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Athletes can meet their nutritional requirements by eating balanced meals one to two hours before exercise/event and within one to two hours exercise/event. However, they have special nutritional needs as their workout routines are much different from that of a normal individual.
Different athletes have different needs depending on the type of workout they follow:
The focus should be on:
The confusions which arise for most athletes are:
Today, we will explain in details about the pre and post workout diets and hopefully clear all the confusions.
Pre-exercise nutrition needs
Eat a meal at least three hours prior your workout. The meal should:
Here are a few ways to ensure you’re meeting your nutritional requirements.
Eating Protein before exercise:
Proteins provide essential amino acids to the needy cells and prevent any sort of muscle damage by boosting the synthesis of protein. Therefore, you can rest assure for positive results of gaining muscle mass.
Eating Carbs before exercise:
Carbohydrates preserve glycogen and thus increase the muscle retention. Whenever, the body requires energy, insulin is released and it converts glycogen to glucose to provide instant energy to the cells. When proteins are eaten along with Carbs, it prevents muscle breakdown.
Consuming Fats before exercise
Fats help in the slow digestion and in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E and K. However, keep in mind not to consume too much fat before an event/exercise as it can cause symptoms such as vomiting.
Examples of Pre-exercise snacks:
Post-exercise nutrition needs
The goals of eating after an intense workout are to:
Protein after exercise
Eating protein after exercise prevents protein breakdown and stimulates synthesis, leading to increased or maintained muscle tissue. This is an excellent way for better recovery, adaptation, and performance.
Carbs after exercise
After a workout, unrefined Carbs along with a fruit should fulfill this macro nutrient requirement by re-building the glycogen stores except for endurance athletes who might require more carbohydrates.
Fats after exercise
Little fat should be consumed post an event or exercise as it slows down the digestion. It is preferable to consume fats after 3 hours of exercise.
Examples of Post-workout snacks: Again, here’s how men might build it:
HAPPY READING- TEAM NUTRIFYT