Pre Exercise Nutrition timing

P

PPP

New Member
I personally prefer eating till about an hour before my workout, else i simply get too hungry during my workout. Since i've read some of Bryan's articles, i drop in a protein shake right before i leave my place as well.

However, any so-called nutrition expert has always advised me to eat any big meals no later than 2 hours before your workout and a shake no later than 1,5 hours before your workout. This because, as they say, you don't want any (quick) rises of insulin levels approaching your workout time, because they result in less energy available during your workout (you'll only feel tired).

Now Bryan suggest about the opposite:
"Consuming simple sugars right before training can reduce the amount of glycogen used during exercise. This can prolong performance. More importantly, higher blood sugar and insulin levels appear to create a hormonal milieu favorable to anabolism (growth)."
Plus the suggested protein shake, which of course has to be taken along with some carbs (i usually take milk), right before your workout.

So i'm a little confused about when to eat, and up to what moment.

Pieter
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]However, any so-called nutrition expert has always advised me to eat any big meals no later than 2 hours
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The qualifier there is "big." Eating a little carbs right before or during training won't raise insulin levels significantly. After all, why would your body want to store energy when it *needs* energy now?

That said, *I* don't like eating before a workout. Even if it's something like a banana or whey or half of a Zone bar, it takes at least 90 minutes for me to not feel nausea or "weak headedness" when training. I did various preworkout schemes for many years, and it's really when I dropped it did I feel like I could reliably train in the gym.

But I figure this is different for each person. If it works for you, go for it.

cheers,
Jules
 
If you can take it in without being sick, take the dosage right BEFORE your training.
[b said:
Quote[/b] ] because, as they say, you don't want any (quick) rises of insulin levels approaching your workout time, because they result in less energy available during your workout (you'll only feel tired).
Click to expand...
Do you feel tired during training?
wouldnt think so, because this is (in general) bollocks.
 
PPP, I know you already have my take on this, but perhaps I can add a few more issues to think about when trying to make a decision.

It is true, or at least believed, that big meals can make you feel sleepy. This has been attributed to a number of things, including an alteration in serotonin levels, and “sludging” which refers to the slowing down of the flow of red blood cells through micro-capillaries. Whether this is a fact or not, remains in question. We have probably all felt this effect of a big meal before, but more often than not, we don’t really notice any effect of eating.

Insulin, though it obviously lowers blood sugar, does not overwhelm the effects of catecholamines (adrenaline, noradrenaline) that are released upon the onset of exercise. Catecholamines increase blood sugar and alertness/energy levels.

Now, a comment about goals. With HST as well as HSN, our primary goal is hypertrophy. We care only about how to get the muscle to grow as fast as possible. When it comes to nutrition during exercise, this means keeping cortisol low, and amino acid levels high. Carbohydrates help to keep cortisol low, while protein helps to keep amino acid levels high. Combine this with drastically increased blood flow to muscle tissue (pre-workout nutrition) and you have optimized the environment to favor net muscle accretion…growth!
 
I remember vividly when I first tried gatoraide before training (must be about 10 years ago) and I crashed big time. Like as in pale white, I'm gonna puke and pass out. I tried it a few times after before realizing it was the drink.

For me adding in the protein and fat makes a big difference. I now take 14g protein/18g carbs and a teaspoon of flax with no problems.
 
Thanks for the input guys.

So summarizing, i think we can say that: first of all, it's very personal on when to eat, secondly any easily digested and small quantities of food won't hinder your performance.

Thus, the proteine shake with simple carbs, as suggested by Bryan, indeed is perfect when taken right before training for most of us.

Pieter
 
another good idea which I've recently implemented and was previously against (due to the "insulin worry") is the slow drinking of gatorade (or other sucrose/glucose source) during the workout.... has made a very noteable difference for me.
 
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