout nutrition is necessary for performance in the gym and post is necessary for growth. The following will provide you with proper pre, during and post nutrition.

Pre-Workout Nutrition

Pre-workout nutrition is very important before a workout. It determines whether or not you have you can achieve your maximum potential during your workout in the gym.

Getting an extra couple reps or increasing the weight is possible with proper pre-workout nutrition. It can be done by eating a proper pre-workout meal one to two hours before (depending on your metabolism and how much you eat) as well as taking a supplement 15-45 minutes before a workout.

These pre-workout meals and supplements will allow you to have increased muscle strength, better endurance, give you increased energy, give you better pumps, burn more calories and fat or improve concentration.

There are two things to consider before a workout:

Having a meal two hours before.
Taking a proper supplement thirty minutes before.

A Proper Meal Should Consist Of

Fruit

Fruits are packed with vitamins and some carbohydrates or simple sugars to fuel your workout. My two favorite pre-workout fruits are bananas, which are packed with carbohydrates and potassium which prevents cramps. My second favorite is oranges, which are high in vitamin C and contains electrolytes which also prevents cramps.

Moderate To Low GI Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the main source energy in a workout. I would recommend brown or white rice, brown bread or pumpernickel bread, whole wheat bagel or whole wheat pasta or oatmeal.

Protein (Essential Amino Acids)

I would recommend eggs, which has a very high biological value.

EFA

Other

Peanut butter or

peanut butter with

flax

added to it, would be great on the bagel or whole grain bread.

CCooking with olive oil or sesame oil which contains sesamin is also beneficial.

A proper pre-workout meal should be something that is completely digested 15-30 minutes before a workout so the blood can leave the stomach and enter the muscles./font>

Proper Supplementation

Supplementation before a workout is also necessary for enhancing your workout. Supplements, especially stimulants should be cycled so your body does not build up a tolerance. Most supplements should be taken 30 minutes before a workout on an empty stomach.

HHere are some great supplements to use before a workout:

Multivitamin

Although food does provide some vitamins and minerals, it does not provide all of them therefore a multivitamin before a workout or in the morning for proper functioning of the body./font>

Choosing a multivitamin high in b-vitamins is important since it helps release energy and also contains anabolic properties.

Creatine

It is a great muscle volumizer and provides energy for the muscle in the form or ATP. This protein is safe and retains water inside the muscle.

There are many different forms of creatine such as:

Creatine monohydrate

CEE/font> BCAA

BCAA's are great for maintaining nitrogen balances. They are digested in the skeletal muscle and spare muscle breakdown.

NO2

Some love it, some hate it. They provide great muscle pumps for some and also open up the blood vessels so more blood can be delivered to the muscle. This means more oxygen and nutrients can be delivered to the muscle. There are many NO2 supplements out there which contain ingredients such as arginine AKG, citrulline malate and ornithine ethyl ester.

Fat Burners

Fat burners are great for stimulating the body, increasing energy levels as well as burning fat. They are usually vasoconstrictors and should not be stacked with a NO2 product, which do the opposite. They work well and are effective in doing their job./font>

Focus Supplements

Ingredients such as tyrosine,& Ginkgo biloba and N-acetyl-Carnitineprovide your body with mental focus when working out in the gym. It is great for people who take too long of breaks in between sets or give up too easily.

Stamina & Endurance/font>

The best supplements for this is ginseng. It will help sustain energy levels for longer periods of time. It is very common in sports and some multivitamins and is safe when taking correct dosages.

Effective Pre-Workout Supplements

Multivitamins:

Creatine:

BCAA:/b>

NNO2:

Fat Burners:

Focus Supplements:/b>

Post Workout

The Importance Of Post Workout Nutrition

If your real serious into lifting weights and you want the best results then post workout nutrition is essential. I'm sure you might have heard this a thousand times but gaining strength and muscle doesn't occur while you workout but after during the recovery stage.

The exact opposite happens after a workout, your muscles are weaker because they have been torn down and have been damaged by an intense workout. So if your idea of post workout nutrition is eating hamburgers and fries then forget trying to make huge gains.

After a workout protein breakdown goes up and protein synthesis stays the same or slightly elevated. Also your glycogen stores (your muscles energy) have had a huge chunk sliced out of them.

Now if nothing is done about the protein breakdown, then muscle that could have been gained is not gained for a certain amount of time and muscle that currently exists is lost. This isn't a pretty picture for anyone who is trying to gain some serious muscle or strength. Now if your glycogen stores aren't replenished then you won't be in peak condition next time you workout; meaning decreased energy during workouts leading to decreased gains.

Also if glycogen stores continue to stay low, then protein breakdown can still occur meaning a loss of muscle mass. And there is still more downfalls if your glycogen stores remain low. Since glycogen attracts water to your muscles, it is an important part in rehydrating your thirsty cells which encourages muscular growth.

