Pre- and Post Workout Meals
In this post, I’ll show you how you can make the most out of your games and workouts from the nutritional point of view.
As we discussed in the first part, nutrition can give you the cutting edge over your competition, if you take it seriously. If you didn’t see the first part, I encourage you to go read it first and then move on and read this one as well.
Always consult with your doctor before making dietary changes.
Kirill Mikhaylov
In this post, I’ll show you how you can make the most out of your games and workouts from the nutritional point of view.
If you apply the information you find in this article, you’ll be more energized and ready to go during the sessions. Therefore your results will go up drastically.
If you say you have no time for that, make time for that.
Pre-Workout Meals
To stay energized and be able to get the most out of your workout, you got to make sure you eat the right food before.
It doesn’t matter how fit you are, if you’re full of trash food or starving as you begin to work out, you won’t end up doing well. You know how it is to train with a sick stomach, and it’s not a good feeling, especially if your trainer decides to do some conditioning.
To stay energized and be able to get the most out of your workout, you got to make sure you eat the right food before.
Even if you feel like your workout was quite good, it could’ve been much better if you’d paid some attention to what you eat ahead.
A good pre-workout meal will give you the fuel and energy to make it through the session. It also provides your body with the necessary nutrients, so it can start to rebuild the muscle tissue you broke down, already during the workout.
What and When to eat
When it comes to choosing what to eat before the training session, I would recommend focusing primarily on carbs, a lean protein source, and low fiber vegetables.
Carbs will fuel you and protein keep the sugar levels stable. Yet, the reason I won’t go crazy on fiber and fats is that they take slower to digest which can make you feel bloated during the workout. Make sure you eat something that will keep you energetic throughout your session, while not making you feel full.
In general, we want to get that pre-workout meal 1-3 hours before the beginning of the workout. It depends on the size of your meal.
At the end of the day, you have to experiment and see what food has what effect on your body.
If you work out in the morning or early afternoon, you can consider taking some caffeine if you like. This is more based on you as an individual, so I can’t give you any big suggestions here. I just won’t do it if it’s a game, and you’d get super nervous. Yet, if you feel like it’s not affecting you mentally in a bad way before games, you can go with it. I also don’t suggest caffeine if the session is past 12pm, so your sleep doesn’t get affected.
At the end of the day, you have to experiment and see what food has what effect on your body. Find 2-4 (maybe even 5) meals that make the criteria of a great pre-workout meal and stick to them. For instance, my go-to meal is rice with chicken breast (or other low-fat meat) and lettuce.
Post-Workout
For your meal after the workout, it’s less complicated. Get carbs, lean proteins, and a fat source combined with some fruits/vegetables. An example would be brown rice with salmon, broccoli, and a handful of nuts.
This meal is especially important for your body to start the recovery process.
Something we also got to pay attention to is timing. Ideally, we want to get that meal in 30-45 minutes. That’s when your body is most needed in nutrients and will take everything you give to it (anabolic window).
Now, it doesn’t mean all your lifting gains will go away if it’s 45 minutes past your workout and you haven’t eaten yet. Please don’t stress too much here. It’s ok if you get that meal 1,5 hours past the session because you don’t have the opportunity to eat earlier. Just make sure you get yourself some kind of healthy snack after the workout, like a banana with a protein shake.
Something we also got to pay attention to is timing.
You probably will be hungry after your session, so you can prepare your meal in advance. This way, you don’t have to worry about cooking once you get home from training.
This meal is especially important for your body to start the recovery process. Don’t get full of junk food and expect to feel great the next session.
Remember, the recovery process is the part where you’re getting better if you’ve done some good work before.
Kirill Mikhaylov
Key Points
- If you say you have no time for proper nutrition, make time for that.
- A good pre-workout will help you stay energized and ready to go during the training session.
- Try different meals and figure out what works best for you!
- A good post-workout meal will help you recover better.
- Respect the anabolic window, but don’t over-stress it.
Hopefully, this article was useful to you and gave you a better perspective on how our nutrition affects our training. Make sure you implement the aspects you learned into your routine!
If you have any questions/suggestions or just want to talk hoops, don't hesitate to reach out!
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Until next time!