I firmly believe that one must choose to eat to accommodate their training needs. This will inevitably be individual and based upon that person’s body composition, genetics, training type, energy needs and knowledge of nutrition.
What I choose to eat pre and post a workout does depend at the time, on my training goals.
To date, I have been consistently training since I was 18 years of age, and so for the last 17 years, I’d been regularly training and or teaching fitness classes. However, for the last three years, due to unforeseen personal circumstances, I have been out of training. During this time, I chose to manage and be consistent with keeping up a good baseline nutrition.
My current training goals are simplistic, set as incremental goals and therefore achievable. I am aiming to increase my flexibility, core strength and the ability to lift my own body weight (over a three month period). My daily nutrition is pretty sound, as I tend to eat a good balance of macro and micro nutrients. I feel I always have to plan my pre and post workout snacks as these will vary and be very much dependent on the training of the day.
Today for example I am aiming to carry out some sprint intervals and to work on my core and its stability, within the gym environment. Dependent on my energy levels, this afternoon, I may work on my gluteal functioning and this will involve walking lunges with a weighted sand bag, kettle bell swings, one legged kettle bell deadlifts and bridge raises.
My pre workout snack today will be based on carrying out a type of HIIT workout (high Intensity Interval Training). Therefore I plan, in advance, to have adequate nutrition in the hours leading up this interval training. I plan to consume a moderate-to-high carbohydrate meal that includes protein, about three hours before I train. This will be either: Cranks seeded bread, as toast, with crunchy peanut butter & banana, some non-fat greek yoghurt with a small amount of fruit or some dried apricots with a handful of almonds.
Post training, I believe the biggest nutritional concern for me here, should be to replace energy stores (glycogen) and to help the repairing of muscles that have been broken down during such an intense workout. Personally a combo of 2:1 carbohydrates to protein has been the most effective for myself to date. However, research does show that a 3:1 ratio within 30 minutes of completing a HIIT workout is the best for replacing energy stores. This is in preparation for the next high-intensity workout, in a few days. I plan to eat either hummus with a piece of wholemeal pita bread post my interval sprint/core training or two rice cakes with hummus and a topping of avocado with a sprinkling of cayenne pepper to add a bit of ‘zest’ to
the mix.
If you are reading this and would like to know what else I eat pre and post other types of workouts, then please don’t hesitate to contact me on @purplefreesiasurrey on Instagram.
