One area that causes a lot of confusion for people with regards to proper bodybuilding nutrition is:
“What Should You Eat Right Before A Workout?”
and
“What Should You Eat Right After A Workout?”
Right around your workout is a critical time frame where your body NEEDS high quality, fast digesting nutrients to help replenish your muscles to aid with recovery and growth.
Taking advantage of this unique window of opportunity and getting it right can really help you get the most out of your workouts. Pre and post workout nutrition is very often the missing link for maximizing your strength and muscle gains in the gym.
So in this video clip below I’m going to show you exactly what you should have before, during, and after your workouts to ensure that you provide your muscles with the nutrients they need.
Watch The Video to find out what you should eat before & after working out…
Note: if you can’t watch the embedded video clip above,
you can watch it right on my YouTube Channel by Clicking Here
Overview of what a good pre and post workout nutrition plan should look like:
- 1 hour before going to the gym have a small protein and carbohydrate meal.
- 10 minutes before your workout have a pre-workout energy drink such as Extreme Rush to prepare you for the workout.
- 20 minutes into your workout have a serving of BCAA’s to help keep your body in an anabolic state.
- Right after your workout have a post workout protein shake with 5 grams of creatine. If you are bulking up in a mass building phase you should add 50-100 grams of fast digesting carbohydrates to this post workout shake, something such as dextrose, fruit, waxy maise, or other fast digesting low fat carbohydrate source to help replenish your glycogen stores and increase your caloric intake.
- About 1 hour after your workout have a solid food protein and carbohydrate meal.
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Pre & Post Workout Nutrition Re-Cap…
Well there you have it, a complete pre and post workout nutrition plan laid out for you step by step.
Now you are probably thinking right now:
“That’s A LOT of stuff… It must cost a fortune to take all that…”
And I agree that eating for bodybuilding isn’t cheap. After all it’s a lot more expensive to buy chicken breasts than it is to buy Kraft Dinner. But if you are really serious about maximizing your gains in the gym then you need to focus on consuming high quality nutrient dense foods, rather than cheap processed filler foods and junk foods.
Now as for the supplements that are covered in this video, they are actually more affordable than you would think. On a per serving basis supplements are a lot cheaper than most other food products.
—————————————
Note:
You can order all of these supplements online at: www.BlueStarMuscle.com and SAVE 50% Off Every Order for this weekend only. Just enter coupon code: BOXING50 when you check out.
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For example, Creatine costs about 15 cents 8 cents per serving, Extreme Rush is about a 1 dollar 50 cents per serving. BCAA’s are about 40 cents 20 cents a serving. The most expensive of it all is the protein powder which is about $2 per serving (but that’s still a lot cheaper than buying a steak). If you took all of these supplements just like I outlined here it would cost a couple bucks per workout.
Considering all the health and muscle building benefits that these supplements provide, this is actually a very good deal in my opinion.
I’d love to hear your feedback…
Please post a comment below letting me know what your pre and post workout supplement routine is and we can chat about it in the comments section below…
108 Comments
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james
quick question here. i always heard that leaving a pre mixed protein shake was bad because an hour or so when it’s time to drink, the shake loses it’s potency.. comments?
Vlades
Hi, I’m 14 years old and I’m around 6’2. I’m pretty tall for my age. I have been working out for a year now. I weigh only 155 pounds. And I’m skinny as hell. Is it harder for taller people to gain muscle?
Thanks Lee.
Btw. I literally watch ALL of your videos!!!
leehayward
That’s not accurate, in fact you can even buy pre-made ready to drink protein shakes that are good to consume. Now you would want to keep your pre-mixed protein drink some place cool. I wouldn’t leave a pre-mixed drink sitting in a hot car several hours, that would just be nasty…
leehayward
It’s not necessarily harder to gain mass for taller people, but it’s going to take more mass to fill out a taller frame. For example, if you have a guy who is 5’2 and he gains 20 pounds of muscle, that 20 pounds is going to look a lot thicker and bigger on a short guy compared to a guy who is 6’2 and gains 20 pounds of muscle.
Dan
hey lee what if you kept it in one of those coolers with a few icepaks in the car?
Dan
Hey Lee i just wanted to tell you what i currently taking before and after my training. I start off by taking Maximize v2 preworkout and a banana,during my training i take a few bcaa pills,and for postworkout i like taking procomplex by optimum nutrition followed by 4 hard boiled eggs minus 3 yolks chopped up and marinated in extra virgin olive oil with some bbq seasoning! then a nice big bowl of oatmeal! ohh by the way i drink about 4 cups of water during training and some gatorade. let me know if all this is ok? Thanks Lee
Jim
So the post-workout is protein without carbs? I guess you don’t subscribe to the whole insulin spike approach to shuttling protein into your muscles? I’m not sure I do either, but that tends to be conventional wisdom.
