When exercising regularly, a properly balanced diet is extremely important. After all, not only the effectiveness of your training, but also your well-being will directly depend on this. Many people probably know when and what foods should be consumed after finishing a workout. But what should you eat and how long before it starts? This issue needs to be examined in detail.
To begin with, it is important to decide what kind of result you want to achieve through regular physical activity. Perhaps you want to build muscle mass, or maybe, on the contrary, you need to lose weight. These factors will determine when and what foods are best to consume before going to training. It is also worth noting that the timing of your meals is also influenced by what time of day you train.
Pre-workout nutrition to gain muscle mass
It is better to eat before strength training no later than 1-1.5 hours before it starts. Food should consist of carbohydrates and proteins and be easily digestible, but it is better to avoid fatty foods before going to the gym. I do not recommend training on an empty stomach. After all, the body will not be provided with the energy necessary to fully perform the exercises at the proper level.
Think of the human body as a furnace, carbohydrates as wood, and energy as fire. Thus, by adding wood to the stove, we get fire, which gives the body the necessary energy. And the more correctly we choose firewood and the time when we need to light the stove with it, the brighter the flame burns. Accordingly, training gives the desired result in the shortest possible time.
You should also not eat more than an hour before strength training. After all, this will prevent you from giving your best in training and can lead to the development of some unpleasant processes in the body - heartburn, nausea, hiccups. By the way, the degree of endurance of the body will decrease significantly.
What effect does a particular food taken before training have on the body?
- proteins (proteins). They have anabolic activity - they affect the growth of muscle tissue, the main building material for cells.
- fats (lipids). Lipid food takes quite a long time to digest. In addition, fats can significantly slow down the absorption of nutrients. As a result, a person who consumed lipid foods before training may experience discomfort, which will manifest itself in the form of lethargy, nausea, belching and stomach colic;
- carbohydrates. Such foods are needed for proper muscle function. After all, in the process of playing sports, the body quickly uses up glycogen (glucose) reserves. Therefore, they need to be replenished before starting training.
What foods to eat before strength training
Listed below are protein and carbohydrate foods that you, depending on your taste preferences, can combine with each other in various variations.
- Bread.
- Skim cheese.
- Eggs.
- Porridge (buckwheat, rice, oatmeal, millet, barley, wheat, etc.).
- Pasta.
- Potato.
- Lean meats.
- Fish and seafood.
- Chicken.
- Turkey.
The amount of food eaten should also be given importance. The portion should not be large. If just before the start of training you do not have a feeling of heaviness in your stomach, it means that the amount of food you took was optimal.
Pre-workout nutrition for weight loss
You can eat food no later than 2 hours before going to training, the purpose of which is to lose extra pounds (fat). To carry out an effective exercise, the body needs to have a certain supply of “fuel” or, as mentioned above, “firewood” - glycogen.
This polysaccharide, due to the occurrence of certain processes, is produced in the body after the intake of carbohydrate foods. Glycogen then enters the general bloodstream in the form of glucose. In other words, we throw wood into the firebox, which begins to burn, saturating the body with energy.
Unlike nutrition before strength training, in this case the diet should include mainly “complex” carbohydrates.
What are complex carbohydrates
They are also commonly called “slow”. These are foods that take longer to digest than “simple” carbohydrates and do not contribute to the development of sudden spikes in blood sugar levels. These include:
- bread and pasta made from wholemeal flour. The labels of such products usually indicate that they are whole grain;
- cereals (porridge cooked in water);
- vegetables;
- legumes;
- fruits;
- greenery;
- mushrooms.
What to eat before training for weight loss
- Whole grain pasta.
- Lentils.
- Buckwheat porridge.
- Oatmeal.
- Vegetables and fruits.
- Wheat porridge.
- Legumes.
- Nuts.
If you don’t have time at all for a full meal and wait 2 hours after that, you can do it in 20-40 minutes. Before training, have a snack of raisins, prunes, dried apricots or dates. It is also acceptable to drink a small cup of tea with a spoon of honey. Such food will provide an increase in blood glucose levels and, as a result, an immediate surge of energy.
However, the listed products belong to “fast” carbohydrates, so such snacks can be arranged only in extreme cases. It is better to eat foods that include “complex” carbohydrates.
