This refers to the specific timing of nutrient intake- aka nutrient timing- before, during, and after your workout. The proposed idea historically is that if you eat certain types of foods at certain times you can effectively maximize training responses and adaptations which are vast in number, and benefit the athlete in one way or another over time.

Science even suggests that regular practice of peri-workout nutrition may yield a heightened state of reactions leading to greater performance over the long term. 1 This all sounds great on paper, of course, but what exactly does science have to say about nutrient timing? That is what we are going to explore now.

PRE-WORKOUT NUTRITION

When it comes to highly debated and controversial nutrition topics, “pre-workout” nutrition ranks up there with the best of them. The “pre-workout window” refers to the effects of specific nutrient consumption before a workout on various potential training functions.

We will focus on the potential benefits that your food selection will have on both muscle growth and performance levels during the pre-workout period specifically. Before we look at the evidence, let’s simply look at the logistics of the situation.

The first thing we have to consider is that it’s quite obvious the body will need sufficient energy to perform at the highest level. This alone should indicate that pre-workout food consumption is potentially significant. As you will see in the post-workout section later on, as long as a complete meal is consumed at a select hour range before the actual workout, you should be more than fine. To be frank, trying to cipher through this topic of information was extremely exhausting and very conflicting at times.

I want to attempt to simplify this material and give you sound evidence-based guidelines grounded in the current literature. One thing to consider is that even though the information seems to work, the studies utilized small sample sizes according to the authorities so that is one thing to keep in mind, and more statistical proof may be warranted in the future. However, there seemed to be recurring truths across the board here which gives reliability and credibility on the subject.

Pre-Workout Ctd..

For example, Pre-workout window- the effects of specific nutrient consumption before a workout on various potential training functions Layman et. al estimates that the anabolic effects of meals last anywhere from 5-6 hours depending on how quickly amino acids are metabolized. 2, 3 Four other studies performed on rats indicated the actual rise in muscle protein synthesis rates was limited to three hours, even though amino acid availability continued to stay elevated for a couple of hours afterward.

Aragon sums this up nicely for us: “In light of these findings when training is initiated 3-4 hours after the preceding meal, the classical recommendation to consume (at least 25 grams of protein) as soon as possible seems warranted to reverse the catabolic state, which in turn could expedite muscular recovery and growth.”

Moreover, even small fractions of essential amino acids (EAA) or complete protein sources can have a dramatic effect on growth and recovery taken either before or after training. For instance, Tipton et. al (63) found that a relatively small dose of EAA (6 grams) taken immediately pre-exercise elevates amino acid levels in the blood by 130% and that the effect is sustained for up to two hours afterward.

Follow-up research by Fujita (64) and Tipton (65) again, showed that 20 grams of whey protein taken immediately pre-exercise elevated uptake of amino acids by nearly five times the original, and stayed there for three hours.

So how can we practically apply this information if we are an athlete heading into a competition or vigorous practice? There are some formulas I’ve seen that lend well but I like a “half and half” approach to simplify things, and it still falls within appropriate scientific guidelines.

PRE-WORKOUT RECOMMENDATIONS

20-50 GRAMS OF WHEY PROTEIN

20-50 GRAMS OF HIGH GLYCEMIC CARBOHYDRATE

We’ve discussed protein already and the only remaining factor is your source of carbohydrate. If you ate a complete meal before your workout then you will have stores of glycogen to call upon during training and your pre-workout carbohydrate will be less of a concern. However, if you are pressed for time and lacking in food intake earlier in the day, then a fast-acting carbohydrate that is higher up on the glycemic index would be ideal so that it hits your bloodstream faster.

Just so you know, the glycemic index is an old carbohydrate rating scale that measures how quickly a consumed carbohydrate is made available for use in the body compared to glucose itself. The higher the score the faster it absorbs and the more similar it’s compared to actual glucose.

Examples of high glycemic carbohydrates include but are not limited to; dextrose, maltodextrin, waxy maize, white rice, bananas, and more. I want to take a minute and discuss a very popularized and hyped-up pre- workout supplement known as Waxy Maize that I hear a lot about still. Waxy maize is a type of starch that supposedly can bypass the stomach lining due to its structure and enter the bloodstream at an accelerated rate where it can be used immediately for energy or what have you.

Unfortunately, from the information I gathered and anecdotally with my athletes and myself over the years, waxy maize is all hype. Three studies aimed to detect noticeable differences in ergogenic benefit, absorption rates, glycogen re-synthesis, and hormonal responses between waxy maize and other sugars. Contrary to popular belief, waxy maize underperformed on all levels. If you are to pick a high-powered carbohydrate for fast energy, maltodextrin, and dextrose seem to be your best bet.

Top Pre-Workout Researchers

Before I move on, in early 2017 Aragon and Schoenfeld conducted another study along the same lines as the research listed earlier. They took 21 resistance-trained men and split them up into one of two groups.

One group simply ingested 25 grams of protein immediately before training while the other consumed 25 grams immediately after training. Both groups trained three times per week for 10 weeks. Metrics consisted of body composition, strength levels, and muscular thickness. “Our results would suggest that, as long as you have some protein at some time reasonably before or after your workout, it’s not going to matter in regards to your gains.”

Obviously, the sample size is small here which is one potential downfall to the study design, but there is far more evidence at this point to support their findings and previous ones on the role nutrient timing before a workout has to offer us in hard training. It’s also important to note the practicality of studies at this point because the authors did mention, as you will see again later on, that other studies that were perhaps in disfavor with the results shown here tested subjects in a “fasted” state rather than a “fed” state.

Most of us live in the fed state. Hence, our obesity rates, so of course if you study someone who is fasted there is going to be a hyperactive uptake of nutrients into cells and unnatural outcomes that aren’t comparable to the majority of us who live in the real world.

Scientific References:

#1-Kerksick, Chad M., et al. “International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Nutrient Timing.” Journal of the International Society of

Sports Nutrition, vol. 14, no. 1, 2017, doi:10.1186/s12970-017-0189-4.

#2-Layman DK: Protein quantity and quality at levels above the RDA improves adult weight loss. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004, 23 (6 Suppl): 631S-6S.

#3-Aragon, Alan Albert, and Brad Jon Schoenfeld. “Nutrient Timing Revisited: Is There a Post-Exercise Anabolic Window?” Journal of the

International Society of Sports Nutrition, vol. 10, no. 1, 2013, p. 5., doi:10.1186/1550-2783-10-5