Peri-workout diet

Very good to everyone! In this second article we will talk about how to manage your diet around your daily training. Fundamentally we are talking about a sport such as Crossfit, but many of these recommendations can be applied to many other sports.

From SMART NUTRITION we believe that planning the diet around the "training zone" is key to optimizing the athlete's sports performance. Depending on different factors such as: the level of the athlete, their specific objectives, time of the season, as well as the type of training that is carried out, these nutritional strategies may be adjusted to a greater or lesser extent, however, in general we will try to always have very well covered the 3-4 hours before a workout, as well as the hours after. Those post-training moments, as we will see later, will become even more important if our athlete performs several sessions throughout the day.

PRE - TRAINING

A meal that we eat 2-4 hours before training should be high in carbohydrates, low in fiber and fat, and moderate in protein. The recommendations can range between 1 - 4 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight in these previous intakes.

Depending on whether this previous intake is more hours in advance, we could be more permissive in terms of the intake of fat and whole foods. Although as we said, the main premise should be that it does not contain an excessive amount of fat or fiber to try to avoid possible intestinal discomfort derived, as well as to favor faster gastric emptying that leads to a greater accumulation of glycogen from carbohydrates. ingested carbon. There will be time to incorporate avocado and nuts at another time of the day 😉.

Examples?

• Pre-workout bowl: Protein yogurt + cornflakes + peeled fruit.
• Pre-workout shake: Skimmed milk / rice drink + oatmeal + peeled fruit + protein powder.
• Pre-workout toast: Bread + fresh cheese + honey. peeled fruit.
• Main pre-workout meal: Rice noodles with chicken strips, tomato and mushrooms. peeled fruit.

INTRA - TRAINING

In the vast majority of recreational Crossfit athletes, with training sessions lasting no more than 60-90 minutes (even less effective work time), the intake of food and drinks during the training itself will not be necessary. With water it can be more than enough if it is needed.

However, in longer training sessions, it may already make sense to introduce different drinks rich in carbohydrates depending on the type of training that is carried out, as well as its intensity, and the level of the athlete.

If we are talking about sessions in which we do, for example, a first weightlifting class, and then double up with a Crossfit class (a practice that is quite common to see in the different boxes with which we collaborate), we can introduce during that first training with more rest time between series and not so demanding at the cardiorespiratory level; gels with water, peeled fruit or juices, or assess the intake of a carbohydrate in a supplement format that is easily assimilated, such as amylopectin or maltodextrin. In this way, we also replenish muscle glycogen very quickly and prepare for the next class.

In high-performance athletes - elite , who can divide their daily training into two or three sessions, these strategies obviously become more relevant and it is important to individualize each case in detail.

POST - TRAINING

During a crossfit workout, one of the main limiting factors in performance will be the depletion of muscle glycogen stores. Its correct replacement will be one of the main objectives that we must manage from nutrition.

When preparing a meal or recovery shake, the carbohydrate content will be the most important factor in optimizing muscle glycogen replenishment. Between 0.8 – 1.2 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of body weight will be the recommended dose in the hours after training . If we are close to the lower limit, protein co-ingestion becomes more important, since it could further favor muscle glycogen replacement. On the other hand, if we are in the upper range, protein intake would not be as relevant in relation to glycogen recharge (yes, it is necessary for muscle synthesis as an intake more than what to do throughout the day). Supplementation with creatine monohydrate in this post-workout can also be useful when it comes to boosting the replacement of muscle glycogen.

On the other hand, the intake of carbohydrates in its solid or liquid version favors the replacement of muscle glycogen in the same way , although it will be necessary to take into account especially when administering a solid meal that the rest of the foods are not rich in fat or fiber, which can slow down gastric emptying. Finally, the intake of carbohydrates, with a high glycemic index, will be more useful just after training. The following two graphs summarize the aspects discussed.

REFERENCE BIBLIOGRAPHY: Jeukendrup, Asker E., Gleeson, Michael, (2019). Sports nutrition. Third edition.