Do you guys have any suggestions on good pre-work out carbs? What are your favorites, and why?
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Honestly, I don’t mean to be a dick, but read the damn magazine; seriously.
You are probably at the website with the most information on pre-workout and post-workout nutrition on the entire internet!
<---- See search engine over here.
Have fun.
Dave,
if you don’t mean to be a dick, then don’t be one! It’s really no sweat off your nuts if I ask a question. If you think it’s a question “below” your great stature then DON’T ANSWER IT!!! Besides, you really missed the point of the post (imagine that). I’ve been lifting for fifteen years, and know quit well what works for me as a pre work-out meal (and why). I was simply interested in seeing what works for other people, and their reasoning behind it. You know, it’s never good to get too set in your perspective. After all, there is more than one way to the same goal.
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what has been suggested is to take a P+F meal a couple hours before hand and take 1/2 serving surge immediately before wo. then take the other 1/2 serving right after. that is assuming you are following Berardi’s dietary guidelines.
Both of you need to relax.
As a very strict rule of thumb my preworkout carbs are consumed 60-90 minutes prior to workout and consist of low - medium glycemic carbs. My sources most often are:
a) 2 cups brown rice and 1/2-1 cup beans
b) 1 cup old fashioned oatmeal and 1 medium banana.
Other good sources include whole grain bread, Yams or sweet potatos.
While Im well aware many are strong proponents of a high glycemic carb in the form of a shake prior to workout, I have found it reduces my performance by:
a) bloating me up
b) often causing a seratonin-induced ‘coma’ (think back to your typical Thanksgiving meal and how you felt afterwards lying on that couch)
Hope this helps. Check out John Berardi’s ‘Massive Eating’ article for some of the best information on diet/nutrition.
Jodgey: Your wrong on both suggestions!
1st: It HASN’T been suggested to have a P+F meal. That’s personal preference. Some (like myself) prefer P+C pre-workout because it is also my breakfast, or for some other reason. Other’s prefer P+F because it works for them.
2nd: Read “Ressurgance” from a few weeks ago. It was NOT suggested to have 1/2 serving Surge before and 1/2 after. Instead, it has been found to be way more effective if you take 1/2 serving DURING, and 1/2 serving afterwards.
well, then, I stand corrected.
Actually, ND it has been recommended that one have a P+F meal and hour or so prior to workout to stabelize blood sugar and prevent hyperinsulinemia during the workout - even if it is breakfast. Both Berardi and Dr. Lowrey has proposed this.
-M
I thought so. Thanks for backing me up.
Yeah I’m one of the many that ops for the P+F rather than P+C pre-workout. On typical training day I go to the gym around 3PM so I eat nothing but P+F leading up to training. 60-90 minutes before training I eat my last P+F meal consisting of a cup of green beans with a can of tuna mixed with a tbsp of extra virgin olive oil and a little bit of honey mustard. I mix everything all up in a bowl and go to town. It sounds nasty, but it is actually pretty darn tasty. As for the Surge…I will second the notion that it is suggested that one should sip half a serving while training and drink the other half right afterwards.
I just realized that my response to this post didn’t answer your question…haha! If you opt for a P+C meal before training, I would do what diesel suggested and keep it low glycemic. Oatmeal would be a great choice, although personally I would nix the banana. As far as fruit is concerned, banana’s are high on the glycemic scale. You would be better off eating an apple or orange instead.
Well, since I started this thread I guess I’ll chime in. Actually, I use a P+F meal pre-work out: scoop of whey protein(with whey hydrolysate); 1/2 cup cottage cheese; 1tbsp. Udo’s Choice. I’ve found that a relatively light meal that is easily digested and high in BCAAs, plus the EFAs for blood sugar stabilization works very well for me.
During my work out I sip on a mixture of about 25g. whey protein (again, importantly, with whey hydrolysate), 50g. high-glycemic carbs, 5g. creatine. I follow the work out immediately with another serving of the same formula. Finally, this is followed by a 50g. protein, 100g. carb meal about an hour later. This example is from a typical “size and strength” cycle.
It is interesting to see what works for different people, and why. Also, I do sometimes like to experiment with different pre-work meals and note their effects.
Do I have this correct? You ingest ~300 kcal (25gP;50gC) during your workout, then follow it immediately with another 300 kcal drink, then one hour later you have a 600 Kcal meal? I’m not judging, just asking…how does your body handle all that, it seems pretty heavy to have during and immediately after your workout?
Now I have a quick question - I try to workout at 5:30 am, when would be the best time for me to try to get a small (I mean SMALL meal) in prior to working out? I definitely need a Carb based snack/meal because I get extremely nauseous if I go on a complete empty stomach or if I have a Protein based snack/meal. I was thinking I would set my alarm for about 4am have something quick then go back to bed for an hour then go to the gym. Does this sound logical?
i do best with oatmeal with a tea spoon of low sugar berry jam or yams and a protein shake
I also typically workout at 5:30 am. What I’ve been doing lately is wake at 4:45, take pre workout stimulants/supplements, then ‘sip’ approx 25 grams of whey protein, and 25 grams of maltodextrin/dextros during my warmup sets. (Surge is still a bit pricey for me.) Immediately after my workout I have the same type drink for a post workout meal.
