What can you eat after training and how much? Proper nutrition after training You need to eat before or after training

I must tell you that proper nutrition during training is 70% of success in bodybuilding. You work hard, try to build muscle or lose fat, but if you don't get the right nutrients, then all your efforts are in vain. Therefore, I advise you to study this article several times, sort everything out and understand for yourself that if you tried hard in the gym, then the strained muscles, of course, will begin to change. The question is that if you gave them the nutrition from outside and what they needed, then everything is fine. And if they didn’t give you nutrition, then they will take it from the internal organs or from those muscles that did not work during this training. This is such simple arithmetic. The pre-workout meal should contain carbohydrates, proteins, and the fat content should be limited (preferably no more than 3-5 grams).
You should eat before starting the training process no later than 2 hours before it starts. Physical activity is known to slow down and even stop digestion, so go on an empty stomach. In addition, an overfilled stomach will interfere with the full performance of exercises, and problems such as acid reflux, nausea and decreased stamina may arise.
Eating carbohydrates before your workout will provide you with energy. The proteins taken will be used by the body as sources of amino acids for working muscles, creating the so-called anabolic “prerequisite”. Pre-workout meals should be fat-free because fat in food slows down the absorption of other nutrients. Fatty foods stay in the stomach longer, and for this reason can cause discomfort, lethargy, colic, nausea and belching.

Pre-workout foods
Below are examples that combine protein and carbohydrate foods; you can alternate these options depending on your taste preferences:

• Poultry (turkey, chicken breasts) with rough bread or rice or pasta
• Lean fish and potatoes
• Lean meat with potatoes or pasta
• Eggs with porridge
• Cottage cheese with bread

The amount of food eaten should be small, like an average breakfast. If you do not feel a feeling of heaviness and fullness in your stomach at the start of the workout, then the amount of food was normal. Pre-workout meals should include approximately 20 g of protein and 40-60 g of complex carbohydrates.

Pre-workout protein
A protein shake is absorbed much faster than regular food. Therefore, a portion of whey protein an hour before training will be just right. By the start of exercise, the amino acids that muscles require will begin to actively enter the bloodstream.

Pre-workout nutrition for weight loss.

T Just like when gaining muscle mass, you need to eat food before training no later than 2 hours before it starts, while the amount of carbohydrates is reduced to 15-20 g, and the amount of protein to 10-15 g. Take only complex carbohydrates (vegetables, cereals, wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta, etc.). If you don't eat before you start training, you won't be able to achieve a high level of intensity because your body won't be able to produce the right amount of energy.
If you eat a large amount of food or eat immediately before training, then during it you will spend mainly food energy, rather than fat reserves.

Post-workout nutrition

About an hour after training, you need to eat a meal rich in protein and carbohydrates. This is the only time when carbohydrates with a relatively high glycemic index, that is, fast carbohydrates, are allowed to be included in the diet.
During this period of time, the so-called post-workout, anabolic or protein-carbohydrate window is open in the body. For this reason, post-workout nutrition is primarily for muscle recovery and energy replenishment.
Carbohydrates after exercise
Post-workout carbohydrates are best consumed in readily available form from simple, high-glycemic sources. You need to achieve a rise in insulin levels - this hormone has anti-catabolic properties. Carbohydrates are needed to replenish expended energy, and if the body does not receive enough of them, then the destruction of muscle tissue begins under the influence of catabolic processes.
The required amount of carbohydrates is approximately 60-100 g.
Carbohydrate foods

• Buckwheat (buckwheat porridge);
• Pearl barley (pearl porridge);
• Millet groats (millet porridge);
• Oatmeal (oatmeal);
• White rice;
• Pasta (from durum wheat);
• Bread (bran);
• Honey (in small quantities);
• Bananas;
• Juice (preferably fresh).

