guide to pre and post workout nutrition

Growing up I did not spend more than two seconds thinking about what I would put in my body to “fuel” my workouts. I was a repeat offender of eating a Pop-tart in my car on the way to Saturday morning club practices, going for fro yo like 2 hours before a high school match and in college I would scarf down a bowl of Lucky Charms before a brutal 2 hour practice. I have since gained such a respect for nutrition and have experienced firsthand the value in focusing on eating the right macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates and fat) around a workout to feel more energized, less sore, build lean muscle and yes, lose body fat (if that is a goal of yours).

I put together this guide because I see far too often people working their ass off in the gym – putting in the sweat and being focused and disciplined with workouts – but not seeing the results they crave because they are not putting in as much energy into their pre- and post- workout routine. What you are doing before and after your workouts is just as crucial as what you do during your workouts, and I promise you this – you can’t out work a poor diet.

First things first, these recommendations are recommendations to eat. I know it can be a mental hurdle for some, but YOU MUST EAT to support your workouts and get the most out of them. Yes, it is most certainly true that “calories in” must not exceed “calories out” (or calories burned) to lose body fat, but skipping meals and this idea of working out more and eating less is so so wrong. Your body’s ability to build muscle and lose body fat count on you eating a healthy balance of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Not to mention, crash dieting is a sure way to burn away your hard-earned muscle—especially when combined with a bunch of cardio and high-rep, low-weight resistance training. When you restrict your calories in hopes of losing fat, your body often times will respond exactly the opposite in a state of stress and you’ll decrease your basal metabolic rate, eventually halting fat loss, sending your hormones for a whirlwind and your body can get to the point where it’s perceived to be in starvation mode and will in turn burn far fewer calories than it should be (based on your body weight and activity levels) in an effort to conserve energy levels. The only way to increase your metabolic rate is to eat more, in turn rebalancing your hormones and getting your metabolism to start firing on all cylinders again.

So, what happens if you don’t eat before a workout?

In states of fasting (18-48 hours of no food intake) or inadequate calorie intake, your body will turn to your muscle fibers and break them down to supply the rest of your body with the amino acids, or protein building blocks, it needs.

If you don’t eat before an intense exercise, specifically eat carbohydrates, your body is not able to convert glucose (from carbs) into glycogen and use that for energy. Glycogen is what our bodies seek out with intense exercises (think HIIT and strength training) and during intense exercises, if your muscles are depleted of glycogen, your stamina and energy levels will be effected and you will not be able to get the most of our your workout. And while it’s true that your body will tap into your fat stores if your glycogen levels are low, over time your body will cue into this and adjust to the fact that it’s having to continually using fat reserves for energy and may start to store more fat than usual as a way to protect itself.

So will my body eat away at my muscle if I do not eat before a workout?

I use to think the answer was “yes” but I’ve since read A LOT of competing research on this and have found there to be two camps of thought. One thought is “yes” - that if your body does not have the energy via glucose to fuel your training then your body will convert your own muscle tissue into energy. With that said, this research usually applies to intense training where your heart rate is above 85% your max heart rate for a prolonged period of time. So, if you are doing low-intensity workouts like walking and yoga, your body will look for energy in stored fat. That’s where the rumor “you burn more fat by walking than running” comes in.

Now the other school of thought is that because your body’s primary sources of fuel are carbohydrates and body fat, only in circumstances of extreme calorie restriction combined with intense exercise would your body then eat away at your muscle for energy. However, those in this camp can usually agree that while it’s not about the body using protein or muscles for energy sources, your body will start breaking down muscle easier when there is a lack of energy via calories. The reason falls back to your body trying to converse energy and because muscle weighs more than fat, your body will look to break down muscle to rid of that so it doesn’t have to carry around that muscle. Honestly, this is why you see a lot of long distance runners who lack muscle definition. It’s lighter to carry fat than muscle.

Additionally, if you try and lose weight fast (i.e. starving yourself and working out like crazy) – you are more likely to be losing water weight and muscle, rather than fat. Think about it this way – when you are prescribed an antibiotic where you are instructed to take 1 pill 2x a day for 7 days, you do just that. You don’t take 4 pills a day for 3 days to speed up the process of “getting better.” Be patient with the process and know too that working out too much can actually cause unexplained weight gain. This is because working out puts stress on the body and when you do too much, that stress can lead to a hormone imbalance and potentially cause weight gain and energy crashes.

Another thing to note about protein - it does more than just support your muscle mass and maintenance of tissues. Protein is crucial to good health and is required for the structure, function and regulation of our body’s tissues and organs. Some proteins show up as antibodies and help build up immune cells and fight off viruses and bad bacteria. Some proteins show up as enzymes that help with bodily functions like digestion, energy production, blood clotting and muscle contraction. Other proteins come into the equation as hormones (aka messenger proteins). Protein also plays a function in transporting nutrients throughout your entire body (like hemoglobin which carries oxygen from your lungs to your body’s tissues), while other proteins store nutrients (like casein, which is the principal protein in milk that helps babies grow).

Now let’s get into “what” to eat before and after a workout, “when” to be eating and “why” this is so damn important.

