Nutrition in Bodybuilding is something much more than a simple and indiscriminate “bombardment” of your stomach with innumerable amounts of food. You need to know exactly what to eat before and after training to ensure the best results. Training and diet cannot be considered as separate factors. The foods and supplements you take and the work you do in the gym are all part of your improvement. It is not the one who exercises or eats more that will succeed, but the one who does it wisely.

Exercise causes dramatic changes in the metabolic environment of muscle tissues. First, it is a significant increase in blood flow to working muscles. Also, there is a sharp increase in catecholamines (norepinephrine, adrenaline – substances that greatly assist in training). These changes lead to catabolism during training, and “cherished” anabolism immediately after it.

These changes are drastic, and some last only a few hours, so pre- and post-workout nutrition is critical to maximizing the anabolic and minimizing the catabolic effects of post-workout exercise, as well as boosting performance during it. In this article, we will discuss the main nutrition strategies before and after training, as well as make some examples of your future diet.

Pre-workout nutrition is based on the consumption of alternative energy substrates (mainly carbohydrates) in order to keep the body’s energy reserves intact for as long as possible. Proper pre-workout nutrition is a great way to replenish your energy levels and plays an important role in increasing the effectiveness of your workout. It is necessary to consume food 60-90 minutes (depending on metabolism and food volume) before training. Food should contain grams: from 25-40 protein, 70-90 carbohydrates and no more than 15 fat.

Carbohydrates
Glycogen stores are in huge demand during intense strength training. Glycogen is a sugar that is stored and stored in the liver and muscles. Since anaerobic exercise does not involve the saturation of the blood with a large amount of oxygen, the body is not able to break down fats and use them as a main source of fuel. Instead, the body must use both sugar stores, the one stored in the muscles and the one supplied by the liver to the blood.

Most of your pre-workout meals should be complex carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates have a low glycemic index (GI). GI is a measure of the immediate effect of carbohydrates on blood glucose levels. Simple carbohydrates are easier to digest and thus have an immediate effect on blood glucose levels, which means they have a high GI. Conversely, more complex carbohydrates take longer to digest and therefore have less of an impact on glucose levels and have a lower GI.

What to eat before and after training
But why is all this important and what is the point of their consumption? Carbohydrates с низким ГИ (сложные) расщепляются в течение длительного периода времени, а продукты распада (простые углеводы, которые образуются из расщепленных сложных) стабильно выбрасываются в кровь в течение длительного времени. This avoids the ups and downs of energy and performance, and helps maintain an anabolic state in the final stages of a workout.

Consuming simple sugars (dates, pineapple, raisins, ripe banana) is also advisable, but only 15 minutes before training. This will help reduce the amount of glycogen used during exercise, allowing you to get off to a great start and prolong your performance. Also, higher blood sugar and insulin levels create a hormonal environment conducive to anabolism (growth).

As a general rule, pre-workout meals should consist of grains – oatmeal, brown rice, whole grain bread, sweet potatoes, durum pasta, legumes, nuts.

Squirrels
Squirrels известны как строительные блоки мускулов. They are made up of smaller units – 9 amino acids that cannot be produced in the body and must come from food or supplements (Essential Amino Acids). Squirrels, которые содержат все незаменимые аминокислоты, называются полноценными белками. All animal products (meat, eggs, dairy products) are complete proteins and must be added to pre- and post-workout meals.

Protein Sources:

Meat (beef, turkey, chicken)
Fish (salmon, tuna)
Eggs
Dairy
nuts
Other The pre-workout strategy relies on taking advantage of the increased blood flow to the muscles being worked, as this is when the muscles are most sensitive to nutrients.

The lack of amino acids has always been a limiting factor for protein synthesis, so by including protein in your pre-workout diet, you will contribute to the accelerated delivery of amino acids to muscle tissues.

fats
Try to avoid the presence of fats in the diet before training. fats очень сильно замедляют процесс пищеварения. Since the human body increases blood flow to those organs that need it, being in a state of heavy digestion, a loaded stomach takes precedence over muscles, which is not good. Therefore, those grams of fat that you get along with your carbohydrate and protein sources will be quite enough.

An example of a pre-workout meal

Chicken breast – 200 gr. (45 gr. b.)
Brown rice – 300 gr. finished product (65 gr. ug.)
Whole grain bread – a piece of 50 gr. (20 gr. ug. + 7 gr. b.)
Juice – 300-500 ml
OR

Oatmeal – 300 gr. (60 gr. ug. + 10 gr. b.)
Fat-free cottage cheese – 200 gr. (44 gr. b.)
Green banana – 1 piece (30 gr. ug.)
Water – 300-500 ml