Protein after workout

It is advisable to drink a protein shake immediately after training. This way, you can increase the rate of muscle protein synthesis by at least three times (compared to not eating after a workout). Proteins also help increase the secretion of somatotropin and have a pronounced restorative effect on muscle tissue.
The required amount of protein is approximately 20-30 g.
Protein products

• Protein dishes (recipes)
• Bird
• Lean meat
• Eggs – boiled or scrambled
• Fish – low-fat
• Cottage cheese

Post-workout nutrition for weight loss

If your goal is to reduce fat mass, then your nutrition tactics change - you should limit yourself to protein only. Carbohydrates in any form should be excluded from post-workout nutrition. This is due to the fact that carbohydrates provide energy, which eliminates the need to burn subcutaneous fat. After performing physical activity, there is a large amount of fat molecules in the blood that have been released from fat cells, while at the same time, activated metabolic processes can destroy these free fats for a long time. Carbohydrates taken immediately after training will force your body to return all free fats to tissues and begin to use food energy.

To create a complete nutrition plan tailored specifically for you, you may need months of studying special literature and experimenting. The short way is consultation with a specialist. Let me tell you a secret, the so-called nutritionist is not such a specialist. It would be wiser to turn not to an armchair theorist, but to a person with practical experience. A personal trainer with his own competitive experience or an active bodybuilder who knows about “cutting” has first-hand knowledge of biochemistry and nutritional science much better than certified nutritionists with a paunch and shortness of breath.

If you want to know whether eating protein before or after a workout helps you get more defined muscles, lose weight, or increase strength, then you definitely need to read this article.

Some people say that it is absolutely necessary to eat protein before workouts and cut out carbohydrates to maximize muscle performance and increase strength.

Should you eat protein before or after your workouts?

There is another opinion that what you eat before training does not matter, but what you eat after it is vitally important.

Others still say that none of these "carb windows" matter and you just need to make sure you're eating enough protein overall throughout the day, i.e. hitting a certain daily amount per pound of body weight according to your goals training, losing weight or gaining muscle mass.

Science has also not yet given a clear answer on the issue at hand, because every scientist has research that supposedly supports his own arguments, which may differ from the arguments of other scientists.

And so you are left to think who is right and what to do.

Should you "play it safe" and just eat protein before and after every workout?

Or should you ignore everyone and just eat on the schedule that suits you best?

In this article, we're going to break down the protein you should eat before or after a workout, and we'll start with this:

When it comes to protein intake, getting enough protein every day is the most important thing in gaining muscle and strength quickly.

Everything else related to protein intake - when you eat it, how many servings you eat per day, the size of each serving, etc. - Subject to the general consumption rate.

But this does not mean that other factors do not matter at all.

If you go easy on them, you're missing out on an important part of building muscle naturally:

While 80% of your progress depends on fundamental factors, you can speed up the process by making a number of minor improvements to your diet, training and supplements.

The effect of introducing improvements is individual for each person, and may be insignificant at first, but over time it becomes significant.

Managing your protein intake is one of these small improvements, and it includes eating before and after attending a workout.

You'll soon see that eating protein before and after exercise is not as important as many people claim. But however, this still has its advantages.

Let's start.

Protein is a compound made up of chains of smaller molecules known as amino acids and is the basic building block of your body.

Body tissues such as muscles, ligaments, tendons, hair, organs and skin are all made up of proteins, as well as hormones, enzymes and various chemicals necessary for life.

The body requires twenty-one amino acids to form proteins.

He can produce twelve and gets the rest from food. These are known as "essential" amino acids and are:

• Phenylalanine
• Valin
• Threonine
• Tryptophan
• Methionine
• Leucine
• Isoleucine
• Lysine
• Histidine

The main reason to eat protein is to provide your body with essential amino acids to repair and build tissue in your body.

Regular exercise with heavy weights and lighter training increases the body's need for protein, but optimal protein intake is also important for the muscles of a sedentary person.

If such a person does not eat enough protein as he gets older, he will lose muscle faster. And muscle loss leads to death at a younger age.

From a physiological point of view, eating protein does more than just increase the level of amino acids in the blood (namely plasma).

Eating more protein also stimulates it synthesis , which is a biological process in which amino acids are used to create new proteins.

Muscle proteins are one of many types of proteins that are created by the body, and these proteins are used to repair and increase muscle tissue.

The opposite of synthesis is protein breakdown , which is a biological process in which the body breaks down existing proteins into their constituent amino acids.