I must tell you that proper nutrition during training is 70% of success in bodybuilding. You work hard, try to build muscle or lose fat, but if you don't get the right nutrients, then all your efforts are in vain. Therefore, I advise you to study this article several times, sort everything out and understand for yourself that if you tried hard in the gym, then the strained muscles, of course, will begin to change. The question is that if you gave them the nutrition from outside and what they needed, then everything is fine. And if they didn’t give you nutrition, then they will take it from the internal organs or from those muscles that did not work during this training. This is such simple arithmetic. The pre-workout meal should contain carbohydrates, proteins, and the fat content should be limited (preferably no more than 3-5 grams).
You should eat before starting the training process no later than 2 hours before it starts. Physical activity is known to slow down and even stop digestion, so go on an empty stomach. In addition, an overfilled stomach will interfere with the full performance of exercises, and problems such as acid reflux, nausea and decreased stamina may arise.
Eating carbohydrates before your workout will provide you with energy. The proteins taken will be used by the body as sources of amino acids for working muscles, creating the so-called anabolic “prerequisite”. Pre-workout meals should be fat-free because fat in food slows down the absorption of other nutrients. Fatty foods stay in the stomach longer, and for this reason can cause discomfort, lethargy, colic, nausea and belching.
Pre-workout foods
Below are examples that combine protein and carbohydrate foods; you can alternate these options depending on your taste preferences:
- Poultry (turkey, chicken breasts) with rough bread or rice or pasta
- Lean fish and potatoes
- Lean meat with potatoes or pasta
- Eggs with porridge
- Cottage cheese with bread
The amount of food eaten should be small, like an average breakfast. If you do not feel a feeling of heaviness and fullness in your stomach at the start of the workout, then the amount of food was normal. Pre-workout meals should include approximately 20 g of protein and 40-60 g of complex carbohydrates.
Pre-workout protein
A protein shake is absorbed much faster than regular food. Therefore, a portion of whey protein an hour before training will be just right. By the start of exercise, the amino acids that muscles require will begin to actively enter the bloodstream.
Pre-workout nutrition for weight loss.
T Just like when gaining muscle mass, you need to eat food before training no later than 2 hours before it starts, while the amount of carbohydrates is reduced to 15-20 g, and the amount of protein to 10-15 g. Take only complex carbohydrates (vegetables, cereals, wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta, etc.). If you don't eat before you start training, you won't be able to achieve a high level of intensity because your body won't be able to produce the right amount of energy.
If you eat a large amount of food or eat immediately before training, then during it you will spend mainly food energy, rather than fat reserves.
Post-workout nutrition
About an hour after training, you need to eat a meal rich in protein and carbohydrates. This is the only time when carbohydrates with a relatively high glycemic index, that is, fast carbohydrates, are allowed to be included in the diet.
During this period of time, the so-called post-workout, anabolic or protein-carbohydrate window is open in the body. For this reason, post-workout nutrition is primarily for muscle recovery and energy replenishment.
Carbohydrates after exercise
Post-workout carbohydrates are best consumed in readily available form from simple, high-glycemic sources. You need to achieve a rise in insulin levels - this hormone has anti-catabolic properties. Carbohydrates are needed to replenish expended energy, and if the body does not receive enough of them, then the destruction of muscle tissue begins under the influence of catabolic processes.
The required amount of carbohydrates is approximately 60-100 g.
Carbohydrate foods
- Buckwheat (buckwheat porridge);
- Pearl barley (pearl porridge);
- Millet groats (millet porridge);
- Oatmeal (oatmeal);
- White rice;
- Pasta (from durum wheat);
- Bread (bran);
- Honey (in small quantities);
- Bananas;
- Juice (preferably fresh).
Protein after workout
It is advisable to drink a protein shake immediately after training. This way, you can increase the rate of muscle protein synthesis by at least three times (compared to not eating after a workout). Proteins also help increase the secretion of somatotropin and have a pronounced restorative effect on muscle tissue.
The required amount of protein is approximately 20-30 g.
