Pre and Post-sweat Sustenance
We all know water is important for staying hydrated before, during and after a workout. But what else can be consumed to help maximise your sweat sesh? CHRIS RICHARDS, General Manager of Ultimate Performance (UP) Singapore, reveals his six key tips to wor
Pay attention to daily calorie and macronutrient needs first
Your workout nutrition must take into account your daily calorie and macronutrient demands (protein, fat and carbs, for instance) – these should be worked out first, and then distributed throughout the day according to your needs. There’s no point in consuming optimal workout nutrition if it means that you don’t have enough food left to see you through the remainder of the day – you might end up cheating on your diet at night when hunger strikes. It’s far better to compromise on optimal nutrition if it means that the plan is more realistic and enables you to remain compliant.
What’s your goal?
Are you trying to build muscle, burn fat or both? Total calories will dictate whether you’re gaining or losing weight. However, there are certain strategies you can follow to ensure you’re priming the body’s internal environment to achieve the desired end result. If fat loss is the primary goal, then you might consider removing carbohydrates from your preworkout meals, while the opposite is true for building muscle.
For most trainees, the pre-workout meal should contain a source of protein and fat, with carbohydrates added depending on the individual. The leaner the individual, the better they’ll handle carbohydrates. However, some people find that, despite being relatively lean, carbs make them feel lethargic. In this case they should be used intra- and post-workout instead.
Carbohydrates
There are a number of things to consider when it comes to carb intake around and during a workout.
Pre-workout carbs
Whether it’s throughout the preceding day or in the hours prior to working out, an intake of carbs can help ensure you have glycogen stores available in your muscle, which helps you to train harder, and facilitate the “pump” you may experience while training; this is beneficial if hypertrophy (increasing muscle) is your goal. If you’re looking to reduce body fat, pre-workout carbs may also help to ensure some, if not all, of these carbs consumed are used as workout fuel rather than resulting in fat gain.
Intra-workout carbs
A main benefit would be the enhanced “pump” experienced during training, along with an addition to the energy that’s available to enhance or extend your training capacity. While this may be useful for those with more experience and more muscle mass, for individuals on a fat-lossspecific programme, it generally wouldn’t be necessary.
Post-workout carbs
Depending on how frequently you’re training, an intake of post-workout carbs can help speed up the recovery process by replenishing depleted glycogen stores. If fat loss is your primary goal, though, it could be argued that you don’t need to replenish these stores after exercise, as the aim is to utilise as many fat stores as energy.
Whey protein and pea protein
Whey protein is absorbed and digested more easily post- workout than solid protein sources. Training places the body under a great deal of stress and directs blood flow away from the digestive system toward the muscles. Many people therefore find it more convenient to consume a protein shake post-workout than to eat an equivalent amount of protein from food. If you’ve been consuming whey protein for years there’s a possibility you may have built up some resistance or intolerance, which could be limiting your lean gains. If so, a switch from whey protein to a pea protein may result in improved energy and focus, digestion and, ultimately, fat loss.
BCAAS and glutamine
BCAAS (branched chain amino acids) and glutamine can also be used for energy in the absence of carbohydrate. These should be consumed, with water, before and during your workout. Powder is preferable, as capsules can become counterproductive due to the amount you may require. Many brands add excessive sweeteners to make the solutions palatable, but this can lead to possible negative effects, with endocrine disruption potentially affecting gut health. Therefore, a more balanced product with additional glutamine such as UP’S BCAAS would be desirable.
Coffee
Coffee is ideally consumed pre - workout as it’s well established that caffeine confers a tremendous performance-enhancing benefit to users. Additionally, it can help break down fat tissue and elevate metabolism. We would advise against excessive consumption post-workout, as this will increase stress levels when the aim is to lower them.