What to eat before Training
What to eat for training.
This is always going to be one of the most
asked questions on any forum, Facebook page or in the gym.
What should I eat before training?
To answer this question you need to look at
a few others like,
·
What are my exact goals?
·
Have I got a competition coming
up?
·
What does my recovery look
like?
·
Am I cutting weight?
·
Did I train already today?
·
Did I train yesterday?
·
Will I train again or tomorrow?
To be honest the list could go on quite a bit!
While most people are very serious about their training, they aren’t
trying to win Gold medals 100% of the time. For the purpose of this post I’m
going to assume that you are the same as 90% of people and you,
·
Work 9-5
·
Train in the evenings
·
Aren’t in competition training
·
Just want to have productive
sessions and recover well.
I am not going to look at a full days
nutrition as that is a very long post in itself! Here I am going to look at
specifically what to eat pre, during and post training to make sure that you
get the most out of your training and recover optimally.
The following recommendations are based on
a person that is eating a well thought out nutrition plan and isn’t doing
anything like Intermittent Fasting, Carb Backloading, IIFYM or any other
fashional nutritional method.
It is also based on a normal class (lasting
about 1.5-2 hours with a warm up, drilling and sparring), that starts at about
7pm. Feel free to adjust the timings to make them for your own schedule.
At this point I have to (as always) state
that nutrition is a very individual topic and one that requires constant
adjustments to get the optimal results. Please speak to your Doctor and Coach
before you make any major changes to your dietary habits.
Ok, so for most people the plan will look
like this,
530pm
(or when you finish work).
Drink 500ml of water.
6pm
Have 25g 100% oats with 1 scoop whey
protein and 1 tablespoon 100% natural Peanut butter (chocolate whey tastes best
with this).
During
Training
Depending on the intensity of a session I
like clients to sip on a fast acting protein such as Biotests MAG 10 or
Myproteins Peptopro (although any hydrolysed why is fine) in 1.5 – 2 litres of
water.
60
mins after training
Have a solid meal of lean, easily digested
protein and simple carbs. White fish or chicken with some white rice is
perfect.
Before
bed
Have another meal of protein and fats (no
carbs).
The purpose of this is to first hydrate
your body (you’re probably not drinking enough water), then to get some slow
release carbs into your system that will help fuel your workouts and start the
process of your body shuttling nutrients to your muscles.
We then want to give your body an easily
digestible protein source that is absorbed extremely quickly without causing
any bloating or discomfort (ever tried rolling after a big meal?).
Finally we give your body more nutrients to
help the recovery process by refuelling energy (glycogen) stores and promoting
optimal hormone response for great sleep and further recovery.
The science of getting pre, intra and post
workout nutrition is a complex subject that many are over looking in BJJ. I’m
not kidding when I say that it can make a MASSIVE difference to your
performance, especially your recovery. Take the time to work out the best fuel
for your training and I guarantee that you will see a difference.
For more information on workout nutrition,
take a look HERE,
Stay Healthy,
Mike
