what to eat before training and after training

What to eat before training? And after training?

What to eat before and after training

 

What do I eat before training?

And after training, like what?

These are two very common questions, and we will answer them definitively.

Who is this article aimed at?

For those who do hypertrophy training, lasting around 1h to 1.30h, and are looking to gain muscle mass or lose fat, while maintaining lean mass.

If your goal is to run a marathon this article is not ideal, but if, on the other hand, you want to gain muscle mass, you are in the right place.

What to eat before training?

Let's start by talking about the pre-workout meal.

The pre-workout meal should be eaten about 2 hours before picking up the dumbbells.

This meal should essentially consist of two macronutrients, protein and carbohydrates.

As for fats, although it is not necessary to eliminate them completely during this meal, it is not the best time to devour a piece of salmon.

So, now that you know what should be part of your pre-workout meal, a question arises.

What to eat before training

But what carbohydrates and proteins should I use?

In your pre-workout meal, you should focus on complex carbohydrates and high biological value proteins.

Carbohydrates

  • Sweet potato
  • Oat
  • Rice
  • Pasta
  • Whole grain bread

Proteins

  • Eggs
  • Chicken or turkey breast
  • Tuna

Combine a food from the carbohydrate list with a food from the protein list and you get a good pre-workout meal.

If you want to add some fat, mainly for caloric reasons, use one or two egg yolks or a little peanut butter.

As for quantities, in relation to protein, you should use between 20g and 40g.

As for carbohydrates, it will depend on your goals and your eating plan.

Simple combinations

  • Sweet potato with chicken breast
  • Oats and eggs
  • Wholemeal bread with tuna

In short, the pre-workout meal should be eaten 2 hours before training and should consist of complex carbohydrates and quality proteins.

Unforeseen events

Sometimes we eat this meal, but we only manage to go train 3 hours later.

Other times unforeseen events arise and we have to go train as quickly as possible.

What to do in these cases?

The ideal in these situations would be a light meal, consisting essentially of quickly absorbed protein and possibly simple carbohydrates, depending on the previous meal.

So what would be a good solution?

Around 30 to 45 minutes before training, try a whey protein shake with a banana, this will allow you to have the best performance in your training.

I'm dry and I'm cutting back on carbohydrates, can I just eat protein for this meal?

How can you see here It is here, it is not a good idea to train with low glycogen reserves, as this leads to greater muscle catabolism, and also to lower performance.

This is not what you want in weight training.

The ideal is to plan your diet so that you have carbohydrates before training, there are better times to cut down on carbohydrates.

what to eat after training

What to eat after training?

In the post-workout meal, when it comes to weight training, the main priority is protein intake.

Ingesting protein during this period will cause you to go from a catabolic state to an anabolic state. (1)

As for carbohydrates, it is also a good time to consume them, as they will replace used glycogen, and the increase in insulin levels can be beneficial.

Now, what sources should you use after training?

Supplementation with whey protein At this point it is widely used, due to its rapid absorption and excellent biological value.

And it actually happens to be a good idea.

You should use around 20g to 40g of whey protein after training to maximize protein synthesis.

Regarding carbohydrates, as with the pre-workout meal, it depends on your goals.

As a general rule, use maltodextrin as a source of carbohydrates, and around 40g is usually ideal.

Briefly, after training, use a shake with around 20 to 40g of whey protein together with around 40g of maltodextrin.

It's a good idea to add creatine, especially if your goal is to gain muscle mass.

This will give you good results.

what to eat before and after training

And then?

Now, after this smoothie you still can't relax.

Around 1h to 1.30h after the shake, you should focus on a solid meal, with quality proteins and complex carbohydrates.

This will help you get the most out of weight training.

And what solid meal is that? What should you include?

Carbohydrates

  • Sweet potato
  • Oat
  • Brown Rice / Rice
  • Wholemeal Pasta / Pasta
  • Whole grain bread

Proteins

  • Eggs
  • Chicken or turkey breast
  • Tuna

Have you seen this anywhere?

It's true, this meal should be in the same category as the one you eat before training.

Lean proteins and complex carbohydrates.

Is a post-workout shake mandatory?

No, the post-workout shake is not mandatory, but it has benefits. (two)

If you're not a fan of powders and shakers, immediately switch to the solid meal, with the ingredients you've just reviewed.

what to eat before and after training

Conclusion

Now you know what to eat before and after training in order to get the most out of these meals.

Although pre- and post-workout nutrition is important, and brings clear benefits to achieving better results, the most important thing will always be ingesting the right amount of total macronutrients, and not just at this moment.

Betting on carbohydrates and proteins before and after training is a safe strategy to achieve good results, whether the goal is to gain or lose weight.

Carbohydrates must be adapted individually, and depending on the objective they can be higher or lower.

As for proteins, they remain the same regardless of the objective, as their role in protein synthesis is crucial.

If you have any questions, use the comments area below.

References

(1) Tipton KD, Ferrando AA, Phillips SM, Doyle D Jr, Wolfe RR. Postexercise net protein synthesis in human muscle from orally administered amino acids. Am J Physiol. 1999 Apr;276(4 Pt 1):E628-34.
(2) Tang JE, Manolakos JJ, Kujbida GW, Lysecki PJ, Moore DR, Phillips SM. Minimal whey protein with carbohydrate stimulates muscle protein synthesis following resistance exercise in trained young men. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2007 Dec;32(6):1132-8.

