Preworkout – I start carbo loading about 6 hours before my workout. The closer to my workout the less protein and fat I eat, due to the fact that protein from a food source generally takes 3-4 hours to be fully digested and I want my blood in my working muscles not my digestive system breaking down proteins.
So 6 hours before a workout, I eat a whole grain pasta with some sort of meat in it such as shrimp, fish, or chicken,and since beef is heavier I eat that in the evening. Since the whole grain pasta is a medium glycemic index food it doesn’t raise insulin levels as much as eating whole wheat bread or white starchy products. Also, the protein sources are very lean, and quality, so my body gets adequate amino acids but without the higher cholesterol.
About 3 hours before the workout, I have a whey protein shake with some almonds or 1 tbsp of all natural peanut butter and one slice of multigrain bread. The whey protein is a fast digesting protein that my body will have digested before my workout and my blood stream will have adequate amino acids circulating in my blood stream while I workout, which improves muscular performance.
You might be wondering why I would eat almonds or peanut butter before a workout. Almonds and peanut butter are unsaturated fats, which is a healthy fat that helps transport low density lipo-proteins (bad fats) off your veins and circulatory system to your liver for metabolism improving cholesterol and blood vessel health, which helps lower blood pressure and decreases chances for diabetes.
Also, since working out at a very high intensity for 30 mins -1 hour without much rest, my aerobic system will be working very hard. You might be thinking, I though weight lifting was an anaerobic activity, well that’s true, but if you keep your heart rate elevated for a long period of time, the body will keep all energy systems working hard in order to maintain adequate performance. The energy used for the aerobic system comes from healthy fats to be converted into ATP.
The Whole grain bread is a medium qlycemic index value so it wont stimulate insulin levels to rise very high, but it will help with carbohydrate stores, which will give me more energy for the anaerobic work loads.
My last meal, two hours before my workout is an apple. The apple takes a little over 2 hours to digest and its not a heavy food. So about half-way through the workout, the apple sugars will hit my blood stream, and it will give me a second burst of usable energy to help me sustain optimum levels of performance during the later part of my workout.
Immediately after a workout, the body’s muscle glycogen (stored energy) is very depleted and the muscles have been broken down. In order to re-energize the muscle, they need proper carbohydrates. All carbohydrates raise blood sugar levels, some more than others, but if blood sugar raises, insulin is released. So, having a healthy carbohydrate post workout will raise insulin. High glycemic fruits like bananas are great post workout because not only are the tasty, but they are high in electrolytes and nutrients such as vitamin B and C. Other carbohydrates are pasta, whole wheat, brown rice, and other fruits like peaches and blueberries.
To rebuild the broken down muscles they need proper amino acids, which comes from protein. Whey, lean beef, chicken, fish, turkey, shrimp, and any lean meat is a good source of protein for post workout consumption. The body is hungry for carbs and proteins, due to the catabolic state it’s in post workout, so what ever you eat it will be digested at a much faster rate then normal. The most import key is to eat post workout IMMEDIATELY!!
The further away from the workout I get the less carbs I eat. This is to keep insulin levels lowered, which will allow more growth hormone to be circulating at higher levels. So about 3 hours after workout, have a low glycemic carb (google glycemic index for list of carbs), and a lean protein. Then 3 hours after that, eat a meal with only veggies, an unsaturated fat, and a higher protein. The unsaturated fat gives you good cholesterol, and the protein keeps rebuilding that muscle.
Live clean and train hard!!
Ben Moulden Exercise Science B.A.
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