Protein products
- Protein dishes (recipes)
- Bird
- Lean meat
- Eggs – boiled or scrambled
- Fish – low-fat
- Cottage cheese
Post-workout nutrition for weight loss
If your goal is to reduce fat mass, then your nutrition tactics change - you should limit yourself to protein only. Carbohydrates in any form should be excluded from post-workout nutrition. This is due to the fact that carbohydrates provide energy, which eliminates the need to burn subcutaneous fat. After performing physical activity, there is a large amount of fat molecules in the blood that have been released from fat cells, while at the same time, activated metabolic processes can destroy these free fats for a long time. Carbohydrates taken immediately after training will force your body to return all free fats to tissues and begin to use food energy.
To create a complete nutrition plan tailored specifically for you, you may need months of studying special literature and experimenting. The short way is consultation with a specialist. Let me tell you a secret, the so-called nutritionist is not such a specialist. It would be wiser to turn not to an armchair theorist, but to a person with practical experience. A personal trainer with his own competitive experience or an active bodybuilder who knows about “cutting” has first-hand knowledge of biochemistry and nutritional science much better than certified nutritionists with a paunch and shortness of breath.
You can get rid of excess fat only in one case - if you spend more calories per day than you consume.
However, there is a caveat: calorie intake must be sufficient for the normal functioning of the body.
If you don’t get enough calories, you will lose weight, but not for long: over time, your body will adjust its metabolism in accordance with the amount of calories it receives, and the fat loss process will stop. At the end of the day, your metabolism will be even slower than before. The so-called fashion model syndrome will arise: they eat like birds, but often cannot lose fat due to the fact that they: a) have a slow metabolism, b) no muscles. Muscles themselves are very energy-intensive and many calories are spent on their maintenance, even at rest.
Basically, if you follow the principle of “expend more than you consume, but the latter is within the normal range,” you will lose weight without even worrying about what and how much to eat before and after training.
If you want to get confused, then this will only optimize the process of getting rid of fat reserves.
I'm telling you.
Nutrition before and after training depends on:
a) training time,
b) type of training (strength or aerobic).
The most effective workouts for “weight loss” are in the morning on an empty stomach. At this time, glycogen reserves are minimal, which means that you will draw energy from your own fat, which, in turn, will burn.
If for some reason you cannot train on an empty stomach (for example, many people feel dizzy), it doesn’t matter: 30-40 minutes before training, eat something light but carbohydrate-rich (coffee with a banana, tea with bread) .
If you do not train on an empty stomach, but during the day, then an hour and a half before training, I recommend eating a heavy meal of complex carbohydrates (pasta, oatmeal, rice): they will give you energy for a long time. If you didn’t manage to eat properly before training and you feel that your strength is “zero”, and you don’t want to train at all, then half an hour before training, throw some quick “coals” into yourself: a banana with coffee, dried fruits. Fast carbohydrates are fast because they give you a quick burst of strength. It will allow you to start training and finish it until your “second wind”, which will definitely open up. It always opens if you haven’t caught “overtrained”, but, sorry, you are far from it.
Now about the important thing - nutrition after training.
To be honest, I think that you don’t need to bother with nutrition before a workout at all. The main thing is not to overdo it with protein, which will make you crawl around the room like a sleepy fly. If you managed to load up on pasta or buckwheat in an hour and a half - great, no - no problem: eat a banana and go!
But what and when you eat after training is really important. There are a lot of “misunderstandings” here, starting with whether you should not eat for two hours after training, and ending with the closing of the anabolic “window”.
Let's sort it out in order.
1) “Don’t eat for two hours after training.”
This approach has a right to exist. Moreover, it is very effective, but only for those who are not concerned about body quality. If your goal is to lose fat and nothing else, you're really better off consuming nothing but water after your workout. Why? During training, you will launch a fat burning mechanism that will be active for a couple of hours and after it. Simply put, you are no longer exercising, but you are still losing weight. During this time, your body consumes its own fat as an energy source. In other words, fat “burns.” If after training you throw food into yourself, that is, provide your body with an alternative source of energy, the fat burning process will stop. No, don’t worry: eating after a workout won’t undo the work you’ve done (unless you devoured a whole goose, of course). You simply lost exactly as much as you lost during the workout, and in the next two hours you took energy not from your own fat, but from food.
The question arises: how much should you eat after training so as not to undo the work done, the goal of which is to lose weight. Although not as intense as what could have been with a two-hour post-workout fast.
Focus on half the calories burned, that is, if you burned 600 kcal, then after training throw in 300.