Both of these processes occur in the body all the time to varying degrees.

To put this into perspective, muscle growth and muscle loss are the result of the rate of protein synthesis exceeding the rate of protein breakdown, and vice versa.

In other words, when the rate of muscle protein synthesis is higher than the rate of muscle protein breakdown, muscle gain occurs. When this happens, the body is in a state of “positive protein balance.”

When the rate of protein breakdown exceeds the rate of protein synthesis, you lose muscle. When this happens, the body is in a state of “negative protein balance.”

Under normal conditions, these two conditions balance each other, and muscle mass remains unchanged. This is why people who don't exercise don't gain or lose muscle over time. However, in reality, people slowly lose muscle day by day, but it happens at such a low rate that it is difficult to notice.

So, at the core of it all is everything we do to gain muscle quickly - working out in the gym, eating a lot of protein and calories, taking the right supplements, etc. - and it performs one of two functions (or both in some cases):

Increases the rate of protein synthesis.
Reduces the rate of its decay.

Strength training, for example, increases protein synthesis and therefore increases muscle mass.

Fasting for long periods of time, on the other hand, causes protein breakdown, which explains muscle loss.

When it comes to maximizing muscle growth, the basic principles are proper nutrition, training and recovery. Following them gives most of the results.

You know these things.

• Eat enough protein every day.
• Eat enough calories every day.
• Focus on strength training.
• Exceeding the normal load rate within reason.
• Get enough sleep.
• You need to make sure that you are not training at 100% effort intensity for several months.

At least 80% of muscle growth comes from the above, which means that all the other strategies and tips that could be followed will always be less important.

Less important does not mean useless, which is especially important for a weightlifter who wants to increase his progress.

That's why it's recommended to do more than just stick to the basics, including supplementing with creatine and beta-alanine, focusing on timing protein intake, and keeping cardio to a minimum.

Individually, this won't have much effect, but collectively it can make a lot of progress in the long run.

And this is where the question arises: is there protein before and after workouts?

Should you eat protein before working out?

Some people say that eating protein before a workout doesn't help or causes harm, and often point to research to back up their point.

Others say they are wrong and cite articles like this showing that eating protein before exercise actually increases muscle growth over time.

So what is actually right?

The solution to this riddle is actually not complicated, and it was found in a simple detail: during the subjects' last meal, before they ate anything right before their workout.

It takes the body several hours to digest and absorb protein, so meal composition and portion size have a significant impact.

A small amount of fast-digesting protein, such as 20 g of whey protein, will usually break down and be completely absorbed in about 2 hours. A steak with potatoes, butter and vegetables can take up to 6-8 hours to digest.

So, let's say you eat a large portion of protein a couple of hours before your workout.

The level of amino acids in the blood plasma will increase due to food, which means that there is no need to specifically consume protein before training.

Now let's say it's been a few hours since you last ate protein, and it was a small meal, like a cup of Greek yogurt.

In this case, your body will have processed all the protein by the time you start exercising, in which case it is better to consume more protein before your sports activity.

What does all this mean? It's that most people don't need to eat protein before they start working out.

Most of us eat a mixed meal containing sufficient protein 1-3 hours before training.

For example, you can have a protein shake with fruit and nuts at 3 pm and get to the gym by 6. Or you can eat a big breakfast at 8 am and start working out at 12. Or have a big lunch at 1 pm and have a workout. at 5 pm.

In all of these cases, you likely won't benefit from eating protein immediately before your workout.

If, however, you are training first thing in the morning on an empty stomach or 5-6 hours after a relatively small meal, then you would do well to eat about 20 grams of protein before starting your workout.

It's all that simple.

Should you consume protein after a workout?

Nutrition after training is clearer and more understandable than nutrition before it.

The general consensus among the most respected fitness professionals, based on practical research, is that eating protein immediately after a workout is essential.

Consuming protein immediately after working out at the gym isn't death-defying, but research shows it can help you build more muscle over time.

This makes sense for two reasons:

1. After a workout, muscles are more sensitive than usual to protein.
2. The rate of protein breakdown begins to increase rapidly after the end of training, and protein consumption reduces it.