First up, pre-workout.

I will fully admit I use to do resistance training workouts on an empty stomach all the time and totally feared carbohydrates at one point in my life. Damn am I glad I am not there anymore. If your workouts are in the camp of weight training, resistance training or high intensity circuits, carbohydrates and protein pre-workout are going to be your best friends. With all of these workouts, you are putting your body and muscles through intense “stress” and in doing so your muscles are looking for fuel. As mentioned earlier, your muscles get glycogen from glucose found in carbohydrates. Carbs thus give your body the energy it needs to get through an intense workout, they help with muscle repair and growth and prevent the breakdown of muscle mass. In high intensity and resistance training workouts your body craves energy from glucose and if you are not stocked up on them, you are limiting your ability to exercise at your fullest potential.

Generally you want to eat 1-2 hours before working out – but if you are an early morning workout person, time is not on your side. The challenge with early morning workouts is that it’s best to give your body complex carbs (like whole-grain bread and potatoes) to give you lasting energy through your workout, but complex carbs take much longer than simple carbs (like sugar) to be converted into energy. If you are looking to fuel your workouts with just 30 minutes on your side, your will want to lean on simple carbohydrates. I often recommend 100% fruit juice (like orange juice) as it’s a simple carb that will give your body energy fast and is easy on the stomach for those that have a hard time eating early in the morning. Another, totally-non-sponsored product I absolutely love is a product by EFX Sports called Karbolyn. Karbolyn is basically the best of both worlds in that Karbolyn is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream like a simple sugar but without the typical spike or crash that comes with consuming simple carbs after your muscles run out of fuel. It is seriously amazing. I opt for the unflavored one and just mix a scoop in with water and drink 30 minutes before my workout. If you can stomach food that early, I am a big fan of toaster waffles or sprouted toast with a little nut butter. Other great options would be easy-to-digest carbs like a banana with nut butter or low-fat yogurt with low-fiber cereal (since your muscles can convert simple carbs into energy faster than fiber-rich foods).

Science has also proven that having protein pre-workout may reduce muscle protein breakdown. If you are finding yourself sore for days on end after your workouts, adding a scoop of protein powder into your pre-workout routine or a hardboiled egg to your waffle/nut butter combo could be beneficial for you. Additionally, if your workout is more strength-based work, having something with a little more protein in it can be helpful in giving you some extra oomph in your workout.

Now, the only time that this recommendation doesn’t apply is when it comes to low impact cardio. Lower intensity exercises actually use more fat stores for energy (think the StairMaster or high-incline moderate-paced walking), so you will actually benefit doing these cardio workouts in a “fasted” state aka on an empty stomach. In these instances your body will use energy from body fat and thus burn body fat versus looking for energy in your muscle tissues. Fasted cardio is a great way to kickstart any fat loss goals you have for yourself, but the key is to stay at a moderate heart rate so your body does not get into a muscle burning state.

Onto, post-workout.

Eating a post-workout meal will help shorten the window of muscle fatigue and soreness, replenish glycogen in your muscles that you used up in your workout, will help reduce muscle protein breakdown and instead build more lean muscle.

So, how much protein should you be aiming for post workout?

At minimum, you should look to consume at least 20-30 grams of protein in your post workout meal, as well as a 1:3 ratio of protein to carbohydrates (so if you have 20 grams of protein in your meal, you will want to have around 60 grams of carbs). However, that number will be higher depending on your goals, lifestyle and your body weight, because those factors play into how much protein you should be aiming to get into your diet per day. For example, if you are an active person or attempting to lose body fat while preserving muscle there is research to suggest you should aim to have a daily intake of protein of 0.45-0.68g/lb. For those that would categorize themselves as athletes or challenge themselves with intense strength training or HIIT consistently, aim for 0.68-1g protein/lb of body weight. I personally aim to get 0.68-1g protein/lb in my diet. So, as someone who weighs about 145lbs I aim to get about 100-145g of protein in my diet daily.

So what about fat?

Fats helps maintain blood glucose and insulin levels and slows digestion so you're fuller for longer, however the body is not great at multitasking and if you eat too many fats post-workout then your body cannot prioritize what it needs to most importantly digest: protein and carbohydrates. If you are an avocado toast girl, add eggs to it, or mash the avocado with Greek yogurt and spread onto toast. I am definitely biased – but my protein egg white oatmeal recipe is the perfect post workout meal. If you workout at night, the same rules apply. Opt for a protein-packed meal that is easily digestible, like a smoothie. Ideally you want to consume your post-workout meal within an hour of your workout, but I know that is not always realistic, even for me. When that is the case, I at least make sure I get protein in and thus always keep protein powder in my car and mix a scoop of that with water.

Phew. That was a lot. But I hope it all made sense! Making a commitment to your pre-workout and post-workout routine is often the missing link for so many people, and I know that implementing these habits into my own life made a huge difference in my energy levels, my workout recovery time and my muscle-to-body fat ratio. With that, there is no diet that will do what healthy eating does, so while macronutrient ratios are important and there is science to this equation, eating real, whole foods will always be the winning play when it comes to pre- and post-workout nutrition.