What is better for losing weight: “wait” for two hours and then overeat or throw in half of the calories burned immediately after training? Definitely the second one. You can “fast” only on the condition that food depravity does not happen to you even after two hours.
I repeat once again: the only lady who doesn’t care about the quality of her muscles can avoid eating for two hours after training. Such women exist and they also have the right to exist. I recommend to them, if there are no medical contraindications, to train on an empty stomach and not eat anything for two hours after training.
Let's deal with the rest.
2) “Carbohydrate window”: close - do not close.
If your goal is not only weight loss, but also muscle quality, then definitely close it.
At the moment when it was a priority for me to jump from one size to another, I did not close it. Now I am very concerned about the quality of my body, and I naturally close it.
How to eat for those who do not do separate aerobic training, but like me, complete their strength training with a 20-minute cardio session? Stick to a ratio that favors protein. The “window” should be closed within half an hour after training.
Now about what you should not consume after a workout:
a) fats,
b) caffeine.
Fat inhibits the flow of proteins and carbohydrates from the stomach into the blood, so watch the fat content of the protein foods you consume after training. Everything should be as low-fat as possible. No isolate in 2.5% milk, no 5% cottage cheese.
Caffeine interferes with the reloading of glycogen into the muscles and liver and the take-up of protein for muscle repair, so after training, eliminate everything that contains caffeine: coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate and anything with its aftertaste. It’s better to avoid even chocolate protein, not to mention coffee, which you can treat yourself to only two hours after training.
Those who are satisfied with their fat percentage can, after training, load themselves with as many calories as they spent, but only protein and carbohydrate percentages depending on the type of workout.
by Notes of the Wild MistressVery different from a sports menu for weight gain. Therefore, even before going to the fitness room, you should clearly define what goals you are pursuing.
Most girls dream not of pumped up muscles, but of a thin waist and slender hips. If you do not think through your nutrition program before training and do not find out which foods are allowed and which, on the contrary, contribute to weight gain, you can nullify the efforts made during exercise.
"Nutrition before training for weight loss is the most important component of a bodybuilding program. Thanks to the right approach, you can lose weight much more effectively and quickly."
What can you eat before training?
In order to successfully exercise and burn a significant amount of calories, the body will require a certain amount of energy. Since energy reserves are used up very quickly during training, they should be replenished even before exercise.
The ideal option is to eat carbohydrate foods , which will provide the maximum amount of glycogen “fuel”. It is thanks to this replenishment that the body will have enough strength to exercise, and to obtain the missing energy it will begin to intensively break down fats.
Of course, you shouldn't attend a workout with a belly full of carbohydrate foods. You should consume food wisely, because the goal is weight loss, and not stupid work for wear and tear. Also, you should not force the body to starve in the hope that excess weight will go away faster, because all organs work using the energy of carbohydrates.
So what should your pre-workout diet be and what can you eat? Here are the main ones allowed products that will only bring benefits:
- Light porridge, for example, buckwheat, oatmeal;
- Fruit and vegetable salads (except grapes, bananas);
- Dietary cookies, bread.
It is such healthy food that will increase the body's endurance and will not allow you to feel pangs of hunger in the gym.
What is acceptable to eat before training?
Protein foods are not an energy source for the human body. But without proteins, or rather without amino acids, it is impossible to build new body cells.
Even in an effort to lose weight, you should carefully monitor the maintenance of muscle mass, because fat deposits will not return only if they are replaced by elastic muscles (albeit in a smaller volume). In addition, it is the muscle fibers that work during exercise, therefore, their need for recharge greatly increases.
Therefore, experienced fitness trainers advise including in the menu before very intense exercise. small portion of protein food:
- Kefir;
- Omelette;
- A piece of boiled lean meat;
- Some boiled or steamed fish.
Perfect option - before classes, eat a portion of protein food with a vegetable side dish, or make a sandwich from whole grain bread with boiled meat and green salad. For many, a glass of kefir and a portion of fruit are enough to feel great in class.
There is also a list of additional products and supplements that will not be superfluous in your diet before classes. These include coffee , which increases overall tone and makes you feel more energetic, as well as special sports supplements with L-carnitine , other fat burning components. They enhance the effect of exercise and help you lose weight faster.