So basically in a few lines if your post nutrition is totally crap then your performance in your next workout will suffer, you won't be at your peak or full potential, your gains will not be as good as they could be, and you could end up losing muscle along the way. So with all that in mind it is important to pay close attention to your post workout nutrition.

What Should My Post Workout Diet Consist Of?

This section is divided into two parts. What to have immediately after a workout and what to have about 1-1.5 hours later. The reason is because there are different things you need right after a workout and an hour or and hour and a half later.

Immediately After A Workout

It is very important you have a quick meal right after a workout. Now by meal I don't mean buying a huge chicken and eating it. I mean a small meal that can be ingested and digested quickly. If you don't consume this meal immediately then the certain benefits that could have resulted in taking in your meal are diminished and your condition worsens.

It is best that you consume a liquid meal since it is quickly absorbed. So basically right after a workout there are three main things you must replace, stop and elevate. These three things are:

Rapid replenishment of glycogen stores.

Stopping protein breakdown.

Highly elevating protein synthesis.

1. Rapid Replenishment Of Glycogen Stores

First thing I will talk about is rapid replenishment of glycogen stores. This is one of the most important things you can do in your post workout meal. Now to do this you need rapid digesting carbohydrates.

The two carbohydrates that work best are dextrose and maltodextrin. These are both digested at a high rate and will replenish your glycogen stores. Now before you stop reading, because you think the carbs will make you fat, you're wrong (If your one of those people, who are afraid of getting fat, well I assure you, you have nothing to worry about).

In exercise you burn calories, meaning you burn energy, meaning you used up your glycogen stores. Replacing your glycogen stores ensures you will be in peak condition next time you workout. Another reason why you won't get fat is because if your diet is good, then you will be taking in less calories than you burn (if your diet is well planned out).

So you're just replacing calories that you have burned in your exercise. So as long as you make sure you are burning more calories than you replace, then you are alright.

Another essential role that these two carbohydrates play is making an insulin spike. When simple sugars like maltodextrin and dextrose are ingested, insulin is released into the blood stream. This is to make sure your blood sugar levels don't get to high.

So right now there are two plus's of taking in maltodextrin and dextrose (take them in a 50/50 split meaning if you need 50 grams of carbs then 25 maltodextrin and 25 dextrose). First you replenish your glycogen stores, meaning you will replace your energy ensuring you are good to go for your next exercise bout, and you create an insulin spike.

Insulin is highly anabolic at rest which means it builds muscle and puts an end to protein breakdown after exercise. So right about now your probably wondering how much do I take? Well for your post workout shake you should take in .8 grams of carbs per kg of body mass which is the currently recommended intake for an after workout shake.

TThis ensures that you will get an insulin spike while not getting to many carbohydrates. There is also a downfall to an insulin spike. Excess carbs that cannot be stored any longer are stored as fat. So you must be careful not to take in to many carbs (Follow the .8 grams of carbs per kg of body mass rule).

If you take in too many carbs right after a workout, you will get fat because your body cannot handle all those carbs so it stores it as fat. Also, if you keep creating an insulin spike too often, then your insulin sensitivity will decrease. This means your muscles have had insulin shoved in them too often so they start rejecting the insulin. Then you lose the benefits of insulin which is a nightmare.

So as a recap take .8 grams of a 50/50 blend of dextrose and maltodextrin per kg of body mass. Maltodextrin and dextrose are very easy to get and cheap by the way. And also remember, create an insulin spike at the very max 2-3 times a day or your insulin sensitivity will go down.

The reason why 2-3 times a day is because before I mentioned insulin is anabolic at rest and anti-catabolic (stops protein breakdown) right after exercise. So right after a workout you stop protein breakdown with insulin and during meal times a few hours after your workout or before, you start building muscle by creating an insulin spike./font>

But you must workout for insulin to help you in building muscle. You can't just watch T.V and make an insulin spike and expect to build huge muscle. You will just get fat because you will probably take in more calories than you burn because you don't exercise/workout.

2. Stopping Protein Breakdown

Stopping protein breakdown is pretty easy. The answer is insulin.

SSee? You kill two birds with one stone. By creating an insulin spike you also stop protein breakdown. But your post workout shake isn't complete yet. Just taking carbs won't cut it. You must have protein to aid in stopping protein breakdown, repair muscles, and build muscles. So for your own sake take .4 grams of protein per kg of body mass.

Now, this ratio of carbs and protein have an effect on each other. Taking this ratio of protein and carbs boost insulin levels twice the amount than if you just have carbs alone. So protein and carbs work together to boost insulin levels through the roof. There is also another benefit to insulin. It opens up blood vessels, meaning more nutrients, amino acids and carbs that will be transported faster. So basically creating an insulin spike is a must after a workout.

