Something often not talked about very much anymore when it comes to gaining muscle and strength is how soon after you eat a meal is the right amount of time to wait till you go train. Before "If It Fits Your Macros" and "Flexible Dieting" came about there was a time where people actually looked at timing there meals for the best performance they could achieve. Why not take a break from all the new hype of just hitting macros and go back to the basics for a bit and see if you can have even better training sessions from timing your meals with the proper amount of time between when you eat and train.
Remember when you were young and you were told by your parents that you can't swim after you eat for at least 30 min? Well there might have been some truth in that, maybe not for the reasons your parents said but possibly for performance this could make a difference. Believe it or not the bigger a meal is the more time you need to digest it and feel optimal for your training session. Now there are outliers to this rule as i can name several people that can eat a big meal and go train but for the majority of us you can benefit by waiting a bit after a meal to go train. If you don't have a ton of time to wait around you should either train fasted (not recommended) or have a very small meal of basically some protein and carbs.
In Simple Terms What Does The Digestive Process Look Like?
To put it simple it goes something like this;
- you eat the food
- the food then is broken down and the nutrients are extracted in the stomach
- the bigger the meal the longer this process takes
- once food is done being processed it empty's into the small intestine and digestion continues but all we really care about for this article is the first part.
You see when food is being broken down and processed in the stomach you will often be feeling lethargic and a little sleepy, this is not the time to train, This could be known as the "Thanksgiving Effect" - you know the feeling you get every year after indulging in the thanksgiving feast.
You want to be walking in the gym when your food has been emptied from the stomach. How can you tell this has happened?
The sleepy feeling starts to go away and you just feel your energy and focus rising back up.
Think of it this way when you eat your body has to use energy to digest and process the food and nutrients. This energy is taken from your at-the-ready energy stores which is why you feel tired after eating. After your body is mostly done with that processing part though is when more energy will come back to your at-the-ready energy stores, those are the same stores of energy you need at the gym. So think about it. If you time this energy drain and energy gain right with your training you will no doubt have better performance when you train!
To Make This Easy For You
Today i am going to provide you with a guide that you can use to figure out when to train after you eat.
The 500 Calorie Rule
No this does not mean to only eat 500 calories before you train this is pertaining to a rule that I follow called the 500 calorie rule. Pretty Much it works like this...
For every 500 calories you eat before you train wait 1 hour. Its that simple!
So For example Here is a guide;
250 calories - Wait 30 min
500 calories - Wait 1 Hour
1,000 calories - Wait 2 hours
and so on...
What should these meals look like?
If training 30 min after you eat - moderate protein, moderate carbs, low fat
If training 1 hour after you eat - moderate protein, high carbs, moderate fat
If training 2 hours after you eat - high protein, high carbs, moderate to higher fat
The rule to follow here is that
- protein takes lots of energy to break down so the sooner you are going to train the lower protein should be around that time.
- carbs are your energy source and can be digested fast so these can naturally be higher around your training.
- fats are the complicated one... In my opinion and what has worked best for me is including some fats in your pre workout meal as long as you have time to digest them. The pumps, and your stamina will be way better with some fats. The only reason i would not eat some fat before training was if i had to train right after eating.
So what does a meal for me look like if i am training right afterwards?
25 grams of whey protein, 1 banana
If i have an hour?
2 whole eggs, 1/2 cup egg whites, 1 pack of instant oatmeal, 1 banana, 1/2 cup berries
If i have a couple hours?
Sandwich with lunch meat cheese and avocado, 1 serving of chips, small side salad with some tuna thrown in, 130 grams of white potato, 1 banana, 1 greek yogurt, 1 granola bar. This for example is my lunch every work day for the week. I train 2 hours after this feast.
Wondering If You Should You Use Bro Splits or Total Body Training Splits For Better Muscle Growth Check out this blog!
This Is What I Have Found To Work Best For Me
This article is not saying you have to follow these rules it is just a guide you could go by that might help you with experimenting with what works for you. For example i usually only eat 2 times a day. I'm not saying you should only eat 2 times a day, you need to find what works best for you and your lifestyle.
To Recap
- The bigger the meal the more time you should wait to train
- Use the "1 hour for every 500 calories you eat" rule
- If training 30 min after you eat - moderate protein, moderate carbs, low fat
- If training 1 hour after you eat - moderate protein, high carbs, moderate fat
- If training 2 hours after you eat - high protein, high carbs, moderate to higher fat
If you guys enjoyed this weeks blog let me know and feel free to share on your social media as i greatly would appreciate it. Till next week guys.
Stay Strong,
Shawn Fausey
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- Shawn Fausey is the Founder and CEO of Fausey's Fitness. With Over 6 years experience in Bodybuilding, Powerlifting and Nutrition. Shawn offers services of online fitness coaching, programing and consulting. Shawn is also a Graphic Designer and can be reached for graphic services on www.rev-graphics.com
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