Nilabjo Banerjee
I use a preworkout 30 mins before heading to the gym. I was told BCAA’s are not mandatory 😛 So, I opt not to take them during the workout. After workout, I have my shake with Protein Powder + 10 g Creatine + 10 g Glutamine right away. Within an hour, I have my meal of protein + low carbs.
What do you think
Shawn
Hey Lee,
My Pre and PW pretty much follows yours to a T but I was hoping you could clear up some Hype for me that I read recently based around mixing Glutimine with Creatine people saying it’s not good because one will get absorbed and not the other and also taking extra Glutimine ontop of whats already in your protein shake is just a waste unless your leaning out/cutting up whats your take on this?
Roland
I eat an orange after. It’s juicy and refreshing. 🙂
Alex
My recipe is quite like yours..
-1 hour before i usually have some oat meal with 1 scoop protein powder in it
-15 Mins before i take a NO drink wich includes beta alanine and caffeine
-During my workout i only have lots of water
-Right after i use a weight gainer, sports drink, creatine and 1,5 scoops of whey mix
-1 hour after a normal carb/protein meal
and thats it..
btw.. been having some stomach issues with my NO drink, my stomach aches a bit during the first half hour into my workout and its quite annoying, is this usual ?
jordan
Lee, you dont have fast carbs after you train????????
Justin
Hey Lee, I had a couple of questions for you about the Blast Your
Biceps program that I got a little bit ago. I haven’t started it yet,
but i plan to when my basketball season is over. — The OFFICIAL DATE is March 15th
1) You recommend taking creatine monohydrate post-workout, this being said, should one do the recommended “loading phase” by taking it 3-4 times a day with each meal for 5 days before the starting the standard 1 serving post-workout?
2) What would be the best way to integrate the nutrition plan from the 21-Day FMB program into a program like BYB?
Thanks for your help,
-Justin
albion hoxha
Hi lee, I take dark matter from MHP and it has creatine, waxymaize and other stuff but only 12grams of protein. I heard that your body can only absorb either protein or creatine in one time. Is this true?
Mike
Hi Lee once again a great article thank u so much .I just have one question oats pasta and rice are all good source of carbs buy which ones are recommended pre and post workout?
Dan
Alex,
try taking your preworkout on a empty stomach,if that doesn’t work then switch to another kind of preworkout drink.most likely it could be some ingredient your allergic to. I personally take maximize v2 by i force,this stuff will make you feel like killing someone! give it a shot.hope my 2 cents helped out dude.
Travis
Good insight Lee! I usually have coffee and some L-glutamine before i workout and find that gives me plenty of extra energy and motivation to break the weights. I finished my second cycle of 21 fast mass and absolutly loved the program and the results I got! Can I send my before and after pictures to you and vince and write a testimonial? Thanks again Lee!
~Travis
Cody
I could be wrong but to me thats like someone saying don’t take vitamin C and Vitamin B at the same time cause only one will get absorbed. Yes the last 3 letters are the same but each have a seperate purpose, unless someone wants to correct me..
Rob
I’m allergic to Splenda (sucralose), eggs, and casein. (I can eat whole eggs or egg whites on a 7-10 day rotation diet, but that’s another topic.) I’m also extremely sensitive (but I wouldn’t say ‘allergic’) to caffeine as well. (It knocks me out asleep an hour after taking it, and then for the next 6-7 hours I’m shaking and sweating and WIPED of any USEABLE energy.) Any affordable pre-workout ‘energy’ or ‘drive’ supplement suggestions for those of us who can’t consume splenda or caffeine? Splenda seems to be in most everything and caffeine in a lot of things (at least related to energy). I’ve tried bee pollen and it works GREAT for moderate-level activities/energy like jogging, running, lap swimming, etc., but it does nothing for me as far as drive (sprints, weight-training, etc). I’ve also tried a few different adaptogenic herbs (like maca), but they only helped me to relax & stay more calm. I need something to help stimulate me (for 45-60 minutes, 1 1/2 hours max) like I’m about to have to fight (train) for my life, kill or be killed ya know? I’ve heard of things like Tongkat Ali, Elk Antler Velvet, Alpha Yohimbine, etc., but they’re far too expensive for me to try and them not work. Any suggestions? I already take fish oil (which has similar properties to aspirin as far as blood thinning goes).
Rob
Oh, and I can do take whey protein (Optimum Nutrition brand), usually with almond milk or occasionally rice or soy, and with 1-2 sorts of berries. (RAW milk does not give me any allergic problems btw, but unfortunately in this state it’s illegal to sell (RAW) for human consumption, is only able to be sold for pets. Anyway, I just wanted to add that. I have a teeny bit of an allergy to whey from drinking it almost 3x a day for 2 straight years, but I can still handle it if I make sure not to drink it EVERY day.