How much protein do you need, you ask? In most cases, 20 to 40 grams of protein post-workout will help you reach your goal, and research shows that whey protein is especially good post-workout. This is just as necessary for girls as it is for men.

What type of protein is best for pre- and post-workout consumption?

Great, now you know when to eat protein before a workout and whether to eat after it.

What types of protein should you eat before or after workouts? Does it really matter?

Ideally, you should have something that quickly increases plasma amino acid levels and therefore the rate of protein synthesis, and that is rich in the amino acid leucine to directly stimulate muscle growth. You need something from the category of fast proteins after training.

The protein source that best fits the above, and is also the most popular protein supplement in the world, is whey protein.

Whey is quickly absorbed and rich in leucine, so it significantly increases the rate of protein synthesis and can therefore be eaten before and after exercise.

While any type of protein supplement has a stimulating function, we're all for whey protein isolate because it's so close in composition to pure protein and doesn't contain lactose, which can potentially upset your stomach.

Svetlana Markova

Beauty is like a precious stone: the simpler it is, the more precious it is!

Content

In order to correctly answer the question of how long after a workout you can eat, you need information that allows you to understand what and when the body needs after the end of the workout in order to lose weight or, conversely, gain weight. Nutritional guidelines for losing weight or building muscle vary. This is facilitated by various biochemical processes in the body associated with training, sleep, and nutrition. Violation of one element from the list jeopardizes the entire training path and the desired sports result.

What is proper nutrition after training?

At the end of a workout, the body needs nutrients to restore wasted energy and damaged muscle cells. Post-workout nutrition involves replenishing microelements that need to be obtained through an active internal process. The lack of glycogen contained in the muscles must be replenished with carbohydrates, both simple (honey, jam, yogurt, banana, bread) and complex (porridge, vegetables, fiber). The former quickly provide material for restoration, while the latter support the process and enrich it with energy.

In addition to carbohydrates for the reconstruction of damaged muscle fibers, protein (meat, egg whites, fish) is needed for the growth of new ones. At the end of physical activity, the consumption of amino acids is very important, for which many athletes consume this nutrient in the form of protein powder (diluted with carbohydrates - juice) or in tablet form. Sports nutrition is an additional source of protein and carbohydrate structure, used to increase the speed of “arrival” of the necessary substances with the blood to the muscles (there is no time spent on digestion and breakdown in the stomach).

Is it possible to eat after training?

The answer to the question of whether you need to eat after training is yes, this is an essential component of a proper sports regime. How many hours later can you eat after training? The figure depends on the type of load - cardio or strength, and the desired result - weight loss or weight gain. The need to eat after exercise is evidenced by the following facts:

• Scientists have proven that in the first 60 minutes after physical activity, eating is not just necessary, but extremely necessary. During this period, the body opens protein and carbohydrate windows - a lack of energy and substances for the reconstruction of fibers. Nutrition is the only source of essential elements for the body and health. If you do not provide amino acids and glucose during this period, then the desired result from the workout will not be achieved.
• At the end of the lesson, the athlete is weakened and exhausted. It is necessary to replenish energy and water.

What to eat to burn fat

You can burn fat in different ways: interval, monotonous running, high-intensity, circuit training. At the end of any sports activity, fat is burned for another 2 hours. The athlete is already resting, but the extra pounds are still melting away. And here the athlete is faced with a choice: either he closes the anabolic window, but then fat burning will stop, or wait 2 hours and then have lunch. One or the other option depends on what results the athlete wants to get: a beautiful, sculpted body with minimal muscle loss or just being thin.

If you do not close the protein and carbohydrate windows after exercise, the body loses its quality: inelastic skin, loss of the required volumes (shoulders, buttocks). This result is unacceptable in bodybuilding or professional fitness, since only with proper drying can muscles be preserved. But under these circumstances, a person loses weight faster, which is very attractive to girls. The fat burning nutrition program will vary depending on the time of the session. If the training is in the evenings:

• For breakfast, mixed carbohydrates (oatmeal + sweets, walnuts and other nuts or fruits - banana, pomegranate, green apple).
• Lunch – natural protein (lean meat, egg white, omelet with 1 yolk, fish) + up to 30 g of complex carbohydrates (porridge, vegetables).
• Afternoon snack – vegetables.
• The 2nd lunch is the same as the 1st, but without carbohydrates (90 minutes before training).
• Dinner (2 hours after training) – protein (boiled meat, eggs) + vegetables.

