What should I eat before and after a workout?. (Should I take my whey protein at one of these times?)
Thanks

Personally, I eat before working out. But that's because my routine has to be after dinner. So I doubt that's helpful for you! But I only had two thoughts for you about what you should take in pre and post.

Pre: Always make sure you have enough water in your system. I always have a glass of water before I get to the gym so its cycling in my system when I'm there. I've heard that if you feel thirsty, you've been thirsty for a long while. I can't tell you how important it is to get that water in before and during workouts. Stick to water too. Do not think you'll get it through power drinks, coffee, pop, or really anything else.

Post: I have whey protein in the post. Usually this helps in my recovery. I would eat normally so why not have some protein that your muscles are looking for anyway? Compared to what I'd eat otherwise, it's low-cal and rather good (recommend using milk and not water).

That's all I have to suggest. I don't really want to say either way whether to eat or not beforehand. I know I do and I never have a problem with running out of energy. I just like having fuel before going in there and pounding my brains out.

You should do both, if you're lifting. A small, carby snack about 30 minutes before you go to the gym, like a little oatmeal or fruit. I always have an apple and it seems to give me all the energy I need. Just enough to sustain you through your workout. If you have dinner before hand, then maybe just wait 45 - 60 minutes so you're not full and have had time to digest a bit.
Your post workout meal is best if it's a shake with protein and carbs. Ideally, whey and sugar. Should have 50% your body weight in grams of carbs (this is the only time when it's actually desireable to have white sugar, high GI carbs - NO fructose) and 25% your body weight in protein, preferably whey. NO fat - so use water or non-fat milk to mix. After working out, muscles are tapped of glycogen and te faster they're replenished, the faster repairs begin. Thats why you want something that will be very quickly absorbed.
This doesn't apply for cardio. If you're doing cardio to lose fat, you shoul fast for 1-3 hours before you go for maximum fat burning. If you eat first, then you're burning mostly what you just ate.

Thanks for the replies, I think i'm going to go with orange juice, an apple, or an orange for pre workout along with a bottle of water. And then whey protein with water for right after. For cardio days i'm going to not eat anything b4 and then bout 20 minutes after have dinner. Does this sound good to you guys?
Thanks again

Sounds good, but make sure you have carbs in the post workout shake. It's pretty important for muscle growth. Otherwise, spot on. :)

You should do both, if you're lifting. A small, carby snack about 30 minutes before you go to the gym, like a little oatmeal or fruit. I always have an apple and it seems to give me all the energy I need. Just enough to sustain you through your workout. If you have dinner before hand, then maybe just wait 45 - 60 minutes so you're not full and have had time to digest a bit.
Your post workout meal is best if it's a shake with protein and carbs. Ideally, whey and sugar. Should have 50% your body weight in grams of carbs (this is the only time when it's actually desireable to have white sugar, high GI carbs - NO fructose) and 25% your body weight in protein, preferably whey. NO fat - so use water or non-fat milk to mix. After working out, muscles are tapped of glycogen and te faster they're replenished, the faster repairs begin. Thats why you want something that will be very quickly absorbed.
This doesn't apply for cardio. If you're doing cardio to lose fat, you shoul fast for 1-3 hours before you go for maximum fat burning. If you eat first, then you're burning mostly what you just ate.
See, this is where I get confused. Even if you eat dinner before a workout, yah you'll burn what you just ate, but your gonna eat it anyway! So it doesn't matter WHEN you eat it as far as my understanding. Can you please help me understand the concept of burning what you eat, even though you plan on eating it anyway? I'm sure you are correct, but I'm confused, thanks! :confused:

I'm not totally sure I understand the question. What I think you're asking is 'what difference it makes whether you eat food before working out or after since the meal is still going to be eaten'. The answer to that is in how the body works. If you are exercising to burn fat, if you haven't eaten in a couple of hours, you have lower blood sugar levels. This translates to less available energy for the body to use. Once you start to exercise, what is available is used up fairly quickly and then the body is forced to move on to stored energy: fat. So, it will make that exercise more efficient for fat loss. If you eat before you do your cardio, there is much more available energy so the body will be less likely to use up the stored fat. That's a helpful thing if you're doing a marathon or competing for some athletic event, but it's not good for fat loss. Does that make sense? Am I answering the right question?

I'm not totally sure I understand the question. What I think you're asking is 'what difference it makes whether you eat food before working out or after since the meal is still going to be eaten'. The answer to that is in how the body works. If you are exercising to burn fat, if you haven't eaten in a couple of hours, you have lower blood sugar levels. This translates to less available energy for the body to use. Once you start to exercise, what is available is used up fairly quickly and then the body is forced to move on to stored energy: fat. So, it will make that exercise more efficient for fat loss. If you eat before you do your cardio, there is much more available energy so the body will be less likely to use up the stored fat. That's a helpful thing if you're doing a marathon or competing for some athletic event, but it's not good for fat loss. Does that make sense? Am I answering the right question?
Yes, thanks. :D