I’d also be interested in hearing anyone else’s suggestions for a ‘pre-workout/first meal of the day.’ Getting up an hour earlier and interrupting your sleep to eat something seems counter productive.
SrA1355, I think Lonnie Lowry recommended this pre-workout carbs and protein, go to sleep thing. It sounded sketchy to me but maybe you can ask him about it.
I made a mistake about Lowery. He advocates taking thyroid/ephedra/coffee, then going back to sleep. For pre-workout meals, he says they should be 60-90 before exercise, and no P+C (except vegetables) less than 3 hours before dieting. This is from “Temporal Nutrition, II”.
srA1355,
Yes, that’s correct. Take a look at John Berardi’s “Solving The Post-Workout Puzzle-Part I” (and part II). Some of the evidence he cites concerning (workout and)post-workout feedings has been demonstrated by researchers over the past several years.
Keep in mind that I use this particular pattern during “heavy” strength and mass cycles. Therefore, I consume 1200Kcal, or 1/3 of my daily calories within a two hour time frame centered around my workout. I keep the ratio 2-1 carbs to protein.
This my sound excessive, but remember your body is primed to preferentially shuttle ingested nutrients into storage as lean tissue post workout–especially in the presence of high insulin levels.
So, to give an example, I’m returning to training after a 2 1/2 year lay-off. I’m 41y.o. with what I consider an “effecient” metabolism–no, I don’t mean I can get away with eating whatever I want, just the opposite. My body is very effecient, from an evolutionary perspective, at storing calories as body fat–it always has been even when I was younger.
I started out by going through a two week diet cycle in order to prime my body for an anabolic cycle and to build my work capacity. I used moderate intensity workouts, fat burners, HIIT training,etc. Now I’ve completed my first week (of two) on a “strength and mass” cycle:
A) two servings/day Mag-10
B) two 5g. packs Androgel/day (transdermal testosterone gel)
C) 3600Kcal/day
D) various standard supplements (e.g., creatine, protein powder–I’m a BIG believer in EFA oil)
RESULTS:
Approx. .5 lbs. fat gain
Approx. 4.5 lbs. lean tissue gain!
Keep in mind, this is in ONE WEEK!
Now, time will tell how “solid” this gain is–what my LBM looks like after the second week on the mass cycle; and what the numbers look like after the two week diet cycle following this mass cycle. However, as things look now I’m thrilled with my results! I can visually see the added mass. My strength has shot through the roof, recovery is great, energy levels are high, and my muscles are so chocked full of glycogen just bending my arms to eat or drink causes and incredible pump!!!
P.S. during the second week of my diet cycle (before starting this mass cycle) I obtained the equipment for body fat testing:
A) Tribex, M
B) 2000Kcal
C)Standard supplements (high EFA intake)
RESULTS:
Approx. 2.0lbs. fat loss
Approx. 1.0 LBM gain!
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what’s your diet/workout strategy post mag10 cycle? any methoxy? tia
Mdog,
post Mag-10 my training/nutrition looks like this:
A) Tribex, M
B) Five meals; 2000Kcal: 250g. protein (1000Kcal, 50%Kcal); 100g. carbs (400Kcal, 20%); 66g. fat, mostly EFAs (600Kcal, 30%Kcal)
C) Carbs are consumed in a 1-1 ratio with protein. 250mg. ALA taken with each carb containing meal
D) On workout days ALL carbs are consumed centered around my workout:
–25g. whey protein (with whey hydrolysate) and 25g. high glycemic carbs with 5g. creatine SIPPED DURING WORKOUT
–second dose of above formula immediately post workout
–50g. protein (mixed source protein powder) and 50g. carbs from mixed high and moderate glycemic carbs TWO HOURS POST WORKOUT
E) On non workout days ALL carbs are consumed in the first two meals of the day (50g./meal) and most in the form of high glycemic carbs taken with my creatine
TRAINING:
A) 100 reps/muscle group/week
B) Higher reps (10-12), thus fewer total sets than during strength/mass cycle, but greater time under tension during a set
C) Shorter rest intervals between sets–60 seconds or less (as well as higher reps/set); thus, greater lactic acid build up (and the correlated higher GH output), as well as greater work density
D) A relative de-emphasis of the eccentric portion of a movement, a relative emphasis on the concentric portion of a movement, and a slower less explosive tempo
E) HIIT training in the morning, on an empty stomach, with fat burners. Generally, I do sprints on a tread mill, 3-4 days/week (on non weight-training days), for 20-30 min.
Well, that’s the basics. Hope that helps,
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how come you don’t eat a hi protien/carb whole food meal 2 hours PW instead of liquid? i’ve been eating 1 cup plain oats and 2 chicken breasts 1.5 hours after my post shake. just curious, thanks.