If the training is in the morning, the diet will be as follows:

• Breakfast (2 hours after training) – mixed carbohydrates.
• Lunch – natural protein (lean meat, egg white, fish) + up to 30 g of complex carbohydrates (buckwheat, rice, millet, pearl barley porridge, vegetables).
• Afternoon snack – vegetables.
• The 2nd lunch is the same as the 1st, but without carbohydrates (raw vegetables are ok).
• Dinner – protein (boiled meat, eggs) + vegetables, you can eat beans.
• Late dinner – low-fat kefir or cottage cheese.

In order to burn only fat without affecting muscles, it is necessary to close the anabolic window. Post-workout food for weight loss should contain fast carbohydrates and protein. The first can be obtained from sweets, which are prohibited to eat at other times. The second is protein powder, or fast egg white. Why can you eat sweets only during the anabolic window? Because during this period of time (in the first hour) everything eaten is spent on restoration processes and is not stored in fat.

Coffee, tea and other drinks that contain caffeine (even chocolate protein shakes) should not be drunk after exercise for 2 hours. They inhibit the supply of glycogen to the muscles, which is why muscle fibers are used instead of carbohydrates. Before the training process, coffee will invigorate and enrich you with energy, which will be enough for the entire workout and before meals.

For gaining muscle mass

It is known that gaining weight involves taking in more calories than you burn in a day. But it depends on the quality of nutrition what the body will gain - fat or muscle. After training, you can’t go hungry – we close the anabolic window with carbohydrates and proteins. It would be ideal if the athlete had lunch within a third of an hour after class, and then supplemented with lunch one to two hours later. The next meal after training should contain proteins (meat, eggs, fish) and carbohydrates for gaining muscle mass (porridge, vegetables).

Can I drink after a workout?

You should definitely drink it after your workout. During exercise, water with minerals comes out with sweat, which serve as catalysts for all the necessary processes for losing weight or gaining weight. Therefore, an excellent option would be to drink 200-500 ml of mineral water immediately after finishing the training. You can and should also drink during the training process. Any purified water will do in the amount required by the body to quench thirst. You can drink after each approach to exercise in the gym or during aerobic exercise.

When can you eat after a workout?

The answer to the question of how long after a workout you can eat depends on the goals of the trainee. If the expected result is an athletic, toned body, relief, mass and physical strength, then you need to eat immediately after exercise. If the goal is weight loss, that is, a reduction in volume, and it does not matter what the muscle mass and its quality will be, then eating should be 2 hours later than the workout.

The effectiveness of the training itself largely depends on nutrition before and after physical activity. Should you eat before exercising or is it better to exercise in the morning on an empty stomach? What should be the diet for different power loads? Not only when, but also what is - another important issue that requires separate consideration.

Nutritional Features

The debate surrounding the advisability of eating before exercise continues. Proponents of an early breakfast rightly note: after intense training, the level of glucose in the blood sharply decreases, and along with it, the supply of glycogen decreases. The result may be a hungry faint. Opponents of breakfast before exercise argue that eating early slows down the process of burning fat, and you should eat after training. The veracity of this thesis is confirmed by research in recent years.

To find out how exercising on an empty stomach helps you lose weight, scientists from Harvard University conducted an experiment among three groups of volunteers. The first team first went to the gym, and then to the dining room. The morning of the second group, on the contrary, began with breakfast, followed by a half-hour training session. Still others did not try to exercise at all, but only ate. The result of the month-long experiment was weight loss among participants in the first two groups. The growth of muscle mass in active subjects was approximately the same. Those who started exercising on an empty stomach lost more weight, as they lost 30% more fat than those who ate breakfast before physical activity.

You need to decide when to eat - before or after exercise - individually, based on the characteristics of the body and training. When the morning begins with 10-minute exercises, you can do without breakfast - drink a glass of slightly sweetened water. If you exercise for 20–40 minutes, glycogen consumption increases, so it’s better to start the day with a light snack. Breakfast can consist of a banana or a handful of dried fruits, a glass of juice diluted with water or herbal tea with honey.