What foods should you not eat before class?
Be sure to avoid fatty foods before training. Fat is digested very slowly and does not leave the stomach, so you will have to wait too long: the workout is unlikely to be successful on a full stomach. In addition, you should not eat cakes and pastries and other “fast” carbohydrate foods, since they will bring nothing but fat on the waist and hips.
When and how much should you eat before exercising?
The portion of food should be normal when compared with the daily menu at that time of day. The last date when you are allowed to eat is 2 hours before class .
If we are talking about very light food (for example, a glass of low-fat kefir or greens), then it is permissible to consume it 1-1.5 hours before classes . If you eat later, your stomach may feel unpleasant, and calories from fat deposits will not be burned.
If the workout takes place early in the morning, you can eat 1 apple, a portion of light cottage cheese or drink a glass of green tea 40 minutes before class .
By following these simple rules, you can lose weight much faster, because a slender figure will begin to emerge after just a few classes!
Proper nutrition is the most important factor in achieving your bodybuilding and fitness goals before training. Success depends 60 - 70% on nutrition, and only 30% depends on exercises and training programs, both in gaining muscle mass and in losing weight, that is, burning fat.
This article will teach you all about proper pre-workout nutrition, so please read the information provided here very carefully.
Please note: this article only covers the basic requirements and rules. But all people are different and based on this information you can create an ideal nutrition plan and build it for yourself.
before training on the goals and intensity of training
The intensity of the exercise determines which energy source the body will use. It is more common to use a combination of fats and carbohydrates in the body, but the intensity of the workout will affect their balance.
The main source of energy during heavy weight training is carbohydrates. With aerobic exercise for weight loss, fats and carbohydrates will participate in the energy supply of the body in equal measure.
When to eat before training: meal times
The expression “before training”, for experienced athletes, means not 5 minutes before starting classes in the gym. With a full stomach, physical activity will slow down the digestive processes, because blood from the organs will go into the muscles, and you will also be disturbed by drowsiness, belching, and heaviness in the stomach. That's why you need to eat no later than 2 hours before before the start of the workout.
And training on an empty stomach will not take place at the required level of intensity due to the lack of resources in the body. Therefore, you should always eat before training.
If you didn’t manage to eat on time, then you can eat something easily digestible and energetic, for example, some kind of sweet or small fruit, or drink a gainer. Half an hour before the start of your workout, you can eat a small piece of fruit, a small portion of low-fat cottage cheese, light yogurt, and half a portion of porridge.
What to eat before training
Before starting a workout, you need to consume carbohydrates to fill glycogen stores that will be used by the muscles during the workout itself. Eat a small portion of proteins, which will be used by the body as sources of amino acids for muscles, creating the so-called anabolic “precondition”. Fats should be absent from the pre-workout menu because they slow down metabolic processes, gastric emptying and the rate of absorption of other nutrients such as protein and carbohydrates.
Calorie content and volume of food
When training to gain mass, not eating enough before training can lead to feelings of hunger and energy will run out much earlier than the end of training. But increasing your caloric intake before training is also a bad idea. You need to eat food as you would for a regular breakfast or lunch.
The amount of energy a person expends is influenced by many factors:
- Age
- Amount of muscle and fat mass, etc.
The optimal caloric intake before training should be:
- 200 kcal for women
- 300 kcal for men
Carbohydrates
Before training, you need to consume 40–70 grams of slow carbohydrates. They are so called because they have a low rate of breakdown into monosaccharides, which serve as the body's most preferred source of energy. Due to this, foods containing slow or complex carbohydrates feed the body with energy for several hours.
About 65 grams per 100 grams of product: natural rice, oatmeal, durum pasta, buckwheat and other cereals.
40-60 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams of product: rye or bran bread, beans, peas, vegetables
10-40 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams of product: sweet curd cheeses, potatoes, beets, grapes, apples, natural fruit juices.
Squirrels
In addition to carbohydrates, your workout day meal should contain protein to maintain an anabolic state and reduce muscle breakdown. Proteins are a source of amino acids necessary for the restoration and construction of muscle fibers.
15-30 grams of proteins per 100 grams of product: veal, beef, pork (lean), chicken, turkey, trout, cheese, cottage cheese, chicken eggs.
