Thread: What to eat and drink before and after a workout.

Okay Tennis season is comin up in a couple of months and I got training tommorow morning and I was wondering before you play a match (or a boxing match) or do some form of workout what are the right things to put in your body before and after. I know the basics like pasta and water etc but anyone got any good sugegstions that will improve performance.

Cheers, rep will be given out

Complex carbs (so they will have a low GI), this will ensure that your blood sugar doesn't peak and decline quickly which is what happens if you have things like candy before. Wholegrains, banannas (also good for preventing cramps), fruits and veggies are always good. Plus being hydrated is also very important. Just try not to eat too soon before though so you don't feel like crap. An hour and a half is usually fine for me, sometimes i can go as late as half to an hour but wouldn't want to risk that much.

Afterwards im guessing a high protein meal, mixed in with some carbs and a tiny amount of fat would ensure a good recovery.

Although im no nutrionist so someone else might be able to give more detailed help.

Nothing beats a cold glass of mineral H2O.

Before

Normally i'd suggest eating a high complex carbs/protein meal - shoot for 60g carbs/30g protein.

I personally eat about 90 mins before gym workouts as wel as taking a protein shake immediately before working out. It depends what works for you tho. For some people 90 mins is too long and for some it's too short. Trial and error is the best to figure out how your body works with this one. You'll be able to tell by how you fell when you're playing. I'm guessing that for tennis you probably pack a couple of bananas for energy anyway. I did when i used to play.

So for your situation i'd suggest 90 mins before have a decent meal and pack some bananas just in case you feel empty at any point.

After
Simple Carbs and protein are the way to go. Similar to before hand with the carb and protein content, except this time you want simple carbs instead of complex carbs. This is because you need to replenish glycogen stores as quickly as possible and you also want to shuttle the protein to your muscles as quickly as possible, in order to kick start the recovery process. Avoid any fats with this meal as this will slow down your body's absorption of the protein. Fats do play a very important part in nutrition but not immediately before or after a workout.






Complex Carbs

Sweet Potato
Weet-a-bix
Pasta
Wholemeal bread
Oats
Vegetables

Simple Carbs

Fruit
White Bread (some don't consider this as a simple carbs but it is suitable for post workout)
Fruitjuice
Lucozade - Fizzy one (be careful with this as your sugar levels may crash about one hour after drinking this...unless you eat some complex carbs about 45 mins after)
Yoghurt - Asda sell an organic yoghurt that contains around 50 g of simple carbs and 28g of protein. Add some sweetener and maybe some grapes or berries and you pretty much have the perfect post workout meal right there.
Maltodextrin/Dextrose - can buy these in powder form and mix with your protein shake for convenience.

Ono's post is very accurate, I'd just add that you should have some good fatty acids and greens with your pre workout meal. Also it depends on what your goals are exactly, but anyone looking to improve their cardio or make muscular gains should, as he said, look to replenish your glycogen stores as rapidly as possibly following the workout. THerefore Dextrose and Maltodextrin are by far the best choice for simple carbs imo. Every carb that you eat is eventually broken down into pure glucose(blood sugar). Dextrose IS pure glucose, therefore when you consume it after excercise, it bypasses your entire digestive system, as your body doesn't need to break it down. No other simple carb will do this nearly as well. You'l replenish your glycogen stores with any simple carb, but not as quickly, as they must be digested. When you finish intense excercise, you want to create an insulin spike in your body. Goes without saying that this is the ONLY time that's desireable. Anyways, the reason whey(or any) protein is important is that it put's amino acids into your muscle tissue in order to repair them. However, in order to have the fast absorbtion benefits of Whey, you NEED an insulin spike. Protein powder post workout is almost useless without first creating this spike. Insulin will open up your cells, drawing the amino acids into your bloodstream, causing them to bypass your digestive system as well. IMO, the most effective measure is then to consume Dextrose and Maltodextrin(I honestly forget why they are most effective taken together, read up on it) only directly after excercise. You could also add some antioxidants or BCAA's, glutamine, etc. Things that won't slow the absorbtion. Then wait roughly 15-20 minutes till the Insulin has peaked, to consume a protein shake. If that won't work for whatever reason, you could just add the whey in with your carbs.. But it will interfere with absorbtion slightly. It's still a lot more effective than what most people do though. Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by p4pking

Ono's post is very accurate, I'd just add that you should have some good fatty acids and greens with your pre workout meal. Also it depends on what your goals are exactly, but anyone looking to improve their cardio or make muscular gains should, as he said, look to replenish your glycogen stores as rapidly as possibly following the workout. THerefore Dextrose and Maltodextrin are by far the best choice for simple carbs imo. Every carb that you eat is eventually broken down into pure glucose(blood sugar). Dextrose IS pure glucose, therefore when you consume it after excercise, it bypasses your entire digestive system, as your body doesn't need to break it down. No other simple carb will do this nearly as well. You'l replenish your glycogen stores with any simple carb, but not as quickly, as they must be digested. When you finish intense excercise, you want to create an insulin spike in your body. Goes without saying that this is the ONLY time that's desireable. Anyways, the reason whey(or any) protein is important is that it put's amino acids into your muscle tissue in order to repair them. However, in order to have the fast absorbtion benefits of Whey, you NEED an insulin spike. Protein powder post workout is almost useless without first creating this spike. Insulin will open up your cells, drawing the amino acids into your bloodstream, causing them to bypass your digestive system as well. IMO, the most effective measure is then to consume Dextrose and Maltodextrin(I honestly forget why they are most effective taken together, read up on it) only directly after excercise. You could also add some antioxidants or BCAA's, glutamine, etc. Things that won't slow the absorbtion. Then wait roughly 15-20 minutes till the Insulin has peaked, to consume a protein shake. If that won't work for whatever reason, you could just add the whey in with your carbs.. But it will interfere with absorbtion slightly. It's still a lot more effective than what most people do though. Hope this helps.

Absolute superb breakdown of everything that is important.

If you don't like the mix of maltodextrin and dextrose then your next best option is Lucozade which is also glucose. Buying Malto/Dextrose in bulk is very cheap.

myprotein.co.uk - Leading Online Manufacturer & Supplier of Sports and Nutritional Supplements is very good and cheap.

Alright they!I find that a good portrion of scramble eggs on toast twice a week for a duration is a good meal before a workout.I have 3 swisked eggs with burnt toast.YES!Thats right..BURNT TOAST.It's really good for your immune system.And to finish off the meal i'll have 100ml of pure orange juice.Try it!!