After a morning jog or gymnastics, you must eat, but after 30 minutes. It is best to have complex carbohydrates and proteins for breakfast. An approximate list of products could be as follows: a slice of bran bread, a glass of drink, porridge with water or bran. Such a menu, on the one hand, will preserve the weight loss effect, on the other hand, it will charge the body with energy.

Daytime and evening sports are more intense than exercise, so it is not advisable to exercise on an empty stomach. At the same time, eating a large meal immediately before physical activity can trigger an attack of nausea and reduce the effectiveness of the exercise. When is the right time to eat? Those who want to lose weight by burning fat should eat 3 hours before training. If for some reason you didn’t manage to eat a full meal on time, you can have a snack half an hour before class: drink a smoothie or eat a piece of fruit.

Before strength training for weight loss, preference should be given to protein products, since the amino acids they contain are involved in the construction and restoration of muscle fibers. Proteins need to be supplemented with complex carbohydrates with a low glycemic index. Vegetables (with the exception of potatoes and corn) and fruits are rich in such organic substances. There is a lot of both protein and complex carbohydrates in beans, lentils, chickpeas, brown rice, buckwheat, and cereals.

An approximate pre-workout menu might look like this:

• porridge with banana pieces and berries;
• salad with bell pepper, broccoli, zucchini.
• boiled rice with vegetable salad and herbs.

During aerobic training, the body needs complex carbohydrates more than proteins. Nuts, fruits and vegetables, brown rice or oatmeal help maintain stable blood sugar levels during exercise. It is also not worth giving up foods rich in amino acids. It is recommended to include them in the diet. Legumes are the most valuable.

After training, the main source of energy for the body is fat reserves, so it is better to abstain from food for two hours. You can curb your appetite with sweetened water (with the addition of a teaspoon of honey) or herbal tea without sugar. After the allotted time, you need to eat some protein. In this case, it is not recommended to eat sweet fruits and drink packaged juices.

When the goal of the workout is not to lose weight, but to transform fat into muscle, you can eat food closer to the workout. Athletes who are accustomed to 3 meals a day should preferably eat 2 hours before. The pre-workout meal should be complete, optimally combining proteins with complex carbohydrates. For supporters of fractional meals, it is advisable to exercise an hour after a light snack. Suitable for it: one large fruit or a handful of berries with a low glycemic index. You can also drink a cup of herbal tea to improve your stamina.

Approximate pre-workout menu:

• boiled vegetables with brown rice;
• baked potatoes with herbs;
• porridge with fruit.

After physical exercise to gain muscle mass, it is best to eat within the next 20–30 minutes. During this period, the so-called “anabolic window” opens - the metabolic phase most favorable for muscle growth. Protein-carbohydrate nutrition allows you to use it wisely. Immediately after the training, you can prepare a vitamin drink by diluting honey and rosehip decoction (1.5 teaspoons each), and lemon juice (teaspoon) in a glass of water.

Another cocktail will allow you to saturate your body. To prepare it you need to take:

• 600 g water;
• medium sized banana;
• some berries (cranberries, raspberries or others, if desired);
• crushed oatmeal - 2 tablespoons. l.;
• natural honey – 2 tables. l.;
• a pinch of cinnamon.

All ingredients are mixed with a mixer. The cocktail is drunk in small sips.

Carbohydrates in the post-workout menu should be quick. These are found in honey, brown sugar, raisins, and dates. There are enough simple carbohydrates in baked potatoes, brown rice, bananas, kiwi, and watermelons. There is no need to fear that sugars will be harmful, since during the “anabolic window” they are absorbed 3 times faster.

Drinking regime during training

You need to play sports according to the rules, for example, drink a lot even when you don’t feel like it. It is advisable to start training with a glass of water. Then drink a little every 15 minutes. Why is this necessary? When performing exercises, the body loses a lot of fluid through sweat. Due to dehydration, the overall health of the athlete worsens. Initially, there is a feeling of dry mouth and a feeling of thirst. Then there is a loss of strength and dizziness. With prolonged lack of water, irritability increases and appetite disappears.