5-15 grams of proteins per 100 grams of product: milk, sausage, goose meat, salami.
For one meal you need to consume 20-30 grams of protein from food. That is, in one sitting, all products in total should provide 30 grams of protein.
Fats
The diet of any person, not just an athlete, should contain fats of vegetable origin no more than 10% of the daily food intake.
Fatty foods take a long time to digest and interfere with the absorption of other nutrients into the blood, so you should not eat them before training. You need to consume fats of plant origin, such as omega-3 fatty polyunsaturated acids.
Water
Water is an integral component for any person, and even more so for an athlete. Monitor your fluid intake throughout the day to ensure it is at least 2 liters. An hour before training, a man needs to drink about 800 grams of water, and a woman – 500 grams. Also, during classes, you also need to consume water in small sips, because during classes you lose a lot of fluid.
Salt
The electrolyte salt balance should not be disturbed. During exercise, especially aerobic exercise, many minerals are lost. Therefore, you can drink mineral waters or add salt to your water before training to restore electrolytes.
Pre-workout nutrition to gain muscle mass
To increase muscle mass, you need to consume enough carbohydrates before strength training. 2-2.5 hours before anaerobic training you need to consume slow or complex carbohydrates. The diet should also include. During and immediately after training, proteins cannot yet be used for the restoration and synthesis of muscle fibers, but they can protect muscles from destruction.
30 minutes before training you can eat:
- one large fruit
- low glycemic index berries (apple, pear, strawberry or any other berries)
- wash down with a protein drink, preferably whey protein, because it is absorbed faster (0.22 grams of whey protein per 1 kg of body weight).
Pre-workout nutrition for weight loss
If you need to lose weight, that is, burn body fat, then you need to ensure that your calorie expenditure exceeds your consumption. But this does not mean that you don’t need to eat before training to lose weight. If you want to lose weight, then you need aerobic training for weight loss .
As with bulking, when losing weight you need to eat 2 hours before training. But this time the amount of carbohydrates needs to be reduced to 15-20 g, and the amount of protein consumed to 10-15 g, so that there is no excess glycogen (glucose) in the muscles. Take the same complex carbohydrates.
Without eating before training, you will not be able to train at the intensity necessary to burn fat. And if you eat heavily and shortly before training, then you will waste the energy of food, not excess fat.
Before training for weight loss, you need to make a meal with a total composition of 15 grams of carbohydrates (for men) and up to 10 grams of carbohydrates for women, as well as protein foods, for women it will be optimal to get up to 7 grams, for men 12-15 grams. Such nutrition will give the body energy to maintain the required intensity at the beginning of the workout, but it will not be enough and the body will begin to break down fat deposits to obtain additional energy. If you use, then the diet needs to be adjusted taking into account the characteristics of the diet.
As an additional stimulant, 30 minutes before training you can drink a glass of strong green tea or coffee without cream. This will increase the secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine, which mobilize fat from fat cells so that muscle cells can use it as energy.
Conditions that must be followed to lose weight:
1. Be sure to eat before training
The body needs energy to perform any work, and for its functioning it also needs energy, which it receives from food. And if you don’t eat, then your body will not have the resources to carry out training at the level to get the desired result.
2. The athlete should have a meal 2 hours before the start of training.
Firstly, it is difficult to train on a full stomach because of the feeling of heaviness and drowsiness.
Secondly, undigested and unassimilated food will not allow the body to use internal resources, that is, burn fat.
3. Reduce the amount of protein and carbohydrate-containing foods if you want to lose weight, and if you want to gain weight, then increase
Proteins and carbohydrates are nutrients that need to be manipulated depending on your goals: do you want to lose weight or gain weight. Therefore, increase or decrease their consumption depending on the desired result.
Pre-workout protein
It's always easier and faster to get the required amount of nutrients from a shake. It is easier and more convenient to consume and is absorbed faster. Therefore, before training, you can take one serving of a protein shake or gainer 1 hour before, or even 30 minutes before.
Is it possible to eat during training?
During training, you can consume fast carbohydrates or BCAA amino acids for additional fuel. They will protect muscles from destruction and add strength.