3. Increasing Protein Synthesis (Muscle Building)/font>

The last thing you must do is increase protein synthesis. This is a very important piece in recovery since if you don't start building muscle, then how will you make muscle or strength gains? So how do we do this? Well first of all after a workout protein synthesis stays the same or goes slightly elevated, so you don't have to freak out about it dipping low.

So now how do you jack it up? Well again insulin comes into play. See? Insulin works wonders. Now it can jack up protein synthesis. But if you want better results then you must do more than just have high insulin levels. There is one more piece that muse be done to a huge spike in protein synthesis.

You must have a high level of essential amino acids. You can get these through BCAA supplementation which provides essential amino acids which help in getting a huge boost in protein synthesis. With just insulin, protein synthesis increases 50%. With BCAA supplementation alone protein synthesis increased by 200%. But with both insulin and BCAA supplementation protein synthesis increased by 400%. Now that's a huge difference so its worth getting BCAA and insulin in your blood to jack up protein synthesis.

One More Thing That You Should Note That Aids In Recovery.

As a result of the tearing and breakdown of the muscle tissue, the body needs help. So fluids begin to build up to transport immune cells to the torn muscle debris. While these go to work, free radicals build up.

Free radicals are chemically very unstable meaning they bond to anything. They can breakdown muscle tissue and further damage it causing a longer recovery. That is why anti-oxidants are a good thing to keep in mind.

Anti-oxidants bond to these free radicals so they won't bond to your muscle tissue and break it down.

SSupplements You Can Use In Your Protein Shake Immediately After A Workout:

Whey Protein

This is essential in creating an insulin spike and helping to build new muscle. This is a must if you workout. Remember to take .4 grams of protein per kg of body mass. Some people also say you need lots and lots of protein after you workout. Well if you take in tons of protein then you will just pee it out./font>

Protein companies want you to think that you should take in lots of protein so they can make more money as do all companies. So don't take more protein than your body can handle or it will just end up in the toilet.

Dextrose & Maltodextrin

This is also very important in creating an insulin spike. It also aids in rapidly replenishing glycogen stores, It is very cheap and you can buy them in almost any store. This is also a must. Remember .8 grams of carbs per kg of body mass.

BCAA Supplements/font>

This is also very important in increasing protein synthesis. If you want to gain muscle faster then this is the supplement to do it.

Creatine

During your insulin spike, if creatine is present in the blood, the creatine gets shoved into the muscle with your insulin. Creatine increases your ATP energy stores quicker than letting your body replace it by itself.

Anti-Oxidants

These supplements are important for reducing muscle stress. They are supplied to your body which are used as building blocks to make your bodies two enzymes to control free radicals. They reduce muscle stress by stopping free radicals from damaging muscle tissue. A few anti-oxidants are Vitamin E and C, coenzyme q-10, and zinc to name a few. There are still tons more and you can buy them in supplementation.

L-Glutamine

A lot of people swear by this. However this topic is very debatable. I personally don't like to use this since whey protein, when broken down by the body provides the amino acid glutamine. Plus glutamine is found in meat also. There is no absolute answer right now but some people think it sucks and some people say it works.

What To Put Into Your Shake Now?

WWell let's start with your base. Use two cups of water as your base. The water will help rehydrate your cells and will be used to dissolve your supplements meaning faster delivery of protein, carbs, BCAA tablets you name it. Now for the must adds.

You must add .8 grams of carbs per kg of body mass (50/50 split between maltodextrin and dextrose they are both fast absorbing carbs with different effects on creating an insulin spike)./font>

You must add .4 grams of protein into your shake. This will help your body provide protein to rebuild and build Those are the must haves in your basic protein shake. Now here are the good additions to add starting from best addition to shake to least needed in shake.

BCAA if you want to jack up protein synthesis a whole lot, BCAA tablets or powders do that awesome. This is an amazing supplement to add to your shake

Antioxidants are great if you want to reduce recovery time and prevent muscle damage due to free radicals.

Creatine is also great for rapidly replenishing your ATP stores quicker than it takes your body to naturally replace it. This is great if you have a weight lifting routine followed by let's say a sprinting routine a few hours later.

L-Glutamine again is a very controversial topic. A lot of people love it and a lot hate it. Personally I don't like it since a normal diet of protein provides a good amount of this amino acid as well as whey protein.

NNAC (N-Acetyl-Cystine) is great because it increases protein synthesis.

My Shake (which I think is the ideal shake)

2 cups of water (Basically for every shake).

51 carbs in my protein shake (Using the .8 per kg body mass rule).