22 thoughts on “O que comer antes do treino? E depois do treino?”

  1. Good morning, I work at night and train before going to bed, I drink a gainer shake and bccas, what can I eat more? The solid meal (dinner) or the recipe before bed?

    1. It depends on the rest of your diet, but a meal high in protein and with some carbohydrates is probably the solution.

  2. João Paulo Santos

    Goodnight. I've always been thin but with some belly fat. I live in Angola and I've been to several gyms with the aim of toning my body, that is, gaining muscle and the famous six-pack, but none of them worked. About a year ago I completely changed my diet thanks to a sports nutritionist who basically recommended what the virtual gym recommends in its articles, so in terms of nutrition I am more than satisfied and balanced. However, due to cost containment, I decided to start the P90X3 program at home and finished the second month of training today. I saw improvements on several levels, however I did not experience any gain in muscle mass. During the first month of training I took MASS TECH one hour before training and post-workout whey protein and the muscles appeared. However, MASS TECH ended and almost like a balloon, I returned to my normal self. My nutritionist believes that I am not consuming enough calories per day (3000) and that is why I am not gaining muscle. I would like to know what your opinion is about MASS TECH and how long can I take it? I would also like to know if the fact that I don't eat around 3000 calories a day actually makes it more difficult for me to gain muscle mass?

  3. WHAT ARE THE BEST HYPERCALORIES CURRENTLY AND THE BRANDS? I WORK AND WANT PRACTICALITY BOTH PRE-WORKOUT AND POST-WORKOUT.

  4. Armando Costa

    Good!
    Creatine is a great supplement for gaining strength, right?
    But my kidneys don't do very well, whether with capsules or powder! They resent it soon…
    Give me a replacement!
    Thanks!

    1. ginasiovirtual.com

      Hi Armando.

      Yes, Creatine is a good supplement to gain strength, but if you have any kidney problems you should consult your doctor so he can advise you on supplementation.

  5. Good afternoon, regarding post-workout, do I mix whey protein, creatine and maltodextrin in the same shake?
    Thanks

  6. Good,
    What is the ideal amount of complex carbohydrates to ingest in a pre-workout meal? and now the amount of calories.
    Thanks

  7. This eating X and Y and I don't know how many hours before and after training is all fantasy, another scheme put together by the fitness industry to justify drinking whey shakes and buying other supplements. In fact, it's not even worth buying whey in Portugal anymore because we already have yogurts with 15g of protein for 54 cents or liquid yogurts from Nestle Quark with 23g for 70 cents and which can be mixed into fruit smoothies. Anyone who has a Lidl nearby can buy 1kg of Greek yogurt for 2.5 euros and get around 9g of protein per serving. Even a can of tuna has 15-20g of protein for 0.70 cents. Buying whey is a waste of money and it has no effect in terms of recovery or increase in muscle mass. Basically whey is food and of low quality since it is a by-product in cheese production.

    In 2010 a panel of the European Food Safety Authority examined health claims made for whey protein. For the following claims either no references were provided on the claimed effect, or the provided studies did not test the claims or reported conflicting results:

    Increase in satiety leading to a reduction in energy intake
    Contribution to the maintenance or achievement of a normal body weight
    Growth or maintenance of muscle mass
    Increase in lean body mass during energy restriction and resistance training
    Reduction of body fat mass during energy restriction and resistance training
    Increase in muscle strength
    Increase in endurance capacity during the subsequent exercise bout after strenuous exercise
    Skeletal muscle tissue repair
    Faster recovery from muscle fatigue after exercise.

    On the basis of the data presented, the 2010 panel concluded that a cause and effect relationship between the consumption of whey protein and these claims had not been established.

    1. ginasiovirtual.com

      The objective of the article is to give suggestions for those who don't know what to eat before and after training. It's a common question, and we present several solutions, of which whey is just one of them.

      As for whey being a waste of money, a bit exaggerated, right?

      As you said, whey is food, but low quality because it is a byproduct in cheese production? This argument doesn't make much sense.

      In fact, whey's amino acid profile places it as a good quality source of protein, not bad.

      As for prices, can you easily get 20g of protein for 0.25/0.30? when using whey. In other words, in terms of costs you save money.

  8. The only way to gain muscle there is is to train 3 to 5 times a week, increase the weight you lift regularly and eat enough each day. There is no need for supplements and there are no magic formulas or combinations of supplements that will facilitate the process. For a person to have abs, they must have 10% of fat mass, which is difficult to achieve. Naturally, people are limited by their genetic potential, a short person with a small bone structure will not have the same muscle mass as someone who is 1.90m tall and has broad shoulders. If you take steroids you can gain muscle more easily, studies say that even without doing anything, those who take drugs gain more muscle than those who exercise naturally. Those who make their living on magazine covers will have no problem using drugs to justify their livelihood, since even in Mr. olympia everyone knows they use drugs and no one wants to know.

  9. My time to go to the gym is both during lunch and after work. In both cases I am unable to have a pre-workout meal as described above. However, if I take a whey shake 30/40 minutes before training, can I have another at the end of training? Or will I have to waste protein?
    Thanks

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