Pre and post workout nutrition - what actually matters?
There's so much bro science around workout nutrition. "You need to eat within 30 minutes or your gains are gone!" Is any of this true? What should I eat before and after training?
The "anabolic window" of 30 minutes is largely a myth. Current evidence:
- Pre-workout: Having protein + carbs 1-3 hours before training improves performance. Fasted training is fine but not optimal for most.
- Post-workout: Eating within 2-3 hours is sufficient. The urgency is only if you trained completely fasted.
- What matters most: Total daily protein and calorie intake >> meal timing
The 30-minute window was overhyped in the early 2000s. The actual research window is more like 4-6 hours around training. As long as you eat a protein-rich meal somewhere in that range, you're fine.
For practical purposes: eat a balanced meal 2-3 hours before, have a shake after if you want, and eat dinner within a few hours. That's it. Don't overcomplicate it.
The one area where timing DOES matter: if you train fasted, getting protein in reasonably soon after (within 1-2 hours) is more important. Your muscles are more "primed" to use it.
Pre-workout carbs made a noticeable difference for me. Training with low glycogen sucks. I need at least 30-50g carbs before lifting or my performance tanks.
After 10 years of lifting: the MOST important thing is total daily intake. I've had amazing workouts fasted and terrible ones after a "perfect" pre-workout meal. Consistency over perfection.
I slam a shake immediately after training because... I'm hungry. Not because science says I have to. Sometimes simple reasons are the best reasons.
So basically: eat normally around my training, don't stress about exact timing, hit daily protein targets. Way simpler than I thought. Thanks for killing the bro science!