Regular gym workouts boost energy, strengthen muscles, and improve flexibility and blood flow. A healthy diet is a necessary complement to achieve the desired results.
Eating a balanced mix of carbohydrates, proteins and fats is key to keeping energy levels high and supporting the body during exercise. Carbohydrates are a primary source of fuel for the muscles, while proteins promote muscle growth and repair.
1. Pre-Workout Nutrition
A pre-workout supplement promises to give you a jolt of energy that lasts throughout your workout and helps you push yourself harder. The ingredients used vary, but most pre-workouts contain caffeine and beta-alanine to increase your exercise performance by boosting your time to fatigue. Creatine is another common ingredient, as it increases the amount of adenosine triphosphate in your muscles to help fuel them during intense exercise.
In addition to these nutrients, many supplements also include electrolytes like sodium, potassium and magnesium, which are lost when you sweat heavily during exercise. Some also contain creatine, b-hydroxy b-methylbutyrate and other compounds that boost the production of energy in your cells.
It’s important to remember that these pre-workout ingredients are not regulated, so you may want to talk to your doctor before trying them. Many of these compounds can cause side effects in some people, such as nausea, stomach upset and heart palpitations for those sensitive to caffeine. Some are even banned from professional athletic competition, such as deer-antler velvet, which has not been well studied for safety and has been shown to cause low blood sugar, edema and other symptoms.
For most of the vitamins, minerals and energy boosting compounds found in pre-workouts, it’s better to focus on eating whole foods that contain them, suggests Besu. This will ensure you’re getting these nutrients in moderation and not overloading your body with them. If you’re still interested in using a pre-workout, she recommends choosing one that contains only natural ingredients and consuming it over a short period of time to see what gives you the best results. She also advises avoiding consuming more than two in a day, and making sure to drink water or a carb-rich beverage after each serving to prevent dehydration.
2. Post-Workout Nutrition
Taking the time to prioritize your post-workout nutrition can help you maximize the return on the investment of your gym time. This is especially true for long-lasting or strenuous sweat sessions. Refueling with a mix of carbs and protein within the first 30-45 minutes after exercise is critical to replenishing depleted glycogen stores, repairing muscle tissue and ensuring that you’re ready for your next workout.
Ideally, your post-workout meal should be low in fat so that the nutrients can enter the bloodstream as quickly as possible. Eating too soon after training may cause the body to break down muscle for fuel, rather than using it to repair and rebuild muscle, which can decrease recovery time.
It’s also important to replenish fluids after a workout. During intense sweating, your body can lose fluids and electrolytes, which can lead to dehydration and affect performance. Drinking a beverage that’s low in sugar, such as water or a sports drink, can be helpful for replacing lost electrolytes.
Carbohydrates are the best source of energy for recovery, and consuming carbohydrate-rich foods after a workout can help prevent blood sugar levels from spiking too high after training. The best carbs are whole or minimally processed and contain fiber, which helps slow digestion and nutrient absorption. Foods with a lower glycemic index (GI) score are better, including fruit, starchy vegetables and low-fat dairy products.
While protein is important for muscle growth and repair, it can be difficult to get the recommended amounts from diet alone. Supplementing your diet with a protein shake or a whey protein bar after a workout can help you reach your protein goals. It’s important to experiment with different foods and drinks until you find a combination that works for you.
3. Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are your body’s primary fuel source during exercise. They are broken down into a simple sugar called glucose, which then powers your muscles and other organs. After a workout, carbs are stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen to be used as fuel when needed again. When you don’t eat enough carbs, your body can’t perform as well and will break down muscle to get the energy it needs. Carbohydrates are also necessary for reducing fatigue, so you can stay motivated to hit the gym again and again to reach your goals.
All athletes should be eating carbs to support their athletic performance. It’s especially important for those who exercise vigorously or long distances, such as runners, swimmers, cyclists, etc. Athletes should eat a snack containing carbohydrates and protein before and after their workouts to ensure adequate fueling.
The ideal carbs for a workout are complex carbohydrates that contain fiber and starch, such as whole grains, beans, vegetables, and fruits. They take longer to break down into simple sugars and provide sustained energy during a workout. It’s recommended that you eat a serving of carbs about an hour before your resistance training workout, and again two to three hours after your workout.
If you are exercising for less than an hour, you may not need to eat any carbohydrates before your workout. However, if you are going for an hour or more, it’s best to consume some light, easily digested carbs such as a banana or toast with jam, to top off your energy reserves. Athletes who are preparing for longer training sessions or competitions should eat a carbohydrate-rich meal within 60 minutes of their workout to replenish depleted glycogen stores.
4. Proteins
Proteins are a vital macronutrient for anyone on their fitness journey. They are one of the primary energy sources for the body and help support muscle growth and repair. In fact, consuming protein after exercise prevents protein breakdown and stimulates synthesis. This process helps your muscles recover faster, allowing you to go back to the gym stronger than before.
It’s a common sight to see people at the gym drinking protein shakes or chowing down on a protein bar after their workout. While this is good for them, it’s not necessarily something you need to do as well. But the type of protein you consume is important. The best is a complete protein, which contains all of the essential amino acids your body can’t make on its own.
In case you’re not familiar with proteins, they are chains of amino acids that are the building blocks of muscles and tissues. They are found in the cells of all living organisms and are vital for human health. Each protein has a unique shape and structure, which is determined by the number and sequence of its amino acid components. Amino acids are like the letters of a language and can be arranged in millions of different ways to create protein “words.” The specific word or words that create a protein determine its function.
Proteins are an important part of any diet, but they become even more critical when exercising. This is because working out breaks down your muscles, and the resulting damage requires protein to repair and rebuild them. In addition, protein increases strength and muscle mass, promotes recovery and keeps appetite and hunger levels balanced.
5. Fats
Fats are often viewed as a four-letter word, but consuming the right kinds of fats can help fuel workouts and boost your fitness journey. While carbohydrates and proteins are the body’s primary sources of energy, fats also play an important role in boosting your performance.
Fat provides a backup energy source and helps regulate hormones that impact your gym performance. Additionally, fats can also provide a layer of protection that absorbs some of the physical trauma that occurs during training and competition, which is especially helpful for athletes in contact sports like wrestling, boxing, basketball, football, baseball, rugby, and other sports that involve a lot of collisions with other players or the ground.
Getting the right kind of calories is important for all types of exercisers, but it’s particularly essential for those looking to maximize their workout and recovery. By focusing on getting the right carbs, proteins, and fats to support your goals in the gym, you can improve your performance and recover faster than ever before.