How important is nutrient timing?
Our usual answer is well it depends! We've all heard the long standing myth of the anabolic window which is the holy grail of stuffing your face post workout to maximise your gains, apparently before all they vanish! Does it have any legs to stand on? I would say depending on the person but for the most part no. If that person is an athlete who is commiting to another session on that day i'd highly suggest that they consume carbohydrates post workout and minimise fats. For the general person that's trying to lose a bit of weight is it necessary? i'd say NO. Could that person benefit from it? SURE! But for the most part there are many other boxes to tick before we worry about this. The thing with nutrient timing and most things is the answer often lies in between.
For performance athletes we know how important it is to fuel up before a session. For the general population it's often looked as not as important as long as you hit your calorie target for the whole day. Now from a performance standpoint there is alot flaws in this system...you could train on an empty stomach meaning your output for a session wouldn't be as high and then
under-recover by not eating sufficient protein or carbohydrates. Performing bad during a session could make your training morale low and inturn make you skip a session and have a roll on effect so there is also a mental effect of this not just the physical. The sweet spot often lies in planning your meals and majority of carbohydrates pre and post training and utilising food from a performance standpoint not just a way to lose or gain weight. Coach Mel
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