Rob
I’m developed my egg allergy from very severe food poisoning 6 years ago at the campus cafeteria.
And sorry for not putting all of this into just 1 post.
Zach
james,
This is true with pre-mixing your own creatine.
kyle
Quick Question.
I know creatine can be ideal for gaining muscle,but how much creatine is too much? I heard that creatine can cause a water bloat in the body. I just got cell tech but i looked at the creatine content in it and i just want to make sure there wont be any negative side effects.
leehayward
Yes, storing your food and supplements in a cooler during the day is a great option for keeping your protein shakes cool.
leehayward
Looks good, but ideally you should wait at least 45 minutes after your post workout shake before eating a solid food meal. This will just give the protein time to adsorb quicker in your system.
leehayward
Your carb intake will vary depending on if you are trying to gain mass or lose bodyfat. When in a mass building phase having some simple carbs post workout can be beneficial. But during a fat loss phase you can skip the simple carbs in effort to burn more bodyfat.
leehayward
I personally use both and there are studies showing that combining both creatine and glutamine is benificial for recovery and muscle growth. But it’s personal preference. If you don’t want to take gluatmine than don’t, simple as that.
You can refer this study for more information about creatine and glutmaine supplementation:
Lehmkuhl M, Malone M, Justice B, Trone G, Pistilli E, Vinci D, Haff EE, Kilgore JL, Haff GG. The effects of 8 weeks of creatine monohydrate and glutamine supplementation on body composition and performance measures. J Strength Cond Res. 2003 Aug;17(3):425-38.
leehayward
What brand of NO drink are you using?
Certain brands may not sit well with you. I know my girlfriend Trish has had similar stomach discomfort issues with Jack3d, but she has no problem taking Extreme Rush. My advice is to try another brand and see if you still experience stomach problems.
leehayward
I wouldn’t bother loading with creatine, just take it similar to how I outlined in this video right from the get go and you’ll still top up your body’s creatine stores and reap the benefits creatine has to offer.
As for the 21-Day FMB diet and the Blast Your Biceps program. You could literally do each phase of the BYB program with a full primer and overload diet phase. So make each BYB phase 3 weeks long. Just for the record I’ve never tried this before, but it would be interesting to see the results!
leehayward
Your carb intake will vary depending on if you are trying to gain mass or lose bodyfat. When in a mass building phase having some simple carbs post workout can be beneficial. But during a fat loss phase you can skip the simple carbs in effort to burn more bodyfat.
leehayward
No that’s not true, you can have protein and creatine mixed together in the same drink and your body will digest it and utilize it.
leehayward
They are all starchy carbohydrates and are pretty much interchangeable within your diet. However, the oats would probably be a slower digesting carb due to the fiber content so you may want to have that prior to your workouts (i.e. an hour or more before you train). And the pasta and rice are faster absorbing carbs so they could be eaten after training.
leehayward
By all means you can send me your testimonial and pictures. I’d love to see your results from the 21-Day Fast Mass Building Program.
leehayward
You could try Green Tea Extract. This is very healthy and quite mild compared to some of the other stronger energy boosters.
leehayward
I suggest going with 5 grams of creatine per day for guys under 200 pounds. 10 grams per day for guys over 200 pounds. These are good general guidelines that work well for most people.
Alex
Dan,
Thx 4 the help Dan;)
I know it should be taken on an empty stomach but that seems impossible, orelse i would have to workout starving and that is not a good option.. i will try to change the brand and see how it goes because a good pre workout helps a lot, even more for someone like me who worksout at night after a long days work and needs a litlle spike..
Alex
leehayward,
Thx 4 the help Lee.. i’m currently using NOS FUSION from Reflex Nutrition and i have a lot of trust on this brand.. (you can look it up, own factory in England producing from raw materials, cheked by the authorities, ISO 9001 quality, all products even include probiotics and dygestive enzimes).. all the ingredients are in perfect amounts and i think they are exactly what i need and appart from the disconfort it works wonders..
I think i will try the decaffeinated version and see how it goes and if not maybe try another brand because i really feel the need for a pre workout drink, i workout at night after a long days work and it really helps..
Keep up the great work !!
Alex
leehayward,
Thx 4 the help Lee.. i’m currently using NOS FUSION from Reflex Nutrition and i have a lot of trust on this brand.. (you can look it up, own factory in England producing from raw materials, cheked by the authorities, ISO 9001 quality, all products even include probiotics and dygestive enzimes).. all the ingredients are in perfect amounts and i think they are exactly what i need and appart from the disconfort it works wonders..
I think i will try the decaffeinated version and see how it goes and if not maybe try another brand because i really feel the need for a pre workout drink, i workout at night..Keep up the great work !!