Thus, it is not so important whether you exercise before or after meals. The main thing is to follow the rules of training and nutrition. In addition, you should pay attention to your food intake and the dishes on your table: the diet should be balanced, and the timing should comply with the recommendations of professionals.

In fact, there are many opinions about post-workout nutrition, and they often come from completely different sides. Why is that? The answer is very simple: it all depends on the goals of the training itself and the desired result. Girls often ask me questions " What should you eat after a workout?”, “What foods are best to eat after working out?”, “How long should it take before you can eat?” etc. I will try to answer all these questions clearly and clearly in this article. So, let's begin!)

As I already wrote in my article « » ,eating largely depends on the time of training, type of training, goals and motives. Post-workout nutrition is no exception; it can be divided into: nutrition after workout for weight loss and Let's start, perhaps, with the first option, which interests most girls.

Nutrition after training for weight loss

If you have set a goal to lose weight and at the same time you DO NOT SPECIFICALLY WANT to have a RELIEF BODY, but just need to lose a couple of extra pounds, then eat after training for weight loss undesirable within an hour and a half. This time will be enough for your body, which has developed an energy deficit after the training process, to continue to use accumulated fats as a source of energy. In other words, you will do nothing and lose weight! This fat burning process will continue for one to two hours after your workout. Therefore, it is so important to restrain yourself for some time after training so as not to give your body an alternative source of energy in the form of food (this does not apply to a protein shake, it is recommended to drink it after training).

But if you eat any fatty or carbohydrate foods, and in addition you wash it down with a cup of coffee or green tea, then the body will stop taking energy from fat reserves, and the fat burning process will stop. And if you do eat something immediately after leaving the gym (unless, of course, it’s a piece of fatty cake), then don’t worry, you won’t gain extra pounds, you’ll just resume the calorie deficit that formed during the training session. process and nothing more. This means that for the next 2 hours you will not burn fat, since your body will feed on the energy received from the food you eat. So choose for yourself: is a pie worth ruining all your efforts, or is it better to resist the temptation and drink a protein shake, and then eat a full meal an hour later?

But there is also a brotherly side to such weight loss. If you don’t give your muscles nutrition after an hour and a half, the following can happen:

Firstly, the process of fat burning easily turns into the process of “muscle burning” if you do not give your muscles the proper nutrition for their recovery. Secondly, if you haven’t eaten anything 60 minutes after training, then the muscles injured during training will recover in any way, even if food does not arrive, but it is important WHAT they will take resources from for their recovery. And this will happen from everything that comes to hand; these can be decay products floating in the bloodstream (dead cells and tissues), and undigested elements that have entered the body from previous meals. All this will be used to “heal” muscle microtraumas received during training. But everything would be fine if these “pseudo-resources” did not form adhesions in the muscles, which lead to gluing of the fascia (fascia is responsible for the sliding of muscles among themselves), which ultimately leads to muscle dysfunction and limitation in movement. You don't want to have stiff and inelastic muscles, right? It is for this reason that I always recommend eating normally 40-60 minutes after training.

There can actually be several schemes:

1. You can drink a whey protein shake within 20 minutes after training and eat several pieces of boiled protein (from 3 to 10), such a meal will fill your protein needs, and you will not completely fill the energy deficit spent by the body, this will help kill two birds with one stone - do not starve and continue to lose weight after training. And after an hour, have a full meal.
2. If you train late in the evening, then after training you can drink a portion of BCA or water. This will help you restore your muscles while you sleep and avoid consuming extra carbohydrates that you don’t need at all at night.

Post-workout nutrition for weight loss plays a very important role in losing extra pounds, so for yourself you should choose the nutrition option that suits you personally and stick to it throughout the entire stage of achieving your goal. An hour after your workout, you can already eat a full meal. Most of your meals should be protein. The products listed below are perfect for this.

