Workout nutrition is a common question in the CrossFit community as people are trying to fuel their bodies in a way that gives maximum opportunity for results and the ability to improve. The following is an attempt to simplify workout nutrition from our friends at Black Box Ft. Worth.
Pre-Workout: What should you eat, how much and how far in advance of working out etc? My answer here sucks, but its highly individual. Do you workout in the morning or evening? Do you feel like you have enough energy to get through a workout without a snack in the morning or do you feel better with some food? (I usually do). In the afternoon, do you need to eat a couple hours before a workout or do you feel better with something in your belly?
For the most part when it comes to pre-workout nutrition you should listen to your body and do what allows you to have the best performance. That doesn’t mean eat a blizzard before training but it does mean that you should have a bit of freedom in what makes you feel best for training. Some of you will do better with a bit of fruit or some fat before. I can eat just about anything within reason before training. I know that i don’t do well without some food in my belly so i make sure to eat within 30 minutes of training.
Post-Workout: This is a bit of an easier, more clear cut answer. For the most part it will depend on your goals. Those of you with a body fat % higher than 20% for men and 25% for women should not do anything special post workout besides getting a good balanced meal about 60-90 minutes after training.
For those of you under the above % body fat your post workout food will depend on the type of training you do. If you are doing strength and conditioning and not trying to lose weight, you will want to do a higher carb load with a little bit of protein as soon after your workout as possible. This will help you have energy for your training the next day.
If you are doing weightlifting, you will want to eat a regular meal within 60-90 minutes. This should be to the low carb side of things as you likely didn’t expend as much glycogen as the conditioning folks did.
If you are trying to lose weight and doing strength and conditioning, or weightlifting, then you should get a balanced meal about 60-90 minutes after training.
This is definitely the simple approach to pre and post workout nutrition but it should give us a good platform to have an informed conversation about what you should do to reach your goals. Come talk to me and I’m happy to help develop a plan that best suits your workout and nutrition goals.
(Source: Black Box Ft. Worth)