Should You Eat Before Or After A Workout ?

That nutrition is important for sports performance is known. But what should you eat exactly and at what times?

In order to answer this question, I have to distinguish between power and sport. For athletes, other guidelines apply than for sports carriers. Duration is a cardiovascular form that requires energy for a long period of time, such as running or cycling.

Force sports consist of short efforts for which your body needs other energy sources. For both types of training, other nutritional guidelines apply. In addition, these guidelines apply to athletes who train at least three times a week for 1-2 hours or more, and who try to improve their performance through this training.

Advice for power carriers

As a power rapper, it is important to provide your body with the right amount of nutrients. This means that you get enough protein, carbohydrates and fats. How much we recommend, please read here . In addition to product selection, timing is also important.

Two to three hours before the training

For proper strength training it is important that glycogen stocks are adequately supplemented and well hydrated. This can best be achieved by getting enough carbohydrates during the day of exercise and the day before. An extensive meal just before the effort is not recommended due to the risk of gastrointestinal complaints. Depending on how you respond to it, you can take another meal for 2-3 hours before the effort.

Shortly before the training

When you are going to do an intensive and long-lasting effort, it is advisable to eat something less than 2 hours before that time. Even when coordination and concentration are important, it is useful to eat something like a piece of fruit or a slice of bread within those 2 hours. In terms of moisture, you can take about 250-500 ml of water or isotonic drink (with 4-8 grams of carbohydrate / 100 ml) within 2 hours before the effort. In addition, there are more indications that the use of 10-20 grams of protein for intensive training can reduce muscle damage and help restore .

During the training

As a strength training is often interrupted, glycogen stocks will not be a limiting factor for performance. This only applies when glycogen stocks are on level thanks to good basic sports nutrition. There is no need for carbohydrate supplementation during exercise.

Exercises where only a few muscle groups are trained for long periods can lead to local glycogenesis. If this is the case, or if glycogen stock is not optimal (for example, through a carbohydrate-restricted diet or multiple exercises in one day), the use of carbohydrates during exercise is advisable. Preferably use an isotonic beverage . The moisture loss depends on the person and the effort.

It is important to drink enough, as 2% moisture loss can already lead to loss of performance. In addition, you can choose to drink 150-350 ml of fluid every 15-20 minutes with an effort of 1 hour or longer. Preferably water - or if the carbohydrates are to be supplemented with an isotonic sports drink.

Within 2 hours after the training

After training, it is important to replenish moisture and nutrients. Earlier it was said about the window of oppurtunity. The theory was that you should get protein within half an hour for optimal recovery, because your muscles are more sensitive and thus absorb the proteins, which stimulates muscle building.

However, this theory is currently under discussion. It is strongly believed that this window or oppurtunity exists, but not how long it is open. Until then, I handle the previous rule because we do not know until your muscles are more sensitive to these proteins. The first two hours after the effort, the glycogen stocks in the muscles can be quickly supplemented. This promotes the recovery of the fuel supply.

The advice is to supplement 0.5-1 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight. Combine the intake of carbohydrates with the intake of 0.3 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight. Keep the intake of fats as low as possible and fill your moisture according to the weighing policy. More about this below.

The weighing policy

In the weighing policy you measure your weight before and after the effort. The difference in kilos is equal to the difference in moisture in liters. Here the amount of drunk moisture should be added during the effort. This is the total amount of moisture you are lost. This number multiplies you by 150%. Get the amount of drunk moisture from here and you know what the amount of moisture you need to replenish within 2-3 hours after the effort.

Example calculation:

1. Body weight for training: 75 kg 
2. Body weight after training: 73.5 kg 
3. Drunk during training: 500 ml 
4. Total moisture loss: 1500 + 500 ml = 2000 ml 
5. 2000 ml x 150% = 3000 ml 
6. 3000 ml - 500 ml = 2500 ml of moisture must be supplemented in 2-3 hours after the effort.

Advice for sports carriers

For a sportsperson, there are other guidelines than for a sportsperson. A duration porter is more dependent on the amount of energy in the form of carbohydrates. Also in normal daily nutrition, a higher intake of carbohydrates for someone who is in need of sporting activities is desirable. Duration training can significantly increase energy consumption, with the body making use of aerobic energy systems during exercise. Broadly speaking, we recommend the following advice:

Two to three hours before the training

For a duration training, glycogen stocks must be optimal and balance of moisture balance. Therefore use a large amount of carbohydrates on the days before exercise and on the day itself. An extensive meal shortly before the effort increases the risk of gastrointestinal complaints. This will vary by person, but it is advisable to take the last meal 2-3 hours before the effort, keeping it as low as possible in protein, fat and fiber. Use of more than 70 grams of carbohydrates at this meal is recommended. In addition, drink 500 ml of moisture.

Shortly before the training

Shortly before a duration of effort (15-30 minutes) it may be valuable to eat a banana or jam sandwich quickly. This just gives you some extra energy. Do this alone if it feels good. So do not try out a match, but first at a training session. If you are susceptible to rebound hypoglycemia (low blood sugar after drinking lots of sugar), it is better to avoid snacks with many single sugars the last hour before exercise.

During the effort

In the energy supply during the training, the carbohydrates play an important role. In general, the body can provide 1.5 hours of effort on a good glycogen supply. If it's almost empty, the body is switching to fat and protein burn, with performance falling. To prevent this depletion, it is useful to replenish the carbohydrates in efforts that last longer than 90 minutes. The absorption of carbohydrates is limited. The following guidelines are used:

• 1-2 hours: 30 grams of carbohydrates per hour in the form of glucose or fructose 
• 2-3 hours: 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour in the form of glucose or fructose 
• 2.5 hours or longer: 90 grams of carbohydrates per hour, with the ratio of glucose, fructose 2: 1. So 60 grams of glucose, 30 grams of fructose. 

The moisture loss is the same as in strength training in durable sports: 150-350 ml per 15-20 minutes. This, however, differs per person and can be checked by means of the previously explained weighing policy.

After training

Have you had a long duration training? Then it is important to replenish your energy supply. Long and / or intensive duration training reduces your glycogen supply and needs to be replenished with a high-carbohydrate-rich meal. If you do this on time, your body will recover better and you will be able to exercise faster. Also proteins are important for muscle repair. At a duration of effort, the following recommendation applies: 0.3 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight in combination with 1.2-1.5 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight within 1-2 hours of training. Reduce the intake of fats and fill the moisture according to the weighing policy.

Finally

The above points are guidelines. This means that this does not work optimally for everyone. Try trial-and-error to find out what works best for you. A sports dietician can help you with this.