The Unknown and Unused Benefits of Peri Workout Nutrition

I have always had a very good 'intuition' when came to nutrition and how it affects body composition. I once went to one of my college professors with a diet theory I had developed and he was stumped. I was frustrated to say the least, so the only thing to do was to try it out on myself. What I found over the years that the most imporant time of the in relation to your nutrition is based around your training. Guys would say:"What should I eat after training?" To which I'd say, "A non-heated protein shake and pop tarts."

I would always get a strange look, which is understandable, but this was all part of the peri-workout nutrition plan that I had developed.

So, you might be wondering by now just what exactly peri- workout nutriton means.  It simply means the nutrition based around the time of your workouts, pre, intra and post.  Now, please understand this is for hard-training people, athletes and the like. This is not for people that are lifting five pound dumbells and riding the elliptical for an hour.

So, before the workout, you want to take in a protein source (I prefer a non-heated protein powder), mixed with a complex carb (oatmeal) and some fat to slow the release of the nutrients into the system and the hard-working muscles. This pre-workout nutrition should be about 30-45 minutes before the workout.

During the workout is important too as you want to start assisting the muscles in their recovery. I prefer using high quality amino acids (BCAA), sipping on them throughout the workout. For younger athletes, we can cosume a mass shake or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (for taste and pure calories).

And finally, the most interesting part of the peri-workout nutrition, post-workout nutrition. The only time of the day insulin should be raised above normal is post-workout, this is because insulin is a storage hormone. If it is raised at other times of the day, it will only lead to becoming fatter. After the workout, we want to get the proper essential fats, and proteins into the muscle cells and the drive for this would be insulin (carbs).

And ... post workout it is impossible to get fat by eating carbs. The muscle cells are more insulin sensitivie and other enzymes such as M-TOR will make sure the nutrients are going to the place of need such as the muscles and not the fat cells. It doesn't matter if this means you are eating this meal right before bed either. That is a whole myth for another article.  But now you understand why I told the guy to 'eat poptarts' post-workout and by the way, he did used this strategy to get ripped for a bodybuilding show. Give it a shot!