25 grams of protein (Using the .4 per kg of body mass rule)/font>
Remember you don't need tons of protein, people just get caught up thinking they need tons when they will just pee it out. Remember what I said before? Companies want you to think that you need tons of whey protein so you use it faster and you have to buy more protein which gives them more money.

3-5 grams of BCAA powder.

Add half a tablet of a multivitamin to get Vitamin E and C which are free radicals which reduce muscle stress.

And finally 3-5 grams of creatine to replenish my ATP stores and to retain some water as well.

That's my shake which works really good. Of course you don't have to follow exactly what I use. Experiment and see what works. Remember every shake combination has its strengths and weaknesses.

1 - 2 Hours After Workout

This is when you have an actual meal. Not just a shake. For this meal there are two options. Creating another insulin spike for anabolic effects at rest or using slow burning G.I carbs with protein. To me, this meal isn't as complicated as what you have immediately after a workout.

Personally I don't like doing an insulin spike here. I like to do it when I wake up and after a workout when insulin sensitivity are highest. That's two insulin spikes which is the max amount for me. Now for this meal I like slow burning carbs. This ensures that it doesn't raise my insulin to high so that I don't start gaining fat and decreasing my insulin sensitivity.

I also have protein in this meal which adds extra protein to my diet to further assist my body in building and repairing muscle tissue.

So with all that said, that is basically what I eat 1-2 hours later.

Rehydration is also important in recovery and water should be consumed in this meal also. Especially if you are taking creatine, caffeine, or whey which all dehydrate your body. Foods that have a low G.I or burn slow are:

Pasta

Whole wheat breads; not the processed ones

Sweet potatoes: are very healthy too and they have slow burning carbs. Regular potatoes also have slow burning carbs.

Brown rice; almost everyone eats this

Vegetables

Foods high in protein.

Chicken breasts

Lean beef or any kind of meat low in fat

Fish

Eggs

Nuts also have good fats in them especially almonds

During Workout Nutrition

Why Is It Important?
What Should It Consist Of & What Are Good Supplements?

Of all your nutrition, this is probably the least important even though some idiots make this part of their workout totally complicated.

Water

Basically you should be concentrating on your workout, not what you're ingesting. This might sound simple to you but all I use is water. Now you might be thinking... since this isn't complicated and doesn't sound hard to do that I'm wrong right? Well you're wrong.

Water is great for rehydrating cells and since water is used for internal processes of your body while you workout, it is important to stay hydrated.

Protein Shakes

Now some people drink protein shakes and all that during their workout but you have enough protein in your blood stream already if you ate 2 hours before your workout.

Drinking a protein shake during your workout is also bad because your blood goes to your stomach for digestion and less will go into the muscle that you are working. Well all I have to say is that it's pretty stupid since your already doing that immediately after your workout, then it's useless to do it during.

If you have your shake during and after, then you will pee the protein out and you might be creating insulin spikes too often. So basically just stick with water. Some people also like to drink Gatorade and other sports drinks. Well, you should only use this if your doing at least one hour and a half of vigorous exercise then it will help.

Relying On Supplements

Again, this is a trick that companies do to people. They trick them into thinking that they need this sports drink to refuel themselves when their only doing an hour of moderate exercise. Again, you only need these drinks if your doing vigorous exercise for over 1.5 hours.

Basically people who use supplements during workouts are wasting their money. You're already taking supplements during the day, before your workout and after your workout. You don't need any more supplements. Relying to heavily on supplements is a horrible thing you can do.

Relying to much on supplements can sometimes get your body to depend on the supplements to make gains. That's why people cycle off and on creatine so their body doesn't get to used to it and depend on it. Just like steroids; when bodybuilders use it, they make huge gains, but when they quit it they lose a lot of muscle because their body can't sustain and gain muscle without the drug.

So don't take supplements 24/7. If your workout is under 1.5 hours just drink water. I didn't mention that if you use creatine, water will prevent cramping. Once I didn't drink water when I used creatine and I got a Much biggerI felt like crap and couldn't workout that day. So remember, when you take creatine, drink water and stay hydrated.

Also if your going over 1.5 hours and are going pretty intense, you might want to think about getting Gatorade which has a crap load of things it replaces.

But if you got a lot of money on your hands, then you might want to try Now Foods Electro Pro. It is great because it reduces lactic acid by a lot and replaces a bunch of things you lose during exercise.

What Is The Best Carb Source (If Any) For Post Workout? Why?

A really good carb source after a workout is any high GI carbohydrate. There are many out there but I believe Dextrose which has the highest GI with Maltodextrin, is probably the best carb source because it spikes the insulin levels very effectively and are very cheap.

It is also easy into your post workout shake. Quick rolled oats or potatoes are also great if you had dinner right after a workout since they have a high GI as well as some nutritional value.

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