Pre-workout foods
Below are examples that combine protein and carbohydrate foods; you can alternate these options depending on your taste preferences:
- Poultry (turkey, chicken breasts) with rough bread or rice or pasta
- Lean fish and potatoes
- Lean meat with potatoes or pasta
- Eggs with porridge
- Cottage cheese with bread
Immediately after training You can eat almost any easily digestible food, because it will go towards restoring the energy spent during training. Such products could be:
- fruit juices
- fruits - watermelon, banana, pineapple, mango, apricots
- fruit cocktails
- sports drinks - gainers, proteins, post-workout complexes, energy bars.
You don’t need to eat too much after a workout, and it’s unlikely that you will be able to do so when all the blood has gone into the muscles and it’s not only that you overeat, but it’s hard to breathe.
Nutrition before morning workout
If you prefer to train in the morning, then after waking up you need to drink a protein shake and add 5-8 grams of BCAA to it. Or you can eat something easily digestible, such as a piece of cake or pastry. Other foods are not very suitable before a morning workout, because they take a long time to digest and the body will not receive energy from them for training.
But immediately after training, it is advisable to consume a sufficient amount of proteins and carbohydrates from regular food.
The Best Meals Before and After a Morning Workout:
- poultry (chicken breasts, turkey) with wholemeal bread or rice
- lean meat with potatoes or pasta
- cottage cheese with wholemeal bread
- lean steak with potatoes or fresh vegetables
- egg white omelette with oatmeal
- lean fish with potatoes or vegetables
Sample pre-workout diet
What to eat before training each athlete must determine for himself based on his personal experience. But we can highlight the basic principles: solid food can be consumed 4 hours before the start of training, a carbohydrate shake or foods containing fast carbohydrates - 2-3 hours before training, and the water-salt balance must be restored an hour before training.
1 hour or less before training
- - fresh fruits: apples, watermelons, peaches, grapes, oranges and/or
- - energy jams (gels)
- - up to 1 cup of sports drink
2 - 3 hours before training
- - fresh fruits
- - bread, bagels, pasta
- - yogurt
- - water
3 - 4 hours before training
- - fresh fruits
- - bread, bagels
- - pasta with tomato sauce
- - baked potato
- - energy bar
- - cereal with milk
- - yogurt
- - bread/sandwich with peanut butter, meat or cheese
- - water
Caffeine pre-workout and performance
Caffeine is used by athletes as a stimulant of the central nervous system, to improve its functioning and neuromuscular communication. There is information that caffeine can increase endurance and improve the breakdown of fats to obtain energy for the work of muscle cells. This theory is not supported by research, but you can do a little experiment and find out if it works for you. Coffee can be used as a central nervous system stimulant, but here you must proceed from the state of your health (heart function and blood pressure).
Foods to Avoid Before Workout
This has already been mentioned above, but I will remind you once again that fatty foods before training are a bad option. It is poorly digested and prevents carbohydrates and proteins, which are needed to feed the body with energy, from being absorbed into the bloodstream.
Foods that are harmful to training include:
- Fat meat
- Donuts
- Fried potatoes
- Chips and any fast food
Only you can choose the optimal diet yourself, based on your personal feelings, based on practical experiences during the training process. And what works very well for your partner or even your coach may not be suitable for you personally. You will definitely have personal preferences in foods, body characteristics and metabolism, so experiment and find your proper nutrition before training.
A small example of a fitness menu plan
Fitness diet menu
1st day
Breakfast: 2 eggs (1 yolk, 2 whites), 100 g of oatmeal, 1 glass of orange juice, 50 g of low-fat cottage cheese. Second breakfast: fruit salad, low-fat yogurt. Lunch: 100 g boiled chicken, 100 g rice, green salad. Afternoon snack: baked potato, low-fat yogurt. Dinner: 200 g of stewed fish, salad, apple.
2nd day
Breakfast: 100 g of muesli, 1 glass of skim milk, 2 eggs, some fruit. Second breakfast: 1 glass of carrot juice, 50 g of cottage cheese. Lunch: chicken salad (150-200 g of meat), 1 potato, apple. Afternoon snack: low-fat yogurt, fruit. Dinner: 150 g fish, 1 cup boiled beans, salad (can be served with low-fat salad dressing).