Thomas J Ahern(Irish)
I’m caught between a rock & a hard place!I’m 67 yrs of age but I’m insulin dependant Diabetic!I’m a recovering Alcholic(havn’t had any Alchohol in approx 16+ yrs.I have to ck my blood sugar 4times / day.My Diabetic Dr doesn’t want me to take hardly any supplements.Also I don’t do exercises to exhaustion because it is to hard to differentiate between the feeling & low blood sugar.I just have to “Play it by ear”Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks,Tom Ahern
P.S. I take GNC Glutamine pills 3/day a their MegaMen vitamins & minerals
Alex
leehayward,
Currently i’m using NOS FUSION from Reflex Nutrition and i really trust this brand for all my supllements (Own factory, products produced from raw materials, ISO 9001 quality and all of them even include probiotics and dygestive enzymes)
I will try the decaffeinated version, i think it may be the caffeine in it, regular coffee also upsets my stomach.. if that doens work i will try anotehr brand or another product that they have “extreme performance”.
Keep up he good work Lee !!
Dory Yasmin
Hello Lee, I am Dory, a big fan all the way from Lebanon. I like your page a lot because you explain the informations in a great way that makes it enjoyable to know and hard to forget.
I would like to tell you about my Pre/post work out nutrition: ( but first im 25 years old, 5.7 feet and about 154 pounds, i started gym since december 2010, i go to gym 4 days a week at 12 pm and im not looking to have a big body, instead a muscled 6 packs body like this one “or maybe a bit better then the image hehe” http://images.mylot.com/userImages/images/postphotos/1093071.jpg )
Before going to gym i have: (Oatmeal) or (Egg whites with 1 cup of milk) 2 hours before gym, Whey Protein (Bio-x) 45 min before gym.
During Gym, i have Gatorade drink instead of water
After the Gym: about 45 min after the gym i have my protein shake, 1 hour after the gym i have my lunch meal (it varies a lot, i hv different meal each time, should i hv something specific?)
I know theres something wrong with this cuz i dont find myself having a lot of power during gym, i reached a level where i find myself using the same weights and i cant do more. i thought maybe the protein im using is not that good, its called BioX Xtreme Power Whey Complex (here is the link:http://www.nutrition-zone.com/product_info.php?products_id=29)
Can u help me with what i should do and not do? they told me that sleeping hours are important, if so what time should i sleep since im doing gym 12 pm?)
PS: i find myself better when taking egg whites with milk instead if oatmeal even though i read that oatmeal is way better. is there a recipe to know how to do the oatmeal cuz maybe the way im preparing it is wrong.
I know i asked a lot of questions and I Thank you a lot Lee, Keep up the great work
Dory
Isaac Forgey
leehayward,
Lee,
I’ve heard that glutamine looses its potency shortly after it hits water? So if you areuseing a protein drink with that included, you wouldn’t want that sitting around? Even on ice, No? Hey just out of curiosity do you know of any places someone could send the suppliments they use to be tested for content? There is no stupid question other than the one not asked.
Thanks for the knowledge Lee, you’re a GREAT help!!!!
Isaac Forgey
Lee,
I noticed in one of your responses to a comment above you talk about wether you are in fat loss cycle or mass gaining cycle on what you take pre and post workout. So is this your fat loss routine? If so, Could you hook us up with your mass gain routine?
Thanks and GOD BLESS,
Isaac
Stephen
Hey Lee,
I noticed you didn’t mention anything about Greens. I take it once I get up (along with my protein, glutamine, BCAAs and creatine), as well as once I finish my workout (one again with the same four supplements as my morning routine). But I do I really need to take the Greens after a workout? It seems like it is more of a supplement to keep you healthy as opposed to helping gain mass, so I’m wondering if I am choking down too much of that putrid tasting stuff for no reason lol.
Dan
leehayward,
Thanks again for the tip.
Nick
Lee, I’ve always eaten my post workout meal/shake(around 40g protein and 90 grams simple carbs) immediately after my workout(5-20 minutes post workout) because I was told the sooner the better. I then don’t eat until my next meal(around 3 hours later). You state that you should wait around 45 minutes post workout before getting a solid meal in. Am I cutting my gains short by eating 1 big meal immediately post workout or will I have the same results as your method of a protein shake followed by a good real food meal about 45 minutes post workout? By taking just a protein shake immediately post workout wouldn’t gluconeogenesis occur to some degree thus converting some protein into sugars to restore glycogen stores? Also, should healthy fats be incorporated in a post workout meal?(I’m on a mass building phase)
Travis
leehayward,
Awesome! what e-mail should I send you the pictures?
Ryno
Interessting article , I never really considired this when training , I knew about the pre and post workout GAP to eat but thats it. Great article thanks !
Kuldeep
Hi Lee, I want to any diet schedule or any supp. cycle for increasing my muscularity . Please help me ?
kamal
Hi Lee, I want to any diet schedule or any supp. cycle for increasing my muscularity .
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