I have been doing some research and I have decided to put my diet on the right track. I lift weights for 5 days a week, and it is my passion and hobby. The more research I do, the more I realize that FOOD is the key to gaining muscle mass. I did some research on Google, and I found these two informative articles. The website seemed to be aimed more towards women, so I was wondering if these are still good for men that are trying to gain muscle mass as well. I wasn't sure if females pre and post workout meals are more aimed for being thin. Well anyways, How does these articles stand up with you guys. Are these really good pre and post workout meals?I just wake up @ 5:30 am and eat a cup of Crunch Caramel Nut cereal then I take a centrum multivitamin. I wait 15-20 minutes before I take my energy supplement and my creatine. Post workout I usually take 2 scoops of whey protein and creatine. Please help me critique.Thank you in advance.Here are the articles.
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Sport Help with pre and post workout meals..(articles included)
- Thread starter hypnotic
- Start date
Sport Fitness
Sorry, I didn't have time to read the articles.
But here is an example of what your pre and post workout meals should look like:
Pre WO: You need 20g whey protein and 20g slow-burning carbs. The protein for muscle growth, the slow carbs to fuel your workouts. (Ex: 20g whey protein shake, two slices whole wheat bread or 1/2 cup oats)
Post WO: You need 40g whey/casein blend and 60-80g fast-burning carbs. Your muscles have been torn down, and you need to replenish them quickly. The protein and fast carbs will stoke the muscle-building process. (Ex: 20g whey, 20g casein shake, 1 plain bagel w/ jam)
Hopefully that will help you out.
But here is an example of what your pre and post workout meals should look like:
Pre WO: You need 20g whey protein and 20g slow-burning carbs. The protein for muscle growth, the slow carbs to fuel your workouts. (Ex: 20g whey protein shake, two slices whole wheat bread or 1/2 cup oats)
Post WO: You need 40g whey/casein blend and 60-80g fast-burning carbs. Your muscles have been torn down, and you need to replenish them quickly. The protein and fast carbs will stoke the muscle-building process. (Ex: 20g whey, 20g casein shake, 1 plain bagel w/ jam)
Hopefully that will help you out.
Those are really good suggestions underpar. I have a few quick questions though.
Is it ok to drink a protein shake twice a day? I remember a while back some guy telling me that you shouldn't get over 60g of protein from shakes alone. You must get most of your protein from foods.
Also for a good Pre WO snack, would a half or whole banana sliced and put on whole wheat with 2 tbsp of peanut butter be good? These articles seem very good, but they really don't tell you exactly how much you should eat. I guess you eat until you fill good with what you ate?
Is it ok to prepare an egg in a bowl with a splash of milk with a 1/4 slice of cheese microwaved all together for post workout?
Is it ok to drink a protein shake twice a day? I remember a while back some guy telling me that you shouldn't get over 60g of protein from shakes alone. You must get most of your protein from foods.
Also for a good Pre WO snack, would a half or whole banana sliced and put on whole wheat with 2 tbsp of peanut butter be good? These articles seem very good, but they really don't tell you exactly how much you should eat. I guess you eat until you fill good with what you ate?
Is it ok to prepare an egg in a bowl with a splash of milk with a 1/4 slice of cheese microwaved all together for post workout?
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Those are really good suggestions underpar. I have a few quick questions though.
Is it ok to drink a protein shake twice a day? <Yes. I remember a while back some guy telling me that you shouldn't get over 60g of protein from shakes alone. You must get most of your protein from foods. <Yes, it's best to get most of your protein from whole foods, but two shakes in a day is fine. I guess it may cause some people to need the restroom more often, but I've never had that problem.
Also for a good Pre WO snack, would a half or whole banana sliced and put on whole wheat with 2 tbsp of peanut butter be good? <I would limit the PB to 1 tbsp. and add a protein. These articles seem very good, but they really don't tell you exactly how much you should eat. I guess you eat until you fill good with what you ate? <It's all about how many grams you are getting. Pre-WO: 20-40g of complex carbs and 20g of protein...Post-WO: 60-80g fast carbs and 40g protein. Those are your general guidelines. For example, two slices of whole wheat bread will have about 40g carbs, 1 plain bagel will have about 60g carbs. A banana is about 25g carbs.
Is it ok to prepare an egg in a bowl with a splash of milk with a 1/4 slice of cheese microwaved all together for post workout? <That's a fine start, but you need to add a lot of fast-burning carbs. Think sugary stuff like Honey Nut Cheerios, plain bagels, even cake or something will work. But remember, Post-WO is the ONLY time to eat fast-burning carbs like these!
See my comments in bold.
Those are really good suggestions underpar. I have a few quick questions though.
Is it ok to drink a protein shake twice a day? I remember a while back some guy telling me that you shouldn't get over 60g of protein from shakes alone. You must get most of your protein from foods.
Also for a good Pre WO snack, would a half or whole banana sliced and put on whole wheat with 2 tbsp of peanut butter be good? These articles seem very good, but they really don't tell you exactly how much you should eat. I guess you eat until you fill good with what you ate?
Is it ok to prepare an egg in a bowl with a splash of milk with a 1/4 slice of cheese microwaved all together for post workout?
I'm not sure how long before your workout you plan on taking your shake, but if you take it 30-60 minutes before your workout, it's going to take at least 30 minutes for digestion to be completed so those amino acids can get into your blood and be available for your muscles and other needs. And, I assume your workout is about an hour. So, 20 grams of protein 30-60 minutes before your workout, a 60 minute workout and then another 40 grams of protein immediately afterwards.
Scarfing down 60 grams ( 20 before + 40 after ) of protein over a period of 90-120 minutes seems like over-kill to me. If you do plan on taking 20 grams of protein before your workout, you may only need about 10+ grams plus of protein right after your workout just to be on the safe side amino acid wise - not 40 grams IMO. Don't forget, you body can only absorb a certain amount of amino acids per hour - and in the case of whey protein I think it's something like 8-10 grams per hour.
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