3rd day
Breakfast: 200 g strawberries, 100 g oatmeal, 2 egg omelet. Second breakfast: banana, 100 g of cottage cheese. Lunch: 200 g fish, 100 g rice, salad. Afternoon snack: fruit, yogurt. Dinner: 100 g turkey, 1 cup corn, salad.
4th day
Breakfast: 1 grapefruit, 100 g rolled oats, 1 glass of milk. Second breakfast: banana, 100 g of cottage cheese. Lunch: 150 g chicken, 50 g rice. Afternoon snack: 1 glass of vegetable juice, bran. Dinner: 120 g beef, a cup of corn.
5th day
Breakfast: peach, 100 g of oatmeal, omelette, glass of juice. Second breakfast: 1 glass of vegetable juice, 100 g of rice. Lunch: pita bread, 100 g turkey, apple. Afternoon snack: salad, 100 g of cottage cheese. Dinner: 100 g chicken, salad.
6th day
Breakfast: omelet, 100 g buckwheat, 1 glass of milk. Second breakfast: cottage cheese, banana. Lunch: 200 g fish, 100 g rice, salad, 1 glass of orange juice. Afternoon snack: baked potato, yogurt. Dinner: 150 g shrimp, vegetable salad.
7th day
Breakfast: apple, 2 egg omelet, 100 g buckwheat. Lunch; 100 g cottage cheese, peach. Dinner; 100 g beef, vegetable mixture (corn, carrots, peas). Afternoon snack: yogurt, 100 g rice. Dinner: 150 g chicken, vegetable salad.
8th day
Breakfast: 1 grapefruit, 100 g muesli, 1 glass of skim milk, 2 eggs. Second breakfast: 70 g rice, 1 peach. Lunch: 120 g chicken, salad, half a plate of pasta, 1 glass of orange juice. Afternoon snack: yogurt, apple. Dinner: 120 g beef, vegetable salad.
9th day
Breakfast: omelet, 100 g buckwheat, fruit, 1 glass of orange juice. Second breakfast: banana, cottage cheese. Lunch: 100 g fish, 100 g rice, peach, 1 glass of orange juice. Afternoon snack: yogurt, 50-100 g dried apricots. Dinner: 200 g fish, baked potatoes, vegetable juice.
10th day
Breakfast: 1 glass of blueberries, 100 g of oatmeal, omelet. Second breakfast: 100 g low-fat cottage cheese, 50 g raisins. Lunch: 100 g chicken, baked potato, 1 glass of vegetable juice. Afternoon snack: low-fat yogurt, orange. Dinner: 100 g fish, vegetable salad.
11th day
Breakfast: a slice of watermelon, 2 eggs, 50 g of bran bread, 1 glass of orange juice. Second breakfast: banana, 50 g of cottage cheese. Lunch: 100 g rice, 200 g squid. Afternoon snack: 150 g fish, salad. Dinner: 100 g chicken, corn salad.
12th day
Breakfast: 1 glass of carrot juice, 100 g of oatmeal, omelette. Second breakfast: 100 g of rice with raisins and dried apricots. Lunch: 100 g chicken in pita, salad. Afternoon snack: low-fat yogurt, apple. Dinner: 120 g beef, 100 g broccoli.
13th day
Breakfast: grapefruit, 100 g of oatmeal, omelette. Second breakfast: 50 g of cottage cheese, peach. Lunch: 120 g turkey in pita bread, boiled corn on the cob. Afternoon snack: low-fat yogurt, apple. Dinner: 150 g fish, vegetable salad.
14th day
Breakfast: 1 glass of orange juice, 2 eggs, 100 g of muesli, 1 glass of milk. Second breakfast: banana, 50 g of cottage cheese. Lunch: 150 g chicken, green salad, 100 g rice. Afternoon snack: yogurt, peach. Dinner: 150 g of river fish, vegetable salad.
This is an example of a diet for athletes. This is approximately how you should eat, but you shouldn’t copy it, because you have your own weight, your own metabolism, and so on. Therefore, we proceed from our data and goals and create our own menu based on this. The simplest option is to reduce or increase the caloric content of food if you want to lose weight or gain weight, respectively.
And yet, the dairy products mentioned above must be low-fat. All meat products are boiled or can be baked. It is better to choose fruits that are not sweet and give preference to green ones. Drink only natural juices or don’t drink them at all. It's always better to drink plain water.
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