What to Eat Before and After Strength Training

If you lift weights, you have to fuel your body, but no matter which one you choose, chances are that someone in your gym will tell you that you have chosen the wrong snack. So what is “right” to eat while exercising? And what does it matter when you eat it?

How food fuels your workout

To be clear, we’re talking about nutrition around weight lifting workouts. Whether you’re going for a long run , bike ride, or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout at the beach, your nutritional needs are likely to be different.

And the truth is, not everyone needs to eat before exercise, especially if it’s just a light workout. Most of us just don’t exercise hard enough or often enough to eat a five-course meal beforehand, and your body already has energy stored as glycogen in your liver and muscles. “The advantage of getting calories during exercise [is that they] will ‘save’ some of those internal stores and extend the time to depletion ,” says Trevor Kashi , Ph.D., biochemist and nutritional consultant.

Other factors that depend on whether and how much you should eat:

• How long has it been since your last meal?
• How much fat do you have
• Your underlying medical condition and the medications you are taking
• How long will your workout last?
• When you exercise

Simply put, if you do heavy strength training regularly and are trying to get super strong, eat something before your workout that will give you more energy to help you get the most out of your workout and help prepare your body to recover quickly from it. Kashey adds:

I would rather an athlete have the energy to train after eating than to be a zombie during training and then eat a big meal. It never made much sense to me. It makes more sense to take out an “insurance policy” for a better workout. Better workouts will yield better results over time.

In other words, if you eat first, you will feel better prepared to do the work and do a few extra reps. This extra effort (intensity) and an extra two to three reps can affect your overall progress and results in the future. So eat if you feel like your workout could be hurt if you don’t.

What to eat before exercise

We often forget to put more emphasis on you, on you, on you when it comes to what to eat. In this sense, there are two main problems that only you can solve. First, does what you eat make you feel comfortable and comfortable? Because if eating makes you feel bloated, gaseous, and nasty, that’s not for you, no matter what one dude at the gym says.

Before we get into real food ideas, there is one more thought to consider: the size of your food. The first steps of digestion can take six to eight hours , and the last thing you want is for the food to wiggle unpleasantly in your stomach when you try to squat. If your workout is two hours long, try to eat small meals.

Dr. Spencer Nadolsky , board-certified family medicine and obesity medicine, says he usually prescribes digestible, protein-rich foods within two hours of his patient’s workout. This can be a protein shake with a slice of some fruit, or Greek yogurt with berries and a little granola. If it’s not too heavy, animal or plant proteins will work, ”adds Dr. Nadolski. For other ideas, Kashi gives the following recommendations:

If you’re getting closer to training (about 45 minutes), you should go for foods that are easy to digest and quick to digest. It could be something like a banana and a protein supplement. Assuming you have a warm-up period, it actually turns out to be about 30 minutes before you enter the gym and during your warm-up period.

The further away from your workout (possibly up to the 90 minute mark), you will need to favor slower-digesting foods in order to calm you down. Or, in other words, a regular meal with a typical nutrient distribution.

Some people like to eat during training time, which is usually not necessary. Some exceptions : if you train hard for more than two hours, you haven’t eaten enough calories (possibly to lose weight), you feel like your energy is dropping, and / or your training program is very demanding. If that’s you, Kashi recommends using a fast carbohydrate source like Gatorade, or a simple sugar (like maltodextrin) mixed with easily digestible whey protein.

Just please do not eat whole turkey while you are sitting in the squat rack.

What to eat after training

Avid lifters may suggest you grab a protein shake immediately after your workout, or you can say goodbye to hard work! No, your muscles won’t shrink or die if you don’t eat right away .

As explained in the review published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition , your post-workout meal is as important as if you have already eaten a few hours before, you do not have another workout later in the day, and you’re not highly skilled competitor. If you end up eating a protein and carbohydrate-rich meal (up to three hours post-workout , according to Precision Nutrition), you should be fine. More importantly, as Kashi observed:

A perfectly timed protein shake and inadequate protein intake will not be as effective as providing the total protein you need. It is easy for a beginner to feel like you are doing things right when you focus on difficult things rather than fundamental things, and after a few months (or even years) you will be disappointed.

“Some people just tolerate carbs better after exercise,” notes Dr. Nadolski, “so now is a good time to fuel up on carbs. If you exercise in the morning and exercise on an empty stomach, then consuming carbs after exercise can help replenish glycogen stores; and more importantly, it gives you enough energy to stay productive for the rest of the day, says Kashi.

It’s worth noting that you usuallydon’t use up as much glycogen as you need to immediately replenish stores. In order to be so urgent, you will have to work very heavy weights and schedule another workout shortly thereafter. Also keep in mind that lifting weights does not burn as many calories during the exercise itself; If you eat too much after exercise, it will be easier for you to gain weight (if that’s not your goal).

Some post-workout meal ideas:

• Oatmeal with fruit and delicious omelet
• turkey sandwich
• Medium sweet potatoes, four ounces of lean steak, and vegetables
• Chipotle with chicken and burritos (no cheese, guac and sour cream for fewer calories)

It can be anything, as long as the calories meet your daily needs, contain enough protein (25+ grams or so), and are a good source of carbs.

If you’re just starting out and / or exercising for fun, don’t give it a second thought. You will make more progress if you focus on consuming enough protein , training hard and consistently, and managing your food intake in line with your fitness goals. The article was originally published in August 2017 and was updated on November 18, 2020 to bring content in line with the current Lifehacker style.