A lot of lifting types are concerned about eating the perfect thing pre and post workout to enhance muscle building. The common thought process is complex carbs, protein, and fat before a workout and fast-digesting both carbs and protein after a workout. This usually winds up looking something like this:
Before workout- Oats with coconut oil and egg whites
After workout- Whey protein and a piece of fruit
Certainly nothing bad will happen to someone by following this protocol, but I'd like to propose that maybe, since the carbs and protein we just ate are already digesting and feeding the muscles DURING the workout (and at a good pace to continue fueling them, I might add, because the complex carbs and fat both slow the digestive process), the need to fuel them after is slim, if needed at all.
Let me say this another way- If you eat complex carbs and protein before your workout, they're giving your muscles all the stuff they need during the workout to build muscle and recover.
The need to fuel right after a workout is, in my opinion, very important in only two instances:
1) You worked out on an empty stomach, and/or
2) You are prepping for a competition.
In the case of #1, well....... of course you can see the reasoning. After tearing down tissue with intense exercise, your body needs something to build stronger muscle to meet those demands next time you work out. And, honestly, you'll probably be starving afterwords, anyhow.
In the case of #2, it's splitting hairs when someone eats both before and after, which isn't relevant in every day life. But when prepping for comp, especially as you get closer to showtime, the littlest things can make the difference between taking home a trophy and not.
But since most of us aren't prepping for competition, let's not worry about that. Okay?
Instead, let's concentrate on eating clean foods, and in moderate amounts particularly if we are trying to lose weight. For a poorly-video-ed blog (I'm sorry), about that subject, you can click here.
And remember to take Bites that Build a Better Body!
