Pre-workout meal timing?

[dmk]

Assuming a real chewable hot meal containing complex carbs and protein, how long should one eat before a workout to get the most benefit from it? In other words, how long should it take to digest the food and get the energy and nutrients into the bloodstream.

Most of the threads I've found on pre-workout nutrition seem to focus on shakes which obviously digest pretty quickly. However, I usually consume a carb/protein shake only post workout since I workout after work. I generally eat a meal around 4:00-5:00 and start my workout around 6:00-7:00. I'd like to time my workout to get the most benefit from the meal.

[jijin]

what's your goals?

personally, I used to have a P+C meal about 1 hour pre-WO, but these days I've just started have a P+F meal 1 hour pre-WO, then have a during WO shake. I find that it helps a lot, especially since I have to cycle to and from the gym.

[andrew_plamondon]

Alan Aragon's view on the subject :

TBW = target bodyweight:

60-90 minutes preworkout, have a solid, balanced meal:

Protein = 0.25g/lb TBW
Carbs = 0.25g/lb TBW
Adding fat at this point is fine, use your discretion as long as it fits into your macro goals.

20-0 minutes preworkout - (and/or sipped throughout the workout), have a liquid or easily digested meal:

Protein = 0.25g/lb TBW
Carbs = 0.25g/lb TBW
Fat should be minimized here. Guidelines aren't hard & fast, but I personally wouldn't exceed 20% of the cals of this meal, in other words, keep the fats here incidental, not added.

Sooner the better postworkout - within 30 minutes, but optimally ASAP, have either a liquid or solid meal:

Protein = 0.25g/lb TBW
Carbs = 0.5g/lb TBW
Fats here should be kept minimal to moderate.
I personally start on this shake 60 minutes into my weight workouts, which take 80-90 minutes.

Post-postworkout is simply your next sheduled meal, whether it's 1, 2, or 3 hrs later simply doesn't matter - especially if your immediate postworkout meal (which may be split up into 2 halves) was designed as above.

NOTE: The small differences are mainly geared toward simplifying the guidelines. The rest of the recommendations about food types are pretty much the same. Also note that I no longer give a damn about GI, it doesn't really make a difference one way or another. If you want high GI carbs pre and/or during training, go for it. As time has passed, GI has proven itself to be a worthless, irrelevant index. Insulinogenesis is a separate issue, and striving to keep insulin up during & postworkout is a great idea. This is accomplished by both food type & food amount, the latter being more important. There's obviously a lot more to this, but that's the important basics. The rest is fringe.

I like his "no bullshit" approach.

[Ian Kay]

Originally Posted by dmk

Assuming a real chewable hot meal

I doubt it would matter whether or not it's "hot".

[dmk]

Originally Posted by jijin

what's your goals?

Mostly increase muscle. I am doing Alwyn Cosgrove's New Rules fat loss workout right now though.

Originally Posted by andrew_plamondon

Alan Aragon's view on the subject :

TBW = target bodyweight:

60-90 minutes preworkout, have a solid, balanced meal:

Protein = 0.25g/lb TBW
Carbs = 0.25g/lb TBW

TBW = the weight you want to be, not the weight you are?

So if I wanted to be 180lbs, then I would eat a meal with 45 grams of protein and 45 grams of complex carbs (180*.25) 60-90 min before working out. Then a carb/protein shake with about the same amounts within 20 min before?