Foods you can eat after a weight loss workout:

- egg whites; omelette from 2 whole eggs and egg whites, steamed or in a frying pan without oil;

- boiled chicken breast;

- low-fat steamed fish;

- boiled squid meat;

Post-workout nutrition for gaining muscle mass

Now let's deal with post-workout nutrition for muscle mass. Here the principles are slightly different, and there are two opposing opinions: the first are of the opinion that the “protein-carbohydrate window” needs to be closed, and the second are categorically against this. Let's look at both options.

Proponents of the post-workout “protein-carbohydrate window” theory

After a fitness class, strength training, aerobics, etc. it is believed that a “carbohydrate window” opens, which must be closed, especially if your goal is muscle building. After training, within 20-30 minutes you need to eat food rich in proteins and carbohydrates. Moreover, if it was aerobic training, then adherents of this theory recommend consuming 60% carbohydrates and 40% protein, and if it was strength training, then vice versa. If your workout included both strength training and aerobic training, then you need to stick to the second option - 60% protein and 40% carbohydrates.

I agree with the theory of closing the “carbohydrate window” post-workout nutrition while gaining weight requires the consumption of proteins and carbohydrates within half an hour primarily to trigger anabolic processes that are involved in muscle recovery and growth. Without nutrients and energy, which enters the cells of our body with food, the process of anabolism and, accordingly, activation of the growth of muscle tissue is not possible.

Now let's look at another opinion about the protein-carbohydrate window.

Opponents of the post-workout protein-carbohydrate window theory

One of the most important anabolic hormones in our body is the growth hormone somatotropin. Its synthesis and maximum concentration in the blood is observed when the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood is low, and this occurs in two cases:

1. Immediately after waking up before breakfast;

2. At the end of strength training.

That is, it comes out at the moment when, after training, we decide to close the protein-carbohydrate window and eat a carbohydrate product (apple, banana, any porridge, etc.), thereby we will give our body a portion of carbohydrates that will break down into simple sugars and will cause an increase in glucose in the blood... And this in turn will lead to BLOCKING the synthesis of growth hormone somatotropin (anabolic hormone), plus all this will cause the release of insulin, which interferes with the release and oxidation of fats.

So, according to this theory, we have the following: having refreshed ourselves with carbohydrates after training, we think that we are launching anabolic processes in our body, stimulating the growth of muscle tissue (according to the first theory), but in fact, on the contrary, we are inhibiting and blocking these processes (according to the second theory ).

Which theory is really true, there is no exact data on this matter. In the world of fitness and bodybuilding there are both supporters of one theory and the other. Professional athletes are divided approximately in half: some prefer to close the BUO, while others, on the contrary, are categorically against it. My personal opinion on this matter is the following: if we are talking about women's strength training and building muscle mass in women, then I recommend closing only the protein window with a portion of a protein shake immediately after training.

Protein will help increase protein synthesis in muscles several times and instantly start the process of anabolism in muscle tissue. Proteins are also responsible for the restoration and construction function of muscles, which are key points in their growth, and after 40-60 minutes, make a full meal rich in both carbohydrates and proteins.

Carbohydrates after exercise

IN post-workout nutrition for muscle mass and definition(namely, 40-60 minutes after its completion), you must definitely include slowly digestible carbohydrates in your meal. The required amount of carbohydrates is approximately 40-50 g.

Foods rich in carbohydrates:

- porridges: buckwheat, pearl barley, rolled oats, brown or wild rice

- durum wheat pasta

- wholemeal bread

- fresh juice

Protein after workout

Nutrition after training for muscle mass and relief cannot do without taking protein. The required amount of protein at one time is 25-30 grams.

Protein-rich foods:

- poultry (chicken, turkey)

- lean meat

- Steamed fish

- cottage cheese up to 5% fat (if you do not have dairy intolerance)

If your workout occurs in the evening, then before bed you need to drink 30 grams of protein isolate or casein. Sports supplements can be replaced with egg whites (5-10 pieces) + cucumber.

I hope this article helped you understand such a difficult issue, what to eat after training when losing weight, and what should be post-workout nutrition while gaining weight. The principles of nutrition are quite different, but still the basic rules of proper nutrition remain the same.

In the article « , you can familiarize yourself with the list of recommended and prohibited foods for proper nutrition.

Your coach, Janelia Skripnik, was with you!