Pre and Post Workout Nutrition

I got this from the MtnAthlete website. Some parts I disagree with(not a fan of soy and I just don't like cottage cheese) but for the most part it's solid information.

The nutrients you put into the body pre and post workout are the most important
of the day, where the typical meal before the workout is just that... a typical
meal (healthy) meal. For you as an athlete, the focus should be placed on an
overall healthy diet (food pyramid), hydration, and the proper sport specific
fueling.

Moderate - high intensity work will use muscle ATP/gycogen
stores (immediate energy) and these stores will become severely depleted and
will stay this way if carbohydrates are not consumed after workout.
Carbohydrates before the workout will replenish any storage loss from the
previous day so that the gycogen "tank" will be topped off and adequate energy
will be available to prevent protein catabolism (breakdown). This added
carbohydrate source prior to workout will also dramatically increase the
transport of supplemented protein to recover/repair muscles worked during the
training.

Most recent studies on supplementation combined with our
knowledge of physiological and biological bodily functions shows that both
protein and carbohydrates dramatically improve protein synthesis and shorten
recovery time.

Here are some basic guidelines:

PRE-WORKOUT
NUTRITION
30-15 minutes prior to workout - 20-30 grams protein (=6-9 g
essential amino acids), 20-30 g carbohydrates (in form of dextrose, fructose,
sucrose).

POST WORKOUT NUTRITION
0-30 minutes immediately following
workout - 20-30g protein, 20-30g carbohydrates.

METHODS
To get this
additional protein and sugar (carbohydrates) mixture pre and post workout, you
can:
1) Drink 2 servings of chocolate milk
2) Eat 2 servings cottage
cheese and some fruit,
3) Eat 2 servings low fat yogurt,
4) consume 2
servings soy milk,
5) Mix scoop of protein powder and 8-12 ounces of sports
drink or juice.
6) Drink a recovery shake/supplement before and after
training.

COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q: What if I can only
drink a pre or post workout shake, but not both?
A: Drinking a shake before
and after is by far the best, but if you can only do one, let the duration of
the workout dictate when you should have it. Short duration=before or during.
Long duration=during or after.

Q: Can I eat solid food before a workout,
or does it have to be in liquid form?
A: If a solid meal is to be eaten as the workout supplementation, this meal must be digested and nutrients available for energy/protein synthesis at time of workout. This means that approximately 1 hour before the workout the meal must be eaten. The digestive rate of this meal will also dictate timing of available nutrients (i.e steak and eggs will take longer to digest than pineapple and cottage cheese). Post workout supplement must be in simplified (liquid form) to benefit from immediate nutrient
transport. Again the benefit from increased protein and carbohydrate intake
needs to be absorbed by the gut within 30 minutes of completing the workout if
not sooner.

Q: What is a serving size?
A: Refer to the label on the
food package. If this is still a question, go with milk or soy milk = 8 oz;
cottage cheese or yogurt = 1/2 cup.

Q: What happens if I do not consume
a pre, post or both supplemental drink?
A: If pre and post workout nutrition
is not taken:
1) Muscle glycogen stores will not be replenished,
2)
Catobolic (breakdown) of muscle protein will be greater and anabolic (muscle
repair) will be limited,
3) Recovery time will increase,
4) Muscle and
strength gains will not be as significant.

Q: What should I look for
when shopping for this type of protein/carbohydrate supplement?
A: Many workout recovery and protein drinks are on the market. The drink or powder should contain 6-9 grams of essential amino acids (isoleucine, leucine, lysine,
methionine, phenylalaine, threoninie, tryptophan and valanine) which is usually
obtained by consuming 20-30g high quality protein, 20-30g carbohydrate source,
calcium, sodium, potassium, vitamin D. Extras added into these supplements will
support your goal (weight gain = more fat, loss = low cal, maintenance = approx.
30% pro/ 50% cho/ 20% fat ratio). If you look at the overall serving weight of
the supplement and check the weight of the essentials contained in the product,
you will see that a good product is close to matching this serving wt. and the
less beneficial supplements will have filler weight (non-essential).

Here are some "ready to drink" recommendations:
EAS Myoplex and Myoplex lite, Cytosport Muscle Milk and Muscle Milk light, Slim Fast High Protein, and Chocolate milk.

It is generally cheaper to purchase these drinks in powder form and mix them yourself in a shaker. Rob likes/uses Biotest "Surge" recovery drink primarily because it seems less expensive then other brands, but carries similar nutrients.

Shop around.

- Ryan
Poulin, CSCS

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